By Brenda Cannon Henley
Amazement naturally engulfs me when any person I am talking with tells me that he or she just cannot get into the Bible or they do not find it interesting. The various characters we meet in the pages of God’s Word are lively, involved, dramatic, important, in some cases, brilliant, and in other cases, simply human. They make great discoveries, learn, succeed, falter and fail, just as we humans who are reading about them do. They seem to learn lessons and then turn from those lessons only to be forced to revisit and relearn them.

It is my belief that if we make an honest effort, and dedicate some time to the matter, we can readily learn from those God chose to include in His handbook for us. I will admit that my personal favorites have changed over the years depending upon what season of my life I was in at the time and how consciously I was trying to learn and serve the Lord.

Esther, a slave girl who became queen, is at the top of my list of teaching favorites because there are simply so many facets of her life to bring to the forefront. Much of her life can be acted out in a classroom setting, her bravery is astonishing, she is representative of God’s people, there is a clear-cut hero and a dirty, mean villain, and the story grows to an exciting conclusion.

I love to teach the stories of David, and there are many. Samson is a great action figure, a super hero of Scripture. Mary Magdalene, often misrepresented and maligned by scholars and writers, is a personal favorite of mine. She never forgot what Jesus did for her and served him faithfully. I love her service and her zeal. Ruth and Boaz is a fantastic love story spanning the ages.

Who could ever forget Peter and his brother, Andrew? The works, teachings, and journeys of the Apostle Paul fill pages, books, and sections of libraries. The twelve men Jesus chose to become His disciples each have a story that is certainly worth including. I recently completed a Bible study on how each of their lives ended and found the information I gleaned quite interesting.

Who is your favorite Bible character (outside of the Lord Jesus) and why? When in your life did you choose this person and what drew your interest toward them? Where is their story shared most prominently in Scripture? What is your favorite verse having to do with this person?

If you would like to participate, along with some of the students in my classes, jot down brief answers to the questions I have asked in the above paragraph. Please keep it brief for consideration in using your replies in a coming article.

You may email your reply to [email protected]. Kindly tell me which newspaper in which you read my column and list your name and age, please. If you do not use email, you may mail your answers to me at 5040 89th Terrace North, Pinellas Park, FL 33782. I think it will be great fun to read your replies and to use some of them in columns on Bible characters.

[Aug-9-2022]