The Blessing of the Lord: Stories from the Old and New Testaments
Grade 5 Up.  Short, creative, insightful, and moving accounts of the observations and reactions of certain individuals found in 25 well-known Old and New Testament stories. They include Abraham's servants appalled by Isaac's potential sacrifice, King Darius agonizing over Daniel's struggle with the lions, Elisha bemoaning the loss of Elijah, Peter marveling at the miracle of the full fishing nets, and Ananias dreading his confrontation with Saul. The author's analyses of their emotions are vividly convincing, bringing fuller life to the terse Biblical accounts and engendering readers' sympathy and understanding. Schmidt's style is smooth, absorbing, and easy to read. However, a knowledge of the overall Biblical picture into which these embellished excerpts fit is essential or the impact of the character studies is diminished. Thus, the optimal audience is limited to those who are already familiar with the Bible stories. The collection's best use is as a rich supplement to religious collections for children and adults. Handsome, realistic, full-page watercolors illuminate the majority of the stories.?Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VACopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.