Palace Bible Stories

Jonah was a prophet who didn’t really want to do what God asked of him. When God said, “Go to the city of Nineveh and persuade the people to change their wicked ways, “Jonah ran off in the opposite direction and boarded a sailing ship going far away. But God sent a violent storm to toss the ship about. Jonah told the terrified sailors that he had probably made God angry. “Throw me into the sea,” said Jonah, “and the storm will die down.” The sailors reluctantly threw Jonah over the side of the ship and immediately the wind dropped. Then God commanded a big fish to swallow Jonah, and after three days and nights the big fish spewed him safely on to a beach. Jonah immediately thanked God for saving his life. “Now go to Nineveh with my message!” said God. The people listened to Jonah and were sorry for their wicked ways, so God forgave them.

Jonah was angry that God should show mercy to these people. He sat down under a tree and sulked, but God said to him, “Jonah, you feel sorry for this tree that meant nothing to you. Won’t you let me feel sorry for all the people of Nineveh?” In this way, God showed that his love was for people of all nations, not just the people of Israel.

Jesus sent his twelve disciples out into the countryside in pairs, to continue his work of teaching and healing among the people. When they returned, he could see they were very tired and needed to rest. So they set off by boat, heading for a quiet place near Bethsaida where they could be by themselves. However, some people saw them leave and guessed where they were going. Before long, people from all the towns and villages around were hurrying to get there ahead of them. When Jesus stepped ashore, he could see a huge crowd waiting for him and he felt sorry for them. “They are like sheep without a shepherd,” he said. And he talked to them and taught them for some time. As the day drew to a close, the disciples came up to Jesus. “It’s getting late,” they said. “You should send these people to the villages, away from this lonely place, so they can get food.” “Give them something to eat yourselves,” said Jesus. They were shocked. “What? Are we to spend a fortune on bread for them all.”

“How many loaves do you have?” asked Jesus. “And how many fish? Go and see.” They reported that they had five loaves and two fish. Jesus told them to gather the people together in groups. He took the loaves and fish and looked up to heaven and gave thanks. Then he handed them to his disciples and instructed them to share them out among the people. There were over five thousand people in the crowd: everyone ate as much as they wanted, and still there were twelve baskets of scraps left over.

One day four men came to the house where Jesus was teaching, carrying a friend on a stretcher. The man was paralysed and could not walk, and his friends believed Jesus could heal him. They could not get past the crowds in the house, so they carried their friend up to the flat roof. Removing some of the roof tiles, they then lowered the stretcher down gently until it came to rest on the floor in front of Jesus. Jesus was pleased with their faith in him. He said to the paralysed man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.”

This made some of the people in the crowd very angry, “Only God can forgive sins,” they said. Jesus knew what they were saying. “Which is easier?” he asked them. “To say to this man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up and walk.’? To prove to you that I am the Son of God and able to forgive sins, I say to this man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home!’” To the shock and amazement of everyone in the room, the man got up from his stretcher, rolled it up and walked away. They all praised God. “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” they said.

One day King Hezekiah became very ill. Everyone expected him to die, but he prayed earnestly to God, and with Prophet Isaiah’s help, King Hezekiah finally grew stronger and recovered. Not long afterwards, there came an Ambassador from a distant country. The Israelites had many enemies at this time and the King has to be wise and careful so as to protect his people. Sometimes the enemies can be very cunning and can pretend to be a friend, but secretly is really an enemy out to find ways to hurt God’s people. This Ambassador came from Babylon, bringing presents from the Babylonian King, who had heard of King Hezekiah’s illness.

King Hezekiah was delighted with the Ambassador’s visit, and eagerly showed the Ambassador all over the Palace, including the Treasury, the Armoury and the Storehouses. He did not take precautions to find out whether this visitor is a friend or foe. In an act of carelessness, King Hezekiah fell into the trap of the Babylonian Ambassador who had come secretly to spy out the Kingdom with an evil intention to conquer it. Alas, King Hezekiah did not realised the evil intention of his visitor. Not long after, the Prophet Isaiah came to the Palace and spoke with King Hezekiah, “Where has this Ambassador come from?” he asked King Hezekiah. “What have you shown him?’

Hezekiah explained that the Ambassador came from the distant country of Babylon, and that he had shown him everything. “Listen, King Hezekiah,” said Prophet Isaiah. “The day will come when everything in your Palace will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left. Even your sons will be taken to the Palace there.” But King Hezekiah was stubborn. He did not listened to Prophet Isaiah’s warning and did not bother to prepare his people against the threat by the Babylonians. As long as he enjoyed peace in his own lifetime, he was not concerned with what might follow. This was a foolish act by King Hezekiah. By not heeding God’s warning and seeking to ask God for help, the Israelites eventually fell under the attacks of the Babylonians and were taken away captive to Babylon.

Although he grew up in a palace, Moses knew that his people suffered greatly at the hands of the Egyptians and it made him very angry. One day he saw an Egyptian guard hitting a slave. Moses was so angry, he killed the guard and then had to flee for his own life. He escaped into the desert of Midian, where he became a shepherd for a holy man called Jethro. Before long, he married Jethro’s daughter. One day, Moses was leading Jethro’s sheep in search of water in the desert, when he came to the holy mountain of Sinai. There, Moses noticed a bush that seemed to be on fire, yet it did not burn away. He went to take a closer look, and suddenly the voice of God spoke: “Moses, do not come any nearer. Take off your sandals, for this is holy ground. I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”

Moses immediately knelt down and covered his face, he was so afraid. “I have seen the suffering of my people and heard their prayers for help,” God said, “and I want you to go back to Egypt to set them free. Tell them I sent you.” Moses was scared and wanted to make excuses. He said “But what if they won’t listen to me?” asked Moses. “What if they don’t believe you have sent me?” “Throw your staff on the ground,” said God. Moses did as God asked. Immediately the staff turned into a snake and Moses leaped back in fear. “Pick it up by the tail,” said God. Moses did so and it turned back into a staff. “With this,” said God, “you will convince them that the Lord God of their fathers has really sent you.” This was how God called Moses to deliver His people from Pharaoh. Wow!

Abraham was now very old, and Sarah had already died, by the time Isaac had grown up. Abraham knew that he must find a wife for Isaac so that his family could increase and become the people of God. He called his most faithful servant and sent him with a string of camels laden with gifts to Mesopotamia to seek a wife for Isaac from amongst his people there in obedience to God’s leading. Evening came when the servant arrived at Mesopotamia and it was the time of day when the women will come outside the city gates to fetch water from the well. Abraham’s servant then prayed to God, asking God to give him a sign to help him choose the right wife for Isaac. He would ask for a drink at the well and the young woman who offers to water his camels would be the sign from God to let him know that she is the one chosen by God for Isaac.

Just as he has finished praying, a very beautiful young woman walked up to the well to fill her water jug. The servant then asked her if she could spare him a drink. “Drink, my lord,” she said, and she held out her jug for him. “And when you have finished, I’ll draw some water for your camels as well.”

The servant was overjoyed and knew God had answered his prayers and he had found the wife God had chosen for Isaac. The young woman’s name was Rebecca. Her father gave his blessing to the proposed marriage, and Rebecca decided to return at once with Abraham’s servant to meet her husband. Early next morning they immediately set out for the land of Canaan. Isaac was praying out in the fields when he lifted his eyes and saw the camel train coming. He was so excited and ran quickly to meet them. When he saw Rebecca, he was overjoyed and took Rebecca by the hand! He loved her immediately. They then got married and lived happily ever after in the joy of God’s love. God’s faithfulness is truly remarkable when we trust and obey Him.

When Ahab became king of Israel, his wicked wife Jezebel brought from her own country hundreds of priests of Baal, and set about executing all the prophets of the Lord God she could find. As a result of their wickedness, God sent his prophet Elijah to warn King Ahab that there will be a great drought in Israel lasting many years. After delivering his message, Elijah had to hide in the desert, to escape from Jezebel. God cared for Elijah. Each day God sent ravens to bring bread and meat for him to eat and God also provided water for Elijah to drink from a brook.

When the brook dried up, God sent Elijah to the city of Sidon. At the city gates, Elijah met a widow gathering sticks. He asked her for a drink of water and some food. “I have no bread,” said the woman, “but only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I shall make my son and myself a last meal, and then we will die.”

“Don’t be afraid,” said Elijah. “Cook your meal, but bring some for me as well, and you will find that the jar of flour will never be used up, or the jug of oil emptied, until this drought comes to an end.” There was not only enough food for them all, but the flour and oil never ran out, just as Elijah had promised.

After some days the widow’s son fell very ill and died. “Why have you allowed my son to be taken from me?” she cried to Elijah. Elijah took the boy and prayed over him, and after a while he came back to life. Overjoyed, the widow said, “Now I know that you are a man of God and the word of God that you speak is truth.”