Eve (along with her husband, Adam), is a well-known biblical figure. I’m surprised she’s only mentioned by name four times in the Bible, twice in Genesis and twice in the New Testament.
I’ve never understood why Eve bears the heaviest criticism for disobeying God. Adam is likewise culpable, and he could have—and should have—put a stop to eating the forbidden fruit.
More contemptible is the serpent, who resorted to lies to trip up Eve.
Because of their actions, all three—Adam, Eve, and the serpent—suffer consequences, which they will pass on to future generations.
Looking specifically at Eve, she receives three punishments: pain in childbirth, a desire for her husband, and him ruling over her.
The middle phrase doesn’t make much sense, but the NLT renders it differently: “you will desire to control your husband.”
So before Adam and his wife messed up, things must have been the opposite: childbirth was easy, women did not seek to control their husbands, and men did not rule over their wives.
Going forward, women would desire to control their husbands, and husbands would rule their wives.
However, in the beginning there was neither controlling nor ruling; there must have been equality, with God intending spouses to live as equals.
Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
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.
Hezekiah and Moses Plead with God for a Different Outcome
In Isaiah we read about King Hezekiah. The king is sick, and Isaiah comes to him with a dire message from God. Through Isaiah, God tells Hezekiah to put his affairs in order because his illness is fatal. Death looms.
Though few of us would welcome death, knowing when our end would occur might bring about a certain appreciation. This would give us an opportunity to say our goodbyes and get our estate organized for our heirs.
Hezekiah Prays and Cries to God
But Hezekiah doesn’t give God a heartfelt, or even a respectful, “Thanks for the heads up.”
Instead the king cries bitter tears and reminds God—as if God needed reminding—of his lifetime of faithfulness, devotion, and good living.
Guess what happens next?
God hears Hezekiah’s prayers and sees his tears. God changes his mind. Instead of sticking to the plan that the king’s end is near, God pledges to give him another fifteen years of life (Isaiah 38:1-5).
Moses Also Seeks God’s Favor
However, long before the reign of King Hezekiah, Moses and God have another interesting exchange. When God’s chosen people decide to worship a golden calf instead of him, God has enough.
He says he’ll destroy his people and start over with Moses to make a new nation.
If this happened to me, I’d bow my head in false humility and say something like, “As you wish.” But not Moses. Instead he tries to talk God out of it. Moses fights for the nation of Israel even though they don’t deserve it.
God listens to Moses’s reasoning and he relents from destroying his people as he had planned (Exodus 32:9-14).
God wants to do good things for us, and sometimes all we need to do is ask.
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.
Anna is widowed after only seven years of marriage. A devout woman, she dedicates her life to God, spending as much time as possible in the temple fasting, praying, and worshiping him.
Anna is at least eighty-four years old when Mary and Joseph show up to consecrate Jesus. First, she recognizes him as the savior who the people have been expecting for centuries.
Then she thanks God she lived long enough to see Jesus and then tells everyone about him.
After a lifetime of devotion to God, he rewards her by allowing to to see Jesus. How many other people were likewise as devout, but never got to see him?
God calls us to focus on him, but we may not receive any reward for our loyalty during our lifetime. Will we be faithful anyway?
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.
Childless, Elizabeth and husband Zechariah are getting old; their chance for kids is slim. Still they pray for the improbable. Despite not receiving what they yearn for, their faith remains strong. They are a righteous couple who honor God.
One day at work, an angel shows up and tells Zechariah that he and his barren wife will finally have a son—not just any son, but a special one.
He is to be set apart for service to God, the Holy Spirit will empower him, and he will spark a nationwide revival.
They are to name him John.
Elizabeth does indeed get pregnant. In her sixth month, Mary—who will later give birth to Jesus—comes for a visit. Inside Elizabeth, John jumps for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice.
Then the Holy Spirit comes upon Elizabeth and she prophesizes, blessing Mary and her unborn baby.
When John is born, Elizabeth and Zechariah’s friends and family celebrate with them. They praise God and share in her joy for finally having a baby.
Elizabeth and Zechariah prayed for a child even when it no longer made sense; God answered their prayers by giving them a son named John, John the Baptist.
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.
An angel visits Mary, a teenage girl engaged to be married. The angel celebrates her as one highly favored by God. Perplexed, she wonders about the angel’s shocking greeting.
Then he further stuns her by saying she will become pregnant, and her child will save her people.
“How,” Mary asks? “I’m a virgin.”
The angel explains that the Holy Spirit will supernaturally impregnate her.
Mary trusts God in this and accepts it without arguing.
When Joseph, her fiancé, finds out about her condition, he’s going to dump her, but an angel visits him and tells him not to. Though they eventually marry, they remain celibate until after Mary’s miracle baby is born.
The Birth of Jesus
However, before that happens, Mary and Joseph must travel to Bethlehem for a mandatory census. Unable to find a room to stay in, they hunker down in a barn. There, among the filth of livestock, Jesus is born.
This is no ordinary birth: angels celebrate, shepherds bow down, and royalty offer expensive gifts. Then at Jesus’ consecration, people give astounding prophecies and thanks for him.
Twelve years later, Jesus amazes his parents, especially his mom, when they find him at the temple in deep discussion with the religious leaders.
At age thirty he starts his ministry. Three years later, during his execution, Jesus asks his close disciple John to care for Mary. The last we hear of her is at a gathering of Jesus’ followers after he rises from the dead and returns to heaven.
Though we praise Mary for her pious acceptance of God’s assignment, the townspeople did not likely celebrate her situation.
They probably dismissed her claim that God did it, and she forever carried the stigma as the girl who got pregnant before being married.
Sometimes there is a price for following God. Would we be willing to suffer a lifetime of humiliation to conform to his plan for us? It’s certainly something to think about.
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.
We Discover Parallels Between Deuteronomy and Jesus’s Death
The book of Deuteronomy, which most people skip and the rest of us skim, does contain interesting passages for us to consider. In one short section, God addresses capital punishment.
Though the idea of executing people for their offenses may offend our sensibilities, don’t dismiss this passage.
Learn from its words. It gives insight into Jesus’s gift of the ultimate sacrifice.
This passage in Deuteronomy talks about executing criminals on a pole. It commands people not to leave the body hang overnight but to bury it the same day. Further it goes on to state that anyone hung on a pole is under God’s curse.
Let’s relate this to Jesus:
Jesus Died on a Pole
We don’t know the exact configuration of the cross Jesus died on, but we can understand that in simple terms, it was a pole. Jesus died on a pole, and his body hung exposed on a pole, exactly aligned with this passage in Deuteronomy.
There he suffered and served as our sacrifice.
Jesus Was Buried the Same Day
When Joseph of Arimathea requested Jesus’s body for burial, he likely had this Deuteronomy passage in mind: that God instructed his people not to leave an executed body hang on a pole overnight.
Joseph, a righteous man, made sure that Jesus’s body didn’t suffer this final indignity.
Jesus Was Under God’s Curse
It’s hard for us to think of Jesus being under God’s curse, yet as he died on the cross, suffering the consequences for what we’ve done wrong, he was under God’s curse.
He suffered God’s punishment for our wrongdoing. Paul confirms this in his letter to the Galatian church.
He tells them, and reminds us, that when Jesus became our curse, he freed us from the curse that we deserve (Galatians 3:13).
Jesus died under God’s curse to free us from the curse.
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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In the book of Deuteronomy, a book of the Bible that most people skip, God explains his relationship to his people. He starts by saying that he didn’t choose them because of their numbers or greatness as a nation.
In fact, they started out as the smallest of all peoples.
It was just Abraham and Sarah when God chose them.
Instead he chose them because he loved them. And he continues to choose them because he made a promise to them, and he keeps his promises.
His love lasts over the centuries, despite their unfaithfulness to him and in the many ways they reject him over and over.
We can take great comfort in this.
God Loves Us and There’s Nothing We Must Do to Earn It
The people of Israel didn’t need to earn God’s love and attention. He gave it to them freely. In the same way, there’s nothing we need to do to earn his affection.
We don’t need to do good things, love others, or even obey his commands to gain God’s love.
Instead, he loved us first, and in response we may opt to react to his love by doing things that please him.
Too often, we get this backwards. We don’t behave better to earn God’s love; we behave better because he loves us.
God Loves Us and There’s Nothing We Can Do to Lose It
God loved the people of Israel first and continued to love them despite their many missteps. In the same way, God doesn’t withhold his love for us when we screw up.
He maintains his love. It’s always there. There’s nothing we can do to push him away or cause him to withdraw his affection of us.
We often get this backwards, too. We assume that when we mess up, he will withhold his love and punish us.
Yes, sometimes there are consequences for what we do—punishment, if you will—but this is a result of his love and not the withdrawal of it.
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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Throughout the Bible We See Examples We Can Apply in Our World Today
As we move toward the end of the book of Numbers, we see God allocating Canaan—the Promised Land—to the twelve tribes of Israel. First, God gives Moses the western, northern, eastern, and southern borders of the nation.
Then he indicates which tribes will live east of the Jordan and which will reside to the west.
But he doesn’t give any details for tribal boundaries within this area. Instead, he says to divide the land by lots. That is, to conduct a random drawing.
Though this seems akin to a game of chance, the people likely believe God will direct the results.
However, instead of relying only on lots to make the selection, God designates one leader from each tribe to be involved in the process (Numbers 34:18).
This wise step provides the people with assurance that the drawing occurred properly, and nothing interfered with the selection of territory as God intended.
Though Moses could have simply drawn lots himself to assign territory to the twelve tribes, having representatives from each tribe present to witness the process, helps give the people confidence that everything happened as it should.
Though this seems like an unnecessary step, it’s also a wise step. Likewise, we are wise to follow this perspective in the proper management of our local church and the administration of our denomination or association.
At one level we can equate this additional level of oversight to poll watchers during an election. At another level this is like a check and balance in government.
In an ideal world, neither one of these is necessary. However, in a fallen world this is a wise precaution to take. And in all we do, we must be wise.
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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In the book of Genesis, we meet Abraham. God takes a special interest in Abraham and gives him a bold promise. He pledges to make Abraham “into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2, NIV).
What makes this promise even more incredible is that Abraham is seventy-five years old and has no heirs.
It would seem that this great nation God has in mind will end with Abraham’s death.
Of course, God has a different plan. Miraculously Abraham and his wife Sarah have a child, Isaac, twenty-five years later, when Abraham is 100 years old. Through Isaac, God’s great nation will emerge.
Isaac has Jacob, also called Israel. Jacob has twelve sons, from which the twelve tribes of Israel will emerge. A great nation is born.
But before this happens, Jacob and his family travel to Egypt. They stick around too long and over many generations their growing group becomes oppressed and enslaved.
Four hundred years later Moses leads them out of Egypt to return to the land God originally pledged for Abraham and his family, the Promised Land. There the great nation will live.
However, this great nation almost gets derailed. The trip from Egypt to their future home in Canaan should only take a few days, two weeks tops.
Instead, the journey lasts forty years, because they’re not ready to receive what God has planned for them and because of their disobedience.
Discover What Moses Did When God Offered to Make Him into a Great Nation
At one point, God becomes exasperated with them and tells Moses what he wants to do. Because of the people’s ongoing disobedience and lack of faith, God has had enough. He threatens to strike them down and destroy them.
Then he’ll start over with Moses. He tells Moses, “I will make you into a nation even greater and stronger than they.”
If I were Moses, I’d jump at the chance. After all, these people—God’s chosen people—have caused nothing but frustration and dissension, complaining the whole time.
I’d be happy to be done with them. I’d be honored for God to arrange a do over, starting with me and my children.
Of course, Moses, a humble man—more humble than any other—turns down God’s generous offer. He begs for a second chance for these people who don’t deserve it. And God grants it.
In fact, he’ll give them many more chances in the centuries to come.
But what if Moses didn’t fight for his people and accepted the offer God gave him? Then instead of us talking about the children of Abraham, we’d be talking about the children of Moses.
It wouldn’t be the nation of Israel; it would be the nation of Moses or one of his sons.
Moses, however, is a wise leader. He doesn’t seek to promote himself. Instead he wants what’s best for those who he’s charged to lead—even though they don’t deserve it.
So, it is with God. Everything he gives us is something we don’t deserve.
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
The Righteous Walk in God’s Ways, While the Rebellious Trip Over His Words
As the prophecy of Hosea winds down he urges Israel (and us) to turn from our shortcomings and return to God. When we do this, blessing will follow: blessings for us and for others through us.
Once again, we have this concept in the Bible of being blessed so that we can be a blessing to others.
After this conclusion to his message, Hosea tacks on a final thought. He says that God’s ways are right. Those who are righteous walk with God; they follow him. Those who rebel against God will stumble (Hosea 14:9).
If we find ourselves stumbling over what God tells us to do, this could imply we’re rebellious. This doesn’t mean we can’t have questions. In fact, I think God enjoys our questions—as long as we’re sincere and ask with the right motives.
If we disregard what he says, we shouldn’t be surprised when we trip over it.
Walk with God and Do Not Rebel
Some people read the Bible and delight in it. They’re happy to follow God and walk in his ways.
Other people read the Bible and mock it. They think it’s outdated and irrelevant for their lives in today’s world. Yet in ignoring it, they end up stumbling over it.
Then they can’t figure out why their lives are a mess. “Why don’t things work out for me?” they ask. “Why can’t I catch a break?” But this happens when they rebel against God and stumble over what he tells them to do.
They can’t have it both ways.
Though God doesn’t force himself on anyone, a person can’t rebel against him and ignore his words and then expect to receive his blessings. People who don’t know God stumble over his ways and fall.
Ironically, these rebellious people then often blame God for their troubles. But he didn’t cause them. They did.
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
