Year: 2009

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Bible

God as a Hen

A third word picture for God is found in a not too well know verse, where Jesus says that he wants to collect his people and protect them as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

With God (specifically Jesus) as a mother hen, we are treated to a glimpse of the feminine side of God, as being safe, warm, protecting, and comforting.

We, like baby chicks, are vulnerable, possibly scared, and in need of what the “hen” provides.  Yet if we don’t come to the hen (God), we miss out on what she (Jesus) has to offer.

[See Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:34, Psalm 91:4, and Psalm 57:1.]

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

God as a Vine

Another word picture to help us better understand God is that he is the vine and we are the branches.

In this, God is revealed as the source of nourishment, the giver of life, and the means of support, sustenance, and existence.

For us, as vines, we are completely dependent on him for everything and can produce fruit only through him.  Also, just as fruit trees are pruned, so to, we are pruned in order to be more productive.  Additionally, note that branches that are unproductive are removed.

[See John 15:1-6.]

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

God as a Potter

The Bible contains many word pictures that help us to understand better our relationship with God.  I have eight of them that I will share in the coming days.  Note that each offers but a partial picture into God’s character and none is all-encompassing, but they are highly illustrative. 

Here is the first:

God is a potter and we are the clay.

He molds us and makes us into whatever he wishes, sometimes into elegant vessels and others into common utensils.  From this, we can see God portrayed as being in control, creative, a craftsman, a workman, and sovereign.

God’s sovereignty, is something that is not too popular in today’s world.

Correspondingly, we, as clay, are moldable, subject to his will and pleasure; we have no real will of our own.

[See Isaiah 64:8, Jeremiah 18:6, Isaiah 29:16, Isaiah 45:9, and Romans 9:21.]

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

Omni God

There are three words that are commonly used to describe God; they all begin with “Omni.” God’s “Omni” nature surely provides us something to ponder.

The prefix “Omni” means all, so the three “Omni” words that reveal God’s character and nature, succinctly tell us that. These are:

Omnipotent

Omnipotent is unlimited power or authority. In some translations of the Bible, the word omnipotent is found in Revelation 19:6, but most versions use the word “almighty” instead.  Almighty, in referring to God’s character, occurs hundreds of times in the Bible. 

Omnipresent

Omnipresent is to be present everywhere simultaneously. Omnipresent is described in Jeremiah 23:23-24 and Proverbs 15:3, among others.

Omniscient

Omniscient is a total knowledge, knowing everything. Omniscient is described in Matthew 6:32, Romans 8:27, 1 John 3:20 and others.

Therefore…

God is all present,
all powerful, and
all knowing.

Also see “The Implications of Omnipresence,” “The Implications of Omniscience,” and “The Implications of Omnipotence” for more thoughts on this.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

A Commanding Situation

The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20:3-23 (and Deuteronomy 5:6-21).  Interestingly, neither of these passages calls this list the “Ten Commandments” (although the phrase is used elsewhere).  They are:

  1. Do not have any other gods.
  2. Do not worship idols (“other gods”)
  3. Do not use God’s name wrongly.
  4. Keep the Sabbath day holy.
  5. Honor your parents (there is a promise of blessing if we do)
  6. Do not murder
  7. Do not commit adultery
  8. Do not steal
  9. Do not lie (give false testimony)
  10. Do not covet

When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, he said that we should love God fully; the second greatest is to love others as much as we love ourselves.  He concluded by saying that all the laws and commands hinge on these two principles of loving God and loving others.

So, we are to love God and love others.  It’s that simple.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

Moses and the Art of Delegation

After Moses led the people out of Egypt, God gave him some specific instructions for constructing a place of worship.  Moses was not supposed to do the actual work, but was charged with making sure it was done correctly.  He had to delegate:*

Here is what he did:

1. Moses selected capable people with good character

Successful delegation requires finding the right people; not everyone is ready or able to receive delegation.  Although it was ultimately God who made the selections, it was Moses who carried it out (Exodus 35:30-33).

2. Moses provided them with the resources needed to do their job

Moses gave all of the gifts that had been received to the people he selected.  Because of their character, there was no need to be concerned about them misusing these resources (Exodus 36:3).

3. Moses inspected their work

Since Moses was ultimately responsible for the results, he wisely inspected their work.  Because the right people had been chosen for this task, this was an easy step and their work met expectations (Exodus 39:42).

4. Moses took responsibility for the results

The people were first esteemed for their fine work, but later Moses also received accommodation for the results.  Similarly, had the work not been completed or done appropriately, Moses would have received the blame.  Such is the responsibility of management (Exodus 40:33).

* This was not the first time that Moses delegated work.  At his law-in-law’s advice, he set up and trained a network of judges to help guide the people.  Prior to this, Moses spent each day with people lined up to see him (Exodus 18:17-26).

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

The Apocrypha

New information is added to A Bible A Day, seemingly on a weekly basis.

One such example is the initial adding of information about the Apocrypha books. These books are found in some versions of the Bible, but not all.  It is important to have them covered, since some tenets of Christianity deem these writings as holy and inspired.

They have been added to allow A Bible A Day to be more inclusive, better representing all who read and revere the Bible.

The first group of Apocrypha books have been included in A Bible A Day. These are Old Testament writings that are not included in the Jewish and Protestant Bibles, but are part of the Roman Catholic Bible and others.

They are:

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

Our Daily Bread

When the Israelites left Egypt, they spent 40 years in the desert before proceeding on to the land God had promised them.  During this time, God miraculously gave them food each day, which they called manna. 

All they needed to do was go out in the morning and pick it up off the ground.

What is interesting is that they were told not to stockpile it and save it for the next day (except on the sixth day, when they were to gather enough for the seventh day, as well).

Regardless of how much each person gathered, he or she had enough to eat.  However, if they tried to save some for the next day it would spoil (Exodus 16:14-21).

Does this daily provision of food sound a bit familiar?

When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, one of phrases was “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3).

Of course, for most of us, the daily provision of food is something that we give little thought to.  However, on a spiritual level, we do stand in need of other things on a daily basis.

This might be making God-honoring decisions, using our time wisely, not wasting money and using it for good and not selfish purposes, or making sure we spend time with God.

Regardless of the situation, be our need physical or spiritual, the lesson to be learned is to rely on God for what we need each day.

Rather it is a literal plea or a figurative request, we all need to say, “Give us today our daily bread.”

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible

Their Eyes Were Opened

In the Bible, Doctor Luke records the interesting account of two disciples forlornly walking down the road after Jesus’ death — and after hearing the incredible report that he is no longer dead.  They are confused and dismayed.

Things with Jesus didn’t turn out as they expected — or wanted.  What did it all mean?  What were they to do next?

Then a third person joins them on their journey, asking what they are discussing.  They relate the recent events.  Then the stranger begins explaining what it all means — and how it was all predicted long before by the prophets.

Fascinated by what he is sharing, they invite him to supper, at which time “their eyes are opened” and they realize it is Jesus!

This idea also occurs much earlier in the Bible, in fact in Genesis.  As soon as Adam and Eve did precisely what they had been told not to do, their eyes were also opened — and they realize that they are naked.

Just as our eyes can be opened to the knowledge that we don’t measure up to God’s standard, our eyes can also be opened up to Jesus as the solution.

Are your eyes open?

[See Luke 24:13-35 and Genesis 3:1-7.]

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Categories
Bible

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday.

It is the day that we remember Jesus’s sacrifice so that we could be made right with God.

For many people, Good Friday is a solemn day, in which we take time to gratefully recall how Jesus was mistreated, abused, and ultimately killed — for our benefit.

The intensity of this is powerfully captured in Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie, The Passion of the Christ.  If you’ve not seen it, today would be an ideal time to do so — and if you have seen it, maybe it’s time to watch it again.

Fortunately, the story doesn’t end with Jesus on the cross or even buried in the tomb.  In two days we will joyfully celebrate Easter, commemorating when Jesus overcame death, painting the picture of what is in store for all who follow him.

It is on knowing what happens next, that I can say, Happy Good Friday!

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.