Biblical Christianity from Peter DeHaan

A Wise Guy: The Wisdom of Solomon

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 22, 2011

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 gave it to him—along with wealth and power as a bonus. The Bible later says that Solomon was wiser than anyone else who ever lived (1 Kings 4:30-31).

It is from this man—the wisest one who ever lived—that we get the book of Ecclesiastes. Go figure. If Solomon’s writing in Ecclesiastes is a showcase of wisdom and the result of knowledge, then I’ll pass.

We also know, however, that Solomon was distracted by the beliefs of his many wives. They turned his attention away from God and towards other things (1 Kings 11:1-13).

So, despite being wise, Solomon became unwise and strayed from God. I wonder if the book of Ecclesiastes is a reflection of that.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 2 Chronicles 7-9 and today’s post is on 2 Chronicles 9:22.]

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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Tags Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, wisdom

Christian Living

What’s Your Motivation for Holy Living?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 20, 2011

Lately God has been prodding me through his Word and his Spirit to pursue a more holy lifestyle. To me, holy living means right living, what God calls righteousness.

Sometimes I make progress towards fulfilling this call, but most times not so much. I’m okay with that; I’m on a journey and the important thing is to be making progress. What I am not okay with is my attitude.

To my chagrin, during my moments of better behavior I have increased expectations of God. I act as if he owes me something, that I deserve his provision and blessing, and that I’ve earned his attention.

However, when I fail in my pursuit of holy living—as is often the case—I have no such expectations. Whatever God does for me—which is a lot—I receive with great joy and much appreciation.

Pursuing a holy life should be because God asks us to and as a response to his love for us. Acting holy simply to get something from him is just wrong.

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Tags Bible, holy, love, righteous

Bible Insights

The Book of Ecclesiastes

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 19, 2011

I am confounded by the book of Ecclesiastes. As mentioned in the post “…and Then You Die,” Ecclesiastes is a depressing read. It is pessimistic and its main point to put God first is easy to miss.

Ecclesiastes abounds with negativity and hyperbole, yet it also contains some wise thoughts and astute observations. Separating the two takes effort and focus.

Yet doing so means to discount some parts of this book as foolishness and to embrace other parts as sound.

This is unwise, because to do so we must apply our own biases and perceptions of what to accept (such as, obey God) and what to reject (such as, death is better than life).

Reading Solomon’s words in this manner merely reinforces what we already know and teaches us nothing new.

What I do know is that given Solomon’s proclivity towards hyperbole in Ecclesiastes, using his words by themselves as a basis for understanding God is not warranted.

It is imperative to make sure any conclusions made are also supported elsewhere in biblical texts.

So if Ecclesiastes is not much use for direct instruction, then what good is it?

If I read Ecclesiastes strictly as a story, then I do see one lesson emerge: smart people can be pretty whacked out and morose in their thinking. Is that the point?

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Tags Ecclesiastes, King Solomon

Bible Insights

Hananiah, Shelemiah, Zadok, Pedaiah, and Hanan

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 17, 2011

You’ve heard about Hananiah, right? How about Shelemiah? Zadok? Perhaps Pedaiah? Or Hanan?

Although these men are all mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, don’t feel bad if they’re not familiar to you. They did not accomplish great feats, rule a kingdom, lead an army, spark a revival, or do anything seemingly notable.

They appear to be a mere footnote in the pages of history.

Even so, they are remarkable for one thing—a most important trait—their character.

Hananiah was asked to be a leader because he was a man of integrity.

Shelemiah, Zadok, Pedaiah, and Hanan were given responsibility because they were trustworthy.

Integrity and trustworthiness are two traits in short supply nowadays, but they are characteristics that produce promotion and responsibility—perhaps not in grand and glorious ways, but subtly and humbly.

These are the kind of leaders, I think, that God delights in.

[Nehemiah 7:2 and Nehemiah 13:13]

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Tags godliness, trust

Christian Living

Are You a Theologian?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 13, 2011

A friend recently insulted me; he called me a theologian. What gall. I know he meant it as a compliment, but I was taken aback.

To me, a theologian is someone who intellectualizes God, sucking all the life and vitality from who he is and turning him into something dry, boring, abstract, and inaccessible.

I’ve heard these people speak, and I’ve read their writings—and I want nothing to do with them or the religious thought they represent.

When I hear “theologian,” the phrase “whitewashed tombs” comes to mind. Regarding this, Jesus said,

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law…for you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity,” (Matthew 23:27, NLT).

I am understandably turned off by that perception of the word theologian.

However, consider that theology simply means “the study of God.” Therefore, a theologian must be “one who studies God.” In that respect, perhaps I am part theologian—at least in a practical, non-theoretical sense.

But even more important than being one who studies God, however, is to be one who loves God, one who knows God, and one who follows God.

That’s how I’d prefer to be known.

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Tags follower of Jesus, purity, theology

Bible Insights

…and Then You Die

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 7, 2011

Several years ago there was a popular, yet pessimistic saying: “Life’s a bitch; then you die.”

Although that may be shocking or even offensive to some, I think King Solomon was the originator of this depressing thought.

It permeates his writing in Ecclesiastes and it exudes from the text. In fact, an apt and concise summary of Ecclesiastes may well be: “Life’s a bitch; then you die.”

After ranting and whining for twelve chapters about the struggle of life and finality of death, it is easy to miss Solomon’s succinct conclusion nestled in the book’s concluding verses.

At this point in the reading, one is often so overwhelmed with negativity that there’s a tendency to skim to the end, or perhaps to even skip to the end.

Nevertheless, his one gem of useful truth is simply this: fear God and obey him.

Perhaps Solomon was on to something after all.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Ecclesiastes 10-12, and today’s post is on Ecclesiastes 12:13.]

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Tags death, Ecclesiastes, King Solomon

Reviews of Books & Movies

Movie Review: Indigo

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 6, 2011

Reviewed by Peter DeHaan

I recently watched the 2003 movie Indigo—and enjoyed it thoroughly. Indigo is a drama about a young girl who has special abilities, which she uses to protect and re-unite her family.

In the movie, she encounters others who are likewise gifted.

These, we learn, are “indigo children,” who have supernatural awareness and abilities, often empathic and sharing a telepathic connection; mostly they are misunderstood or marginalized.

In watching the movie, I began to wonder if these indigo children might actually have a spiritual awareness that eludes most people. Are they tapping or seeing into the spiritual realm?

While much controversy surrounds this (Google “indigo children” to learn more), I suspect that for some, this is the case.

However, knowing that not everything that is spiritual is good, it is important to be cognizant that those who are truly “indigo” could be connecting with God—or alternately with evil.

If you wish to ponder this, do so with an open mind, but with caution and discernment.

From a production perspective, this is not a standout movie, but it is compelling enough that I want to watch it again and to recommend it.

However, know that the reviews I read were largely negative, criticizing every conceivable aspect, from acting to directing to characterization to plot.

Interestingly, those wrote favorably seemed to have a positive predisposition to indigo children. Could it be that the movie’s detractors were merely offended by the topic?)

[Read more reviews by Peter DeHaan of other faith-friendly videos and movies.]Save

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Tags spiritual realm, supernatural

Bible Insights

Nehemiah’s Omission

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 5, 2011

In Nehemiah and the Wall, we saw Nehemiah’s great leadership at work, stirring up a passive and floundering people to act, quickly accomplishing what had long been languishing.

He also ushered in numerous reforms and ignited a spiritual revival.

Yet he lacked one thing. He did not train a replacement.

After leading his people for 12 years, Nehemiah returned to Babylon. The people quickly forgot all he had taught them and reverted to their old ways. Specifically:

They allowed foreigners access to the temple
The Levites were not receiving their assigned portions of food and provision, so they left Jerusalem (effectively, they quit their job)
The people were working and trading on the Sabbath
The men married foreign wives

These were all prohibited by the Law of Moses, which under Nehemiah’s leadership, the people had agreed to follow. But he left and they forget.

Although they still enjoyed the physical protection of the city wall that they had rebuilt, they retained little else. Nehemiah needed to return and straighten them out—again. Even then, there is no mention that he trained a successor.

Sometimes, even the best of people fail to learn from their mistakes.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Nehemiah 11-13, and today’s post is on Nehemiah 13.]

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Tags Moses, Nehemiah

Christian Living

We Are Body, Soul, and Spirit

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 2, 2011

Most Christians Have a Worldly Perception of Themselves Instead of a Spiritual One

We live in a physical world. As such, we are readily aware that we have a body. If we stop to contemplate it, we may admit to the possibility of having a soul, too—whatever that means. But what about a spirit?

In our reality, which we readily see and experience, the idea of spirit seems a bit of a stretch. Yet, Paul writes that we are comprised of body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

However, he reverses the order. He lists spirit first, as if it is most important, then soul, and lastly body, almost as inconsequential.

Body, Soul, and Spirit

Though I don’t know the origin, I’ve heard it said, “We are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body.” That saying is likely built on Paul’s teaching. Furthermore, our soul is said to comprise our mind, will, and emotion.

The more I think about it, the more I am intrigued—and the more I like the order of the words: spirit, soul, body.

We know our body is temporary; that is obvious. It will one day cease to function, and our body will die.

Yet, our spirit will live on. This suggests our spirit is more important and significant than our body. If so, our spirit and soul should control our body, not our body dictating our soul or spirit.

Consider eating. Our body wants food, so we feed it, sometimes gaining weight in the process. Then we go on a diet. Our soul (mind, will, and emotion) resists the body’s insatiable call for more.

If we’re successful, we lose weight. But do we keep it off? Not likely—not unless our spirit gets involved. When our spirit is in control, our soul follows, and we keep our body’s cravings in check.

We are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body. This gives us much to consider and can reform our reality, if we will let it.

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Tags Paul, soul, spirit

Bible Insights

Nehemiah and the Wall

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 27, 2011

Nehemiah was in exile. Though some of his people had been repatriated, he remained in Babylon. Those who returned, had rebuilt the temple, but the city walls (their protection from attack) were still in ruins.

Nehemiah sought the king’s permission and blessing to return and rebuild the wall.

So Nehemiah goes home, surveys the situation, and tells the people the self-obvious: The walls are in shambles; we are in danger. Let’s rebuild the walls.

The people readily agree and begin working. Fifty-two days later, they finish.

They had lived there for years, but without walls and they were vulnerable as a result. Yet in 52 days, less than two months, the walls were rebuilt and they were much safer.

Why did it take so long to act? Quite simply, there was a lack of leadership. The need was there, the solution was there, the resources were there, but leadership was not.

It took Nehemiah’s leadership to make it happen.

The next time you hear, “Someone should do something about that,” recognize that as a lack of leadership.

Might you be that leader?

[Nehemiah 2:17-18, Nehemiah 6:15]

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Tags Nehemiah