Miriam
Authors: Mesu Andrews
Miriam
“Mesu Andrews shines brilliant new light on the epic we only thought we knew, transforming the familiar biblical account of the Exodus with a narrative grounded in a deep love for God and his Word.
Miriam
illuminates the power and majesty of Yahweh, while weaving a story of real people waiting for deliverance from a God they have not yet learned to trust.”
â
S
TEPHANIE
L
ANDSEM
, author of
The Tomb: a Novel of Martha
(The Living Water Series)
“Mesu Andrews's novels have transformed my ability to hear the heartbeat of biblical figures like Job, Dinah, and Solomon.
Miriam
brings another cast of familiar characters to vibrant lifeâMiriam, Moses, Eleazar, Aaron, Hurâmingling them seamlessly with an imagined circle of loved ones that will have readers eagerly turning pages to witness God's stunning power at work for his people, both personally and nationally. With skillful prose, impeccable research, and a clear devotion to the biblical account of Israel's Exodus from Egypt, Mesu Andrews depicts these Old Testament men and women with a sparkling clarity, never shying away from what makes them relatable human beingsâthe failings, triumphs, and yearnings that are timeless.”
â
L
ORI
B
ENTON
, author of
Burning Sky, The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn,
and
The Wood's Edge
“Mesu Andrews's engaging novel,
Miriam,
gives us a new and vibrant appreciation for life in Egypt as the Lord visits the land with ten unforgettable plagues. With fascinating insight into biblical history as well as the human heart, this story will capture your attention until the last page.”
â
T
ESSA
A
FSHAR
, award-winning author of
Land of Silence
and
Pearl in the Sand
OOKS BY
M
ESU
A
NDREWS
The Pharaoh's Daughter
In the Shadow of Jezebel
Love in a Broken Vessel
Love's Sacred Song
Love Amid the Ashes
M
IRIAM
P
UBLISHED BY
W
ATER
B
ROOK
P
RESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
This book is a work of historical fiction based closely on real people and real events. Details that cannot be historically verified are purely products of the author's imagination.
Trade Paperback ISBNâ9781601426017
eBook ISBNâ9781601426024
Copyright © 2016 by Mesu Andrews
Cover design by Kristopher K. Orr; cover photography by Kristopher K. Orr (Miriam) and Lightstock (background)Â
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
W
ATER
B
ROOK
®
and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Andrews, Mesu, 1963â author.
Title: Miriam / Mesu Andrews.
Description: First Edition. | Colorado Springs, Colorado : WaterBrook Press, 2016. | Series: A treasures of the nile novel
Identifiers: LCCN 2015043817 (print) | LCCN 2015046476 (ebook) | ISBN 9781601426017 (paperback) | ISBN 9781601426024 (ebook) | ISBN 9781601426024 (electronic)
Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Christian / Historical. | FICTION / Historical. | FICTION / Literary. | GSAFD: Bible fiction. | Christian fiction. Classification: LCC PS3601.N55274 M57 2016 (print) | LCC PS3601.N55274 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6âdc23
LC record available at
http://lccn.loc.gov/â2015043817
v4.1
ep
To Mary Cooley, my feisty eighty-six-year-old mama, a woman with Miriam's strength, faith, and passion.
OTE TO
R
EADER
R
esearch for both
The Pharaoh's Daughter
and
Miriam
sent me into a different world. Historians and archaeologists disagree on many things about Egypt, but on one thing they're utterly unitedâancient Egypt was unique, unlike any other nation on earth. Egyptians recorded their distinctiveness. They flaunted it, lauded it, and guarded it.
Until the Ramessid kings came to power.
The Ramessid kings were warriors, explorers, and builders who expanded Egypt's borders, brought the outside world in, and caused Egypt to lose a portion of its distinctiveness. However, under the Ramessid's
New Kingdom,
trade flourished and building projects surged, meaning the need for laborers in Egypt's Nile delta increased a hundredfold.
So they put slave masters over [the Israelites] to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. (Exodus 1:11â14)
Bible stories mean so much more when we understand the culture and political climate in which the characters lived. I pray that as Miriam's story unfolds, you'll be driven back to God's Word to discover the truth behind the fiction.
When there is a prophet among you,
I, the
L
ORD
, reveal myself to them in visions,I speak to them in dreams.
â
N
UMBERS 12:6
I
am Miriam, old but of use. I am a slave, a midwife, a healer with herbs. This is what I do, but El Shaddai makes me who I am.
The Hebrews call me prophetess; the Egyptians, a seer. But I am neither. I am simply a watcher of Israel and the messenger of El Shaddai. When He speaks to me in dreams, I interpret. When He whispers a melody, I sing.
During my eighty-six inundations, His presence has swelled within me like the Nile's waters, quenching my thirst, meeting every need. No relationship imprisons me. No task consumes me. No despair conquers me. I'm His alone, free to love others as He loves me.
But as I dab my parents' brows, creeping dread crawls up my arms like a living thing. Last night's dreams have shaken our divine union.
El Shaddai, Your messages have always been so clear. Why not give the meaning with the dreams?
I know they portend death. But whose? Fear coils around my heart like a serpent.
Please don't take my parents, Shaddai.
A ridiculous request, I know. Abba Amram has seen 137 inundations and Ima Jochebed, 109. They are the wonder of the tribe of Levi, and even the Egyptians whisper rumors of a slave couple favored by the gods.
Abba's chest rises and falls with shallow breaths. Ima snores quietly. My heart will break when I must say good-bye.
A flash of light, and my mind grows darkâ¦until Shaddai shows me a single soldier walking toward me. It's Eleazar. Last night's dream creatures dance around him, taunting, but he can't see them. My nephew walks quickly, calling my name. As suddenly as it came, the vision is gone.
Abba and Ima sleep peacefully while I lean into the constant presence of my Shaddai. Eleazar will arrive soon with our morning rations, but now I know last night's dreams have something to do with him.
Thank You, my Shaddai, for Your tender consolation.
For though the evil creatures tested and taunted, they could not destroy him.
But I know there's more to the dreams than that. Show me, Shaddai. Show me more.
A warm breeze stirs the stifling air within our mud-brick house, and I know it's El Shaddai.
All right, I'll try to be patient.
New-found peace grapples with niggling angst. I'll sing. Singing always soothes me, lifts me, transports me deeper into His presence.
The tune is the same. Haunting, groaning, yearning. But something changes. The breeze dies. A strange chill races up my spine. I hum a familiar melody, waiting for new words of praise that never comeâlike the dream without a message.
Heart racing, eyes burning, my soul cries out,
El Shaddai, are You there?
Silence.
I look out our window. The sun still shines. The birds still sing. But a chill breeze stirs in the hot sun, and I know. Change is coming. Change is here.