Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
Four Keys from the Early Church Just days after Pentecost, the people who follow Jesus begin to hang out. This is the first church. What did they do? In the book of Acts, Doctor Luke records four key things: In addition, they meet every day at the temple (outreach) and in homes (fellowship). They share […]
Nimrod is the son of Cush, the son of Ham. Since Cush and Canaan are brothers, this means Nimrod is Canaan’s nephew. The biblical text tells us little about Nimrod. What we do know is he’s a “mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:8–9). Though this is curious wording, we can understand “before the Lord” […]
Orpah Begins a Journey but Returns Home Orpah is the widowed daughter-in-law of Naomi and sister-in-law to Ruth. When Naomi decides to return to Judah, her daughters-in-law start out with her, but Naomi releases them. She encourages them to return to their mothers and find new husbands. Though Ruth stubbornly refuses, Orpah does the smart […]
What if God Told You to do Something Crazy? A guy named Peter knew how to fish. That was his trade, his livelihood. When it came to catching fish, he was the expert. Peter’s buddy Jesus was a carpenter by trade. He knew how to make things with his hands, things constructed of wood. He […]
Canaan is the son of Ham and the grandson of Noah. The story of Canaan is perplexing. When Noah’s son Ham finds his father drunk, he acts disrespectfully. His two brothers act appropriately. When Noah discovers what his sons did when he was inebriated, he explicitly blames Ham’s son Canaan. This is despite Canaan not […]
Peninnah is an unfamiliar Bible character. Hare you ever heard of her? She’s a co-wife with Hannah (the mother of Samuel). Their husband is Elkanah. Having two wives is never a good idea. Conflict ensues. In a tale reminiscent of Jacob and his two wives, Rebecca and Leah, we have the story of Elkanah and […]
John (referred to as John the Baptizer) was Jesus’ cousin and a couple of months older. John preceded Jesus in ministry, pointing people to Jesus. John did his work admirably and without fault, albeit amidst criticism. He was eventually imprisoned because of what he said. With all the amazing things Jesus did and the miracles […]
Methuselah is Enoch’s son. Aside from being Noah’s grandfather, the other notable fact about Methuselah is that he has the longest recorded life in the Bible, standing at an amazing 969 years. The Bible records many people at that time as living hundreds of years, but Methuselah’s life is the longest. Yet as we move […]
When Barak and the Israelite army routes Sisera’s army, Sisera escapes and takes refuge with Jael. He seeks her because her clan has a favorable history with his country. Pretending to protect him, Jael takes him in, attends to his needs, and then slays him by bashing in his scull while he sleeps. Though a […]
Two Reactions to Miracles The people of the nearby town who are told of this miracle have two ways to respond: First, in awe of Jesus’ power and authority, they could turn to him and follow him. Second, out of fear of the unknown and the uncomfortable, they could reject Jesus and push him away. […]