PEARL IN THE SAND BY TESSA AFSHAR

PEARL IN THE SAND by TESSA AFSHAR is a beautifully written novel telling Rahab's story.We start with Rahab being forced into a life of prostitution at the age of fifteen in order to save her family from starvation and financial ruin.  We see how this devastated her, especially as she felt betrayed by her precious "Abba".  We see how she felt unworthy and unloved, and how this affected her relationship with others and also how these feelings nearly destroyed her relationship with Salmone.  We come to know Salmone too, as he struggles with his feelings for Rahab and we see how his pride as a leader of the Hebrews is nearly his downfall, thinking at first that a Canaanite prostitute is far beneath him.  We see how he follows the letter of the Law as opposed to Rahab who has come to love the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and longs to be accepted by His people. 
Ezra and Hanani, the two spies whose lives Rahab saved, are amazed at her faith and her insight into the Law of God.  Joshua sees her hunger for God and believes that the Lord has a special plan for her.  Salmone is angry with Joshua at first for making him minister to her family's needs, setting them up as part of Israel, and teaching them the many customs they need to know before they can live in the Hebrew camp.  His sister Miriam and Rahab become good friends.  Rahab feels she will never be as good as Miriam, but Miriam says that no-one is perfect but the Lord God, and that she has learned much from Rahab about faith and the desire to be righteous in His sight.  Rahab comes to understand that the Lord offers the same forgiveness of sin to the stranger taken in by the Israelites as He does to them, and this gives her great joy. 
She is not very well received by some people at first, but then the Lord uses an incident where she saves a little girl from a snake to make them realize that they have been judging her unfairly.  She sees the Lord's intervention in this - in not only keeping her and the girl safe in answer to her prayer, but also in melting the hearts of those who thought she was beneath them. 
Joshua gives Salmone  his blessing and he marries Rahab.  Salmone sees that he has been unreasonably judgmental in his attitude towards her and is determined to make her happy.  He makes the mistake of not accepting her past and causes her a lot of pain.  She is terrified that he will grow tired of her and that he will be reminded of the fact that she was a harlot if she shows him any passion, and they both end up being very unhappy.  They don't pray together any more and they try to keep away from one another.  
Once again Joshua helps Salmone see how he is hurting Rahab by not accepting her completely, and Salmone makes a commitment to break down the walls of Jericho around her heart!  We see how beautifully the author brings in the lost pearl earring, slightly damaged, but still valuable in Rahab's eyes, to show her how valuable she is as a person, not only to her husband but also to God.  He sees her as God sees her, as a beautiful treasure that has been hiding behind thick walls of fear, guilt and shame.  She is, in fact, to be compared to the priceless treasure found in Jericho once the Lord had broken down the city's walls.
There is so much scriptural truth in this book.  The author has based the story on biblical events and has used the interaction of the characters to bring out the importance of forgiveness, humility, hunger for the things of the Lord and the joy of belonging in a body of believers.  We see how important it is not to judge others and to show mercy even as we have been shown mercy by the Lord. We are reminded of the importance of the Passover, of obedience to the Lord's instructions and of a person's  heart attitude when offering a sacrifice. The scarlet rope that covered Rahab and her family gets new meaning for Rahab when compared to the blood of the sacrificial lambs.  We see the miracle working power of God the Redeemer, not only in the miraculous victory at Jericho, but also in His redeeming power in the lives of His people.  Nothing is too hard for the Lord! 
The setting in the wilderness, living in tents, the importance of lives given over to a holy God and the following of His holy Law, His incomparable mercy and forgiveness,  the victory He gives when His ways are followed and the incredible stupidity of not seeking Him first before going into battle (or anything else for that matter) and the horrific results of disobedience, are clearly depicted.
We see how important faith is in God's eyes, and how Rahab's faith in the Hebrew God led to Israel's victory over Jericho and also to Rahab the harlot being named in the genealogy of Christ!
I don't find that the poetic licence the author has used in this novel detracts in any way from the truth of the Bible, in fact I find she has brought it to light in the sensitive way in which she has told her story.  I feel we can all take a great deal from this book  to help us in our Christian walk - I know that I have!