Unit 1: Themes of the Old
Testament
Lesson 2: The Author/The Characters
1 Who is the Author?
God. Every word in
the Bible exists because
God inspired a given
individual to write it down.
God Is The Source Of Scripture
The Holy Spirit is the Divine author of
Scripture.
Above all, you must understand that no
prophecy of Scripture came about by the
prophet's own interpretation. For
prophecy never had its origin in the will
of humans, but men spoke from God as
they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Scripture claims that Jesus Christ is
the ACTUAL WORD of God!
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the
, and the
and the
He was with God in the
beginning.
2 Who are the Characters?
God. Jesus.
Holy Spirit.
The OT points to Jesus;
the NT reveals Jesus.
Major Characters:
God, Jesus & HS
Adam & Eve
Satan
Cain & Abel
Seth
Enoch
Noah & his sons
Abe & Sarah
Isaac & Rebecca
Joseph
Moses & Aaron
Joshua & Caleb
Gideon & Samson
Samuel
Ruth
Saul & Jonathan
Samuel
David
Ezra & Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Isaiah & Jeremiah
Daniel
Importance of Names
In the Old Testament, names were
significant. People believed that a
name explained something about
your identity, personality, character,
and background.
Two Names for God
1.
Elohim:
Powerful
CREATOR.
2.
Yahweh:
EXISTING ONE;
God’s covenant
name.
Practice your HEBREW!
http://blb.sc/0005Ey Elohim
http://blb.sc/0001Rn Yahweh
With a partner, read “Two Names for
God” in the Student Text p. 3-4
Elohim: ruler, creative power, sovereignty
and might. Genesis 1:1
Elohim
• Plural of “El”, which is the name most used
Yahweh:
Self-existent One; God’s personal
name; denotes his personal
eternality
Genesis 2:4
Workbook, p. 3
• More Names for God…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
El Elyon-God Most High
El Shaddai-God Almighty
El Olam-Eternal God
El Elohe Israel- God, the God of Israel
El Hai-Living God
Yahweh Jireh- The Lord will Provide
Yahweh Nissi- The Lord is my Banner
Yahweh Shalom- The Lord is peace.
Yahweh Sabaoth- The Lord Almighty
BIG IDEA: God reveals his name to his
people…
• Demonstrating his desire to be in a
relationship with us.
• His name tells us who is, what he does, and
describes his essence.
• The Bible also reveals God’s attributes with
titles like King, shepherd, Father, Almighty,
and hundreds of others.
What’s in a Name?
Read p. 5-6 in student textbook
• In Bible times, a good name meant even
more than a good reputation, because it
represented a person’s character, identity,
personality, and background.
• In Hebrew, some names can even be
identical to the name itself. Ex:
Obadiah=servant of Yahweh
Power point “Names” assignment:
1) Pick three names/titles of God and find where this name is
located in Scripture. A) What does this name/title tell you
about God? B) Why did you pick this name?
2) Pick 5 of the main characters of the OT: A) Describe each
character and h/h significance in the narrative B) What does
h/h name mean? C) Where is this person listed in scripture?
3) Research the meaning of your name; explain how it affects
your identity, personality, character, or background.
4) Use this resource for additional help: www.blueletterbible.org
5) As each person presents, write down the meaning of the
characters’ names; you will be tested on the meaning of ALL
the major character’s names at the end of our unit.
Names from OT to Research…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Israel
Joshua
Jacob
Joseph
Elijah
Benjamin
Nehemiah
Judah
Elisha
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Abraham
Adam
Moses
Daniel
Eve
Esau
Sarah
Isaac
Solomon
Samuel
Esther
Power point “Names” assignment:
1) As you watch the presentations, make a list of the
names of characters and the names/titles for God.
You will memorize these meanings.
Student Workbook…p. 4 & 5
Fill out crossword based on notes from
presentations! This will be a great study guide!