book review: "until my name is known" by sonya contreras

The time: 2450 BC

The place: Old Kingdom of Egypt

Pharaoh is god. 

His people worship him. 

Israel's God arrives. 

He challenges Pharaoh. 

His power touches all. 

They must change. 

Some don't concede. They suffer. 

Others yield. They find freedom. 

Until My Name Is Known brings all to see the one true God. 

Read it to see Him. 

I like to read fiction stories that bring to life the Bible. To take stories I've grown up hearing and tell them in a new way. Even though I know the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt, I found myself unable to put this book down. I was drawn to the characters and how the Hebrews chose to trust God. And it was trusting God that was the theme through this book - and what happened to those who didn't trust. Before Moses left to return to Egypt, Zipporah struggled with a God who require such a mission of her husband. "You trust this God too much." She told Moses. "I trust this God too little. Or I wouldn't question." And I find myself in the same place today: trusting God completely. Without question. No matter what. During the plagues, some of the Hebrews had a hard time equating the destruction of the plagues with a loving God. Aaron asked one of them, "Will anyone seek God, if he doesn't know he needs God? Pain drives us to God or away from Him. We need Him, Mack. Pain makes us seek Him more than anything else." I like how this book has given me a fresh perspective on this familiar story. All through the book, the Egyptians realize more and more how incapable their gods are. With each plague, God specifically targets each of their gods, showing their lack of power. The chief high priest keeps saying how jealous the Hebrews' God is, not sharing His power. It makes me wonder if any of the Egyptians, seeing God's hand, chose to worship Him? If they realized He was the true God. This is a great book to encourage your faith and remind you of God's faithfulness. One of the Hebrews, as they're leaving Egypt, things about Joseph's bones that they're taking with them. "Joseph's bones lay hidden with Moses' possessions. God heard the desire of a man and granted it four hundred and twenty years later. If he ever doubted God caring about the details, he would remember this." I think that's one of the main things I took from this story: God is faithful. Always. 

I received a copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group for my honest review.