The prophet Nehemiah’s cousin can speak numerous
languages, keep complex accounts, write on rolls of parchment and
tablets of clay, and solve great mysteries. There is only one slight
problem: she’s a woman.
In her early childhood years, Sarah
experienced the death of her mother and her father’s subsequent
emotional distance and she came to two conclusions: that God does not
care about her, and that her accomplishments are the measure of her
worth – the measure of her self. Sarah, the talented scribe,
the cousin to Nehemiah, is catapulted into the center of the Persian
court, working too many hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and
solving intrigues for the Queen. Ironically, it isn’t failure but
success that causes Sarah to be dismissed from her post. As a result
she loses her only source of external validation in exchange for a
barren marriage to the nephew of the Queen. Life becomes unbearable
attached to a man she humiliated on their wedding day, a man who
married her out of obligation, a man she believes cannot possibly
ever want her as a wife. In the absence of her husband, Sarah
discovers irregularities in the running of Darius’s estates. As a
result, she finds herself and the household staff in grave danger.
Through her story Sarah learns that she has something of worth to
offer beyond her ability with languages and sums. Her very being
proves to be a blessing to others.
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