Year: 2014

Haggai

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Haggai is a record of the messages of the prophet Haggai. As with most prophets, Haggai’s message focused on current events for the people of Israel.

Haggai was a contemporary of Zechariah, and his prophetic mission was to encourage the reconstruction of the temple by the returning exiles.

Haggai focused on the importance of the temple to the Jews, urging them to make it’s reconstruction a priority. He also criticized materialism and self-centeredness, advocating a timeless message of making God the people’s priority and focus.

Haggai is sometimes called a minor prophet. This doesn’t mean he wasn’t important, but merely that the book named after him is shorter.

(Compare this to the major prophets, whose books are much longer.)

Dig into the intriguing lives and ministries of the Bible’s twelve minor prophets in Peter DeHaan’s book Dear Theophilus, Minor Prophets: 40 Prophetic Teachings about Unfaithfulness, Punishment, and Hope.

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.

Tags Haggai, minor prophet

Books of the Bible

Hebrews

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

Although no authorship is claimed or inferred, the book of Hebrews is generally assumed to have been written by the Apostle Paul (who wrote about half of the New Testament). It is a letter, or epistle, to the Hebrew people, most likely Jewish Christians.

The book of Hebrews is self-described as a “word of exhortation” (Hebrews 13:22) and it reads more like a sermon than as a letter.

Although primarily a communication about Jesus, Hebrews does much to connect the Old Testament priesthood, law of Moses, and Judaism with salvation and following Jesus.

Tags books by Paul, Hebrews

Books of the Bible

Hosea

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

God told the prophet Hosea to do some strange and unconventional things. First, he was told to marry a prostitute. Next, their children were given bizarre symbolic names. Finally, after Hosea’s wife left him to return to her former life, he was told to go find her and take her back.

All of these events were to be used by Hosea as object lessons for the nation of Israel. Specifically, his marriage to an undeserving and unfaithful wife point to God’s unconditional love to an undeserving and unfaithful people – both then and now.

Hosea is sometimes called a minor prophet. This doesn’t mean he wasn’t important, but merely that the book named after him is shorter. (Compare this to the major prophets, whose books are much longer.)

Tags Hosea, minor prophet

Books of the Bible

Isaiah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Isaiah is so named because it contains the prophecies of Isaiah.

It is a beloved book due to its many glowing promises about the future and frequent allusions to the future ministry and work of Jesus. As such, it is not surprising that Isaiah is one of the four most quoted books in the New Testament (the others are Deuteronomy, Psalms, and Genesis).

Isaiah lived in the 700s BCE, his life and ministry spanning the reigns of several kings of Judah. His message was one of repentance, which he faithfully continued even though he was convinced that the people wouldn’t respond to his warnings.

A basic outline of the book is:

The first 35 chapters (1-35) contain Isaiah’s prophecies.
Chapters 36 through 39 are historical references.
In chapters 40 though 55 the exile of Judah is covered.

The concluding chapters (56-66) address the time after the exile, when the people return home.

Read more about the book of Isaiah in For Unto Us: 40 Prophetic Insights About Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Tags Isaiah, major prophet

Books of the Bible

James

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of James is traditionally considered to be written by James, the brother of Jesus. (The author of this book is not to be confused with the disciple James, the brother of John, who were both disciples of Jesus.)

There is a tendency to misunderstand the book of James as setting aside following Jesus by faith and instead earning his favor through good deeds (sometimes referred to as “works”). This is not the case, as he clearly explains in the second chapter (James 2:14-26).

The purpose of this book is to combat the false understanding (heresy) that faith is merely an intellectual exercise and is not connected with a change in behavior.

James contains many practical ideas of wisdom, paralleling the wisdom literature of the Old Testament and much of Jesus’ teaching in the four Gospels.)

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Books of the Bible

Jeremiah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Jeremiah is so named because it contains the prophecies of Jeremiah. The book also provides a great deal of information about Jeremiah’s life and person. As a result, we know more about Jeremiah than any other prophet.

Jeremiah’s messages were not well received, and as a result he was shamefully mistreated by his countrymen who viewed his words as traitorous. They imprisoned him and forcibly carried him off to Egypt where he may have died a martyr.

A basic outline of the book of Jeremiah is:

Prophecies about Judah and Jerusalem (chapters 1-25)
Biographical narratives about Jeremiah (chapters 26-45)
Prophecies about other nations (chapters 46-51)
Historical reference (chapter 52)

When reading Jeremiah be aware that the book is not in chronological order.

The book of Lamentations, which follows Jeremiah, is often attributed to Jeremiah and viewed as a companion piece.

Tags Jeremiah, major prophet

Books of the Bible

Job

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Job (rhymes with robe) has often been called the literary masterpiece of the Bible and is part of the collection of wisdom/poetic writings.

Job powerfully and poignantly delves into the question of suffering and explores various understandings and responses to it, along with the help of his so called friends.

The bulk of the book (chapters 3 through 41) are a series of verbal exchanges between Job and his friends, who turn out to be not too good of friends after all. This is preceded by an introduction (chapters 1 and 2) that sets the stage for the dramatic dialogue that follows.

The book ends with a conclusion (chapter 42) showing Job’s steadfast faith and God’s grace. Don’t get so focused on the discourses in the middle of the book that you miss this fitting conclusion.

You may have heard the phrase, “the patience of Job” (think “longsuffering”). That saying originates from this book and Job’s stellar example. Perhaps an even better synopsis of this book would be “the love of Job.”

Indeed, Job conclusively shows what real, unwavering love is towards God. We generally love others because of what they do for us or give to us. We rarely love in spite of what they do or how they treat us. In the same way, most people approach God for what he will do for them.

But when they don’t feel his love or when he doesn’t make sense, their love for him waivers, fades, or even goes away.

Job shows us a different way: We should steadfastly love God in spite of what is happening in our lives and what struggles we are going through.

Discover more about Job in Peter’s book I Hope in Him: 40 Insights about Moving from Despair to Deliverance through the Life of Job. In it, we compare the text of Job to a modern screenplay.

Tags Job, wisdom-literature

Books of the Bible

Joel

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of Joel is a record of the messages of the prophet Joel. As with most prophets, Joel’s message focuses on current events, but it also has a secondary application towards the future, some of which has occurred and some of which is yet to happen.

Little is known about Joel. When he lived is hard to pinpoint. His message is about the sorry state of the peoples’ disregard for God, which occurred when the dual disasters of locusts and drought devastated the land, representing God’s punishment.

Joel then records the people’s response to it, with the book happily concluding with words of promise and hope.

Joel is sometimes called a minor prophet. This doesn’t mean he wasn’t important, but merely that the book named after him is shorter.

(Compare this to the major prophets, whose books are much longer.)

Tags Joel, minor prophet

Books of the Bible

John

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of John, named after its author, is one of the four Gospels, biographies that focus on the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

While the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke bear many nearly identical accounts and narratives, John, is the most different of the four Gospels; it contains the fewest similarities and the most unique passages.

This is not to suggest the book of John is of lesser value. In fact, its divergence from the other three accounts of the life of Jesus highlight its uniqueness and the value of its contents.

The Gospel of John is respected and revered for its spiritual significance. Therefore, many people recommend John as one of the first books of the Bible for a new follower of Jesus to read, as it lays out profound truths and principles that are not found in the other three books about the life of Jesus.

As you read the book of John, look for the word believe, which occurs upwards of eighty times, depending on the translation.

The author of this book is most likely the disciple John, one of the sons of Zebedee; he is also the generally accepted author of First John, Second John, Third John, and Revelation.

Note that this John (the apostle or disciple John) is not John the Baptist, who is mentioned in the opening chapters of this book; they are two different people.

Read more in Peter’s book, Living Water: 40 Reflections on Jesus’s Life and Love from the Gospel of John, available everywhere in e-book, paperback, and print.

Tags Gospel, John

Books of the Bible

First John

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 27, 2014

The book of First John was written by Jesus‘ disciple John, who also wrote the John. As such there are many similarities between the two books. He is also the author of Second John, Third John, and Revelation.

First John is written more as a sermon than a letter. It’s purpose is to reassure the followers of Jesus of their eternal standing with him.

In reading this book, look for the reoccurring theme of love, which is mentioned twenty-four times. Other repeated words to pay attention to are hate (five times), truth (eleven times), spirit (eight times), liar (five times), and fellowship (three times).

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