The title of this journal, "As Sure as the Dawn," does not come from the popular book by Francine Rivers; it comes from the verse in Hosea chapter 6, specifically verse 3. Obviously she was thinking of the same thing when she thought up the name for her story, but this is merely to say that I was not specifically thinking of her when I made my blog.
The first part of the passage in Hosea reads:
"Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth."
Or, alternatively, verse 3 can read, "His coming is as certain as the dawn" (NASB). Anyhow, whatever the translation of that passage, it is a beautiful and moving one. Hosea is an amazing ode to the long-suffering love of God, and flies in the face of those who say that the "God of the Old Testament" is condemning and unforgiving, while the "God of the New Testament" is kind and loving. God does not change; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The beauty of the first verses of Hosea 6 have stuck with me since I first read them, and so I thought the line a fine one with which to title my journal.
The Writer
- Abigail Hartman
- Writer of historical fiction, historical fantasy, and occasionally just straight fantasy. History major focusing on medieval & early modern European history.
4 comments:
Hi Wulfie! Very nice blog, I love your header and the poem on the sidebar. May I ask how you found my blog?
After reading this post, I think I need to read Hosea again.
Amusingly enough, I found it through the statistics page of Squeaky Clean Reviews. It lists the sites that people have passed through to find SCR, and your blog was one of them; you had mentioned the site and had links to it in a couple places. I worked out who you were from the list of reviews and such.
Hosea really is an amazing book; it speaks volumes of the mercy and pursuing love of God. I don't see why Rivers found it necessary to do an "adaption" in her book "Redeeming Love" - Hosea is powerful enough without needing any rewrites!
Ah, yes, 'Redeeming Love'... I did the review on that. The biblical book itself is wonderful - most of the prophets are, I think. It's beautiful to see how God deals with his people, and the power and the majesty he displays in his holiness in the face of their willful unbelief.
As for the particular passage in question, River's didn't do too bad a job with her Roman novel, though the one character could get awkward before his conversion. The passage is glorious in promise and triumph. Not to make too much of a plug, I did a Narnian fanfiction for it - and I'm not really one for fanfiction: As Sure As the Dawn. No matter the darkness, no matter the trial (and my cat just knocked over the kitchen trash and sent dead food particles all over the floor), our God will come in glory and banish the night. There isn't any question about it in the passage. It isn't a pat on the shoulder and a 'don't worry, things will be fine' sort of saying. It's the full blazing glory of truth.
I thought it must have been something like that, though for a long time I just wracked my brain trying to figure out how you and Siber could have come across my blog and know that it was me. :) Then my sister suggested that you might have access to a list of places that have linked to SCR, in which case you could figure out who I was through my favorite books page. Anyway, I'm glad people are using the links I've posted!
Hm, I havent' read Redeeming Love.
Jenny, that fanfiction is... wow. You are such a writer.
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