The Bible is a treasure trove of stories, many offering lessons and wisdom still valuable today. As biblically based movies have drawn audiences during the last decade, much of the drama acted out in the Bible is making it to the big screen.
But the Bible contains many lesser-known stories that would make good movies too. Here are four stories that might make for exciting entertainment and would provide a moral lesson too:
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1. Ananias and Sapphira – This husband and wife's story is found in Acts, where it is told of their deceit in keeping back money that was supposed to be given to the apostles from the sale price of real estate. Peter discovered their deceit. "By asking Ananias why Satan has filled his heart for the purpose of lying to the Holy Spirit and embezzlement, Peter exposes the spiritual battle that is raging,"
according to Bible Gateway. "Ananias shows not simply a lack of honesty in bringing only a part of the sale price but also a lack of integrity — bringing only a part while pretending to bring the whole." Ananias falls down dead (referred to as "death at the hands of heaven") and Sapphira dies too, when she arrives.
2. Balaam and the Donkey – King Balak asked Balaam, a sorcerer, to curse the Israelites whom Moses was leading, saying that he would pay to have bad things happen to the Hebrews. But God visited Balaam the night and told him not to curse them. Although Balaam initially sent the king's messengers away, Balak persisted and so the sorcerer went along. On the trip, Balaam's donkey saw an angel of God and it turned away. Balaam beat the donkey, but the creature still turned away and crushed his master's foot. A third time, she lay down, earning another beating. Then the donkey spoke in Number 22:28: "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" Eventually, Balaam was able to see God's angel and he chose to bless the Israelites, angering Balak.
3. Ehud – "The story of Ehud comes right out of Judges 3, but would fit in nicely to the plot of a James Bond movie,"
according to Unlocking the Bible. God sent Ehud to assassinate the king of Moab to free his people. Ehud was able to convince the king's servants that he had a secret message, and they left him alone with the king.
"Then Ehud quietly locked the doors to the roof to keep the guards out and made a quick getaway. When Ehud returned to the people of Israel, he led Israel in conquering their enemies the Moabites," writes Unlocking the Bible.
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4. Elisha and Naaman – Naaman had leprosy, and he was the commander of Aram's army. He traveled to Israel with a gift and a letter from the king of Syria to ask to be healed. The king of Israel's reacted in panic thinking, how could anyone heal leprosy?
The prophet Elisha told the king to send Naaman to him, and then Elisha told the army commander through a messenger to wash seven times in the Jordan River to be healed.
"Naaman was angry and went away, saying, 'Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?' So he turned and went away in a rage." 2 Kings 5:11–12.
But at the encouragement of his servants, Naaman washed in the river and "his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy." He offered Elisha a gift, but it was refused. A servant of Elisha’s, Gehazi, though, pretended to ask for a gift for Elisha and took the bags of silver Naaman offered.
Elisha perceived what had happened and told Gehazi, "Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever."
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