Bible Stories (OT)

                              

"WE PRAY THAT YOU RETURN"

Children's Bible Stories 
From The Old Testament

  

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Contents

• Adam And Eve
• Noah
• Abraham
• Jacob
• Joseph
• Moses
• Joshua
• Gideon
• Ruth
• Samuel
• Saul

• David
• Solomon
• Elijah
• Elisha
• Ezra
• Malachi
• Nehemiah
• Esther
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Zacharias

Adam And Eve 

• Daniel
• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah

                                       
        The very first thing the Bible tells us is, “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  God made this beautiful world we live in out of darkness. He made night and day; He separated the sky and earth, and the land and sea. Then when the world was formed, God created the living creatures on it. Finally God made man and woman. The first man was called Adam, a name meaning “man,” or earth-man,” for God had created man out of the earth. The woman was named Eve, meaning “ living.”  

        Adam and Eve lived in a beautiful garden, where they had everything they needed, without worrying or working. This garden was called Eden and they lived there in perfect happiness; and God talked directly to them, telling them everything they needed to know. This garden was also called paradise. There were all kinds of different fruit in the garden, but God gave Adam one firm command:  There was one tree whose fruit he must not taste.  This was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Now Adam and Eve had never known anything bad, so they could not understand the difference between good things and evil things. God knew that if Adam and Eve learned that if things could be bad, they and all men and women after them would be subject to fears, anger, hatred and sadness. Perfect happiness, such as theirs, would never be known again on earth.

        One day, when Eve was admiring the beautiful fruit on the forbidden tree, she met a serpent, a creature we call a snake. The serpent urged her to pick the luscious fruit, but Eve knew that God had said that she and Adam could have everything but this. The serpent, however, persuaded her that the fruit would make them as wise as God Himself. That, he explained, was the only reason that God did not want them to eat it. Tempted by the serpent’s words and the beauty of the fruit, Eve picked it, and both she and Adam tasted it.

        Immediately they knew they had done wrong.  Afraid and ashamed, they hid among the trees. God came into the garden that evening and, finding Adam and Eve hiding, made them tell him what they had done. He sternly explained to them what they now faced. They must leave the beautiful garden forever and go out into the world, where they must work long and hard to make the land produce enough to keep them alive. They would have children, but both they and their children would always know much hardship and sadness. And God’s words proved to be only too true.

        No sooner had Adam and Eve’s first two sons grown up than a terrible thing happened. Their sons  were named Cain and Able; Cain, the elder, was a farmer and Able was a shepherd. Adam and Eve had not forgotten God, but since they could no longer talk with Him, each of the family offered gifts to God of the things they produced, to show that they were still his children. 

        One day Cain and Able fell into a bitter and violent quarrel, about which of their offerings was most pleasing to God. When it ended, Able lay dead on the ground, and the first dreadful crime of man against man had been committed. God punished Cain severely, but He did not kill him. He protected Cain from death at the hand of any man, and Cain lived to have a family of his own.

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THE STORY

OF

NOAH

        For many hundreds of years after Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, the family of God multiplied and spread over the earth.  Because Adam and Eve had disobeyed God and learned of evil things. The knowledge of wickedness was passed on, and as men learned more about the world, they learned more ways to be evil. Men forgot that they were children of God and they grew more corrupt.

        Finally God decided that man had grown so wicked He was sorry He had ever created human beings. And so God decided he would destroy all life on earth. There was one man, however, who remembered God and tried to live to please Him.  His name was Noah. God spoke to Noah and told him the world had grown so violent that He was going to destroy the wicked in a great flood that would cover the earth. But God promised Noah that he and his family would be saved from the flood, and that one mother and one father of each living thing on the earth would be saved too.

        God told Noah how to build an ark in which those to be saved would be protected from the waters of the flood. Noah followed God’s instructions.  And as the rains began and the waters of the sea rose over the land, Noah and his family and all the creatures were kept safe in the ark. The rains continued for forty days and the waters rose until the earth was a vast sea. Every living thing died in the terrible flood, except those sheltered in the ark. For 150 days the earth was covered with water and then the flood began to recede from the land.  After Noah had been in the ark nine months, the tops of the mountains began to appear above the water. 

        Forty days later Noah decided to find out if the water had lowered enough for them to leave the ark.  He sent out a raven and a dove. The raven never returned. The dove, finding no place to sit down, returned to the ark. Seven days later Noah sent out the dove once more and this time it returned with a branch of an olive tree. Noah knew then at least part of the land was dry enough for plants to grow. After another seven days Noah sent the dove out again, and this time it did not return. Noah knew then that the time had come for them to leave the ark. As soon as Noah and the living creatures had left the ark, Noah had built an altar where he gave thanks to God for being saved from the flood.

        God was pleased and made a promise to Noah that never again would He destroy living creatures as he had done with the great flood. The world was given again to man, for his use, as it had been given to Adam and Eve. God showed Noah the rainbow that we see in the sky after the rain. God told Noah that this would always be the sign of His promise.

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THE STORY 
OF
ABRAHAM

        After the flood, Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham and Japeth, moved away and each went to live in a different place. They all had large families, and from their children and their children’s children, and their descendants for many generations, the great nations of the ancient world came into being.

        The stories in the Old Testament tell of one of these nations, a people who have been known as the Israelite's, the Hebrews, and later the Jews. The Bible tells us of their beginnings, their growth as a nation, and the many troubles they faced; but most of all the Bible is concerned with the special relationship these people had with God. They have been called God’s Chosen People because God made a solemn agreement with them. He promised to make them grow and prosper and to help them when they called upon Him. In return they must obey God’s commands and keep alive the true knowledge of God, so that some day, through them, all mankind would know God.

        This special relationship with God began with a man named Abram.  He was a descendant of Noah’s son, Shem.  He and his wife Sarai lived in a place called Ur, in the land of the Chaldees on the Euphrates River. They had no children, and Abram was already an old man when God spoke to him and told him he must move to a new land. There, God told Abram, he would have a family that would become a great nation and through his family all families would be blessed. It took great faith to obey this command, but Abram kept his faith. Abram gathered his flocks of sheep and herds of cattle and set out with his wife, his very aged father Terah, a brother Nahor, and Lot, the son of another brother who had died.

        They traveled up the Euphrates River to a place called Haran. There Terah died and Nahor decided to stay on. After his father’s death, Abram continued his travels with Sarai and Lot. God had not told Abram where he was to settle, but when he came into a land called Canaan, God came to his tent and told Abram He was giving that land to his children and to their families forever. And this is the area which became the land of Israel, the home of the Hebrew people.  Abram and Lot raised sheep and cattle, so they had to move around a great deal to find the best grass for their animals. Shortly after they arrived in Canaan they went as far away as Egypt. There they were very successful, and when they returned to Canaan, they had so many cattle the land could hardly feed them. The herdsmen of Abram and those working for Lot began to quarrel about grazing rights, so Abram proposed they separate. He let Lot choose the land he wanted. Lot went down to the fertile plain of the River Jordan and Abram stayed in the mountains. As Lot prospered he moved into the city of Sodom.

        Though he had chosen the richest land, Lot found nothing but trouble because he had settled among very evil people. First he was captured in a war and was taken as a slave. When Abram heard of this he gathered together all the men who worked for him, over three hundred in all. He caught up with the conquering army, beat them in a surprise attack at night, and rescued Lot and all the other captives.  Abram brought Lot and the others back to Sodom, but refused to take any reward from the king of the city. And then he returned to his home in the mountains. Abram was, by this time, a very old man. 
        While he had many families living and working with him, he and his wife Sarai no longer expected to have any children of their own. God appeared again to Abram and told him more about the special relationship his family would have with God. First, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means father of nations, and He changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, which means princess. Then He told Abraham, as he was now called, that he and Sarah would have a son. Abraham was so astonished that he laughed. But God reassured him that the promises He had made to him would continue to his son, who would be called Isaac. The next time the Lord returned to Abraham, He appeared as one of three travelers whom Abraham had invited to his tent to rest and eat. This time Sarah heard that they were to have a son and she also laughed in astonishment, but was assured it would really happen.

        Abraham walked down the road with the three travelers as they left. When they reached a point where they could look out toward Sodom, where Lot lived, God told Abraham that he was going to destroy the city along with the nearby city of Gomorrah, because the people living there had become so wicked. Abraham pleaded that it was not right to destroy the good people along with the bad, so God promised to spare the cities if He could find even ten good people living in them. He could not!  The cities were destroyed in a great fire, but Lot was rescued by two angels who appeared at his house as travelers. In those days Abraham, and others who loved God, showed this love by placing on an altar made of stones some of their best food, as a gift to God. Since they raised animals, this offering was usually a sheep or a calf.

        God knew that he must impress upon Abraham that the promises that He made were part of a solemn agreement. Abraham must obey all God’s commands, no matter how terrible and painful they might seem. Only in this way could Abraham and his family understand the seriousness of the agreement they had entered into. Therefore, God ordered Abraham to place his son Isaac upon an altar and kill him just as if he were a sheep. Abraham was shocked and filled with grief. He had promised to obey all commands of God, not just those that seemed right to him. He knew also that God had promised that Isaac would be the father of a great family which would lead to a great nation. Perhaps he thought God would somehow bring Isaac back to life. Whatever Abraham might have secretly hoped, this was surely the greatest test of faith a man could face. Abraham set out to obey. He had three days to think over his decision and change his mind; three days while he traveled with his beloved son, to the mountain where God had said he must sacrifice the boy.

      When they started up the mountain Isaac spoke up and asked his father, “Where is the lamb for the offering?” Abraham replied, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb.”  Abraham built an altar, tied his son up, and laid him upon the altar.  As he stood with the knife in his hand, a voice cried out, “Abraham! Abraham! “and he replied, “Here I am.”  And then an angel appeared and told him that God had seen that he had not withheld even his only son, whom he loved, from God.  And so Isaac was spared. Then God blessed Abraham and told him again of His great promise that Abraham’s family would be a blessing to all people on earth.

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THE STORY 

OF

JACOB

        Isaac, the son of Abraham, married a woman named Rebekah, who gave birth to twin boys named Esau and Jacob. When the two boys grew up, Esau became his father’s favorite because he loved the outdoors and was a skillful hunter like Isaac; and Jacob became his mother’s favorite, because he was a quite boy who preferred to stay at home and help with her tasks.

        Because they were so different from one another, Esau and Jacob had trouble getting along.  One day Esau came in from the field very hungry. He saw Jacob boiling some soup and asked his brother to share it with him. Jacob refused to give Esau any soup, unless Esau sold his birthright to him. In those days a birthright was very important, because it meant that the oldest son would inherit his father’s land. Esau was older than Jacob and, therefore, was entitled to his father’s land when Isaac died. Esau was so hungry, however, that he did not care about his birthright at that moment and agreed to sell it to Jacob for a bowl of soup. As the years passed, Isaac grew old and blind. When he knew that he was ready to die he called Esau to his side to give him a final blessing. Before Isaac blessed Esau, he told his son to hunt a deer and prepare him a meal.

        Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to Esau.  When Esau had gone into the field to hunt, she prepared some meat and told Jacob to take it to his father, so that Isaac would bless Jacob instead of Esau. Jacob was reluctant to do this dishonest thing, but at last he agreed to follow his mother’s wishes.  He brought the meal to his father, and Isaac gave him his final blessing, thinking that Jacob was Esau.  As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and had sent him away, Esau had returned with the meal he had prepared for his father. Then Isaac realized that he had been deceived and was deeply hurt and angered that Jacob could do such a thing. From that day on Esau hated Jacob and vowed that he would kill him for taking away his birthright and his blessing. But the words of Esau were brought to Rebekah and she sent Jacob away to live with her brother, Laban, until Esau’s anger cooled.

        On the way to his uncle’s house, Jacob stopped to rest for the night. While he was sleeping he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on earth. The top of the ladder reached heaven, and God’s angels were climbing up and down. At the very top of the ladder, God stood above all and said to Jacob, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham and Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants; and your descendants shall spread like dust to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south."  The following morning Jacob arose and took the stone which he had used to sleep on and set it up as a pillar. Then he poured oil upon it, to mark it as a spot of blessed memory. And he called the place where God had visited him Bethel, which means the house of God.

        Jacob had continued on his journey until he came to a field where Laban’s beautiful daughter Rachel was tending the sheep. Rachel greeted Jacob warmly and brought him to see her father. Jacob worked for Laban for a month, and during this time he grew to love Rachel. When Laban asked him what his wages should be, Jacob replied that he would like to have Rachel in marriage and agreed to work seven years for her hand. At the end of seven years, Laban, prepared a marriage feast, but in the place of Rachel, Laban substituted his older daughter Leah, who was not Jacob’s favorite. Leah wore a veil so that no one could see her face. At the end of the marriage ceremony Leah was Jacob’s wife. Laban had tricked Jacob, just as Jacob had once deceived his brother and his father.

        Laban explained that it was the custom of the land for the oldest daughter to be married first. He promised Jacob that in return for serving him for another seven years, he would also receive Rachel for a wife. At the end of seven years Rachel became Jacob’s wife, but Laban continued to treat Jacob badly and often refused to pay him the wages he had promised. Finally, Jacob could not bear this treatment any longer. He gathered his wives and children on camels and set out for Canaan, the land of his birth.

      Before Jacob arrived in Canaan, he sent messengers to tell his brother Esau that he was truly sorry that he had cheated him, and that he was coming in peace. Jacob’s messenger, however, brought back bad news. Esau was coming with four hundred men to fight Jacob and his people. That same night, Jacob was bothered by his conscience and went off by himself to think about his past actions. While he was alone a man came and wrestled with him until the break of day. Then Jacob learned that the man with whom he had fought was a angel of God, who said to him, ”because you have accepted the challenge to fight and have not given up, you have earned God’s favor.” Then the angel changed Jacob’s name to Israel, a name that means  “He who struggles with God” or “The Reliable One.”

      When the angel had left, Jacob looked into the distance and saw Esau coming with his four hundred men. As Esau approached Jacob bowed himself to the ground seven times. And instead of fighting, Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him and wept because he was so glad to see his brother. Jacob was likewise filled with joy because he had found favor in his brother’s eyes. Both men returned to Canaan with their families, and, as God had foretold, Jacob’s descendants spread over the face of the earth.

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THE STORY

OF

JOSEPH

        Jacob, the son of Isaac, had twelve sons. They did not all have the same mother, because Jacob had been married more than once. Jacob raised sheep, and his sons, who worked as shepherds, were strong and often violent men, except for Joseph, the son of Rachel. He was a dreamy, thoughtful boy and his rough older brothers did not like him. To make their resentment worse, Joseph was his father’s favorite son and was treated better than the other brothers.  When Joseph was about seventeen, his father gave him a long robe with sleeves. Shepherds dress in very rough clothes, even today, and this long colorful robe was a ceremonial garment. The robe made Joseph’s brothers even more jealous than before.

        To make matters still worse, Joseph told his family of two dreams he had had. In one of the dreams, the brothers were working in the field, binding grain into sheaves. (Sheaves are bundles that are stood on ends in the field, so that they can be collected later). In his dream, Joseph saw the sheaves that his brothers had tied, bow down before his sheaf. His second dream angered even his father.  He dreamed that the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. Jacob asked Joseph angrily, “Shall I, and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?”

        One day Jacob sent Joseph with a message for his brothers, who were tending their sheep far out into the fields. The sight of the long, rich robe was more than the brothers could bear. As he approached, they plotted together to kill Joseph and throw his body in a pit. His oldest brother Reuben could not bring himself to commit this terrible crime so, he suggested that they not kill him, but just throw Joseph in the pit and leave him there. Reuben thought that he would come back later and help Joseph out of the pit himself. When they had torn off Joseph’s beautiful robe, however, and thrown him into the pit, they saw some merchants coming down the road. The other brothers decided they would sell Joseph to the merchants as a slave. In those days many poor families sent some of their children to work for wealthy men, since they could not always take care of their children.

        The brothers then realized that they would have to answer to their father for Joseph’s disappearance.  So they killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe into the blood and took it to Jacob. The father was sure that his favorite son had been killed by wild animals and he could not be comforted, in his grief.  The merchants took Joseph with them into Egypt, and there they sold him to Potiphar, an important officer of the pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Joseph was a faithful and valuable servant, and Potiphar put him in charge of his household. After a time Potiphar’s wife made trouble for Joseph and he was thrown into prison. But God continued to watch over Joseph, giving him power to know the meanings of dreams.  Also in prison with him were Pharaoh’s butler and baker, who had offended the king. One night they both had dreams, which they told to Joseph. The butler dreamed that there were three branches with buds on them. The buds turned to blossoms, and the blossoms ripened to grapes. The butler dreamed that he pressed the grapes into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. Joseph told the butler that his dream meant that within three days the Pharaoh would free him from prison. He would get his job back and hand Pharaoh his cup, as he did before when he was Pharaoh’s butler. The baker dreamed that there were thee cake baskets on his head. In the top basket there were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, but birds were eating out of his basket.  Joseph told the baker that his dream meant that in three days, the Pharaoh would hang him, from a tree full of birds. 

         At the end of three days Pharaoh had a birthday. He made a feast for all his servants. He freed the butler from prison and gave him back his job, but he hanged the baker. Before the butler left prison, Joseph asked him to help get him out of prison once he was back in the Pharaoh’s service.  But the man forgot about Joseph for two years. Then one day, the Pharaoh told his servant about a strange dream of his own and asked the butler if he knew anyone that could interpret it. The butler remembered Joseph, who was still in prison. He told Pharaoh how Joseph had interpreted his dream and the baker’s dream, and the Pharaoh immediately sent for Joseph. 

         Pharaoh told Joseph that he had dreamed that seven fat cattle were grazing in a field, and seven lean cattle came up and ate the fat cattle. Then there were seven good ears of corn on a stalk, and seven withered ears grew up and ate the good ears.  Joseph told the Pharaoh that God was telling him, through the dream, that there would be seven good years of rich harvest; but in the seven years that followed not enough rain would fall and not enough food would be grown. Joseph advised the Pharaoh to appoint someone to buy up all the spare food he could obtain, during the seven good years. Pharaoh was deeply impressed with Joseph, so he appointed the young man to handle this very important job for him. When the famine came seven years later, Egypt was the only land that had food. The surrounding countries had to send to Egypt to buy food. They had to deal with Joseph, who was now second in importance only to the Pharaoh. 

        The famine had also struck Canaan, the land where Joseph’s family still lived, and Jacob had to send his sons to Egypt to buy grain. He kept his youngest son Benjamin with him. When the brothers appeared before Joseph, they did not recognize him, but he knew them at once. Joseph spoke harshly to his brothers. He accused them of being spies and put them in jail. He noticed that Benjamin was not with them and he wanted to see him. This was Joseph’s only full brother; the others had different mothers and were, therefore, his half-brothers. 

        Later Joseph gave his brothers a generous supply of grain, but demanded that one of them be kept in prison, until the others returned with Benjamin. The others were very unhappy with this and talked among themselves. They decided that this must be punishment, for the way they had treated Joseph years before. Hearing this Joseph wept, but he did not let his brothers see him weep. He still treated them harshly and tided up his brother Simeon. And he put him in prison, where he would stay until the others returned with Benjamin. When the brothers went back to Canaan, they pleaded with Jacob to let Benjamin go with them to Egypt. They promised to protect Benjamin with their lives.  Simeon was still a prisoner in Egypt; the famine was still in the land of Canaan; and Jacob’s family needed food, so he sadly consented to let his sons take Benjamin with them.

        When Joseph saw Benjamin, he was so moved that again he left the room and wept. When Joseph returned to the room and faced his brothers, he was still harsh and wanted to test them further. In the morning, Joseph instructed his servants to fill the brothers’ bags with grain and to put his silver cup into Benjamin’s bag. Then Joseph demanded that the one who had the cup be kept as his slave. His officers searched every bag and when they came to Benjamin, they found the silver cup. The brothers refused to part with Benjamin. They told Joseph that their father was an old man and would be in deep sorrow if he lost his beloved son, for he had already lost another son, who was torn to pieces by a wild animal.

        Then Judah, one of the brothers, pleaded to let Benjamin go back with them and even offered himself as a slave instead. Moved by this display of brotherly love, Joseph broke down and told them,  “ I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.” And he and his brothers wept for joy to see each other again. Joseph then sent for his father, who could not believe his good fortune until he actually saw Joseph. Jacob brought his family to live in Egypt, and they stayed there for many years because they were well treated by the Pharaoh, who admired Joseph so much.

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THE STORY

OF

MOSES

         The Pharaoh of Egypt who had been so kind to Joseph’s family died after many years, and a cruel king took his place. When this king seen how the Israelites grew and prospered in his land, he placed them in slavery and set over them tough task-masters, to watch them while they worked. But even this act did not crush the spirit of the Israelites or Hebrews, as they were called. They continued to prosper and raise healthy families. The Pharaoh of Egypt was so angry at this he issued an order demanding the death of every male child born to a Hebrew mother. At this time in Egypt a Hebrew woman gave birth to a healthy son. For three months she ignored the Pharaoh’s order and hid the baby safely in her home. When she could hide him no longer, she made a basket out of bulrushes and covered it with pitch to make it float; then she put her son in it and placed the basket among the reeds along the river bank. She left her daughter to wait and see what would happen to the child.

      After a short time the Pharaoh’s daughter, attended by her servants, came down to the river to bathe. As she came near the river, she saw the basket among the reeds and asked her servants to bring it to her. When she opened the basket and saw the baby crying, Pharaoh’s daughter took pity on him and told her maidens that she wanted to raise the child as her own. Hearing this, the baby’s sister, who was hiding in the reeds, went to Pharaoh’s daughter and told her that she knew a Hebrew woman who had lost her own son. She said the woman could nurse the child. Pharaoh’s daughter told her to bring the woman to her. The Hebrew girl went home and brought back the baby’s own mother, who took the baby and nursed the baby for a few months. Then the woman returned him to the Pharaoh’s daughter, who raised him as her own son and called him Moses, which means “drawn out of the water.” 

        One day, when Moses was a young man, he went among the Hebrew slaves and saw the Egyptian officer beating one of them. He became so angry that he rushed among the Egyptians and killed him.  Moses knew that the Pharaoh would punish him for his actions, so he fled to the land of Midian and remained there for many years as a shepherd. One day, while Moses was leading his sheep into the wilderness to graze, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  God appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the mist of a bush. When Moses looked carefully, he saw that the fire continued and the bush was not burnt at all. This marvelous act was God’s way of calling Moses, for he had something very important to tell him. God told Moses that he had seen the suffering and sadness of the Israelite slaves in Egypt and he wanted Moses to lead the people out of bondage.  He also promised that he would help Moses lead the Israelites into a land flowing with milk and honey. Moses did not understand how he could lead the Israelites to freedom, but God assured him that he would be with him, enabling him to perform wonders that would make Pharaoh tremble.

        So Moses and his brother Aaron went to Egypt and said to the Pharaoh, “The Lord, the God of Israel says, “let my people go.”  Pharaoh replied, “Who is the Lord that I should heed His voice and let Israel go?”  Then Moses performed a miracle to show the power of God. At God’s command, Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and to the amazement of everyone the rod turned into a snake. But the Pharaoh was unmoved and unimpressed, and he refused to let the people of Israel go. At God’s command, Aaron and Moses went to the Pharaoh the next morning while he was walking by the River Nile and asked him again to let the Israelites go. When Pharaoh refused, Aaron struck the water with his rod and turned the Nile into blood, so that neither man nor beast could drink from it. Still Pharaoh would not heed God’s wrath and refused to let the people of Israel go. Instead he gave the slaves heavier work and treated them harshly.

        To punish the Egyptians for their wickedness, God sent to Egypt nine more horrible plagues. He overran the land with frogs and locusts; He caused darkness over the land; and each plague was worst than the other. The Pharaoh became so frightened, he promised Moses that he would let the people go, but as soon as God removed the plague from the land, the Pharaoh would take back his word and keep the Israelites in bondage. Then God sent one final affliction. The Angel of Death came to each house in Egypt and killed the first born child of each Egyptian family. But the angel passed over the homes of the Hebrews, who had marked their doors with a sign, just as Moses had told them to do. This was the beginning of the Passover, which is still celebrated all over the world by the Hebrew people.

      Pharaoh’s child was also taken by the Angel of Death, and in despair Pharaoh finally told Moses to take his people and leave Egypt forever. So the Israelites gathered their possessions and left, before the Pharaoh could change his mind again. God commanded Moses to lead the people toward the Red Sea. When Pharaoh realized that the Israelites were actually gone from Egypt, he was angry at himself for letting them escape. So he set out with his entire army and chariots, to overtake them and bring them back to slavery. When the Israelites saw Pharaoh’s army coming after them, they panicked and turned against Moses. They told him that they would rather serve in bondage than die in the wilderness, but Moses told them not to be afraid, That God would watch out for their safety.

        Then God created a great cloud which he placed between the Israelites and the Egyptians, so that Pharaoh and his army could not get to Moses and his people that night. He also commanded Moses to stretch out his hand over the Red Sea, and as he did so, the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind. The Red Sea divided and left a dry path for the Israelites to cross. Moses and his people hurried to the other side with Pharaoh’s army following close behind. As soon as the last Israelite had crossed, God commanded Moses to stretch out his hand again over the Red Sea. When he did this, the waters of the Red Sea went back into place and swallowed up the Egyptians, who were in the mist of crossing. Not one escaped. Then Moses and his people set out into the wilderness. After several days, the people again turned against their leader, this time because they were hungry. They told Moses that they would rather be back in bondage back in Egypt, where at least they would have food. 

        That evening God had told Moses that He had heard the complaints of the Israelites and that by morning He would give them food. When they awoke, they saw quail all over their camp, and thin flakes of meal that covered the ground like frost. Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.”  Then the Israelites gathered the fine flakes of bread and called their new food “manna.”  As the Israelites moved further into the wilderness, the people of Amalek attacked them; and Moses chose a man called Joshua to lead his people in battle. Then Moses went on top of a hill with the rod of God in his hand. Whenever he held up his hands, Israel gained in battle; but whenever he lowered his hands, the Israelites lost ground. Finally Moses’ hands grew so tired that Aaron and another man named Hur had to hold them up for him. The two men remained by Moses’ side until sundown, when Israel had defeated Amalek.

        Soon after this Moses and his people traveled to the wilderness of Sinai and camped below a mountain. At Sinai, God called to Moses and told him that in three days He would come down on Mount Sinai for all the people of Israel to see. On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning. Then a great heavy cloud came over Mount Sinai, and Moses brought his people out of the camp to see God. Moses spoke, and God answered with fire and thunder. Then Moses left his people and went to the top of Mount Sinai. Here Moses received the ten commandments- two tablets of stone on which were written the laws that God had set for the people of Israel.

        Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai, listening to the words of God. The people of Israel thought that Moses would never come down, and began to lose faith in God. They asked Aaron to build them an idol to worship. Aaron did not want to build the idol, but the people came to him every day, and finally he agreed to satisfy their request. He asked the people for their gold earrings and other jewelry which he melted down and shaped into a golden calf.

        When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets in his hands, he heard a great noise. Looking at the foot of the mountain, he saw the Israelites dancing and singing around the golden calf. Moses was so angry that he threw down the stone tablets and broke them. He took the golden calf, set it on fire, and crushed it to dust. Then he scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it. Moses asked Aaron how he could let the people sin like this, and Aaron could not answer.  Moses called for the people who were on the Lord’s side to come forward and he commanded them to slay all those who still wanted to worship idols.  Moses returned to Mount Sinai to talk to God and ask His Forgiveness for the sins of the people. At length God relented and restored to the people of Israel the Ten Commandments:

        I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other Gods before me.

        You shall not worship any graven image.

        You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

        Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.

        Honor your father and your mother.

        You shall not kill.

        You shall not commit adultery.

        You shall not steal.

        You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

        You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s.

        God kept Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years, making them tough and strong, and welding them into a nation. When Moses was ready to die, God sent him to the top of a mountain which overlooked the valley of the Jordan River at Jericho. And He told him that that rich, fertile country was the land of milk and honey that He had promised the Israelites. God told Moses that he himself would never enter this land, but the children of Israel would.

        Soon after God had shown Moses this Promised Land, Moses died at the age of one hundred and twenty. All of Israel mourned the loss of their great leader, who had brought them out of slavery through the wilderness, and made them a united people, thereby showing them how God protects and guides His children.

__________________________________________

THE STORY

OF

JOSHUA

        Before Moses died he chose a man named Joshua to succeed him, as leader of the Israelites. At God’s command Joshua told his people to prepare their provisions, for in three days they would cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

        In the evening, Joshua sent two men secretly to look at the land, especially the city of Jericho. The two men went to the house of a woman named Rahab. When the king of Jericho found out that two men of Israel had come to search his land, he went to Rahab’s house and demanded to see the men. But the woman had taken Joshua’s messengers to the roof and had hidden them under stalks of flax. She told the king that the men of Israel had gone away toward the Jordan River. When the king and his men left her home, Rahab went up to the roof and spoke to the two men of Israel. She told them that the people of Jericho were afraid, because they knew that God had given the land to the Israelites.  Joshua’s messengers promised to repay Rahab’s kindness, by protecting her family when the Israelites came to take the land.

      Then the woman took a rope and helped the men climb down the wall of Jericho. The men told Rahab to keep her family inside the house during the battle and to put a scarlet thread in her window. If she did this, no man of Israel would touch her house. The two men went back and told Joshua about the fear in Jericho and about the woman who had protected them in her home. Joshua saw that the time was right to move his people into the Promised Land. At the end of three days, Joshua commanded his priest to take the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Laws of God, and to carry it to the Jordan River. As soon as the priest’s feet touched the waters of the Jordan, God caused the river to stop flowing. All the people of Israel crossed the dry river bed, and when the last of the Israelites had crossed the Jordan, the priest came across. As soon as they lifted their feet from the river bed, God caused the water of the Jordan to flow again.

      Joshua had his people to camp outside of the city of Jericho, which was protected on all sides by a great wall. At God’s command, Joshua had his people to march around the wall of the city for six days. The priest carried the Ark of the Covenant and they also blew trumpets made of ram’s horns. The only sound that was heard came from the trumpets, for Joshua had commanded his people to be absolutely silent.  On the seventh day, Joshua had the Israelites march around the city seven times. On the seventh time around, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to his people, “Shout; for the Lord has given you the city.” The people all shouted together, and the great wall around the city of Jericho crumbled and fell.

        And so the people of Israel went in and took the city, but they did not harm the house with the scarlet cord in the window, because they knew it belonged to Rahab, who had sheltered the messengers. Joshua ordered his men to collect all the gold and silver treasures of the city and put them in the temple, as a dedication to God. One man, named Achan, stole a bar of gold, some silver, and a beautiful mantle and hid them in his tent. This was in direct violation of the Laws of God and brought great trouble upon all of Israel. Because of the greed of one man, many suffered. When he was caught, he confessed, and because he had sinned against the Lord and had brought His wrath upon the people, he and his family were killed. And a great heap of stones was piled on top of them. It was then that Joshua led his army once more against the neighboring city of Ai, whose inhabitants threatened to destroy the people of Israel. Joshua brought half of his army into a valley below the city of Ai. He secretly placed the other half of his army above the city. When the king of Ai saw Joshua’s army in the valley beneath, he led all of his people down into the valley to fight the Israelites. In the meantime, the other half of Joshua’s army came out of hiding from above, entered the empty city of Ai, and set fire to it. The people of Ai, caught between the two armies, had no place to which to retreat, and they were all captured by the Israelites. Joshua spent the rest of his life dividing the Promised Land among the people of Israel and helping them to overcome their enemies. Finally, all of the land which God promised to them belonged to the Israelites.  Joshua reminded the people again that if they did not obey God’s commandments, and if they worshiped idols, they would lose the Promised Land. 

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The Story

Of

Gideon

        The people of Israel sinned in the eyes of God.  They did not follow His commandments, and they worshiped idols. So God made the people of Israel suffer under the rule of cruel Midianites. The Midianites forced the people of Israel to live in dens and caves in the mountains. When the Israelites tried to farm the land, the Midianites would attack them destroy their camps, their sheep and their crops. For seven years the Israelites suffered under these harsh rulers. God saw how sad the people of Israel were and decided they had been punished long enough.  He chose a man named Gideon to lead them to victory. Gideon was at his wine press when God visited him, and when God told him what he was to do, Gideon asked,  “How can I deliver Israel when my people are the weakest in the country?’ God reassured Gideon and said, “I will be with you, and you shall smite all of the Midianites as if they were one man.”

        Gideon wanted proof that this was really God who was speaking to him. So Gideon prepared a lamb, unleavened bread and broth as a sacrifice.  Then he asked God to give him a sign of His presence. God told Gideon to pour the broth over the lamb and the unleavened bread. Then God reached out with the tip of His staff and touched the meat and the bread. Instantly they burst into flame.  And Gideon knew that this was indeed God speaking to him. That night God visited Gideon again and told him to tear down the alter of Baal, an idol which the people of Israel were worshiping, in its place, Gideon was to build an altar to God.

        When the men of the town arose early in the morning, they saw that the altar of Baal was broken.  When they found out that Gideon destroyed the altar, they wanted to kill him. But Gideon’s father, Joash, told them if Baal was really a god, then he should punish Gideon himself. Gideon’s life was spared.  Gideon began to think about the enormous task of leading the Israelites against the Midianites. Once again he turned to God for comfort. Gideon said to God, “If you will give Israel victory with my help as you said, behold, I am laying a sheepskin on the ground. If the sheepskin is wet in the morning and the ground is dry, then I will know that you will help Israel to victory.” Early the next morning Gideon arose and saw that the ground was dry. Then he felt the sheepskin, and it was wet; he squeezed a bowl of water from it.

        Gideon, reassured by the power of God, gathered his men to fight the Midianites. God looked at Gideon’s men and told him that there were too many of them. God told Gideon to tell all the people who were afraid to fight, to go back to their homes.  Gideon tested his army; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained. God saw the ten-thousand men, and he told Gideon that there were still too many men. God told Gideon to watch his men when they were drinking water from a stream. Gideon was to put the men who lapped the water with their tongues in one group; the men who drank the water from their hands were to be in another group. Three hundred men drank water from their hands, and God chose these men to help Gideon. 

        Gideon gave each of these three hundred men a trumpet and a jar with a torch inside it. He told his men to follow him. “When I blow the trumpet, you blow your trumpets.”  The men reached the Midianite camp at night. Gideon gave the signal, and the three hundred men blew their trumpets and smashed their jars so that the torches would light up the darkness.  The men of the Midianite army was so surprised by the noise, the confusion, and the sudden attack that they fled to another town for safety. Gideon and his men captured the two Midianite princes, Oreb and Zeeb, and had them put to death. Then they went in search of the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. Gideon’s men were tired and hungry from fighting during the night, so they stopped at the camp of Succoth and asked for bread. But the kings of Succoth cared only for their own safety. They were afraid that the Midianites would win the battle and then turn on the people of Succoth for giving bread to Gideon’s men. So the kings refused to help Gideon’s army.

        When Gideon saw that the people of Succoth had faith in nothing, that they lived in fear of their fellow men, Gideon’s faith in God was strengthened. He led his men to the city of Karkor where the Midianite kings and their army were staying. He entered the city by a road that was very seldom used and surprised the Midianite army once again. He captured the army and the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. Gideon asked his people to give him all the earrings that they had taken from the Midianites. Then he melted the golden earrings and made a statue to symbolize the victory of the Israelites. 

        Once again, the people of Israel were free to live in peace and worship God. The people were so happy and grateful to Gideon that they wanted to make him their king. But Gideon refused and said to his people, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; God will rule over you.” 

      And there was peace in Israel for forty years.

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THE STORY

OF

RUTH

        The Old Testament tells us there was once a shortage of food in the city of Bethlehem. To escape the famine one man named Elimelech took his wife named Naomi and his two sons Mahlon and Chilion to the nearby land of Moab. Elimelech died there and ten years later Mahlon and Chilion died too, leaving Naomi without a husband, sons, or grandchildren.  Naomi felt very much alone and became very much homesick for her own people in Bethlehem. When she heard that God had given the city food, she decided to return. The widows of Mahlon and Chilion, who were named Ruth and Orpah, wanted to go with her, but Naomi told them to stay in Mohab where they could marry again and have children. The trip back to Bethlehem would be long and hard, and they would be leaving their homes and families to live among strangers.

        Orpah agreed to stay in Mohab with her family, and she kissed Naomi good-bye, but Ruth stayed close by Naomi’s side and said, “Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”  Naomi knew that she had a faithful companion in Ruth.       Together the two women made the journey to Bethlehem. When they arrived, the people were very surprised to see Naomi after so long a time, and the women of the city said to her, “Can this be Naomi?”  She answered, “Don’t call me Naomi” (A name which means “pleasant”); “Call me Mara” (Which is the Hebrew word for “bitter”).  God has dealt very bitterly with me.  I went away with a husband and sons, and now they are gone.

        Ruth understood Naomi’s sadness, but she also knew that they had to make the best of things. It happened that it was the harvest season in Bethlehem, so Ruth said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain.” Gleaning means gathering whatever is left on the ground after the harvest. In those days the poor people were allowed to follow the reapers and keep the grain that they found. Ruth went to glean and happened to reach a part of the field that belonged to a man named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s late husband Elimelech. Boaz saw Ruth and asked his servant who she was. The servant said “She is the Moabite maiden who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab, and she had been gleaning from early morning until now, without resting for a moment.”  Moab was so impressed by Ruth’s devotion to Naomi and her courage for moving to a strange land, that he told Ruth to stay in his field where she would be protected and would find plenty of food.

        According to ancient Hebrew custom, a woman who lost her husband had the right to marry her husband’s next of kin. Naomi wished to see her daughter-in-law married again and provided for, so she suggested that Ruth ask Boaz to marry her.  Because Ruth was a good woman Boaz consented to marry her and take care of her. They were blessed with a son to carry on the family name and inherit the land, and this son was to become the grandfather of King David.

_______________________________________

THE STORY

OF

SAMUEL 

        An Israelite woman named Hannah was very sad because she was childless. So she told her husband Elkanah that she was going to The Temple of God to pray for a son. In her prayers Hannah promised that if she had a son that she would give him to God as a servant. God saw how much Hannah wanted a child, and after some months had passed He blessed her with a son, whom she called Samuel.

        Samuel remained with his mother for a little while. Then she brought him to the House of God, where he lived with a priest named Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Here Samuel learned how to serve God as a priest. As Samuel grew older, he grew in God’s favor because he was devoted and faithful. He was also loved by the people of Israel, because he performed his priestly duties well.  Hophni and Phinehas, on the other hand, became more and more disliked because they deceived God and cheated the people. One of the duties of the priest was to go from house to house to collect a portion of meat from each family, to be used as an offering to God. Hophni and Pinehas were so greedy they demanded more meat that the people could afford to give. They then kept the best parts of the meat for themselves and gave the remainder to God.

        One night Samuel was in bed and God called to him. He told Samuel that He was going to destroy Eli’s family because of the sins of Hophni and Pinehas. He would raise a faithful prophet to serve Him. God also spoke to Eli and warned him that he and his sons would die on the same day. Some years passed, and Israel went into battle with the Philistine invaders. The people of Israel asked Eli to bring the Ark of the Covenant onto the battlefield. In the fighting that day, the Philistines defeated the Israelites, killed Eli’s sons, and took the Holy Ark. Eli was a very old man at the time, and when he heard the news, he died from the shock. Thus Eli’s family was destroyed, as God told Samuel it would be.  God then raised Samuel as the beloved prophet of all Israel.

        The Ark of God was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. During this time, God afflicted the Philistines with a terrible plague. The Philistines were so frightened that they returned the Ark to the Israelites, along with five golden mice, which they had molded in the image of the mice that had carried the plague. Samuel had gathered all his people together and asked them to pray to God for strength against the Philistines. That night, as the Israelites prepared to attack, God thundered with a mighty voice that frightened and confused the Philistines. Then the Israelites entered the Philistine city and captured it. Samuel took a large stone and marked the place where God had helped the Israelites subdue their enemy.  Then there was peace in the land, and Samuel continued to serve the Israelites as their prophet for as long as he lived.   

________________________________________

THE STORY

 OF

SAUL

        When Samuel the prophet became old, he made his sons judges over Israel, but they were not good men like their father. They were greedy men, who used their power to destroy justice and hurt people.  Finally, the leaders of the city, knowing that the other nations were ruled by kings, gathered together and asked Samuel to find them a king to rule the land.  Samuel went before God and asked for help in choosing a leader. God told Samuel, “Tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be king over my people Israel.” 

       The next morning a handsome young man named Saul came to Samuel’s city, looking for some lost donkeys. Saul’s servant suggested that he visit Samuel, the wise prophet, and ask him where he should look for the animals. When Samuel met Saul, God told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! It is he who shall rule over my people.”  Samuel invited Saul and his servant to dinner and made a big feast for them. He gave Saul a place at the head of the table and told him not to worry about his donkeys, for they had been found. After dinner, Samuel revealed God’s word to Saul. Saul could not believe that he had been chosen for such an important job, because he came from a very poor, humble family. Samuel assured Saul that he looked into the hearts of men and did not choose them for their riches. Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul’s head as a symbol of God’s blessing, and proclaimed him king over Israel.

        The next day Samuel gathered the people of Israel together, to show them their new king. When Saul stood before the people, he was a full head taller than everyone else. There was no one like him in the land, and all the people shouted to him, “Long live the king!”  In the mist of their happy celebration, Samuel spoke seriously to the people and reminded them that if they or their new king did evil in the eyes of God, or failed to serve God in truth, they would all be punished severely.

        Saul ruled during a time when Israel was at war with neighboring tribes. One of these tribes were the Amalekites. At God’s command, Samuel told Saul to lead the Israelites in battle against the Amalekites and not to spare one living thing, be it man, woman, infant, ox, sheep, camel, or donkey. So Saul gathered a large army from all the tribes of Israel and defeated the Amalekites, destroying the people, but sparing the Amalekite king and also the best sheep, the best oxen, and the best lambs. After the defeat of the Amalekites, God said to Samuel, “I repent that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments.”  Hearing this, Samuel became very angry and went to see Saul. 

        When Samuel heard the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen, he asked Saul why he had disobeyed God by sparing the best animals. Saul replied that he intended to use the best animals as sacrifices to God. Then Samuel spoke harshly to Saul and told him that God believed that Saul had saved the best animals for his own personal gain. Samuel reminded Saul that his first duty was to obey God’s commandments, not to make sacrifices. “Fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully,” Samuel had told Saul and all the people of Israel. “If you do wickedly you shall be swept away.”  Because Saul had disobeyed God, he was not worthy to be king.

_______________________________________

The Story
Of
  DAVID
 

        God was not pleased with the way Saul was leading the Israelites. He told Samuel, the prophet, that He was going to choose a new leader from among the sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite. Samuel sent for Jesse and his sons, but when the men stood before him, Samuel received no sign from God that any of these men were chosen to be king. Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all of your sons here?”  And Jesse replied, “They are all here but the youngest, who is at home tending the sheep.”  At Samuel’s request, Jesse sent for his son immediately. The boy’s name was David. He was very handsome, with red cheeks and beautiful eyes. And God said to Samuel, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.”  Then Samuel took a horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers and father. From that day on, God blessed David and made him strong.

        King Saul knew that he had lost the favor of God, and often he was bothered by evil thoughts.  One day, when Saul was very unhappy, he asked his servant to find a man who could entertain him by playing the lyre, which is an ancient instrument that resembles a small harp. Saul’s servant told him about David, the son of Jesse, who was very skillful at playing the lyre. Saul sent his messenger to Jesse and said, “Send David your son to me.”  Jesse sent David with bread, a skin of wine, and a kid to give to Saul. Then David played the lyre, and Saul’s evil thoughts disappeared. David found favor in Saul’s eyes and agreed to remain in Saul’s service. 

        The Israelites were still troubled by the Philistines. The champion of the Philistines was a giant named Goliath. Goliath towered over the rest of the people. He wore a bronze helmet, a heavy coat of armor, and steel coverings for his legs. He carried an enormous spear. Goliath said to the Israelites, “Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants.”  Every day David visited his father’s house in order to feed the sheep.  Three of David’s brothers had joined Saul in battle against the Philistines, and one day David’s father asked him to bring some bread and cheese to them.  David took the food and greeted his brothers on the battlefield. As he stood talking to them, Goliath the giant came out of the Philistine camp and repeated his words, as he had been doing for forty days. No man in all of Israel would come to fight the giant.  The people were so afraid when they saw Goliath that they fled from him.

        When David observed how the giant held the Israelites in fear, he was very moved and his courage grew. David visited Saul and said to the king, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him, I will go and fight with this Philistine.”  And Saul said to David, “You cannot fight with this Philistine, for you are a young boy and he is a man of war.”  But David told Saul that he was not afraid. When he was a shepherd, he had fought wild bears and lions who attacked his lambs. David said he would treat Goliath just like a beast of prey. Saul agreed to let David fight Goliath.  He clothed him with armor and a bronze helmet and put a sword over his shoulder. But David was not used to armor. He could not move because the armor was too heavy for him. So he took off the helmet, the armor and the sword, and in their place he chose a slingshot and five smooth stones from the brook.  Then he went to the Philistine camp.

        When Goliath saw David, he thought the boy was mocking him, because David was so young and came without armor and the usual weapons. He said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beast of the field.”  And David replied, “You come to me with a sword and a spear for protection, but I come to you with the God of the armies of Israel for protection. God will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down.”  Then Goliath came near to meet David, and David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone which he placed in his slingshot. He shot Goliath on the forehead, and the giant fell on his face to the ground. Then David took Goliath’s sword and killed him. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled, and the Israelites chased them from the land.  Saul spoke to David and asked him to remain in his service forever. David agreed.

      As time passed, Saul grew jealous of David because David was superior to him in battle and had won the hearts of the people. Saul feared that David would soon take his kingdom away from him. Twice while David was playing the lyre for Saul, Saul cast his spear at him. But David jumped out of the way.  Then Saul spoke to his son, Jonathan, and asked for his help in getting rid of David. But Jonathan loved David and admired him for his courage and good deeds. Instead of killing David as his father had instructed, Jonathan helped David to escape from Saul’s kingdom. When Saul found out that David had escaped alive, he was furious. Saul set out with his men to find David in the wilderness, for he had heard that David and his men had settled in a place called Engedi. After he had searched Engedi for a while, Saul became tired and entered a cave to rest, not knowing that further in the cave, David and his men were also resting. When David saw Saul sleeping, he quietly approached him and cut off Saul’s robe, but he would not kill the king because Saul was one of God’s anointed men. Saul was grateful for David’s kindness and said to him, “You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.”  And Saul took his men and went home.

        Then David spoke to God and asked if he and his men should go up into the cities of Judah. And God told David that he should go to the city of Hebron in Judah. So David took his men and moved to Hebron, and the leaders of Judah came and anointed David king over the house of Judah. After Saul’s death, all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. God has said you shall be king over Israel.”  And the people of Israel anointed David to be their king. Then King David brought the Ark of God to Jerusalem, and there was great rejoicing in the city.  And so it was that from the city of Jerusalem, David ruled over Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.

_______________________________________

THE STORY

OF

SOLOMON

        When David became too old to rule, he chose his son Solomon to take his place. The small kingdoms of Israel and Judah, over which Solomon ruled, needed strong allies in order to survive.  The great Egyptian Empire to the south also needed a friendly neighbor. So Pharaoh gave his daughter in marriage to Solomon, to establish friendship and peace between the two countries.  Solomon knew that in addition to the military strength of a strong ally like Egypt, he himself must be a good ruler.  So he prayed to God for the strength and wisdom to lead his people and to know the difference between good and evil. Solomon’s prayers pleased God, and He told Solomon, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, I will make you wiser than any other man. I will give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king can compare with you.”

        God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, so that indeed no other man compared to him. One day two women came to King Solomon. Both women were very upset, and one of them said to the king, “This woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a son and three days later this woman also gave birth to a son. One night this woman’s son died, and she arose while I was sleeping and stole my child, and laid her dead son at my side.”  Then the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.”  And the two women began to argue. Solomon quieted the women and said to his servant, “Bring me a sword.”  When the servant returned with the sword, the king said to him, “Divide the child in two and give half to one woman and half to the other.”

        The second woman agreed. “It shall be neither mine nor yours,” she said; divide it.”  The first woman, however, whose son it really was, could not bear to see the child killed. She begged the king, “Oh my lord, give her the living child, and by no means slay it.”  King Solomon saw that the first woman loved her son and would rather give him up than see him harmed, while the other woman was simply jealous of her. Then the king said to his servant,” Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means slay it, for she is the mother.”  All of Israel heard of King Solomon’s judgment, and they admired him because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, helping him to give justice. He wrote songs and spoke over a thousand proverbs, which are short sayings that teach a lesson about life.

        As God promised, Solomon became the wealthiest king in the land. People came from all over to bring him gifts and to listen to his wisdom. One of the king’s visitors was the famous queen of Sheba, who had heard of Solomon’s greatness. She came to see him for herself and to test him with hard questions. King Solomon amazed her by answering all of them, and she admired Solomon and marveled at the greatness and splendor of his kingdom. King Hiram of Tyre, who had been a friend of David’s also admired Solomon and made a treaty of friendship with him. When Solomon prepared to build a great Temple to God as his father, David, had wished, he obtained from King Hiram the materials he needed in exchange for wheat and oil.

        The Temple was built from the finest cedar wood from the forest of Lebanon. The walls were carved with figures of angels, palm trees, and flowers. The inside of the sanctuary and the Alter were covered with pure gold. When the great Temple was finished, Solomon gathered his people for worship and brought the Ark of the Covenant, the Laws of God, into the “Holy of Holies”, here Solomon prayed with his people for God’s guidance in knowing right from wrong; God’s protection against the enemies of the Israelites; and God’s forgiveness when the people sinned, for Solomon knew that no man was perfect. After the people had gone home, God appeared to Solomon for the second time and said, “I have heard your prayer and I have blessed this house which you have built for me. If you will do all that I have commanded you, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever.” 

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   THE STORY
 OF

ELIJAH

      After the death of King Solomon, most of the people of Israel turned to worshiping idols as Solomon had done.  Yet there was one man who remained dedicated to God and served as His prophet; the man’s name was Elijah.  Elijah visited Ahab, who was then the king of the Israelites, and warned him that if he continued to worship idols, God would take rain away from the land and cause a famine.  Ahab was so angry at these words that he threatened Elijah’s life, and forced him to flee from the kingdom.

      Then God spoke to Elijah and told him to turn eastward and hide himself by a certain brook near the Jordan River.  Here Elijah settled, and every morning and evening ravens brought bread and meat for him.  Elijah stayed by the brook until it dried up.  Just as Elijah had warned Ahab, there came a day when God took away the rain from the land, and even Elijah was forced to look for food and water.  Once again, God guided his prophet.  He told him to go to the city of Zarephath, where he would find food and lodging with a widow and her son.  When Elijah arrived at the gate of the city, he saw a woman gathering sticks.  He called to her and asked her to bring him some water and a piece of bread.  The woman was reluctant to bring Elijah food.  And she explained to him that all she had was a small amount of meal in a jar and a little drop of oil to burn.  Then Elijah said to the woman, “Don’t be afraid.  Make me a little cake from the meal and then make some for your son and yourself, for God will not let your jar become empty, and your oil shall not fail.” The poor woman done as Elijah had commanded, and the prophet remained as a guest in her home for many days.  During this time, to the woman’s great surprise and joy, the jar of meal never became empty, and the oil continued to burn.

      After many days had passed, God visited Elijah again and told him to return to King Ahab, because God was going to remove the famine from the land and send rain.  When Ahab saw Elijah, he greeted him in anger.  He accused the prophet of bringing trouble to the land.  But Elijah answered that Ahab and the people of Israel had brought trouble upon themselves, by worshiping false idols and disobeying God’s commandments.

      Elijah told Ahab to gather all the people of Israel at Mount Carmel, where he would prove Ahab’s idols to be false, worthless gods.  When the people gathered at Mount Carmel, Elijah instructed the prophets of the idol Baal, to bring two bulls and to prepare one of these bulls as a sacrifice to God.  Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”  The prophets of Baal did as Elijah said, and called from morning to noon, and still there was no answer from their god.

      It was then that Elijah asked all the people to come near the altar of God.  Then he prayed, “Oh Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel.”  Then God answered with fire, as Elijah had asked, and the fire consumed the sacrifice.  When the people saw God’s answer in fire, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, He is God!”  And they left their idols and returned in faith to the God of Elijah.  However, King Ahab continued to defy God by worshiping idols and committing evil acts.  Ahab and his wife Jezebel thought only of their own gain, and they hurt everyone who got in their way.  It so happened that Ahab wanted his neighbor’s vineyard to use as a vegetable garden.  When the neighbor refused, because the vineyard was his inheritance, Ahab and Jezebel had the man killed.  God saw Ahab’s injustice and sent Elijah with an angry message for the king.  The message was just as Ahab and Jezebel gave death to their neighbor, so would they die by the hand of God.  Then Ahab tore his clothes and put on a sack cloth, as a sign of humility of repentance of his sins.

      Elijah continued to serve God as a prophet, and when he grew old, God instructed him to anoint a young man named Elisha to take his place.  Elijah visited Elisha in the fields and placed his robe on the young man’s shoulder’s; then Elijah blessed him as God’s servant.  And Elisha prayed that he might serve God with the same strong, unfailing spirit as that of the great prophet Elijah.

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  THE STORY 
OF

ELISHA

      Elisha showed the power of God to the people, by healing the sick and performing miracles.  Once when Elisha was visiting in the city of Jericho, some men came to him for advice because a spring of water in their city was poisoned.  The men explained that they did not want to move from Jericho, as the city was very pleasant and in a fine location.  Elisha asked the men to bring him a bowl of salt, which he threw into the poisoned water.  Through the power of God, the water immediately became clear and safe to drink.

      Another time a woman in great distress came to Elisha.  She told him that her husband was dead and she had no money to pay her debts.  To make matters worst, her creditor threatened to take her two children as slaves.  Elisha asked the woman what she had in her house to give to the creditor.  The woman replied that she had nothing but a jar of oil.  Elisha told her to borrow as many empty jars as she could from her neighbors, and to pour her own oil into the empty jars.  To the woman’s surprise, there was an endless supply of oil in her jar, and she was able to fill all the empty ones.  Elisha then told her to sell the oil so that she could pay all her debts.

      Elisha traveled a lot.  Whenever he passed through the city of Shunem, a wealthy woman prepared a room for him and invited Elisha to join her husband and herself.  Elisha wanted to repay this woman’s kindness, and when he saw that she was childless, he told her that God would give her a son in the springtime.  When spring came, Elisha’s words proved to be true, and the woman who had been childless for so long bore a son.  The child was healthy and grew into a sturdy infant.  Then one day he suddenly became very ill and died.  The heartbroken mother immediately called for Elisha, who prayed to God that the little boy be restored to life.  After praying Elisha gently touched the child’s hands, and to everyone’s amazement, the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.  The boy’s grateful mother fell to her knees and thanked God for His goodness and mercy.

      Then Elisha went to Gilgal where there was a famine and food was very scarce.  As Elisha sat with the sons of the Prophets, he asked his servant to prepare some soup.  While dinner was being prepared, one of the men went into the field to gather some herbs to put in the soup, and by mistake collected a poisonous wild vine.  As soon as the men tasted the soup they cried to Elisha,” Oh man of God, there is death in the pot.”  So Elisha sprinkled some meal in the soup, and with God’s power the poison was removed. 

      Gradually the famine was relieved in the land, and one day a man from a nearby city visited Elisha, bringing him the first fruits and twenty loafs of bread.  Elisha told his servant to give his men the bread.  But the servant replied saying,” How can I give twenty loaves of bread to one hundred men?”  And Eliaha told him, “There shall be even some left over, for it is God’s word.”  Then the men ate until they were full, and as God had predicted, still there was bread on the table.  Elisha had a reputation for being able to heal the sick.  One day Naaman, an officer in the Syrian army, came to Elisha because he had leprosy, an incurable disease.  Elisha advised Naaman to wash himself in the Jordan River seven times, and then he would be cured of the disease.  Naaman thought this advice was silly, but his servants urged him to obey the man of God.  Naaman went into the Jordan River and washed himself seven times as Elisha had instructed.  When Naaman came out of the water, his flesh was as healthy as a child’s, and the disease was gone.  Then Naaman stood before his men and said,” Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.”

      Elisha’s followers grew in number, and when they became too large for their camp, they moved down to the Jordan River.  While they were cutting down trees to build their homes, one of the men’s axe-heads fell in the river.  The man was unhappy, not only because he had lost the axe- head, but because he had borrowed it from a friend.  The unhappy man took his problem to Elisha, who told him to cut off a stick and throw it into the river where the axe head had fallen.  The man done this and to his surprise, the iron axe-head floated to the surface.  He reached out his hand and took it in. 

      After some years had passed Elisha came to the city of Damascus, where the king of Syria was sick.  The king sent his servant Hazael to meet the man of God, to ask if the illness could be cured.  Elisha told Hazael that the king would soon die, and in his place Hazael would become king of Syria.  Then Elisha looked very sadly into Hazael’s eyes and began to weep.  When Hazael asked Elisha why he wept, the man of God replied that he knew that one day Syria and Israel would fight each other, and thousands of lives would be lost.  Elisha’s prophecy proved to be true.  During the reign of Hazael, Syria went to war with Israel.  King Joash was the ruler of Israel during this troubled time.  One day, when Elisha knew that he was dying, he called the king to his bedside.  There Elisha told Joash to draw his bow and shoot an arrow put of the window.  When the king had done this, Elisha told him, “This is the arrow of victory, for you shall fight the Syrians until you have made an end to them.”  Next, he told Joash to take the arrows and strike the ground with them.  The king of Israel struck the ground three times only and stopped.  Elisha was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had finally won, but now you will win only three times.”  Elisha knew that this would not be enough for complete victory, and that Joash was not forceful enough to overcome Israel’s enemies.

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  THE STORY
 OF

EZRA

      After the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the great temple, the leaders of the people who were still alive were carried off to captivity in Babylon.  Here they lived in exile for many tears.  In time Babylon, “the mighty city” was in its turn captured by the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, who tried to establish peace and prosperity in the many conquered countries that he ruled.  He permitted the people living in Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the Temple, and promised that the treasures of the Lord would be restored to Jerusalem.  Following the rebuilding of the Temple, Cyrus the Great put a priest named Ezra in charge of the Temple.  The king also permitted him permission to lead another group of exiles back to Jerusalem, in order to dedicate the treasures.  The generous king Cyrus also gave Ezra gold and silver, and money with which to buy bulls and lambs to sacrifice to God.

      So Ezra began to prepare for the return to Jerusalem.  Outside the city, on the shore of a stream named Ahava, the band of exiles camped for three days to organize the caravan.  Ezra went among them to make sure that all the leaders of the Israelites were with him.  But he found that no levites were there.  Many of the exiles preferred to stay in Babylon, where they had become settled, rather than make the long hard journey back to Jerusalem.  The Levites were a special priestly group who were appointed to help take care of the Temple.  Because Ezra wished to serve God well, he recruited thirty-eight of these men to go back with him to check the treasure, and guard it, since they were men set apart for this task.

      Ezra then asked his people to fast for one day to show their reverence and to pray to God for protection during their journey.  For Ezra knew there were many enemies along the way, who would try to ambush them.  The caravan finally arrived safely in Jerusalem with all the vessels of gold and silver, which were placed in the Temple in devotion to God.  Then the high priest took the bulls and lambs and gave them to God as a sacrifice.  Shortly after the treasures had been dedicated, officials of the Temple brought Ezra bad news.  The people who had been living in Jerusalem before Ezra and his men had returned there were freely mixing with nations that worshipped idols.  And they were also entering into marriages with strangers who did not serve God.  When Ezra heard this, he was deeply troubled.  For he knew that this time no enemies had prevented his people from worshipping God; they had simply turned away from God, through their own willfulness and disobedience.

       Ezra fell to his knees and wept bitterly for all the people who had proved so faithless.  While Ezra was praying, a great assembly of men, women and children gathered around him.  And one of the men stepped forward to speak to him.  He told Ezra that there was still hope in Israel, for some of the people knew what God had done for them.  These people agreed to separate themselves from the idol- worshippers and return to God.  Ezra came forward and made the people take an oath, pledging themselves to do what they had promised, which was to send the isolators away from Jerusalem and to be obedient to God’s will.

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The Story

Of 

Nehemiah

 

      Ezra and his followers rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem.  But the great wall that had once surrounded the city and protected the Israelites was still broken down.  This was dangerous, as it was the time of frequent small wars, and revolts against the rule of a great king in a distant city.  The Israelites had been favored by the Persian ruler, he had ended their captivity, allowed them to return to their homes and rebuild the Temple, and he had restored the treasures to the House of the Lord.  Because they were loyal to the Persian king, the people in Jerusalem were often attacked.  But they had no defense against the raids and plundering of their warring, pagan neighbors, because of the broken wall.

      Travelers from Judah brought word to the court of the Persian king, Artaxerxes, of the terrible distress of the defenseless people in Jerusalem.  One of the highest ranking officials of the royal court was Nehemiah, who had risen from the group of exiles to become the king’s cup-bearer.  When Nehemiah heard of the suffering of his fellow Israelites in Jerusalem, he wept and prayed and mourned so greatly that the king asked him what the trouble was.  He told the king that the city, the place of his fathers’ tombs lay in waste, and the gates were burned down.  Nehemiah then asked the king to send him to Judah, to the city of Jerusalem, to rebuild it.  Artaxerxes granted this request and gave him passports and letters of authority which made him the royal governor

      When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem he spent three days learning about the situation. Then taking only a few men, he went out to inspect the broken walls at night.  He did this secretly because he did not want his enemies to know about his plans to rebuild the fortifications, lest they attack while the defenses were weakened.  When he knew what had to be done, he gathered the workers needed for the construction.  Craftsmen and merchants from the city neighborhoods, farmers and workers from the nearby towns, even the priest from the Temple, all came to join in this great undertaking.

      At first the enemies of the Israelites ridiculed Nehemiah and his men, for attempting such a great task.  But when they saw how the walls grew, they became very angry and plotted together to attack and stop the work.  Nehemiah preyed to God and kept his men at work.  In addition each worker kept his weapons by his side and those who were not at work guarded the others.  This show of force discouraged the enemies, and so the workers finished the walls and the gates and the towers, and all that was needed to make the city safe.  When this great task was done, Nehemiah gathered all the people to join in a great procession- the priest, their assistants, the Levites, who sang and played the musical instruments, and the community leaders.  All of them marched around the walls and passed the great gates, to give thanks and to dedicate the walls to God.

      Nehemiah, his assignment completed returned to the court of King Artaxerxes.  After staying there for a while, he went to Jerusalem again and found that things were not as good as when he had left.  The people were not prosperous and they had neglected to make their offerings to God at the Temple.  The priest had become careless, and a man named Tobiah had even moved his furniture into one of the Temple chambers.  Nehemiah was very angry and made Tobiah move his possessions out of the Holy Place.  Then he brought the people back to worship at the Temple, as the Lord had commanded.  There were also other reforms that had to be made.  Many people were working, selling, and doing many other things on the Sabbath; others were breaking God’s laws by marrying idol-worshippers.  Nehemiah stopped all these sins so that the people of Israel might truly worship God and obey his laws.

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THE STORY

 OF

ESTHER

      In the days of the Old Testament there lived a rich and powerful king named Ahasuerus, who ruled all of the Persian Empire.  To celebrate his great prosperity, King Ahasuerus invited his princes, nobleman and servants to a big feast, which lasted for seven days.  On the last day of the celebration, the King sent for his beautiful wife Vashti, because he was proud of her and wanted to present her to the people.  But Vashti refused to come at the King’s command.  Ahasuerus was enraged at the queen’s rude behavior and felt that her actions might encourage other wives to disobey their husbands.  So he sent Vashti away from the palace and issued a decree.  This called all the beautiful young maidens of the land to come before him, so that he could choose a new queen.  A Jew named Mordecai heard the decree and was eager for his niece Esther to go before the King, because she was very beautiful.  So Mordecai brought Ester to the palace, first advising her not to tell anyone that she was of the house of Israel.

      When Esther went before Ahasuerus, he could not take his eyes away from her.  He fell in love with her and preferred her to all the other maidens.  So he sat the royal crown on Esther’s head and made her queen instead of Vashti.  After several days had passed, Esther’s uncle Mordecai happened to pass two of the King’s guards and overheard them plotting to murder the King.  Immediately Mordecai went to Esther, who in turn told Ahasuerus of the plan to murder him.  When the matter was investigated, the two guards confessed to the plot and were put to death.  Then Ahasuerus appointed a man named Haman, in whom he had great trust, to be his chief officer in charge of the many princes and governors in the land.  All the people of Persia bowed down to Haman, to show their respect for the King’s favored servant.  But Mordecai did not trust Haman and refused to bow down to him.  Haman was filled with fury and hated and vowed that he would punish not only Mordecai, but all the Jews in the land.

      Haman went to Ahasuerus with an untrue story.  He told the King that certain people in Persia were following their own customs, instead of obeying the King’s laws.  Haman urged the King to destroy these people, because he said that they were weakening his kingdom.  Ahasuerus trusted and believed Haman.  And so he gave him full permission to do whatever he believed was necessary, for the good of the country.  With the King’s permission, the evil Haman ordered the death of every Jew in the land.  When Mordecai heard this fearful news, he tore his clothes and put on sack cloth, the robes of grief.  Then he went to Esther’s chambermaids and asked them to take the news to Esther.  He also told them to ask her to go before the King and plead for her people’s safety, and for her own life.

      However, there was a royal custom that no one could approach the King unless that person was sent for.  If any man or woman disobeyed this rule, the penalty was death.  But Esther knew that she had to speak to the King, not only to save her own life, but for the sake of all Jews in Persia.  So she put on her most beautiful robes and stood at the entrance of the King’s palace.  Ahasuerus was sitting on his throne, and he at once saw his fair queen standing before him.  Instead of being angry, Ahasuerus was pleased to see her and held out his golden scepter to show Esther that she was welcome.  And Esther drew near and touched the end of the scepter, as a sign of respect to the King.  

      Then Ahasuerus promised to grant any wish for Esther, even if it meant giving away half of his kingdom.  But Esther explained that her only wish at that moment was for the King and his officer Haman to join her at dinner the next evening.  Both the King and Haman accepted Esther’s invitation, and Haman went away feeling very happy and honored that the Queen had chosen him as her guest.  In fact, he felt so safe and sure of both the King and Queen’s favor, that he had the gallows made for Mordecai’s hanging the next morning.

      That same evening, King Ahasuerus had trouble falling asleep.  So he sent foe a special book in which all the memorable deeds in the land were recorded.  As Ahasuerus was reading he came to the part which told how Mordecai had saved his life, by exposing the murderous plot of the two royal guards.  Ahasuerus asked his servants if any honor or reward had been given to Mordecai.  And they replied that nothing had been done for him.  Just then, Haman entered the King’s chamber to speak to Ahasuerus about Mordecai’s hanging, as the gallows were prepared. But before Haman could say anything, Ahasuerus asked his trusted officer, what shall be done to the man whom the King delights to honor?”  And Haman, thinking that the King wanted to honor him, said, “I would give this man royal robes that the King has worn, a horse that the King has ridden, and let him ride down the streets of the city for all the people to honor.”  Then King Ahasuerus said to Haman, “Make haste, take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the King’s gate.”  Haman was shocked by the King’s request, but he obeyed Ahasuerus .  In great anger and jealously, he led Mordecai through the streets to be honored by the whole city.

      The next evening, Ahasuerus and Haman attended Queen Esther’s feast.  While everyone was eating, the King said to Esther, “What is your wish?”  And Esther replied, “My wish is that you save the lives of my people and my-self, for we have been ordered to die.”  Then the King said, “Who is this man who could do such a thing?”  Again Esther replied, “A foe and an enemy!  This wicked, Haman!  He had ordered the death of all the Jews, and since I am a Jew, I am to die too.”  Angrily King Ahasuerus rose to his feet and ordered Haman to be hanged from the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.  Then King Ahasuerus gave Haman’s house to Queen Esther, and chose Mordecai to be his chief officer instead of Haman.

      When the Jews heard of this victory against the villainous Haman who threatened to take their lives, they all gathered and made an enormous feast.  To this day, every year the Jews celebrate a holiday called Purim, at which time this ancient story of Esther is retold.  The Bible has many, many stories about the way in which God guided and helped the leaders of His people, and of the way God talked to those who faithfully believed in Him and tried to obey His commands.  In the beginning God spoke directly to those who served Him, and who brought His words to man kind.  Later, as men became more involved in their own lives and in the world around them, they became more remote from God.  And so He chose certain persons to bring His message to all men.  Among these chosen spokesmen were a group called Prophets.  Their sayings and deeds were written down, and each Prophet had a book named after him.

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The Story

Of
ISAIAH

        In the kingdom of Judah there lived a young man named Isaiah. One day he had a vision of God sitting upon a throne surrounded by His seraphim and all the heavenly host. God called to Isaiah and asked him to be His prophet, a spokesman for God, but Isaiah felt that he was unworthy. Then one of the seraphim flew to Isaiah, touched the young man’s mouth with a burning firestone from the altar of sacrifice and said, “Behold, this had touched your lips; your guilt is taken away.”

        At this time King Ahaz of Judah was worried, because the Syrians and other nearby nations had joined together to wage war on Jerusalem. But God sent His prophet to encourage and reassure Ahaz. Isaiah arranged to meet Ahaz outside the city walls, beyond the protection of the fortifications and the army. He did this to show Ahaz that he must first depend on God for strength and courage, not upon his military might for protection. Ahaz was told that if he did not trust God he would not be secure. Ahaz agreed to put his faith in God’s word and later, as God had promised, the Israelites defeated the Syrians and their allies.

        When King Ahaz died, his son Hezekiah took his place. During Hezekiah’s reign, the king of Assyria sent a messenger to tell the Israelites that the Assyrians were coming to take over their country. The messenger told the people that their God was powerless, and that Hezekiah was deceiving them when he entrusted their safety to God. The messenger also urged the Israelites to surrender peacefully and promised that they would be treated well. When Hezekiah heard the words of the Assyrian messenger, he tore his clothes and covered his self with sack-cloth as a sign of grief. He prayed to God that his people would not listen to the Assyrian, who had mocked God and threatened to destroy the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

        Then Hezekiah asked Isaiah to pray for God’s help. And Isaiah predicted that God would not let the Assyrians take over the land. God had revealed to him a new plan, whereby He was going to build Judah and Israel into strong nations so they could defend themselves. The same night that Isaiah spoke his reassurance, God stopped the Assyrians from entering Jerusalem. Thousands died in the camp outside the city, and those that remained alive fled.

        Shortly after this Hezekiah became very ill and was at the point of death, Isaiah came and said to the king, “Thus says the Lord, “Set your house in order; for you shall die soon.” When Hezekiah heard these words, he turned his face to the wall and wept bitterly. He prayed to God to grant him longer life, since he had been a faithful servant and a good man. Then as Isaiah was about to leave the king’s house, God called him and said, “Turn back and tell Hezekiah that I have heard his prayer and have seen his tears, and that I will add fifteen years to his life.”

        At God’s command, Isaiah sent for a poultice of figs and placed them on Hezekiah’s sore. Then, as a sign that the king would be cured, God made the shadow on the sun dial go ten degrees backward; in other words He made the day longer. As God had promised, Hezekiah soon grew healthy and strong and blessed Isaiah for bringing the word of God to him. Hezekiah was indeed a good and great king, who sought to abolish the worship of idols and pagan shrines, and lead the Israelites victoriously against their oppressors.

        Isaiah was looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. At that time the people would be able to turn their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; to farm the land instead of using it as a battleground.

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The Story

Of

JEREMIAH

      In the land of Benjamin in Israel, there lived a boy named Jeremiah.  One day God appeared to him and appointed him to be His Prophet, to travel through the land and bring the word of God to the people.  Jeremiah was afraid and said to God, “I am just a young boy, and I don’t know how to speak to the people.”  God touched Jeremiah’s lips and said, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.”  Then Jeremiah saw an almond tree just bursting into bloom.  This reminded him that the rod of an almond tree was a symbol of punishment and he knew this was a sign that the people were risking God’s judgment for their wicked ways.

      Once again, in Israel the people had turned away from God and began to worship the idol Baal.  Of coarse an idol had no power to understand and guide the Israelites, for it was simply a stone image.  Without God’s guidance the Israelites became a weak, evil people.  They stole from their neighbors; they practiced slavery; they slaughtered innocent people through unnecessary wars.

      God’s anger grew, for even His priest began to worship the stone images.  When God could no longer tolerate the people’s faithlessness and wickedness, He called Jeremiah and instructed the prophet to put on a linen waistcloth.  After Jeremiah had done this God had told him to take off the waistcloth and hide it between the rocks along the river.  Several days passed, and then God told Jeremiah to go back to the river and take the waistcloth from its hiding place.  When Jeremiah looked at the cloth, he saw that it was ruined and worthless.  And then God said to him, “These evil people who refuse to hear My words, who stubbornly follow other gods, shall be like this waistcloth which is good for nothing; for I will destroy the people who are evil.”

      God then told Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house, to watch the man make his earthenware vessels.  Jeremiah saw that as the potter worked with the soft clay he could either build or destroy the article in his hand.  Then God said to Jeremiah,” Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so is the House of Israel in my hand.  If the people are evil, I will destroy their nation, and if they repent and do good, I will rebuild their nation.”  For many years Jeremiah brought the word of God to his people.  Some listened and obeyed God’s laws, but others continued to worship idols and disobey the Ten Commandments.  An Israelite priest named Pashur, who disagreed with Jeremiah’s prophecies, beat him and put him in the stocks, a wooden frame that held the prisoner’s head and wrists.  But the next morning, when Pashur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah told the priest that God would punish him and Israel by delivering them into the hands of their enemies, the Babylonians.

      After several years had passed, God visited Jeremiah and said, “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you, so that all the Israelites can turn from evil in time to save themselves.”  Then Jeremiah asked his faithful friend Baruch to write down the words of God, as Jeremiah dictated them.  When the prophecies had been written down, Jeremiah told Baruch to read them in the Temple before all the Israelites.   Jeremiah could not read his own prophecies because the idol worshippers had barred him from the Temple.  But Baruch did as Jeremiah had said, and read them to the people. 

      When Jehoiakim, the king of Israel, heard about the written prophecies, he sent for the scroll and had one of his men read to him.  As the reader came to the end of a passage, Jehoiakim cut it off with his knife and threw it into the fire, until finally Jeremiah’s entire scroll was destroyed.  Then God appeared to Jeremiah in great fury and told him to write another scroll, and God also promised that none of Jehoiakim’s descendants would sit upon the throne.  As God had promised, a man named Zedekiah was made king instead of Jehoiakim’s son, but neither he nor the people of the land listened to the words of God, which he spoke through his prophet Jeremiah.  So God told Jeremiah that he was sending the Babylonians to attack Jerusalem. 

      When the prophet warned the Israelites that the Babylonians were coming, they refused to believe him.  It was then that Jeremiah prepared to leave Jerusalem, to return to Benjamin, the land of his birth.  When the prophet arrived at the gates of the city the king’s guards stopped him and accused him of going to help the enemy.  Jeremiah protested, but the guards did not believe him.  They beat him and threw him into a dungeon where he remained for many days.  When the rest of the people heard that Jeremiah had been caught, they demanded that he be cast into a deep, dark pit to punish him further.  Here the prophet remained until the king’s servant, an Ethiopian, brought Zedekiah the news that Jeremiah was dying of hunger.

      The king feared Jeremiah for his predictions about the fate of the Israelites.   He was also afraid that God would take revenge upon him, if he let the prophet die.  So he ordered his men to draw Jeremiah from the pit and bring him to the palace.  Here Zedekiah questioned the prophet about his predictions and asked if there were any way to escape God’s anger.  Jeremiah told him that God’s command was firm and that the Babylonians would burn Jerusalem to the ground. 

      It came to pass as Jeremiah had prophesied.  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia came with his army, broke down the great walls of Jerusalem, and burned the city to the ground.  Then he took Zedekiah and the Israelite prisoners back to his kingdom, where they were kept in bondage for many years. 

      Nebuchadnezzar, however, treated Jeremiah kindly because he recognized the prophet’s wisdom and knew that God was with him.  The king ordered his men to listen to all Jeremiah’s words and to take him back to Benjamin, the land of his birth.

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The Story

Of

Ezekiel 

      God first appeared to Ezekiel as a great brightness that lit up the heavens.  When Ezekiel saw the powerful light he fell upon his face and God said to him, “Son of man, stand upon your feet, for I am going to send you to Israel, a nation that has sinned against me to this very day.”

      Ezekiel was told that he was to prophesy, to bring the words of the Lord to the people, even if they mocked him or refused to listen.  God handed him a scroll on which words of sorrow and mourning were written.  As Ezekiel read the scroll, he memorized each word and knew that the Spirit of God was with him.  Then, with a rumbling sound like a great earthquake, God left him.  Ezekiel went down among the Israelite exiles that lived along the Chebar River in Babylonia.  There he spoke to the people and asked them to turn from their wicked ways and their idol worship.  Some of them listen to him, while others stubbornly refused.

      Then God instructed Ezekiel to take a big clay tile and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.  When the prophet had made his drawing, God told him to add enemy camps and battering rams around the city wall, as a sign to the people that one day Israel would be destroyed completely.  As another sign of Israel’s fate, God had Ezekiel to shave his head, cut off his beard, and then scatter it into every direction of the wind.  God was saying that as Ezekiel had shaved and scattered his hair, so would God destroy the nation of Israel and scatter the survivors all over the land.

      Some time after this, Ezekiel saw another vision of God.  This time God lifted the prophet and carried him to the city of Jerusalem, where he was able to see all the sins of the people.  God brought him into the Temple and showed him the idol that people were worshipping. Then He took him down into a secret chapel where seventy leaders of the city were worshiping a wall of carved beast and reptiles.  When Ezekiel had seen the sins of Israel, God ordered him to hire six executioners to slaughter every man, woman and child who followed wickedness or worshiped idols.  Ezekiel sent a man to mark the forehead of every person who regretted and grieved over the evil of Israel.  And when this had been done, he sent the six executioners through the city of Jerusalem, telling them to spare everyone who had the mark upon his forehead, but to show no mercy to the rest of the people.  The men obeyed Ezekiel’s command, killing a great number of people, and sparing only a few.  So, at the end of his vision, Ezekiel knew that only the few that followed God’s laws would be saved.

      Israel succumbed to the power of her enemies and eventually dissolved.  The survivors were captured and scattered throughout the land just as God promised, and as Ezekiel had seen in his visions.  Then Ezekiel had another vision about the fall of Tyre, a proud, rich nation that had helped to destroy Jerusalem.  Tyre bordered on the sea and was known for her beautiful ships and her commerce with distant lands.  Although there was fabulous wealth, the people were selfish and wanted only profits for themselves.  Ezekiel foresaw that the ships would sink and all the cargo would be destroyed.  Without ships Tyre would lose all her wealth and power.

      Ezekiel had yet another vision, this time about the rebuilding of Israel. The Spirit of God came to him and showed him a valley full of dry bones.  Here God said to him, “Prophesy to these bones and say that I will cause breath to enter them and they shall live.”  Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded, and when he was finished, there was a noise and a great rattling.  Suddenly, the bones came together with flesh and skin upon them, but no breath in them.  At God’s command Ezekiel called to the four winds to breathe upon the bodies so that they might live.  When he was done, breath came into the bodies and they stood upon their feet and lived.

      God then told Ezekiel that the bones were a symbol of the house of Israel.  One day, just as He had done in the vision, God would gather the people who were scattered in other nations and reunite them in their own land.

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 THE STORY

OF

DANIEL

      King Nebuchadnezzar kept the Israelites captive in Babylonia for many years.  During this time the king chose some of the brighter Israelite youths from royal or noble families and educated them.  The king ordered that the young men be served the same kind of food and wine as the royal household.  Now the Israelites had special dietary laws that permitted them to eat only certain foods.  Because of these laws, one of the young men named Daniel, refused to eat the king’s rich food.  Instead, he asked Nebuchadnezzar’s servant to give him and his friends, only vegetables and water.  The servant was willing, but afraid that such a diet would weaken their health.  So Daniel suggested a trial of the two diets for ten days.  At the end of the ten days, the servant saw that Daniel and his friends were stronger and sturdier than the youths who ate the king’s rich food.  Because they had obeyed the laws, God had favored them and from then on Daniel’s words were highly valued in court.  God gave to these favored young men great wisdom and skill in writing, but to Daniel, God gave a special ability to understand visions and dreams.

      In the second year of his rule, Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by many dreams and could not get to sleep.  He called for his magicians and said to them,” I had a strange dream and my spirit is troubled to know the meaning of it.”  The magicians replied, “Tell us what the dream was, and we will tell you its meaning.”  Nebuchadnezzar grew angry and said, “If you are really magicians, you will be able to tell me what my dream is, as well as what it means.”  He told his wise men that if they granted his request, he would give to them gifts and great honor.  But if they failed to tell him the dreams or lied to him about its meaning, he would put them to death.  The magicians trembled in fear and told Nebuchadnezzar that the task was impossible.

      The king then ordered Daniel and his companions to put the magicians to death.  When Daniel heard this severe command, he prayed that God might let him know the mystery of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream so that he might save these wise men.  That night God visited Daniel in a vision and reveled to him the meaning of the dream.

      The next day Daniel went to see Nebuchadnezzar and told him that no wise men, magicians, or astrologers could understand his dream, that this was a task that only God could perform.  Then Daniel told the king what God had revealed the night before.  The dream was about things that would happen in the future.  In the dream the king stood before a mighty statue of blinding brightness, and it frightened him.  The head was gold, the chest and arms were silver, the belly and thighs were bronze, the legs were iron, and the feet were made of iron and clay.  As the king looked at the image, a great stone appeared and struck the statue’s feet breaking them to pieces. And the rest of the statue crumbled into dust, so that not a trace of it could be found.  But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

      After Daniel had finished describing the dream, he explained to Nebuchadnezzar what it meant.  Daniel said that the head of gold stood for Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom.  The parts of the statue that was made of silver, iron bronze, and clay represented other kingdoms that would come after Nebuchadnezzar for many, many years.  The stone that struck the image represented the kingdom set up by God in heaven, which would never be destroyed, and which would never lose its dominion, and which would fill the whole earth.  Thus the great God had tried to show the king what was to come.

      When Daniel finished, Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid tribute to the wise young man and said to him, “Truly your God is God of gods and Lord of kings and a reveler of mysteries; for you have been able to understand my dream.”  Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him chief over all the wise men in Babylonia.  When Nebuchadnezzar died, his son Belshazzar took his place as king of Babylonia and made a great feast for his lords. 

      During the feast, Belshazzar commanded that his father’s vessels of gold and silver be brought, so that wine could be drunk from them.  As the people drank and enjoyed the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver.  Suddenly the feast was interrupted when a man’s hand appeared mysteriously and wrote on the wall of the palace.  Everybody who saw the hand was frightened, because it appeared from nowhere.  When the hand finally disappeared, the words, “Mene, Mene,Tekel, Deckle, Upharsin” were left on the wall.  Belshazzar was in a panic and sent for his wise men to interpret the strange writing, which one at the feast could read.  The king promised that whoever interpreted the words would be clothed in rich purple garments and wear a chain of gold around his neck.

      Then the queen remembered Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar’s wise man, and had him brought to the palace to quite her husband’s fears.  Daniel looked at the writing on the wall and knew exactly what it said, and where it came from.  He told Belshazzar that God had sent the hand to condemn the king and his people, for praising the false gods of gold and silver and failing to honor the Lord.  Daniel told the king that the word “mene” meant that God would destroy Belshazzar’s kingdom in a number of days. “Tekel” meant that the king’s actions had been weighed and were found lacking in goodness.  “Upharsin” meant that Belshazzar’s kingdom would be divided among the Mendes and the Persians.

      Belshazzar, as distressed as he was by Daniel’s words, kept his promise and ordered Daniel to be clothed in royal robes and made him third ruler in the kingdom.  That very same night King Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede captured the kingdom.  Darius set one hundred and twenty princes and three presidents, one of whom was Daniel, over his kingdom.  Daniel was honored above all the other presidents and princes, because of his excellent spirit; in fact, Darius planned to set him over the whole kingdom one day.  The rest of the leaders became very jealous of Daniel, yet they could find no fault in him, nothing to make him lose his favor with the king.  Since they could not find fault with Daniel, they decided to trick the king into putting him to death.

      The leaders went to King Darius and advised him to strengthen his power over the people, by ordering them to leave their gods for thirty days and worship only the king.  Anyone who disobeyed the command would be thrown into the lion’s den.  Darius was a vain man who enjoyed power, so he agreed to issue the foolish decree.  Although Daniel knew that the decree had been issued, he continued to worship God three times a day, as he had always done.  The other leaders, who expected Daniel to disobey the king’s order, spied on him and reported to the king that Daniel had broken the decree and must be punished.  The king was greatly distressed when he heard that Daniel was a victim of his horrible decree and tried to excuse him.  But the wicked men said; “The law of the Medes and the Persians is that no decree which the king has made may be changed.”

      So Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den.  The king said to him,” May your God, whom you serve continually, save you!”  Then a stone was placed against the entrance of the den so that Daniel could not escape.  Darius went back to his palace and could not eat or sleep because of his grief.  The next morning the king arose and went in haste to the lion’s den.  When he got close, he called out, “Oh Daniel has your God been able to save you from the lions?”  To the king’s surprise Daniel answered, “Oh king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lion’s mouths.”  Because Daniel had such faith in God, he was safely delivered from the lion’s den.

      The king ordered the men who had plotted against Daniel to be thrown into the lion’s den themselves.  Before they reached the bottom of the pit, the lions killed them, because the men had no god to protect them.  King Darius then proclaimed that the God of Daniel was the living God whose kingdom would last forever.  After this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

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The Story 

Of

Hosea

     God’s word came to Hosea through personal sorrow, the tragedy of a broken home and an unfaithful love.  He had found and married a woman who was among the evil people of the land, a woman named Gomer who cared only for her selfish desires.  Soon after they were married, Hosea’s wife left him, and turned to other men who praised her beauty and offered her gifts of bread, wool, flax, and wine.  Hosea was heartbroken and grieved for the wife he had lost and for the shame she had caused him and his children.

      Then God spoke to Hosea and said, “Now you know my suffering.  For as your wife has left you with grief and shame, so have my children Israel left me to suffer by going to worship idols and following greed and lust instead of justice and righteousness.”  After a while, the other men that Gomer had gone to grew tired of her and left her.  When Hosea’s unfaithful wife had eaten the bread, drunk the wine, and used the flax, oil, and wool, she realizes that she was left with nothing.  She became a slave and saw the great mistake she had made by trading her husband’s love for worthless flattery and gifts that were quickly used.

      Then God told Hosea to redeem his wife from slavery and forgive her, for she had learned her lesson and had repented for her sins, Hosea saw that this was a lesson for the people of Israel; too , that if they saw the worthlessness of their false gods and truly repented, God would redeem and love them.

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THE STORY 

OF 
Joel

                                     

      God sent His prophet Joel to preach at a time when there was a terrible plague in the land.  Locust came in great numbers, swarmed upon the fields, and devoured all the crops.  The people of Israel were all afraid that they would die of hunger, so they tore their clothes to show God that they were afraid of His ways and begged for mercy. 

      Joel went among the Israelites and told them that tearing their clothes was not enough.  To satisfy God they would have to change their evil ways and lead good lives.  He told them that they still had a chance to save themselves from total destruction, because God loved His children and wanted to see them grow strong.  In order to be saved, all the people in the nation, the elders of the city, married couples, brides, grooms, children, and infants were to gather at a holy meeting.  There each person would give up his selfishness and false idols, and accept the laws of one God; no one was to be left out. 
      Joel knew that the Israelites must be brought together to repent, to worship the faithfulness in the temple the way God had taught them.  He also knew that God would then take away the swarming locust and restore the grain to the fields, and fruit to the vines.  More than these rewards, however, Joel saw that in the dark night of need and despair, a turning to God would bring them all the blessings of peace and prosperity.  For then the Lord would dwell among His people.

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The Story

Of 

Amos

      Amos was a shepherd that lived in a small village of Tekoa, in the Judean hills.  Like most of the other shepherds and farmers, he was a poor man.  One day God commanded Amos to go down to the prosperous city of Bethel where Jeroboam, the king of Israel lived.  Amos was amazed when he saw the great contrast between the hard life of his friends in the country and the soft, luxurious life of the wealthy rulers and merchants in the city.  And he knew that God wanted him to warn the people that all their power and wealth would be taken away, if they continued to be selfish and neglect the poor.

      Amos reprimanded the people of Bethel for paying the farmers and shepherds so little for their grain and sheep.  He told them that God did not want great feast in His honor, or burnt offerings of the finest sheep and grain when other people did not have enough food.  That kind of easy worship, without true obedience and thoughtfulness, would bring ultimate destruction on the foolish people.

      Amaziah, the high priest of Bethel, confronted Amos and told him that reproaches had aroused the anger of King Jeroboam.  He told Amos that he must leave the city and prophesy in another land.  Amos replied that he was not a fortune teller or a professional soothsayer, but a simple shepherd who felt the sorrow of the poor people and saw the evil in the land.  Therefore, he would not leave the country or stop preaching until he had delivered God’s message.

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The Story

Of

Obadiah 

                                  

      God sent His prophet Obadiah to preach against the tribe of Edom for betraying Israel.  The two tribes were neighbors and also relatives, because the people of Edom were descendants of Esau, and the people of Israel were descendants of Jacob, Esau’s brother.

      The Edomites lived high on the cliffs where no other tribe would dare to bother them.  When the Babylonians attacked Israel, the Edomites offered no help.  They remained safely on their cliffs and rejoiced at the destruction of Jerusalem.  After the city had been destroyed, some of the Edomites went down and stole whatever treasures remained.  Then they stopped the Israelite survivors who were fleeing from the city and turned them over to the enemy.

      Obadiah brought God’s word to the Edomites and told them, “As you have done, it shall be done to you.  Your deeds shall return upon your own head.”  The prophet told them that one day all the nations would unite and drive the proud people from their cliffs, so that not one man from the house of Esau would remain.  And the people of Israel, the descendents of Jacob, would rise in power among the nations and rule the land. 

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 The Story

Of

Jonah

      This is a story about a man named Jonah who was chosen by God to preach to the people of Nineveh, which was a great city in a distant land.  These people were not Hebrews and did not know about God’s loving care and guidance.  But Jonah did not really want to preach there.  And so, hoping to escape God’s command, he went to the coast and boarded a ship that was going in the opposite direction, to the far away city of Tarshish. 

      God knew everything that Jonah did, and after the prophet had been at sea for a few days, He sent a mighty storm that threatened to wreak the ship.  All the crew members prayed to their gods, but Jonah realized that the storm was his punishment for trying to leave the presence of God.

      Jonah then told the men what he had done and said to them, “Throw me into the sea, and then the storm will quite down.”  The men pitied Jonah and were reluctant to throw him into the rough waters.  Instead they rowed as hard as they could and tried to bring the ship back to land.  The harder they rowed, however, the more the sea raged.  Finally they saw that the only way to save them-selves was to throw Jonah overboard.  As soon as they had done so, the sea became calm and the storm ceased.  Jonah was tossed about in the sea, but he did not drown for God had appointed a great whale to swallow him.  For three days and nights Jonah remained alive inside the fish, thinking about his disobedience and praying for God’s forgiveness.  When Jonah had been punished enough and was ready to go on with his mission, God caused the whale to open its mouth and deliver Jonah safely on dry land. 

      Jonah went on to Nineveh and so brought God’s word to other people as well as the Israelites, thus showing His love for all nations.

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The Story

Of

Micah   

 

      The prophet Micah rebuked the Israelites in Samaria and Jerusalem for failing to worship God and for breaking the Ten Commandments.  In these two cities the people grew rich by cheating their neighbors.  Selfish kings took payment for giving help to needy people; wise men demanded rewards in return for their knowledge; and priest expected money for giving blessings.

      The people of Samaria and Jerusalem knew that they had done wrong and asked Micah how they might please God.  Should they bring Him burnt offerings from the best calves?  Should they sacrifice their first born children?

       Micah replied that God did not want any of these things.  Instead, He expected their faith and obedience; He wanted them to do justice, to be kind, and to respect God.  Micah knew that if the people would do this, there would come a time when there would be peace in the land and no man would have to fear his neighbors.  God’s children would set an example for all.  People would come from all over the world to God’s Temple at Mount Zion and accept His laws.

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The Story

Of

Nahum

      For hundreds of years the Israelites and other nations remained captives of the Assyrians.  The prisoners were forced to worship false gods; their homes, land, and possessions were taken from them.
     The prophet Nahum had a vision and saw the fall of Nineveh, the richest, strongest city in Assyria.  God appeared and told the prophet that Nineveh’s good fortune would suddenly change, that Israel and other captive nations would fight and destroy the mighty empire of Assyria.  All this Nahum wrote down in a long poem. 

     In his vision Nahum saw the great Assyrian army fleeing from Nineveh.  Officers dressed in bright scarlet uniforms were trying to keep order among their men, but could not.  Horses and chariots ran wild in the streets, and captives took over the royal palace.  Nobles, princes, wise men fled with the rest of their people and scattered into the mountains.  All hose that lived by the sword perished.

     God told Nahum that although the Assyrians were great in number, they would never unite again as a nation.  He told him that the scattered exiles from Israel would band together and form their own nation once more.  Nahum knew that his God ruled over all men and would maintain justice and supply the needs of His people.

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The Story

Of

Habakkuk

      During a time when Israel was constantly threatened by its powerful and war-like neighbors, a man named Habakkuk prayed to God and asked the question, “How long must Israel endure the destruction and the violence of its enemies?” 

      Habakkuk could not understand why evil men, who robbed the poor and took land that did not belong to them, triumphed over good, honest men.

      God answered Habakkuk and told him that he must have patience.  He said that in time the greedy people would destroy themselves, because they were never satisfied with what they had, and always wanted more.  God also warned him that the number of captives would increase, until one day the prisoners would form a great army and turn against their greedy conquerors.
      The evil men who were once proud and powerful would be scorned and shamed.  And they would never rise again.  However, God did not indicate when all this would happen.  Habakkuk, standing on a tower far above the city watching people come and go about their daily lives, thought about this question and the answer God had given him.  Only then did he realize that God’s time is not man’s time; and that only the righteous survive and that they must live by their faith.

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The Story

Of

Zephaniah

     The people of Jerusalem had once again fallen into evil ways; their kings were obedient to foreign rulers, and worshiped the pagan idols of their conquerors in addition to the God of Israel.  Of coarse this was a direct violation of the First and Second Commandments.  Zephaniah, a distant relative of the royal family, had studied the law and the earlier prophesies of Amos and Isaiah.  He knew that all this wrong-doing would eventually be punished.

      Zephaniah warned the people, and his preaching was later written down as a prophesy against the sins of worshiping other gods, of disobeying God’s laws, and of following pagan ways.  His vision was of the coming “Day of the Lord” when God would search the hearts of all men.  He would bless all those who were faithful, punish the wicked, the idol worshipers, and prove that their false gods were worthless.

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THE STORY
OF

HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH

      After their long captivity in distant Babylon, the Israelites were allowed to return to the ruined city of Jerusalem.  God’s great Temple had been burned down, and the people who lived in the city and the country nearby did not prosper.  They had built themselves houses, planted crops and vineyards, but the harvests were poor and their spirits were depressed. 

      At this time two prophets arose, first Haggai and then Zechariah.  They both saw these conditions and realized that the people were only thinking of themselves and not of their duty of God, which was to rebuild His temple and restore His worship.  Zerubbabel. the governor, and Joshua, the high priest, listened to Haggai’s message from God.  They gathered the people together to bring wood, stone and other building materials so that they could once more build a Temple worthy of the Lord.  They knew that losing their indifference and going about this great work, he people would once again be blessed.

      When the Temple was finished, God was pleased with the people’s work.  Although it was not as rich in treasures as the one that Solomon had built, it was filled with the people’s spirit and love.  Because of this, it was truly God’s House and the center of people’s lives. 

      Zechariah received God’s messages in the form of visions, which were explained to him by angels.  While Haggai saw chiefly the need for the rebuilding of the Temple, Zechariah saw the wider results of re-establishing God’s rule in the world.  One such vision was that of a man with a measuring line in his hand.  When Zechariah asked the man where he was going, he replied that he was going to measure Jerusalem for a wall, to see how long and wide it should be.  And the man went on his way.  An angel of God stopped Zechariah and told him to run after the man with the measuring line and say to him, “Jerusalem shall be without walls, for her people shall multiply and spread all over the earth.”  God himself would be the wall and protector, for this was to be the new Jerusalem, the city of God that included all the people of God everywhere.

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The Story
Of

MALACHI

      The message of Malachi is found at the end of that portion of our Bible which is called the Old Testament.  Like a library, the Bible is a collection of many books, some of history, some of poetry, some of law, and many dealing with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of God. The words of those who spoke for God, the Prophets, were written down on long rolls of parchment, and these scrolls, as they are called, were carefully copied and preserved from one generation to another, down through the centuries.  Thus there developed the written “Word of God” which men could study and teach.  And while there would always be future prophets and preachers to bring the knowledge of God to His people, the Great Age of Hebrew prophesy was complete. 

      Malachi was not chiefly concerned with preaching against evil and injustice as were the earlier prophets, but with a better and clearer understanding of God and the way in which He was to be served and worshiped.  Malachi knew that the people would always have hard times and would become discouraged, and he told them that there is a divine purpose in all things and that in the end God’s Will, will be done.  God’s love for His people has been proved by the things He has done for them in the past.  Since we were all created by one God, we should treat all men as our brothers.