Miriam and Baby Moses

Long ago, the Hebrews had become slaves in Egypt. The Pharaoh of Egypt feared that the Hebrew slaves were becoming too numerous and would one day revolt against the Egyptians. Therefore he ordered that all newborn Hebrew boys be killed.

But one woman disobeyed pharaoh. To save her baby boy from the soldiers, she put him in a basket and placed him in the river, praying for God to save her baby. Miriam, the baby’s older sister, stood some distance away to watch what would happen with her baby brother.

Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river to bathe when the basket came floating by. The Egyptian princess opened the basket and saw a baby crying. Miriam approached the princess and asked, “Should I go and call a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby?”

The princess said, “Please do.” And so God saved the Hebrew baby and gave him back to his mother to care for him. The princess named the baby, Moses, and raised him as her son.

“Speak, Lord, Your Servant Listens”

Little Samuel served the Lord by helping Eli the priest. One night, while Samuel was sleeping, God called him. Samuel sat up in his bed and answered, “Speak, Lord. As Your servant, I am listening”. God then spoke to Samuel with an important message.

Samuel grew up serving the Lord and later became one of the most important prophets and judges in the history of Israel.

A Young Shepherd

Due to Saul’s disobedience, God sent Samuel to choose a new king for Israel. Samuel was to go to Bethlehem and offer a sacrifice to God along with Jesse one of the leaders of the city. God promised to show Samuel the man to be the new king.

When Jesse came with his sons, Samuel saw one of his sons, Eliab, and said to himself, Surely this is the one. But the Lord said, “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.”

Jesse brought seven of his sons to meet Samuel, but none were God’s choice. Samuel then asked Jesse, “Do you have another son?” Jesse replied, “I have one more, the youngest. He’s taking care of the sheep.” Jesse then called his youngest son, David, to come. When Samuel saw David, the Lord spoke to him, “This is the one. Anoint him as the new king.” And immediately the spirit of God was with David from that day on.

The Shepherd Boy and a Giant

While King Saul of Israel was fighting a war against the Philistines, a giant soldier of the Philistines’ army came and defied the Israelite army. “Send a man who dares to fight me,” said Goliath, the giant. “If he kills me, the Philistines will be your servants. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!” Not one soldier in King Saul’s army dared answer the challenge to fight the biggest, strongest, most feared man of all the Philistine soldiers.

Unexpectedly David spoke up, “I’ll do it.” This young shepherd, who was not a soldier, valiantly faced the fierce giant armed with only a sling and a few stones. “You come with a sword and a spear and a shield,” the boy cried. “But I come in the name of the Lord God who will give me the victory!” And God did!

Naaman and the Slave Girl

Naaman was an important officer in the Syrian army. He was a great soldier, but he suffered from a serious skin disease. A young servant girl who was serving in Naaman’s house said to her mistress: “My master should visit the prophet who lives in Samaria. The prophet could cure my master of his disease.”

So Naaman went with his horses and chariot and stopped at the entrance to the house of the prophet Elisha. Elisha sent a servant to tell Naaman to wash himself seven time in the Jordan River.

At first Naaman felt humiliated to be asked to do such a simple act. However, his servant told him, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can’t you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?”

And so Naaman did and was completely cured.

The Young King Josiah

Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah. He obeyed God’s law and like his ancestor, King David, he stayed faithful to God.

Josiah sent some of his officials to the Temple to organize repairs and cleaning, and as they were working on the temple rooms, they found an old scroll containing the law of God.

King Josiah then called his people to assemble at the Temple. He read the law from the scrolls to the people, and they all made a covenant with the Lord to keep His commandments and follow His law.

Many reforms were made, and the Temple and all of the land was cleaned of the false idols they had worship. He served God with all of his heart, mind, and strength and did his best to obey God’s law.

Taken Captive to Babylon

In the time of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked the city of Jerusalem. After capturing Jerusalem and seizing some of the Temple treasures, Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon taking with him Israelite prisoners. Among them were the young sons of Jerusalem’s noblemen. The Bible tell us the story of four of them: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel.

These four young men stood strong in their belief and faith in God. Due to their examples of diligence and trustworthiness, God was able to raise them up to important positions of responsibility in the king’s court where Daniel helped the king through his God-given skills of interpreting visions and dreams.

The Carpenter’s Son

Every year, Joseph, Mary, and their boy went to Jerusalem to attend the Passover festival. However, the year the boy had turned twelve years old, he initially didn’t go on the journey home with them, but stayed in Jerusalem.

His parents were very worried and had to return to look for him, finding him in the temple talking with the Jewish teachers. When asked why he stayed behind, he told them he had to be in his Father’s house, as it was the Jewish custom that a son, when he was twelve years old, would be working with his father in the same trade. His parents didn’t understand what he meant.

In obedience to his parents, he then returned with them to Nazareth and worked with his father, Joseph, as a carpenter.

The young boy’s name was Jesus. The Bible says that “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”

Jesus Feeds 5,000 People

Not long before the yearly Passover feast, Jesus and His disciples went up a hill, followed by a great multitude who had seen and heard of the miracles Jesus performed of healing the sick.

Many people were coming to hear Jesus, including a boy with some friends who had decided to join the others who were gathered to hear Jesus teach. Before leaving home, the boy’s mother prepared food for him to eat, and gave him a small basket with five little barley loaves and 2 small fish.

Imagine their great surprise and delight when these small barley loaves and fish were used by Jesus Himself for a miracle that fed five thousand people! This boy had given the little he had to Jesus, who then in turn did great things with his small gift!

Jairus’ Daughter

One day, while Jesus was walking through town with His disciples, teaching as He went, He was approached by Jairus, one of the synagogue rulers. Jairus knelt down at Jesus’ feet and asked Him to come to his home to pray for his dying daughter. Right away Jesus went with Jairus.

Along the way, Jesus stopped to heal a woman who had been sick for twelve years. While He was delayed, a messenger approached Jairus to tell him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s now no need for Jesus to come to your house.” But Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” Jesus and some of His disciples went with Jairus into his house, where Jesus prayed for Jairus’ 12-year-old daughter. She immediately got up and started walking.

Imagine how excited she must have been to know Jesus and be one of the people He healed!

The Apostle Paul’s Nephew

While Paul was in prison in Jerusalem, the religious leaders were so angry that they wanted him killed. More than forty men assembled themselves and made a vow that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. They devised a plan to trick the Roman commander to bring Paul from prison to the Jewish council, so they could kill him on the way.

But a lad, Paul’s nephew, overheard a conversation about these plans. He right away went to see Paul to tell him of the plot. Paul then sent his nephew to tell the Roman commander, who believed the lad. The commander called for a strong escort of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to transport Paul to another city in the middle of the night.

Paul was safe due to the courage of his nephew!

Timothy

While Paul was being held in a Roman prison, he wrote a letter to Timothy, a young man whom he had sent to Ephesus to strengthen the church.

Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, had taught him as a boy to read and understand the Scriptures. Paul wrote to Timothy acknowledging their loving influence on him:

“Continue in the things which you have learned and have faith in, remembering who you learned from. From the time of your childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which has given you the wisdom of salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Even though the task ahead for Timothy was not easy, Paul commended him and encouraged him: “Let no man despise your youth; but be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Adapted from My Wonder Studio. Featured on www.freekidstories.org