• Questions About People In The Bible

  • By: Keith Muoki
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Questions About People In The Bible

By: Keith Muoki
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  • Summary

  • The Bible is filled with characters, literally and figuratively. Perhaps the best way to describe how the Bible portrays its characters is "human" because they are, in fact, human. The Bible is true and the people that inhabit its pages were real people with real problems, just like us. The Bible does not shy away from presenting both the strengths and weaknesses of those it portrays. This makes the characters in the Bible "practical" in the sense that we can relate to them and educational in the sense that we can learn from their successes and failures. Adam and Eve were disobedient blame-shifters. Abraham was a liar. Jacob was a schemer. Joseph had somewhat of the "I’m better than you" attitude. Moses made excuses. Saul was jealous. David was an adulterer. Solomon was the smartest fool in the history of the world. Elijah seemed to be somewhat bi-polar. Peter definitely had "foot-in-mouth" disease. The list goes on and on. No matter your personality and struggles, there is someone in the Bible you can relate to and learn from. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). Ultimately, that must be our goal when we study Bible characters. Where they were successful in following God, we are to emulate them. Where they failed, we are to avoid making the same mistakes. "Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did...These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us...No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:6-13).
    Copyright Keith Muoki
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Episodes
  • Where did Paul learn to be a tentmaker?

    Where did Paul learn to be a tentmaker?
    Aug 17 2021
    The apostle Paul was a tentmaker by trade, and he relied on that trade to support himself in Corinth on his second missionary journey. In Corinth, Paul met fellow tentmakers Priscilla and Aquila, and “because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:3–4). Where Paul learned his trade of tentmaking we simply can’t be sure. The Bible never says. We know that as a young man Paul studied under the tutelage of Rabbi Gamaliel in Tarsus, who provided him with an expert knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures (Acts 22:3). Those educational credentials allowed Paul to preach in the synagogues wherever he traveled (see Acts 17:2). We also know that Tarsus, where Paul was from, was in the province of Cilicia, famous for raising goats and producing a goats’ hair cloth that was used for tentmaking. In fact, the cloth was named cilicium, after the province of origin. It was standard practice for Jewish rabbis to have learned a trade. Rabbi Hillel, the grandfather of Gamaliel, was a carpenter. Paul’s trade was that of tentmaking. It could have been a business his family was involved in. It’s also possible that Paul learned and began to practice tentmaking during his school years. Another possibility is that he became a tentmaker during his ministry or in the time between his road-to-Damascus conversion and the beginning of his ministry (see Galatians 1:17). Paul turned to his training as a tentmaker in certain situations so as not to be a burden to the churches he was nurturing and to avoid accusations that he was preaching for gain. He told the elders in Ephesus, where he had spent two years, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions” (Acts 20:33–34). Most likely, tentmaking was not a big part of Paul’s life in general. His focus was always preaching the gospel of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:2). Being a tentmaker was probably only something he did on occasion, as a fallback. Author E. Randolph Richards points out that, “as a traveler, Paul did not carry the supplies necessary to conduct a significant business as a tentmaker. . . . In the ancient Greco-Roman world, it took considerable time to establish the necessary relationships in order to gain the necessary permissions to conduct business in a city, both from city leaders as well as the appropriate guilds. Paul was able on occasion to enter into business, but only in situations such as Corinth, where he was actually assisting in an established business with an established shop with regular suppliers, owners with memberships in the appropriate trade guilds and a regular clientele” (Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition, and Collection, InterVarsity Press, 2004, p. 170). When it comes down to it, the Bible just gives us broad, “big-picture” overviews of most of the events it discusses, including the ministries of major figures like Paul. The book of Acts, for example, doesn’t mention Paul’s heading to Arabia for a while before beginning his ministry; we don’t learn about that episode until Paul mentions it in his letter to the Galatians. So, even though we’re told Paul was a tentmaker by trade and he served in that capacity at times, it’s impossible to say with certainty how or when he learned the trade or how much tentmaking he actually did during his ministry. www.keithmuoki.com
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    9 mins
  • Who was Joseph, the father of Jesus?

    Who was Joseph, the father of Jesus?
    Jul 17 2021
    Joseph was the earthly father of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Joseph was a descendant of King David, he lived in Nazareth in Galilee, and he was pledged to be married to Mary (Luke 1:27), the virgin who gave birth to Jesus. The Bible tells us that Mary became pregnant through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18) and not through Joseph. Therefore, Joseph can be understood as Jesus’ earthly, adoptive father but not as His biological father. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Joseph. But, given the glimpses into his character we do have, we conclude that he was a humble man who cared deeply about obeying God. For example, the book of Matthew tells us that Joseph was “faithful to the law” (Matthew 1:19). After an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and encouraged him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, Joseph immediately obeyed (Matthew 1:24–25). Later in the book of Matthew, an angel again appears to Joseph and commands him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Again, Joseph immediately obeys the angel’s command and takes his family to Egypt, saving Jesus’ life (Matthew 2:14–15). After Herod died, an angel once again appears to Joseph and commands him to return to Israel, which he does (Matthew 2:19). Joseph presents a pattern of obedience. The Bible also indicates that Joseph was a kind, self-sacrificing man. Though he had a legal right to divorce Mary when he found out she was pregnant, he intended to do so quietly (Matthew 1:19) because he did not want to bring any public shame or disgrace on Mary or her family. Also, after their marriage, Joseph did not have sex with Mary until after Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25); in this way, Joseph safeguarded the validity of the virgin birth. Following Caesar’s edict, Joseph took Mary to be counted in the census in Bethlehem where his ancestors were from (Luke 2:4–5). Forty days after Jesus was born, Joseph (along with Mary) took Jesus to Jerusalem to have Him dedicated at the temple, as required by the Law of Moses (Luke 2:22–24). Another incident further shows Joseph’s commitment to keeping the law: “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover” (Luke 2:41). On one such trip, when Jesus was a young boy, Jesus stayed behind at the temple in Jerusalem while His parents began making their way home. When Mary and Joseph realized Jesus wasn’t with their caravan to Galilee, they searched “anxiously” for three days before finding Him sitting among some teachers of the law (Luke 2:48). When Jesus was an adult, people often referred to Him as the “son of Joseph” (Luke 4:22; John 1:45; 6:42), although the gospel writers were careful to maintain that Jesus’ true Father was God, with Joseph being more of a foster father or stepfather (see Luke 3:23). People also referred to Jesus as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55), suggesting that Joseph worked as a carpenter or some other type of handyman (the Greek word for “carpenter” could also be translated as “stonemason” or “metallurgist”). Whatever Joseph’s particular vocation was, it is evident that he worked hard to provide for his family, doing what he could to help Jesus grow in “wisdom and stature” (Luke 2:52). Joseph isn’t mentioned in any of the stories of Jesus’ adult ministry, while Mary His mother occasionally is (Mark 3:31; John 2:1; 19:25). The absence of Joseph in the stories of Jesus’ ministry has led many to believe that Joseph died sometime between when Jesus was a young boy (Luke 2:42) and when He launched His public ministry as an adult (Luke 3:23). The fact that Jesus, as He was dying, committed the care of His mother to John gives strong indication that Joseph had indeed passed away by that time (John 19:26–27). Although the Bible does not give many specifics about who Joseph was as a person—and the Bible records no actual words that Joseph spoke—we know enough to see that he was a humble man who faithfully obeyed God, honored others, took...
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    15 mins
  • Why was Paul in prison?

    Why was Paul in prison?
    Jul 17 2021
    Paul was in prison several times during his ministry, and, almost everywhere he went, there were people who wanted him in prison. It all began when Jesus confronted Saul the Pharisee on the road to Damascus and completely changed the course of Saul’s life (Acts 9:1–20). God had chosen Saul, better known to most by his Roman name Paul, for a special mission: to be the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Romans 11:13; Galatians 2:8). Fulfilling this calling would mean enduring much suffering (Acts 9:16), including beatings, shipwreck, stonings, and arrests for simply preaching the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:24–27). We know of three times Paul was imprisoned. Given that Paul was active in ministry for thirty-five years, he certainly could have been arrested and imprisoned at other times as well. Paul’s arrests were a result of his being faithful to God’s call on his life, not of committing evil. Paul’s first recorded arrest took place in Philippi in Macedonia during his second missionary journey, sometime around AD 51. A demon-possessed slave girl kept following Paul and Silas and shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved” (Acts 16:17). The girl was disruptive and annoying, and finally Paul turned to her and commanded the demon to leave her. The girl’s owners were furious that their source of income through soothsaying was gone, so they dragged Paul and Silas before the authorities and accused them of causing public riots. The magistrate, going against Roman law, had them beaten and thrown into prison without a trial (Acts 16:23–24). But during this imprisonment, the Lord caused an earthquake. Paul’s and Silas’s chains came loose, and the prison doors swung open. When the jailer saw the doors open, he assumed the prisoners had escaped and, knowing he would be held responsible, drew out his sword to kill himself. But Paul called out to him, assuring him that all of the prisoners were still there. The jailer was so overcome with gratitude that he took Paul and Silas into his home and tended their wounds. Paul spoke to him about Jesus, and the jailer and his entire household received Jesus as Lord and were baptized (Acts 16:31–34). Paul’s first imprisonment resulted in glory for God and the salvation of many. Paul’s second recorded arrest, which took place in Jerusalem, was prophesied beforehand (Acts 21:11); even with the warning, Paul chose to continue toward the capital. James and the elders of the church in Jerusalem greeted him warmly. They also informed him of Jewish believers who thought Paul was teaching other Jews to reject their Jewish heritage. Hoping to demonstrate this was not true, and at the advice of the elders, Paul joined four men in their purification rights. This required a visit to the temple. But some non-believing Jews from Asia recognized Paul in the temple and stirred up the crowds against him, shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place” (Acts 21:28). None of this was true, but, nonetheless, the people rioted and tried to kill Paul. Paul was quickly arrested by the Romans and put in jail. This occurred sometime around AD 57. The commander of the regiment in charge of Paul allowed him to speak to the crowd. Acts 22 records Paul’s sermon, which included his own personal testimony of encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus. The crowd shouted for Paul’s death (Acts 22:22). The Roman commander sent Paul to the barracks with orders that he be flogged and interrogated (Acts 22:24). Unbeknownst to the commander, Paul was a Roman citizen, and therefore it was illegal for him to be flogged without having been found guilty. On this occasion, Paul spared himself a beating by bringing the fact of his Roman citizenship to the attention of a centurion. Alarmed, and still unsure why the Jews...
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    26 mins
Ministry & Evangelism Spirituality
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