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Biblical People: Isaac

Isaac

Isaac is a child of older parents—much older. His mother, Sarah, is ninety when Isaac is born. And her husband Abraham is one hundred. At this advanced age, it seems impossible to have a child, yet through God all things are possible.

From a human standpoint, we call Isaac’s arrival a miracle—a miracle conception and a miracle birth.

Though Isaac is Sarah’s only son, he has an older half-brother, Ishmael. But Abraham and Sarah send Ishmael and his mother away after Isaac is born. 

With Ishmael no longer in the picture, God deems Isaac as Abraham’s only son (Genesis 22:2, 12, and 16).

God tells Abraham to do the unthinkable, to sacrifice his boy as a burnt offering.

Though this is something other gods demand of their people—and God will later tell Moses that human sacrifice is unacceptable—since God can raise Isaac from the dead, it’s not out of the question for God to tell Abraham to kill his son. Even so, it’s a horrific request.

Abraham intends to do exactly what God commanded. With the altar built and Isaac bound and lying atop it, Abraham raises his knife to kill his son—his one and only son—the son he dearly loves. 

At this point, God stops Abraham from plunging the dagger into his son’s chest. It was just a test, and Abraham passed. This proves that though Abraham loves his son much, he loves God even more.

Yet let’s not look at this story only from Abraham’s perspective but also from young Isaac’s. His father is willing to kill him and nearly does. 

This isn’t something a child would ever forget. Not only would this surely scar Isaac in his relationship with his father, but it could also make him wary of the God behind it. 

Would Isaac ever trust his father again? Would Isaac ever be able to trust God? We wouldn’t blame Isaac if he turned his back on both his father and God. Yet Isaac sticks around. He doesn’t reject his father, and he doesn’t reject God. This is a tribute to Isaac’s character.

This story serves as an encouragement to us that, regardless of our past, we can rise above it and not let it define who we become. Though things could have happened that we might want to blame on God, we can still trust him with our future and with our life.

Let’s take a step back from the story. This isn’t the only time the Bible talks about a father sacrificing his one and only son. Centuries later, Father God sacrifices his one and only son, Jesus. In doing so he proves his deep love for us. God wants to save us so we can be in a right relationship with him.

Our Heavenly Father sacrifices his one and only son to serve as the ultimate sacrifice to end all sacrifices for all the things all people have done throughout all time. 

It’s a gift of eternal life. All we need to do is accept it.

Has God ever asked us to do something that seemed too big or too hard? Could we sacrifice our child, as God later did with his? 

More importantly, do we follow Jesus, God’s sacrificed son, as our Lord and Savior?

[Read Isaac’s story in Genesis 21–22 and 26–28. Discover more in Genesis 17:19–21 and Hebrews 11:17–19.]

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: Ishmael (1)

Ishmael (1)

Ishmael a slave as well, Abraham treats him as a son. When God promises Abraham that he’ll be the father of many nations, he gives Abraham the rite of circumcision. Abraham circumcises Ishmael according to God’s command.

When Ishmael is fourteen, Sarah—who is effectively his stepmother—gets pregnant. She gives Abraham his second son, Isaac. This makes Ishmael and Isaac half-brothers.

Ishmael mocks his much younger brother.

This distresses Sarah, who insists Abraham get rid of Hagar and her impudent son. This will ensure that Isaac will not have to share his inheritance with his older half-brother.

This deeply troubles Abraham, who loves Ishmael, his firstborn. But God tells Abraham to not let Sarah’s request upset him, to do what she asked. The Lord’s promised blessings for Abraham will come through Isaac. Even so, a nation will also come from Ishmael.

The next day Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away. 

They wander into the desert. With their provisions gone, Hagar sits down and cries. But God comes to her, provides comfort, and shows her water. Like he did with Abraham, God promises Hagar that he will make her son, Ishmael, into a great nation.

The pair survive. Hagar, an Egyptian, gets an Egyptian wife for her son.

Many years later, when Abraham dies, Ishmael and Isaac bury him. This shows his two sons have reconciled. But we don’t know if it’s just for this moment or a more lasting connection.

Ishmael has twelve sons, who become twelve tribal leaders. This implies the birth of a nation, just as God promised to both Abraham and Hagar. Ishmael dies at the age of 137.

What can we do to reconnect with estranged relatives or former friends? Do we believe God’s promises to us will come true?

[Read Ishmael’s story in Genesis 16:9–17 and 21:8–21. Discover more in Genesis 25:8–10.]

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: Lot

Lot

We don’t know how old Lot is when his father dies, but his grandfather, Terah, appears to take him in. We can assume this because when Terah heads out for Canaan, he takes grandson Lot with him, along with son Abram, and daughter-in-law Sarai.

When Terah dies, Abram travels on to Canaan, taking Lot with him. The trio of Abram, Sarai, and Lot travel together, but seeing how Lot’s story unfolds, he may have been better off staying behind.

The first glimpse into Lot’s character comes after Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen fight over grazing land. The pair decide to separate themselves and their flocks.

Being the oldest, the choice belongs to Abram, but he lets Lot pick. Lot takes the best land for himself and leaves the subpar area for his uncle.

Later Lot moves to the city of Sodom, which God decides to destroy for their sinfulness. God tells his plan to Abram, now called Abraham. Abraham lobbies God for mercy, but God doesn’t waver in his decision.

He does, however, provide a rescue for Lot and his family, sending two angels to extract them prior to the city’s destruction.

When the angels arrive, the men in the city want to have sex with them. Lot tries to intervene, offering them his daughters instead. What a horrifying decision.

What does this teach Lot’s daughters about their value? Fortunately for them, the men aren’t interested. Lot tries his best to rescue the angels from the men, but the visitors end up rescuing Lot instead.

With time running out, the angels drag Lot, his wife, and their two daughters from the city. As God’s destruction falls upon Sodom, Lot’s fleeing wife looks back to see what she’s leaving behind. She dies instantly.

This leaves Lot with his two daughters. Fearing for their safety, they end up living in a cave.

With their biological clocks ticking and no men in sight, the girls conspire to get their father drunk and sleep with him on successive nights. Lot impregnates them both, and they each have boys. This is the last we hear of Lot.

The life of Lot serves as a tale of what to avoid. We see him as a selfish man who lacks integrity and does what’s best for himself. He’s also a poor father who fails to raise godly daughters, disregarding their purity and diminishing their value.

It’s no wonder they have no reservation in seducing him to produce children for them.

Do we make self-centered decisions that reveal a lack of integrity? Are we doing all we can to raise godly children and positively influence those around us?

[Read Lot’s story in Genesis 11:27–14:16 and 19:1–38. Discover more in 2 Peter 2:4–9.]

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: Abram/Abraham

Abram/Abraham

While living in Harran, God comes to Abram and tells him to go to the land he will show him. Abram obeys, setting out from Harran when he’s seventy-five years old. He takes his wife Sarai and nephew Lot, along with the possessions they acquired while living in Harran.

They head for Canaan. The Bible doesn’t explicitly state Canaan to be the place God shows him, but we can assume this is the case. 

Interestingly, Canaan is where Abram’s father Terah had originally headed to when he stopped midjourney to live in Harran instead. This leads us to wonder if God had originally called Terah to Canaan, a mission Abram had to finish after his father failed to complete it.

Upon arriving in Canaan—an act of obedience—Abram’s real story begins. His life stands as an inspiring journey with God. It’s a faith-filled adventure, with a few hiccups along the way. Yet he perseveres and God esteems his faith. 

One of the pivotal junctures in Abram’s life occurs when God forms an everlasting covenant with Abram when he is ninety-nine years old. The Almighty affirms Abram’s faithful walk with him and calls him blameless. What an astounding affirmation. 

God also promises to make him the father of many nations, even though he has no children.

At this point, God changes his name from Abram to Abraham. Abram means “exalted father” and Abraham means “father of many.” This name change represents an expanded scope, despite Abraham having no offspring—yet.

The phrase “Father Abraham” reflects both his old name and new. It appears several times in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Another notable aspect of Abraham’s life is the idea of God blessing him to bless others. The ultimate form of this blessing comes through Abraham’s descendant Jesus, who dies as the once-and-for-all sacrifice to make us right with Father God.

This idea of being blessed to be a blessing to others is a vision we can all follow. God blesses us so we can bless others.

There’s much more to share about Abraham’s life. We’ll cover key aspects in the next several chapters.

Would God esteem us for our faith? How well do we do at blessing others when God blesses us? 

[Read about Abram in Genesis 11:26–17:4, and read about Abraham in Genesis 17:5–25:11. Discover more in Acts 3:25; Romans 4:1–3; and James 2:20–24.]

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: Terah

Terah

The Bible tells us that Terah is the eighth generation from Noah’s son Shem. So our story picks up a couple of centuries after Noah and the great flood. Terah has three sons, Abram, Nahor (2), and Haran.

Haran dies at the start of our story, but not before he has a son, Lot, Terah’s grandson and Abram’s nephew.

Though the Bible doesn’t tell us why, Terah decides to go to Canaan, which is a long journey. He takes with him his son Abram, Abram’s wife Sarai, and his grandson Lot. He leaves behind his other son, Nahor, Nahor’s wife, and most likely some grandchildren. 

Though they head for Canaan, the troop never makes it there. Midway on their trip, Terah aborts his journey. He stops at Harran and settles there instead of Canaan, his original destination. 

Terah dies in Harran, leaving Abram, Sarai, and Lot to figure out what to do next.

Traveling to Canaan represented a long journey for Terah and his family. Though we can later infer that God had his hand in this ambitious move, it’s only speculation. 

What we do know is that Terah had a plan but gave up before he completed it.

Are we known for not following through with our plans? When we say we’ll do something, do others have confidence that we’ll do it?

[Read Terah’s story in Genesis 11:24–32. Discover more in Joshua 24:2.]

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: Elihu (1)

Elihu (1)

Aside from the three friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, we also encounter a fourth man on the scene, Elihu, son of Barakel.

The Bible doesn’t say if he came with the three others or arrived later. But Scripture does say he defers to them because they’re older. He does this as a sign of respect.

Though Elihu only speaks once, his rant is by far the longest.

He starts by responding to Job’s claim that though he calls out to God, there’s no answer. Elihu says God speaks through dreams, visions, circumstances, and audible words, even through angels. It’s up to us to perceive his message. If Job isn’t hearing, it must be his fault.

In Elihu’s limited understanding of God, he perceives the Almighty as one who fairly administers justice but nothing more. But we’re frail people, we do wrong. We sin. If God only administers justice, then he must punish us for all our mistakes. 

As Elihu continues to speak, we see him arrogantly proclaim that he has the knowledge his friends lack. He repeats his view of God’s justice and implies Job is receiving the punishment he deserves.

How does God speak to us? Are we open to hear from him regardless of how he reveals himself? Have we accepted the solution Jesus offers as an alternative to the justice we deserve?

[Read what Elihu says in Job 32:6–37:24.]

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: Zophar

Zophar

Zophar the Naamathite is the third of Job’s friends to speak. But unlike them, he only talks twice. Might he have realized that their words were only causing their friend distress? Could he have concluded that, sometimes, saying nothing is better than saying something?

In his first monologue, Zophar says that Job thinks his beliefs are flawless. Ironically, Zophar acts the same way about his.

Like his two friends, Zophar does nothing to offer Job comfort or clarity. Instead, Zophar uses the logic of an incomplete theology to conclude Job is suffering so much because he has sinned.

The second time Zophar speaks, he shares his view that God always punishes the wicked, making them suffer for what they’ve done. Zophar concludes by saying that Job’s deep suffering confirms he’s an especially wicked man.

Do we equate suffering with divine punishment? How can we use our words to help people rather than hurt them?

[Read what Zophar says in Job 11 and 20. Discover more in Job 2:11 and 42:7.]

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: Bildad

Bildad

The second man in Job’s trio of friends is Bildad the Shuhite. Like Eliphaz, Bildad also offers Job three speeches.

In his first oration, Bildad looks at Job’s situation and assumes he received what he deserves. Bildad equates right living with God’s favor and hardship with sin and God’s displeasure. While this certainly can be the case, it isn’t absolute, which is hard for many people to accept. It doesn’t seem fair.

When he speaks a second time, Bildad assumes he knows the truth and Job is in error, since his life is on track and Job’s isn’t. Bildad thinks his prosperity gives him the right to speak, and Job’s misery requires him to listen.

But high status does not make us wise. Though Bildad thinks he has something worthwhile to say, he is wrong. His words shoot forth as arrows, inflicting hurt as well as failing to help.

In his final and shortest speech, Bildad gives Job something to think about. Between worshiping God for who he is and acknowledging we are nothing next to him, Bildad asks, “How can a mere mortal be worthy to stand before the Almighty God?”

From our perspective today we know that by ourselves we can’t, but through Jesus we can. Thank you, Jesus.

What can we do to make sure the words we say build people up and don’t tear them down? How do we view our relationship with God? 

[Read what Bildad says in Job 8, 18, and 25. Discover more in Job 2:11 and 42:7.]

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: Eliphaz (1)

Eliphaz (1)

Job has three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who hear of his plight and come to offer sympathy and comfort. The sight of his suffering appalls them, and they barely recognize their friend.

They weep for his condition, tearing their clothes as a sign of mourning, and sprinkling dust on their heads to show their sorrow. They say nothing for several days.

These three men don’t appear elsewhere in the Bible, so we know little about them, except for what they say to their struggling friend.

Each takes their turn in offering a series of monologues to Job, but as we’ll see, they fall short in offering him sympathy and comfort.

Eliphaz the Temanite is the first to speak. He might go first because he is the oldest. Or the wealthiest. Or the wisest. Or perhaps he’s simply bolder than his two friends.

Eliphaz has had a long time to consider what he’ll say to Job. Though his words could have offered comfort to his suffering friend, instead they come out as an accusation, judging Job for presumed shortcomings.

Eliphaz doesn’t know Job’s heart, and he certainly lacks an understanding of God’s perspective, but Eliphaz speaks as though he knows both. We might wonder if his critical words are more directed to himself than to Job.

Then his two friends follow him with their own speeches. After hearing them speak, Eliphaz tries a second time. Instead of correcting the errors of his first diatribe, he doubles down.

He persists in the notion that the hardship Job endured stands as a confirmation of Job’s evil heart and a mark of God’s disapproval. But Eliphaz speaks through arrogance and ignorance.

His view of God is incomplete, so his conclusions fall short. And when he casts his flawed logic on Job, he inflicts unnecessary pain on his friend. 

For his third and final speech, Eliphaz claims our relationship with God is transactional. He assumes that if we behave right, then God will bless us. And if we do what is wrong, God will punish us. Eliphaz sees Job’s situation as God’s punishment, concluding that Job suffers because of his sins. 

Thankfully, this isn’t how God treats his people.

How can we make sure our words help others and don’t cause pain? When things go wrong, do we view it as God’s punishment, whether on ourselves or on others? 

[Read what Eliphaz says in Job 4, 15, and 22. Discover more in Job 2:11 and 42:7.]

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: Job

Job

We don’t know when Job lived, but many Bible scholars consider him a contemporary of Abraham. This places Job several generations after Noah in our biblical timeline. 

Job lives in the land of Uz. We know four key things about him:

First, he is a righteous man, acting justly in all he does and conducting himself with blame-free confidence. He puts God first and avoids evil. 

Next, Job is a family man. He and his wife have ten children, a quiver full (Psalm 127:5), which people see as a sign of God’s favor.

Third, Job is concerned for his kids and their future. After they have a party, he offers a burnt offering sacrifice for each one of them to purify them of any sin or careless thought. He wants to help make them right with God.

Last, Job is rich. He owns over 10,000 animals, with a large staff to oversee his herds. He is the wealthiest man in the area and esteemed by all.

As such, Job enjoys an idyllic life of ease with favor from God. Everyone looks up to him, and Job’s life seems perfect.

Yet Satan seeks to torment Job. Though God gives Satan permission to act, God isn’t the cause of Job’s suffering, Satan is. Don’t forget that. 

Satan strips away Job’s wealth and kills his children. Then Satan attacks Job’s health, leaving him clinging to life with an unsupportive wife. But in all this Job remains faithful to God.

Job perseveres through these afflictions and doesn’t buckle under his friends’ less-than-helpful advice, as we’ll see in the following four chapters. 

Eventually, God rewards Job for his faithfulness by restoring his health, returning his wealth times two, and giving him ten more children. Job lives another 140 years, celebrating life with his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

When unthinkable hardship afflicts us, how can we remain steadfast in our devotion to God? When it seems everyone and everything is against us, will we continue to put God first?

[Read Job’s story in the book of Job, especially Job 1, 2, and 42. Discover more in Ezekiel 14:13–14 and 9–20.]

Learn even more about Job and his friends in the devotional Bible study I Hope in Him: 40 Insights about Moving from Despair to Deliverance through the Life of Job, which explores this classic story as a modern-day screenplay.

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.