My Top Ten Biblical Heroes I’m Looking Forward to Meeting
One of the things that makes the Bible so appealing is its realistic portrayal of its heroes. While Egyptian and Assyrian annals depict kings who never make mistakes and are always full of glory, the Bible is willing to admit when its heroes commit murder, adultery, and incest. (That alone should tell you who is more likely to be telling the truth when Biblical accounts seem to conflict with extrabiblical ones). One of the joys of Heaven will be spending eternity having fellowship with all the saints we’ve known, but I’m also looking forward to meeting saints from the Bible and being blessed by their company. Here are my top ten (and Jesus is not on this list because I know and fellowship with Him already):
Paul—Here is one of the greatest minds of all time. This apostle was able to understand the intricacies of everything the Jewish system and Jewish prophets pointed towards and make the consummated version of Jewishness palatable to a Greco-Roman audience. When I hear Z. Randall Stroope’s choral piece “The Conversion of Saul,” I am keenly aware that I owe it to this man’s untiring labor among Gentiles in that day that I am a Christian today. Paul was a great leader, adapting his approach to bring out the best in his spiritual children, whether it required gentle persuasion for Timothy or head-on confrontation for the Corinthians.
Luke—The historian in me would love to talk to Luke about his research. Luke used the historical method common to Greco-Roman historians of the time very carefully and effectively. I should like to know from him, though, what exact year on the Gregorian Calendar the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar meant to him.
Peter and John—This team perfectly represents how God can use different personalities. From the Gospels and their writings, we can see how John was more of a thinker and Peter more a man of action. Not that Peter didn’t think or John couldn’t act, but they definitely showed such predilections. John’s Gospel and first epistle are full of deep musings, while Peter’s epistles have many straightforward commands, and the Gospel he in all probability oversaw, Mark, is short and to the point. And yet, in Acts, we see Peter and John working closely together. It would be interesting to learn more about how each of them contributed to this joint-ministry.
David—Here is one of the great polymaths of history. He could hold his own against any warrior in the ancient world, lead his army anywhere in triumph, and still write sensitive and beautiful songs that have never lost their popularity after 3,000 years. Here’s a guy who has exciting stories to tell in, I’m sure, a breathtaking style. How great it will be to hear him supplement the all-to-succinct accounts of his campaigns in Samuel and Chronicles. As a writer myself, I would also be fascinated to know about David’s method of writing, or how he “got his creative juices flowing,” so to speak.
Moses—Moses is like a lot of great men in history. When God called him, he hesitated, throwing out every excuse he could why God should not send him. When God had answered all of them, Moses just said, “Please, not me anyway!” Yet, God made him his most important servant in the Old Testament. Though slow of speech and tongue, he proved an eloquent speaker when he did talk, and he had more patience than practically anyone to bear with Israel’s griping and disbelief for forty years. Though they often talked of stoning or replacing him, he still had enough love for them that he was willing to be damned alongside them. Talk about someone who could give some sage advice to the politicians of today.
Joshua—This man is a rare commodity that I love to encounter in history: a great general who remains pious off the battlefield. You can find plenty of military geniuses whose campaigns make for exciting reading but who abused their power, committed atrocities, or intrigued behind the scenes, but Joshua maintained his integrity to the end. He was as great a general as David without the glaring faults.
Araunah the Jebusite—After Jesus, I believe this is the bravest person who has ever lived. In almost every encounter between an angel and a human in Scripture, the angel has to tell the human not to be afraid. Araunah, however, when he saw the Angel of Death, went back to his business threshing wheat. I would love to know where he got the pluck to do that; even David was afraid to go near the Destroyer.
Hezekiah—This is my favorite King of Judah. Hezekiah led his people to return to the faith after his father’s flagrant apostasy had led the nation astray. He was willing to do anything to stamp out idolatry, even breaking up the originally life-saving bronze serpent of Moses because the people had abused it. He was not one to put human sentiments in the way of wholehearted devotion to God. He also had the courage to challenge the heretofore invincible Assyrians.
Sergius Paulus—This figure appears only briefly in Acts, but as a Roman official, he had to negotiate the treacherous path of being a Christian while being a member of a government notorious for its corruption and debauchery. I would like to know how he treaded that line. One thing I wish the Bible had more of was practical instructions for how governments are supposed to act under the New Covenant. There’s plenty of instructions to kings in the Old Testament, but this relates to a radically different system of government than the one God uses now. What are the legitimate powers a government can and should assume, and what’s off-limits? Christians and nonchristians are all over the place on these issues. When Paul was writing, the government was virtually entirely unchristian, and therefore he saw no need to give them instructions. I’ll bet he and Sergius Paulus had an enlightening discussion on this, though, and I’m sure it’s something today’s leaders would have profited from taking to heart, had it been recorded.
Joab—I’ll admit there’s plenty of room to doubt that Joab will even be in Heaven, but I must confess I’ve always been fascinated by this complex character. On the one hand, he is a fearless warrior and a brilliant general who oftentimes knows David’s kingly duties better than David himself. On the other, he is a ruthless murderer willing to violate the sanctity of a City of Refuge or blood ties. If I do ever get the chance to meet him, I would like to discuss his tactics and what it was like being the first one up the water shaft into Jerusalem.