|
|
Bible Study for Men
We believe a good idea for a Bible study for men would be to study some of the men in the Bible. With over 1,700 named men in the Bible, it would take a long time to study all of them.
Of course, the best person you could possibly study and imitate would be Jesus Christ - the most perfect man that ever has been, or ever will be. But it can also help to study the character of some ordinary men of the Bible as well.
Conducting a Character Study
To conduct a character study of men in the Bible, you must have an idea of what to look for as you read. The five following ideas below are offered for your consideration as you study your chosen character:
- What does God say about the man from the Bible?
- Did he obey or disobey God, why and what were the consequences?
- How did his wife and/or family influence his decisions?
- Who was hurt or helped by his decisions?
- What is it I can learn from studying the man that I can apply, or avoid, in my life?
“Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17 ESV
We offer you some recommendations below to help you decide which character to study. We selected the characters from the men named in the Old and New Testaments. We offer you 52 men to study so you could study a different man every week for a year.
The list is below which we've sorted in alphabetical order. Some men are kings or patriarchs, others are prophets, priests, or both. Yet others are simply men of renown because they did great things for God. We threw in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as an additional bonus recommendation.
Some characters have written books that bear their name, but of course the subject of the book is always God. But you could still learn something about the men from the books they wrote as they were inspired by God.
Choose a Character for Your Bible Study for Men
- Aaron - brother of Moses and eloquent speaker
- Abraham - friend of God and father of all who believe
- Adam - the man God made
- Ahab - seventh king of Israel
- Amos - prophet to many nations
- Apollos - humble eloquent orator
- Aquilla - tent-maker always mentioned with his wife
- Asa - third king of Judah
- Daniel - prophet favored by God and kings
- David - the man after God's own heart
- Elijah - prophet who feared no man
- Elisha - prophet and model leader
- Esau - hairy hunter who despised his birthright
- Ezekiel - prophet and priest who shed no tears
- Ezra - priest who honored Scripture
- Gehazi - unholy servant who served a holy man
- Gideon - mighty man of valor
- Hezekiah - king of Judah favored with added years
- Hosea - prophet with a sad heart
- Isaac - son of Abraham whose birth caused laughter
- Isaiah - prophet, preacher, and theologian
- Ishmael - outcast who became a nation
- Jacob - a man weak and yet also strong
- Jehoiakim - king of Judah with a large ego
- Jeremiah - prophet of constant weeping
- Jeroboam - king of Israel who was struck by the Lord
- Joab - general and lover of self
- Job - man of patience and victorious faith
- Joel - prophet who saw Pentecost
- Jonah - prophet who rebelled
- Jonathan - man who sought not his own glory
- Joseph - dreamer whose dream came true
- Joshua - slave to spy, to soldier, to savior
- Josiah - king of Judah who sought God
- Judah - man who was praised by his brothers
- Malachi - prophet who believed in God's love
- Manasseh - king of Judah who did wrong
- Micah - prophet who declared the judgement of God
- Moses - friend of God
- Nehemiah - man who depended on God
- Nicodemus - secret seeker of Christ
- Noah - preacher of righteousness and ark builder
- Paul - apostle to the Gentiles
- Peter - man who fell but rose again
- Philip - man who followed Jesus
- Rehoboam - king of Israel with a small mind
- Reuben - man of forfeited privileges
- Samson - strong man of contrasts
- Solomon - wise king who did stupid things
- Stephen - man with an angel's face
- Uzziah - king of Judah and proud leper
- Zechariah - prophet and preacher of hope and mercy
Bonus Character Choice
You could choose to study the lives of Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego - three young men who valued God more than their lives. They were always spoken of together - a real band of brothers if there ever was one.
Of course, there are many others you could study that aren’t on the list above. You could study scoundrels such as Herod, Nebuchadnezzar, Lot, or Judas.
But you could also study stars such as Enoch if you like. The important thing is to study the Bbile.
Character Study A Step By Step Process
What To Do Next? Search the Bible!
Once you choose your character for your Bible study for men, your next step is to find every passage of Scripture where the man’s name occurs in the Bible.
You can do that with a concordance such as Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, by James Strong, or you can use www.Biblegateway.com to search.
Next, read all the passages while being careful to consider the surrounding text. In the passages either before or after (or both), you may find references to the person by inference or the use of pronouns.
Next Make Your Passage List
Make a list of all the passages with the man’s name.
Now Read All the Passages
Read all the passages and be attentive to what is written both before and after the name. This is because the Bible sometimes refers to the man without actually using his name.
As you read the passages — make notes of the following as noted above:
- What does God say about the man from the Bible?
- Did he obey or disobey God, why and what were the consequences?
- How did his wife and/or family influence his decisions?
- Who was hurt or helped by his decisions?
- What is it I can learn from studying the man that I can apply, or avoid, in my life?
Summarize
From all of your reading and notes, what have you learned:
- about God?
- about the consequences of obedience or disobedience?
- how the actions of one man can impact of their lives and the lives of their family and communities?
- that you can apply in your life to become a better Christian man?
We pray God blesses you during your Bible study for men.