Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
The Bible tells us that Adam has many sons and daughters, but it only lists three sons by name. They are Cain, Abel, and Seth. Most people know about Cain and Abel, with Cain killing Abel out of jealousy. He then flees his family to live in the land of Nod. As a result, Adam […]
The widow of one of Elisha’s followers comes to him for help. Her husband left her with an outstanding debt, Since she has no means to pay off the debt, the creditor demands her two sons become his slaves. Elisha asks what resources she has. “Nothing,” she replies, “except for a small jar of olive […]
Zechariah’s Vision One night the prophet Zechariah has a vision. It’s about a wall of fire. In this supernatural dream, he talks to an angel who is about to measure the city of Jerusalem to see just how big it has become. But before he leaves to do this, another angel arrives. He tells the […]
The Bible lists no genealogy for Abel, so we can guess that he died before he had any children. Scripture focuses on the descendants of Seth but gives a short recitation of Cain’s genealogy first (in Genesis 4). We must be careful in reading these names in Cain’s line, since two names also appear in […]
The story of Tamar is a tragic one. The beautiful daughter of King David caught the eye of her half-brother, Amnon, who lusted for her. At the advice of his cousin, Amnon feigned illness and manipulated Tamar into his bedroom. Once alone, he grabbed and solicited her. Three times Tamar refused. When her pleading wasn’t […]
Doing What Is Right in The Eyes of the Lord King Ahaz is king of Judah. He is an evil king. He comes into power when he’s twenty years old and reigns for sixteen years. He dies at age thirty-six. His son, Hezekiah, succeeds him. King Hezekiah, however, it’s not like his father. He’s a […]
Embrace the Old Testament Characters Some Christians dismiss the Old Testament. They argue that since Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17), what it says doesn’t matter to them or their faith practices today. Other Christians embrace the Old Testament, putting it on an equal footing with the New Testament. They […]
A Good Mother Can Make All the Difference The Egyptians fear the mushrooming population of the enslaved Israelites. They command all the Israelite baby boys be thrown into the Nile River. However, one mother sees something special in her baby and hides him for several months. When she can conceal him no longer, she does […]
A Wise Guy God told King Solomon to ask for anything and it would be given to him (2 Chronicles 1:7-12). (I think this is the closest thing we see in the Bible to God granting wishes like a genie.) As a wise guy, he chose carefully. Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge. And God […]
Hannah longs to have children but is childless. Adding to her misery, she’s harassed by everyone around her. Though, she is her husband’s (Elkanah) favorite wife he dismisses her infertility and fails to protect her from verbal assaults from his other wife, Peninnah, who endlessly torments her. Then, when she prays in earnest, Eli, the […]