I have never been a huge Francine Rivers fan.  I have always thought of her as just another Christian Romance writer.  I’m just not interested in that, and never wanted to read any of her novels until the curriculum we use assigned one her books.  We use Tapestry of Grace.  They have a literature study called “Literature Studies for Young Adults” that our 20-year-old went through back in the day.  It covers literature from the Ancients, all the way up to the Gospel of Mark.

Ever since I saw that Francine Rivers’s book, Sons of Encouragement, was included in the booklist for this Tapestry study, I have been curious, and have just now gotten the chance to sit down and read it.  It includes historical fiction accounts of the lives of Aaron, Caleb, Jonathan, Amos, and Silas. 

I didn’t get very far into Aaron’s story before I learned something, that to me, was life-changing!  I am in the part of the story when Moses and Aaron are making their trips back and forth to Pharaoh as God shows His power and presence through the judgements that He placed on the Egyptians and Israelites.  Just to recap: the Israelites did suffer through the first three plagues, which included the water of the Nile turning to blood, frogs, and swarms of lice.  Francine Rivers describes the frustration and discouragement that Israelites felt as they suffered through the three plagues.  Why should they have to endure any of that?  Weren’t they the ones suffering, and should be coddled and loved on because of it? 

Ezekiel 20:7 says, “Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’” (NKJV)

The Israelites had retained little memory of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The majority had moved their faith to the gods of Egypt.  As a result, the Israelites needed to be reminded that I AM was in control and to give up following false gods.  Francine Rivers wrote:

Aaron had not expected to suffer along with the Egyptians.  He had been thirsty before, but never like this.  ‘Why God?  Why must we suffer along with our oppressors?

“The Egyptians shall know that the Lord is God,” Moses said.

“But we know already!” Miriam paced in distress.  Why must we suffer more than we have already?

Only Moses was calm.  “We must examine ourselves. Are there any among us who have embraced other gods?  We must cast out their idols and make ready for the Lord our God.”

Aaron felt the heat flood his face.  Idols!  There were idols everywhere.  After four centuries of living in Egypt, they had made their way inside Hebrew households! (The Priest, pg. 29)

I knew: 1) that the Israelites had adopted the false religion of Egypt.  2) that, along with the Egyptians, the Israelites had to suffer through the first three plagues. 3) the trials we face on this earth are meant to refine Christians.

So it seems like a no-brainer that I would have understood that when going through a trial, it is my job to “examine myself.”  I once heard someone say, “When going through a trial, don’t ask ‘why?’, ask ‘what!’”  This year has been a time of trial and testing for me.  Many times I have asked God ‘why’ rather than ‘what’.  I am so thankful that He never gave up trying to reach me!  He planted the seeds for today, back in 2017, with an author that I would normally have dismissed as frivolous and never read.  He knew what I would need today before I did and made sure that my heart was ready to receive, and that I finally had time to read the book.  And now…time to examine myself.