The Bit Parts of Scripture

Preaching regularly, I sometimes scratch my head regarding which text to speak on. It is always from the Bible, of course, but our mid-week service, the sermons of which are usually 15-20 minutes, proved a particular issue. I had begun preaching through Isaiah but realised that it was too heavy and would have taken us up to the Second Coming even if the Lord was pleased to tarry. I eventually decided to preach on the ‘bit parts’ of scripture, those Bible characters which appear on the stage briefly and about whom we know relatively little. These are the ones so far:

Ahijah the Shilonite (1 Kings 11 & 14)

Ethan the Ezrahite (1 Kings 4:31, Ps 89)

Epaenetus (Romans 16:5)

Shaphan the Scribe (2 Kings 22:3-14)

Tychicus (Eph 6:21, Col 4:7)

Aquila & Priscilla (Acts 18:2, 26)

Asaph the Forest Keeper (Neh 2:8)

Arioch (Daniel 2:14-25)

Shebna (Isaiah 22:15-22)

Job's Sons (Job 1:4-5)

Archippus (Col 4:17, Phlm 1:2)

The Wise Woman of Tekoa (2 Samuel 14)

Cush the Benjamite (Psalm 7)

Shiphrah & Puah (Exodus 1:15)

The Daughters of Heth (Genesis 27:46)

The Men of Hezekiah (Proverbs 25:1)

Lapidoth (Judges 4:4)

Eliab (1 Samuel 17:28-30)

Balaam’s Donkey: (Numbers 22:21-35)

Rhoda (Acts 12:13)

Apelles (Romans 16:10)

Quartus (Romans 16:23)

Pilate's Wife (Matthew 27:19)

Jehoshabeath (2 Chronicles 22:10-12)

Eliashib (Nehemiah 3:1 & 13:4-9)

Ebed-Melech (Jeremiah 38:7-13)

Bezalel (Exodus 31:1-5)

Anna (Luke 2:36-38)

Peleg (Genesis 10:35)

Elimelech (Ruth 1:1-3)

Tyrannus (Acts 19:9)

Hanani (Nehemiah 1:2)

Quirinius (Luke 2:1-3)

Stephanus (1 Cor. 16:15-17)

Apollos (Acts 18: 24-28)

Andronicus & Junia (Romans 16:7)

Lamech (Genesis 5:19-24)

Lamech (Genesis 4:19-24)

Fortunatus (1 Cor 16:16-17)

Felix (Acts 24:22-27)

Tertius (Romans 16:22)

Mrs Potiphar (Genesis 39:7-23)

Cornelius (Acts 10)

Lot's Wife (Genesis 19:26)

Abigail (1 Samuel 25)

Demetrius (3 John 12)

Gaius (3 John 1-6)

Diotrephes (3 John 9-10)

Shemaiah (1 Kings 12:21-24)

Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:6-12)

Jairus (Luke 8:4-56)

Uriah (2 Samuel 11:1-21)

Apollos (Acts 18:24-25)

Demas (2 Timothy 4:10)

Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2)

Lydia (Acts 16:14)

Zenas the Lawyer (Titus 3:13)

Huram (2 Chronicles 2:13-14)

Antipas (Revelation 2:12)

Job's Daughters (Job 42:12-19)

Dorcas (Acts 9:36-42)

Zebedee (Matthew 4:21-22)

Simon of Cyrene (Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21)

Trophimus (2 Timothy 4:20)

Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)

These men and women might only be mentioned in a verse or two, or perhaps a chapter. Some are famous in their own right but their name is not recorded (like Lot’s wife); others we wonder if we have ever heard of them before (like Eliashib), despite having read our Bibles several times over. At the time of writing, I have spoken on 67 of them, though there must be hundreds beside. Quite whether I will find enough material to preach on many more, time shall tell, but they have provided me with a nice, long series, while still affording all the benefits and freshness of a ‘one off’.

It struck me that these bit-part players most resemble us. Although the Bible has a great deal to say about David, Paul, Abraham and Peter, many more, lesser known individuals were still part of God’s Kingdom and worked for His honour. When people write about the recent history of the evangelical church in this nation, they will speak of Dr Lloyd-Jones, William Sangster, James Packer and John Stott, yet God was just as pleased to use plain Sally Housecoat and Joe Meatball, of whom little or no memory survives. Yet in the eternal realms, they shall shine as brightly as the greatest, for they shall reflect the Son as brilliantly as any other. So play your bit part well; you will find it is watched and followed more keenly by the God of heaven and the angelic host about His throne than earthly biographers and contemporary Christian media.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. 1 Corinthians 1:27

A. D