Abigail: I Will Praise the Lord

by Mesu Andrews

Mesu Andrews weaves a compelling tale of faith, resilience, and redemption in ABIGAIL: I Will Praise the Lord, the prequel of her October 1, 2024 release, BRAVE: the Story of Ahinoam.

Set against the backdrop of Judah’s wilderness, Abigail faces a cruel stepmother who forces her marriage to the brutal Nabal of Carmel. Through Abigail’s struggles, she maintains a steadfast faith and encourages the other oppressed women of Nabal’s household with a clever worship game. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she meets David, the future king of Israel, and saves the lives of all those on her husband’s estate. David admires Nabal’s wife, a woman of beauty and intelligence, not realizing that her boldness was cultivated through years of worshiping away her fear and pain.

When Abigail’s husband realizes that his rudeness toward David nearly cost him everything, he falls deathly ill and dies ten days later. Under the Law of Moses, Abigail must marry Nabal’s closest relative. However, on the same day her kinsman redeemer arrives, David ben Jesse sends his messengers with a proposal to marry. Might her worship game, which has strengthened her inner being for years, now become a life of worship with the man after God’s own heart?

Walk with Abigail on a journey of profound courage in the face of overwhelming adversity and explore the transformative power of faith and worship no matter your life circumstance.

Genres: Biblical Fiction, Christian, Historical Fiction

ebook

Published September 19, 2024

About the author

MESU ANDREWS is the Christy Award-winning author of Isaiah’s Daughter whose deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the biblical world alive for readers. Andrews lives in North Carolina with her husband Roy. She stays connected with readers through newsie emails, fun blog posts, and frequent short stories. For more information, visitMesuAndrews.com. 


Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (Revell, 2011, the story of Job) won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author. Love’s Sacred Song (Revell, 2012) relates the poetic Song of Solomon in story form, and Love in a Broken Vessel(Revell, 2013) sets the story of Hosea and Gomer in biblical Israel. In the Shadow of Jezebel (Revell, 2014) displays God's sovereignty over Jezebel's daughter, Queen Athaliah. The Pharaoh's Daughter (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2015), unveils Moses' early years, and Miriam (2016) introduces Yahweh's prophetess during the ten plagues and the Exodus. Isaiah’s Daughter (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2018) introduces readers to the prophet Isaiah's captivating daughter, and its sequel, Isaiah's Legacy (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2020) , provides the redemptive end to her life and her son Manasseh's reign. To follow Yahweh's progression toward the Messiah, By the Waters of Babylon (August 2018) continues the story of the prophets and kings through the exile, and Of Fire and Lions (Waterbrook/Multnomah 2019) tells Daniel's compelling story. And The Reluctant Rival: Leah's Story tells of Leah, Jacob's neglected wife, and how God used her to change the course of history. And when Joseph's brothers sell him into a life of slavery in Egypt, Jacob's favorite son encounters one of the Bible's most infamous bad girls in, Potiphar's Wife  (Waterbrook/Multnomah 2022).

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David’s messengers and became his wife. David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives." 1 Samuel 25:42–43

Biblical fiction author, Mesu Andrews, examines faith, resilience and redemption in Abigail: I Will Praise The Lord the prequel to her October 1, 2024 release of Brave: the Story of Ahinoam.

Abigail’s journey is full of profound courage in the face of adversity. It all begins when her stepmother forces her marriage to Nabal of Carmel. Rather than focus on the negatives of living in an oppressed household, Abigail maintains her faith and encourages 5 other women (her servants) with a clever worship game.

I love that when David meets her and admires her, he sees the result of years of worship, not the bitterness, fear or pain of years of living in anguish under Nabal. Readers see and are encouraged by the effects of the transformative power of faith. If anyone had reason to be bitter it would have been Abigail. Her choice to remain focused on her Heavenly service and securing a place for eternity allowed her example to encourage and sustain the lives of five others. We can get inspiration from her life; she chose to respond rather than react and it made all the difference. It’s what we do in the less than ideal circumstances in life that determines our future.

This novella is a wonderful prequel to Ahinoam’s story!

[Sarita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lovely prequel to the series and to show readers a bit more behind Abigail and what her life could possibly have been like.

This was a free prequel received from the author.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written short story, about Abigail and her 1st marriage to Nabal, and how she came to marry David.

[Lisa Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading Abigail’s story. I felt convicted to think on what Christs blessings in my life are far more than I currently do. And it was just well written. I loved seeing Abigail’s faith be so strong in adversity. My only complaint is I now have to wait to read “Ahinoam.” This book was a perfect lead up and I’m looking forward to reading the next one!

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this short story after reading Brave. I know it’s listed as a prequel but I’m glad I didn’t read it previously. It takes place before and during Brave. It gives us background on Abigail but I’m glad that I didn’t necessarily have it prior to the main story. Though perhaps I would’ve been more gracious towards her in my thoughts.

[Kimberly Bowie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautifully written novella the life of Abigail, her brutal marriage to Nabal, and how she came to be David's wife. Ms. Andrews' characterization, plot development, and scene description draw the reader into the action of the story in an all-consuming manner.

I received an ARC from the author; however, my review is my own opinion and done of my own volition.

[Heidi Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic Biblical fiction short story that I read in 2 sittings/same day! I loved the Scriptures included along with the author's creativity. I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, but it did not in any way affect my review. All opinions are my own.

[Melissa Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Mesu Andrews writes with passion and dedication to the story. The descriptions in this story made me feel like I was there in the scenes.