Finding Nourishment in the Old Testament, with Sarah and Josh Sabey

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Jan 4, 2026

In this engaging discussion, Sarah Sabey, a writer known for her scripture storybooks, and Josh Sabey, a filmmaker and co-author, share insights from their latest project, The Bible Storybook. They explore how Old Testament narratives reveal complex human experiences. Hear them reframe stories like Cain's perfectionism and Jonah's struggles, emphasizing deeper faith amid discomfort. They advocate for storytelling over literalism, illustrating how ancient texts can illuminate contemporary struggles and foster a rich, compassionate understanding of God.

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ANECDOTE

A Question That Redirected Study

Josh Sabey recounts a conversation with an Iraqi refugee who asked why God couldn't simply forgive.
That question pushed him away from abstract atonement theories back toward the power of the story itself.

ANECDOTE

Jonah: Reluctant Prophet And Bush

Sarah Sabey retells Jonah as a prophet who hates the Assyrian empire and runs from God's mercy for them.
Jonah is swallowed, saved, preaches reluctantly, and learns God's forgiveness stretches beyond his imagination.

INSIGHT

First Loyalty: The Story Itself

The authors prioritize fidelity to the story over proving doctrinal points or rigid historicity.
Josh Sabey says they aim to present 'possibilities' that stay true to the biblical text while inviting contemporary meaning.

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Today we’re sharing a conversation with writers and filmmakers Sarah and Josh Sabey about their new project, The Bible Storybook, a two volume collection of 50 stories from the Old Testament.

You might remember their Book of Mormon Storybook. Like those earlier volumes, this new project is guided by a simple and beautiful idea: “These are stories about a real God who loves real people”—people who are complicated, wounded, and doing their best to understand how God is working in their lives.

For many of us, the Old Testament can feel troubling—full of contradictions, harsh laws, and stories that might not always align with the God we’ve come to know through Jesus. So if the thought of spending a whole year studying this text feels daunting, this episode is especially for you.

Sarah and Josh offer a powerful way back into these familiar stories through a fresh and deeply thoughtful lens. While staying fully anchored in the text, they invite us to see the people and events in new and meaningful ways.

Their storytelling will invite you to consider what the Exodus story teaches us about revenge and healing. What if Cain was actually the first perfectionist, undone by his own impossible expectations? What can Jonah reveal about our own gifts and heartbreak?

Their retellings don’t avoid what’s difficult—they honor the tension. Again and again, they show how the complexity and even the discomfort of the Old Testament can become fertile ground for a deeper, more expansive faith.

We hope this episode leaves you feeling so excited to dive into this text again—to rediscover the Old Testament as a living well of wisdom, beauty, with a God who still meets us in the mess.

We’ve also partnered with Josh and Sarah to make half of the audiobook stories available to everyone as a podcast called Scripture Stories for Little Saints you can listen to with your kids, in the car, as part of your Old Testament study, and share with friends. The full audiobook is available as a private podcast for Friends of Faith Matters—thank you for your generosity making this collaboration possible. You can send us an email at info@faithmatters.org or check the instructions on our website if you need help downloading it.

Order That We Might Have Joy for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift, and join the book club with Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife!