Miriam

 I love going to the theater. Plays, musicals, symphonies; I love them all!

Last year when I was living in Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to go to the Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster and OH MY GOODNESS if you ever have the chance to go then GO! Don’t miss out on one of their performances! They bring the Bible to life in such an amazing, entertaining, and thrilling – its on par with Broadway.

BROADWAY, people!!

Sight & Sound has two theaters in the USA – one in Lancaster, PA and the other in Branson, MO.  I’ve been able to see 3 performances so far and they just get better and better with each biblical character that they bring to life. Next year, they’ll be performing Noah and I’m already planning on driving the 8 hours it takes to get there so I can watch! I’m just too excited!!

While in PA, one of these amazing performances that I was able to see was Moses, the epic story of the man who led Israel out of bondage. It was soooooooo GOOD!!  Probably one of the best theatrical shows I’ve seen! In fact, the Angel of Death scene, where the plague of the first born Egyptian sons all die, was so epically terrifying and beautiful that I got goosebumps!!

Watching the play, I really began to understand in some small way, just how much the people of Israel suffered under Pharaoh’s hand.  How tightly he gripped his pride and ego – I mean, God had to send down plagues of frogs and bugs!! eww!! – in order to get his attention. Moses, being the main character in the Biblical story is front and center on the main stage, but sometimes I found myself focusing on the background to really see what was going on in the play.  And thats when I found the book, Miriam, the story of God saving His people from Moses’ sister’s point of view.

Miriam
Written by: Mesu Andrews
Publisher: WaterBrook
Month, Year: March, 2016

A brief summary from Mesu Andrews:
The Hebrews call me prophetess, the Egyptians a seer.
But I am neither. I am simply a watcher of Israel
and the messenger of El Shaddai.
When He speaks to me in dreams, I interpret. When He whispers a melody, I sing.

At eighty-six, Miriam had devoted her entire life to loving El Shaddai and serving His people as both midwife and messenger. Yet when her brother Moses returns to Egypt from exile, he brings a disruptive message. God has a new name – Yahweh – and has declared a radical deliverance for the Israelites.

Miriam and her beloved family face an impossible choice: cling to familiar bondage or embrace uncharted freedom at an unimaginable cost. Even if the Hebrews survive the plagues set to turn the Nile to blood and unleash a maelstrom of frogs and locusts, can they weather the resulting fury of the Pharaoh?

My Thoughts:
I absolutely adored reading this story from Miriam’s perspective. Mesu Andrews writes with such passion and a love for God that really made Miriam’s story dance across the pages. I found myself relating to Miriam’s struggle to understand God and find Him when it seems He’s up and left her.  In reality, He never left her side, but just revealed Himself in new, amazing ways. Ways that Miriam would have never begun to imagine before Moses showed up.

I love how Mesu Andrews stays true to the Biblical accuracy of the story, but weaves the fictional tale throughout those facts in a delightful and refreshing manner. The characters, the scenes, the action – they all jump from the page, vividly recreating a world long gone by. The way Mesu Andrews depicts the plagues had me cringing and shuddering. The romances stirring through the pages had my hear all a-fluttering as I kept wanting certain characters to overcome their blindness and see the love of their lives standing right in front of them! Sigh. I really loved this book!

This is actually my first taste of Mesu Andrews’ writing and I absolutely am adding her books to my must-read list. If you’re looking to read an adventurous story with Biblical accuracy, Miriam is the novel you’re in search of!

 

In fact, how about a sneak peak of Miriam? You can head over to Mesu Andrew’s website and download a free chapter of Miriam to get started!

I was graciously provided a free copy of this novel from Blogging For Books exchange for an honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.