Category: Bible Insights

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

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?

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.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

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.

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]

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

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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.

Tags godliness, trust

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.]

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

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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.

Tags death, Ecclesiastes, King Solomon

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.]

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

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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.

Tags Moses, Nehemiah

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]

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

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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.

Tags Nehemiah

Bible Insights

Summary of Adding or Taking Away From the Bible

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 25, 2011

While some may have been distracted—or irritated—by my series of posts about adding to or taking away from the Bible, I feel it is an important question to consider.

Here is a list of the relevant posts on this subject—in the order presented—in case you want to reread them or catch one that you might have missed:

Next up will be some thoughts on Nehemiah.

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

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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.

Tags read the Bible

Bible Insights

Historical Writings Are Not On a Par With the Bible

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 22, 2011

In this series of posts on what should rightly be included in the Bible, several examples were given of items that, while not in all Bibles are in some.

Given that there has been historical and/or significant acceptance for these texts, I feel there’s reasonable justification for their inclusion in the Bible; I think that they are rightly part of the whole narrative.

But I don’t opt for inclusion in all cases. There are other historical documents that could arguably be embraced and accepted.

Notably, there are other gospel accounts and other epistles (letters to churches), which although seemingly similar to what is in the Bible, have never been included or deemed to be on par with other books in the Bible.

I feel that to embrace them, would be to commit the error of adding to the Bible.

Having purposefully never read these texts, I dismiss them because virtually everyone else does so—and has done so over the centuries. I see no reason why I should deviate from this perspective.

Although a bit curious, the reason I opt to not read these non-Biblical texts is that I don’t want them to distract me from what is in the Bible—nor do I want to commit the error of the Pharisees by interjecting any possibly unwise or unwarranted teachings into my pursuit of God.

For me, these extra-Biblical writings are out.

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

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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.

Tags read the Bible

Bible Insights

What About Daniel and Esther?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 20, 2011

The discussion of the text that is not found in all Bibles concludes by addressing the books of Daniel and Esther.

In some versions of the Bible, the book of Daniel contains 12 chapters, while in others there are 14. These two chapters are both interesting and insightful.

Daniel 13 is the story of upright Suzanna, who is falsely accused of adultery and sentenced to death.

God intervenes by revealing to a young Daniel the duplicity of her accusers; Daniel is able to expose their false testimony and save Suzanna.

Daniel 14 contains two stories of Daniel later in his life. First, he shows that the Babylonian god Bel is not living; he then kills Bel’s prophets and destroys the temple. Second, he proceeds to kill a dragon that the people worship.

His detractors throw him in a pit of lions for a week; God again intervenes to save Daniel.

As far as Esther, the two accounts seem like a condensed version and an unabridged version.

The longer version contains a prelude and a postscript, along with helpful insertions throughout, including the edicts that where issued and the prayers of Mordecai and Esther.

The result is a fuller and more detailed understanding of what took place.

These additional passages are found in The Jerusalem Bible, as well as other versions.

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

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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.

Tags Apocrypha, Daniel, Esther

Bible Insights

There’s More to Discover in the Bible

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 19, 2011

Check out these books of the Bible, which are not found in all versions, but are in others, such as The Jerusalem Bible:

Tobit

Tobit is a story of Tobiah who journeys with Raphael to retrieve some money for his father (Tobit). Along the way he is attacked by a fish and gets married; when he returns home, he restores his father’s eyesight.

Judith

Judith is an account of beautiful and pious women, who daringly and single-handedly delivers the Jewish people from their enemy, using her beauty and charm, while remaining pure and chaste.

1 Maccabees

1 Maccabees is both a historical and literary work about stoic faith; it addresses the politics and military situation around Israel circa the second century BCE.

2 Maccabees

2 Maccabees covers approximately the same time as First Maccabees, but from a different perspective and includes signs, wonders, and miracles.

Wisdom

Wisdom (aka The Wisdom of Solomon) is like other wisdom literature in the Bible.

Sirach

Sirach (aka Ecclesiasticus, not to be confused with Ecclesiastes), is a compilation of sayings similar to Proverbs, concluding with a tribute to notable Jewish figures.

Baruch

Baruch, written by Baruch (Jeremiah’s scribe), is effectively a sequel to the book of Jeremiah, written after the people are exiled.

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

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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.

Tags Apocrypha, faith, Jew, Maccabees, miracle, wisdom

Bible Insights

In or Out? What Should Be Included and Excluded From the Bible

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 15, 2011

While the New Testament of the Bible has small phrases or scattered verses that are not found in all of the ancient manuscripts, the Old Testament has a slightly different issue of inclusion or exclusion, which mostly relates to entire books.

Here’s the short version of what happened. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. It was translated to Greek a couple of centuries before Jesus. The Greek translation is used when the New Testament quotes from the Old.

For some of the books in the Greek Old Testament, either the original Hebrew version was lost or it was first written in Greek. It is these books that are in question.

For most of history, Christians have accepted and embraced these writings, but during the modern era, some have opted to remove them from the Bible.

This was in part because there are no original Hebrew manuscripts, viewing them as superfluous or even heretical. (Jews likewise dismiss these books.)

It has been only recently that I have discovered these books, feeling sad for what I have missed over the years.

The question becomes is it wrong to include them or wrong to exclude them? Again, as with the New Testament consideration, I opt to include them.

I do this primarily because most Christians, for most of the past 2,000 years have deemed them as part of the Bible, so I feel safe to do so as well. As a result, my appreciation for God’s word and understanding of him is heightened in the process.

Perhaps these have likewise been missing in your Bible. Future posts will provide an introduction to these fascinating books.

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

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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.

Tags Apocrypha