As you know. I have been going to church my whole life. For all of those 68 years, as Patrick Mead would say, "my tribe." has been the Church of Christ (COC). That is where my parents went, their parents, most of my aunts and uncles. For all of my growing up, I was surrounded by those who attended church regularly, whether it was the COC, or a different faith such as the Baptist, Catholic, Christian Church, or whatever. (Side note, for the record, I have never believed the COC are the only ones going to heaven. That is absurd on many levels. But that is another blog for another day.) All of those individuals played a role in shaping me to who I am today, which I believe, is a man who loves God, has a solid faith in him, Christ and the Spirit, and who believes Christ will at some point return.
I try to be kind, thoughtful, put God first in all things, lover my neighbors and my enemies, to try and always do God's will in all things. But like you I fail, I am not perfect, have never claimed to be perfect. I totally rely on God's grace to get to Heaven. Without His grace, I am just wasting my time.
When I read the Bible, I read about individuals who are like you and me. Characters who sometimes do great things, but at times do things that anger God, or at the very least show poor judgment. Yeah, that sounds a lot like me a lot. Yet, despite their faults, their shortcomings, God used them, in many different ways.
The 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament (OT) and 27 in the New Testament (NT) are full of these stories about individuals, who fit the descriptions I just wrote about. I've been going to church long enough, been studying the Bible long enough to have an idea of who my "favorite" individuals of the Bible are. I am going to name 25 here, I could easily do more, but think I'll stop at 25, and tell a little about each individual. Perhaps some of these are your favorites as well.
For the purposes of this list, I did not include the obvious, God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.
1. David - Not surprised are you. God described David as a "man after his own heart." Yet David committed adultery with Bathsheba and conspired to have her husband Urriah killed. Yet God forgave David and blessed him. Some of the psalms David wrote are heartbreaking in their sincerity. Davd was truly a broken man, (read Psalm 51), which is where God wants us.
2. Moses - Another Old Testament. There are a lot of people in this world who have a much better knowledge of the scriptures that I do. But it seems to me Moses had a relationship with God that no one else had. Moses argued with God, he challenged him. I keep thinking of Moses demanding that God show himself on the mountain, and God did. Sort of. God had Moses hide his face in the cleft of the rock and then turn around as he passed. Wow.
3. Luke - I like Luke for a couple of reasons. As you know, he wrote two NT books, Luke and Acts, that are accounts of Christs and the apostles. Luke was a learned, educated individual, being a physician. His books are written in a way that shows his intelligence, because they are detailed. As a writer, I like that. He was also a friend to Paul when Paul needed one.
4. Hannah - Samuel's mother. She prayed for a son and promised to give him to God if God answered her prayer. He did, and she did. Hannah presented Samuel at the temple at a young age, where he studied, learned, and became a great prophet. A woman of faith.
5.-7. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - I put these three on here for one reason. In the book of Daniel we read how the three young Hebrew men, who were in Babylonian captivity, refused an edict from King Nebuchadnezzar, and refused to bow down to a golden statue erected by the king. The king was furious and ordered the three thrown in a fiery furnace. Before they were tossed in, the three replied as recorded in Daniel 3, "if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your Gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." The words "even if he does not," still resonate today as rock solid words of faith. Our God is indeed faithful.
8. James - Not Big James or Little James, but James, the half-brother of Christ, who was not a believer at first, but over time he became a follower of Christ and would become one of the leaders of the NT church, particularly the church in Jerusalem. His NT book, "James," is still a model for living a Christian life
9. Peter - Peter, oh our Peter. Part of Christ' inner circle with James and John, Peter is known just as much for his failures as he is everything else. He tried walking on water, the night before the Crucifixion, he grabbed a sword while in the Garden of Gethsemane and cur the ear off a servant. Hours later, he denied knowing Jesus three times. After he was raised from the dead, Christ asked Peter three times, "Peter, do you love me?" Each time Peter said yes. He was redeemed by Christ and later preached what is often referred to as the first Gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost.
10. Joseph, son of Jacob - Joseph was on my list of 25, but when I asked M who her favorite was, she immediately said "Joseph." A favorite of his father Jacob, he was not a favorite of his 10 older brothers, who conspired to kill him. They sold him instead to a group heading to Egypt, where he was sold into slavery. You know the story from there, God never abandoned him, and eventually he became the second-most powerful person in Egypt behind Pharoah. He also reunited with his family, including his father, and his descendants settled in Egypt. But that is another story.
11. Esther - One of the great women of the Bible, Queen Esther, a Hebrew, was the wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia. One of the kings' officials wanted to do away with all the Hebrews because he felt they were not showing proper respect to the king since they refused to bow down. The king agreed and ordered them to be put to death. But Esther's cousin Mordecai, asked Esther to appeal to the king, which could be a dicey situation. Mordecai said to Esther, "Who knows that you have come to your royal position for a time such as this." The King listened to his Queen and granted her request
12. John - One of the original 12 apostles, a fisherman, he and his brother James were among the first to be called by Christ and would become part of Jesus inner-circle. He would write the gospel of John, three letters (1, 2, 3 John), and the book of Revelation. The only one of the 12 apostles to die a natural death, John was a man of love and wrote frequently and passionately we all need to love one another.
13. Barnabas - My brother suggested I not forget Barnabas. I hadn't, in fact he was one of the first ones I thought of, because I try to be a Barnabas every day. Barnabas was a frequent companion of Paul on his missionary journeys, though they split over taking Barnabas younger cousin John Mark on one of their trips. Barnabas took John Mark, encouraging him and they continued to preach the gospel. Always the encourager, spurring the saints to greater things, encouraging them to stay faithful.
14. Paul - I'm not sure anyone in the Bible had a greater transformation than Paul. A Pharisee, Saul, as he was then known, approved of the killing of Christians for preaching the Messiah (Christ). We know he was present at the stoning of Stephen. But it was on the road to Damascus, where God got Saul's attention, striking him blind for three days, asking, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Like many individuals, Paul realized he was wrong in his opinions of what God wanted him to do and was baptized by Ananias before he left Damascus. He spent the rest of his life traveling, preaching, spreading the good news, eventually being martyred in Rome for being a follower of Christ. Some were skeptical at first, but Paul completed the race, eventually writing nearly half the NT.
15.-16. - Naomi and Ruth - I thought seriously about separating these two but decided against it. Naomi was Ruth's mother-in-law. Naomi's two sons are killed, and she tells her two daughters-in-law, they are free to go back to their home. The other goes, but Ruth refuses and in an act of selflessness, says she will stay with Naomi, saying "your people will become my people." While in Bethlehem Naomi is instrumental in introducing Ruth to Boaz, a close relative. Naomi took care of her daughter-in-law, setting up her meeting of Boaz. Ruth was faithful to Naomi, vowing never to leave her. So much can be learned from the actions of these two women.
17. Urriah - I mentioned Urriah earlier when talking about David. Urriah was a leader in David's Army and when it was revealed Bathsheba was pregnant with David's child, David called Urriah back and encouraged him to "lay" with his wife. Urriah refused on two occasions David's encouragement, saying he could not do that while his men were fighting. The Bible never tells us if Urriah was aware of what happened between his wife and David. But what we do see is a man of integrity who regularly put others first.
18. Joshua - The chosen heir to Moses to lead the Hebrew Nation. Remember when Moses sent 12 men as spies into the land of Canaan? Only two, Joshua and Caleb, came back and told Moses they could take the land, which they did. A great leader, Joshua uttered the phrase, "as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
19. Philemon - We don't read much about Philemon in the NT. Paul's letter to him is the shortest of his letters, but it is poignant. At one point Philemon has a slave named Onesimus, who escapes and eventually crosses paths with Paul. Through Paul's teaching, Onesimus becomes a Christian, and begins working with Paul. Paul, would love for him to stay, but knowing the history of Onesimus, he writes this letter "with his own hand," and sends the letter and Onesimus back to Philemon asking Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ, adding if he owes anything to "charge it to me." We don't read of Philemon's reaction, but the charge in Paul's words and the fact this book is included in the Bible tell us all we need to know about Philemon and forgiveness.
20. Esau - Speaking of forgiveness, we come to Esau. When I mentioned I planned on including Esau, M raised an eyebrow. I'll tell you what I told her. Esau, who earlier had traded his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew, was wronged when his younger brother Jacob tricked their aging father Isaac and received his blessing. Esau was outraged and vowed to kill Jacob. Jacob fled. Many years later, the two brothers agreed to meet. Jacob was apprehensive about the meeting, but the two did meet. The scriptures tell us, "Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him, and they wept." Esau had forgiven Jacob.
21. Unknown woman who touched Jesus - In the gospel of Mark we read about a woman, who is not named. She was suffering from bleeding and had been for 12 years. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him and touched his cloak thinking, "if I just touch his clothes, I will be healed" Scripture tells us Christ immediately felt the power leave him when she touched his cloak from behind and asked, "who touched me?" His apostles said, "in this crowd, you asked who touched you?" But Jesus kept looking, and the woman, now knowing that Jesus was looking for her, came forward, fell at his feet and told him her story. Jesus looked at her and said, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." I love stories of faith.
22. Hosea - I was telling my friend Paul Cartwright about this blog as I was writing it, and he offered, "you have to include Hosea." He was right, as I was choosing my "25 Favorites," Hosea had crossed my mind. More than any other prophet, Hosea linked his message closely with his personal life. By marrying a woman, he knew would eventually betray his trust and by giving his children names that sent messages of judgment on Israel, the book of Hosea makes clear its repetitious theme: though God will bring judgment on sin, He will always bring His people back to Himself.
23. Joseph, husband of Mary, earthly father of Jesus - I think about Joseph often. We read much about how God chose Mary to be Christ' mother, but precious little about Joseph. How tough was it for him, knowing everything he did, knowing who Jesus was, when everyone else assumed Jesus was his son. Matthew tells us of angels appearing to Joseph and we know at one point; Jesus is referred to as being the "carpenter's son." But after losing Jesus in Jerusalem and finding him in the temple at the age of 12, we read nothing more about Joseph. We read nothing of him in Jesus' adult life. I wonder what happened, how did Jesus look at Joseph? Did he think of Joseph in those last days? We know he had other sons, two of which, James and Jude, authored NT books. But he just disappears.
24. Rahab - A resident of Jericho, the Bible says she was a harlot, another name for a prostitute. But she was a woman of faith and is remembered as such. When men of the army of Jericho came to her home looking for two Hebrew spies, she denied they were there and let them search her home where she had hidden them on the roof. The pair were not found, and she told them she knew they were part of the group that worshipped the one true god. All she asked for was protection for her and her family. Her request was granted, and she and her family were spared Jericho's fall. Because of her belief and her faith in God, she is also mentioned in the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.
25. Jonathan - I began my list with David, and I end it with Jonathan, his best friend. I think of the friendships I have had over my 68 years, and I am not sure I have had a friendship that rivals the friendship David and Jonathan had. They saved each other's life, including Jonathan saving David from his father Saul, who wanted him dead. Jonathan would eventually die in battle alongside his father. I cherish the friendships I have. Ken, Allison, Donnie, Amanda, Lori, Will, Paige, Jeff, Justin, Tiffany, Scott, Linda, just to name a few. I hope my friendships are as solid as the friendship of David and Jonathan.
You have my 25 of my favorite individuals from the Bible. I thought about, but did not include Jeremiah, Elijah, Isaac, Eunice, Timothy, Deborah and Mary Magdalene and others. Perhaps they are on your list. Just think what you have learned
Thank you for reading and for your encouragement. Be kind to each other and have a great week.
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