Biblical Christianity from Peter DeHaan

Who Were the Sons of Korah?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 3, 2012
2 Comments on Who Were the Sons of Korah?

Several of the Psalms are attributed to “the sons of Korah.”

These sons of Korah could have been the writers of those songs/prayers or perhaps the ones tasked with sharing them with others; that would effectively make them performers.

It makes me wonder if the group called “The Sons of Korah” ever performed to standing-room-only crowds at the temple gates.

Pushing my imagination aside, I wonder, who were the sons of Korah?

There are at least two guys named Korah in the Bible, possibly more depending on how the various references are reconciled. So the sons of Korah could have hailed from one of them—or a different, unknown Korah.

Though it is strictly speculation on my part, I want these sons of Korah to be descendants of Korah, the rebellious one, mentioned in Numbers 16.

Korah was killed for his rebellion, as were the men who followed him and the families of his co-conspirators.

However, Korah’s children are not explicitly mentioned as being killed or as surviving.

I want to think they did live and their offspring would write or perform songs and prayers to God.

That is a legacy worth noting.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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Bible Insights

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Tags Korah, Moses

Christian Living

The Festival of Faith and Writing

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 29, 2012

The Connections Between Faith and Writing

Last weekend I attended the Festival of Faith and Writing conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Although the words “faith” and “writing” both appear in the conference name, I expected the benefits of attending to be primarily writing related.

While my expectations to learn more about the art and craft of writing were realized, there was also a spiritual aspect, which came as a pleasant surprise, even though only the concluding chapel service was specifically faith focused.

I’m still trying to determine why the conference was a significant spiritual experience for me. Being surrounded by two thousand other like-minded writers was surely a contributing factor.

And it being held at Calvin College, a Christian liberal arts school, certainly didn’t hurt. Or perhaps it was an answer to the prayer that my buddy Jerry and I uttered on our drive there.

What I do know is something doesn’t need to be overtly spiritual for there to be spiritual value—and the Festival of Faith and Writing proved that to be true.

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Tags faith, writing

Bible Insights

Consider Cain: Who Was He Really?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 26, 2012

We know Cain to be a murderer—and we vilify him for it. What we often fail to consider is that Cain had a relationship with God.

Consider that Cain gave an offering to God that wasn’t requested or expected. (Cain lived centuries before God instructed Moses about the need to give him offerings.)

Also, consider that Cain also had a personal relationship with God, that is he talked to God and was able to be in God’s presence.

Given this, one might conclude that aside from one terrible act, Cain was a good guy, a God-loving dude. Perhaps like you and me.

Even so, this one act—his only recorded failure in life—needed to be punished. Justice demanded it. And as a just God, he meted it out.

So God sent Cain away, away from his presence. But not angrily or out of spite. For despite a need to punish Cain for his grave error, God lovingly put a mark on him to protect him from being killed by others.

God justly punished Cain—and then lovingly protected him.

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Tags Abel, Cain, justice, love

Bible Insights

Avoiding the Way of Cain

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 24, 2012

Cain kills Abel because he is jealous, jealous that his brother’s offering to God is accepted and his isn’t.

God knows what Cain is thinking—and urges caution. God directly tells Cain that he must rule over his sinful thoughts, the temptation to do wrong. But Cain doesn’t heed God’s advice and kills his brother.

The resulting murder may have been an act of rage or merely an extreme way of eliminating the competition. But either way, Abel ends up dead and Cain has blood on his hands.

Thousands of years later, when Jude advises followers of Jesus to avoid “the way of Cain,” he might be referring to murder or perhaps a jealousy that could lead to murder, but I suspect the warning is for something much more subtle.

I think when Jude says we need to avoid the way of Cain, he means we need to control our thoughts and desires to do wrong—a warning we all need to heed.

[Genesis 4:7, Jude 1:11]

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Tags Abel, Cain, Jude

Peter DeHaan News

Peter DeHaan Attends 2012 Festival of Faith and Writing Conference

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 23, 2012

Author Peter DeHaan Attends Festival of Faith and Writing Conference

Peter DeHaan attended the recent Festival of Faith and Writing conference held at Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan on April 19 through 21. The three-day event was attended by 2,000 from across the United States and around the world; it featured 64 presenters.

At the Festival, attendees were treated to an array of presentations and readings from notable authors, including Lucy Shaw, Shane Claiborne, and scores of other accomplished writers. The event also featured a concert by Bruce Cockburn.

Normally writing non-fiction, DeHaan focused his attention on several presentations about writing memoirs. “I’m currently working on two memoirs,” stated DeHaan.

“Both address my lifelong practice of—and struggle with—church attendance. The sessions I attended will be a huge benefit as I write, helping me to navigate some of the tricky challenges that come with memoir writing.”

DeHaan attended sessions led by memoir writers such as Amy Julia Becker, River Jordan, Jana Reiss, Jennifer Grant, Margot Starbuck, Daniel Taylor, Kate Braestrup, and Paula Hudson.

“The Festival of Faith and Writing is a first-class conference,” DeHaan added, “and the beautiful Calvin College campus is an ideal location.” The biennial event started in 1990, with the next one planned for 2014.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

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Tags conferences, Peter DeHaan news

Christian Living

How Can We Hear From God?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 22, 2012

A good friend was all excited. He had something he couldn’t wait to share.

“God revealed something to me,” he announced. “I’ve not yet found it in the Bible, but I know it’s there somewhere.”

I completely missed what God had revealed to him because I was so taken aback contemplating his statement.

I have no doubt he heard from God—and I trust he heard correctly—but his assertion that he would find it in the Bible perplexed me.

Growing up I was taught that God speaks to us through the Bible and we speak to him in prayer. That’s correct, but it’s only part of a greater truth.

God can also speak words to us through his spirit, not in written words, but in oral words, or perhaps whispered words, words he implants into our mind.

Another wise friend told me if what we think we heard from God doesn’t line up with the Bible, then what we thought we heard wasn’t really from him. In addition to scripture, we can also run our revelations by trusted friends and those in authority over us.

If everything lines up, then we can be quite sure we heard from God.

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Tags doubt, hear God, prayer

Bible Insights

Contemplating Cain and His Gift to God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 19, 2012

The account of Cain is well-known. The Bible records his story as the world’s first murderer. It is out of jealousy—and possibly premeditated—that Cain kills his brother, Abel. But what are the events that lead up to this tragedy?

Cain and Abel each bring an offering to God. Abel’s is accepted but Cain’s isn’t. There is speculation as to why God disses Cain’s gift, but the reason is not recorded for us to know.

What’s disconcerting is wondering if God ever disses our gifts. It’s a shocking thought.

I always assumed God is ecstatic over anything and everything I offer to him, be it money in the offering plate, alms, or acts of kindness offered in his honor.

I liken it to a small child showing Mommy and Daddy the picture he or she just drew. The parents are pleased, praising the child profusely, even though they may be clueless as to what the picture is.

I expect God to act like that whenever I give him something.

But what if he doesn’t? After all, God is sovereign—and almighty. What if he doesn’t look at my offering with favor?

It’s a sobering thought. I certainly don’t want to be giving God a sorry little picture—thinking it is good and that he likes it—when he is expecting and desiring something so much more.

God, may my gifts and offerings be pleasing to you.

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Tags Abel, Cain, offering

Christian Living

What Does it Mean to Pray Hard?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 15, 2012

Have you ever had someone ask you to “pray hard?” I have. Often it’s for a pressing personal issue or a distressing situation—and they implore me to “pray hard.”

When they say this, I think I know what they mean—or at least I hope I do. I think “pray hard” means, “This is serious, so don’t take it lightly—and don’t forget!”

However, they could be expressing an understanding of God that might be a bit off. If by “pray hard” they mean, “put forth more effort” or “work hard to get God’s attention,” then they’re implying that our degree of effort affects God’s response.

A similar situation is when a person prays and doesn’t like God’s answer. He or she may say, “I guess I just didn’t pray hard enough.”

I think this perspective puts too much responsibility on us and diminishes God’s character in the process.

Yes, we do need to pray, but I don’t see God expecting us to jump through hoops or devote a certain amount of time before he listens and answers.

Sometimes a prayer may be a short, simple sentence. Other times it may be more lengthy or a mere groan. Sometimes we may pray for a situation just once and other times it may be every day, for weeks, months, or years.

These are all appropriate ways that God may lead us to pray, but to “pray hard” in order to get his attention isn’t one of them.

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Visiting Churches

Make a Difference Wherever You Go

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 13, 2012

My wife and I are on track to start our “52 Churches” adventure this coming Sunday—look for my first update on Monday.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

As friends prayed about this, they prayed that we would have a positive impact on each of the 52 churches we visited.

This surprised me.

Though it is generally my goal to make a difference wherever I go, I’d never considered it for the “52 Churches” initiative. I assumed we would merely be observers, taking in and receiving information, but not giving anything in return.

Now that I have had my perspective appropriately adjusted, this adventure has become doubly exciting. I wonder what we will learn—and what we will share.

[Read the next post about 52 Churches.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

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Tags 52 Churches, friends, prayer