They have arrived! After 40 years wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites are finally ready to cross the Jordan River and claim the Promised Land. While they celebrate, the surrounding kingdoms of Moab and Midian summon the prophet Balaam from Babylonia. Joining forces with the powers of darkness, he gathers a coalition of five Midianite kings and the seductive Princess Cozbi to prevent the … the crossing that would change the world. The mutiny, plague, and war unleashed by his plan plunges a young generation of Israelites into a vortex of violence and upheaval beyond anything they could have imagined.
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‘Oh my people, choose life. Forever and always, choose life’
…that you may know the perfection of my mighty acts, and my faithful love toward you – Micah 6:5b
It’s always interesting to read a book based on a Bible story you have known for many years. The author has obviously done a great deal of research into what life was like in those days just before the Israelites crossed into the Land of Promise. After 40 years in the wilderness, the old guard has passed away, but the awesome power of Yahweh has not changed. Moses is transcribing all the laws and experiences of those years, so the young shall never forget. And yet….
There are many enemies that would stop Israel from taking the land. Balaam is a prophet hired first by one king and then 5 kings, all of which want him to curse the Israelites. He is smart enough to realize that the Lord will not let him get away with that, so as he immerses himself in the darkness, he devises a plan to draw the people away from Yahweh and into idol worship. The author takes you right into this evil and I was left wishing I could shake some sense into these people that should know better. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, to see if the Israelites remain faithful to their God and cross into that Land of Promise.
I received this digital copy through Mountain View Press, Redemption Press and CelebrateLit. The comments, impressions and rating are my own and were in no way solicited.
This is a good story of biblical fiction. This really goes in to some parts of the Bible that most people do not write about. There is a lot of action and some evil. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
My Thoughts on Balaam’s Curse:
Wow. So we all know the Bible stories or are at least familiar with them. But I had never tried to dig deeper into the story of Balaam. I love me some good Christian fiction and suspense, historical fiction. Biblical fiction is a new to me genre. Sometimes they get it right and sometimes it’s so wrong I can’t even keep reading.
This book was one of the ones I couldn’t put down. Yes, I know that a lot of it is fiction and imagined by our author, but she’s good! Here you get to follow the Israelites who are finally be allowed to go into the Promised Land. It’s been nothing but 40 years of wandering and trials but now oh glory now they get to enter the Promised Land.
Only wait. Nope. They don’t get to go in. That is if Balaam and his gang have anything to say about it. It reads like a modern-day fiction novel but it’s set thousands of years ago.
I highly recommend you take the time to read this book. It’s really good and you’re not going to want to put it down.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Set against the backdrop of the Israelites getting ready to enter the Promised Land, this tale is called biblical fiction, but so much of the story comes from the author’s imagination. I should have known by the title and the Bible teaching about Balaam that this book would deal with more sensual material than I care to read. I found the pagans’ seduction of Israel disgusting, but that’s what sin is. God hates it. However, I wish so much wasn’t described in the story, even though it doesn’t go into detail. The characters do seem realistic—too much so in some cases. I thought Balaam knew the true God but was led astray by greed. This portrays him as a worshipper of many gods who learns Yahweh is more powerful. The first 60 percent of this long novel deals with the plot to entice Israel into idol worship so the nation could be conquered. Thankfully, once sin is punished, the story takes a redemptive turn. I like this quote: “We dare not cling to any form of evil because he (God) will eventually shatter every perverted, hurtful thing. But his love for us is as fierce as his wrath.” I appreciate the character list, which I found in the back—it should have been in the front so readers know it’s there. Also, it helps orient the reader to which point of view with the character’s name given at the start of every scene. All opinions are my own.
Thus far this has been an incredible year for Biblical fiction! Tessa Afshar’s “Daughter of Rome”, Connilyn Cossette’s “Like Flames in the Night”, Brennan McPherson’s “Babel” (2019, but I read it this year) and “Eden”, and now “Balaam’s Curse” by C.L. Smith. It is a blessing to see more and more Christian authors approaching Biblical fiction without compromising God’s Word. When done well, it encourages the reader and reinforces or perhaps even introduces the Biblical text, inspiring deeper study of the Word. Such was the case for me with “Balaam’s Curse.”
This year I am following a YouVersion Bible reading plan that consists of daily readings from both the Old and New Testaments, and therefore the foundation of this novel is one that I’ve recently read, making my reading experience all the more enjoyable. One technique that I recognized Smith employing early on is referencing other Bible stories that would already have occurred prior to the setting of Balaam’s and thereby demonstrating that the ancient Israelites were aware of previous Biblical history. Similarly, the fact that Moses is recording the Israelites’ journey out of Egypt and through the wilderness further displays the accuracy and eternal longevity of God’s Word.
Told through multiple viewpoints, “Balaam’s Curse” chronicles a fictionalized account of the prophet Balaam, whose story appears in the Bible in Numbers 22. In Smith’s fictional account, Balaam has spoken blessing over the Israelites rather than cursing them, and now he pledges himself to Baal in order to get rid of God’s people so that they cannot enter the Promised Land. Othniel, Acsah, and Rahab all have parts in this saga, as do more familiar characters such as Moses, Caleb, and Joshua, offering readers a panoptic view of this seminal point in the history of God’s people. Ephesians 6:12 encompasses the overall theme of this novel, and it repeatedly came to mind as I read: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” As such, while there are certainly some disconcerting scenes in this book, it is important to remember that other gods such as Baal are false gods and are not real, but the evil of our true enemy, the devil, is very real. Despite the power struggles between good and evil in this story and in our lives today, we need to remember that God is good and that He will always prevail; our victory is already secure in Christ’s sacrifice for us.
A few details that I appreciated and would like to call attention to are the simple map at the beginning of the book, which really helps readers to visualize where the events are occurring, and “The Family of Nations descended from Terah” family tree and List of Characters found at the end of the story. These resources are a great help in understanding the story and in making further Biblical connections. Nevertheless, “Balaam’s Curse” is highly readable and, while containing supernatural elements that may be disturbing to more sensitive readers, is an excellent work of Biblical fiction that explores the transition time between Israel’s 40-year wilderness wandering and their entry into the Promised Land.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.
An amazing depiction of biblical history -I was impressed with the author’s ability to make me forget I already knew this story. The well-researched historical facts were woven into the telling in a manner which made the story come alive. Characters, drawn from a few short lines of scripture, are so well depicted that the reader really “feels” their experiences and is drawn further into the history of our faith. You cannot help but pick up your Bible and re-familiarize yourself with the scriptures. Don’t forget the next installment, “A River to Cross” you won’t be disappointed!