Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
A Grandfather’s Blessing Joseph and Asenath have two sons. The oldest is Manasseh, and the younger is Ephraim. They are the grandsons of Jacob, later called Israel. When Israel is on his deathbed, Joseph comes to see his ailing father, bringing his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him. Hearing about Joseph’s arrival, Israel rallies […]
Anna is widowed after only seven years of marriage. A devout woman, she dedicates her life to God, spending as much time as possible in the temple fasting, praying, and worshiping him. Anna is at least eighty-four years old when Mary and Joseph show up to consecrate Jesus. First, she recognizes him as the savior […]
Deuteronomy Instructs Us to Help Foreigners, Orphans, and Widows In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds God’s people that when they’re harvesting a field to not pick it clean, to leave some of the produce for others. This includes foreigners, orphans, and widows (Deuteronomy 24:19). Help Foreigners Orphans and Widows Moses’s words reiterate the same […]
Influencing Your Spouse Pharaoh later gives the-now-freed Joseph a wife. Her name is Asenath, and she’s the daughter of the priest of On. The priest’s name is Potiphera. (Don’t confuse Potiphera with Potiphar.) This is likely a strategic move on Pharaoh’s part, hoping that Asenath will influence Joseph to accept Egyptian perspectives and beliefs. In […]
Childless, Elizabeth and husband Zechariah are getting old; their chance for kids is slim. Still they pray for the improbable. Despite not receiving what they yearn for, their faith remains strong. They are a righteous couple who honor God. One day at work, an angel shows up and tells Zechariah that he and his barren […]
Offer a Male Without Defect Leviticus is a book that most people tend to skip. At best, they skim it. Leviticus gives meticulous details about how God expects his people to worship him. It involves a lot of animal sacrifices—blood, guts, and death—something we find off-putting and foreign. Yet Leviticus also offers us much insight […]
Potiphar Reacts to His Wife’s Accusations Through a series of events outside his control, Joseph has become a slave owned by Potiphar. Potiphar is one of Pharaoh’s officials and captain of the guard. God’s favor is on Joseph in Potiphar’s household, and he proves himself to the captain. Potiphar eventually puts his entire estate under […]
Mary Receives Shocking News An angel visits Mary, a teenage girl engaged to be married. The angel celebrates her as one highly favored by God. Perplexed, she wonders about the angel’s shocking greeting. Then he further stuns her by saying she will become pregnant, and her child will save her people. “How,” Mary asks? “I’m […]
Listening for God’s Direction Some people tell me they’ve never heard God speak to them. Of those, I suspect many actually do hear him, but they don’t realize it. Can you hear the voice of God? For others, they need to train themselves to listen. And there may be a few people with something blocking […]
A Story of Immorality Joseph is an attractive man. Potiphar’s wife notices. She pursues Joseph. We don’t know her motivation. Does her husband ignore her? Is she bored? Perhaps she’s merely promiscuous. Yet her reasons don’t matter. She tries to seduce Joseph. Joseph resists. He explains why he won’t sleep with her, but she ignores […]