Unafraid
Authors: Francine Rivers
NAFRAID
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Copyright © 2001 by Francine Rivers. All rights reserved.
“Seek and Find” section written by Peggy Lynch.
Cover illustration copyright © 2001 by Vivienne Flesher. All rights reserved.
Author's photo copyright © 1999 by John Teague. All rights reserved.
Edited by Kathryn S. Olson
Designed by Julie Chen
Scripture quotations are taken from the
Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rivers, Francine, date.
Unafraid / Francine Rivers.
p. cm. — (Lineage of grace)
ISBN 1-4143-0481-1
1. Tamar, daughter-in-law of Judah—Fiction. 2. Rahab (Biblical figure)—Fiction. 3. Ruth (Biblical figure)—Fiction. 4. Bathsheba (Biblical figure)—Fiction. 5. Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint—Fiction.
6. Bible—History of Biblical events—Fiction. 7. Women in the Bible—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3568.I83165 U43 2001
813'.54—dc21 2001003093
This novella is dedicated to Jane Jordan Browne, a woman of faith.
Rick, thank you for our prayer time and talks in the morning before the sun comes up. Those times are precious to me and set the tone for the rest of the day. Thank you also for sharing your office, building the fire on cold mornings, brewing the coffee, and pausing in your own hectic business schedule to spend time listening.
Thank you, Jane Jordan Browne, for your constant encouragement and friendship through the years. I've always been able to depend on you.
Scott Mendel, thank you for your continuing assistance. During the course of writing the five novellas, many questions arose. You were always quick to respond with valuable information.
Jeffrey Essmann, thank you for sharing historical information, lists of resources, Web sites, and insights on Mary.
Thank you, Peggy Lynch, my dear friend and sister in Christ. You have been a blessing to me from the day I met you. You have always held up the lamp of God's Word, and your life continues to be a living testimony of faith. I know the Bible studies you've written to accompany these novellas will be a blessing to all those who use them.
I extend special thanks to Rick Hahn, pastor of Sebastopol Christian Church. I always know whom to call when I can't find the Scripture passage rolling through my head.
Thank you to Kitty Briggs for sharing materials about Mary. And special thanks to Gary and Patti LeDonne, who brainstormed with me. Thank you, Peter Kiep of Interfaith Books in Santa Rosa, for pointing the way to valuable resource books and sharing your thoughts on Mary.
Thank you, Kathy Olson, for your fine editing and passion for Scripture. I would also like to extend my thanks to the entire Tyndale staff, who continue to follow Dr. Kenneth Taylor's mission of glorifying the Lord. I have felt blessed over the years to be part of your team.
The Lord has blessed me through all of you. May those blessings return upon each of you a thousandfold.
DEAR READER,
This is the last of five novellas on the women in the lineage of Jesus Christ. These were Eastern women who lived in ancient times, and yet their stories apply to our lives and the difficult issues we face in our world today. They were on the edge. They had courage. They took risks. They did the unexpected. They lived daring lives, and sometimes they made mistakes—big mistakes. These women were not perfect, and yet God in his infinite mercy used them in his perfect plan to bring forth the Christ, the Savior of the world.
We live in desperate, troubled times when millions seek answers. These women point the way. The lessons we can learn from them are as applicable today as when they lived thousands of years ago.
Tamar is a woman of
hope
.
Rahab is a woman of
faith
.
Ruth is a woman of
love
.
Bathsheba is a woman who received
unlimited grace
.
Mary is a woman of
obedience
.
These are historical women who actually lived. Their stories, as I have told them, are based on biblical accounts. Although some of their actions may seem disagreeable to us in our century, we need to consider these women in the context of their own times.
This is a work of historical fiction. The outline of the story is provided by the Bible, and I have started with the facts provided for us there. Building on that foundation, I have created action, dialogue, internal motivations, and in some cases, additional characters that I feel are consistent with the biblical record. I have attempted to remain true to the scriptural message in all points, adding only what is necessary to aid in our understanding of that message.
At the end of each novella, we have included a brief study section. The ultimate authority on people of the Bible is the Bible itself. I encourage you to read it for greater understanding. And I pray that as you read the Bible, you will become aware of the continuity, the consistency, and the confirmation of God's plan for the ages—a plan that includes you.
Francine Rivers
“YOU
have another daughter.” The midwife held the squalling infant up as Anne collapsed back on her pallet, exhausted after hours of labor.
Anne's heart sank at the news. She turned her face to the wall, not watching as the midwife cut the cord, washed the baby, and rubbed salt over the quivering little body to prevent infection.
“Your daughter,” the older woman said.
Anne took the tiny wizened infant tenderly in her arms and wept, knowing her husband would be bitterly disappointed. He had been fasting and praying for a son.
Kissing the baby, Anne held her up to the midwife. “Give the child to her father, so that he may bless her.” As the woman left the house, Anne shifted on the pallet, wincing at the pain. She strained to hear what her husband had to say, but it was the excited voice of their older daughter, Mary, she heard.
“Can I hold her, Father? Please. Oh, she is so sweet.”
Joachim spoke too softly for Anne to hear. When he entered the house, she searched his face. Though he did not look at her with reproach, she saw his disappointment. Leaning down, he placed their newborn firmly in her arms once again. What could he say to ease both their hearts? God had not seen fit to give them a son.
“I love her,” Mary said, coming into the house.
“We all love her,” Joachim said quickly.
Ah, but Anne understood. A son would work alongside his father. A son would go to synagogue and give distinction to his father. A son would provide for his mother if his father died. A son might one day grow up and stand against Israel's oppressors. Or even turn out to be the long-awaited deliverer, the Messiah for whom all Israel prayed.
But a girl? What use was a girl, other than to share in the daily chores? She would simply be another mouth to feed until the time came for her father to find her a proper husband.
“I've been considering the name Deborah,” Anne said quietly, head down. This baby was more delicate than her first, but there was a sweetness in her face that gripped Anne's heart.
“We will call her Mary.”
“But Mary is
my
name,” their older daughter said, looking between them.
Joachim put his hand on her head and spoke gently. “Your sister shall be
little
Mary.”
Anne reached out to her older daughter. “Don't be distressed, dear one. Go outside so that I may speak with your father.” When she was alone with Joachim, she looked up at him. “Won't you please consider another name, my husband? Deborah is a strong name. And there are so many Marys. It has become the most common name in all Israel.”
“And when there are enough, perhaps the Lord will finally hear our cry!” Joachim's voice broke. Color seeped into his cheeks as he looked away. “Her name shall be Mary.” He left the house. Anne overheard him tell their older daughter to play with her friends and leave Mama alone to rest.
Anne studied her newborn's face. “Mary,” she whispered. “My precious little Mary.” Her heart was heavy, for both of her daughters now bore a name that meant “bitterness and suffering.” The name
Mary
declared the depth of every Jew's despair under the oppression of Roman conquerors.
Mary
was a cry to the Lord for rescue.
Raising her knees slightly, Anne cradled her baby on her thighs. She unwrapped the cloth and stroked the small arms, studied the legs bowed from nine months in the womb. Tears streamed down Anne's cheeks as she kissed the tiny hand that clasped her finger. Little Mary's skin was softer than a baby rabbit's. “Lord, Lord, please let her name come to mean more than ‘bitterness and suffering.' Let it come to mean ‘strength is from the Lord.' Let it come to mean ‘God's love upholds us.' Let it mean ‘trust in God, and let nothing defeat faith in you.' Oh, Lord . . .” She wept softly as she lifted her baby to her breast. “Let the name
Mary
remind us to obey without fear.”