TBT Feature Novel: The Stones by Eleanor Gustafson

David himself is a man of titanic proportions—a powerful military genius, a poet who records his inmost thoughts and fears in his journal (aka Psalms), a man of passion after God’s own heart, and a man who sins through commission (Bathsheba) and omission (bad parenting). 

Fictional in scope, yet with scriptural accuracy, The Stones provides a revealing, behind-the-scenes glimpse into biblical history with all the twists, turns, thrills, and romance of one of the world’s greatest dramas.

The Stones is a powerful demonstration of our innate need to worship God and to rely on him for strength—and how badly things can go when we fail to do so.

A snippet showing the consequences of David’s ill-advised census of his fighting men:

The prophet Gad was sitting cross-legged in the king’s outer room when David arose next morning. The seer was smiling as usual, but David’s heart turned to ice.
“Go.” Gad waved airily. “Wash. Dress. I’ll wait.”
But David moved toward him warily. “Why are you here?”
“A bit of breakfast first. Then we’ll talk.”
“No. We’ll talk now. You have a word from the Lord.”
Gad sighed. “Bad news always tastes better after breakfast.”
“Speak!”
Gad popped to his feet and bowed. “My lord the king, you have three intolerable choices. Which of them would you prefer: three years of famine across the land, three months of hot pursuit by enemy swords, or three days under the sword of plague? None of these are happy prospects, my lord, but that’s the way of sin. Gnaw on them, if you won’t have breakfast, and let me know so I can answer the creature who woke me out of a dead sleep last night.” 
His words and tone were light, but his eyes held fathomless love and compassion, and David could only fall to his knees.