Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
When the nation of Israel was in the desert between Egypt and the land God promised to give them, stuck in time-out, they needed something to eat. God supernaturally provided a substance called manna. It sustained them for forty years while in the Sinai Peninsula. Although the Bible describes manna, the explanation leaves me wanting. […]
Once, when the Israelites were in the desert and thirsty, God told Moses to speak to a rock and water would pour forth. Instead, out of anger towards the people, Moses hit the rock with his walking stick. Water still gushed out, but God was displeased over Moses’ lack of following directions. Moses’ punishment was […]
Don’t Add to or Subtract From Scripture Most people who read the Bible are careful—or so they claim—not to add anything to God’s written word or to take anything away from it. They read the Bible with care. A commonly cited verse to support this practice is Revelation 22:18-19, which pronounces plagues for those who […]
Just as we know that Jesus had twelve disciples, we know that Israel had twelve tribes, right? Jacob (also known as Israel) had twelve sons and each son became a tribe, right? Well sort of. Even though Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, there is no tribe named Joseph. Instead Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, […]
Whether or not we realize it, all aspects of our lives include traditions: unexamined habits and mindless rituals. But perhaps traditions most often exist in our approach to God and our worship of him. While some traditions had a positive origin, others were misguided from the start. With little thought we pass our traditions from […]
When Solomon dedicated the temple, the people praised God with much fanfare and then something strange happened. A cloud formed—inside the building. But there’s more. “The Glory of the Lord filled the temple.” It became so intense that the priests couldn’t even work; God’s presence was that strong. It was extreme. They became overwhelmed with […]
Last week we talked about Noah’s obedience and Moses’ boldness. Both actions were reflections of their faith: the faith to obey and the faith to confront. But what if Noah didn’t obey God, instead interceding for the people? If God changed his mind (as he did when Moses fasted and prayed), the great flood would […]
To Noah, God said I will destroy the earth. But God had a plan to spare Noah and his family. Building an ark didn’t make sense and required years of hard work, but Noah obeyed God’s instructions and survived the great flood. We applaud Noah for his obedience to God. To Moses, God said I […]
When Moses went up the mountain to get the 10 Commandments (the second time), God said “I will write on [the tablets] the words…“Imagine that, God providing written communication for Moses. But it’s not just Moses, a few centuries later David said, “I have in writing from the hand of the Lord.. God wrote the […]
Just as I have favorite books in the Bible, I also have a few I struggle with. You’ll likely agree with some on my list, but others may surprise. But just because they are not my favorites one, doesn’t mean I don’t read, study, and write about them! My least favorite books of the Bible […]