"Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago as the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. She thought she'd perfected in the many years amongst the Magoi and the idol worshippers, pretending with all the others in King Nebuchadnezzar's court. Now, as Daniel's wife and a septuagenarian matriarch, Belili thinks she's safe and she can live out her days in Babylon without fear--until the night Daniel is escorted to Belshazzar's palace to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall. The Persian Army invades, and Bellili's tightly-wound secrets unfurl with the arrival of the conquering army. What will the reign of Darius mean for Daniel, a man who prays to Yahweh alone?
Ultimately, Yahweh's sovereign hand guides Jerusalem's captives, and the frightened Hebrew girl is transformed into a confident woman, who realizes her need of the God who conquers both fire and lions."
Author: Mesu Andrews
Length: 400 pages
***
This story was a lot to ingest. I wanted to savor every single moment of it, so it took me longer to finish it. In all honesty I could've gone for another 400 pages. Every word had a purpose and they hit their mark with perfect aim.
One of the main reasons I love biblical fiction is how much it tests my knowledge of the Bible. Though I know my fair share of the book of Daniel, I had to set the book down and really wrack my brain to line what I knew, up with the book. I learned new things I never knew before too. It made me hunger to dive into the Scriptures and LEARN ALL THE THINGS.
I'm going to be super transparent with y'all right now!
It is very rare that I "feel" anything when reading Christian Fiction. Don't get me wrong, I see the hope and love oozing off pages, but I'm rarely so moved by what I feel in a book that I get choked up.
BUT THIS BOOK Y'ALL! I FELT God while reading this book. Though some aspects of this book are fictional, the God of Daniel is not. That miracle worker is not. Yahweh is not.
I will NEVER know what those times were like. I will never understand the physical and spiritual battle Daniel had to face on a daily basis. But I know that the same God back then, is the same God right now.
Getting a glimpse into what it could have been like was eyeopening. But even more so was the utter conviction I felt as I read this masterpiece. I never want to get to comfortable where I am that I take God's spirit for granted. Tomorrow is not promised, and I want to live every day having an ASSURANCE that when I take my last breath on earth I'll take my next in Heaven.
This book is so full of wisdom. I got SO much out of this book and I know it's going to stay with me for the rest of my life. For I feel this is the book that altered my walk with God.
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I absolutely would. Just know this piece of art has earned it's rightful spot as one of my favorite books ever!
*I received this book from the publisher**All opinions are my own*
Quotes:
"Our service to God isn't about comparing ourselves to others, my son. It's about measuring obedience to our individual calling."
"We've seen Yahweh do impossible thing, which has strengthened our fatih to endure more impossible things. We've grown spoiled and lazy in our freedoms, making us afraid to trust Yahweh for the uncomfortable."
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