Characters Worth Following. One person from the Bible at a time, told in five parts. Start with the short read, keep the song in your head, go deeper when you have time, then meet the person and see the place.
- ReadA short reflection, about three minutes.
- Gospel QuartetA gospel quartet song to remember it by. Songs
- PodcastThe long version, 10 to 45 minutes. Podcast
- ProfileWho they were, from the text itself.
- MapWhere it happened. Maps
Old Testament 35 people
Aaron
When Pressure Makes You Improvise. While Aaron was growing up in Egypt, the Shang Dynasty was flourishing in China and Stonehenge was already a thousand years old.
Abel
Faithful Without the Spotlight. Adam and Eve's second son, a shepherd whose offering God accepted and whose brother Cain killed him (Genesis 4).
Abigail
When Someone Else Breaks the Deal. Abigail lived around 1010 BC in the hill country of southern Israel, near modern-day Hebron in the West Bank.
Abimelech
Loyalty Needs an Honest Question. Abimelech was Gideon’s son by a woman from Shechem.
Abraham
When Trust Requires Everything. Abraham grew up in Ur, an advanced city in ancient Mesopotamia, near modern-day Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.
Absalom
Pain Does Not Excuse Control. Absalom was a son of David and Maakah, the full brother of Tamar, and a royal son who killed Amnon and later led a rebellion against David.
Achan
What We Hide Still Spreads. An Israelite who secretly kept plunder from Jericho that was devoted to God, bringing defeat at Ai (Joshua 7).
Adam
The Decision That Outlives You. The first man in Genesis, placed in Eden with one command and the choice of whether to trust it (Genesis 2–3).
Ahab
Power Cannot Outsource Responsibility. Ahab was king of the northern kingdom of Israel, husband of Jezebel, and a ruler whose military and political power was repeatedly undermined by…
Ahithophel
Smart Don't Mean Good. Ahithophel was a trusted adviser to King David.
Asa
When Your Best Move Becomes Your Worst. Asa ruled as king of Judah from approximately 911 to 870 BC, a remarkable 41-year reign.
Athaliah
What Power Will Not Surrender. Athaliah was the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah and a member of Ahab’s northern royal house.
Balaam
The Warning We Do Not Want. Balaam was a diviner summoned by Balak of Moab to curse Israel.
Barak
When Following Beats Leading. Approximate Era: 1200-1125 BC Barak lived during the Late Bronze Age collapse, a time when empires crumbled and chaos spread across the ancient world.
Bathsheba
Power Cannot Define Her Whole Story. Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, later a wife of King David, the mother of Solomon, and an influential queen mother at the royal…
Bezalel
When Skill Isn't Enough. Lived approximately 1450-1400 BC during the Bronze Age exodus from Egypt.
Caleb
Give Me the Hard One. Caleb was one of the twelve men Moses sent to explore Canaan.
Daniel
When Your Boss Wants Your Soul. While Daniel was advising Babylonian kings in what is now modern-day Iraq, the Greeks were establishing the first Olympic games and Aesop was writing…
David
The Leader Who Wasn't Enough. Lived approximately 1040-970 BCE While David was ruling Israel from Jerusalem, the Phoenicians were perfecting the alphabet we still use today, and…
Deborah
When No One Else Will Move. While Deborah was settling disputes under her palm tree in the hill country of Israel, the Trojan War was raging across the Mediterranean.
Dinah
A Person, Not a Pretext. Dinah was the daughter of Jacob and Leah.
Doeg the Edomite
Orders Do Not Remove Responsibility. Doeg the Edomite was a servant of King Saul and the chief shepherd responsible for the king’s herds.
Elijah
When Miracles Aren't Enough. Elijah walked onto the stage of history during one of Israel's most corrupt eras, around the same time the Greeks were laying groundwork for the…
Elisha
When Dead Men Still Deliver. Elisha grew up farming in the Jordan Valley, near what is now the border between Israel and Jordan, about 50 miles northeast of modern-day Tel Aviv.
Esther
The Silent Power of Perfect Timing. While Greek philosophers debated in Athens and Rome was still a small republic fighting neighboring tribes, a Jewish orphan was becoming queen of the…
Ezekiel
The Watchman Who Kept Showing Up. Ezekiel lived during the 6th century BC, serving as both priest and prophet among Jewish exiles in Babylon.
Ezra the Scribe
Learn It Before You Teach It. Ezra was a Jewish priest and scribe who led a group from Babylon to Jerusalem, studied and taught the law, and helped order the restored community.
Gideon
Stop Calling It Humility. While Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress in the Jezreel Valley, about 60 miles north of modern-day Jerusalem, Israel, the ancient Egyptians…
Hagar
Seen After Being Sent Away. Hagar was an Egyptian slave in the household of Abraham and Sarah and the mother of Ishmael.
Hannah
She Named the Place, Not the Answer. A childless woman who prayed at Shiloh for a son and dedicated Samuel to the Lord (1 Samuel 1–2).
Hezekiah
The Prayer That Worked. Hezekiah ruled the kingdom of Judah from approximately 715-686 BC, governing from Jerusalem in what is now modern-day Israel.
Isaiah
The Disqualification You Need. Isaiah lived around 740-680 BCE in Jerusalem, the same era when Rome was just a small settlement of farmers on the Tiber River, and the first Olympic…
Jael
When the War Enters Your Tent. Jael was the wife of Heber the Kenite.
Jephthah
The Reject They Came Crawling Back For. A rejected son of Gilead who became Israel's judge, remembered for his victory over Ammon and a tragic vow (Judges 11).
Jeremiah
When Nobody Wants to Hear It. Jeremiah lived around 650-570 BC, during one of history's most turbulent periods.
Joab
Loyalty Cannot Excuse Everything. David's nephew and army commander, fiercely loyal and often ruthless, who served through most of David's reign.
Job
When The Answer Is Silence. Job lived in the land of Uz, likely in what is now northwestern Saudi Arabia or southern Jordan, near the ancient trade routes that connected Egypt…
Jochebed
Give Care a Practical Form. Jochebed was the mother of Moses, Aaron, and their sister Miriam.
Jonah
When Running Makes It Worse. Jonah was an Israelite prophet from Gath-hepher, a small village about three miles northeast of modern-day Nazareth in Israel.
Jonathan
When Stepping Back Is Stepping Up. Crown Prince of Israel Jonathan lived during a pivotal era in ancient history.
Joseph
When Your Dream Gets You Thrown in a Pit. While Joseph was rising to power in Egypt, the ancient city of Babylon was emerging as a major force in Mesopotamia.
Joshua
The Conquest That Couldn't Deliver. c.
Josiah
When the Manual Finally Shows Up. Josiah ruled the kingdom of Judah from approximately 640-609 BC, during a pivotal era in ancient history.
Malachi
The Message No One Wanted to Hear. Malachi lived around 430 BC in Jerusalem, during the Persian Empire's rule over Judah.
Manasseh
An Apology Needs a Next Step. Manasseh was a king of Judah, the southern kingdom centered on Jerusalem.
Micah of Ephraim
When Faith Becomes a Bargain. Micah was an Israelite householder who set up his own place of worship.
Michal
When People Become Pieces. Saul's daughter and David's first wife, whose love and loss were caught up in the politics of two kings.
Miriam
Leadership Still Needs Correction. Sister of Moses and Aaron, a prophet who led Israel's song after the sea crossing (Exodus 15:20–21).
Moses
The Cost of Knowing. Moses lived roughly 3,400 years ago, around 1526 to 1406 BC, during an era when builders were completing Stonehenge in England and the Shang Dynasty…
Naaman
The Help Pride Almost Missed. An Aramean army commander with a skin disease who was healed after washing in the Jordan at Elisha's word (2 Kings 5).
Nabal
Remember Who Helped You. Nabal was a wealthy livestock owner in the southern hills of ancient Judah.
Naomi
Grief Can Name Blessing Again. Naomi was Elimelek’s widow, the mother-in-law of Ruth and Orpah, and a Bethlehem woman whose family sought food in Moab during a famine.
Nathan
Let Someone Tell You the Truth. Nathan was a prophet who delivered God's messages to King David.
Nehemiah
Build While They Circle. Nehemiah held one of the most trusted positions in the ancient world, cupbearer to the Persian king.
Noah
When Everyone Else Is Wrong. Noah lived approximately 2900-1950 BC, during the period scholars call the antediluvian age.
Othniel
When Rescue Comes Through Someone Else. While Othniel was judging Israel in the hill country of what is now the West Bank, the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II was building massive temples at…
Rachel
Longing Can Distort What We See. Rachel was Laban’s daughter, Leah’s sister, Jacob’s wife, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin.
Rahab
The Traitor Who Changed Everything. Rahab lived around 1400 BC in Jericho, an ancient walled city located near the Jordan River in what is now the West Bank, about 10 miles north of the…
Rehoboam
Listen Before You Add to the Load. Rehoboam succeeded his father Solomon as king.
Ruth
The Outsider Who Changed Everything. Lived approximately 1100 BCE Ruth came from Moab, a small kingdom in what is now central Jordan, about 50 miles east of Jerusalem.
Samson
You're Not Samson. Samson lived around 1100–1055 BC, a time when Egypt's pyramids were already ancient ruins tourists marveled at, and the legendary Trojan War had…
Samuel
When the Old Way Stops Working. While Samuel was growing up in the hill country of central Israel, near what is now Nablus in the Palestinian territories, the ancient Egyptians were…
Sarah
Doubt Does Not Have to End the Conversation. Sarah was Abraham's wife and the mother of Isaac.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
When Outcomes Stop Mattering. Three Jewish teenagers ripped from their homes in Jerusalem and relocated to Babylon, roughly 900 miles east, near modern-day Baghdad, Iraq.
Solomon
When Nobody Is Left to Tell You No. Circa 990–931 BCE Solomon was the third king of Israel and son of David and Bathsheba.
Uriah the Hittite
Integrity When Power Fails. One of David's elite warriors and Bathsheba's husband, whose loyalty David exploited (2 Samuel 11).
Zechariah (prophet)
Give Small Beginnings a Fair Chance. Zechariah was a Jewish prophet who encouraged people rebuilding Jerusalem's temple after exile.
Zipporah
Do the Necessary Next Thing. Zipporah was the Midianite wife of Moses and the mother of Gershom and Eliezer.
New Testament 8 people
Andrew the Apostle
Bring the Person You Notice. Andrew was a fisherman, Simon Peter’s brother, one of Jesus’s first followers, and one of the Twelve.
Anna
Share the Hope You Notice. Anna was a Jewish prophet and widow who spoke about the infant Jesus at Jerusalem's temple.
Barnabas
The Person Who Believed First. First Century AD Born Joseph, he earned a new name from the people who watched him work: Barnabas, meaning "Son of Encouragement." He grew up on…
Cornelius
Leave Room for an Answer. Cornelius was a Roman army officer who welcomed Peter, a follower of Jesus, into his home.
Elizabeth
Make Room for Someone Else's Joy. Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist and a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
James, son of Zebedee
Ambition Can Learn to Serve. James was a Galilean fisherman, John’s brother, one of the Twelve, and a member of Jesus’s close circle with Peter and John.
John the Apostle
The Secret of Being Known. One of the Twelve, a son of Zebedee and brother of James, traditionally linked with the Gospel of John and Revelation.
John the Baptist
The Power of Stepping Back. – 29 AD While John was baptizing crowds in the Jordan River near modern-day Israel, Augustus Caesar ruled Rome and construction workers were putting…
Judas
When Certainty Becomes the Trap. Judas Iscariot lived during the first century AD, a time when the Roman Empire was at its height and Augustus Caesar had recently transformed Rome…
Lazarus
When Death Isn't the Hard Part. Lazarus lived in Bethany, a small village about two miles east of Jerusalem, roughly where the modern Palestinian town of al-Eizariya sits today on…
Mary
The Power of Letting Go. The young woman from Nazareth whose courageous yes to God's call brought Jesus into the world (Luke 1:26–38).
Mary Magdalene
Who Stays When Everyone Leaves. approximately 3 BC – 63 AD Mary came from Magdala, a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, about 120 miles north of modern-day…
Matthew
Let People Be More Than a Label. Matthew was a Jewish tax collector who became one of the twelve apostles, the close followers Jesus chose and sent to teach.
Nicodemus
Courage Can Grow in Quiet Steps. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a teacher of Israel, and a member of the Jewish ruling council.
Paul
When Your Greatest Strength Becomes Dangerous. Lived approximately 5 AD – 64 AD Born in Tarsus, Paul was a Roman citizen by birth and a Jewish scholar by training.
Peter
The Strongest Leaders Fail First. – 68 AD While Peter was mending fishing nets along the Sea of Galilee, the Roman Empire was building roads that would connect three continents.
Philip
Leave the Stage for One. Philip lived during the first century AD, roughly 30-80 AD.
Priscilla and Aquila
Your Side Hustle Is Your Superpower. A tentmaking couple who worked beside Paul and taught the faith from their home (Acts 18; Romans 16:3–5).
Simeon
When Waiting Becomes the Work. – 4 BC Simeon was an elderly man living in Jerusalem during one of history's most turbulent periods.
Simon of Cyrene
The Burden You Did Not Choose. A man from Cyrene in North Africa whom Roman soldiers forced to carry Jesus's cross (Mark 15:21).
Stephen
When Courage Looks Like Surrender. – 34 AD While Stephen was serving meals to widows in Jerusalem, the Roman Empire was busy building roads that would eventually connect London to…
The Christmas Story
The Christmas Story Is a Translation. Matthew and Luke tell the birth of Jesus for two different audiences, and the difference is the point.
Thomas
Why Skeptics Make the Best Believers. – 72 AD Thomas grew up in a world where the Roman Empire controlled everything.
Timothy
The Kid They Almost Passed Over. Timothy grew up in Lystra, a small town in what is now south-central Turkey, about 300 miles southeast of Istanbul.
Zacchaeus
Repentance Has a Receipt. A wealthy chief tax collector in Jericho who climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Jesus and repaid those he had cheated (Luke 19).
Zechariah, father of John the Baptist
When Doubt Steals Your Voice. – 1 AD Zechariah was an elderly Jewish priest living in the hill country of Judea, about 80 miles south of modern-day Jerusalem in Israel.
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43 people · 44 reflections · 5 songs · 5 podcast episodes · 43 maps · a new story every week. Songs on YouTube