STUDYING A BIOGRAPHY

People are important for many reasons. One of them being; anyone can make a difference. You will want to study the people in the Bible for the differences they made in their time, and the difference they can make in your life. The following people made a significant difference:

• The Woman Who Saved a Nation from Genocide (Esther),
• The Dad Whose Drunkenness Influenced His Sons (Noah),
• The Mom Who Imparted Wisdom to Solomon (Bathsheba),
• The Little Girl Who Helped a General Win His Most Challenging Battle (II Kings 5),
• The Young Boy that Jesus Needed for His Greatest Miracle (John 6).
• All these people and hundreds just like them are described in the pages of Scripture waiting to be discovered and taught by teachers. Everyone has a “life-message.” What is a “life-message?” It is simply the contribution –either good or bad–they make because they lived.
• In approaching biographical study, several steps should be taken to insure success in gaining a better understanding of the “life-message” of a biblical character. The first step involves the selecting you will study. Usually begin by choosing secondary characters rather than major characters. To begin your study in the life of Peter, Paul, Abraham or Moses may overwhelm you with biblical material available on the subject’s life and times. Herbert Lockyer advises students of biography to “begin with a person whose story is briefly told.” He uses the example of Enoch whose entire life is recorded in six or seven verses of Scripture. There are hundreds of people mentioned in Scripture whose life is summarized in less than a chapter yet illustrate a significant “life-message” worth studying

. How Bible Names Reflect People’s Character

 

As you study your character’s early childhood and background, consider other hints as to significant early influences in his or her life. What kind of training would a child living in that era have typically received? Are there any specific references to significant events in that child’s early life that give us insight into his or her early character or dreams?

One of the keys to understanding the “life-message” is tied to significant turning points in someone’s life. Look for traumatic events which took place in the person’s life that were likely to influence them.

 

How did the birth of a child or death of a close friend affect you in their life? What would it have been like to live through the famine, battle or other world crisis that your character experienced? Also, look for unique encounters with God as significant turning points in the life of the character you are studying, e.g. Jacob at Penial had his name changed to Israel.

b. important Questions to Ask- Formulation, Summary and Conclusion

As you begin to formulate a better understanding of your subject, attempt to describe his or her character. There are several questions that can help you do this.

• What was the condition when he/she lived? Most of us are influenced by our environment, although many will rise above the conditions of their age.

 

• Does his or her name suggest a character trait reflected in his or her actions? Did this person live up to his or her name or prove a disappointment to his or her parents who had that dream for their child?

 

 

• What kinds of people did this person associate with? You can tell much about a person by the kind of people he or she calls friends.

 

• Does the Bible ascribe certain character descriptions to the person? Check the meaning of the words used with this person to uncover the emphasis intended in describing their morality.

 

 

• What kind of influence did this person have on those around him or her? Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16).

 

• Is the evil in this person’s life portrayed as an anti-type or example to avoid?

 

 

• Is there a growth or dramatic change in the character of this person in the account of his or her life? Is his or her character redefined in some other part of Scripture?

 

As you summarize the life of your subject, compile a list of the major contributions of his or her life.

• Did he or she have a unique office and/or career?
• Was he or she involved in some significant accomplishment?
• Did he or she have a significant influence on someone else who accomplished something special for God and/or his or her society?
• Was there some failure in his or her life that prevented success in a major undertaking?
• Could this person be considered a type or anti-type of Christ? (Joseph is considered a type of Christ).

 

Take time also to identify any insights this person’s life might reveal concerning God and His character. What do we learn about God in the context of this person’s experiences with God? Does this person make significant statements concerning God’s nature and/or character?

 

As you conclude your biographical study, identify the single most important principle illustrated in this person’s life. What is his or her “life-message?” Write that principle in one or two sentences. Then ask yourself four questions to help you understand the principle in the context of your subject’s life and its meaning in your life today.

 

1. How does this principle relate to your personal Christian walk with God?
2. What contemporary life issues are addressed when this principle is applied?
3. What changes do you need to make in your life considering this biblical principle?
4. How is this principle illustrated in the life of the person being studied?