In the book of Genesis, God gives a new name to three people.
In doing so, God is effectively saying, I’m giving you a new identity. You may see yourself according to what your parents called you at birth, but I see you differently. I’m giving you a new name and a new future.
Abram becomes Abraham
Sarai becomes Sarah
Jacob becomes Israel
The Amplified Bible tells us the meaning for five of these names:
Abram/Abraham
Abram means “high, exalted father,” whereas Abraham means “father of a multitude” (Genesis 17:5).
Sarai/Sarah
The meaning of Sarai is not given, but Sarah means “Princess” (Genesis 17:15).
Jacob/Israel
Jacob means “supplanter” (one who usurps or replaces another), whereas Israel means “contender with God” (Genesis 32:28).
The Value of a New Name
Consider their original name given to them at birth. Contrast this to their new name given to them by God. How is God reorienting their perspective? Read about them in the Bible to see how they live up to the new identity God gave them. Their new was transformative.
There is power in a name.
Would you like God to give you a new name? Just ask him and then listen for his answer. Now adjust your perspective to live up to his new identity for you.
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.
When Abram went to the land God promised him, he took Lot with him even though he wasn’t supposed to. Abram had to deal with the consequences of his decision. Consider the rise and fall of Lot.
For Lot, there were consequences too. When he traveled with Abram, Lot prospered. He was a blessed man. Once they separated, however, things turned bad for Lot.
Without his uncle’s influence, Lot made some poor choices, eventually holed up in a cave. He was fearful, broke, and alone—except for his two daughters, but that’s another story.
Sometimes things may go good for us just because of who we hang out with. But once we leave their umbrella of favor our positive outcomes can evaporate.
That’s why the company we keep is so important. And that explains the rise and fall of Lot.
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.
God Blesses Us So That We Can Be a Blessing to Others
God wants to bless us. He loves us and wants to give us his best. This idea of blessing occurs throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, God often ties his blessings to the people’s obedience and to the attitudes of their hearts.
Yet, the first time we encounter this word in the Bible, it’s God’s unconditional promise to bless Abraham. He does this prior to Abraham doing anything to demonstrate his obedience to God’s commands or his faith.
God blessed Abraham for Abraham’s sake, but there’s more. Through Abraham, God promised to bless all the people on the earth through him (Genesis 12:2-3). In short, God blessed Abraham to be a blessing to others.
But this doesn’t just apply to Abraham. The word bless occurs hundreds of times in the Old and New Testaments. It’s a reoccurring theme. More specifically, the phrase bless you occurs fifty times. Furthermore, the idea of blessing other people shows up four dozen times, and blessing nations shows up another fifteen.
God expects us to be a blessing to others. We should view God’s provisions to us from this perspective. He blesses us—he prospers us—so that we can be a blessing to others. Here are some ways we can do this:
Donate Money
For many people, when they consider the idea of blessing others, they think of money. Providing financially for others is an ideal way to be a blessing to them.
We can use the money God has blessed us with to give to organizations whose mission aligns with our passions. We can also give money directly to people in need.
In both cases, however, we must be good stewards of God’s financial blessings to us so that they will have the best kingdom impact.
Share Possessions
We can also be a blessing to others when we share our possessions. When we have things we don’t need, we shouldn’t throw them away. Instead, we should give them away.
We can give directly to individuals in need or to organizations, who will in turn give them away or sell them to raise money for their cause.
Yet let’s move our thinking beyond our castoffs. We can also give possessions that we still use, that still have value to us, to others. If someone has more need of it than we do, then maybe we need to give it to them.
In these ways, we can be a blessing to others.
Give Time
Aside from material items, consider our time. We can give our time to help others. This can occur by volunteering for various organizations focused on helping others. It can also occur directly by helping a neighbor who could use some assistance.
And lest anyone complains that “I don’t have enough time,” let me remind you that we all have 24 hours in each day. We choose how to use that time. Why not choose to give some of it away?
Mentor Others
A specific way to be a blessing to others with our time is to do one-on-one mentoring. In this way we invest ourselves in them, helping them to have a better life, be it physically, spiritually, emotionally, or all three.
Pray for Others
A final option—the most important one—is something that everyone can do. We can all pray for others. And we can start today, right now.
Blessed to Be a Blessing
In both large and small ways, God has blessed each of us. Seek ways to use his blessings to us to be a blessing to others.
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.
In the parable about the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus, Jesus shares an intriguing story. In it, both men die. Lazarus goes to heaven, but the rich man ends up in hell.
Desperate to spare his family from the torment he is suffering, the rich man makes a request of Father Abraham to send Lazarus back, warning those he loves. Abraham reminds him that they have already failed to heed the prior warnings that others have given.
The man persists, asserting that they would surely listen to someone who has returned from the dead. Abraham’s’ words are somber, saying “they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
This was later proved to be correct. After Jesus’ resurrection, hundreds of dead people came back to life, went into the city, and appeared to many. Yet despite hundreds of formerly dead people walking around the city, only a 120 believed and were waiting in the upper room as Jesus commanded.
What happened to all the rest? They saw the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection and hundreds of the undead, but they remained unchanged.
Jesus’s prophecy was correct, that “they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
Though not everyone will be convinced, some will be. I am; are you?
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.
The Bible Is Chocked Full of Perplexing Stories That Are Hard to Understand
One puzzling story in the Bible is when God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. What loving father would kill his son? It might be asking someone to make the ultimate sacrifice. However, Abraham is intent on obeying God regardless of the cost.
Three days later we find Abraham up on a mountain, with Son Isaac tied up and laying on the alter. With knife in hand, Abraham raises his arm, ready to plunge the dagger into Isaac. Just then, God says, “Wait, don’t do it. I was just seeing if you would really obey me.”
Wow, that was close. Then God provides a ram for the sacrifice instead of Isaac. Abraham proved himself faithful to God, and God spares Isaac. It was a test, and Abraham passes.
Jesus Is Our Ultimate Sacrifice
Fast forward several centuries to Jesus. Jesus is himself getting ready to die. He plans to go to the cross—for us. Surely, he knows the story of Abraham and Isaac. Every Jew knows that story.
I suspect he wonders if his obedience to God is about to be tested just like Abraham, for he says, “Papa, if you’re willing, please cancel my assignment, but I defer to your will.”
However, God doesn’t say, “Hold on. This is just a test.” There’s no one else or nothing else to take Jesus’s place. There is no plan B. He must see this thing through. He must die. Jesus dies as the ultimate sacrifice to end all sacrifices.
It is Jesus’s purpose to die for the wrongs of the world and make us right with Papa.
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.
Discover What the Scripture Says About Overcoming Death
Last week we talked about the ten times the Bible records people raised from the dead. Now we’ll expand that thought and explore more Biblical references about people rising from the dead.
Valley of Bones
Ezekiel records a vision in which he sees the bones of a human army reassembling themselves and coming back to life. Although we could interpret this as a literal resurrection, it’s better seen as an allusion to what God plans to do in a spiritual sense.
Attached to this evocative vision is a prophetic word to the people of Israel telling them that God will bring them back to life and return them home to the promised land. It’s also a pledge of restoration into a spiritual afterlife (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
Two Witnesses
In similar fashion, John’s epic vision of the end times talks about two witnesses raised from the dead after three and a half days. Their resurrection terrifies all who see them. Then God calls them to join him in heaven.
Though we could interpret this vision in a literal sense that two people will come back to life at the end of time, we may be better off understanding the whole vision as allegory with us being raised from the dead and joining God in heaven (Revelation 11:1-14).
All Who Are God’s Children
As followers of Jesus, we carry a hope of being raised from the dead, too, and spending eternity in heaven with our creator and our Savior. Paul confirms this in his letter to the church in Ephesus when he reminds them that we’ll be raised from the dead through Jesus to join him in heaven (Ephesians 2:6).
Paul again addresses this in his letter to the church in Thessalonica. When Jesus comes again we’ll rise from the dead, be caught up in the clouds, and live with him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
Women Who Received Back Their Dead
In the book of Hebrews, we have one short sentence that states a fact without explanation. In the chapter about faith, the writer references women who received back their dead, people raised to life again. (Hebrews 11:35).
We don’t know who these people are or how many. It could refer to the son of a widow in Zarephath and the Shunammite woman’s boy, raised from the dead by Elijah and Elisha, respectively. Or could refer to other instances we aren’t aware of.
Regardless God raised people from the dead in the Old Testament.
Enoch
We must mention the Enoch, even though God didn’t raise him from the dead. This is because Enoch didn’t die. He skipped that step. He faithfully walked with God, and God took him away, presumably to join him in heaven (Genesis 5:24).
Elijah
Similar to Enoch, Elijah didn’t die either but went up to heaven in a whirlwind when his time here on earth was over (Elijah 2:11).
Isaac
We have the Old Testament story of God telling Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Though Abraham is willing, God provides an alternative to stave off Isaac’s death (Genesis 22:1-19).
The New Testament adds clarity to this passage. It says that Abraham was willing to carry out God’s command confident that God could resurrect Isaac, in effect raising him from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Jesus Raised from the Dead
God provided Abraham with a ram, an alternate sacrifice instead of Isaac. For us today, Jesus is our alternate sacrifice.
When Jesus rose from the dead, he proved he was more powerful than death. Don’t miss this truth. And through him we, too, can move from this life to death to life again—eternal life.
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.
The Bible talks a lot about covenants. In a generic sense a covenant is
an agreement or compact. But in the Bible, it takes on an elevated meaning. In
Scripture a covenant is a promise from God to his people.
There are two types of covenants. One is conditional. This means that to receive
God’s promised blessing, we need to do something first—or avoid doing something.
If we don’t do our part, God has no obligation to do his part. If we break our portion
of the covenant, the whole thing is void.
The other type of covenant is unconditional. In these covenants, God
promises to do something for us and doesn’t require anything in return. For
example, his love for us is unconditional. There’s nothing we can do to earn it,
and there’s nothing we can do to lose it. It’s always there, unconditionally
so.
The word covenant appears in over half of the books in the Bible, showing
up over 330 times. Exodus and Deuteronomy lead the Bible with mentions of
covenant. In the New Testament, Hebrews talks the most about covenants.
Though scholars differ on the details, there are six major covenants in
the Bible. These align with some of the biblical
eras we talked about last week.
Some of these six major covenants are conditional and others are
unconditional.
1. Covenant with Adam and Eve
We start in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. They may eat anything
they want except for fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, known as
the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
If they obey these two instructions, they can live in the Garden of Eden
and hang out with God each evening. But when they eat fruit from the tree of
knowledge of good and evil, they must leave. God’s covenant with them is
conditional, and they fall short.
2. Covenant through Noah
Next, we have Noah and his family. Team Noah builds an arc to escape a
flood of destruction. Afterword, God promises to never again destroy people with
a flood. This covenant is unconditional.
3. Covenant with Abraham
Moving forward several centuries we come to Abraham. God calls Abraham to go to a new place and into a new relationship. God promises that he will grow Abraham into a great nation. Through him, God will bless all nations.
This is another unconditional covenant. However, as Abraham demonstrates his faithfulness to God, God continues to expand the scope of his promises to Abraham.
4. Covenant through Moses
About 500 years later, Moses comes on the scene. God gives Moses rules of what to do and what not to do. We call this the Law. If people obey God’s Law, he will bless them. If they don’t follow God’s expectations, he will withhold blessings.
This is a conditional covenant, one that the people repeatedly fall short of over the centuries.
5. Covenant with David
Later, we have King David, a man after God’s own heart—despite David having a few major failures in his life. God’s covenant to David is that his descendants will always sit on the throne forever. And for twenty generations this is what happens.
However, the physical rule of David’s line ends. This doesn’t mean God failed in his covenant. It means we looked at it wrong. Jesus, a direct descendent of King David, arises as the ultimate King who will rule forever. This brings us to the sixth major covenant.
6. Covenant through Jesus
In the New Testament we have Jesus. He comes to fulfill the Old
Testament, both the law and the covenants. Anyone who believes in Jesus,
follows him, and trusts him will receive this ultimate of covenants to end all
covenants. The outcome is living with him forever.
Though we might want to call this major covenant a conditional one because we first must receive it, it’s unconditional. This is because once we receive it it’s ours. Today we fall under the new covenant with Jesus.
To receive the promises of this covenant, all we need to do is receive him. It’s that simple.
Yet some people still act as though they fall under Moses’s covenant. They think there’s a bunch of rules they must follow and activities to avoid before they can receive God’s life-changing covenant. Not so. Jesus did away with that.
We don’t need to follow Moses’s Old Testament covenant of following a bunch of rules and regulations to earn our salvation. Instead we claim God’s new covenant when we believe in Jesus and follow him.
The Most Important of the Major Covenants
Of the six major covenants in the Bible, the one that comes to us through Jesus is the most important. All we do is receive what he promises to give to us.
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.
In the book of Ezekiel, God said he
looked for one person who could make a difference. One person who could build
up the wall and stand in the gap for his people. But God could find no one.
What if he had found someone? Instead of destruction, the outcome would have
been different.
Look at these four biblical characters
who stood in the gap and made a difference.
Abraham
When God revealed to Abraham his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham interceded, pleading for God to not destroy the cities and therefore protect the few righteous people who lived there.
Though God did not relent and spare the cities, he did spare three of its residents: Lot and his two daughters. Abraham stood in the gap (Genesis 18:16-32).
Moses
Twice Moses stood in the gap for God’s people. Two times the Israelites so exasperated God that he wanted to wipe them out and start over, making Moses’s descendants into a great nation. Most leaders would’ve accepted this as God’s will, but not Moses.
He pleaded for God to relent and not destroy the people. Moses stood in the gap and God relented (Exodus 32:10-14 and Numbers 14:12-20).
David
When the Philistines and their champion fighter Goliath confronted the Israelite army, everyone trembled at his size and bravado. No one dared to fight him. But David did. David stood in the gap, and God granted him victory over Goliath and the Philistine army (1 Samuel 17:32-52).
Daniel
Daniel took responsibility for the sins of his people. He confessed the nation’s sins to God and asked for deliverance. Daniel stood in the gap (Daniel 9:4-23).
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.
God Told Abraham That He Would Bless Him and Through Him Bless All Nations
How often do we ask
God to bless us? It’s a request I make most every day. Sometimes more than
once. I suspect you may often ask for God’s blessings too.
What do we mean when
we ask for God’s blessings? Are we asking for the intangible, more joy, peace,
and clarity? Or do we desire tangible things, like money, possessions, and
power? We might ask for his blessings in a vague way, not really knowing what
we’re requesting.
When God blesses us,
is it simply to make our lives better? More enjoyable? Easier? Could be. He
does love us, and he may bless us simply because he loves us and wants to do
good things for us.
Be a Blessing
To father Abraham God promised that he would make Abraham into a great nation and bless him. In turn he would be a blessing to others. Everyone on earth would be blessed through Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3).
So, God blessed
Abraham so that he could bless others. I think this goes beyond placing our hand
on someone’s head and saying, “I bless you in God’s name.”
Later God reiterates his promise of blessing. He tells Abraham that he will bless him and his descendants. And through his descendants, God will bless all the nations. He will bless everyone through Abraham and his family through the ages (Genesis 22:17-18).
Like Abraham, we can
bless others. Whether we have received many blessings from God or a few—though we
certainly receive more than we realize—these blessings aren’t just for
ourselves. God blesses us so that we can also bless others.
Is that what we’re
doing with God’s blessings? Or are we hoarding them for ourselves?
If we give freely, we’ll receive more. If we cling to what we have, we’ll receive less (Matthew 25:29). Remember that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
God blesses us
because he loves us, and God blesses us so we can bless others. Are we doing
all we can to be a blessing to others?
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.
God Won’t Strike Us Dead If We Question Him; He May Even Like It
Many people in the Bible question God. These aren’t fringe malcontents. They’re some of our favorite Bible characters and, I suspect, some of God’s favorite people too. They include Job, Abraham, Moses, David, Mary, and even Jesus.
I can’t recall a single verse where God strikes someone dead or punishes them because they question him.
Yes, Lots wife turns into a pillar of salt because she wants to return to her old way of living (Genesis 19:26). And Ananias and Sapphira are struck down dead because they lie to God (Acts 5:1-10).
In the book of Job, God permits Satan to torment Job. In rapid succession, Satan strips everything from Job: his possessions, his children, and his health. Job wants to give up. Throughout the book, he asks God a string of accusatory questions. “Why?” he repeatedly asks (Job 3:11-23 and many more).
When God decides to destroy the city of Sodom, he lets Abraham know about his plans. Abraham questions God’s decision, wondering if God isn’t overreacting. The dialogue between Abraham’s questions and God’s answers ping-pong back and forth in excruciating detail.
I lose my patience just reading the passage, yet God is patient with Abraham and seems to honor his ongoing inquiries (Genesis 18:23-33)
Moses Questions God
Moses is also comfortable asking God questions. One time, God is fed up with his chosen people. He wants to wipe them out. Then he’ll start over with Moses. He offers to make Moses into a great nation. Instead of accepting God’s generous offer, Moses pushes back.
He challenges God’s decision. He asks God an impertinent question. Amazingly, God listens, and he relents. He doesn’t destroy the people, all because Moses intervenes and questions God (Exodus 32:11-14).
David Questions God
David, a man after God’s own heart, asks God a lot of questions. Just read through David’s writings in the book of Psalms. In many respects these serve as his prayer journal.
In his writing, it seems David alternates between unabashed praise of God and asking unrestrained questions of despair (Psalm 2:1, Psalm 10:1, Psalm 10:13, and many more). One more is most significant. David asks, “God, why have you ditched me?” (Psalm 22:1).
Mary Questions God
God sends an angel with incredible news to young Mary. He says she’ll give birth to the Messiah who the people are waiting for. Her first response is a question. “How can this happen since I’m a virgin?” Though she directs her question to the angel, it’s really meant for God.
When the angel explains that the Holy Spirit will supernaturally impregnate her, Mary accepts this. “May it be so” (Luke 1:34-38).
Jesus Questions God
Even Jesus questions his heavenly Father. It’s hard to believe, but that’s what happens. Just before his detractors execute him, Jesus prays. In his prayer, his question is formed as an imperative: “Don’t make me die, but if you insist, I will” (Mark 14:36).
What? This is why Jesus came: to die for us so we could be made right with Papa. So why would he request a last-minute reprieve? I don’t know, but he did.
Then as he’s dying in excruciating pain on the cross, he asks the most horrific question of all. Just as David asked centuries earlier, prophetically foreshadowing the life of Jesus, he asks, “God, why have you ditched me?” (Mark 15:34).
Yes, after this painful question, Jesus does die. But death doesn’t have the last word. Jesus overcomes death and lives anew, just as he and Papa planned from the beginning.
To Question God is Okay
Just like Lot’s wife, turning from God and returning to our old way of life deserves punishment. So does lying to God’s Holy Spirit as Ananias and Sapphira did.
But based on the above examples from the Bible, we see that when God’s children question him, he’s patient and doesn’t punish them. And if we’re in relationship with him, I don’t think he’ll punish us to question him either. In fact, I think he rather enjoys 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.
