The Bible Blog recently moved to http://abibleaday.com/blog/ and if you haven’t move with us, here are the posts you missed:

• How Many Times Should You Forgive Someone?
• What Can Ten Righteous People Do?
• Why It’s Important to Obey God
• How Many Disciples Did Jesus Have?
• How Many Tribes Were There in Israel?
• Who Are Christian Pharisees?
• Don’t Add to or Subtract From the Bible

Don’t miss another post. Go to http://abibleaday.com/blog/ and subscribe via email or use our RSS feed.

I hope to see you at the new The Bible Blog! 

(No new posts are being added directly to this old blog and it will soon be shut down.)

The Bible Blog recently moved to http://abibleaday.com/blog/ and if you didn’t move with us, here are the posts you missed:

• Top Ten Posts for 2012 at The Bible Blog

• Are You Like Noah, Moses, or Neither?

• 2 Expressions of Faith

• Have You Ever Been Overwhelmed by the Glory of God?

• An Unlikely Example of Partial Obedience

• The Rise and Fall of Lot

• How Far Do We Go To Protect Tradition?

Don’t miss another post. Go to http://abibleaday.com/blog/ and subscribe via email or use our RSS feed.

I hope to see you at the new The Bible Blog! 

(No new posts will be added to this old blog and it will soon be shut down.)

The Bible Blog is moving to a new home. It will have a fresh look and be powered by the leading WordPress software.

The new Bible Blog will also be much improved:

• A new format will make reading easier.
• Post comments with one click simplicity, with no more Captcha codes to read and enter.
• Subscribers will enjoy a more robust delivery of posts.
• New features will be added.

The complete archive of past posts has been moved too.

Go to the new Bible Blog today and subscribe or use the RSS newsfeed.

Look for new posts each Thursday at the new Bible Blog.

[The Bible Blog is written by Peter DeHaan and published by Peter DeHaan Publishing Inc.]

The 2013 Bible reading guides are now available.

With a commitment of just five minutes a day, Monday through Friday, you can read the entire New Testament in one year.

By upping the commitment to 10 to 12 minutes a day, you can read the entire Old Testament in one year.

If these options seem like too much, we have some alternate monthly Bible reading plans as well.

Learn more about the Bible at A Bible A Day and check out our Bible reading plans.

When Moses went up the mountain to get the 10 Commandments (the second time), God said "I will write on [the tablets] the words..." Imagine that, God providing written communication for Moses.

But it's not just Moses, a few centuries later David said, "I have in writing from the hand of the Lord..." God wrote the instructions for David about building the temple, with "all the details," so there'd be no confusion.

Wouldn't it be great if God would write things down for us?

Wait, he did — and we can read it every day.

As we approach a new year, I encourage you to read what God said every day. Consider it a New Year's Resolution, one with eternal ramifications.

Check back next week for the 2013 Bible reading plans.

[Exodus 34:1, 1 Chronicles 28:19]

Just as I have favorite books in the Bible, I also have a few I struggle with. You’ll likely agree with some on my list, but others may surprise.

My least favorite books of the Bible are:

1) Leviticus is packed with laws, rules, and expectations. With patience, there’s much insight to discover. Yet, after a while, my eyes glaze over.

2) Deuteronomy repeats some of Leviticus and adds more. The implications are wonderful, but it’s a tough read for me.

3) Isaiah is loved my many with its frequent allusions to Jesus. Yet it’s also long and plodding for me to read.

4) Jeremiah is an interesting tale, but a discouraging read and may not be in chronological order, adding confusion.

5) Lamentations is a series of five poems or laments, formatted not unlike a funeral dirge. This is not my preferred genre.

6) Ezekiel contains perplexing visions and strange imagery. There’s a lot to unpack.

7) Psalms is essentially a prayer journal. It’s raw and honest, resonating with many, but often distressing me.

8) Hebrews contains incredible information connecting Jesus with the Old Testament, but I struggle to work through it.

9) John is the “go to” gospel for many people, but his poetic style doesn’t click with me.

10) Revelation is a book of an epic battle between good and evil. Good wins. The end. But the details weigh me down.

Which books would you take off my list or add to it?

The Protestant Bible contains 66 books, while the Catholic Bible adds seven more. I’ve read them all, seeing value in each one. But I like some more than others.

Here are my top ten books of the Bible:

1) Luke was a doctor and the only non-Jewish author in the New Testament. He writes as an outsider, more readily connecting with those on the outside. Luke has a straightforward style, with compelling language. The book contains details not found in the other gospels and includes the oft-read Christmas story of Jesus.

2) Acts, also written by Dr Luke, continues where the book of Luke ended. Luke and Acts comprise a gripping two-book combination. Noteworthy in Acts is nearly 100 mentions of the Holy Spirit.

3) Daniel begins with six stories about Daniel and his three buddies. The last half contains four visions from God about the future.

4) Jude encourages believers to "contend for the faith" and contains warnings about ungodly people who have infiltrated the church. 

5) James presents many practical teachings. Some misunderstand the book as setting aside faith in favor of good works, but this is not the case.

6) Genesis contains accounts of some colorful characters whose actions are sometimes hard to understand. Yet this is life: raw, perplexing, and occasionally, shocking.

7) Ruth is a captivating story of a widowed woman's loyalty to her mother-in-law and the resulting reward for her devotion.

8) Esther is an intriguing story of obedience, duty, risk, and love.

9) Tobit is a supernatural epic adventure. It would make a great paranormal movie. Really.

10) Judith is the tale of a beautiful woman who daringly delivers her people from their enemies, using beauty and charm, all the while maintaining her virtue.

What are your favorite books in the Bible?

In "Another Man with Two Names" we talked about a guy known as John Mark. Although no one knows why he's called John Mark, it does distinguish him from other men in the Bible named John.

In addition to John Mark, I count four guys in the Bible with the name of John:

• John the Baptist
• John the Apostle (and brother of James, sons of Zebedee)
• John [also called Jonah] the Father of Peter
• John, who was likely a religious leader or the relative of one, Acts 4:6

It seems there is only one guy called Mark. Mark is mentioned eight times in the New Testament (three times as John Mark, twice as Mark, but referring to John Mark, and three times as Mark, likely referencing John Mark.)

Lastly, John Mark (sometimes called Mark) may have been the author of the book of Mark. Wouldn't it be confusing if we called his book John-Mark, instead?

Last week we talked about Simon Peter, a guy with two names. Another man with two names is John Mark. Unlike Abraham and Sarah who received new identities from God and Peter who got his second name from Jesus, the origin of John Mark's two names seems to lack divine origin.

Perhaps his parents gave him one name at birth and his other label, a nickname bestowed by friends. Maybe he needed two names to avoid confusion with other guys named John and other dudes called Mark.

Regardless John Mark's dual name does not seem to have any spiritual significance, but to simply be practical.

Even so, John Mark is a fun name to say.

[Read more about John Mark in "Lessons from the Life of John Mark" and "The Comeback of John Mark."]

In the last post, we talked about the disciple Simon, who Jesus named Peter.

I only know of one person called Peter in the Bible, but there are several guys named Simon:

1. Simon Peter (the disciple)
2. Simon the Zealot (another disciple, which may be why Jesus called the other Simon, Peter)
3. Simon the brother of Jesus (his other brothers were James, Joseph, and Judas)
4. Simon the leper (the owner of the home where Jesus' head was anointed with oil)
5. Simon from Cyrene (who carried Jesus' cross)
6. Simon the Pharisee (the owner of the home where Jesus feet were washed with perfume)
7. Simon Iscariot (father of Judas Iscariot)
8. Simon the sorcerer (who asked to buy Holy Spirit power)
9. Simon the tanner (who Peter stayed with in Joppa when Cornelius sent for him)

I would have never guessed there were this many Simons in the Bible.

One of Jesus' disciples was Simon, who Jesus renamed Peter.

According to the Amplified Bible, Peter means "stone" or "a large piece of rock."

Sometimes the Bible refers to him as Simon (47 times) and other times Simon Peter (33 times) but mostly just Peter (139 times).

Peter was the first leader of Jesus' followers, so calling him "rock" fits. Perhaps Jesus gave Peter a new name to preview his future as a leader.

Even more interesting is a play on words Jesus uses in Matthew 16:16-18. The implication isn't apparent in most versions of the Bible, but the Amplified Bible captures it nicely (even throwing in some Greek to make sure we don't miss it).

Peter (Petros, "a large piece of rock," essentially a rock) gives a proclamation (Petra, "a huge rock like Gibraltar," essentially the rock) saying Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus affirms Peter's words, declaring them to be the foundation on which he will build his church.

Peter is not the foundation, but his testimony is.

When God needed to turn Saul's life around, he used a supernatural light, an unseen voice, and temporary blindness to get Saul's attention (Acts 9:3-9).

Some time later, Saul (Paul), under the power of the Holy Spirit, did the same thing to a guy named Elymas. Elymas was supernaturally blinded for a time so God could get his attention (Acts 13:9-11).

These two accounts have amazing similarities.

Before both of these occurred, Jesus healed a blind man. When questioned about it, the man said, "I once was blind, but now I see."

What he said literally about Jesus healing him, we can say figuratively about Jesus saving us.

In reading the book of Acts in the Bible we learn about a badly misguided dude named Saul who turns his life around and later goes by the name of Paul. When did this name change take place?

If you say his name changed when he stopped killing Jesus' followers to become one himself, I'd agree with you — and we'd be wrong.

Saul started following Jesus in Acts chapter 9, but continues to go by Saul until Acts chapter 13. What happened there?

It's subtle, but Acts 13:9 says, "Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit..." I can't say for sure, but this seems to be the first indication of God's spirit filling Saul. Sure, he was a follower of Jesus before that and he was doing things for God before that, but when the Holy Spirit filled him, it's as if God gave him a new name, Paul.

The change is abrupt. In Acts 7:58 through Acts 9:13 he is Saul. The Holy Spirit shows up in Acts 9:13 and for the rest of the book of Acts (and the rest of the Bible) he goes by Paul.

And that's when his ministry took off.

In my last post, Three People Given a New Name by God, we looked at God renaming people to give them a new identity.

Today we will consider the opposite: people whose names were changed in order to strip away their identity. I'm talking about a young man named Daniel and his three friends. These lads were forcibly relocated after their country was overthrown. They were removed from their families and all they knew in order to be indoctrinated into the king's service.

In a final act of reprogramming, they were stripped of their Hebrew names and given new identities. This was not to encourage them or elevate the trajectory of their lives as God did with Abraham, Sarah, and Israel, but an attempt to remove every last bit of who they were, including their faith.

Daniel became Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach, and Azariah became Abednego.

We live in a world that continually gives us names, names to push us down, names to remove the identity God gave us or how he sees us. Though these may be in the form of nicknames, such as "Shorty," "Gomer," or "Blondie," they are more often labels: loser, worthless, klutz, or stupid.

Daniel and his friends didn't let others reprogram them from who God made them to be — and neither should we.

[Daniel 1:6-7]

In the book of Genesis, God gives new names to three people.

In doing so, God is effectively saying, I'm giving you a new identity. You may see yourself according to your old name, but I see you differently. I'm giving you a new name and a new future.

Abram becomes Abraham
Sarai becomes Sarah
Jacob becomes Israel

The Amplified Bible tells us the meaning for five of these names:

Abram means "high, exalted father," whereas Abraham means "father of a multitude" (Genesis 17:5).
The meaning of Sarai is not given, but Sarah means "Princess" (Genesis 17:15).
Jacob means "supplanter" (one who usurps or replaces another), whereas Israel means "contender with God" (Genesis 32:28).

Would you like God to give you a new name? Just ask.

One of the 10 commandments is "Thou shalt not bear false witness."

Other translations of the Bible state this passage as "do not give false testimony" or more simply, "do not tell lies about others."

We typically think of this as a command to not perjure ourselves, that is to not give false or misleading information in a courtroom while under oath. We would certainly never do that, so we can check this command off our list — right?

What about gossip, of spreading intimate or private rumors or facts about another person, of talking behind their back? Could that be another type of "false witness?"

Perhaps we need to more carefully consider God's instruction to not bear false witness, by understanding it to mean "don't gossip."

[Exodus 20:16]

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In the accounts of Jesus' life, there's a curious exchange he has with the religious leaders. Although he has many such interactions, this is perhaps the most perplexing.

He tells them healthy people don't need a doctor. True. Then he makes a parallel assertion that his purpose isn't to help good people (the "righteous") but bad people (the "sinners").

What does this mean?

1. Is he implying the religious leaders are healthy and don't need his help, that they're doing fine by adhering to their traditions? While it's true that following their laws could be sufficient, they would need to do so perfectly. This is humanly impossible.

2. This could be a sarcastic statement, calling them good (righteous) when everyone — including themselves — knew it wasn't true, that they fell short of God's standard as well.

3. Jesus could have meant, that since the religious leaders considered themselves to be healthy, there was nothing he could do for them. Although they were really sick, he couldn't be their doctor until they admitted they were ill.

We all need a doctor, but are we willing to admit it?

[Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31-32]

In Matthew's biography of Jesus, he repeats one phrase three times: "When Jesus had finished saying these things..."

This phrase signals a transition in the story. Jesus spoke to the people and afterwards the people respond:

• One time they were amazed.
• One time they followed him.
• One time they did nothing.

Today people react to Jesus in the same three ways:

• They may respect him as a teacher, but nothing more.
• They may follow him.
• They may ignore him.

Respecting Jesus is a great place to start, but following him is what he desires.

[Matthew 7:28, 19:1, and 26:1]

A guy named Peter knew how to fish. That was his trade, his livelihood. When it came to catching fish, he was the expert.

Peter's buddy Jesus was a carpenter by trade. He knew how to make things with his hands, things constructed of wood. He was an expert at woodworking.

So when the professional fisherman didn't catch a thing, it seems strange for the professional carpenter to offer him fishing advice.

But that's exactly what Jesus did to Peter, the novice told the expert what to do.

It would have been entirely reasonable for Peter to dismiss Jesus, after all, Peter had been fishing his entire life; Jesus had not.

Yet Peter set aside his pride and disregarded his experience, agreeing to do what Jesus said, just "because you say so."

Sometimes what God tells us to do seems foolish, sometimes we know better and want to ignore his advice. But if we are truly wise we will do it anyway, just because he says so.

[Luke 5:1-11]