The Ivory House: The Days of Elijah

by Cliff Keller

The Widow of Zarephath’s young son, Yashar, abandons his mother to follow the prophet, Elijah, into Israel during a time of devastating drought. At Mount Carmel, when Elijah calls down fire and rain from heaven, Yashar witnesses God’s triumph over Queen Jezebel’s pagan priests.

Overcome with the fear of the vengeful queen, Elijah runs away. Yashar follows the prophet but finds himself lost and alone in a foreign land until he is adopted by a stray dog. Yashar names the animal, Juttah and the once frail animal grows uncannily strong. At Jezreel, Juttah leads Yashar into Naboth’s vineyard and a new life.

While the prophet, Elijah, comes out of hiding and pronounces judgment on nations and kings, Yashar works inNaboth’s vineyard and falls in love with both Naboth’s family and the art of making wine. Though he plans to grow old in the vineyard, Yashar witnesses Naboth’s brutal murder and Israel’s fall further into idolatry. Years later, when Juttah proves to be an instrument of God’s will, Yashar understands the warnings of the prophets concerning Israel and is forced to change his plans.

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2015

About the author

Cliff Keller was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After multiple migrations between Florida and Wisconsin, Cliff attended Florida State University to pursue a degree in Engineering Science, paying his way by working as an engineering coop student for NASA at Cape Canaveral. Somehow aware of Cliff's progress, President Richard Nixon designed to send Cliff to the war in Vietnam by ending the educational draft deferment. By graduating, then receiving an occupational deferment while working for then defense contractor, Texas Instruments, in Dallas, Cliff avoided conscription and bested the president, who soon afterward became distracted by the Watergate scandal and lost interest in Cliff's status.
After eight years in Dallas (and earning a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University), Cliff spent the next 18 years in the construction business in Florida before selling the company to devote more time to writing.
Cliff and his wife, Marcia, now live in Jerusalem, Israel, having made Aliyah in 2011, where they are slowly improving at speaking Hebrew and loving their time in the land.
Visit his blog about their lives in Jerusalem.

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bringing The Book to life

Here is a well written and extremely readable novel that brings Old Testament Times to life. I felt comfortable with the characters and the story has made helped make the events of the Scriptures in the times of Elijah and the Prophets seem much more real to me