Year: 2011

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Bible

Philemon’s Dilemma

In the story surrounding Paul’s letter to Philemon, there are three central characters: Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus.  Since the letter is written to Philemon, let’s talk about him first.

Despite having a letter written to him, Philemon is only mentioned by name once in the Bible.  It is in the book that bears his name.

Paul calls Philemon a “dear friend“ and a“fellow worker” (v1).  The church also meets in his house (v2).  This doesn’t mean that Philemon is the leader of the church but merely implies that he has the biggest house, thereby providing the most room for people to meet.

By virtue of owning the biggest house, it is likely that Philemon is also wealthy.  Additionally, Paul notes the Philemon loves others (v5) and is an encourager (v7).

Philemon also has a slave.  However, we need to be careful not to vilify Philemon for this.  Historians tell us that unlike forced enslavement today, much of the slavery 2,000 years ago was voluntary.

Desperate people would voluntarily opt for slavery as a means of survival, either to pay off an insurmountable debt or to avoid starvation.  Taking on a voluntary slave could therefore even be seen as an act of mercy.

Though we don’t know the exact circumstances between Philemon and Onesimus, what we do know is that Onesimus ran away, leaving Philemon without his services.

Philemon was wronged.  Will he seek retaliation or give forgiveness?  Will he pursue justice or offer mercy?

Before these questions are answered, however, we must first look at Paul’s role and Onesimus’s response, which will be in the next two posts.

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

Philemon and His Friends

The short, often overlooked book of Philemon is tucked towards the end of the New Testament, nestled between letters to Titus and to the Hebrews.

Philemon is a letter written by Paul to his friend Philemon about a man of mutual interest, Onesimus.

The short version is that Onesimus is a slave who runs away from his master, Philemon.  Onesimus meets Paul, who tells him about Jesus, mentors him, and encourages him to do the right thing by returning to his master.

To help facilitate the reunion, Paul jots a quick note to Philemon, which has been preserved for us in the Bible.

In addition to Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus, there are eight other names mentioned in this brief correspondence: Timothy, Apphia, Archippus, Epaphras, Aristarchus, Mark, Demas, and Luke.  For each there is a story to be told and insight to be gained.

Of course, Jesus is also rightly mentioned in Paul’s letter to Philemon, a total of six times.  Jesus is actually the central character in this story, for it all revolves around him.

Is Jesus the central character in your story, does your life all revolve around him?

[Philemon]

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

When Was Job Written?

Earlier I wondered if Job was real person or a fictional character.  Despite support for both perspectives, my conclusion was that it doesn’t really matter.  We can learn from him regardless if his life is a fictitious or historical account.

Another debated question, which is without definitive answer, is when was Job written?  While some say that it was an early book of the Bible — perhaps even the first — this conclusion is more speculative than evidentiary.

Regarding this, let me make two observations:

  1. There are significant thematic parallels between the books of Job and Ecclesiastes, specifically regarding the brevity of life and futility of living.
  2. The books of Job and Song of Solomon have a similar construction, which is not found anywhere else in the Bible.  Each is heavy in dialogue — almost exclusively so — reading like a screenplay.

The books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon were both written by King Solomon.  Because the book of Job shares a similar construction and theme, perhaps Solomon also wrote Job.

Knowing when Job was written doesn’t really matter, but it is an intriguing thought to consider that perhaps King Solomon is the author.

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

Job’s Daughters

At the conclusion of the book of Job, God blesses him even more than before.  One of the blessings mentioned is that Job has ten children.  Seven are sons and three are daughters.

What is interesting is that in an age when sons are revered and daughters are essentially ignored, righteous Job elevates his daughters.

It is Job’s daughters who are mentioned by name, not his sons.

Additionally, Job grants his daughters an inheritance, along with their brothers.

This is a counter-cultural move — and one that I think pleases God greatly.

May we do the same.

[Job 42:12-15]

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

Job’s Conclusion

A common lament of Job throughout the story bearing his name is his begging God to answer his pleas.  However, it seems that Job (and his friends) are too busy talking to give God a chance.  When God does respond, Job’s friends are rebuffed and Job’s righteousness is affirmed.

Job’s brief reply to God’s discourse is humble and contrite.  After acknowledging God’s complete knowledge (omniscience) and total power (omnipotence), Job unabashedly admits:

“I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

With all of our knowledge and assumed understanding of God and his ways, I think that Job’s words are more often an appropriate and accurate posture then for us to assuredly spout our religious opinions (theology) as if they were fact.

[Job 42:7 and Job 42:3]

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

Pray When it Doesn’t Make Sense

After Job’s so-called friends fail so miserably to comfort him in his time of need, after they criticize and malign him, God steps in.  God puts them in their place for what they said and affirms that Job has spoken truth.

Then God tells the friends to prepare a sacrifice and to ask Job to pray for them.

Picture the situation.  Job’s life is in a shambles; he is destitute and in pain, despising life itself.  The only people who will even talk to him, attack him and his character, pulling him down even further.  Then they have the audacity to ask him to pray for them!

If you were Job, how would you respond?

Praying for them would be a hard thing to do; it would be far easier to give them the payback they deserve, but not Job.  In the midst of his torment, he prays for his misguided friends even though they seem to be in a much better state than he is.

God accepts Job’s prayers — and then restores his fortunes twofold.

What if Job had refused to pray for his friends, might God’s response have been different?

[See Job 42:7-10.]

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

Random Reflections From Job

Here is a trio of thoughts from the book of Job:

1. What Job feared most happened to him

The enemy (that is Satan, the devil) knew Job’s fears and exploited them.  Although everyone fears something, we are best advised to turn our fears over to God and not dwell on them.

2. Job believed that through good behavior he deserved God’s blessings

Things are not any different today.  The common belief is that we can earn God’s love and attention.  Of course, the converse of that is rejected; people assume that bad behavior should be forgiven, not punished.  The right motivation for good behavior is simply out of respect for God and to honor him, not to earn something in return.

3. When Job had nothing left to say that is when God spoke

It is hard for us to listen when we are talking; it is no different in our relationship with God.  When you pray do you spend more time talking or listening?

[See Job 3:25, Job 30:25-26, and Job 38:1.]

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

The Big Picture

As readers of the book of Job, we are privy to the whole story: Satan torments Job in an effort to prove that Job’s Godly devotion is conditional, that it is dependent on circumstances.

Job, however, does not have the luxury of this grand view.  All he knows is that his once blessed life is now in shambles.  He is in pain, and with seemingly nothing left to live for, he wants to die and end his misery.

With a limited view of God and not knowing the back-story, Job’s only conclusion is that this is God’s doing.  His perspective is to blame God.

Job lacks an understanding of God’s overarching purpose at work.  Job is unaware that once he proves himself faithful and that the enemy, Satan, is proved wrong, all that Job lost will be restored — two-fold.

In many ways we are like Job.  We lack a comprehension of God’s overarching plan and end up blaming God for our pains, our disappointments, and our anger.

If we could just see a glimpse of God’s big picture, then we would know that he in not the source of our frustration, that it lies elsewhere; we would see the reward that awaits us if we but stay on course.

Job did just that, even though he didn’t see God’s big picture.

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 Movie Secretariat

The movie Secretariat evokes this fitting quote:

  • Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
  • Do you make it leap like a locust, striking terror with its proud snorting?
  • It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength, and charges into the fray.
  • It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; it does not shy away from the sword.
  • The quiver rattles against its side, along with the flashing spear and lance.
  • In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground; it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.

Although this is a most appropriate description of the mighty steed Secretariat, it was not written for him or the movie, but was penned several millennia before.  It is from the book of Job in the Bible; the movie quotes directly from the NIV version.

Secretariat is an inspiring, feel-good flick about a magnificent racehorse, his will to win, and his big, strong heart.  It is also a movie about the determination and drive of his owner to make it happen, fulfilling the vision of her late father.

Secretariat is not only a movie most worthy of our time to watch, but as a bonus, it is also family friendly.  From a production standpoint, it is top-notch, especially with believable recreations of the races themselves.

[See Job 39:19-24.]

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

Fact or Fiction?

Among many who care about such things there is a debate as to the veracity of the story of Job.  Succinctly, was Job a real person or is the book about him a work of fiction?

Supporting evidence that Job wasn’t a real person:

  • Job is not mentioned in any of the historical books of the Bible and only referred to once outside of the book bearing his name.
  • Job was “blameless and upright” and despite being afflicted, he “did not sin.”  Since only God is without sin, this characterization is false (although it could also be hyperbole, a practice that does occur elsewhere in the Bible).

Supporting evidence that Job was a real person:

  • God, as recorded by the prophet Ezekiel, refers to Job along with Daniel and Noah.  Surely, if Job was fictional, God would not mention him in the same context as two people who did live (for whom there is biblical support).
  • In that same passage, God testifies that Job was righteous.  It seems unlikely that God would so affirm a fictitious person.

So was Job a real person or not?  Was his story fact or fiction?

The answers to these questions will never be fully resolved, but for me it doesn’t matter.  Whether he is fact or fiction, Job’s story is part of God’s inspired word, so regardless we can learn from it, be inspired by it, and be strengthened in our faith because of it.  Arguing about its origin is only a distraction from the truth that in contains.

[See Job 1:1, Job 1:22 & 2:10, and Ezekiel 14:19-20.]

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.