The Invisibles: Bible Characters Christians Never Discuss, But Should
The most popular article in the history of REO is our “Top Ten Favorite Bible Characters“. On that list, you find some of the most amazing humans that ever lived and we are blessed to get to read about them in our Bibles.
But that list was quite predictable, on purpose. The most well known Bible characters are so for a reason. They did incredible things and lived exemplary lives. Today, however, I want to go beyond the obvious and talk about a few Bible characters that deserve accolades but almost never get them. These people also did incredible things but because they weren’t as prominent as Moses or Paul, they rarely get taught about in Bible studies or discussed among the great people of the faith.
Today I want to give them their due. Here are a few Bible characters that rarely get discussed but deserve full sermons dedicated to them.
Bezalel and Oholiab
Listen to what Exodus says about these men:
Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills…
Now let me pause here and wonder if a person doesn’t know the rest of the chapter, what kind of call would you think Bezalel had on his life? I mean, he is filled with the Spirit and wisdom and understanding. Is he a priest? A Levite? A prophet?
None of the above. Here is what he and his chosen assistant Oholiab were filled with the Spirit and with wisdom to do…
—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan0, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.“
They were filled with the Spirit and wisdom to work with their hands! Christians need to understand and teach the biblical significance of men and women laity who do blue collar jobs (and any non-pastoring jobs). In the Old Testament, they were spiritually qualified by God to the highest level, using phrases we’d use for the most significant spiritual offices. And since the New Testament teaches the priesthood of all believers, I’d say all Christian accountants, janitors, teachers, and electricians are today as well.
We need to teach jobs as ministries. These men help us do that.
Onesiphorus
I owe Tim Campbell for teaching about this man to a chapel full of students at Welch College 20 years ago. Other than a greeting in 2nd Timothy, the extent of what Paul writes about Onesiphorus can be found in two verses in 1 Timothy:
“May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me.“
What a short, but significant tribute! Not all Bible characters get to be Paul, but to be the person that loves and encourages Paul like this? That’s someone worth teaching Christians about. May we all be the kind of person who refreshes others, who isn’t ashamed of them even when other reject them, and who seeks them out. I long for that kind of testimony.
Asaph and the Sons of Korah
Note that just because a Psalm is “of” someone, this does not mean that the person wrote it. It could be dedicated to that person or something similar. Yet I think it is very likely that Asaph and Korah’s sons wrote the biblical psalms that bear their names.
Considering how deeply music speaks to our souls, confirmed by God by inspiring our biggest Bible book to be a hymnbook, we should know who wrote the greatest songs of the faith that Israel praised God with. Between Asaph and the sons of Korah you find many of the Psalms that have inspired some of the great modern Christian worship songs. Like Psalm 42 (“As The Deer”) and Psalm 84 (“Better Is One Day In Your Courts”). And even the less well-known but profoundly lyrical Psalm 73, which is found by that name in Indelible Grace Music1.
But even more important to me, Asaph and the sons of Korah penned several heart-wrenching lament psalms. Like Psalms 44, 80 and 88. Psalm 80 contains the refrain, “O Lord God of hosts, cause your face to shine on us, that we may be saved” three times. Which Michael W. Smith turned into a modern hymn as well. As far as I know, Psalm 88 has not been turned into a popular modern song. But perhaps that is because it is one of the few psalms that doesn’t end on a hopeful note. It exits still in the darkness. For that reason, it may be my favorite psalm of all.
Both Asaph and the sons of Korah played a huge part not only in writing but leading Israel in musical worship2. These are Bible characters Christians should know.
Micaiah
No, not Malachi or Micah. Micaiah, a prophet so unknown that my computer is giving me the red squiggly line under his name right now. He prophesied during the time of King Ahab and what a thankless, demeaning job that must have been.
We get a taste of what his life was like in 1 Kings 22 (and its parallel, 2 Chronicles 18) when Ahab calls him in to advise him about going to war with Ramoth Gilead. It is obvious that Micaiah never prophesies anything good for Ahab because the wicked king says so plainly. It appears that this is the case because Micaiah intends only to speak the truth. And this obviously happens over and over and this has to weigh on his psyche.
It’s possible we even get a bit of sarcasm here from the noble prophet. Because at first he tells Ahab to go to war and Ahab knows he’s not being serious. But Micaiah then speaks the harsh predictive reality to him. And instead of receiving thanks for the warning, he ends up with a smack to the face. A mere four chapters after Elijah calls down fire from Heaven, another similar prophet is taking inglorious shots to the face in a rather mundane existence. For this, he deserves our respect.
Zelophehad’s Daughters
The cultures of the Bible were so demeaning to women by our modern standards. So we need to preach stories like the bravery of these women. And how they stood up to Moses on behalf of giving them their father’s inheritance. Zelophehad was a righteous man but had no son. So they boldly stood before one of the most significant leaders in the history of the world. And asked for justice. And God took their side. There was no doubt about that because he spoke directly in the passage to affirm their position.
We throw around justice so much in American Christian vernacular I hope we don’t miss what it really is. It has been and always will be doing what is right by those who are denied things they deserve. That is the heart of these few verses in Numbers. So here’s to Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah–women of great character that we should honor.
So, at least for today, that is my list. Who are some under-appreciated Bible characters you wish we talked more about?
- If You Love Andrew Peterson’s “The Sower’s Song,” Read This - November 8, 2024
- The Chosen and Being Helpless In Grief - September 10, 2024
- The Transcendent Grit of Caitlin Clark - September 5, 2024
Discover more from Rambling Ever On
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Thanks for that list. It makes for some good sermon series material. It’s funny, I’ve actually preached on Michaiah and Onesiphorus this year, but I’ll have to look into Bezalel and Oholiab, that would make an interesting study.
One of my favorite “forgotten” characters is Shamgar, the judge who is mentioned a couple of times, but only described in one verse, Judges 3:31. I think he’s a good example of resourcefulness in service to the Lord. The servant girl of Naaman’s wife is 2 Kings 5:2-3 is an interesting character as well. And while he’s not forgotten, I think Andrew is overlooked a lot.
Oh, and Jabez too, you just don’t hear enough about him.
LOL. We are so much on the same wavelength. I seriously had a snarky comment about Jabez in the opening but took it out. I also seriously considered the servant girl of Naaman’s wife and may to a sequel to this article to try to include more people like that. At 1300 words it was about time to cut it off. Plus, I LOVE ramblingeveron sequels.
Shamgar and Andrew are great ones too.
I hypocritically have not preached on either of the ones you named, but did just do a sermon on Bezalel and Oholiab, because my church has so many electricians, carpenters and plumbers. And I wonder if they view clergy as “up there”. And in an interesting twist, I kept forgetting their names during the sermon.
I’ve always been intrigued by a lot of the judges there is very little information about. There are some interesting characters that may have two or three sentences about them. You know there has got to be a great story behind it.
Our school in Panama required us to read a book about the servant girl – in the Naaman story.
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Maid-Israel-Bill-Harvey/dp/1562650076
That’s awesome. I wish we knew more about her. But then again, who am I to question God? Lol.
I’ve heard many sermons on Amnon from 2 Samuel 13. But less is mentioned about his friend, Jonadab. I don’t think Christians should be scared to discuss negative influences in Scripture like Jonadab. He was a terrible “friend,” if that’s what you want to call him.
Also, he is discussed some, but I think King Josiah is often overlooked in favor of other kings. There is some very interesting language spoken about him that is not said about any other king in Judah. He is a great example of what a young man should do in learning how to lead properly. Nothing negative is ever said about him.
You already mentioned Asaph and the Sons of Korah. But one name that jumped out to me about a month ago from 1 Chronicles 15:22 when I was reading through it again was Chenaniah. The verse says that he “should direct the music, for he understood it.” I would have loved to meet him and see him in action. He was the first maestro. As a matter of fact, 1 Chronicles 15-17 and 22-29 are full of Bible characters that are never discussed, but should be. It’s amazing how much detail David put into establishing Israel’s collective worship of God. Solomon continued David’s principles of corporate worship in 2 Chronicles 1-6.
Another man never discussed is Enoch. The guy only lived so righteously that God permitted him to escape death, yet we don’t discuss him much. I would’ve loved to hear his conversations with the Almighty.
I’ve also been very partial to David’s mighty man, Benaiah. He killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. That’s impressive!
Great choices. The “For he understood it” is a great quote. It reminds me of my article on how everyone is a Genius at something. Everyone “Understands” something, even if it isn’t their 40 hour a week job and can really make a difference in the kingdom with their understanding. I hadn’t noticed that phrase before .
God is creative. We are made in his image, and that means with a propensity to create. The building of the Tabernacle clearly show God intends for worship to be beautiful and creative. Appreciate the artists in your church and give them visibility for their art. Appreciate the afghan or quilt lovingly created by the lady in your church. Give your kids space and means to create. Let their creativity bless the people of God.
My testimony on this is that with an impending visit to a friend, I cross stitched a Scripture with a grape motif. It exactly matched the wallpaper in my friend’s kitchen I had never seen before. She had a hammer and tacks I the kitchen drawer, and it looked as if it was made for the room. That’s God.
More recently I visited family and learned an extended family member would be celebrating a birthday. I had the materials with me to create a bracelet. She loved it. That’s God.
This is why wives decorate their homes. It’s God blessing the family with creativity. Encourage it and celebrate it.
These are also the types of characters that often end up in parodies by Apologetix (e.g,. “Sweet Oholibamah”/”Sweet Home Alabama”, “Sa-maria”/”My Maria”, etc.). Good stuff! Thanks for the list; I look forward to the sequel.