Tag: Old Testament Sinners and Saints

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Biblical People: Daniel (2)

Daniel

When King Nebuchadnezzar conquers the nation of Judah, he deports most of its citizens. He sets aside young men who are members of the royal family and nobility. They’ll undergo training and be forced into a lifetime of service to the king who conquered them and killed many of their friends and relatives.

Daniel is one of these young men. He may even be a boy when this occurs. 

Despite this challenging situation, Daniel and three of his friends pledge to serve God, even though they could have turned their backs on him for not protecting their nation and keeping them safe. 

In his work for his captor, Daniel conducts himself well, rising to a level of power and respect. Among other things, he interprets dreams. He also serves at least four kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus. In all, Daniel’s loyal service spans seventy years. 

The book of Daniel opens with six stories about him and his three friends. Best known is the account of when his detractors toss him into a pit of hungry lions because of his steadfast worship of God. God protects Daniel throughout the night. The next day he’s removed and replaced by his accusers. The hungry lions devour them. 

The book of Daniel ends with four prophecies. The third prophecy, as recorded in Daniel 9, happens during the reign of King Darius. 

Daniel recalls Jeremiah’s prophecy of seventy years of exile before the people return. The time is almost up. Daniel fasts and prays, confessing the sins of the people and imploring God to act. That’s when God’s prophetic word comes to his prophet. His perspective, prayer of confession, and faith in God are powerful examples for us all to follow.

The Bible says Daniel remains in Babylon until the first year of King Cyrus, and Daniel has another vision two years later.

King Cyrus also allows some of the Israelites to return home. Included in the list of those allowed to return is the brief mention of a man named Daniel (Ezra 8:2). This could be another person with the same name, or it could be this Daniel, who lived in exile for seventy years and returned home in his old age. 

Are we willing to be like Daniel and confess the sins of our people? If we’re forced to serve people who harmed us, as happened to Daniel, do we still give them our best?

[Read Daniel’s story in the book of Daniel.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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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Biblical People

Biblical People: Ezekiel

Ezekiel

Ezekiel is a priest, the son of Buzi. In addition to being a priest, he’s also a prophet. He lives in Babylon in exile, the result of King Nebuchadnezzar conquering Judah and deporting most of its people. 

The entire book of Ezekiel is about him and by him, but aside from headings added to the Bible, Ezekiel’s name only appears twice in his book and nowhere else in all of Scripture. This is because Ezekiel writes in the first person, often using the pronouns I and me. This makes his writing more personal and accessible. 

Instead of using his given name, God often calls Ezekiel “son of man,” which occurs ninety-three times in the book of Ezekiel.

This nickname may serve to remind Ezekiel of his humanity, despite being in the priestly line and a prophet of God. Although every one of God’s priests, prophets, and servants would be in the same situation, God rarely calls anyone else son of man. 

As such, we can see son of man as a name of affection that God gives his priest-turned-prophet. This suggests a close relationship between God and Ezekiel.

Ezekiel, as son of man, foreshadows Jesus arriving on earth as the Son of Man, an even greater affirmation of his close connection with God. Father God sends his son, the Son of Man, to earth to die for us and save us.

If God has a special nickname for us, what might it be? Do we have a close relationship with God, like Ezekiel?

[Read Ezekiel’s story throughout the book of Ezekiel.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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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Biblical People

Biblical People: Baruch (1)

Baruch

Baruch, Jeremiah’s faithful scribe and assistant, is the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. Since we know nothing about these two men, they give us little insight into the life of Baruch. All we know about him is what appears in the book of Jeremiah, a document that Baruch wrote most, or all, of at Jeremiah’s behest.

In addition to serving as Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch also speaks on the prophet’s behalf when he cannot. This puts Baruch in the crosshairs of Jeremiah’s detractors. As a result, Baruch also suffers for doing God’s work.

The final time we read of Baruch in the book of Jeremiah is Jeremiah’s prophetic words about his scribe. Imagine taking dictation for a man of God and then writing down what the Almighty says about you. This short instruction from God, through Jeremiah, to Baruch ends with the Lord’s promise that wherever Baruch goes, God will let him escape with his life.

The book of Jeremiah notes that when the people flee to Egypt to avoid King Nebuchadnezzar’s assaults, they drag both Jeremiah and Baruch with them. But Baruch later resurfaces in Babylon and prophesies to God’s people there. In this we see the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy for his scribe.

Do we think that if we’re faithful to God, he will always rescue us? When faced with persecution for obeying our Lord, do we give up or persevere?

[Read Baruch’s story in Jeremiah 32:12–16; 36:4–32; 43:1–7; and 45:1–5. Discover more about Baruch’s time in Babylon from the apocryphal book of Baruch.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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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Biblical People

Biblical People: Jeremiah (6)

Jeremiah

Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, is both a prophet and a priest. The book of Jeremiah is about the life and ministry of this prophet, but Baruch compiled the content based on Jeremiah’s dictation and the scribe’s own chronicling of Jeremiah’s life. Because of this, we know more about Jeremiah than any of the other prophets who appear in the Bible. 

In reading the book of Jeremiah, we see that Jeremiah suffers much for speaking God’s word to an unreceptive audience. At various times his detractors threaten him, throw him into a pit, and place him in stocks. More than once, his life is in danger. False prophets oppose and humiliate him. And though he tells the people not to flee to Egypt, they do exactly that and force him to go with them. 

One thing unique to Jeremiah’s prophecy is that—unlike other prophets—he gives a specific timeline to one of his pronouncements. He says the people will live in exile in Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11–12). 

Four chapters later, he adds more detail. Jeremiah says that after the seventy years of captivity have passed, God will rescue them, bring them home, and punish Babylon (Jeremiah 29:10).

In the books of Daniel and Ezra, we see this occur just as the prophet proclaimed.

How do we react when people attack and malign us for obeying God? And if we’re never persecuted, what does this say about how we live our life?

[Read Jeremiah’s story throughout the book of Jeremiah. Discover more in 2 Chronicles 36:21–23 and Daniel 9:2.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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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Biblical People

Biblical People: Isaiah

Isaiah

Isaiah son of Amoz is a faithful and long-serving prophet whose ministry spans the reigns of four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

Isaiah is the prophet who delivers God’s messages to King Hezekiah. The first message promises deliverance from the advancing army. The second is a pair of announcements about Hezekiah’s death, with the second one correcting the first.

Does this mean Isaiah got it wrong?

No. Isaiah accurately relays God’s message to Hezekiah. But when Hezekiah humbly asks God for a reprieve, the Almighty changes his mind and gives Isaiah the update.

But Isaiah is better known for his amazing prophecies about the coming Savior, the Messiah, which may be why Isaiah is so beloved by followers of Jesus and the most popular of all the prophets in Scripture. This may be in part because he also wrote one of the most cherished of all passages about Jesus:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)

New Testament writers either refer to or quote this amazing verse four times, with it showing up in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. In total, the New Testament references or cites Isaiah’s work seventy-nine times, far more than any other prophet. (Only the Psalms garner more New Testament connections, at eighty-one.)

Overall, Isaiah comes in fourth on the list of Old Testament people with the most mentions in the New Testament, coming in after Moses, Abraham, and David.

In addition to Isaiah being a faithful prophet of God with a long ministry, we can applaud him for his impact on the people of his day, the early church, and us now.

What are we doing to impact the people around us? What can we do to encourage future generations? 

[Read Isaiah’s story in 2 Kings 19–20. Discover more in the book of Isaiah.]
Learn more about Isaiah in the devotional Bible study For Unto Us: 40 Prophetic Insights about Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah.

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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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Biblical People

Biblical People: Hezekiah (1)

Hezekiah

Five generations after Joash, his descendant Hezekiah becomes king of Judah. He’s one of the few good ones, perhaps the best. The Bible says he trusts in the Lord God. No king of Judah before or after him is like him.

He does right like King David. He removes the high places (which King Jehoshaphat had left) and destroys all the elements of foreign worship, even the bronze snake Moses had made, since the people were burning incense to it. 

Scripture says that Hezekiah follows the Law of Moses and enjoys success in all he does.

Yet, despite this, opposition arises. 

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria (recall Assyria in the chapter about Jonah), comes with a large army, intent on capturing Jerusalem. Overwhelmed by the size of Sennacherib’s force and discouraged by his blasphemous threats, Hezekiah seeks the Lord in desperation, imploring him for deliverance. By miraculously delivering the people, the Almighty would prove he alone is the Lord God.

The prophet Isaiah sends a message to Hezekiah that God will deliver him and the people from Sennacherib’s threat. That night an angel of God kills 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Sennacherib returns home where two of his sons assassinate him. 

In this way, God delivers Hezekiah and the people of Judah from a much stronger force. The army of Judah didn’t need to do a thing. God rescued them as promised.

Later, Isaiah tells the king to organize his estate, for he will soon die. Distraught, Hezekiah appeals to God in tears, asking the Almighty for a reprieve. That’s when Isaiah receives an update from God, a change of plans. 

God now promises that Hezekiah will recover from his near-fatal illness and live another fifteen years. Unsure what to think, Hezekiah asks Isaiah for a sign that this will happen. (This reminds us of Gideon’s fleece.) Hezekiah’s request makes sense because, within a short span of time, Isaiah delivered conflicting messages to the king.

To confirm that the second prophecy supersedes the first, God offers to make the sun travel backward for a time. This will be a sign to Hezekiah that his recovery will take place, just as Isaiah foretold. 

The sun does indeed go back, Hezekiah gets better, and the king lives fifteen more years. After Hezekiah’s recovery, he writes a psalm of praise to God.

How do we react when we receive conflicting instructions from God? Does our faith remain steady no matter what happens, or does it decrease amid uncertainty?

[Read Hezekiah’s story in 2 Kings 18–20. Discover more in Isaiah 38:9–22 and Matthew 1:1–10.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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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Biblical People

Biblical People: Joash (7)

Joash

Young, orphaned Joash lives in the temple for six years, where his nurse cares for him. He’s hiding from the queen, his murderous, power-hungry grandmother.

The priest is Joash’s uncle, Jehoiada, the husband of Jehosheba. We can envision the priest teaching and guiding his young nephew.

When Joash turns seven, Jehoiada anoints the boy as the rightful king of Judah and orders the death of the queen. Though this sounds like a coup, it serves to reestablish the rightful rule by putting the former king’s son into power.

Under Jehoiada’s influence, Joash rules well. 

But after Jehoiada dies, Joash falters. This may be why officials in his court conspire against him and assassinate him. This is a sad legacy to his once-promising start. His son, Amaziah, succeeds him as king.

Though Joash’s forty-year reign as king of Judah began well, he didn’t finish well.

Are we willing to listen to those who advise us? Is there someone we can guide to make God-honoring decisions?

[Read Joash’s story in 2 Kings 11–12.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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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Biblical People

Biblical People: Jonah (1)

Jonah

Jonah is the best known of the Bible’s so-called minor prophets. He runs away from God and spends three days in the belly of a large fish. There he has plenty of time to think about his disobedience to God. 

When the fish spits him onto the shore, God speaks to Jonah again. “Go to Nineveh. Once you arrive, I’ll give you a message for the people.”

This time Jonah obeys, but he doesn’t have a good attitude.

We don’t know if Jonah says exactly what God tells him to or if he paraphrases it to fit his lack of interest. But what he says is both succinct and blunt. “In forty days, Nineveh will be destroyed.”

He doesn’t provide correction or offer a hopeful alternative. He states the outcome as fact, providing no instruction for the people to repent. We may wonder how much Jonah cares about the people he preaches to. Or if he even wants them to repent.

He doesn’t. 

We later learn that Jonah longs to see the destruction of Nineveh. This is because Nineveh is the capital (or principal city) of Assyria, a longtime enemy of Judah and Israel. Surely Jonah and all his people would have cheered to see Assyria fall. They would see this as God’s vindication, rescuing them from their adversaries.

It’s no wonder Jonah puts little effort into his message.

Despite this, the people of Nineveh believe God will do as Jonah said. They fast. They humble themselves in the hope God may relent and offer them compassion. 

Forty days come and forty days go, with Nineveh avoiding the destruction God had planned.

Yet Jonah isn’t pleased that the people of Nineveh responded to his message and lived. Instead, our story ends with him complaining to God about his grace. This is the last we hear of Jonah. 

When God tells us to do something, do we obey or run away? When we obey God’s instructions, do we have a good attitude? 

[Read Jonah’s story in the book of Jonah. Discover more in Luke 11:29–32.]

Learn more about Jonah in the devotional Bible study Return to Me: 40 Prophetic Teachings about Unfaithfulness, Punishment, and Hope from the Minor Prophets.

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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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Biblical People

Biblical People: Naaman (3)

Naaman

Naaman is an accomplished military leader for the king of Aram. The Bible calls him a valiant soldier, but he suffers from a limiting physical ailment. He has leprosy. It’s a contagious skin disease that can cause a loss of feeling, flesh decay, and even deformation. (You may recall that Miriam contracted leprosy later in her life.)

A band of raiders from Aram make incursions into Israel. They capture a young girl who’s forced to work in the household of Naaman. Though she has every right to be bitter about her situation, she tells him of the prophet Elisha, who can heal him of his terrible disease. 

Naaman seeks permission from his king to go to Elisha to receive healing. In anticipation of a successful outcome, Naaman prepares gifts to give to the prophet in gratitude. The king of Aram also drafts a letter for the king of Israel, telling him to heal Naaman of his leprosy.

The king of Israel is distraught when he reads the letter, knowing he can’t heal Naaman, or anyone else, of leprosy. He rips his royal robes in distress, thinking this is an excuse for the king of Aram to pick a fight.

When Elisha hears what happened, he sends a message instructing the king of Israel to send Naaman to him. Yet when Naaman arrives, the prophet doesn’t even bother to see him. Instead, Elisha sends a message to Naaman telling him to wash seven times in the Jordan River. This will restore his flesh and take away his leprosy.

Offended that Elisha won’t even talk to him and insulted at the instruction to wash in the Jordan River instead of one of the preferable waterways back home, Naaman storms off in a huff. But his attendants encourage him to do exactly what Elisha’s message directed. 

He does and receives God’s healing. 

Naaman affirms the power of God and pledges to worship him.

Like Naaman, will we humble ourselves to receive what we want? Do we believe God can heal us today? 

[Read Naaman’s story in 2 Kings 5. Discover more in Luke 4:27.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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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Biblical People

Biblical People: Elisha

Elisha

We earlier saw that Moses appointed Joshua to succeed him. Though preparing someone to carry on our ministry or lead our tribe when we’re gone is a wise move, the Bible has too few examples of this occurring.

Elijah and Elisha are a noteworthy exception. After Elijah anoints Elisha to succeed him as prophet, he mentors his protégé.

With Elisha trained to take over as God’s prophet, both men know Elijah’s time on earth is about to end. Elisha insists on staying with his mentor for as long as possible. Elijah asks his protégé if he has any final requests.

He does. He asks to inherit a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.

“This is a most difficult request,” Elijah says, “but if you see me as I am taken from you, God will provide what you’ve asked.”

They continue walking. Suddenly, a chariot of fire, drawn by horses of fire, appears and separates the two men. Elisha watches Elijah ascend toward heaven in a whirlwind. And that’s the last Elisha sees him.

Yet the fact that Elisha sees Elijah as he’s taken confirms that God will grant Elisha a double portion of his mentor’s spirit.

What a powerful way for him to begin his work for God.

Is there someone we can mentor to continue our ministry when we’re gone? Do we live our life in such a way that someone would want to inherit a double portion of our spirit? 

[Read Elisha’s story throughout 2 Kings 2–8 and 13:14–21.]

Learn about more biblical characters in Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

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.