The Bible is filled with people whose lives were intentionally recorded for us to learn from. Studying a person in Scripture goes beyond simply knowing their story; it means taking the time to understand who they were, where they came from, what God called them to do, and what we can learn from both their strengths and their weaknesses. By digging into important details, and looking for personal application, we can discover lessons that are easy to miss with a surface-level reading. Look at this example of how to dig deeper into the life of a biblical person and uncover what God included for our learning.
Watch the full class HERE
Why Study People in Scripture?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 lets us know that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God—and that includes the thousands of people mentioned throughout the Bible. These aren’t stories given simply for our entertainment, but accounts of real people and their experiences that ultimately point us back to God. Whether their lives teach us what to do or what not to do, God intentionally gave us His Word so that we can learn from those who came before us.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 also lets us know that there is no new thing under the sun, so anything and everything that you experience in life can always be found in God’s word and sometimes the very thing God has for you can be wrapped in someone’s story that you may have overlooked.
How To Study A Person – Samson’s Example.
First: Search every use of the Name. Looking at the first and last use of a person’s name often can tell you a lot about their purpose and their story.
The first use of Samson’s name is in Judges 13:24 which speaks of his origin. We would look at this before jumping to the middle of his story. The last use of his name is in Hebrews 11:32-34. From this, we already see that he is about giving light in a dark world — Israel is in trouble and God calls Samson, whose name means sunlight, into this dark situation. That is how he starts off; before he is born there is a call.
Second, Zoom Out to look at their story and read more about their life in context.
For Samson, we learn many things. For example, the first use of his name is in Judges where we learn why God raised judges but also the fact that he is one of the 12 significant judges (and why he was raised up as a judge).
Third, Zoom in to the details, looking at specific words, names, and places.
Samson’s lineage is the tribe of Dan. When we look closely at the word Danite used in Judges, we learn about the history and context for this tribe, which can be found in Genesis 49.
Finally, look for the application and the broader lessons we should learn..
One key take away from Samson is to be holy and reject distractions if you want to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. In addition, Samson’s strength was by the Spirit, not through his own power. We must rely on the move of God, not try to manufacture something on our own.
There is so much more that can be found when studying Samson and the many other people God included in His Word. If you want to learn even more about studying a person, visit Just Word Academy HERE to get the full class notes, take the quiz, and download the character study worksheet.
