Englis, Jenine Therese L.

REED 15 MWF 9:30 -10:30 9/23/11 BFA-AA1 Abraham: Abraham is without question one of the outstanding individuals of the Old Testament. God spoke to him personally, actually visited him in his home and even considered him a friend. And Abraham loved God. He obeyed him, served him, and was even willing to sacrifice his son to prove his faith. He is the King of Faith.: In the Book of Genesis, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham dearly loved his son, but although bemoaning this fate, Abraham obeyed this command faithfully. Just as he was about to commit the act, an angel stopped Abraham and rewarded him with his son and his steadfast faith. In the same paradoxical act of committing murder, which would humanly kill off his son, Abraham believed, through virtue of the absurd, he would still have his son alive and well. Joseph: The Gospels identify Joseph as a descendent of David, as the spouse of the Virgin Mary. Only after Mary had virginally conceived by the Holy Spirit, did Joseph come to know that she was with child. Saint Matthew describes his trial, saying: "Joseph Her husband, being a

just man, and not willing to expose Her to the Law, thought to put Her away privately" (1,19). The Man of Silence and Humility: Once manifested through the Angel, Joseph readily surrendered in silence to the will of God, to which nothing needs to be added except loving compliance. How great must have been his interior joy and exaltation of heart over the condescension and goodness of God in choosing him to be so intimately associated with this work of salvation: My soul magnifies the Lord ,... who has looked on the lowliness of His servant!

Moses: Along with God, it is the figure of Moses (Moshe) who dominates the Torah. Acting at God's behest, it is he who leads the Jews out of slavery, unleashes the Ten Plagues against Egypt, guides the freed slaves for forty years in the wilderness, carries down the law from Mount Sinai, and prepares the Jews to enter the land of Canaan. Without Moses, there would be little apart from laws to write about in the last four books of the Torah. The Man of God: He was tasked by God to save the Israelites from the Egyptians. Joshua: Gideon: Gideon was minding his own business in his home city of Ophrah. He was threshing wheat in a winepress, hiding from the

Midianites. An angel appeared to him there and said, "The Lord is with you, brave and mighty man". (Judges 6: 12) Gideon is skeptical and asks the angel a question. If God is with us, why are we under this oppression all the time? This time God speaks and orders Gideon, "Go with all your great strength and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I myself am sending you." (Judges 6: 14) Hero of Israel: He was an early war hero for Israel. He defeated an army, numbered like locusts with only 300 men. Judges like Gideon were the leaders before the age of kings. Deborah: Judges 4, verse 5, states that Deborah dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. Gods Exceptional Servant (Prophetess): Deborah stood for courage in a time of fear. She stood for godly wisdom in a time of human reasoning, when every man did what was right in his own eyes. She stood for decency and order in a chaotic time of sexual perversity and idolatry. Deborah was a leader who was an exception to the rule in her time. David: David was a Shepherd, which out of necessity at the time also taught him fighting skills when defending the flocks from predatory wild animals, including

lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:3435). In quieter times, he also developed his musical skills with the flute and harp. Man after His own heart: David devoted his life to God. As a shepard, he spent a great deal of time alone in the fields with his sheep. He used this time wisely, praising God and learning to hear God's voice. The majority of the Psalms are written by David and express his deep commitment and willingness to discuss everything with God. David used this time to become attuned to God. Solomon: The Hebrew Bible credits Solomon as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem, and portrays him as great in wisdom, wealth, and power, but ultimately as a king whose sin, including idolatry and turning away from Yahweh, leads to the kingdom being torn in two during the reign of his son Rehoboam. Solomon is the subject of many other later references and legends. The Wisest King: Solomon became a favorite author and contributor of different kinds of wisdom literature, "including not only the collections of proverbs, but also of Ecclesiates and the Song of Solomon and the later apocryphal book the Wisdom of Solomon."

Esther: Esther, meaning star, an orphaned Jewish child raised in

Persia by Mordecai her cousin was chosen by King Ahasuerus to replace the vacillating and adamant queen Vashti. Esther originally named Hadassah, meaning, the myrtle, is the heroine of the Biblical book that bears her name. Hadassah received her name of Esther when she entered the royal harem. Courage and Confidence: Courage is only needed when you face a difficult situation. Courage is something that all of us want! Esther risked her life, because not even the fact that she was rich or that she held a political position, could guarantee her safety. Safety comes only from God. Esther had to put her trust in God for this dangerous mission. You and I should be inspired by Esther's example and act in confidence the next time we're faced with a situation that requires tons of courage. There is one element of faith that is essential in making a decision which requires courage. This is that we must believe, just like Esther and Mordecai, that God will care for us and if we act in His will, we must trust that He will do His part. Judith: The presently highly popular name
Judith occurs only once in the Bible. The original Judith is the Hittite wife of Esau. This is peculiar because the name Judith is the feminine form of the masculine name Judah. It may very well be that the origin of the name Judah was inspired by the name of his aunt Judith, and not vice versa. For a meaning of the name Judith, NOBS Study Bible Name List readsJewess, but since the Jews did not exist yet this early in Genesis and also because Judith was a

Hittite, a more proper translation would be equal to that of Judah: Let Yah Be Praised.

Job: Job was a man from Uz, whose

unfortunate test by satan became fuel for the greater discussion of what sin is and does. Sin (literally: to miss your mark/goal) is whatever makes a person deviate from perfection. How God manages the universe is hard to guess at, and also why some of us lose our children to violent people or natural forces. Why do some of us get cancer, plunge into insanity or bankruptcy or any kind of destructive temptation? Has it all to do with God choosing the least of evils? The consequences of sin are inescapable, and sadly the consequences of our neighbor's sin may easily affect us. Some of us die, and we don't know why. But we have the promise that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). The story of Job is among the oldest of the Bible and plays at the time of the patriarchs. We know this because of certain very clear hints. Job's children were old enough to be eating and drinking in the house of the oldest. Since there were ten of them, and Job lived another 140 years after his ordeal (42:16), his total life span would fit in neatly the patriarchal record. Furthermore, his wealth was measured in life stock, rather than precious metals, as was the custom in later times. Other hints comes from word usage, such as Shaddai, and other customs, such as patriarchal priesthood. After his ordeal Job has seven sons, who remain unnamed, and three daughters of astonishing pulchritude. "And in all the land no women were found so fair as Job's daughters" - Job 42:15. There names are Jemimah,Keziah and Keren-happuch (v1 4). The origin of the name Job is unclear (unknown says BDB Theological Dictionary). Some (NOBS Study Bible Name List reads Returning) derive it from an Arabic verb meaning 'he who turns (to God)'. Others (HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament ) see similarities with the verb (ayap), meaning to be an enemy.

Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names derives the name Job from this verb and is convinced that the name Job is a passive form and thus means The Persecuted. Then there are occurrences of this same name in related languages, and mean there No Father or Where Is My Father? A Hebrew audience would probably hear Enemy for the name Job, and perhaps (as HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament & BDB Theological Dictionary suggest) a passive form of the verb, so that the name-bearer becomes the object of hostilities, specifically those imposed on Job by God. Others understand perhaps that God is never an enemy to a righteous man and righteous Job, as much as he loved God, was His enemy by nature, and that got the ball rolling.

perhaps also because the name Isaiah is almost identical to the name Joshua with the two segments reversed.

Micah: The name Mica(h) is the accepted

abbreviated form of the name Michaiah(like what Rick is to Richard). The different spellings (either with the heh or with the aleph) argues the weakness or softness of both letters, especially when they are used for the notation of a vowel. In that case these letters become almost freely interchangeable without substantially altering the name (like our John, Jon, Joan, Jean, Jan, Janna, Jane). However, the Hebrew language is far too majestic and potent to allow any kind of change without a very good reason or some extra magic. Even though both names derive of Michaiah, meaning Who Is Like YHWH, there is additional meaning to the abbreviation, which turns the name into a little poem. The Mica's ( ) mentioned in the Bible are Mephiboseth's young son (2 Samuel 9:12), the Mica who is among the signers of Ezra's covenant (Nehemiah 10:11), who may or may not be the same Mica as the father of a certain overseer (Nehemiah 11:22). The Micah's ( ) that are mentioned are a descendant of Asaph (1 Chronicles 9:15), a descendant of Kohath (1 Chronicles 23:20), the father of one of king Josiah's adjutants who is also known as Michaiah (2 Chronicles 34:20 & 2 Kings 22:12) and lastly the prophet who wrote the book of Micah. The name Mica(h) consists of two parts. The first bit is (mi), the common inquisitive particle that seeks after identity: who? Then, for Mica, the second part is , which doesn't exists in the Bible, but which can be easily constructed from the verb (ka'a), be disheartened or frightened. Which makes the name Micah like a rhetorical response to the name Michaiah: Who Is Like YHWH? (and as a show of trust in Him:) Who Is Afraid? For Micah the second part of the name is , which is equal to the word (koh), the demonstrative adverb of manner, place

Isaiah: Isaiah is the name of a major

prophet who worked predominantly inJerusalem during the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah approximately 740 to 680 B.C. (Isaiah 1:1). The name Isaiah consists of two parts: The first part is , the abbreviated form of ;YHWH. The second part consists of the verb (yasha), meaning to be saved, delivered. Some derivations of this verb are: (yesha) and (yeshua) both meaning salvation. Derivation (shoa) indicates a 'free man,' an independent person. Hence the name Isaiah means YHWH Is Salvation. NOBS Study Bible Name List reads Yahweh Is Salvation, Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has Salvation Of The Lord. A remarkable feature of the name Isaiah is that it consists of the same two elements as the name Joshua ( ). The name Joshua is the Hebrew form of the Greek name Jesus, and most probably the name by which Jesus was known by His contemporaries. Jesus was fascinated by the Book of Isaiah, possibly because this Book appears to be entirely about Him, but

or time: thus, here, making Micah to mean Who's There? But, more attractively, may also be seen as to come from (kaha), be dim, faint, weak. That way the name Micah is like Mica, and asks Who's A Whimp?

may be in the sense of laying a foundation, and translates the name Jeremiah with Yahweh Establishes, Appoints or Sends. This seems, however, a bit too creative. This root group is never used to indicate the fixing of something, but always quite the opposite. The identical root (rama II) is sometimes split in two. Hence BDB Theological Dictionary lists three different roots , yet HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament rejects this and groups all following meanings under the same header. But whatever the philologically deliberations may entail, there are obviously two major groups of meanings contained in this second root: (rama II) means to beguile, deceive, mislead. HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament lists the noun (remiya), slackening, deceit, under this root, but BDB Theological Dictionary supposes the existence of an unused root (rama BDB Theological Dictionary III), meaning to loosen. The controversy surrounding this root (or these roots) illustrates marvelously the evolution of theological thought and linguistic theory through the centuries. Classic scholars marked one root that covered to deceive and to loosen, but more recent scholars thought there were two different roots (which means two different ideas accidentally named the same, like our words trunk and trunk), and most recent scholar are back to one root. The solution lies in the notion that in the Bible the ideas of deception and loosening are similar, simply because exercising truth leads to stronger relationships. Where we differentiate between deceit and looseness, the Bible doesn't. A group that is of one mind (Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 4:3-6) can not be loose, can not practice deceit, and can not be united by anything other than truth (Psalm 15:2, Proverbs 12:19). And since truth sets free (John 8:32) we are at once struck by the difference between the Bible's definitions of freedom and looseness. An arrow that is shot away is by no means free. Reading the name Jeremiah this way may

Amos: Amos is a minor prophet of Israel

and a farmer; a herdsman and grower of sycamores (7:14). He lived and worked in the 8th century BC. There is also an Amos mentioned in the Lukan genealogy of Christ. We don't know anything about this Amos but judging from his place in the lineage he probably lived sometime during the 3rd century BC. The name Amos derives from the Hebrew verb (amas) to load or carry a load. This load may be carried by a donkey (Genesis 44:13), by God (Psalm 68:19), or people (Isaiah 46:1, Zec 12:3). A related name is Amasa.

Jeremiah: Besides the famous prophet and

author of the Book of Jeremiah (whose name is also spelled ), there are eight Jeremiah's mentioned in the Bible: The maternal grandfather of king Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:31), a family head ofManasseh (1 Chronicles 5:23), a Benjaminite mighty man (1 Chronicles 12:4), two Gadite mighty men (1 Chronicles 12:10 and 13), a priest who signs the renewal of the covenant (Nehemiah 10:2) a post-exilic priest (Nehemiah 12:1), and a Rechabite (Jeremiah 35:3). The name Jeremiah consists of two parts, the final one being , the abbreviated form of , the Name of God (see YHWH). It's not exactly clear where the first part of the name Jeremiah may derive of, although BDB Theological Dictionary and NOBS Study Bible Name List agree it's from the root group (rama I & II), which in itself also carries some controversy. The verb (rama) means to throw or shoot, as use in Exodus 15:1 (horse and rider into the sea) and Jeremiah 4:29 (shooters of the bow). NOBS Study Bible Name List favors this possibility and reads Yahweh Throws, and since this may be a bit odd, continuous to explain that it

seem to make him a Human Arrow on God's Bow, but in fact it will mean He'll Be Dumped By The Lord. BDB Theological Dictionary tries to solve this problem by first of all go with their assumed root of loosening, and then referring to an Assyrian name or phrase meaning 'whose womb is loosened.' That way, the name Jeremiah may convey the gladness of parents for conceiving (compare Genesis 29:31). Still, in Hebrew this verb is never used in relation to giving birth. Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names abandons this troublesome root altogether but also seeks refuge in a word that has no Biblical precedent: the unused root (yaram), to be elevated. Jones reports that this root has to do with the familiar Hebrew verb (rum), be high, lofty; rise up, and reads Elevated Of The Lord. Derivation (rama) means height, high place. Using that particular word would render the name Jeremiah as My High Place Is The Lord.