Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
Many people criticize the Bible—and those who follow it—for making women subservient to men. This is not a conclusion I reach when I read the Bible. I see the Bible—and those who truly follow it—as elevating the plight of women to the place they were created to be: equal to men. Consider in Genesis where God […]
Baby Jesus in the Temple Luke 2:21–24 He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. (Luke 2:21) The shepherds arrived shortly after Jesus’s birth to see the child the angel had told them about. Our story picks up eight days later, when it’s time to circumcise him. We’re […]
John’s Vision for These Churches Provides Us With Practical Insight Today Many people love the Book of Revelation, the apostle John’s supernatural treatise of the end times. It’s an epic read of God’s awesome power and the amazing, scary, exciting events that will usher us from this world into our eternal reality. Yet readers are […]
Isaiah’s Prophecy Isaiah 9:1–7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. (Isaiah 9:6) This passage in Isaiah’s prophecy opens with the word nevertheless. To gain insight as to what this means we must consider the end of the prior chapter. There Isaiah writes of the time when the people […]
Too Often We Place Our Personal Needs Over What God Is at Work Doing When Jesus’s friend Lazarus dies, Jesus goes to where the man is interred and, with a dramatic flair, raises him from the dead. When the people see this miracle of miracles, many believe in Jesus. Bringing someone back to life is […]
Mary’s Psalm of Praise Luke 1:49–55 “Holy is his name.” (Luke 1:49) Mary’s psalm of praise continues by commending God for who he is. Her recitation of his attributes builds on Old Testament truths, quotes, and allusions, presenting an informed scriptural understanding of how God has been at work. She starts by declaring that he […]
Three Things We Need to Do Because of our standing with God the Father, as a result of Jesus, the author of Hebrews tells us to do three things: 1. Draw Near to God God wants a relationship with us and we should want one with him. We need to seek him with all diligence […]
Daniel Foretells the Future Daniel 7:13–14 “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14) The prophet Daniel lived some five centuries before Mary. You may know the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, where God protected him overnight after […]
Are You a Wise Guy? Do you possess wisdom? Are you wise? A wise guy? According to the dictionary, wisdom is “The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight; common sense; good judgment.” Now consider what James writes about wisdom. He writes “the wisdom that comes from heaven is first […]
Prepare the Way, Part 1 Malachi 2:17–3:5 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.” (Malachi 3:1) The opening of Mark’s gospel quotes two Old Testament prophecies about John the Baptist. The first is from Malachi, the final book in the Old Testament. But Malachi isn’t speaking his own words. He […]