Everything Begins And Ends With Grace
The Mark Of The King by Jocelyn Green is an epic Christian historical novel and I really enjoyed it. The action is set in the early eighteenth century and moves from France to the American colonies. Britain and France oppose each other, and then there are also the native Americans – some friendly, some hostile. It is a tale of love and loss, spies, sabotage and espionage. All these elements combine to produce a cracking story.
There is the theme of trust. Who can one turn to other than God? Double dealings, secrets and lies persist throughout the whole novel. One must choose who to trust.
God is the God who sees all. No-one is ever too far from Him or too insignificant to be noticed. “There is no person so small the Lord cannot see her, no voice so quiet that He cannot hear it. ”
The novel shows there is a difference between knowing God and having religion. “She knows God which is different than just knowing about Him.” God desires a relationship with us, not just that we follow a regimented set of rules that will never get us to really know and experience the heart of God.
There are relationships presented between the native Americans and the French. Some treat the native Americans with kindness and compassion, others are less generous and the question of slavery arises.
The theme of taking care of the widows and orphans is present in the novel. There is also the sensitive topic of premature birth and death.
In Christ we are a new creation. The past is gone and He calls us His own. “God had taken her mark of judgment and used it as an instrument of grace.” The themes of grace and judgment are the opposite sides of the same coin – we deserve judgment but we get grace. Likewise we need to extend forgiveness and grace. Failure to do so results in bitterness destroying us from the inside out. We see the theme of loving your enemy played out in the novel. “Love your enemy… and that poison in your heart will disappear.”
God is found everywhere. “God as is present here [in the colonies] as He is in the cathedral of Notre Dame.” We do not need to confine Him to a building. The building where God resides is in the temple of our hearts.
The Mark Of The King was a real swash buckling adventure that was impossible to put down. I can highly recommend it.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
JULIA WILSON
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