One Soul, Part 3: David

“Here is my elder daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife; only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” King Saul smiled down at me, his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It felt as though just yesterday I had been a poor […]

One Soul, Part 2: Saul

At first, I was thrilled to have David join my army. He would make me look even better, I reasoned. He would make all my exploits successful, which turned out to be true. He was incredibly successful. But he did nothing for my image. If anything, he stole the nation’s admiration that was supposed to […]

One Soul, Part 1: Jonathan

I had never seen anything like it. A young man from Bethlehem showed up on the battleground and single-handedly slayed the Philistine giant. We were all too afraid to fight him, even my father the king. But this man defeated the giant with nothing more than a slingshot. “Abner,” my father snapped, eyes glued to […]

Simeon

Sitting alone in prison gives you a lot of time to think. Too much time. Enough time to make you mad. It started with the famine. There was no food in all of Canaan, and when you have six sons and ten brothers with kids, you need a lot of food. So, we went to […]

Samuel

I was what you might call a “miracle baby.” My mom couldn’t have a baby. She was teased because other women had babies, but she had none. She prayed and prayed and prayed. Then priests teased her because she prayed so hard. But God heard her. And he gave her me. She named me Samuel, […]

Doubting Thomas

I’m Thomas. You probably know me as “Doubting Thomas,” which is really unfair. Sure, I doubted sometimes. I asked questions. But I shouldn’t be branded by that. I shouldn’t have to wear a scarlet D on my chest as if doubt were some unforgivable sin. Here’s the thing – I asked a lot of questions. […]

Manoah’s Wife

I am from the tribe of Dan. For as long as I can remember, we have been under the rule of the Philistines. My mother taught me that the reason for our submission to the Philistines was because of the misbehavior of our ancestors. For being the Children of God, Israel has a history of […]

Ishmael & Isaac

My name is Ishmael. It means, “God hears.” I have a little brother named Isaac. His name means, “he laughs.” We’re actually half-brothers. Our father is Abraham. Isaac’s mother is his wife, Sarah. And my mother is her servant, Hagar. Our moms fought all the time when we were little. They both wanted to be […]

King Xerxes

I’ve never been very confident in my ability to rule, so I’ve surrounded myself with advisers I feel I can trust to help me make the best decisions. But this can sometimes result in trouble. I’m sure you’ve heard of that debacle with Haman. He told me of a people who disobeyed my laws and […]

Isaiah’s Leader

Someday I will be a ruler, And my reign will be totally peaceful. Long ago the LORD God showed his prophet Isaiah What his coming Kingdom would be like. I am a child of Adam and Eve, Like you. Long ago, our parents lived in peaceful paradise With the beasts of the field and the […]