More Old Testament Sinners and Saints E-Book

Peter DeHaan

• Herausgeber: WS
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Bible Character Sketches Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 158

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Discover the timeless relevance of Old Testament characters in your life today with MORE OLD TESTAMENT SINNERS AND SAINTS. This devotional Bible study explores the captivating stories of 100 more men and women from the Old Testament, revealing the profound lessons they hold for us today. 

Delve into the lives of both inspiring heroes and broken individuals who faced mistakes and disappointments. Through these colorful and awe-inspiring stories, gain invaluable insights about yourself and our powerful God. From sinners to saints, these characters, with their familiar and unfamiliar names, will challenge you to live differently and offer you a fresh perspective on your own life and faith. 

MORE OLD TESTAMENT SINNERS AND SAINTS invites you to: 

 - Transform your life through the wisdom of these Old Testament characters. 

 - Learn from the triumphs and mistakes of these impactful figures. 

 - Explore familiar Biblical stories from a new angle.  

Navigate this study alongside Peter DeHaan, a seasoned Bible teacher and author, as you uncover the hope, assurance, and abundant lessons found in the lives of these men and women. Whether you're studying individually, in small groups, or part of a Bible study, this invaluable resource will enhance your understanding of the Old Testament and its application to your life today. 

Each day's study offers a concise reading, thought-provoking questions, and additional Bible passages for further exploration. As you move through the pages, you'll realize how these 100 captivating characters can reshape your perspective, deepen your faith, and help you trust in God's plan no matter what lies ahead. 

MORE OLD TESTAMENT SINNERS AND SAINTS will not only take you on a journey through their impactful stories, but it will also invigorate your faith and draw you closer to Jesus. 

Don't miss out on the transformative power of these rich, amazing stories. 

Pick up a copy of MORE OLD TESTAMENT SINNERS AND SAINTS today and embark on a life-changing journey through the lives of these powerful men and women.

Leseprobe

MORE OLD TESTAMENT SINNERS AND SAINTS

DISCOVER 100 LITTLE-KNOWN BUT INTRIGUING BIBLE CHARACTERS

BIBLE CHARACTER SKETCHES SERIES, BOOK 4

PETER DEHAAN

MoreOldTestamentSinners and Saints: Discover 100 Little-Known but IntriguingBibleCharacters

Copyright © 2024 by PeterDeHaan.

BibleCharacterSketchesSeries, book 4

All rights reserved: No part of this book may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form, by any means, or for any purpose without the express written consent of the author or his legal representatives. The only exceptions are brief excerpts, and the cover image, for reviews or academic research. For permissions: peterdehaan.com/contact.

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures taken from the HolyBible, NewInternationalVersion®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “NewInternationalVersion” are trademarks registered in the UnitedStatesPatent and TrademarkOffice by Biblica, Inc.™

Library of CongressControlNumber: 2024903640

Published by RockRoosterBooks, GrandRapids, Michigan

ISBNs:

979-8-88809-077-0 (e-book)979-8-88809-078-7 (paperback)979-8-88809-079-4 (hardcover)

Credits:

Developmental editor: JulieHarbisonCopy editor: RobynMulderCover design: CassidyWierksAuthor photo: ChelsieJensenPhotography

ToJeremyRowland

CONTENTS

Celebrating the Old Testament

1. Lamech (1)

2. Seth

3. Enoch (2)

4. Methuselah

5. Canaan

6. Nimrod

7. Job’s Wife

8. Nahor (2)

9. Melchizedek

10. Eliezer (1)

11. Judith (1) and Basemath (1)

12. Deborah (1)

13. Er (1)

14. Onan

15. Shelah (3)

16. Perez

17. Zerah (3)

18. Potiphar’s Wife

19. Potiphar

20. Asenath

21. Manasseh and Ephraim

22. Shiphrah and Puah (2)

23. Reuel (2)/Jethro

24. Zipporah

25. Gershom (1) and Eliezer (2)

26. Jannes and Jambres

27. Nadab (1) and Abihu

28. Eleazar (1) and Ithamar

29. Korah (3)

30. Phinehas (1)

31. Kozbi

32. Zelophehad

33. Achan

34. Ehud (1)

35. Abimelek (2)

36. Jotham (1)

37. Gaal

38. Jephthah

39. Micah (1)

40. Mahlon and Kilion

41. Obed (1)

42. Jabez

43. Elkanah (4)

44. Hannah

45. Peninnah

46. Hophni and Phinehas (2)

47. Eli

48. Jesse

49. Goliath

50. Merab

51. Michal

52. Ahimelek (1)

53. Doeg

54. Abner

55. Ish-Bosheth

56. Joab

57. Nathan (2)

58. Tamar (2)

59. Amnon (1)

60. Tamar (3)

61. Abiathar

62. Abishai

63. Hushai

64. Ahithophel

65. Amasa (1)

66. Abishag

67. Adonijah (1)

68. Sons of Korah (2)

69. Zadok (1)

70. Queen of Sheba

71. Agur

72. Lemuel

73. Rehoboam

74. Asa

75. Obadiah (4)

76. Gehazi

77. Zechariah (1)

78. Josiah (1)

79. Amos (1)

80. Hosea

81. Gomer (2)

82. Jezreel

83. Lo-Ruhamah

84. Lo-Ammi

85. Micah (5)

86. Nahum (1)

87. Zephaniah (1)

88. Obadiah (8)

89. Habakkuk

90. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

91. Nebuchadnezzar

92. Belshazzar

93. Darius

94. Zerubbabel

95. Haggai

96. Zechariah (15)

97. Cyrus

98. Xerxes

99. Joel (13)

100. Malachi

More Old Testament Sinners and Saints for Us Today

Which Book Do You Want to Read Next?

For Small Groups, Sunday School, and Classrooms

If You’re New to the Bible

Duplicate Names

About Peter DeHaan

Peter DeHaan’s Books

Series by PeterDeHaan

40-DayBibleStudySeriestakes a fresh and practical look into Scripture, book by book.

BibleCharacterSketchesSeriescelebrates people in Scripture, from the well-known to the obscure.

HolidayCelebrationBibleStudySeriesrejoices in the holidays with Jesus.

VisitingChurchesSeries takes an in-person look at church practices and traditions to inform and inspire today’s followers of Jesus.

Be the first to hear about Peter’s new books and receive updates at PeterDeHaan.com/updates.

CELEBRATING THE OLD TESTAMENT

SomeChristians dismiss the OldTestament. They argue that since Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17), what it says doesn’t matter to them or their faith practices today. OtherChristians embrace the OldTestament, putting it on an equal footing with the NewTestament. They reason that all Scripture—both the Old and NewTestaments—has merit (2 Timothy 3:16).

We should instead embrace the OldTestament for what it is and let it inform our understanding of the NewTestament and the faith practices it reveals. We can most appreciate God’sNewTestament of Scripture from the foundation the OldTestament provides.

From this perspective, we can celebrate the OldTestament. It has two main purposes. The first is to reveal God to us. The second is to anticipate the coming Savior, Jesus.

In the OldTestament law—given to us through Moses—a mind-numbing list of things to do and not do confronts us. This is to make us right with FatherGod. But it’s an impossible undertaking to achieve. Everyone falls short. Whether by a little or a lot, it matters not. We all miss the mark of the OldTestament’s prescription (James 2:10).

Yet the OldTestament also gives us hope of the coming Savior who will offer a better way for us to approach God. It’s a way everyone can realize—if they want to. It’s believing in Jesus and following him as his disciple. This is so much better than a bunch of impossible-to-keep rules.

In this way, we can best read and understand the OldTestament as it anticipates and points us toward Jesus, the Messiah.

From this perspective, we’ll continue the mission of OldTestamentSinners and Saints and explore one hundred more OldTestament characters. Many of their stories overlap, and others are hard to place on the biblical timeline. Yet we’ll do our best to cover them in chronological order.

Some of these one hundred OldTestament characters provide examples to follow. We’ll call these people saints, even though they’re less than perfect. TheOldTestament also includes a colorful list of screwups (sinners), the people who fall short and make a mess of things. We can see their lives as examples to avoid.

Several of these people share names with other biblical characters. For example, did you know there are two people named Noah in the Bible? Whenever we encounter a duplicate name, we’ll add a number at the end to help us keep things straight. You can learn more about this in “DuplicateNames” in the back of the book.

As we consider these individuals on a continuum from mostly good to mostly bad, remember that all of them miss the mark of meeting God’sOldTestament expectations. This points us to God’s better way through Jesus, as revealed in the NewTestament.

May these OldTestament sinners and saints inform you to embrace Jesus, first to become his disciple and then to live as one.

How do you view the OldTestament? Who are some of your favorite OldTestament characters? Why?

[Discover more in Acts 17:11.]

1. LAMECH (1)

TheBible lists no genealogy for Abel, so we can guess that he died before he had any children. Scripture focuses on the descendants of Seth but gives a short recitation of Cain’s genealogy first (in Genesis 4). We must be careful in reading these names in Cain’s line, since two names also appear in Seth’s line, though they refer to different men.

Such is the case with Lamech (1). (The other name to be careful with is Enoch. Also, watch out for Methushael, not to be confused with Methuselah.)

We know little about Lamech, but two things stand out.

First, Lamech marries two women, Adah and Zillah.

This is the first time any form of the word marriage occurs in the Bible, and this passage is also the first reference to polygamy. ThoughBible scholars often place elevated importance on the first time a word appears in Scripture, we must be careful not to connect marriage with polygamy.

TheBible merely states that Lamech married two women, but it adds no commentary. Therefore, we’re wrong to take this descriptive text as approval for polygamy or as a warning against it. Notably, this may be the only time in Scripture when a man has multiple wives that doesn’t result in conflict or heartache. Consider the multiple wives of Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and many others. Each suffers as a result.

The other thing we know about Lamech is that he kills a man. He’s the Bible’s second recorded murderer, with Cain being the first.

Though we could charitably ascribe the death of this unnamed man by the hand of Lamech as self-defense, it’s more likely an excessive retaliation. Lamech’s justification is that the man he killed had wounded and injured him. Regardless, Lamech considers what he did to be less wrong than Cain murdering Abel out of jealousy.

We must note, however, that Lamech’s killing of this man occurs prior to God giving Moses the TenCommandments, which prohibit murder. Yet he should have been instinctively aware that murder is wrong.

When have we responded in an excessive manner to someone who wronged us? Do you think Lamech killed this man or murdered him? What is the difference?

[Read about Lamech in Genesis 4:19–24. All other mentions of Lamech in the Bible refer to Lamech (2), a descendant of Seth.]

2. SETH

TheBible tells us that Adam has many sons and daughters, but it only lists three sons by name. They are Cain, Abel, and Seth.

Most people know about Cain and Abel, with Cain killing Abel out of jealousy. He then flees his family to live in the land of Nod.

As a result, Adam and Eve effectively have no sons. One is dead, and the other is gone. Adam and Eve then have Seth. The meaning of the name Seth may be “granted,” for God granted Adam and Eve another child.

He’s essentially a replacement for Cain and Abel.

We may be uneasy about the reason for Seth’s conception. This could be a positive development, with him being elevated as Adam and Eve’s primary heir. Yet the idea that Seth’s creation is merely to fill the void left by his murdered brother, Abel, is disconcerting.

Regardless, Seth is born.

Scripture notes that after Seth’s birth is when Adam’s many sons and daughters are born. Implicitly, this makes SethAdam and Eve’s third child.

The only other things we know about Seth are his descendants. TheBible lists the successive generations as Enosh, then Kenan, followed by Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. Therefore, Noah follows Seth by eight generations.

What’s even more significant, however, is that Luke lists Seth in the family tree of Jesus. Yes, Jesus descends from Seth.

If the circumstance regarding our conception is less than admirable, do we let it define who we are or do we rise above it? Though we don’t know what our descendants will do long after we’re gone, how should their potential inform what we do today?

[Read about Seth in Genesis 4:25–26 and Genesis 5:3–8. Discover more in 1 Chronicles 1:1 and Luke 3:38.]

3. ENOCH (2)

As we already noted, Enoch (1) is a descendant of Cain, whereas Enoch (2) is a descendant of Seth.

To give us some historical perspective, here are the world’s first nine generations, from Adam to Noah:

Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah.

As we can see, Enoch is the great-grandfather of Noah, as well as six generations removed from Adam.

Scripture tells us one detail about Enoch, and it’s significant.

Enoch does not die.

He walks faithfully with God and is taken up into heaven. We can connect his faithful walk with the fact that he bypasses death and goes directly to eternity.

Enoch is the first person in the Bible to be affirmed for his faithful walk with God. Though it would be wrong to conclude that everyone who walks faithfully with God will skip death, moving directly from physical life on earth to eternal life in heaven, in this case it did happen.

ThoughEnoch is the first person to experience this, he isn’t the last. Later, Elijah will also be taken up into heaven. These two events foreshadow the resurrected body of Jesus ascending into heaven.

What should we do to walk faithfully with God? Why should we want to do this?

[Read about Enoch in Genesis 5:18–24. Discover when Elijah is taken up into heaven in 2 Kings 2:1–11.]

4. METHUSELAH

Methuselah is Enoch’s son. Aside from being Noah’s grandfather, the other notable fact about Methuselah is that he has the longest recorded life in the Bible, standing at an amazing 969 years. TheBible records many people at that time as living hundreds of years, but Methuselah’s life is the longest.

Yet as we move further away from the time of sin entering the world, we see life spans decreasing in length. Death, after all, is the result of sin.

Moses later places a typical person’s life at seventy years, even up to eighty (Psalm 90:10). This is despite the fact that he lived to be 120 years old (Deuteronomy 34:7), which God established during the time of Noah (Genesis 6:3).

Accepting the lifespan of OldTestament characters as literal, as I do, we can determine that Methuselah—and his son Lamech (2)—are both born while Adam is still alive. They are also alive when Noah is born. This means that Methuselah and Lamech know both Adam and Noah.

Also, their lives end about the time of the flood. Did they die prior to the flood, or did they drown in the deluge?

Regardless, they were both certainly alive one hundred years earlier when God told Noah to build the ark. At that time God noted the wickedness of humanity and their persistent evil thoughts.

We’re left to wonder if this critical assessment of the world’s persistent evil includes Methuselah and Lamech. Regardless, Noah found God’s favor (Genesis 6:1–8).

What is our view of living a long life? Whether we have days left or decades, what can we do to make every moment count?

[Read about Methuselah in Genesis 5:21–27. Discover more in 1 Chronicles 1:3 and Luke 3:37.]

5. CANAAN

Canaan is the son of Ham and the grandson of Noah. The story of Canaan is perplexing. WhenNoah’s son Ham finds his father drunk, he acts disrespectfully. His two brothers act appropriately.

WhenNoah discovers what his sons did when he was inebriated, he explicitly blames Ham’s son Canaan. This is despite Canaan not having any role in what happened.

We’re left to wonder if we don’t know the full story or if Noah reached the wrong conclusion. Nevertheless, Noah proclaims curses on Canaan.

This doesn’t seem right or fair, but it is what happens.

We later read of the nations that descend from Canaan. He is the father of Sidon and the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.

Although these last five nations receive scant mention in Scripture, the others reoccur.

TheSidonians (descendants of Sidon), show up 14 times.

TheHittites, 36 times.

TheJebusites, 30 times.

TheAmorites, 77 times.

TheGirgashites, 7 times.

TheHivites, 23 times.

Scripture reveals that these nations rise in opposition to God’s chosen people, the Israelites. And this continues throughout much of the OldTestament.

We’re left wondering if their opposition is a result of Noah’s curse on his grandson. What if Noah had not proclaimed curses on Canaan and his descendants? Might the history in the OldTestament have unfolded differently?

ThoughNoah proclaimed curses on Canaan, this is not an example for us to follow. Instead, we should embrace the NewTestament perspective and not curse others.

How do we respond when we’re blamed for something we didn’t do? What can we do to rise above any mistakes our parents might have made?

[Read about Canaan in Genesis 9:18–27 and Genesis 10:15–18. Discover more about curses in Luke 6:28, Romans 12:14, and James 3:9–10.]

6. NIMROD

Nimrod is the son of Cush, the son of Ham. SinceCush and Canaan are brothers, this means Nimrod is Canaan’s nephew.

The biblical text tells us little about Nimrod. What we do know is he’s a “mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:8–9). Though this is curious wording, we can understand “before the Lord” to mean “in God’s sight” or that God noticed Nimrod’s hunting prowess. What’s unclear is if this is a result of God’s blessing on Nimrod or not.

Regardless, Nimrod establishes a kingdom, first in Babylon and then in Assyria, where he builds the city of Nineveh. Do these three locations sound familiar? Babylon appears 299 times in the Bible, Assyria 132 times, and Nineveh, twenty-six times. These mentions are as the enemy of God’s chosen people, sometimes representing evil.

Parallel to the offspring of his UncleCanaan, Babylon and Assyria also oppose God’s promised people and the nations of Israel and Judah.

Assyria will later conquer the nation of Israel and deport its people. In this way, Assyria serves as God’s instrument of judgment against his rebellious children.

Not learning from this example, Judah will later suffer much the same consequence. Babylon conquers Judah and deports its people too. UnlikeIsrael, however, some people from Judah will return to the promised land seventy years later and get a second chance. The people of Israel and Judah tested God’s patience and eventually received the punishment they deserved.

In what ways do we test God’s patience like the nations of Israel and Judah did? How do we react when God gives us a second chance?

[Read about Nimrod in Genesis 10:8–12. Discover more in 2 Kings 25:1–26.]

7. JOB’S WIFE

We don’t know the name of Job’s wife. She’s a minor character in the Bible’s account of his life, so we could view her name as unimportant.

Through no fault of Job, Satan attacks him, wiping away his wealth and killing all his children. Next, Satan