Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
Moses gave a curious command: “Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” This seems to be an excessive response when one is wronged, but given the culture of that day, it was actually a move towards moderation. For example, when Jacob’s daughter Dinah was […]
In ancient times, names were given to people for a reason, no matter how trivial. The meaning of the names of Jacob’s twelve sons gives great insight into the competitive struggle between his two wives, the sisters, Leah and Rachel: Reuben means “See, a son!” (Leah said, “The Lord has seen my humiliation and affliction; […]
So, we know that Jacob’s twelve sons had four mothers: Leah was the spurned wife; Rachel was the favorite wife; Bilhah was Rachel’s maid and Zilpah was Leah’s maid. Here is their birth order and how it all breaks down: 1. Reuben, his mom was Leah2. Simeon, his mom was Leah3. Levi, his mom was Leah4. Judah, […]
…and Their Four Moms In Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, a reoccurring theme is Jacob’s twelve sons. What is not apparent in Dreamcoat is that many of the sons were half brothers; Jacob was indeed the father of all, but there were four different moms. Here is how this convoluted family tree happened: Jacob fell […]
God is the personification of love—and he loves us. God’s love is perfect. Some people look at their life, the good things they do and the bad things they don’t do, thinking that they are good and therefore worthy of God’s love. Others consider their life, the bad things that they do and the good […]
Was, and Is, and Is to Come In the apocalyptic account in the book of Revelation, it talks about the “beast,” saying that from the point of the end times, he “once was and now is not.” Compare that to the characterization of God, which states that he “was, and is, and is to come.” […]
Six Men Each Have a Different Experience When They Encounter an Elephant Consider the fable of six blind men encountering an elephant for the first time.They have no comprehension of what an elephant is, forming their own understanding based on touch: Yes, an elephant is like a wall, a tree, a spear, a rope, a […]
In recent reflections, we have considered eight word pictures to give us insight into our relationship with God. While none provides a complete picture, each does offer a glimpse into one facet of who God is. We looked at: Putting all of these together, we can begin to get a sense of who God is […]
We Are the Bride of Christ The final word picture to help us better understand God, is perhaps the most startling and difficult to comprehend, even shocking. In this word picture, we consider him as the groom (the Bible often uses the word “bridegroom”) and us as his bride. As followers of Jesus, that is, […]
In the next word picture for God, we can consider God as our friend. As our relationship with God grows and progresses, there is an opportunity for us to become friends, perhaps analogous to a parent and their adult child. As friends, we (that is, God and us) spend time together, communicate with each other, […]