Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
Though an entire book was written about his prayer (The Prayer of Jabez), we actually know little about Jabez. The Bible only mentions him in two obscure verses, buried among a lengthy genealogy. We know even less about the mother of Jabez, not even her name. We do know his birth is difficult, and the […]
…and Their Four Moms In Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, a reoccurring theme is Jacob’s twelve sons. What is not apparent in Dreamcoat is that many of the sons were half brothers; Jacob was indeed the father of all, but there were four different moms. Here is how this convoluted family tree happened: Jacob fell […]
A Sign of Completeness and Power We’ve talked about the number three in Scripture. Now let’s look at the number seven in the Bible. We see the number seven pop up early in Scripture, during the creation account. On each of the first five days, God sees what he did and pronounces it as “good.” […]
After Tamar (1) tricks Judah into impregnating her, she gives birth to twins. They are Perez and Zerah. The name Perez means “breaking out,” because he broke out of the womb first before his twin brother. Though we know nothing more about Perez and what he did, future generations esteem him. Several generations later, one […]
Eve (along with her husband, Adam), is a well-known biblical figure. I’m surprised she’s only mentioned by name four times in the Bible, twice in Genesis and twice in the New Testament. I’ve never understood why Eve bears the heaviest criticism for disobeying God. Adam is likewise culpable, and he could have—and should have—put a […]
Does the Eagle Soar at Your Command and Build Its Nest on High? We get a glimpse of God’s awe-inspiring creation in the concluding chapters of the book of Job. Here’s what happens: As the storm’s intensity increases, Job’s four friends cast wary glances at each other, interspersed with worried peeks at the raging weather. […]
God has killed Shelah’s older brothers, Er and Onan, for their extreme wickedness. The custom of the people is that Er’s widow, Tamar (1), should be passed to the third brother so he can produce offspring through her for his dead brother. But Shelah isn’t old enough. So Judah sends Tamar home to live with […]
Ruth is Loyal to God and to Her Mother-In-Law Ruth is a widow and foreigner who remains faithful to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She leaves her family to follow Naomi to Israel. The reason for her loyalty to her mother-in-law is a mystery, since Naomi is a bitter woman at this time. However, Ruth also expresses […]
If We Claim to Know the Truth, That Implies Every Other Perspective Is Wrong The book of Job is mostly dialogue between Job and his four “friends,” with God having the final word—as he should. The words of Job’s four friends aren’t much help. At one point in Zophar’s monologue he claims that Job said […]
At the Temple Anna and Simeon Bless Jesus Luke 2:39 They returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. (Luke 2:39) As we’ve covered, Mary and Joseph go to the temple in Jerusalem when Baby Jesus is eight days old. They do so to consecrate him to God as their first-born male and to […]