What’s in a name? —William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Names today often don’t mean much. Many parents try to select a unique name for their child instead of giving thought to its religious significance. That’s how you end up with babies named for a fruit, color, or direction. In Daniel’s day, parents chose names impregnated with meaning for the present as well as hope for the future. The name Daniel ends with the Hebrew word El, which is the singular form of...
The concept of family is first mentioned in the book of Genesis. Even before there was sin, there was family. The divine institution of the family was placed in a sinless environment created by God. Looking at the book of Genesis in chapter one, we read that God has been very active creating many different things. He has created the heavens and the earth in such a way that they are functional, vibrant, and pulsating with life.
When I was 10, all I’d ever known at home was chaos. I was the oldest of four children, and the atmosphere for all of us was volatile. My father and mother were in constant conflict, making divorce seem the only possible outcome.