“I’m Going Home.”

A review of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Perhaps I was the only remaining Christian female on the planet who had not read this book. The parallels to both the biblical book of Hosea and a human’s relationship to God are beautiful and valuable. It is almost a perfect allegory of the rocky relationship we have with our God and with our Savior as His sought-out bride. So many times we just don’t get it, just as Angel just doesn’t get it. Angel has good reason not to understand the fatherhood of God and Christ as a loving husband. She has never seen any example of either until Michael Hosea literally redeems her from the slavery of prostitution.

The book is full of beautiful examples of love, and of good, strong males showing how to be husbands and fathers and just good men. It also has one remarkable man, Paul. He is a needy, jealous, hypocritical accuser and adversary for most of the book. But he also plays one of the most surprising roles I have ever seen a character perform. This story is worth reading just to see the unexpected part he plays.

In this book God speaks with an audible voice and miracles happen. People are so sure of this reality, and one person is so shocked when it happens, it is time to look around in amazement. The spoken words are almost all Scriptures or Scriptural principles, so there’s no reason to question whether the audible whispers of “Beloved” in the ear are a part of the allegory or whether the author means an actual voice spoke. The defeat of Angel’s greatest enemy is nothing short of miraculous.

A bi-weekly stroll by a beautiful woman down a muddy street means so much more than “taking the air.” A dead woman’s hand-me-downs give occasion for both outrage and touching generosity. A hatbox of worries produces laughter and a lesson in faith. A golden key hangs in a spot where no one would imagine being able to reclaim it. When Angel finally says, “I’m going home,” it’s the echo of the final understanding every believer must come to about who is guilty, who is worthy, and what a bridegroom really offers to his bride, humanly and spiritually speaking.