Peter Goeman
Peter serves at Shepherd's Theological Seminary in Cary, NC as the professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages. He loves studying the Bible and helping others understand it. He also runs The Bible Sojourner podcast and Youtube channel.
-
Is There a Divine Council in Psalm 82?
Psalm 82:1 states, “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.” Later in Psalm 82:6-7 we read, “I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.'” The identity of the “gods” in Psalm 82 has been interpreted in a variety of ways. For sake of brevity, we will cover the two most popular understandings of “gods.” 1. The Gods as Human Judges Interpreting the gods in Psalm 82 as a reference to human judges is very common. Support for this idea is drawn from Exodus 22:8, where someone accused of being an accomplice to a thief comes “near to God” to take an oath about what happened. This is often interpreted as going before the Israelite judges (cf. Exod 21:6, where a master brings his…
-
A Simple Explanation of Covenant Theology
What is covenant theology? This is a question I get periodically, so that it would be helpful to write a brief introduction on it. In the past I have defined the beliefs of dispensationalism (as well as the things that do NOT define dispensationalism). Thus, it is only fair now that I spent some time defining covenant theology. Introduction to Covenant Theology Adherents of covenant theology claim that covenant theology is the natural outworking of God’s covenantal relationship with humanity.[1] Although that general statement would find very few detractors, the details of covenant theology are often debated, even among proponents. Although Ulrich Zwingli is referred to as the initiator of covenant theology,[2] it developed into a full-fledged system through the contributions of Zwingli’s successors.[3] Within this system there is broad agreement as to how the system is constituted. Covenant theologian, Michael Horton, notes, A broad consensus emerged in this Reformed…
-
A Short Explanation of Samuel’s Levitical Heritage and Hannah’s Vow
How is it that Samuel was able to work in the Tabernacle? Wasn’t the Tabernacle work reserved for Levites? Samuel was born in Ephraim, so wouldn’t that disqualify him from service? These are some significant questions that readers of 1 Samuel often think about. The book of 1 Samuel opens up by talking about “a certain man of Rammathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah” (1 Sam 1:1). Elkanah is married to two wives, one of whom is Hannah. Although barren, Hannah prays for a child, and the Lord answers her prayer. This child is Samuel! After giving birth, Hannah names her son Samuel, and dedicates him to tabernacle service with Eli (1 Sam 1:28). Samuel stays with Eli and serves the Lord (cf. 1 Sam 2:11, 18). Throughout the story, it is obvious that Samuel is ministering in the tabernacle (cf. 1 Sam 3:3). This…
-
“Where Did Cain Get His Wife?”—And Why the Question Still Matters
In the summer of 1925, the Scopes “Monkey” Trial turned a Tennessee courtroom into a national stage for debating the Bible and origins. One of the most memorable barbs came when Clarence Darrow pressed William Jennings Bryan with a line that has echoed through popular culture ever since: “Where did Cain get his wife?” The insinuation—delivered to laughter and headlines—was that anyone who believes Genesis must accept an absurdity (or worse, a moral outrage). That exchange helped cement the cultural narrative that Christianity is anti-intellectual and ethically inconsistent. A century later, the same argument still circulates on social media and in classrooms. Do Christians have a good answer to the question of where Cain got his wife? This is a legitimate question. If Adam and Eve are the fountainhead of humanity (Gen 3:20; Acts 17:26), whom did their son Cain marry (Gen 4:17)? If the only available partners were siblings…
-
What is the Longest Book of the Bible?
There are 1,189 chapters in the English bible, and 31,103 verses. But which book of the Bible is the longest? The answer surprises most people! Hint: It is not Psalms! At least depending on how you are counting. I am at least partially motivated to write this blog post on the issue of the longest book of the Bible because it makes such a great youth group trivia question! But, it also helps puts things in perspective for what you can expect when reading through the Bible. There are a variety of ways to calculate the longest book of the Bible. You can count chapters, verses, or words. You could also technically make a differentiation between Greek or Hebrew, and the common English translations that we use. Of course, it should be noted that we are not combining any books of the Bible. So, although 1 & 2 Samuel, 1…
-
A Fascinating History of the Failure of Prisons
Being a Christian, I’m always interested in cultural issues. One of the most controversial cultural conversations centers on prisons and whether the United States’ system of incarceration is a good system. I first started thinking about this issue in earnest when, a few years ago, I was listening to Al Mohler, and he noted New York’s 2019 plan to spend $9 billion on building new prisons. Mohler included a brief discussion of the history of prisons, which inspired me to do a little more research on the issue. This brief article is a summation of the history of prisons and how we ought to think about them as Christians. Throughout most of human history,prisons were meant to be a temporary arrangement. Prisons in the ancient world were places where suspects were held while waiting for their cases to be heard. For example, Leviticus 24:10-12 mentions the imprisonment of an individual…
-
Some of the Errors in the King James Version
One of the reasons people hold to the King James Only viewpoint is that they are under the mistaken impression that the King James was a translation that was made without error by the translators. In this article, I want to look at the historical development of the KJV and make some specific notes about the verifiable errors that existed in the original 1611 translation, and how those were changed in future editions. Pretty fascinating stuff! The Need to Update the King James Version The KJV was originally published in 1611 by translators who followed 15 principles of translation. However, as the years passed, the KJV (also known as the Authorized Version) was in serious need of an update. Because English grammar and spelling had changed, in 1762, a Cambridge printer, Joseph Bentham, made many revisions. These revisions updated the spellings, punctuation, and the like. However, this version never caught…
-
Train up a Child in the Way He Should Go: Promise or Warning?
Many Christians view Proverbs 22:6 as a promise to parents that if they do their jobs right, their child will never abandon the faith. However, this in turn has resulted in many parents feeling as if God has broken His promise to them when their child turns from the faith. Train up a child in the way he should go:And when he is old, he will not depart from it (Prov 22:6, KJV) Although this verse has been used by many parents and church leaders as a promise, it is important to slow down and read this verse carefully. I think we can understand it a little bit better. A Proverb is a Principle, Not a Promise First, a proverb is not a promise! Proverbs are axiomatic (self-evident) sayings about how life normally works. But there are plenty of exceptions to proverbs, because life is complicated by many factors. For…
-
Are Apostles for the Church Today?
Although it is becoming more and more popular to argue that there are Apostles in the church today, this is far from a majority position. Rather, it is generally recognized that the Greek word used for apostles in the New Testament can be used in both a generic sense (simply meaning “sent one”), or in a specific sense. Romans 16:7 is an example of a generic sense where Paul uses the term “apostle” to refer to individuals who are sent out from a church for some purpose. But there is also a more specific category of apostleship that relates specifically to apostles who represent Jesus Christ as His authoritative ambassadors. In other words, these Apostles were viewed with the authority of Jesus because He commissioned them himself. Note, for example, that Paul, an Apostle of Christ, had the authority to give instruction which was on the same level of Christ…
-
Communication Principles from Proverbs
Communication is important. More importantly, how communication is done is important. Jesus himself said that “the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Matt 12:34b). It is underappreciated in our culture that what we say—whether verbally, over text, or on social media—reveals our hearts. It is a good and important exercise to evaluate our own communication and see how we line up. The ancient world prized wisdom, specifically the discussion of how to act in daily life. Unsurprisingly, Proverbs provides some of the most pithy and helpful statements on how a righteous man or woman ought to communicate. In many cases, Proverbs will contrast the righteous and their communication style with that of the non-righteous. What follows are a few evaluatory questions we can draw from Proverbs. Does my communication bring good benefit to others? The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,But the mouth of…