A Lineage of Grace

Author: Francine Rivers

One-sentence summary: The stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary are told from their perspectives and highlight the lineage and heritage of Jesus.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the bits of historical context to the stories we have heard so many times that add layers of meaning of which we were previously unaware. And because we couldn’t just pick one thing…we also loved that these stories highlighted the fact that God used/chose such unlikely women to be cornerstones of the lineage of Jesus. The significance of that was not lost on us.

Our least favorite thing about it: If we had to pick something, it would be that there were a couple of choices by Rivers that interrupted the flow of the novellas for us…what the women/men were saying in the Ruth story and some of the “dialogue” of the demons in Mary’s story.

Main Topics of Discussion: Patriarchal Societies, Culture, God, Israelites, Foreigners, Sin and Consequences, Faithfulness, Prayer, Reputations, God’s Plan, Motherhood, Women

Our favorite quote: “As she spoke her faith, assurance came, bringing comfort with it.” (p. 505, Mary’s story)

Notes: About the book in general….we all really enjoyed reading it. As mentioned above, we really loved getting a fresh and more in-depth look at these stories we’ve heard since we were children. This is something that Rivers does so well in all of her books. Some of the details she brings to light just totally shifted the way we understood these women’s stories. We loved seeing them through a different lens and really focusing on what their lives were possibly like.

It was so interesting to us that all of these women were outsiders or unlikely women to be part of the lineage of the Messiah. Tamar was not an Israelite, Rahab was also a foreigner and a prostitute, Ruth was a foreigner, Bathsheba committed adultery with the King, and Mary was a common woman surrounded by scandal over Jesus’ conception. All of them were not only brought into the fold of the Chosen People of God, but they were part of the heritage of Jesus. This was such a powerful statement to us of God’s plan, his forgiveness, and the scope of his love.

Another thing that we gleaned from hearing these stories from these women’s perspectives is the magnitude of the faith they must have had and also how trapped they were as women in that time period. Their lives were so hard and yet, they all placed uncommon faith in God.

Interestingly, sex or rumors of sex play a part in each of these stories. And it is interesting that the theme of sin and consequences runs throughout each of the stories. The law and customs of the Israelites was a prominent theme as well as the idea of being an outsider, as mentioned before.

There are so many details that we discussed in each of these stories…too many to list or retell here.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This was the longest book discussion that any of us remember ever having. Since there were 5 novellas in this book, not only was one of our longer books, but it was just chock full of things for us to discuss. We almost couldn’t stop talking about it.

What We Ate: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chips, Guacamole and Salsa, and Oreo Cheesecake! 

*** ALL of my photos from this meeting got deleted by accident! Sorry, ladies! ***