Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.
Time Is Different in the Spiritual Realm Than in the Physical Though King David wrote many psalms, the book of Psalms also includes the work of others. One of these writers is Moses. Yes, Moses wrote a psalm, Psalm 90. It may be the oldest of them all, the first Psalm ever written in the […]
Explore What You Rely On To be self-sufficient is to not require outside aid, support, or interaction for survival. It is a primary intent of much of today’s Western culture. A internet search for “self-sufficient” produced 13.7 million matches. Self-sufficiency is truly a big deal. And unfortunately it’s a prideful goal that produces a false […]
The Art of Being Patient A reoccurring gag in sitcoms is what I call the “wait for it” bit. It goes like this: Something that is expected to occur, doesn’t. With a knowing look, one character confidently states, “Wait for it.” There is a suitable pause, and then it occurs just as predicted—the audience expresses […]
God’s Expectations May Surprise Us, but They Do Make Sense As Micah wraps up his prophecy to the people of Israel, he slips in a profound thought. In one short sentence he tells what God requires of his people. It’s succinct and simple. It’s startling but profound. Equally astonishing is what Micah doesn’t include in […]
The Four Gospels Each Have a Story of a Woman Who Worships Jesus Each of the four accounts of Jesus’s life—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—give a story about a woman who anoints Jesus with expensive perfume, but the details in each report vary. It may be that this happens on four separate occasions. Or it […]
Live a Life of Obedience and Without Regret to Finish Strong Most people know the story of Jonah: God sends Jonah to help Nineveh. But Jonah gets in a boat headed in the opposite direction. God sends a storm to get Jonah’s attention. Jonah implores the crew to throw him overboard in order to calm […]
Prophecy about Edon The book of Obadiah in the Bible contains a prophecy about the nation of Edom. Among other things, Edom is criticized for their pride. The primary issue, however, is not what they did, but what they didn’t do. Theirs is not an act of commission, but of omission. Specially, the gripe that […]
The prophetic book of Nahum is essentially a sequel to the book of Jonah. Both focus on the people of Nineveh. Jonah proclaims doom and destruction on them. They have a change of heart (repent). And God relents. A century or so later, they have forgotten all about that. This time Nahum proclaims doom and […]
You likely know the story of Jonah: He proclaims, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” Talk about a lousy sermon. Eight concise and direct words. He doesn’t use persuasive language, doesn’t implore the people to act, and doesn’t show any compassion or concern. He is blunt and to the point. Technically, he does […]
Consider These Passages about God’s Provisions for Us Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared verses with my friends through my email newsletter. These passages can encourage us during challenging times. And readers have responded by sending me their verses that they find especially helpful in the world today. Here’s the list of these verses. […]