Rahab had a soiled past, and yet her name is found in the lineage of Christ. God often sees things differently than we do.

Listen in as Susie talks with a former Muslim turned Christian, Tessa Afshar, as they discuss her portrayal of Rahab’s life in her newly released novel, Pearl in the Sand.

Why Rahab’s story? Why was that your first novel?

I fell in love with Rahab for several reasons. One was the fact that obviously God chose Rahab to establish her in Israel as a woman who was respected and honored, but beyond that to be in the lineage of his own son. This wasn’t a pristine perfect woman. She was a woman with a past, a harlot. And God chose her. Secondly she came from a shattered background and then ended up marrying a man  who was kind of a who’s-who in the tribe of Jacob. This was a man with a lot of connections, very important. The fact that he would then marry a woman from outside of Israel who was a harlot meant something was going in in his heart. I wanted to know why God would choose her. How did she respond to being chosen by God?

What did you base your character of Rahab on?

In order to do a biblical novel you have to do a really close reading of the Bible. You examine every verse as closely as you possibly can. What I knew about Rahab was only that she was a harlot.  I also knew from studying Scriptures that when we move away from the will of God we are wounded. Sin never leaves us unscathed. Because she had chosen a life that was not God’s best I knew that  there would be damage in that live. That damage I’m fairly familiar with because I work with human beings all the time.

Tessa shares her personal story and more in the full interview with Susie below.

Key Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-3

The story of Rahab