26 Lesser Known Bible Stories from A-Z (Part 1)

Ask the congregation if they know the story by the title. Get someone in the audience to give a brief 30-second summary. Then expound on each story below in alphabetic order

• (A) Axe Head 2 Kings 6: 1-7
  Elisha and his  friends were chopping down trees by the Jordan river to build a house., As one of the men were chopping down a tree, the axe head flew off and sank in the river. He cried out in sorrow because it was a borrowed axe. So Elisha broke off a stick, set it on the surface of the water, and the axe head miraculously floated to the top.
   
• (B) Bald Head and Bears 2 Kings 2:23-24
  Elisha the prophet was travelling, when a gang of teenagers surrounded him and started harassing him, yelling insults and calling him “baldy.” Proving that the Lord doesn’t take mockery lightly, he answered Elisha’s prayer for justice with two angry bears who attacked the group and mauled over 40 of the young men. If people don’t respect the prophet, they won’t respect the message he brings and that’s a serious, life-or-death matter.
   
• (C) Circumcision of Moses (Exodus 4.24-26)
  ​​​​​After being commissioned by God from the burning bush, Moses is on his way back to Egypt when the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. Then [Moses’ wife] Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
   
• (D) Deceptive Prophet 1 Kings 13
  A prophet of God was given a message to deliver to King Jeroboam. After which, God told the prophet that he should not stay there, neither should he eat or drink anything. The king tried to convince him to stay and dine but he refused and left to go home.
  Another old prophet heard of the events and went after him. The old prophet invited him to follow him back home to have a meal. The old prophet lied and said an angel said delivered a message from the Lord that he should invite him home for food and drink.
      The prophet of God believed the deceptive prophet and followed him home for a meal. In the middle of the meal, God spoke through the deceptive prophet to the lying prophet that he would die because of his disobedience.
      On his way back home a lion saw him and killed him. He was eventually found and buried by the deceptive prophet.
   
• (E) Ehud
      The story of Ehud comes right out of Judges 3, but would fit in nicely to the plot of a James Bond movie.
      Israel was under the oppressive rule of Eglon the king of Moab and cried out to the Lord for deliverance. The Moabites were idol worshipers who did evil in the sight of the Lord. God sent Ehud and his cubit-long (about a foot and a half) sword to assassinate the king and liberate God’s people from his rule.
      Ehud told the servants of the king that he had a “secret message” for him (Judges 3:19), they left Ehud all alone with the king. Ehud’s “secret message” was the sword that he brought — and the “special delivery” was a stab to the belly of the grossly overweight king which killed him!
      Then Ehud quietly locked the doors to the roof to keep the guards out and made a quick getaway.
      When Ehud returned to the people of Israel, he led Israel in conquering their enemies the Moabites.
   
• (F) Firefox Judges 15:4-5
      Basically, Samson took out his rage on some Philistines when they gave away his wife to another man. This might be the only recorded case of fox arson.
   
• (G) Goliath's Son killed by David's Brother - 2 Samuel 21:20-21
  Did you know that there was a sequel to David and Goliath story? In part two of this exciting adventure, A giant with 24 toes and fingers falls to Jonathan, the brother of David. We don't know if he used a slingshot this time, but he joined his brother in the rank of giant slayers.
      20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.
      21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.
      
• (H) Hairy Men
      And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. 
      2 Kings 1:8
      
      And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
      Gen 27:11
   
• (I) India in the bible - Esther1:1
      Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia)
      OR
      Ittai the Gittite 2 Samuel  15:19-22
      
• (J) Jethro Exodus 18:13-27
  Jethro was the father-in-law of Moses. In Exodus 18, Moses was overwhelmed with his task to lead Israel. It seemed like everyone who had a problem came to Moses to mediate!
      Jethro’s wise suggestion for Moses to divide his labor into tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands to reduce his leadership burden and delegate responsibility to the people of Israel.
      Jethro said if Moses followed his suggestion, “God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace”. Like a good son-in-law, Moses obeyed! This allowed Moses not to be held up with trivial matters but rather have a better system where they work themselves out.
   
• (K) Korah
      The story of Korah is found in Numbers 16. Korah led a revolt against Moses; he died, along with all his co-conspirators, when God caused "the earth to open her mouth and swallow him and all that appertained to them
      
• (L) Lazarus John 12:9-11
      Most Christians know that Jesus was #1 on the Pharisees’ list of Israel’s Most Wanted to get rid of. But do you know who #2 was? Lazarus. After Jesus raised his friend from the dead, Lazarus became a local celebrity, telling people about Jesus’ miraculous power over life and death. The religious leaders couldn’t have that, so they schemed to kill him too. Or re-kill him, as the case might be.
      
• (M) Mepiboshet
      2 Samuel 9: King Saul tries to kill King David several times and later dies as a result of it, leaving his grandson Mephibosheth to fend for himself. For years, he finds himself in his own wilderness place, especially when he loses his ability to walk. But much to his surprise, Mephibosheth is looked upon with favor by King David. He learns later that King David and his father Jonathan were friends before his death. He inherits his grandfather Saul's kingdom back and even becomes a part of the royal family. In this turn of events, He discovers God’s love in King David.
      OR
  Million Man Army of Ethiopinas 2 Chronicles 14:9

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