A Speedy And Fun Journey Through The Old Testament: 5 Quirky, Fun,Weird, And Lesser Known Stories From The Old Testament And Lessons I Learned From Each

Pastor Art Snow • July  13, 2022

A Speedy And Fun Journey Through The Old Testament: 5 Quirky, Fun,Weird, And Lesser Known Stories From The Old Testament And Lessons I Learned From Each

Oh No! That Wasn’t My Axe (2 Kings 6:1-7)

This is such a simple story with such a profound lesson. Elisha the prophet that succeeded Elijah had started a “school of the prophets”but they were growing at such an alarming rate they were running out of room. So the simple solution was to build more housing, so off to the woods they went. Each prophet was cutting down trees to build their homes when one of them lost the top of their axe in the water. He yelled out, “Alas my master! For it was borrowed.” 

This prophet was in a difficult predicament, he had borrowed someones axe and now he would have to go back and explain that he had lost the axe head in the water. Elisha the man of God asked exactly where it fell, he showed him the spot and Elisha cut off a branch from a nearby tree and threw it into the water. And as the Bible states; and made the iron float. What a crazy miracle, a piece of iron left the bottom of the river and floated up to meet the stick in the water.

The reason I love this story is that it shows God’s care for even the smallest aspect of our lives. Many years ago I found this small poem by John Newton and have kept it in the margin of all my Bibles by this story:

No one concern of ours is small

If we belong to Him

To teach us this the Lord of all

Once made the iron to swim. 

Amen

A Mark On My Forehead (Ezekiel 8-9)

Ok get ready for a cosmic journey…Ezekiel was in exile in Babylon sitting in his house with the elders of Judah who were also exiled with him. When all of a sudden a figure stood before him with the appearance of a man from his waist downward and from his waist upward was the appearance of fire like the appearance of glowing metal. This figure picked Ezekiel up by the lock of his head and transferred him to Jerusalem.

The angel showed him three abominations one greater than the last one. First he saw 70 elders of Israel with censers in their hands worshipping carvings on the wall. The second thing he saw was women weeping for Tammuz, a Babylonian deity. And finally he was taken to the holy place in the temple and saw 25 men with their backs to the temple of the Lord and facing east prostrating themselves toward the sun. 

Then the angel called for the executioners, six men came with shattering weapons in their hands clothed in linen with a writing case in their other hand. They were told to go throughout all Judah and put the “mark” on the forehead of all those who sighed and groaned over the abominations of the land. Then to kill all those who do not have the mark, and by the way start from the sanctuary of the Lord. 

Wow, this sounds so much like 1 Peter 4:17-18

For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?

I want to have the “Mark of God” on my forehead and not the “Mark of the Beast.” Amen 

Someone Hand Me A Spear (Numbers 25:1-18)

Now let me take you to a story during the 40 years the Israelites spent in the wilderness. Israel was camped at Shittim when they began to play the harlot with Moabite women, they invited them to their camp as they bowed down to their gods. We are told they joined themselves to Baal of Poor, a major part of this cult was prostitution. So the Lord sent a plague among them that eventually killed 24,000 people before the hero of the story ended the madness. 

An Israelite man was found in a tent having sexual relations with a Midianite woman when Phinehas comes upon the scene. Filled with righteous indignation he thrust a spear through both of them pinning them to the ground and killing them. As he Bible says; “So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked.”

I love this story because it shows what one man or woman of God can accomplish, when they are filled with the zeal of God. Today you and I can be the Phinehas for our generation. 

I Felt The Earth Move Under My Feet (2 Chronicles 26)

Ok get ready for an interesting journey through 3 books of the Bible and one historic source. Uzziah was for the most part a really good king until the end of his life when he did something so earth shattering it caused an earthquake. We are told that Uzziah became so proud that he acted corruptly for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with 80 other priests tried to stop him explaining that only the Levites could burn the incense. But Uzziah was not to be stopped, he persisted and then came his punishment. 

So the name Uzziah became associated with an earthquake mentioned in both Zechariah and Amos:

You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! Zech 14:5

The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he envisioned in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. Amos 1:1

So now let’s turn to the Historian Josephus who lived at the time of Christ to fill in the blanks ….Antiquities of the Jews book 9 chapter 11 section 4

 [About An. 766.] While Uzziah was in this state, and making preparation [for futurity,] he was corrupted in his mind by pride, and became insolent; and this on account of that abundance which he had of things that will soon perish; and despised that power which is of eternal duration: (which consisted in piety towards God, and in the observation of the laws:) so he fell by occasion of the good success of his affairs; and was carried headlong into those sins of his fathers, which the splendour of that prosperity he enjoyed, and the glorious actions he had done, led him into: while he was not able to govern himself well about them. Accordingly when a remarkable day was come, and a general festival was to be celebrated, he put on the holy garment, and went into the temple to offer incense to God upon the golden altar; which he was prohibited to do by Azariah the High Priest, who had fourscore Priests with him, and who told him, that it was not lawful for him to offer sacrifice: and that “None besides the posterity of Aaron were permitted so to do.” And when they cried out, that he must go out of the temple, and not transgress against God, he was wroth at them, and threatened to kill them, unless they would hold their peace. In the mean time a great earthquake shook the ground, and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it; (22) and fell upon the King’s face; insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately. And before the city, at a place called Eroge, half the mountain broke off from the rest on the west, and rolled it self four furlongs, and stood still at the east mountain; till the roads, as well as the King’s gardens, were spoiled by the obstruction. Now as soon as the Priests saw that the King’s face was infected with the leprosy, they told him of the calamity he was under, and commanded that he should go out of the city, as a polluted person. Hereupon he was so confounded at the sad distemper, and sensible that he was not at liberty to contradict; that he did as he was commanded; and underwent this miserable and terrible punishment for an intention beyond what befited a man to have, and for that impiety against God which was implied therein. So he abode out of the city for some time, and lived a private life: while his son Jotham took the government. After which he died with grief and anxiety at what had happened to him; when he had lived sixty eight years, and reigned of them fifty-two.²² And was buried by himself in his own gardens.

The reason this story is so important to me is because it is a good reminder to both walk in humility and to stay in my lane. What a terrible way for a man to spend his last days having served God in his former days. 

The Strange Behaving Lion (1 Kings 13)

My final story is a very strange one indeed. There  was a young prophet who God called with some very specific instructions. He was to go to Bethel to prophecy when he arrived he saw Jeroboam the king of Israel burning incense by a false altar. He than utters a powerful prophetic word over the altar he said that one day a man named Josiah would come and burn the bones of false prophets on the altar (this happened 300 years later) and he would give a sign that the altar would be split and the ashes would be poured out. 

Jeroboam now enraged pointed his finger at the prophet and said, “seize him”, and immediately his arm was paralyzed. Jeroboam begged the prophet to call upon God to heal him and he did so. 

Now it was time to return home, and there was an older prophet living in the land who went to met him and ask him to have dinner at his home. But when approached the younger prophet said he could not because God had told him not to stop anywhere or eat with anyone along the way. 

Now the older prophet lied to him and said God had appeared to him and countermanded his original instructions and the young prophet fell for it. Just after dinner the Spirit spoke through the older prophet and said since the younger had disobeyed God that his body would not return to the grave of his fathers. 

Now the younger man started home and was met by a lion in the middle of the road who killed him. But the strange thing was the lion did not eat him or his donkey. The old prophet heard what had happened and went up to the scene untouched by the lion. He took the young prophet home with him buried him in his grave and told his sons to bury him  in the same grave as the young prophet. 

Wow, what a story ! I know you probably have a hundred questions about this one, but what I take away from the story is; Always obey God, regardless of what man may say to you, even if they are a man or woman of God. Obey God every time and always. Amen.

Pastor Art Snow | July 10, 2022

Edited and Adapted for Web Use by: Eric Muñoz Jr.