Preface, Introduction, and Sample stories from

I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation

I have included here the Preface, the Introductio two representative sample stories taken from the book.  However, they are just a taste of the 219 stories that are told.  Even though I have printed them here without their insightful footnotes, I hope you will find them to be enlightening, easy to read, and enjoyable.  I believe you will not only want to read more stories, but that you want to have this book in your library so you and your family can go back to it again and again.

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PREFACE

Several years ago, while I was reading the Old Testament as part of my continuing scripture-study schedule, I was impressed that it would be very helpful if the wonderful stories from that great book of scripture were available for adult study in a simple, straightforward style. As this impression persisted, I felt inspired to undertake the project myself, and I can truthfully say that it has been a marvelous and exciting adventure.

Before I began writing, I thought there might be perhaps fifty or sixty good stories, but before I was through, I had written 219 stories, and I know that there are many more. Someone will surely ask why this or that story was not included, just as some will ask why some stories were included. In response to the latter question, I can only answer that every story was included because it is part of the Old Testament mosaic and provides important scrip-tural perspective, and not necessarily because of its inspirational or spiritual value. I believe there are lessons that can be learned from every story—even lessons about our-selves—and that the overall effect of these stories is both inspirational and educational.

The stories in this book are based on the Authorized (or King James) Version of the Bible. And, insofar as possible, they are arranged in chronological sequence, beginning with the creation and continuing down through the rebuilding of the temple and the city of Jerusalem after the Jews returned from their Babylonian captivity. Some Old Testament books—notably the literary writings and the books of the prophets—are not included within the scope of these stories merely because they contain no stories.

During the writing process, I was blessed with abundant inspiration. I received critical and profound insights important to the various stories from unexpected sources. I was amazed at how the project unfolded and progressed.

Most of the stories are quite short (with some notable exceptions, among which are the stories of Job and Esther). In some cases, such as with the life of Samson, I took what could have been one lengthy story and created two or three shorter ones. In every case, however, I have made every effort to keep the stories simple, straightforward, and free from fictionalizing and embellishment. I have also tried to tell each story as the scriptures tell it, while—at the same time―eliminating redundancy and cumbersome (and sometimes sordid) details. I also chose not to draw any morals or lessons from the stories, but to let each story speak for itself.

Where appropriate, I included dialogue, seeking al-ways to be faithful to the scriptural dialogue, while care-fully using modern language rather than the cryptic language of the seventeenth-century King James translators. My language may not be as poetic as theirs, but I think you will find it acceptable—and always understandable.

I have replaced the old-style pronouns (thee, thy, thou, and thine) that relate to people with their modern equivalents (you, your, and yours). However, I chose to retain the old-style pronouns—and to capitalize them― when they related to Deity. Along with these pronouns, I also retained the matching old-style verbs (wilt, shalt, canst, doest, goest, lovest, sayest, couldest, etc., etc.) that go with them.

After careful and agonizing deliberation, I chose not to capitalize the pronouns he, him, and his as they relate to Deity, for I discovered early on that trying to do so was very confusing. There is no disrespect intended.

The King James translators, out of respect for the ancient Hebrews who would neither speak nor write the name of God, chose to replace the name Jehovah (JHVH) in the text with ―the LORD (with LORD in small caps, as you see it here). (The name of Jehovah [JHVH] is found only four times in the Old Testament.) I have elected, in almost every case, to reinsert Jehovah back into the narrative.

Because many people struggle with the pronunciation of biblical names, I have included a pronunciation guide (with suggested pronunciations) at the end of this book. To understand my approach, you will want to read the explanatory note at the beginning of this guide.

Maps are also included to provide geographic perspective. I believe that maps always promote understanding. I have also created two indexes―a name index and a subject index. These indexes enhance the value of the book as a reference source, putting stories on specific people and/or subjects at the readers‘ fingertips. When you use the indexes, you should note that all index references are to story numbers rather than page numbers.

Whenever weights and measures are included in a story, I have also included the metric equivalents (mostly in footnote references) for the benefit of readers outside the United States.

I have used footnotes extensively. Though they are not essential to the stories, they are included to provide useful background and insights to assist the reader in understanding what is going on. I also used footnotes to provide cross-references between related stories. And I hope that you can appreciate that they actually are footnotes (on the very pages where you need them) rather than inconvenient to use and hard to find endnotes. Some people have told me that the footnotes actually make the book. And, because each individual story is intended to stand on its own, I have often used the same footnote (or a variation of it) in several stories.

One area of interpretation, that my stories do not at-tempt to address, relates to numbers. When large numbers—especially as they concern armies and populations—are found in the Old Testament, they should be viewed with some skepticism. Though the numbers included in these stories are exactly as they are stated in the scriptures, you should note that there seems to have been a tendency among Old Testament writers to greatly exaggerate such numbers.

I wish I could say that the stories in this book are all perfect, but I cannot. In the first place, they are imperfect because I am imperfect. But, unfortunately, there are also other problems because of the nature of the Old Testament itself. The biblical record, as we have it, is not al-ways clear. In those cases where the record is incomplete and pertinent facts are missing, I did the best I could with what I had. You and I would probably understand the Old Testament better if we were reading it in the Hebrew language, but we are not. So, if something seems illogical, we can be comforted by the assurance that at some future time, when our understandings are perfected and the full story is known, the truth will be clear and enlightening. In the meantime, at the risk of being wrong, I have attempted to fill a few gaps.

Another source of possible imperfection in my stories is the case where separate accounts of a scriptural event are given by more than one Old Testament writer. Because some of these duplicate accounts differ in their details, it was necessary for me to make some interpretive decisions just so I could write the stories. In most such cases, however, I have tried to give footnote explanations for my interpretations. I have also tried to explain my reasoning (in the footnotes) when my views differ from traditional interpretations. Wherever my interpretations may prove to be inaccurate, I take full responsibility, as I do for everything else you find here.

The title of this book comes from Jehovah‘s promise to Abraham while he was still called Abram. The prom-ise, which is part of what we call the Abrahamic covenant, is recorded in Genesis 12:2–3 where Jehovah told Abram: "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be "[Emphasis added.]

This same promise was given to Isaac and then to Jacob. When Isaac went into the Gerar because of the famine, Jehovah told "I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven…, and in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 26: 4). Then, when Jacob learned that his son Joseph was still alive and was ruler over all Egypt. Jehovah spoke to him ―in the visions of the night, and said… "I will there make of thee a great nation…" (Genesis 46:2-3). [Emphasis added.] The stories of the Old Testament, which are the stories of this book, are the stories of this great nation.

I do not intend for I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation to replace or upstage the scriptures in any way. I hope, rather, that the stories you read here will introduce you to the Old Testament (should you need such an introduction), enhance your scriptural experience, and help you find deeper meaning in the Old Testament canon. And, as a result, I hope you will gain a greater appreciation for this wonderful book of scripture. The Old Testament, after all, has probably influenced Judeo-Christian history and literature more than any other book ever written.

I am grateful to all who have offered encouragement, suggestions, insights, and help. They kept me on track and provided the motivation for me to complete my task. I also express appreciation to Net Ministries for granting permission for me to use their phonetic system in my pronunciation guide, to Abigdon Press for allowing me to use their Old Testament maps, and to Owen Richardson for his illustrations. I also thank the editors and staff of American Book Publishing for their encouragement and support.

I have special appreciation for the two women in my life—both of whom have been English teachers. My first wife, Peggy, before her passing in 2003, read most of an early draft and offered valuable suggestions. Patty, who has been my wife since 2004, read a later draft and offered her thoughts.

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96−I COME IN THE NAME OF JEHOVAH

(1 Samuel 17)

Israel was once again at war with the Philistines, and Saul had gone to lead his army. The war took the army of Israel to the mountains of Shochoh in the land belonging to Judah, and the men of Israel were encamped near the valley of Elah. As Israel’s army stood on the mountain on one side of the valley, the Philistine army stood facing them on the mountain opposite.

As the two armies stood poised for battle, a giant emerged from the Philistine ranks and strutted across the valley toward the Israelites. This mountain of a man was known as Goliath of Gath. He stood six cubits and a span in height and wore a coat of armor that weighed 5,000 shekels of brass. His spear was like a weaver’s beam and the head of it weighed 600 shekels of iron.  And this was not all of Goliath’s protection; he also wore a large brass helmet on his head and additional armor to protect his neck and his legs.

This champion of the Philistines stood in the valley and cried out to the men of Israel, “Why have you come out in battle against us? I am a Philistine and you are servants of Saul. Choose a man from among you to come down and fight me. If your man kills me, the Philistines will be your servants, but if I prevail and kill him, Israel shall serve us. I defy you this day to give me a man so that we may fight.”

The two armies fought daily, yet the massive Philistine came out into the valley morning and evening for forty days to torment the army of Israel. Goliath was greatly feared in Israel’s camp, and no one dared to accept his haughty challenge.

David’s three eldest brothers—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah—had followed Saul to the battle, but David was not there. He had left Saul’s service and returned to his sheep.  One day, however, David’s father Jesse sent him to take food and supplies to his brothers. David left his sheep in the care of another and went out to Israel’s encampment where he greeted his brothers and gave them the supplies their father had sent. As David and his brothers talked, Goliath came out from the Philistine camp to issue his dreaded challenge, and all the men of Israel fled from him because of their fear.

David, intrigued by this monster of a man, questioned those who stood by. “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine giant and takes away the reproach of Israel?” he asked.

“The king will give him great riches,” the men answered. “He will also give the man his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”

Then David, moved by the Spirit of God that was in him, said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Because David was so full of the Spirit himself, he could not believe that there was no man in all of Israel’s camp willing to accept Goliath’s challenge.

David’s brothers were embarrassed and angry when they heard how their younger brother talked. “Why did you come here?” asked Eliab. “And who is tending your sheep? I know your pride and the disobedience that is in your heart, and I think you came here only because you were curious to see the battle.”

“What have I done now?” David asked his brother. “Is this not a just cause?” David then turned and continued questioning the other men, and they answered him as before.

When David’s words were told to King Saul, Saul sent for him. And when David came to where Saul was, he said, “Let no man’s heart fail him because of this uncircumcised Philistine. I will go and fight him.”

“You cannot go against this man!” said Saul. “You are but a youth, and he is a man of war.”

David explained to Saul how he had slain both a lion and a bear in defense of his father’s sheep. Then he said, “This Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord Jehovah, who delivered me from the paws of both the lion and the bear, will also deliver me from this Philis-tine.”

Saul recognized that David had the faith that he did not have himself. He also knew that there was no one else, including himself, willing to fight the Philistine. “Go then,” he said, “and may Jehovah go with you.”

Saul girded David in his own armor to prepare him for the battle. But David was uneasy, both because he was not accustomed to the armor and because Saul was a much larger man. “I cannot go with these,” said David, “for I have not proved them.” So he put off Saul’s armor and went out of his presence.

As young David took his staff in his hand, he chose five smooth stones from the brook. Putting the stones in his shepherd’s bag and, with sling in hand, he descended the hill toward the haughty giant.

Goliath drew near, and the man who bore his shield came before him. When the Philistine champion saw young David, he mocked him, for David was but a fair-skinned youth. “Am I a dog?” shouted Goliath, “that you come to me with staves?”  And he cursed David by all the gods of the Philistines. “Come to me,” he bellowed, “and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field!”

Then David, filled with Spirit of God and with neither his confidence nor his faith shaken, called out to the giant Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and shield, but I come to you in the name of Jehovah, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day will Jehovah deliver you into my hands and I will smite you and take your head from you.”

David continued: “And I will give the carcasses of the army of the Philistines to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. All this assembly shall know that Jehovah saves not with sword and spear. This is his battle, and he will give you into my hands.”

Then, as Goliath came near, David ran forward to meet him. Putting his hand into his bag, he drew out a stone, and hurled it at the giant with his sling.

 The stone struck hard in the Philistine’s forehead, sinking deep into his skull. Then Goliath reeled and fell on his face to the earth.

As David had no sword of his own, he ran forward and stood upon the giant Philistine’s body. As he drew Goliath’s own sword from its sheath and cut off his head before both armies, the men of Israel and Judah arose and gave a mighty shout. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled in disarray before the army of Israel.

INTRODUCTION

Most people would probably not tell you that the Old Testament is their favorite book of scripture. And, if they did tell you that, you would be suspicious of them. Many will tell you that they find the Old Testament difficult to read and hard to understand. In fact, the Old Testament is not read as often as the New Testament, and books relating to it often gather dust on bookstore shelves. Most of us, in addition to finding the Old Testament complex and difficult to understand, are also confused by its message. We are impressed that God may have acted too harshly as he dealt with his children—quite differently, we think, from the way the Savior taught in the New Testament. Indeed, it is true that God did act harshly on many occasions as he dealt with his chosen people—a stiffnecked people with a penchant for turning their backs on him and worshipping the false gods of their heathen neighbors. But, though he was harsh at times in meting out his justice, he gave his people every opportunity to repent time after time after time; and he promised them deliverance if they would but heed him, obey his commandments, and keep their covenants. The people of Israel did not become God‘s chosen people because they were perfect, for certainly they were not. They were chosen because they were more righteous (or perhaps less wicked) than their neighbors and because of God‘s promises to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Deuteronomy 9:4−6). Many stories in this book are accounts of miraculous deliverance. And, in spite of all the unfaithfulness and infidelity on the part of Jehovah‘s chosen people, he repeatedly promised them that in the last days they will inherit eternal blessings and that he will gather them from the four corners of the earth—when they will truly be his people and he will be their God (see, for example, Ezekiel 11:20, 14:11; Zechariah 8:8).

William Tyndale, who was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536 because he translated the Bible into English, had a great desire that the common man―even the boy who followed the plough―be able to read the Bible in his own tongue. Tyndale paid dearly for his untiring efforts to make this possible. In the Prelude to his translation of portions of the Old Testament from Hebrew, he talked about those men and women whose lives are the framework and substance of the Old Testament. He noted that there were both righteous and wicked among them, that there was some righteousness and some wickedness in all of them, and that they were just like we are. He also noted that many of them suffered great afflictions, hardships, and sorrows. And, because we are like them in so many ways, we can profit by learning about them. After noting many examples, he wrote: "Then go to and read the stories of the bible for thy learning and comfort, and see everything practiced before thine eyes: for according to those examples shall it go with thee and all men until the world‘s end. So that into whatsoever case or state a man may be brought, according to whatsoever example of the bible it be, his end shall be according as he there seeth and readeth… as they that turn are there received to mercy, and they that maliciously resist perish utterly, so shall he do with us." (―Prologue, Tyndale’s Old Testament. [1530s], edited and introduced by David Daniell, New Haven, CT: Yale University, 1992. p. 11) The Old Testament is in fact brimming with wonderful stories—some inspiring and some not so inspiring—but the primary message of the Old Testament is the message of the then-future mortal mission of our Savior. There are many direct prophecies concerning Him as well as myriad people and situations that are types and shadows of Him and of His great redemptive mission. Though the Old Testament contains many accounts of harsh punishment meted out for disobedience, a second great message of the Old Testament is of Jehovah‘s love for his chosen people.

It is my earnest hope that, as you read these stories, you will discover the true meaning of the Old Testament. I also hope that you will gain a greater appreciation for that holy book and for the love that God―He who is the same yesterday, today, and forever―has for His children. For God‘s love is deeper and more abiding than we as mortals can comprehend

 

134−ISRAEL DIVIDED

(1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10−11) 

After Solomon was dead, all Israel went to Shechem  to make Rehoboam king in his father’s place.  And Jeroboam, who had earlier fled to Egypt to escape execution by Solomon, heard of Solomon’s death and came also.  As Rehoboam reveled in his new position, Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came to him with a challenging proposition. “Your father Solomon made our burden grievous,” they said. “If you will lighten the yoke that your father put upon us, we will serve you.”

Rehoboam could see there was cause for concern, and he wanted time to think about his answer; he did not want to make a mistake. “Come back to me in three days,” said Rehoboam to the people, “and I shall tell you what I will do.”

King Rehoboam consulted first with the elders who had served as advisers to his father. “How should I answer the people?” he asked.

“If you will be a true servant unto this people,” the elders counseled, “tell them good words. Tell them that you will lighten their yoke. If you please the people and are kind to them, they will serve you forever.”

But Rehoboam, not satisfied with the counsel of the elders, went to his friends—the young men who had grown up with him—and he put the same question to them. “What shall I tell these people who have asked me to lighten the yoke that my father has placed on them?” he asked.

The young men had a much different point of view. “Tell the people that your little finger shall be thicker than your father’s loins,”  they said to Rehoboam. “Tell them that though the yoke your father placed upon them was heavy, you will add to their burden, and where your father chastised them with whips, you will chastise them with scorpions.  You must show them who is king and who has the authority.”

When Jeroboam and the people returned to Rehoboam on the third day, as Rehoboam had requested, the young king talked to them roughly and answered their request according to the counsel of his young friends. He rejected an offer that his father would have gladly accepted and made it clear that the heavy burdens placed upon Israel by Solomon were to become even greater and harder to bear. This result, however, was from Jehovah so that Ahijah’s prophecy to Jeroboam might be fulfilled.

When Israel saw that King Rehoboam had hardened his heart and would not hearken to them, they answered him, “What portion have we with the house of David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel, and leave David to his own house.” Thus all the tribes of Israel—with the exception Judah and Benjamin—followed Jeroboam.

When the people of Israel made Jeroboam their king, Rehoboam assembled an army of 180,000 hand-picked warriors to subdue these wayward subjects and bring them back. But before the battle could be launched, Jehovah sent Shemaiah the prophet to warn Rehoboam that his men must not go to fight against Israel. “Do not go up to fight against your brethren, the children of Israel,” said Shemaiah. “You must all return to your houses, for this division of Israel is from Jehovah.” And Rehoboam and his army were obedient to the words of the prophet.

Jeroboam set up his headquarters at Shechem  in Mount Ephraim, and he dwelt there. All was well and the new kingdom flourished but, as time passed, Jeroboam began to fear that his subjects might be enticed to return to the rule of Rehoboam and the house of David if they continued to go up to the temple in Jerusalem. “If they go up to Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices,” he reasoned, “their hearts will surely return to Rehoboam and they will kill me.”

After counseling with the leaders of his people, Jeroboam came up with what he felt was the perfect plan; he would provide opportunities for them to worship and offer sacrifices without going to Jerusalem. So Jeroboam made two golden calves for the people of Israel to worship, and he said to the people, “Because it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem to worship, I have made these golden calves. These are your gods that brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

Jeroboam set up his golden calves—one in the north of the kingdom at Dan and the other in the south of the kingdom at Beth-el. And he chose priests from the lowest classes of the people to officiate in the high places  that he created, disregarding the lineage of Levi and Aaron. He also established a new feast day on the fifteenth day of the eighth month—a day that he chose with his own imagination—and he offered sacrifices and burned incense to his golden calves on that day. Jeroboam was willing to do anything to prevent the children of Israel from returning to Jerusalem.  The result, however, was just the opposite of what he had intended, for those who refused to worship idols, along with the Levites and priests who had been displaced, all fled to King Rehoboam and the kingdom of Judah.