HER CHARACTER:  An inhabitant of Joppa, a town on the Mediterranean coast, thirty-five miles northwest of Jerusalem, she belonged to one of the earliest Chris tian congrega-tions. She was a disciple known for her practical works of mercy. HER SORROW:  To have suffered a grave illness. HER JOY: To serve Jesus by serving the poor. STORY IN BRIEF: Dorcas, whose Hebrew is " Tabitha" or " Gazelle", was a disciple of The Lord Jesus - Dorcas learned of The Lord, and followed Him, forsaking her world, previous jobs and lifestyle. Dorcas was a kind - hearted lady who demonstrated her belief in Jesus by her generosity - she sewed to clothe the poor and baked to feed them. One day, she fell sick to death. So Peter's attention had been drawn to this. Peter had just healed a crippled in a city close by. Peter successfully prayed for Tabitha and she was revived.  REFERENCE SCRIPTURES: ACTS 9:36-43

  CHARACTERISTICS: A Gentile adherent of Judaism, she was a successful businesswoman who sold a type of cloth prized for its purple color. As head of her household, she may have been either widowed or single. So strong was her faith that her entire household followed her example and was baptized. She extended hospitality to Paul and his companions, even after their imprisonment. Her Sorrow: To see Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into prison for the sake of the gospel she had embraced. Her Joy:  That God’s Spirit directed Paul and his companions to Macedonia, enabling her and others at Philippi to hear the gospel for the first time. STORY IN BRIEF: Lydia, a business woman who made her living by selling clothes, lived in Philippi, Macedonia. She was a gentile but Judaism-addict. Paul had a vision where a man pleaded that he came to Macedonia with the gospel. So he headed there. After sharing the good news with the Philippines along the coast, Lydia and her household believed and were ba

  STORY IN BRIEF: Though a Gentile, she addressed Jesus as “Lord, Son of David.” Her great faith resulted in her daughter’s deliverance. A gentile whose daughter was demon-possessed. She, on learning that Jesus came to Tyre, followed through for her daughter's deliverance. Though, there was a thick hedge of crowd, she pressed on to meet with The Lord. Now, Jesus would not mind her pleas. His disciples suggested that He sent away the woman,but The Lord's response only urged the woman; Jesus told his desciples He came for the lost sheep. When the gentile implored Him more, Jesus responded that it was not right to throw the children's bread to the dogs. But the Syrophoenician replied that even the dogs benefit from the crumbs that fall off the master's table. Then, Jesus said to her, "thy request has been granted; go in peace ! ". So the woman returned and realised her daughter was healed in that very hour.  REFERENCE SCRIPTURES: Matthew 15:21 – 28; Mark 7:24 – 3

  MEANING OF NAME: The Lord gives graciously. STORY IN BRIEF: A wealthy woman who worked in the courts of Herod Antipas. Her husband, Cuza, was also the estate manager of Herod Antipas. Joanna followed The Lord on missions, supported His Ministry with her gifts, and was privileged to have witnessed the resurrection of Jesus. These happened after The Lord delivered her from demonic obsessions. Obviously, Joanna would have attempted winning Herod Antipas over to Jesus. But her Spirit probably was dared when Herod beheaded John for Herodias and Salomey. SHORT BACKGROUND ON HEALING: Healing, from ancient Bible days, was seen more as spiritual than physical. Egyptian physicians would often drill holes in the heads of patients in order to create an exit for these "ailment-causing spirits". There were medical doctors, yet most patients were rather sent to the priest-physicians. REFERENCE SCRIPTURES: Luke 8:1 – 3; 24:10 (and Matthew 14:1 – 12) Luke 23:7 – 12

  HER CHARACTER: She was a notorious sinner, possibly a prostitute or adulteress. Rather than trying to defend what was indefensible in her life, she admitted her sin and made a spectacle of herself in a passionate display of love and gratitude. STORY IN BRIEF: She was a notorious prostitute or adulterous woman that followed Jesus to Simon's house. There, she kissed The Lord's feet, mobbed it with her tears, wipped wit her hair and finally perfumed it. Simon, surprised at Jesus' silence, loudly thought, " would the son of our holy Father just watch on without repelling this sinful woman? " Jesus quickly narrated to Simon - a creditor cancelled his debtors debt( one 50 denarri, the other 500 denarri). Then, He asked Simon which of the two debtors he thought would be most appreciative. When Simon judged right, saying it would be the debtor with much debt, Jesus explained that it was the reason the woman did as much; she perceived that her much sins would be forgiven

MEANING: Grace. SORROW: As a widow, she would probably have been among the most vulnerable members of society, with no one to provide for her financially or to take care of her if her health failed. JOY: That her own eyes beheld the Messiah she had longed to see. STORY IN BRIEF: Anna, a Prophetess from the tribe of Asher, became a widow after seven years of marriage. She spent whole of her widowhood fasting and praying to God. Anna worshipped in Herod's temple. This temple had tour segments - the outer court for Gentiles or non-Jews; the inner court divided into Women's and Israelites'; the Priestly court for the Leviticus Priests which also surrounded the temple. Anna could only access the Women's court yet God was merciful to her - She witnessed the Messiah; while Anna worshipped in the temple one day, Someon came holding the baby Jesus in his laps. REFERENCE SCRIPTURES: Luke 2 : 22 - 38

  NAME MEANING : Heroic CHARACTER : A proud woman, she used her daughter to manipulate her husband into doing her will. She acted arrogantly, from beginning to end, in complete disregard for the laws of the land. STORY IN BRIEF : Herod, the great accomplished much for his subjects yet committed so much atrocities also. He build completed great projects, including building the temple. But he killed the Jews, and his own wife. Even on his day of death, he ordered for the killing of the Jewish leaders though they were finally saved after his death. Herodias was his granddaughter. Yet she got married to another son of his, Philip Herod. Herodias lived in Rome with her husband. But when Antipas Herod visited them, things took a different turn. Herodias got attracted to his husband's brother - Antipas, who was the governor over some states. The two then divorced their partners and became couples. Now John, the baptist whose message of righteousness hurt Herodias, got imprisoned later by

  MEANING OF NAME: God is strong or The Man God strengthens STORY IN BRIEF: Ezekiel, son of Buzzi, like Jeremiah, started first as a priest, but later had the calling of a Prophet at age thirty. He served in the Temple of Jerusalem that was later destroyed by the Babylonians. In the midst of events, God warned that the desire of his eye would die. And after his wife died, he was disallowed from publicly wailing - a sign of how Israel would suffer in the hands of their captivators without lamenting.  While in exile ( in Babylon by the River Chebar), the Prophet, also an artist, made a model of Jerusalem city, laid prostate and always prophesied over it. He either used symbols or demonstrations to deliver his messages. Ezekiel acted strangely because of the strange nature of his visions; he would either cut his hair and burn it, or he totally went dumb for a period of time. He had two major metaphorical visions where God - Israel's husband, was betayed by his wife after He had glorif

  MEANING :  Completion STORY IN BRIEF: Gomer - wife of The Prophet, Hosea, mocked at her husband's tenderness while allowing other men to seduce her upon squandering her husband's gifts. Earlier, The Lord instructed Prophet Hosea to marry a whore from an adulterous nation, so he did. And the names of their three children, meaning: "God scatters" , "Not loved"  and "Not my people", pronounced the severity of the Prophet's seperation from his wife. Hosea is now heart-broken. The Lord does not only see the fulfilment of God's Word in His life; God teaches him lessons from Israel's unfaithfulness through her wife's misdeeds. Finally, God asks Him to still love his wife just as He, God, still loves Israel inspite of their stubbornness. When the Prophet did, his wife returned and their love life was restored. FURTHER READINGS: Hosea 1-3

Rizpar was one of Saul's concubines. She stood and witnessed the gruesome murder of her two sons -  Armoni and Mephibosheth.  More disdainful to her is the fact that the two were not burried; they were left to rot contrary to the prevalent tradition of burrying the dead within the next 24hours.  With sorrow, Rizpar spent days and nights with the corpses ensuring that they were neither swamped nor dragged away by any animals. Soon enough, King David noticed her discomfort, and was moved by her attitude; David ordered for the burrying of Rizpar's sons, the remains of their father, Saul and that of Jonathan. BACKGROUND:  Joshua promised that Israel would be at peace with the Gibeonites. But Saul broke that oath, killing as many Gibeonites as he could in his time. In retallating, the Gibeonites asked David for seven of Saul's son whom they murdered in the presence of Rizpar. LESSONS:   1. Customes can be broken; protocols are skipable. If only we consistently remain loyal and

  MEANING OF NAME:   Acquisition, fabrication or possessed.  STORY IN BRIEF: Eldest son of Adam and Eve, the first man to be born naturally, and founder of the family of Kenites (Kenite is called Kain in the Hebrew) The terrible story of Cain proves how quickly man’s fallen nature developed. Soon after that, he became desperately wicked; it was by him Polygamy started.  By calling Cain was an agriculturist, but he was not happy in his calling since he did not fear God. His heart became jealous as he witnessed the happiness of his brother Abel and his favor with God. Ultimately he yielded to his jealous feelings and slew Abel, just as the Jews for envy sought Christ’s death. Because Cain’s heart was destitute of love, his sacrifice had no heart in it and was therefore miserable, worthless and unacceptable to God. “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.” Cain was right in his desire to bring an offering but wrong in his do

  MEANING :  Jehovah is salvation or God's Help. ALTERNATIVES : Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Jeshua, Jesus SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES: Joshua was a 1. slave - Joshua 24:15; 2. soldier - Joshua 5:13-15; 3. servant - Numbers  11:28; Josh. 1:1; 4. spy - Numbers 13:1-16; 5. saviour; 6.  stateman, and 7. Saint for the following reasons: He was filled with the Spirit of God (Deut. 34:9). He enjoyed the presence of God (Josh. 1:5; 6:27). He was indwelt by the word of God (Josh. 1:8). He was ever obedient to the will of God (Num. 32:12; Josh. 5:14). STORY IN BRIEF: His first name was "OSHEA" or "HOSHEA" meaning " HELP" . Joshua was the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim. Born during the weary years of bondage his nation suffered in Egypt under Pharaoh, Joshua knew something of the lash of the whip, the almost impossible task in the brick-fields, and the deep sigh of liberty. Joshua had also witnessed the moral and social degradation of his countrymen brought about by the ter

  NAME MEANING: Ishtar,” - the Babylonian Goddess of Love; Persian - “Star”; Hebrew - “Hadassah,” Means “Myrtle”    CHARACTER:  An orphan in a foreign land, she was willing to conceal her Jewish identity in a bid for a pagan king’s affection.  Esther seemed willing to made moral compromises by sleeping with the king and then taking part in a wedding that would necessarily have required her to pay homage to foreign gods. Even so, she displayed great courage in the midst of a crisis. Prior to risking her life for her people, she humbled herself by fasting and then put her considerable beauty, social grace, and wisdom in the ser vice of God’s plan. STORY IN BRIEF: Vashti - Queen of Persia, disobeyed Xerses' order that she presented herself before the noble festive gathering in Persia. So the King banished her. Now is the time for her replacement. Esther, a Jewish orphan and cousin to Modecai, was part of the King's harem. She successfully won the King's heart and became the ne

  MEANING OF NAME : ASKED FOR OR DEMANDED STORY IN BRIEF : Saul, son of Kirsh, and the first king of Israel was installed in a private manner by Samuel as the people would not accept Samuel's suggestion for the need of a King. Saul was not only anointed; the Spirit of God also filled him. For which reason he ably won some battles with the Israelites in the early years of his reign. And his followers would publicly recognise him thereafter. However, Samuel denounced Saul as King of Israel because God had rejected him for the blunders he committed - Saul autocratically made vows and patronised superstitions. David, whom Samuel anointed as the new king, was constantly hunted by Saul till he escaped to Philistia. So Saul only succeeded in sowing some form of discord between his children ( Michal and Jonathan) and David. Before his last fight against the Philistines, Saul still revoked the ghost of Samuel by the help of Nichomancers for some words courage, yet he was still rejected; Sau

  MEANING OF NAME : HEARD APPOINTED OF GOD, OR OFFERING OF GOD. STORY IN BRIEF : Samuel, the Nazarite, was the son of Hannah and Elkanah of Ephraim. He was the first Hebrew Prophet of Israel following Moses but the last before the judges. Just after his mother dedicated him to the Lord, he was made to serve in Eli's shiloh as a priest. For his special assignments for the Lord, Samuel was specially forbidden from taking wine, and touching dead body. He also dedicated the Power of his head to God by preserving his hair.  Samuel had his first major prophetic at about the age of twelve, which was against Eli's family guilt. Being a military leader also, he helped his people win battles against the Philistines. The Israelites rejected his proposal for the installation of a King so he would privately install Saul, King over them. But his action was publicly approved later when Saul's earlier years of leadership won the admiration of his subjects. Soon after, Saul's reign deve

  She lived in Jezreel, specifically along a road that links Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Being a generous woman, she agreed with her husband and made a resting place on the top of their building for Elisha who mostly plied that road. One day, when the shunamite saw Elisha travelling the road again with his servant she invited them over into her house and showed her kindness so much to the Prophet's satisfaction. Thus, Elisha sought through his servant, Geharzi, to reward her gesture but the woman sharply objected to it. The Prophet then asked his servant if there was any favour he could use his influence with the King of Israel to offer her but the woman would still reject that offer. So he asked Geharzi to suggest a reward for the woman. When the servant mentioned that the woman had no child, Elisha declared that they would have one a year's time from then, which the Lord also fulfilled. When this child died some years later, the woman went laid him in Elisha's room. But God r

  MEANING OF NAME :  Honey Bee CHARACTER :  Deborah was not just a political leader, but was also one who trusted in the faithfulness of Her God, resulting in their victory over foreign oppressors. HER REGRET :  Herpeople's faith had grown weak after deviating from their God. HER JOY :  Through her courageous and faithful leadership, God, again handed them victory over their opposers. STORY IN BRIEF :  Following the reign of Joshua and Rahab, was DEBORAH - the prophetess. Deborah was not dispirited like her fellow Israelites but rather remained loyal and strong in God.   Israelites, would practise idolatory after conquering the gateway to Caanan ( Jericho). Thus, they became timid and discouraged in the face of the uprising Canaanites led by their king, Sisera. But Deborah would keep her trust in the God that brought them this far. She joined Barak and his thousands of men in an attack at the Canaanites. And God was faithful - He granted them Victory as Sisera's forces were hit

  NAME MEANING : Dainty One CHARACTER : she was very resolute and purposeful in realising her selfish aims. STORY IN BRIEF : Delilah, an irrestibly pretty prostitute, whose nationality has not been disclosed in the Bible was Sampson's lover.  She offered to help the Philistines out in capturing her Nazarite lover - Sampson, for a very substantial amount. So Delilah would aften coax Sampson into uncovering the secret of his strength. But she was deceived on the first two attempts by her lover. Sampson, however, fell for her lover's ploy on her a third attempt; the Philistines pounded on him, plugged out his two eyes and imprisoned him in Gaza. For his blindness, Sampson's growing hair was ignored by the Philistines, who would rather focus on celebrating the Victory their god, Gadon, gave them over the Nazarite.  FURTHER READINGS : Judges 16:4 – 22.

  MEANING OF NAME : Drawn forth or taken out of water. PROFILE OR CHARACTER : historian, orator, leader, statesman, legislator and a patriot. REGRET : Moses could not enter the promised land. JOY : Not only did he successfully bring out the Israelites from Egypt, but he had the privilege to be called, " Friend of God."  STORY IN BRIEF:   MOSES, a son of Jechrobe and Amram, and the last of Aeron and Miriam. Moses was born at the time Pharaoh ordered that all Israelites young males be killed. So her mum had to preserve him till she was ordered to go leave him at the bank of a river. Pharaoh's daughter who later found Moses in a basket on the river, cared for him in their palace through his maturity. God would later call Moses by the burning bush and task him to lead out the Israelites out of Egypt.  Moses did not only achieve that but also successfully brought his followers out through the red sea. Moses was burried by God in Moab, at the summit of Nebo's mountain wher

MEANING OF NAME  :  Sweetness  or pleasantness. HIS REGRET      : He  could not live all the years of his life as his name suggests; he was struck with leprosy. HIS JOY         : He  had a good wife and a good maid both of whom played large enough role in his healing.   STORY IN BRIEF : NAAMAN, a Syrian captain of Ben-hadad's  army, was a son of Caleb - a friend of Joshua. The valiant man was living joyously till he became a leper. Fortunately, NAAMAN had a good wife who also often expressed her displeasure about his sickly state. This would always attract their servant - an Israelite, into singing the praises of Elisha to them. Now, the couple were not only enthused by the songs of praise their maid sang; they also believed in the Prophet, Elisha, upon hearing of the miracles he had been performing as recounted by their maid servant. So NAAMAN rose to meet with Elisha in Samaria. Elisha would instruct him to wash himself seven times in Jordan. And when NAAMAN did, he became whole