The Prophetess: Deborah's Story

In the book of Judges you can read about Deborah, the only female judge mentioned in the Bible.  There are only a couple chapters that you can read of her story.

The Prophetess by Jill Eileen Smith is a fictional story based on the real life and biblical account of Deborah.  I am pretty picky when it comes to fictional bible stories, but this one was so well written.  The author went above and beyond!  She took a story out of the Bible that has very little detail and wrote a novel that gives the reader an idea of what it was like in that time period.  The story did not stray away from the biblical truth and even helped me to see Deborah as a real person.  I do think it is important to remember that it is fictional.  The only truth we know about Deborah is what is written in the Bible, but this book is so enjoyable and it will help the reader understand what life was like in Israel during Deborah's life.

I really liked how the book started when Deborah was but a young girl.  We read how she comes to marry Lappidoth.  We see that she has lots of struggles within herself.   She makes mistakes and has struggles, but above all she desires to please God and obey his voice.

I think any reader will be blessed by this beautiful story.  I for one will for sure be checking out more of Jill Eileen Smith's book!

FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK:

Deborah will never forget the day her father and brothers left to worship at the Lord's tabernacle - or the wails of her mother after finding their bodies at the city gates.  The memories of Canaan's cruelty haunt her and all of Israel.  Now in this dark time, the Lord calls on Deborah to lead His people away from the idols of other nations and back to Him.

Deborah never asked to be a prophetess or a judge over God's people.  Still, she cannot deny His voice or the visions that accompany it.  Can her family ever understand?  Will her people believe God's calling on her life?  And can the Canaanite menace be stopped?

With her trademark impeccable research and imaginative storytelling, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the story of Israel's most powerful woman in this intriguing and inspiring novel.

***Thanks to Revell for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.