Page 79 - Bible Study Methods-Textbook_Neat

2. Read every passage of Scripture where this character is mentioned. You should find out where
he/she came from, their relationships to other characters in the story, and their approximate
age at the beginning of the narrative and age at the end. Try to investigate the culture they
lived in and the geography where they lived or traveled. In other words, you need to secure
some background information about the character, or you may miss why that person may have
done something in the narrative.

3. If the character is in multiple books in the Bible, ex., David, Saul, Jonathan, etc., you will have to
read the entire story of the character in all locations in the Bible. You may observe their lives
from a slightly different vantage.

4. Now read again, this time selecting various character qualities, or lack of them, you want to
point out in your study. For example, perhaps your character had great faith during a trial.
That is a significant trait to point out to your class. Sometimes the character we may select did
not always do the right thing. Sometimes they really made a huge mistake. That is also worth
pointing out. In other words, don’t try to make the character out a “saint” who always did what
is right. Give them a realistic view of the character’s life which may better match the lives of
your class or audience.

5. Remember, we do not build a Biblical doctrine on what a historical character did or did not do
in the Bible. Just because Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek doesn’t make it the practice for
your class. First, he gave the tithe of the booty of the war with the kings of the North. Second,
he gave the tithe to Melchizedek, a type of Christ, not the church. So, there are many aspects of
the story that differ from where we live today. Don’t force applications where they are not
there.

6. Organize your information in logical sequences and decide how much to teach at one time.
You might find you have an enormous amount of information, too much to deliver in one lesson.
Break it down into digestible parts and present that information to your class or church. You
might not be able to come to a conclusion, but next time you present, make sure you review the
information already presented, then start adding to it.

7. During your presentation, try to make your character come to life! Of course, read portions of
their narrative from Scriptures, but try to help your class understand that this was a real person
in this particular circumstance, and they responded to difficulties in ways we can admire. Try to
clearly define the particular character qualities of your character that warrant emulation. Help
your class understand that during similar difficulties, they too, can stand like your character did
with God in faith.

8. Evaluate the results of your study. Take time to review the information you have gleaned from
God’s Word on your character. Then after your presentation of that information to your class,
ask yourself some questions: Did the class seem to understand and respond to the information
presented? Was their response, if any, positive? Did they have a lot of questions? How could
you have improved the delivery of the information on that character? What further study do
you need to broaden your understanding of God’s view of your character?

9. Save your lesson for future presentations. Don’t discard the work you have done. Be sure to
file the lesson, or lessons, you have created for future use.

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