Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
God Cares for the Lesser Things of His Creation and We Are So Much More In one of Asaph’s Psalms he exalts God for his power, beauty, and perfection. In doing so Asaph envisions what God might say to his people, talking about what is important and what isn’t. God has no need for our […]
Through Jesus We Become His Priests and His Temple, Which Should Change Everything In the Old Testament the people go to the temple to encounter God. The priests help them in this. They act as a liaison between them and God. In many ways we still do this today. We go to church to encounter […]
Nathan Takes a Wise Approach When Confronting David about His Sins King David, a man after God’s own heart, is far from perfect. After the Bathsheba affair and the subsequent murder of her husband at the hand of scheming David, God wants to deal with David and restore him to right relationship. This story provides […]
When Leaders Have Absolute Power They Can Commit Terrible Atrocities In the early days of the nation of Israel, a time under its first king, we witness a bad transition of leadership. King Saul abuses his power and shows his lack of trust in God. David Anointed King God wants him gone, replacing him with […]
God Takes Away Naomi’s Bitterness Over Losing Her Husband and Her Sons Naomi means pleasant. She, her husband, and their two sons leave their home country and travel to Moab because of a famine. While in Moab, her husband dies, leaving her a widow. Later both of her sons die, too, leaving her with two […]
Judge Deborah Judge Deborah was a reluctant hero. Deborah, also a prophetess, received instructions from God to relay to Barak. His mission was to lead a battle against their oppressors. When she shared this with Barak, he balked (as did Moses, Jonah, Gideon, and many others when God called them to a task). Barak didn’t […]
Learn about Archippus Archippus is mentioned twice in the Bible, both times in letters from Paul. First, in the letter to Philemon, Archippus is one of the addressees and is called “a fellow soldier.” Then in Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, he inserts a personal message to Archippus. Paul says, “See to it […]
Learn about Rahab Rahab is a prostitute who two spies stay with when they scope out Jericho. We don’t know if they seek her for her services, or if they merely want to get out of public view. When the king of Jericho commands Rahab to turn the men over to him, she commits treason. […]
Discover What Scripture Says About the Lord’s Supper Last week we looked at the context of the Lord’s Supper, noting that Jesus based it on Passover, which is an annual event celebrated with family around a shared meal. Although Communion is a New Testament practice, only four books in the Bible have verses about it. […]
Paul Affirms Tychicus as a Dear Friend, Faithful Minister, and Servant of God Tychicus is a character in the Bible who most people don’t know. His name occurs only five times, once in Acts and four times in Paul’s letters. The letter to the Colossian church is one example. Each time Tychicus’s name is mentioned, […]