Dramatic Moments in the Old Testament

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1. Jealous of and angry at Joseph, his brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Joseph ended up in Egypt, where he rose to become Pharoah's second-in-command. Years later, when there was a famine, the brothers traveled to Egypt to buy food. Although Joseph recognized them, they did not recognize him. Joseph sold them the food they were after, but also set a trap for them on their return. What did he do on their second trip to Egypt? He had the story of his betrayal and sale into slavery acted out before them, and watched their reactions. He had his servant offer them their money back as if unaware that the sale had been completed. He offered an unusually high price to buy Benjamin as a slave from the older brothers. He hid his own silver cup in Benjamin's sack of grain, then accused them of stealing it.

2. Moses was raised by the daughter of Pharoah, but he knew he was Hebrew. As an adult he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave and, not seeing anyone else about, killed and buried the Egyptian. The next day he tried to separate two Hebrews who were fighting, but the aggressor asked who Moses thought he was to judge him. "Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Realizing that his action was now generally known, Moses fled from Pharoah's judgment to the land of Midian, where he tended sheep. begged his adopted mother to intercede for him with Pharoah (which succeeded for only a short time). strode angrily into Pharoah's presence and demanded "let my people go." bought land on the border of Canaan and became a wealthy herdsman.

3. During the long wandering from Egypt to Canaan, Moses' brother Aaron and sister Miriam began to talk against Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. "Has [the Lord] not spoken also by us?" they asked. So God commanded the three to come to him at the Tent of Meeting, where the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and said "Hear now my words." What happened then? A hole opened in the ground and swallowed Aaron and Miriam. Moses yielded leadership to his siblings. Miriam was striken with leprosy. Aaron was bitten by a poisonous serpent.

4. After Joshua led Israel's fighting men in the conquest of Jericho (where "the walls came a-tumbling down"), he sent three thousand soldiers on to conquer the small town of Ai. Amazingly, the Israelites were routed. Joshua prayed and asked the Lord why He had bothered to send them into the land if He was going to deliver them into the hands of the local people. The Lord said that it was because someone had disobeyed God's clear command and had kept spoils from an earlier battle. The next morning Joshua brought everyone together, and God showed Joshua the guilty man, a soldier named Achan. Achan confessed he had indeed sinned and kept spoils. What happened next? The spoils were recovered and given to the Tabernacle. Then Achan was sacrificed on the lesser altar. Achan and all that he had, both property and people, were brought to Joshua. Then Achan and his children were stoned to death. Achan and his family were exiled from the camp, and his property was given to the survivors in the city he had looted. Achan fell on his own sword. Joshua then took the spoils and used them to help buy the area from the inhabitants of Ai.

5. King Saul was jealous of David, and hated him so much that he pursued David with an army attempting to kill him. He even slaughtered eighty-five priests who had given David shelter. While looking for David, Saul entered a cave to relieve himself. However, he did not know that deeper in that same cave David and his men were hiding. What happened next? David cut off a piece of Saul's robe without Saul noticing, later using it to prove his loyalty and mercy to Saul. David captured Saul and held him for ransom, which included Saul's daughter's hand in marriage. David snuck up behind Saul and killed him, and thus became King of Israel. When Saul saw David he ran out of the cave and sent his army in, but David escaped out the back.

6. Toward the end of his reign, King David ordered Joab and the commanders of the army to conduct a census of Israel and Judah. They complied despite their disapproval of the plan, and almost ten months later gave the results of the census to David. David was now convinced that he had sinned in ordering the census, and prayed to God for forgiveness. The Lord sent the prophet Gad to King David with a choice of punishment. What happened next? David chose three years of famine in the land. David chose three days of pestilence. David refused to choose and left his punishment in the hands of God. David chose three months of fleeing from his foes.

7. A rich and influential woman in Shunem wished to help the prophet Elisha, and had a small chamber built on the top of her house for him to use when he was traveling through that area. In return he promised her that she would bear a son, and she did. When the son was older, however, the son complained of a severe headache and died. The woman put her son on Elisha’s bed and ran to get the prophet. Elisha went alone in to the dead child and lay on the child, “put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands” and warmed the cool body. Elisha took a break and walked “to and fro”, then stretched out upon the child again. What happened next? Elisha told the mother "the Lord requires this child, but He will give you another who shall be a great man in Israel." His actions badly misunderstood, Elisha was dragged out of the room by the servants. The child sneezed seven times, and then opened his eyes. The child gave a great yell, jumped up, and ran out of the room calling his mother.

8. King Xerxes highest advisor, Haman, convinced Xerxes to issue a decree ordering that on a certain day all the Jews throughout the kingdom should be destroyed. Queen Esther invited King Xerxes and Haman to special banquets in order to plead for her people. At the second banquet, King Xerxes asked Esther what favor she wished to ask, and "even to the half of the kingdom, it shall be performed." When she pled "let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request" and pointed out that Haman had orchestrated the plan to destroy her, what happened next? Haman committed suicide rather than be sold as a slave in the marketplace. Xerxes threw a tantrum and banished both Esther and Haman. Xerxes gave Haman to Esther as a slave. Xerxes hung Haman on the gallows that Haman had built for Esther's cousin.

9. King Hezekiah became ill. The prophet Isaiah went to him and told him: "Set your house in order, for you shall die." Hezekiah wept and prayed, and the Lord sent Isaiah back to say "I will heal you." The king asked for a sign that he would indeed be healed. What was the sign? The water by the king's bed that had been salty tasted sweet. It rained even though it was the dry season. The shadow on the sundial went backward ten steps. Messengers arrived from the East with words of a great victory.

10. Daniel's enemies persuaded King Darius to pass a decree that for one month no one could petition any god or man except King Darius himself. When Daniel continued to pray to God, Darius was required to throw Daniel into the lion's den. The next day, Daniel was found alive and healthy because an angel "shut the lions' mouths." What happened next? Darius threw Daniel's enemies to the lions, and promoted Daniel to second in the kingdom. Darius honored Daniel by having a prince run before Daniel's chariot saying "this is the man the King wishes to honor." Darius prepared to throw Daniel's enemies into the fiery furnace, but Daniel interceded for them and saved their lives. Darius threw Daniel's enemies to the lions, and passed a new decree that everyone should worship Daniel's God.