Why do we study key Bible characters who walked in God’s ways?
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
Their failures and successes are examined to discover the keys to an experiential knowledge of God: his character and his ways.
It has been said we discover:
The knowledge of God by revelation
The acts of God by observation
The ways of God by association
Israel saw the acts of God – his miracles in the wilderness – but they never learned the ways of God; they failed all 10 trials of the wilderness designed to teach them God’s ways!
Learning the ways of God only comes by association—by walking with him through the trials and perplexities of life with a heart of yieldedness and reliance upon him: in his word, his sovereignty, and his trustworthiness, despite the lie of our circumstances.
Key Bible characters such as Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, Daniel, and Paul will be considered:
Abraham teaches us the way of faith
Jacob teaches us the way of brokenness
Joseph teaches us the way of forgiveness
Moses teaches us the way of meekness
Samuel teaches us the way of hearing
David teaches us the way of worship
Elijah teaches us the way of prayer
Daniel teaches us the way of purity
Paul teaches us the way of truth
