11 people
Judges and the land
Israel entered the land under Joshua, then fell into a long, repeating cycle: they turned from God, suffered, cried out, and he raised up a judge to rescue them. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. In the middle of it, the quiet story of Ruth shows God's kindness at work in an ordinary family.
Rahab
The Loyalist
A Canaanite outsider who bet her life on Israel's God and was folded into the line of the king.
Exodus
Deborah
The Challenger
A prophetess who judged Israel, called a reluctant general to battle, and sang when the LORD won.
Gideon
The Loyalist
A frightened farmer God made into a deliverer, who kept asking for signs and stumbled after the victory.
Samson
The Challenger
A man set apart from birth with great strength, who spent most of it on his own appetites.
Eli
The Peacemaker
An old priest who taught a boy to hear God but could not restrain his own sons.
Hannah
The Helper
A barren woman who poured out her soul to God, then gave back the son he gave her.
Samuel
The Reformer
The boy who listened, and the prophet who wouldn't bend.
Naomi
The Loyalist
The widow who went away full and came back empty.
Ruth
The Helper
The outsider who chose loyalty and was brought in.
Orpah
Naomi's other Moabite daughter-in-law, who wept, kissed her goodbye and went home, as Naomi urged her to.
Boaz
The Peacemaker
The good man who noticed the outsider and paid to bring her in.