Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
After Jabez asks for blessings so that he could be a blessing to others, he then adds: “and enlarge my territory” In Bible times, territory meant power via increased authority, responsibility, and influence. As, such, a request for “more territory” is not a petition for more “stuff,” as much as a metaphor implying greater authority, […]
The first line of the prayer of Jabez, is: “Oh, that you would bless me, indeed…” First of all, the word “indeed” is a way of adding emphasis, much like we would do with an exclamation point. It wasn’t enough for Jabez to merely make his request, he made it passionately and emphatically. The request […]
The prayer of Jabez is a short prayer and is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10; it is also the subject of a recent popular book by the same name. After a short, very short, bio of Jabez, his equally short prayer is given, followed by a concise commentary. Jabez’s five line prayer is: Oh, that […]
What gender is God? Although I’m not sure how important the answer is in the overall scheme of things, it is nonetheless often debated and speculated. Here is a smattering of responses to this query: Although I refer to God in the masculine, it is more out of convention and for ease of communication. In […]
It’s interesting that we tend to equate writing prolificacy with profundity. After these three, the reminding New Testament authors, especially those of shorter letters, fade into obscurity and are barely noticed by most readers of the Bible. Such is the case of Peter, whose two short letters comprise but 2.5 percent of New Testament content. […]
To Heal and to Save Jesus came to heal and to save; that was his mission and his purpose. At that time, the people largely accepted Jesus’ healing ministry, but not so much his saving ministry. Today, it is the opposite, with his followers accepting his saving ministry, but not so much his healing ministry. […]
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, […]
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 […]