Men of the Bible

How to read a character study

Scripture does not present these men as models to copy wholesale. It records David's adultery, Peter's denial, Gideon's doubt, and Abraham's lies with the same matter-of-factness as their faith. The point is usually what God did with a flawed man, not what the man managed on his own.

Read the linked chapters rather than the summary alone. For a shorter overview of several of these men in one place, see men of the Bible. For Scripture organized by theme instead of by person, start with Bible verses for men.

Where these men sit in the story

The studies are grouped by era, because a man's situation is most of what makes his account useful to you.

The patriarchs are the founding generation—Abraham and Joseph, plus Job, who sits outside the timeline entirely. Their accounts are about acting on incomplete information and waiting longer than seems reasonable.

Exodus & conquest covers Moses, Joshua, and Caleb: men handed jobs they had not asked for and did not believe they were qualified to do.

Judges & kings covers Gideon and David, and it is the era where Scripture is least flattering about its own subjects. Both accounts record the failure as plainly as the faith.

Exile & return covers Daniel and Nehemiah—men holding a position under a government that was not theirs, one through daily routine and one through a building project.

The early church covers Peter, Paul, and Timothy: public failure and restoration, a past that did not disqualify, and a man young enough that people held it against him.