Role Models

In the Beginning

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.—2 Timothy 1:5

 As Timothy’s mother and grandmother ..provided the examples of unfeigned ..faith to the young protégé of the apostle Paul, so each of us have patterned our lives to some extent after various individuals who were our personal heroes. We all need role models. We often base our lives more on the observation of others than from what we read in books.

The highest role model of course is God himself, but our knowledge of him is only founded in part on what we absorb of him through that which is written about him. Of equal or greater importance is the example of Jesus who was “God manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). Thus he says of himself, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9).

While we are surrounded in our daily lives by others whose conduct we not only admire, but also seek to emulate, some of our most helpful role models come from the pages of the Old Testament.

In this issue we will consider the examples provided by a few of these. The experiences of Joseph, Naomi, David, Cyrus, and Nehemiah are probed in individual articles. In addition, an extensive catalog of “heroes of faith” is examined in a verse-by-verse study of the impressive list of examples provided in Hebrews 11.

The lives of all of these faithful men and women provide wonderful examples for us. In these brief sketches we see respective patterns of forgiveness, love, repentance, and leadership, as well as a typical portrayal of the work of Jesus by a Gentile monarch.

As our lives progress, we find that we not only continue to learn from role models but our lives in turn provide ideals for others to follow. As one has well said, “We are the only Bible that many will ever read.” Another has observed, “I would rather see a sermon than hear one any day.”

May we each benefit from those around us who serve the function of role models and from the biographies of those who have gone before. And may we each also strive to serve in this ­capacity to others.