Tag: God

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Bible

Is God a God of Wrath or Love?

Reading through the book of Judges, a cycle quickly emerges: the people turn away from God, he sends a leader to rescue them, and then they return to him. This pattern continues, albeit to a lesser extent, in the books of Kings and Chronicles.

With endless patience, God offers them second chances.

This abruptly changes as 2 Chronicles winds down. The people’s rejection of God reaches its zenith, arouses his wrath, and “there was no remedy.”

He offers no second chances and no do-overs, only judgment. Conquerors invade them, killing some people, carrying off others, and leaving a few to subsist in abject poverty. For them, it was “game over.”

Is God a god of wrath or love? Your answer may depend on which part of the Bible you use to form your answer. Old Testament folks may see a God of wrath, while New Testament readers may see a God of love.

Jesus makes the difference, offering a loving solution to Old Testament wrath and providing us with a remedy.

[2 Chronicles 36:16, 2 Chronicles 36:17-21 and John 3:16]

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

Transitioning from the Old Testament to the New Testament

The Old Testament of the Bible presents God’s original way of interacting with his people (a covenant). It consists of a list of rules and expectations (the law).

The New Testament of the Bible introduces Jesus and a new way to interact with God. Jesus sets aside the old rules and asks people to believe in him (a new covenant).

When does this transition from the old way to the new way occur? It’s simplistic to say the Bible’s two Testaments represent the demarcation. I always thought the switch started in earnest when Jesus died and was completed when he resurrected.

However, Jesus says the old way of doing things applied until John the Baptist began baptizing people and telling them to get ready. This implies the new way begins when John points people to Jesus.

Perhaps John’s preaching is the pivotal point between the old and new ways of doing things.

Regardless of when the transition occurred, it has happened and Jesus provides a new way to connect with God.

[John 5:24, Luke 16:16, and Luke 9:23]

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

Why We Shouldn’t Test God’s Patience

My high school drafting teacher was a patient man – and my classmates sorely tested him in this. They had a perverse enjoyment in pushing him to his breaking point, because when he had enough, he exploded with a tirade of invective.

The word patient occurs 27 times in the Bible, often referring to God’s patience with us. Yet just like my drafting instructor, God’s patience isn’t without limit.

We see this over and over in the Bible, especially the Old Testament, but it hits me most profoundly when God loses his patience with the nation of Judah.

The text simply says, “There was no remedy.” That means no second chances. Saying “I’m sorry” won’t help. God had enough and that was it.

It reminds me not to try God’s patience, for one time he may say “enough is enough; there is no remedy and no second chances.” I never want to hear those words.

[See occurrences of patience in the Bible and read 2 Chronicles 36:16.]

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

Is God Mad At Us?

The phrase “the Lord’s anger” occurs 29 times in the Bible. Is God an angry god, frequently mad at us for messing up? Does he enjoy punishing those who disappoint him? The answer is no.

This phrase only appears in the Old Testament of the Bible (before Jesus) but not at all in the New Testament, where Jesus places the focus on God’s love.

The Old Testament seems to show God is angry, while the New Testament reveals his love. Is the Bible talking about two different gods? Did God change from mad to loving?

Again, the answer is no. Anger and love come from the same God. We need to keep both traits in mind – and remember that Jesus made the difference.

[See the occurrences of “the Lord’s anger” in the Bible.]

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

Remember God in the Good Times

As Moses prepares the Israelites to enter into the land God promised them, he reminds them of God’s instructions. Moses looks forward to the time when the people will live in cities they didn’t build, drink from wells they didn’t dig, and eat from fields they didn’t plant.

They will be satisfied and he warns them to be careful and not forget God.

For many people, the hard times turn their focus to God. They seek answers, relief, and solace from someone greater then they, from God who can help them out of their predicament, whatever it may be.

However, during good times, many people tend to forget God. They become satisfied and think they’re self-sufficient. They forget it’s actually because of God that they’re living a good life.

Just as we seek God when life is bad, asking for his help, we need to remember God when life is good, thanking him for it.

[Deuteronomy 6:10-12]

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

Why Does God Bless Us?

When God’s people were in Egypt, he promised to send them back to the land of Jacob, that is, the Promised Land.

God would give them the land because they deserved it, right? Surely God would bless them with freedom and a place to call home because they earned it. Their endurance while enslaved in Egypt for four centuries must have secured this reward.

Certainly, they would receive the Promised Land because of good behavior and righteous living. They had garnered God’s favor and he was duty-bound to respond.

No, that’s not it at all.

Moses said God would not do this to reward Israel but to punish the nations they would displace. God had a bigger picture in mind and in order to accomplish it, he blessed one people  in order to remove the wickedness of another. The Israelites were the happy recipients of God’s unmerited favor.

When something good happens, we often assume God’s implicit acknowledgment of our character and conduct.

But before we pat ourselves on our back, we should recall Moses’ warning to the people of Israel: they were not to assume the Promised Land was a response to their righteousness.

We shouldn’t make incorrect conclusions about why God chooses to bless but instead just be grateful when he does.

[Deuteronomy 9:4]

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

How Many Times Should You Forgive Someone?

Jesus shared a story (parable) about forgiving others.

Jesus’ illustration was prompted by Peter, who asked if forgiving someone seven times was enough; Peter thought seven times was generous. Jesus upped the figure considerably, saying seventy-seven times.

But we don’t take this amount literally, instead understanding that Jesus really meant we need to forgive others “more times than we can count” or “without limit.”

Jesus’ story, however, takes the idea of forgiveness to another level. A man, who owed a huge debt he could never repay, begged for mercy, for more time to make payment. But instead of receiving additional time, the debt was forgiven.

But then the man threatened someone who owed him a tiny bit of money. No mercy was given; no forgiveness was offered. He withheld from others what had been given to him.

Because of the man’s selfishness and not treating others as he was treated, his debt was reinstated and he was thrown into prison and tortured. Our fate will be no different if we don’t forgive others.

We, who have been forgiven much by God, need to likewise forgive others. The risk of withholding forgiveness is too great.

[Matthew 18:21-35]

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 Rise and Fall of Lot

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.

For Lot, there were consequences too. When he traveled with Abram, Lot prospered; he was a blessed man. However, once they separated, 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.

[Genesis 19:16-17 and 30]

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

An Unlikely Example of Partial Obedience

In the Bible, God told Abram (later called Abraham) to go to a new place. As he went, Abram was to leave behind his country, friends, and family.

So Abram left, taking with him his nephew Lot. Abram obeyed the part about going but didn’t fully comply with the part about leaving everything behind. He invited a relative to tag along on the adventure God called him to.

Abram apparently wasn’t ready to let go of everything, bringing Lot along as a companion or perhaps to maintain a connection to family. Whatever the reason, it wasn’t what God said to do.

Though we admire Abram for boldly leaving to go to a new place that God would reveal to him, only after the journey was underway, we fail to realize Abram’s obedience was only partial.

We later read that Lot’s presence caused problems for Abram. Their flocks were too big to co-exist and their herdsman bickered with each other. To resolve this constant strife, the only solution was to go their separate ways. And when they did, Lot took the choice land and Abram got the leftovers.

This grief could have all been avoided had Abram left Lot behind, as God told him.

[Genesis 12:1, 12:4, 13:5-7, and 13:10-11]

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

Have You Ever Been Overwhelmed by the Glory of God?

When Solomon dedicated the temple, the people praised God with much fanfare and then something strange happened.

A cloud formed – inside the building. But there’s more. “The Glory of the Lord filled the temple.” It became so intense that the priests couldn’t even work; God’s presence was that strong. It was extreme.

They became overwhelmed with God’s presence and his glory. But what exactly does that mean?

  • It could be the awe of God engulfed them to such an extent that nothing else mattered.
  • It could be that fear of being so close to God effectively paralyzed them.
  • It could be the cloud was so thick – that is, God’s presence was so heavy – that they literally couldn’t see what they were doing, or
  • It could be that with God in the house nothing else mattered.

Regardless of the explanation, we can conclude that God’s presence was so significant that all activity ceased.

Can you imagine worshiping God and collectively feeling his presence to such an extent that all the singers stop singing and all the musicians stop playing? Silence fills the room and nothing else matters. Then the highest form of worship becomes to simply do nothing and bask in his presence.

Have you ever been that overwhelmed with the glory of God?

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.