Category: Lessons from Bible Characters

Jehu went beyond the call of duty in doing God's work. 2 Kings 9: 6 So Jehu got up and went inside; the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, "Thus says the Lord the God of Israel: I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. 7 You shall strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. Jehu was asked to kill the entire family of Ahab. However he went beyond that and killed many other…

When making requests to God, he had his priorities right. (1 Ki 3:5-10 NIV) At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." ….. {9} So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" {10} The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. When we pray, do we have our priorities right? Do we ask for things of God's kingdom or do we ask for things for ourselves. There is nothing wrong with asking things for ourselves but the priority we attribute to them is important. When Jesus' disciples asked Him how…

Hezekiah's story is told in 2 Kings 16:20-20:21; 2 Chronicles 28:27-32:33; Isaiah 36:1-39:8. He is also mentioned in Proverbs 25:1; Isaiah 1:1; Jeremiah 15:4; 26:18, 19; Hosea 1:1; Micah 1:1. Destroyed all forms of idolatry Hezekiah boldly destroyed altars, idols, and pagan temples. Even the bronze snake Moses had made in the wilderness was not spared because it had ceased to point the people to God and had also become an idol. 2 Kings 18:3He did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight, just as his ancestor David had done. 4 He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and knocked down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had begun to worship it by burning incense to…

His story is told in Judges 6-8. Did not accept responsibility for own problems Jud 6:1  Again the Israelites did what was evil in the LORD's sight. So the LORD handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. 13  "Sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Gideon questioned God about the problems he and his nation faced and about God's apparent lack of help. What he didn't acknowledge was the fact that the people had brought calamity upon themselves when they decided to disobey and neglect God. How easy it is to overlook personal accountability and blame our problems on God and others. When problems come, the first place to look is within. Our first action should be confession to God of…

Obeyed God without question Genesis 12:1­4 (NIV) The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him..... What did he do right? God asked him to pack up and leave to go to an unknown place. He obeyed. No ifs, no buts. He obeyed God even though he was seventy-five years old at that time.…

Rebekah’s story is told in Genesis 24—27. She is also mentioned in Romans 9:10. Her life was characterized by initiative. When she saw a need, she took action, even though the action was not always right. It was Rebekah’s initiative that first caught the attention of Eliezer, the servant Abraham sent to find a wife for Isaac. It was common courtesy to give a drink to a stranger, but it took added character to also fetch water for ten thirsty camels. Later, after hearing the details of Eliezer’s mission, Rebekah was immediately willing to be Isaac’s bride. Genesis 24:15  As he (ie Abraham's servant) was still praying, a young woman named Rebekah arrived with a water jug on her shoulder. Her father was Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother…

Paul’s story is told in Acts 7:58—28:31 and throughout his New Testament letters. Enthusiastic in everything he does Even before he was a believer, his actions were filled with enthusiasm. His persecution of Christians was done with so much intensity because he sincerely believed that this Christian movement was dangerous to Judaism. Paul’s personal encounter with Jesus changed his life. He never lost his fierce intensity, but from then on it was channeled for the gospel. Paul taught that whatever we do we should do it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord and not men. Col 3:23  Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master…

Peter’s story is told in the Gospels and the book of Acts. He is mentioned in Galatians 1:18 and 2:7–14; and he wrote the books of 1 and 2 Peter. Determined to be a follower of Jesus Jesus’ first words to Simon Peter were "Come, be my disciple" (Mark 1:17). His last words to him were "You follow me" (John 21:22). Every step of the way between those two challenges, Peter never failed to follow—even though he often stumbled. It is better to be a follower who sometimes fails than one who fails to follow. Like Peter, we may start off wanting to follow Jesus as a disciple but give up along the way when we encounter difficulties. (Here I am not talking about salvation, which is a free gift,…

Jacob’s story is told in Genesis 25—50. He is also mentioned in Hosea 12:2–5; Matthew 1:2; 22:32; Acts 7:8–16; Romans 9:11–13; Hebrews 11:9, 20, 21. Got the things he wants in life through deception Genesis 27:36Esau said bitterly, "No wonder his name is Jacob, for he has deceived me twice, first taking my birthright and now stealing my blessing. Jacob means "he grasps the heel"; this can also figuratively mean "he deceives." Jacob first deceived his brother into selling the birthright to him for a bowl of porridge. He then deceived his father into thinking that he was Esau and blessing him. Jacob knows what he wants in life and is not guilty of using deception to get it. It may be God's warning for us against using deception because…

Joshua is also mentioned in Exodus 17:9–14; 24:13; 32:17; 33:11; Numbers 11:28; 13; 14; 26:65; 27:18–23; 32:11–12, 28; 34:17; Deuteronomy 1:38; 3:21, 28; 31:3, 7, 14, 23; 34:9; the book of Joshua; Judges 2:6–9; and 1 Kings 16:34. Obeyed God's instructions even when it means doing something that seems stupid Joshua 6:2  But the Lord said to Joshua, "I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its mighty warriors. 3  Your entire army is to march around the city once a day for six days. 4Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5When you hear the priests give one long blast on the horns, have all…