The Egyptian Nightmare (Dark Chapters)

by Macfarlane (Author), Hannah MacFarlane (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2010

  $3.45

  The Dark Chapters series tell three of the darker stories from the Bible. The three books in the series, The Egyptian Nightmare (the story of Pharaoh), Izevel, Queen of Darkness (the story of Jezebel) and The Sky Will Fall (the story of Samson), focus on the story of one character from the Bible and see how their life compares to how God wants us to live. They also examine what happens as a consequence of them not following God's plan for their lives. The text does not sensationalise the horrific aspects of each story for entertainment's sake, and therefore trivialise what it has to say. On the contrary, each retold account uses the more fantastic and gruesome epsiodes of each character's story to grip the reader and draw them into assessing why these events take place. The reader is asked throughout the books to consider questions about the nature of God, how we should live as Christians, what value we place on things of this world - power, wealth, influence or popularity - and what God values. Pharaoh is ruler of all he surveys. His kingdom is prosperous and his monuments are being built at a fantastic rate by his Hebrew slaves. However, when Moses and Aaron turn up and demand the release of the Israelites to go and worship the Lord in the desert, Pharaoh's grip on power and authority starts to loosen. As each horrific plague is followed by the next, Pharaoh refuses to listen to either Moses or his son Ibiya. He desperately tries to maintain control over the kingdom, convinced that if his priests and people honour their gods, they will overcome the Hebrew menace. However, his stubbornness drives his country to desctruction as he first loses the respect of the people, then his own son, and finally his own life. The Egyptian Nightmare focuses on the Pharaoh and his son, as they experience each plague. We see Pharaoh's relationship with Moses and Aaron veer wildly from anger to pride to shame to defiance. We also see Moses, though struggling with the destruction and suffering he is called upon to unleash, determinedly following God's call on his life. Through the character of Ibiya, Pharaoh's son and heir, the reader is able to address the tough questions of the story - why is all this suffering necessary? What is the cause of the plagues? What does this whole story tell me about God's character and where does it sit in the wider story of the Bible?