By the Waters of Babylon (Mesu Andrews) – Review

Posted 16 August 2018 by Katie in Biblical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Historical, Review / 0 Comments

~ About the Book ~

Experience the psalms like never before – through heart-pounding fiction!

When Babylon destroys Jerusalem, as Yahweh warned through his prophets, the captives’ bitterness and grief pours out in the Captives’ Psalm:

“[By the rivers of Babylon] we sat as exiles, mourning our captivity, and wept with great love for Zion. Our music and mirth were no longer heard, only sadness. We hung up our harps on the willow trees.” (Psalm 137:1-2, The Passion Translation)

A young Israelite woman is among them, captured by a mercenary Scythian prince. Driven toward Babylon by both hatred and hope, she endures captivity to reunite with her husband.

But will he be there when she reaches Babylon? Will the prince risk the Scythian throne – and his life – to believe in the Hebrew God?

Can they both find what they seek when they meet the prophet Ezekiel. . . by the waters of Babylon?

Genre:  Biblical/Historical Fiction
Series:  #2 The Psalm Series
Release date:  1 August 2018
Pages: 202
Publisher: McPherson Publishing

Amazon US // Amazon AU // iTunes // Goodreads

~ Excerpt ~

Prologue

I once was a goddess who led a prince to Yahweh. Now, I’m an exile living out my life in Babylon, knowing Yahweh’s words will be fulfilled. Thousands of Jews—as we are now called—have grown strong in Babylon. Someday we’ll return to Judah. Yahweh promised. Jeremiah told us. “Seventy years,” he said, and Jerusalem would be rebuilt.
I heard him say it, but I also saw the walls fall down. Doubt shadowed by my heart for years. My journey hasn’t been an easy one. I tell you my story now, how life can feel hopeless, a heart embittered, but God . . .
Yes, with those to little words, all hope was restored. But God . . .
For we who believed, those words mended broken hearts, turned the tide. Lives were changed. Wanderers found purpose. Those who loved much, lost much. Yet we who trusted Yahweh allowed Him to step into the void and fill our emptiness.
Only Yahweh chooses a broken woman to heal a wounded man. Only Yahweh uses a pagan prince to offer truth to a foreign empire. And only Yahweh can use my story to change your life.
You may think change impossible—but God . . .

~ Review ~

It requires a writer of keen insight to take one of the worst times in Jewish history and turn it into a story of hope. That’s exactly what Mesu Andrews has done in this novella telling of the exile of the Israelites to Babylon. Through the eyes of Merari, an Israelite woman who has known great grief, and Idan, a Scythian prince who fights with King Nebuchadnezzar’s troops, we experience two very different sides of the exile—and neither side is pretty, although the harsh realities are portrayed as sensitively as they can be.

From the moment Idan mistakenly believes Merari to be the goddess Tabiti in human (and very broken) form, I was enthralled. I had absolutely no idea how the story would unfold over the long journey to Babylon, and each new development sucked me further in. I admired Merari’s inner strength, and I loved the way you could see Yahweh working for the good of these characters even as his righteous judgement is meted out.

I don’t want to spoil any part of the story, so I will simply say that for me, one of the most powerful moments was when one of the characters lay severely injured, unable to fulfil his normal duties as a soldier. Despite his pain, he expresses his absolute trust in his commander, which Merari questions, considering how often she has heard him argue and even fight with his commander. His response was simple, and yet profound. When able-bodied, he was much better at doing whatever he thought it took to protect his commander rather than simply trusting and obeying. Now, he had no choice; he could only trust and obey. What a humbling lesson to learn!

Like Merari, I also became more and more anxious to know if she would find her husband at her journey’s end. I’m not going to say, of course, but I do promise this story will hold you in its grip until the very last page.

I received a copy of this novella from the author. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.

~ Other Books in the Series ~

~ About the Author ~

Mesu Andrews’ deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for her readers. She and her husband, Roy, live in a log cabin snuggled into the beautiful Appalachian Mountains with their dog, Zeke. The Andrews’ have two married daughters and a small tribe of grandkids. Mesu loves movies, football, waterfalls, and travel.

Biblical fiction is her favorite genre to read and write. Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (Revell, 2011), tells the story of Job and won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author. Love’s Sacred Song (Revell, 2012) relates the poetic Song of Solomon in story form, and Love in a Broken Vessel (Revell, 2013) sets the story of Hosea and Gomer in biblical Israel. The Shadow of Jezebel (Revell, 2014) displays God’s sovereignty over Jezebel’s daughter, Queen Athaliah. The Pharaoh’s Daughter (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2015), the first in The Treasures of the Nile series, unveils Moses’ early years through the eyes of his Egyptian mother, and Miriam (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2016), the second book in the series, introduces Yahweh’s prophetess during the ten plagues and the Exodus as she struggles to trust this God she doesn’t understand. In January 2018, Isaiah’s Daughter: A Novel of Prophets and Kings (Waterbrook/Multnomah) reveals the little-known personal life of the prophet Isaiah and introduces readers to his captivating daughter.