POEMS ABOUT BIBLICAL RELATIONSHIPS

By Maurice Dyson

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Adam and Eve
For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
1 Timothy 2:13

While Adam was tending the garden alone,
His wife was conversing with someone unknown;
The Lord had delivered His solemn decree:
You shall not partake of that good-evil tree.

Now Adam was blest with a brilliant mind;
He named all the animals after their kind;
Yet while he was tending his portion of land,
Events in the garden had got out of hand.

His wife and co-helper while out on a walk,
Had got well engrossed in some credible talk;
For she was informed by a creature of light
That God was concealing some things from her sight.

The very same fruit tree she saw with her eyes,
Was just the solution for making her wise;
A food for enjoyment and pleasant to see;
It sounded coherent she had to agree.

So being deceived by this plausible speech,
She thought this objective was well in her reach;
For being like God with the knowledge it brings,
Must surely be ranked above all other things.

Yet sadly, however, she found with dismay,
Consuming the fruit had not proven that way;
Instead of the prospect of being so great,
Her nature took on a rebellious state.

Her husband, in eating the fruit by his choice,
And not having heard that insidious voice,
Became the prime author of sin for the race,
And thus he established his cardinal place.

They knew they were naked from head to the toe,
And quickly sought refuge for somewhere to go;
They hid in the bushes and covered their parts,
For sin and its guilt had infected their hearts.

When questioned by God as to why they were there,
They did not confess with a penitent air,
But made an excuse and apportioned the blame
To some other creature as we do the same.

The Lord made a coat for them each out of skins,
Symbolic of that which would cover their sins;
So they were expelled from their brief paradise,
To live out their lives in a world full of vice.

We all are descended from this leading pair,
Complete with their nature, its fall and despair;
So while we remain on this sin-blighted earth,
We need a new nature by spiritual birth.

The Lord did not leave them without any hope,
But gave them a promise with limitless scope;
The seed of the woman, according to plan,
Would purchase salvation for woman and man.

Lamech, Adah and Zillah
And Lamech took unto him two wives.
Genesis 4:19a

Lamech was a bigamist,
As it is related;
Vengeance figured on his list,
Till it was placated;
As he boasted to his wives
Of his exploitations;
Not respecting other lives
In his machinations.

I have killed a younger man,
Was the feat he stated;
Thus a soul he overran,
By the Lord created;
Lamech had a state of mind
Like his predecessor;
Cain was of that evil kind,
Even a transgressor.

 

Abraham and Sarah
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying,
After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure,
my lord being old also?
Genesis 18:12

Having left the situation
Where idolatry was rife,
There emerged a new creation
From a Gentile and his wife.

Though he had no heir to follow
He received another name,
While it may have sounded hollow,
It would later speak of fame.

When he turned for a solution
With a young Egyptian maid,
It resulted in confusion,
And a promise was delayed.

Then a visitation rarer,
Than a couple could assume,
Gave to Abraham and Sarah,
Little Laughter in her womb.

So God’s promises are certain,
For we only have to wait;
He will elevate the curtain
At the predetermined date.

 

Isaac and Rebekah
And Isaac went out…lifted up his eyes… and, behold,…Rebekah…
Genesis 24:63,64

There are certain marriages
Where courtship has been fleeting;
As when camel carriages
Secured a couple’s meeting.

Isaac had not met the one
The Lord had been preparing;
With the preparation done,
The two were set for pairing.

Isaac and Rebekah met,
And loved each other dearly;
For their hearts were truly set
On their Redeemer clearly.

 

Jacob, Leah and Rachel
And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
Genesis 29:11

Jacob was the younger twin,
Of opposing brothers;
He was not partaking in,
That which was the other’s.

Esau went and sold his right,
Having no perception;
Isaac having little sight,
Missed his wife’s deception.

Jacob had to leave the home,
As a feud unravelled;
Sleeping neath the heaven’s dome,
Was the way he travelled.

There he had a vivid dream,
As of steps ascending;
Reaching up as it would seem
To a throne unending.

Being led by Providence,
Jacob met a damsel;
She was fair of countenance,
And she fed her lambs well.

Jacob sought with all his heart,
There to wed this daughter,
With agreement on his part,
Seven years to court her.

As the wedding night arrived,
And the maids had kissed her,
So her father had contrived,
Ways to pair her sister.

When the morning light was clear,
Something was discovered,
Jacob found the one so near
Was not his beloved.

Seven years he served again
For the one he favoured;
So he wed the sisters twain,
After all he laboured.

 

Moses and Zipporah
…and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
And she bare him a son.
Exodus 2:21,22

Moses fled to Midian,
Where his faith was tested;
Forty years the testing ran,
In the time invested.

He was given Zipporah;
She became a mother;
But a lengthy trip for her,
Brought a spot of bother.

Hebrew sons were circumcised;
Such had been neglected;
He was roundly criticised,
When it was detected.

Zipporah appears again,
In the story later;
Yet there is no love refrain
From the commentator.

Zipporah is not portrayed
As a striking figure;
Yet a little faith displayed
May hide something bigger.

 

Ruth and Boaz
Then Boaz said unto his servant…
Whose damsel is this?
Ruth 2:5

Ruth had left her native land
With no one to support her;
She had come to understand
The God who loved and sought her.

Seeking food material,
She ventured from her quarters;
In the fields of cereal
She gleaned among the daughters.

Boaz came from Bethlehem
To see how they were faring;
Some had gleanings left for them
By owners who were caring.

Romance started in the field
That God had long appointed;
As in human hearts that yield
To Jesus the Anointed.

 

Jael and Sisera
And when he came into her tent, behold,
Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.
Judges 4:22

In a time of war,
Men are at the fore;
It is not the time for a detractor;
When the Judges ruled,
Regiments were pooled,
Yet the women were a vital factor.

Sisera was smart;
Cunning on his part;
Fleeing from the battle he was losing;
His predicament,
Ended in a tent;
Circumstances not within his choosing.

Jael had some milk;
She was of the ilk:
Courteous in manner yet decisive;
Sisera was spent;
Resting in her tent;
Then she struck a blow that was incisive.

Finishing the task,
Any man could ask,
Shows that any role may be demanded;
Not all men are brave;
Some may be a knave;
Yet the Lord is always even-handed.

 

The Levite and his Concubine
In those days there was no king in Israel:
every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Judges 21:25

A Levite took a concubine
From Bethlehem of Judah,
But he was from the mountains of Ephraim;
She ventured from the marriage line,
And he in turn pursued her,
To reconcile and bring her back again.

He journeyed down to Bethlehem,
And they were reunited;
He tarried with her father certain days;
So when the time was right for them,
As Scripture has recited,
He left and they continued on their ways.

They journeyed by the Jebusites,
As night-time was approaching,
His servant was disposed to tarry there;
But knowing they had foreign rites,
And what this could be broaching,
They travelled further on to Gibeah.

They camped within the open square,
The three of them together,
For no one took them into their abode;
An old man came and found them there,
Exposed to all the weather,
And gave them food and shelter from the road.

But certain of the Benjamites,
Surrounded their apartment;
Perverted men who sought their visitor.
Respect for individual rights
Was not in their department;
So making threats they pounded on the door.

He took his young cohabiter,
And gave her to their pleasure,
Who shamed her and abused her until dawn;
So when they had dispensed with her,
And freed her at their leisure,
She struggled to her lodging quite forlorn.

Her master found her lying there,
And said, Up, let’s be going;
But she did not respond or say a word;
Her took her home, dismembered her,
For so his plans were growing,
To publicise the crime that had occurred.

He sent the pieces, twelve in all,
Throughout the territory,
So every tribe of Israel could see;
And then amid a bitter pall,
They fought with battles gory,
Till Benjamin had nearly ceased to be.

This passage is notorious,
In terms of man’s behaviour,
It demonstrates how savage we can be;
The postscript, though inglorious,
Is still a current flavour:
They justified themselves accordingly.

Elkanah, Peninnah and Hannah
If Thou…wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto
the LORD all the days of his life.
1 Samuel 1:11

In a land that had been won
By a well-known son of Nun,
Lived a woman who had spent much time in weeping;
For her rival over years,
Had incited her to tears,
For she had no sons or daughters in her keeping.

So she went before the Lord,
On this matter she had stored,
And presented the petition she requested;
For the promise that she made,
With the hope that it conveyed,
Brought relief into her heart and then she rested.

She returned with Elkanah,
To their dwelling at Ramah,
And a son was born to Hannah at the season;
Then she offered up her song,
Which shall last the ages long,
For the content of the lyrics show the reason.

David and Bathsheba
As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.
2 Samuel 12:5,7

When the battles have been fought,
And the lessons have been taught,
It is easy to forget the war continues;
If we are not vigilant,
And our discipline is scant,
We must reapply our God-invested sinews.

David was a noble king,
Who had done most everything,
Being warrior, musician and a writer;
Yet instead of being found
On the open battleground,
He had dropped his guard unlike a seasoned fighter.

What appeared a pretty sight,
As he gazed into the night,
Was the turning point that altered his perception;
For the moment he gave in
To that monumental sin,
So his household was a place of gross deception.

Now the punishment decreed
For his surreptitious deed
Was inscribed within the sacred institution;
But the Lord forgave the whole,
And restored his injured soul,
Yet the consequences brought on revolution.

From Bathsheba came the son
Who would sit upon the throne,
Even Solomon whose fame has been recorded;
But through Nathan was the line,
That would see a Man divine,
Come and dwell with us whose Name is ever lauded.

Ahab and Jezebel
And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD…
1 Kings 16:30

Ahab was a wicked king
Who married Jezebel;
Morals took a downward swing,
As sad it is to tell.

Jezebel had introduced
An old satanic cult;
Thus the people were seduced,
With evil the result.

Ahab added to his sin,
With murder, lust and theft;
Coveting had brought chagrin,
Of joy he was bereft.

Naboth had a field nearby
That Ahab could not take;
So his wife maliciously
Exploited it by fake.

Both the king and Jezebel
Were evil to the core;
They were under such a spell
That God could not ignore.

So they met an awful fate,
As all the wicked do;
For they cannot mitigate
The judgment that is due.

 

Hosea and Gomer
Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms…
…so he went and took Gomer…
Hosea 1:2, 3

Go take a wife of harlotry,
The Lord said to Hosea;
For children that are born to thee
Will make My purpose clear.

He took the daughter of Diblaim,
And they were duly wedded;
For judgment was Jehovah’s aim,
A term distinctly dreaded.

She bore a son and then a girl,
No Mercy as he named her;
For such would be to Israel
For sin which had defamed her.

And after that she bore a son;
Lo-Ammi, not My people;
As now disowned for what they’d done,
For sin had made them feeble.

His wife defected from the home
And broke the marriage order;
He bought her for the market sum,
And graciously restored her.

The prophecies of life portrayed
That from the Lord proceeded,
Were showing how the people strayed
And warnings that were needed.

The Lord will bring them back again,
And heal their indiscretions;
And they shall flourish like the grain
Among His rich possessions.

 

Esther and Haman
Now Haman thought in his heart,
To whom would the king delight
to do honour more than to myself?
Esther 6:6

In the sacred narratives
A crisis is impeded;
So there are derivatives
Where courage has succeeded.

Haman was an architect
Who planned a total slaughter;
But the Lord had got him checked,
And used a Jewish daughter.

Esther could not bear to see
The evil on her nation;
Haman’s rank hostility
Reversed to his damnation.

Evil forces still exist,
As in the days of Esther,
Yet by faith we can resist,
For they could not arrest her.

 

David and Saul
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
1 Samuel 18:9

Young David was loved by the Lord;
His psalms have been carefully scored;
His life had its fill of misfortune and ill,
But always his faith was restored.

When facing the Philistine foe,
Whose taunting was more than a show,
He loaded his sling and let fly with a swing,
And laid the archenemy low.

While playing his music to Saul,
He almost got pinned to the wall;
The king was afraid of the progress he made,
For David was blessed overall.

Thus started an ongoing feud,
And Saul was exceedingly rude;
He swiftly gave vent to his evil intent,
And David was hotly pursued.

So followed his days on the run;
To live in a cave wasn't fun;
But every foray in the night or the day,
That Saul engineered came undone.

Yet Saul paid the price for his bent:
When all his petitions were spent,
The battle grew hot and the arrow was shot,
And thus he vacated his tent.

So David succeeded the throne;
As Israel came into its own;
He governed the land in a manner so grand,
The like hasn't ever been known.

 

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