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Bible Nobodies Who Became Somebodies: 50 Inspirational Characters Who Prove that Anyone Can Be Special in God's Kingdom
One of the lessons gained from the staggering success of The Prayer of Jabez is that even the most obscure biblical characters and stories have profound lessons to teach GodÕs people. The Bible is filled with many fascinating individuals who lived their lives in the shadowlands of insignificance. Tucked away here and there in the pages of sacred Scripture, we may have passed over them as irrelevant nobodies, yet many of them lived their lives in faith and obedience to God despite facing overwhelming odds.
God included their stories in the Scriptures for a reason, and though we might consider them Bible nobodies, they truly were somebodies. We discover that God used people from all walks of life, not just the familiar superstars. The moments of destiny in the lives of these ordinary people will rekindle a spark of hope for that same destiny for our lives today.
Fifty engaging biblical characters are set forth in ReaderÕs Digest-length readings, and each chapter is filled with insight, inspiration, and practical application. Compiled and significantly adapted or rewritten for todayÕs reader from the classic writings of numerous legendary Christian expositors, such as Charles Spurgeon and others, these readings provide timeless truth that is as relevant today as the day they were penned.
God included their stories in the Scriptures for a reason, and though we might consider them Bible nobodies, they truly were somebodies. We discover that God used people from all walks of life, not just the familiar superstars. The moments of destiny in the lives of these ordinary people will rekindle a spark of hope for that same destiny for our lives today.
Fifty engaging biblical characters are set forth in ReaderÕs Digest-length readings, and each chapter is filled with insight, inspiration, and practical application. Compiled and significantly adapted or rewritten for todayÕs reader from the classic writings of numerous legendary Christian expositors, such as Charles Spurgeon and others, these readings provide timeless truth that is as relevant today as the day they were penned.
- GenresChristian
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2004
369 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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July 18, 2018Love this book and the insights into how God used these "hidden" lives for His kingdom
November 14, 2022
Very interesting take on those who appear briefly in Scripture.
October 10, 2022
An Enjoyable and Eye-opening Read
I believe that many of us who become believers and followers of Christ, as we begin our new journey by reading the Bible, we mostly focus our attention on the people we determine to be the superstars of the Bible. And because of that we feel that we don't measure up to their level. It was a joy to have someone point out these people who are in the Bible that we, on occassion, overlook during our reading times. While these people's names don't appear on the list of people of great faith in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, some surely should be there. For instance, the Roman Centurion, the second thief on the cross and the poor woman who reached out to touch the hem of Jesus' garment and was instantly healed. We don't know their names but our Lord Jesus Christ does and they received their reward because of their faith in Him.
I believe that many of us who become believers and followers of Christ, as we begin our new journey by reading the Bible, we mostly focus our attention on the people we determine to be the superstars of the Bible. And because of that we feel that we don't measure up to their level. It was a joy to have someone point out these people who are in the Bible that we, on occassion, overlook during our reading times. While these people's names don't appear on the list of people of great faith in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, some surely should be there. For instance, the Roman Centurion, the second thief on the cross and the poor woman who reached out to touch the hem of Jesus' garment and was instantly healed. We don't know their names but our Lord Jesus Christ does and they received their reward because of their faith in Him.
December 24, 2024
POWERFUL
An empowering read that emphasizes on the nameless people of the Bible that made history along the way. The author sheds a bright light on their virtues & deeds making this book a beautiful read for our century
An empowering read that emphasizes on the nameless people of the Bible that made history along the way. The author sheds a bright light on their virtues & deeds making this book a beautiful read for our century
February 5, 2025
Amazing
Made me ponder the lives and faith of some obscure characters in the Bible I had never really bothered to examine closely. My faith is enriched and so inspired that truly God uses the lowly to shame the weak...to His eternal glory! A worthy purchase and convicting read!
Made me ponder the lives and faith of some obscure characters in the Bible I had never really bothered to examine closely. My faith is enriched and so inspired that truly God uses the lowly to shame the weak...to His eternal glory! A worthy purchase and convicting read!
June 6, 2022
This was a delightful book. I read this in small bits on my Kindle. While I did not learn much I did not alreaddy know I found these fifty vignette were interesting.
February 4, 2023
Great insight to so many of God's people.
April 20, 2024
An inspiring book!
I not only learned to look beyond the named people in the Bible stories, but was encouraged that unnamed people were included.
I not only learned to look beyond the named people in the Bible stories, but was encouraged that unnamed people were included.
February 17, 2021
I read this as part of a men's Bible study small group. We meet every other week and we read two chapters for each meeting. So this took us about a year to get through doing it that way.
The good: The reason I really liked this is because it emphasized that ALL of us have a place in God's story. Even if we think that we are insignificant and do not matter, there are people JUST like that all through the pages of the Bible. And while their parts can seem small to them, they still are part of the story and sometimes in much bigger ways, ultimately, than you would think. Without Rahab, for example, there would be no Jesus.
The less good: The authors took a lot of liberties, here. MANY of the people that they talked about have only one or two lines in the Bible text. The authors created back stories for some of these characters that may have had no basis in reality. The text does not state it. It is PURE speculation on the part of the authors. So much of what is in here may be totally inaccurate and wrong. For me, that really detracted from the book in many ways. I understand that every author has a point they are trying to make. But for me, this turned what was largely supposed to be a factual and historical book into a more fictional work.
Also...on numerous occasions, the people in the stories go unnamed. So their "nobody-ness" renders them anonymous. Yes, they are part of the Bible. But so are lots of other people that the authors could have picked instead. In the greater scheme of the book, this is okay, because it emphasizes the point that they were such nobodies that they are not even named. And yet they had a part to play and sometimes a big one. But it is harder to relate to people that are not named.
The good: The reason I really liked this is because it emphasized that ALL of us have a place in God's story. Even if we think that we are insignificant and do not matter, there are people JUST like that all through the pages of the Bible. And while their parts can seem small to them, they still are part of the story and sometimes in much bigger ways, ultimately, than you would think. Without Rahab, for example, there would be no Jesus.
The less good: The authors took a lot of liberties, here. MANY of the people that they talked about have only one or two lines in the Bible text. The authors created back stories for some of these characters that may have had no basis in reality. The text does not state it. It is PURE speculation on the part of the authors. So much of what is in here may be totally inaccurate and wrong. For me, that really detracted from the book in many ways. I understand that every author has a point they are trying to make. But for me, this turned what was largely supposed to be a factual and historical book into a more fictional work.
Also...on numerous occasions, the people in the stories go unnamed. So their "nobody-ness" renders them anonymous. Yes, they are part of the Bible. But so are lots of other people that the authors could have picked instead. In the greater scheme of the book, this is okay, because it emphasizes the point that they were such nobodies that they are not even named. And yet they had a part to play and sometimes a big one. But it is harder to relate to people that are not named.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews