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Towering Figures of the Old Testament

  Why these stories?
  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.

   
  (The latest entry below has a yellow background.)
   
  The Story of Noah and the Flood
 

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.

  The Story of Abraham
 

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).

  Jacob: Wrestling with An Angel
 

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.

  Isaac - The First Son of the Covenant
 

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.

  Joseph - the Bondage in Egypt
  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 slave.
 
  His Youth
  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.

   
  Joseph - The Caretaker of All Egypt
  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.

   
  Reunion with Joseph's Brothers
  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!

   
  Reunion with Joseph's Father
  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!

   
  Moses and the Ten Commandments
 

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.

  The Story of Joshua
 

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.

  The Judges
  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.

 
  The Story of Samson
  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.

   
  Gideon and His Army
  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.

   
  Deborah and Barak
  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.

   
  The Story of Ruth
 

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.

  Samuel - the Monarchy in Israel
 

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.

  Saul - the First King of Israel (1 Samuel 1-16)
 

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.

  The Rise of David (1 Samuel 17-31)
 

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.

  David : His Rise to the Throne
 

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.

  Solomon, His Rise, Wisdom, Fall and the Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 1-16)
 

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.

  Elijah and the Chariot of Fire
 

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.

  Elisha - Taking Over Elijah's Mantle
 

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.

  Hezekiah
 

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.

  Josiah - the Last King of Judah before the Fall
 

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.

  Ezra - the Return from Captivity
 

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.

 
Nehemiah - Rebuilds and Purifies the Second Temple
 

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.

 
Tobit and his Wisdom
 

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.

  Isaiah: The Messianic Prophet
 

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!"

  The Trials of Job
 

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.

 
Ezekiel: The Fall and Redemption of Israel
 

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

  The Visions of Daniel
 

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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