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Towering Figures of the Old Testament |
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Why these stories? |
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These are, of course,
the stories of the men and women of the Bible,
which, along with the
Bible Stories section of this website, will
allow us to read the Bible.
My Prayer Box the weekly
Newsletter introduces a
Bible Story, or a Story of a Towering Figure
of the Old Testament in each issue.
We do go out of
Biblical sequence, that is why, for example, the
Story of Moses, from the second book of the
Pentateuch, the Exodus, came out earlier than
Joseph's. |
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(The latest entry
below has a yellow background.) |
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The Story of Noah and the Flood
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Noah is
the tenth and last of the antediluvian
Patriarchs. The
story of Noah is the subject of much
elaboration and is immensely influential in
Western culture. While the Flood and Noah's
Ark are the best-known element of the story of
Noah, he is known through the Holy Bible as
the first to cultivate a vineyard, and with
that he is considered the inventor of wine. It
was through this later fame that the Curse of
Canaan came about.
This
is his story, straight from the pages of the
Old Testament, Genesis Chapters 5 through 9.
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The Story of Abraham |
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Abraham, regarded as the founding
patriarch of the Israelites, is the great
spiritual father of many peoples. He was
brought by God from Mesopotamia to the
land of Canaan where he entered into a
covenant to solely recognize Yahweh as
supreme universal authority. In return,
Abraham will be blessed through
innumerable progeny. His life is narrated
in the book of Genesis (Chapters 12–25).
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Jacob: Wrestling with An Angel |
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Jacob is the son
of Isaac and Rebecca, the third great patriarch of
the chosen people, and the immediate ancestor
of the twelve tribes of Israel. His name means
"supplanter," and refers to a well-known
circumstance of his birth (Genesis 25:25).
During Rebecca's pregnancy, "the children
struggled together within her" (Genesis
25:22). Whenever Rebecca passed a house of
study, Jacob would struggle to get out.
Whenever she passed a temple of idolatry, Esau
would struggle to get out. Rebecca later
learned through a prophecy that she will
give birth to two children, who would become
the respective founders of two very different
nations. They would always be in competition,
and eventually, the elder would serve the
younger. She did not tell her husband Isaac
about this prophecy, but kept it in mind. Esau
was the firstborn with his brother Jacob born
immediately afterwards grasping Esau's heel.
Jacob was favored by his mother, while Esau
was favored by his father.
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Isaac - The First Son
of the Covenant |
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As the LORD promised
Sarah bears Abraham a son when Abraham is
about 100 years old, and he calls him Isaac.
Some time later God puts Abraham to the test
and tells him to offer up his only son Isaac
as a holocaust. Without hesitation as the
LORD commanded Abraham goes to the mountain
of Moriah, builds an altar and prepares to
sacrifice Isaac.
The angel of
the LORD intercedes and commends Abraham for
not hesitating to do as the LORD commanded.
Abraham is promised that his descendants
will be as numerous as the stars. The LORD
tells Abraham that from Isaac will spring
forth nations and rulers.
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Joseph - the Bondage in Egypt |
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A lengthy narrative in
the Old Testament, spanning 14 chapters in
Genesis 37 through 50, the story of Joseph is
presented in the four general segments of his
life. The stories of the life of Joseph
chronicles the events that culminated in the
enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt, which
appropriately enough, through the LORD's plan started with Joseph being sold as a
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His Youth |
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Joseph, the dreamer, is the eleventh son of
Jacob, the firstborn of Rachel, and the
immediate ancestor of the tribes of Manasses and
Ephraim. Joseph is witness to some very wicked
deeds of his brothers, that Joseph reported to
his father. That along with the fact that Jacob
is partial to Joseph provides seeds of hatred
and jealousy that ends in Joseph being sold to
the Egyptians.
To cover their deeds, his brothers dip Joseph's
fine tunic of many colors that their father made
for him, in the blood of a goat, and send the
tunic to their father. At
the sight of Joseph's blood-stained tunic, Jacob,
whom at this time God names Israel, believes that a wild beast had devoured his
beloved son, and he gives himself up to the most
intense grief.
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Joseph -
The
Caretaker of All Egypt |
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After the bothers of Joseph
sells him to the Ishmaelites, he is in turn
sold to the Egyptians, where he finds favor
with his master, since the LORD is with him. However,
Joseph later lands in prison after being
falsely accused by the wife of Joseph's
master. There he meets Pharaoh's cup bearer
and the baker, who each had dreams that
Joseph is able to to interpret. Later
Pharaoh has a dream that no one can
interpret. The royal cup-bearer remembers
Joseph. Pharaoh summons Joseph and with
the guidance of the LORD is made the
caretaker of all of Egypt by Pharaoh because
Joseph is able to interpret Pharaoh's
dreams.
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Reunion with Joseph's Brothers |
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Because the LORD is with Joseph, he finds
favor with Pharaoh by interpreting his
dreams. Joseph becomes the ruler of Egypt,
second only to Pharaoh.
During the years of plenty, Joseph stores
food in granaries to be used when the famine
starts. When the famine starts in all the lands,
Joseph's father, Israel, sends his sons,
except for the youngest boy Benjamin, to
Egypt to buy food. Without their knowing it,
Joseph immediately recognizes his brothers.
And
Joseph devises a test for his brothers!
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Reunion with Joseph's Father |
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Joseph tests his brothers and they bring
Benjamin back to Egypt, although their
father, Israel was reluctant. When his brothers arrive back
in Egypt, they were reunited with their
brother Simeon who was held in prison until
they returned. His brothers then presents
their youngest, Benjamin, to Joseph, who
holds a fest for them. Joseph allows them to
buy food, but again puts them through a
test.
After this he finally reveals himself and
they are re-united. Pharaoh orders Joseph to
bring his fathers household into Egypt to
live off the best of the land. His brothers
go back to Canaan and tells their father
that Joseph is alive!
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Moses and the Ten Commandments |
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Through Moses the
LORD gave the Ten Commandments. But the life of the
author of the first five books of the
Bible started indeed eventfully.
Moses is a son of Amram, a member of the
tribe of Levi who is one of the twelve
sons of Jacob, and his wife Jochebed.
Jochebed is also the sister of Amram's
father Kohath. Kohath immigrated to Egypt
(Genesis 46:11) with 70 of Jacob's
household, making Moses part of the second
generation of Israelites born during their
time in Egypt. Moses has an older brother
Aaron, and Miriam is the older sister of
Aaron and Moses.
Moses, however, dies before the Israelites enter
Canaan, at the age of 120 years. He is buried
somewhere in the valley of Moab over against Phogor.
The life of this holy man of God is a
model that shines through exceptionally that he and
Elijah appeared to witness the Transfiguration of
Jesus twelve
hundred years after his death.
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The Story of Joshua |
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The Book of Joshua
demonstrates the faithfulness of the LORD
to those who are faithful to Him. It is
the book that recounts the fulfillment of
the promise of the LORD to the Israelites
to deliver to them the Promised Land, the
land of Canaan. It recounts the battles
that the Israelites waged against
seemingly unbeatable enemies and how the
Israelites overcame seemingly
insurmountable obstacles. It tells of the
misery and punishment one can expect if he
dares break the law of God. It tells of
the destruction and slaughter of those who
oppose the will of God.
The story of Joshua begins when Moses
sends twelve spies, including Caleb and
Joshua, to survey the land of Canaan. All
the spies come back to Moses with reports
of the bounty of the
Promised Land. All, except Caleb and Joshua
recommend not entering the land of Canaan.
Joshua and Caleb plead with the Israelites to
enter Canaan and take possession of their
inheritance from God but Israel rejects and
stones them.
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The Judges |
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The Book of
Judges derives its title from the twelve heroes
of Israel whose deeds it records. They were not
magistrates, or judges, but military leaders sent by God to
aid and to relieve His people in time of
external danger. They exercised their activities
in the interval of time between the death of
Joshua and the institution of the monarchy in
Israel.
The Book of Judges shows that the fortunes of
Israel depended upon the obedience or
disobedience of the people to the LORD’s law.
Whenever they rebelled against the LORD, they
were oppressed by pagan nations; when they
repented, the LORD raised up judges to deliver
them. And when the LORD raised up judges for
them, he would save them from the power of their
enemies as long as the judge lived. But when the
judge died, they would relapse and do worse than
their fathers, following other gods in service
and worship, relinquishing none of their evil
practices or stubborn conduct. |
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The Story of Samson |
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When Joshua died, the fidelity of the Israelites
faded with the passing of the older generation
who fought with Joshua and those who had seen
all the great work which the LORD had done for
Israel. The Book of Judges derives its title
from the twelve heroes of Israel whose deeds it
records. They were not magistrates, but military
leaders sent by the LORD to aid and to relieve
his people in time of external danger. They
exercised their activities in the interval of
time between the death of Joshua and the
institution of the monarchy in Israel. The
twelve judges of the present book, however, very
probably exercised their authority, sometimes
simultaneously, over one or another tribe of
Israel, never over the entire nation.
One of those judges was Samson. This is his
story straight from the pages of the Old
Testament. His story is a bewildering proof that
the LORD works in mysterious ways.
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Gideon and His Army |
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Gideon is
the sixth of the judges and is one of the Major
Judges, along with Othniel, Ehud, Barak,
Jephthah and Samson. Just as
Moses argued with the LORD over his being
chosen, Gideon was quite unsure of how he could
deliver Israel from their oppressors.
Gideon, unsure
of himself, asks the LORD to show him signs that
indeed the LORD has chosen him to deliver Israel
from its oppressors.
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Deborah and Barak |
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Deborah and
Barak are the fourth and fifth Judges and Barak
is one of the Major Judges, along with Othniel,
Ehud, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson.
After Ehud's
death, however, the Israelites again offends the
LORD. So the LORD allows them to fall into the
power of the Canaanite king, Jabin, who reigns
in Hazor. The general of his army is Sisera, who
lives in Harosheth-ha-goiim. |
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The Story of
Ruth |
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Ruth is a Moabite
woman who married into the Israelites
through the influential Boaz of Bethlehem.
The book contains a beautiful example of
filial piety the demonstrates the
connection between Jesus and King David.
This story demonstrate the
divine reward for such piety even when
practiced even by a stranger. Ruth's piety
(Ruth 2:11), her spirit of self-sacrifice,
and her moral integrity were favored by
God with the gift of faith and an
illustrious marriage whereby she became
the ancestress of David and of Christ. In
this, the universality of the messianic
salvation is foreshadowed.
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Samuel
- the Monarchy in Israel |
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After
Joshua and before Saul the first king of
Israel, Israel is ruled by 12 judges. These
are wise leaders or military heroes. The
last of the judges is Samuel.
In Ramah, in
the hill country of Ephraim, Elkanah lives
with his two wives, Hannah and Peninnah.
Peninnah is blessed with children while
Hannah is childless. Elkanah regularly goes
on a pilgrimage from his city to worship the
LORD of hosts and to sacrifice to him at
Shiloh. The temple in Shiloh is ministered
by the priest Eli along with his two sons,
Hophni and Phinehas. During
the day of the offering Elkanah gives a
portion each to his wife Peninnah and to all
her sons and daughters, but a double portion
to Hannah because he loves her.
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Saul - the First King of Israel (1 Samuel 1-16) |
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In his old
age Samuel appoints his sons Joel and Abijah
judges over Israel. But the sons of Samuel
turn out to be corrupt, and the elders of
Israel come to Samuel demanding that Samuel
appoint a king over them instead.
Although this demand displeases him, Samuel
prays to the LORD who tells him to grant the
people's every request. The LORD tells
Samuel that the Israelites are rejecting the
LORD as their king.
Samuel delivers the message of the LORD in
full to the elders. Samuel warns them that
the king will take their sons and daughters
and make them his soldiers, cooks and
bakers. He also tells them that the king
will take all that is theirs from them as
his own. He also tells them they will all
become slaves of the king. Finally, Samuel
warns them that when
this happens all of Israel will complain but on
that day the LORD will not answer them.
But the people do not believe Samuel and insist
for a king over Israel.
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The Rise of David (1 Samuel 17-31) |
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Early in the
morning he goes to meet Saul, but is
informed that Saul had gone to Carmel to
erect a trophy in his own honor.
When Samuel finally meets up with Saul he
points out to Saul that he has broken the
ban and saved the spoils of Amalek. Saul
informs Saul that he saved the best sheep
and to sacrifice to the LORD.
Samuel argues that Saul has disobeyed the
LORD and thus has displeased Him. Samuel
tells Saul that obedience is better than
sacrifice and submission than the fat of
rams. Samuel tells Saul that since he has
rejected the command of the LORD, He, too,
has rejected Saul as ruler.
After Saul
begs Samuel to go and honor him in front of
the elders of Israel. Samuel reluctantly
obliges. Afterwards, Samuel asks to have Agag brought to him. Then Samuel cuts Agag
down before the LORD in Gilgal.
Samuel departs
while Saul goes to his home. Never again, as
long as he lived, does Samuel see Saul. Yet he
grieves over Saul, because the LORD regretted
having made him king of Israel.
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David : His Rise to the Throne |
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The battle
rages around Saul. One of the arrows hits
him piercing him through the abdomen. For
fear of suffering under the Philistines,
Saul orders his armor-bearer to kill him.
But the frightened armor-bearer refuses so
Saul took his sword and falls on it. When
the armor-bearer sees Saul dead, he too
falls on his sword and dies with Saul.
Thus Saul,
his three sons, and his armor-bearer die
together on that same day.
This begins the rise of David to the
kingship of all Israel. However, David got
into trouble with the LORD when he engineers
the death of Uriah, one of his soldiers,
just so he can have his wife.
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Solomon, His Rise,
Wisdom, Fall and the Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 1-16) |
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After
the death of the first son of David and
Bathsheba, David goes to comfort his wife Bathsheba. He goes and
sleeps with her; and she conceives and bears
him a son, who is named Solomon. The LORD
loves him and sends the prophet Nathan to name
him Jedidiah, on behalf of the LORD.
So the LORD
gives Solomon wisdom that he asked so he
could govern His people according to law of
God. And his wisdom, guided by the LORD, is sought by kings and
rulers of foreign lands. The LORD also gives
Solomon what he did not ask for: Riches that
no one has ever seen before.
But Solomon
strays in his ways and marries women to whom
the LORD has banned him from marrying
because they will lead them to their foreign
gods, and turn his heart from the LORD.
Thus
Solomon starts worshiping foreign gods
because of his wives. For this the
LORD raises enemies against Solomon. One of
them is Jeroboam to whom the LORD chose a
prophet to speak to.
The prophet
tells Jeroboam that the LORD promises that He
will punish David's line for not being
faithful to the LORD, but not forever. thus,
Jeroboam becomes the first king who challenge
the rule of the House of David over Israel.
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Elijah and the Chariot of Fire |
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A true son
of the wilderness, he calls home the cliffs
above raging torrents, the caves of the
mountains or the scanty shelter in the
desert.
His clothes
are made of animal skin and he wears leather
girdle. He wears a mantle with miraculous
power. He is swift on his feet and tongue.
His words foretell and “burn like a torch”
at a time that needs such a prophet.
His name is Elijah, the Tishbite, in
reference to his origin. Elijah and Moses
appear with Jesus during the
Transfiguration, which is witnessed by three
disciples.
And this is his story.
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Elisha
- Taking Over Elijah's Mantle |
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As they
walk on conversing, a flaming chariot and
flaming horses comes between them, and
Elijah goes up to heaven in a whirlwind.
When Elisha sees this he cries out, "My
father! my father! Israel's chariots and
drivers!" But when he can no longer see him,
Elisha tears his own garment in two.
Then he picks up Elijah's mantle which had
fallen from him, and goes back and stands at
the bank of the Jordan. Wielding the
Elijah’s mantle, he strikes the water in his
turn and asks where the LORD, the God of
Elijah is. When Elisha strikes the water
with the Elijah's mantle, it
divides and he crosses over.
The
guild prophets in Jericho, who are on the
other side, see him and declare that the
spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. They go to
meet him, bowing to the ground before him.
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Hezekiah |
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Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, king of Judah, was
twenty-five years old when he becomes king,
and he reigns twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.
His mother's name is Abi, daughter of
Zechariah.
He pleases the LORD, just as his forefather
David had done.
Hezekiah removes the high places, shatters the
pillars, and cuts down the sacred poles. He
smashs the bronze serpent called Nehushtan
which Moses had made, because up to that time
the Israelites are burning incense to it.
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Josiah - the Last King of Judah before the Fall |
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Josiah is
eight years old when he takes over from
his father Manasseh. He reigns
thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His
mother's name is Jedidah, daughter of
Adaiah of Bozkath.
He pleases the LORD and conducts himself
unswervingly just as his ancestor David
had done.
In his eighteenth year, King Josiah
sends the scribe Shaphan, head of a
prominent family, secretary to the king,
to the temple of the LORD with orders to
go to the high priest Hilkiah. Josiah
orders Hilkiah to smelt down the
precious metals that had been donated to
the temple of the Lord, which the
doorkeepers had collected from the
people.
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Ezra - the Return from Captivity |
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In his
first year as king of Persia Cyrus
proclaims throughout his kingdom that he
will a build the house of the LORD in
Jerusalem, in fulfillment of the
prophecy of Jeremiah.
So he
summons all descendants of Israel to go
to Jerusalem and build the house of the
LORD. He supplies them with silver,
gold, goods, and cattle, together with
free-will offerings for the house of God
in Jerusalem.
King
Cyrus, too, has the utensils of the
house of the LORD brought forth, which
Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from
Jerusalem and placed in the house of his
god.
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During the reign of King Artaxerxes,
Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah is at the
citadel of Susa when Hanani, one of his
brothers, comes with other men from
Judah. He asks them about the plight of
the Jews after the captivity, and about
Jerusalem. They tell him distressing
news about his people and about
Jerusalem, which lies in ruins and
gutted with fire.
Upon
hearing this, Nehemiah goes into
mourning for several days and prays
before the God of heaven., that although
they had sinned, for the LORD to deliver
them. He also asks the LORD to intervene
so he will find favor before the king,
whom he serves as the cup-bearer.
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Tobit, from the
tribe of Naphtali, is captured during the
reign of Shalmaneser, king of Assyria. Tob it
is a righteous and truthful man. He is
deported with his kinsmen to Nineveh, in
Assyria.
Tobit was raised with strict adherence to the
Law of Moses and he refuse to eat the food of
heathens even during his imprisonment.
Because of his wholehearted service to the
LORD, He grants him favor with Shalmaneser, so
that he becomes the purchasing agent for all
his needs. All this time Tobit does many works
of charity for his kinsmen and his people,
feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. If
he sees one of his people who had died and
thrown outside the walls of Nineveh, Tobit
would bury him.
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Isaiah: The Messianic Prophet |
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Isaiah
received his call to the prophetic office in
the Temple of Jerusalem in the year that
Uzziah, king of Judah, died. The vision of the
Lord enthroned in glory stamps an indelible
character on Isaiah's ministry and provides
the key to the understanding of his message.
The enormous gap between God's sovereign
holiness and man's sin overwhelmed the
prophet. Only the purifying coal of the
seraphim could cleanse his lips and prepare
him for acceptance of the call: "Here I am,
send me!"
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The Trials of Job |
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The Book of Job,
named after its protagonist, is an exquisite
dramatic poem which treats of the problem of the
suffering of the innocent, and of retribution.
The contents of the book, together with its
artistic structure and elegant style, place it
among the literary masterpieces of all time.
Job, an oriental chieftain, pious and upright,
richly endowed in his own person and in domestic
prosperity, suffers a sudden and complete reversal
of fortune.
He loses his property and his children; a
loathsome disease afflicts his body; and sorrow
oppresses his soul. Nevertheless, Job does not
complain against God. When some friends visit him
to condole with him, Job protests his innocence
and does not understand why he is afflicted. He
curses the day of his birth and longs for death to
bring an end to his sufferings.
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Ezekiel's
complex
character makes him one of the most interesting
figures in Israelite prophecy. In many ways he
resembles the more primitive type of prophet
represented by Elijah and Elisha; yet he clearly
depends on all his predecessors in prophecy, and
his teaching is a development of theirs.
His unique
contribution to the history of prophetism lies in
his manifest interest in the temple and the
liturgy, an interest paralleled in no other
prophet-not even Jeremiah who, like Ezekiel, was
also a priest. Particularly because of this
interest, Ezekiel's influence on postexilic
religion was enormous, and not without reason has
he been called "the father of Judaism."
This has resulted
in his prophecies reaching us with the evident
marks of editing and addition by the post-exilic
circles that shared his intense interest. However,
we may be sure that in this book we have
throughout what is in substance the prophet's own
work. -
USCCB
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The Visions of Daniel |
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Daniel is the hero in
the book in the Old Testament, which bears
that name. Traditionally, authorship is
ascribed to Daniel himself. The
Council of Trent
decreed the sacred and canonical character of
certain fragments to complete the Book of
Daniel, and proclaimed the ancient and morally
unanimous belief of the
Church of God.
Daniel was
captured by Nabuchodonosor (although
inaccurate, Nebuchadnezzer is the modern
translation) during the reign of Joakim, the
King of Babylon. Along with Daniel were three
youths, Ananias, Misael and Azarias.
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Apologetics |
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Mary
and the Saints |
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Mass
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