Jacob ben-Ishboseth was born to be a priest, but as a young man he shied away from Jerusalem and the Temple. Much as he loved his father, he could not share his love of the Temple, for the sacrifices repelled him.

After suffering a deep disappointment, Jacob took up the simple life of a shepherd in the fields near Bethlehem. There, one night, he heard a song of the angles and encountered Israel’s Hope and Expectation. He helped spread the news that the long-awaited Messiah had come. Yet the good news did not meet with a response of faith…