This book is the reason for both books: to coincide the relationship of Eliza and Seti with God and His people: specifically, their betrothals. God designed human marriage to reflect the relationship between Him and His people: not just the Hebrews, but Christians as well.
With that as the main reason, I also wanted to write a story as relatable to the average teen as possible, emphasizing how hard it is to keep the faith even in the midst of miracles and also emphasizing the growth of one’s character as he/she gives themselves to God. I show the depravity of man, how easy it is to lose oneself when such things like boredom, hunger, and pride get in the way.
I wanted my female protagonist to be ordinary looking (not the prettiest, thinnest, or pixie-like) with no special gifts (no, she does not have a beautiful singing voice like a Disney princess or speaks with a poetic tongue.) In fact, because she’s been a slave all her life, she has yet to discover her gifts. While she had been trained all her life to be quiet and hidden, she now swings between outbursts, asserting herself, and knowing her place. She wants to make sure God doesn’t regret giving her freedom, yet she keeps messing up. Like real humans, her family-though followers of God- has drama and struggles with their new roles. Eliza represents her people, in the rear of the crowd far from Moshe.
Seti, on the other hand, gets close to Moshe and gets to ask the hard questions. He once had everything, including a renowned reputation but has now been reduced to an outcast sleeping outside his best friend’s tent. He has no money and no way to prove himself acceptable to Eliza’s family or her people. Most of all, he doesn’t want to make God regret saving him, yet he still can’t help getting into trouble.
With these two, I hope to speak to the average teenager struggling with their relationship with God.
I’ve always wanted to write a story to showcase God’s love to the average person but had no idea how until I read Joel Richardson’s SINAI TO ZION. The love story between God and His people is beautiful, and the whole Exodus depiction of it proved the perfect setting. With that backdrop and the desire to answer some common questions about the Exodus, I set out to help make God’s love story real to the modern reader.
The road to publication is described in “How this Book Came to Be” on the “For This Very Purpose” page.