A Voice in the Wind

Gillian Pegler | 1st April 2012 - Highfields Book of the Month
By Francine Rivers - (2002) Carol Stream: Tyndale

I love historical novels, especially when they are based on real historical events, and I was given this one as a gift.  But it's not my bit of history.  So I read it, without much expectation of getting hooked.  But suddenly I found myself living in this story!  'A Voice in the Wind' is set in 1st Century Jerusalem, Rome and Ephesus.  The story opens in 70AD during the sacking of Jerusalem, and we are introduced to the main character, Hadassah, a Christian Jewess who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and finds herself in the middle of hell on earth.  I have to admit that the account of the destruction of Jerusalem was so horrific that I nearly stopped reading the book – but then I reasoned that this event really happened and it was much worse to be there than just to read about it.  And I'm so glad that I stuck with it.  Haddasah is one of the very few survivors and is taken from Jerusalem to be sold as a slave to Rome.

As I followed her story, I found myself captivated by her faith in Jesus, and in his sovereignty and power to save her.  Hadassah ends up working for a Roman family, who worship many gods.  For years Hadassah is unable to reveal to anyone that she is a Christian and spends years 'shining like a star as she holds out the word of life' (see Philippians 2v15-16!), living a life without fellowship except for that of her Lord.  Over the years we see her repeatedly risking everything in order to share the gospel and maintain the integrity of her witness for Jesus. 

Rivers uses each of her main characters to illustrate an aspect of the condition of the human heart.  Haddassah's heart is open and dedicated to God, whatever the cost.  She is bought as a personal slave for a rich young woman called Julia Valerian, who is selfish, conceited, hedonistic, weak and amoral.  Hadassah is steadfast in her love for Julia, whatever happens, even when Julia is the cause of her torture by the Romans.  

Marcus, Julia's brother loves Hadassah, but cannot marry her as he is a Roman and she is a slave.  He doesn't believe in anything and cannot understand her commitment to Jesus.  He hears the gospel many times and we gradually see his eyes opening but his heart is hardened to the message.  We are given a shocking insight into the moral degradation of Rome, as it starts to dissolve, and see how low we humans can sink in sin.  The moral boundaries are gone and it's all a bit Romans 1...

A parallel story about a heathen gladiator called Atretes, a warrior chief in his home country before capture by the Romans, runs alongside, and weaves into, that of Hadassah.  'A Voice in the Wind' is the first of a trilogy, the second book follows the completion of Marcus' journey to faith and the third book continues the story and faith journey of Atretes, who has seen and heard the gospel through the life of Hadassah.

This book really challenged me regarding how deep my faith goes – how much I trust God to come through for me in every situation, how much do I trust him to answer my prayers (not necessarily in the way that I wanted him to, but in his perfect and loving sovereign way) and how much of a witness my life is to those around me.  This book is well worth reading!  I've read the whole trilogy, it's all good, but this first book is the best of the three.

P.S. My bit of history has now broadened to include all things 1st century and Roman!!