Trust and Trickery - Hivites

I am enjoying this series so much! I love reading the stories first in the Old Testament and then seeing them come to life through dramatic storytelling and unique minor characters, allowing me to imagine what it really might have been like to see the power of Adonai holding back the waters of the Jordan or cracking the walls of Jericho. The historical detail and accuracy is well-preserved in the telling. And though following a people through times of evil and war, these books are “clean” enough to read aloud with your upper elementary children yet captivating enough to please the adult reader as well.

Another journey into the world of the Old Testament. Christine Dillon has such a gift for bringing these stories to life and really helping readers of all beliefs to understand the lives and characteristics of the various tribes, battles and ‘plots’. I really enjoyed living through the times of the Hivites, the Gibeonites deception and seeing events happen like the tumbling walls of Jericho and the Israelites coming into the Promised Land. Her characterisations are well drawn and so believable.

What really struck me is the role that story telling takes in conversion….and how well-worded questions lead the ‘quester’ to new beliefs. This of course is Christine’s skill in real life and as a story-teller. (If you haven’t read her book ‘Storytelling the gospels’ you must). And that’s how Danel turns his life towards God in the latter chapters of this book ably led by Kheti.

I highly recommend this third book in her series, Light of the Nations. I applaud her research and writing capabilities and look forward to diving into her next book. I was given a pre-release copy of this book. The opinions here are entirely mine.

This is a wonderful story on its own, but I appreciated the spiritual lessons as well. It’s a retelling of the Biblical account of the Israelites coming into the Promised Land. It brought history alive. We are reminded that God uses ordinary, flawed people, and that His purposes cannot be thwarted. He wants to restore relationship with us, but He also demands obedience - His plans are for our best, as well. I received a free copy of this story, with no obligation.

Complicated, real, riveting. If you know you're Bible, you'll know what's coming but it's interesting to think about the Hivites and how they may have experienced the events.

I enjoyed Christine Dillon's imaginative telling of the story of the Hivites (particularly the Gibeonite deception). Even though it's fiction, it leads me to think about (and give thanks for!) how God called and welcomed people from many nations to himself throughout the ages as they had contact with His people and witnessed and heard about His power.