Category: Bible Insights

Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.

Are You Like Noah, Moses, or Neither?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 3, 2013

To Noah, God said I will destroy the earth. But God had a plan to spare Noah and his family. Building an ark didn’t make sense and required years of hard work, but Noah obeyed God’s instructions and survived the great flood.

We applaud Noah for his obedience to God.

To Moses, God said I will destroy these people. He promised to make Moses into an even greater nation afterwards.

If I were Moses, I’d readily receive God’s words, both getting rid of the people who continually caused him grief and the part about making Moses into a nation.

Moses, however, didn’t accept what God said. Instead, Moses sought to change God’s mind—and he did.

We greatly admire Moses for his boldness.

May we obey like Noah and be bold like Moses.

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.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags flood, Moses, Noah

Bible Insights

A Personal Note From God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 11, 2012

When Moses went up the mountain to get the 10 Commandments (the second time), God said “I will write on [the tablets] the words…“Imagine that, God providing written communication for Moses.

But it’s not just Moses, a few centuries later David said, “I have in writing from the hand of the Lord.. God wrote the instructions for David about building the temple, with all the details,” so there’d be no confusion.

Wouldn’t it be ”great if God would write things down for us?

Wait, he did—and we can read it every day.

As we approach a new year, I encourage you to read what God said every day. Consider it a New Year’s Resolution, one with eternal ramifications.

Check back next week for the 2013 Bible reading plans.

[Exodus 34:1, 1 Chronicles 28:19]

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Tags hear God, King David, Moses

Bible Insights

Ten Most Difficult Books in the Bible

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 6, 2012

Just as I have favorite books in the Bible, I also have a few I struggle with. You’ll likely agree with some on my list, but others may surprise.

But just because they are not my favorites one, doesn’t mean I don’t read, study, and write about them!

My least favorite books of the Bible are:

1. Leviticus is packed with laws, rules, and expectations. With patience, there’s much insight to discover. Yet, after a while, my eyes glaze over.

2. Deuteronomy repeats some of Leviticus and adds more. The implications are wonderful, but it’s a tough read for me.

3. Isaiah is loved my many with its frequent allusions to Jesus. Yet it’s also long and plodding for me to read.

[Learn more in my book For Unto Us.]

4. Jeremiah is an interesting tale, but a discouraging read and may not be in chronological order, adding confusion.

5. Lamentations is a series of five poems or laments, formatted not unlike a funeral dirge. This is not my preferred genre.

6. Ezekiel contains perplexing visions and strange imagery. There’s a lot to unpack.

7. Psalms is essentially a prayer journal. It’s raw and honest, resonating with many, but often distressing me.

8. Hebrews contains incredible information connecting Jesus with the Old Testament, but I struggle to work through it.

[Learn more in my book Run with Perseverance.]

9. John is the “go to” gospel for many people, but his poetic style doesn’t click with me.

[Learn more in my book Living Water.]

10. Revelation is a book of an epic battle between good and evil. Good wins. The end. But the details weigh me down.

[Learn more in my book A New Heaven and a New Earth.]

Check out my list of Top Ten Books in the Bible.

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Bible Insights

Top Ten Books of the Bible

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 4, 2012

The Protestant Bible contains 66 books, while the Catholic Bible adds seven more. I’ve read them all, seeing value in each one. But I like some more than others.

Here are my top ten books of the Bible:

1. Luke was a doctor and the only non-Jewish author in the New Testament. He writes as an outsider, more readily connecting with those on the outside.

Luke has a straightforward style, with compelling language. The book contains details not found in the other gospels and includes the oft-read Christmas story of Jesus.

[Learn more in my book That You May Know.]

2. Acts, also written by Dr Luke, continues where the book of Luke ended. Luke and Acts comprise a gripping two-book combination. Noteworthy in Acts is nearly 100 mentions of the Holy Spirit.

[Learn more in my book Tongues of Fire.]

3. Daniel begins with six stories about Daniel and his three buddies. The last half contains four visions from God about the future.

4. Jude encourages believers to “contend for the faith” and contains warnings about ungodly people who have infiltrated the church.

5. James presents many practical teachings. Some misunderstand the book as setting aside faith in favor of good works, but this is not the case.

6. Genesis contains accounts of some colorful characters whose actions are sometimes hard to understand. Yet this is life: raw, perplexing, and occasionally, shocking.

7. Ruth is a captivating story of a widowed woman’s loyalty to her mother-in-law and the resulting reward for her devotion.

8. Esther is an intriguing story of obedience, duty, risk, and love.

9. Tobit is a supernatural epic adventure. It would make a great paranormal movie. Really.

10. Judith is the tale of a beautiful woman who daringly delivers her people from their enemies, using beauty and charm, all the while maintaining her virtue.

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Tags Bible, Roman Catholic, supernatural

Bible Insights

Another Man With Two Names

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 27, 2012

Simon Peter

Last week we talked about Simon Peter, a guy with two names. Another man with two names is John Mark.

Unlike Abraham and Sarah who received new identities from God and Peter who got his second name from Jesus, the origin of John Mar’s two names seems to lack divine origin.

Perhaps his parents gave him one name at birth and his other label, a nickname bestowed by friends. Maybe he needed two names to avoid confusion with other guys named John and other dudes called Mark.

Regardless John Mark’s dual name does not seem to have any spiritual significance, but to simply be practical.

Even so, John Mark is a fun name to say.

[Read more about John Mark in “Lessons from the Life of John Mark” and “The Comeback of John Mark.”]

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Tags John-Mark, Mark

Bible Insights

Jesus Gives a New Name to Simon

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 20, 2012

One of Jesus’ disciples was Simon, who Jesus renamed Peter.

According to the Amplified Bible, Peter means “stone” or “a large piece of rock.”

Sometimes the Bible refers to him as Simon (47 times) and other times Simon Peter (33 times) but mostly just Peter (139 times).

Peter was the first leader of Jesus’ followers, so calling him “rock” fits. Perhaps Jesus gave Peter a new name to preview his future as a leader.

Even more interesting is a play on words Jesus uses in Matthew 16:16-18. The implication isn’t apparent in most versions of the Bible, but the Amplified Bible captures it nicely (even throwing in some Greek to make sure we don’t miss it).

Peter (Petros, “a large piece of rock,” essentially a rock) gives a proclamation (Petra, “a huge rock like Gibraltar,” essentially the rock) saying Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus affirms Peter’s words, declaring them to be the foundation on which he will build his church.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 14-16 and today’s post is on Matthew 16:16-18. See Nine Guys Named Simon in the Bible.]

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Tags Jesus, Peter

Bible Insights

What Does it Mean to Give False Testimony?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 1, 2012

One of the 10 commandments is “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”

Other translations of the Bible state this passage as “do not give false testimony” or more simply, ”do not tell lies about others.”

We typically think of this as a command to not perjure ourselves, that is to not give false or misleading information in a courtroom while under oath.

We would certainly never do that, so we can check this command off our list—right?

What about gossip, of spreading intimate or private rumors or facts about another person, or talking behind their back? Could that be another type of “false witness?”

Perhaps we need to more carefully consider God’s instruction to not bear false witness, by understanding it to mean “don’t gossip.”

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Exodus 14 -16, and today’s post is on Exodus 20:16]

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Bible Insights

Who Needs a Doctor?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 30, 2012

In the accounts of Jesus’ life, there’s a curious exchange he has with the religious leaders. Although he has many such interactions, this is perhaps the most perplexing.

He tells them healthy people don’t need a doctor. True. Then he makes a parallel assertion that his purpose isn’t to help good people (the “righteous”) but bad people (the “sinners”).

What does this mean?

Is he implying the religious leaders are healthy and in no need of his help, that they’re doing fine by adhering to their traditions?

While it’s true that following their laws could be sufficient, they would need to do so perfectly. This is humanly impossible.

This could be a sarcastic statement, calling them good (righteous) when everyone—including themselves—knew it wasn’t true, that they fell short of God’s standard as well.

Jesus could have meant, that since the religious leaders considered themselves to be healthy, there was nothing he could do for them. Although they were really sick, he couldn’t be their doctor until they admitted they were ill.

We all need a doctor, but are we willing to admit it?

[Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31-32]

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Tags heal, Jesus, righteous, sin

Bible Insights

Three Responses to Jesus

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 25, 2012

In Matthew’s biography of Jesus, he repeats one phrase three times: “When Jesus had finished saying these things…” From this we can list three responses to Jesus.

This phrase signals a transition in the story. Jesus spoke to the people and afterward the people respond:

One time they were amazed.
One time they followed him.
One time they did nothing.

Today people’s reactions to Jesus occur in the same three ways:

They may respect him as a teacher, but nothing more.
They may follow him.
They may ignore him.

Respecting Jesus is a great place to start, but following him is what he desires.

[Matthew 7:28, 19:1, and 26:1]

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Bible Insights

What if God Told You to do Something Crazy?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 23, 2012

A guy named Peter knew how to fish. That was his trade, his livelihood. When it came to catching fish, he was the expert.

Peter’s buddy Jesus was a carpenter by trade. He knew how to make things with his hands, things constructed of wood. He was an expert at woodworking.

So when the professional fisherman didn’t catch a thing, it seems strange for the professional carpenter to offer him fishing advice.

But that’s exactly what Jesus did to Peter, the novice told the expert what to do.

It would have been entirely reasonable for Peter to dismiss Jesus, after all, Peter had been fishing his entire life; Jesus had not.

Yet Peter set aside his pride and disregarded his experience, agreeing to do what Jesus said, just “because you say so.”

Sometimes what God tells us to do seems foolish, sometimes we know better and want to ignore his advice. But if we are truly wise we will do it anyway, just because he says so.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 4-6 , and today’s post is on Luke 5:1-11.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags advice, God speaks, hear God, Jesus, Peter