Bible Study
Toward a Biblical Perspective on Depression: Psalm 42
Today I would like to offer the first of two posts dealing with passages in which the Bible speaks directly to the issue of depression in the life of a believer. There are a number of places in the Psalms in particular that deal directly with depression in one form or another, but I will…
Bob Gonzales Has a New Blog With Free Scholarly Articles for Download
Many of this blog’s regular readers already know that Bob Gonzales, Dean of the Reformed Baptist Seminary, is one of my favorite theologians, so you won’t be surprised to find that I want to help promote his new blog. The blog is called It Is Written, and Dr. Gonzales describes its purpose thusly: It Is…
Toward a Biblical Perspective on Depression: Summary of Case Studies
After examining seven Scriptural case studies concerning depression, I would like to take time just to summarize some of the findings gleaned from these studies before moving on to some passages that deal more directly with the issue. First, we have seen that depression can be the result of persistent sins such as anger and…
Toward a Biblical Perspective on Depression: Case Study #7
The final case study I would like to examine may surprise many of the blog’s readers. I want to set forth the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as one who I believe encountered depression as well. For instance, I think it is safe to say that Jesus experienced depression as He faced…
Toward a Biblical Perspective on Depression: Case Study #6
Note: Although the author of Lamentations is not given in the text, the book has traditionally been attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. Since I see no good reason not to accept this traditional view, I will assume in this post that Jeremiah is indeed the author. However, nothing I will address here will be affected…
Toward a Biblical Perspective on Depression: Case Study #5
Many Bible teachers see in Elijah a clear example of depression, so let’s take some time to briefly examine the key passage that indicates his struggle with it. This passage details the events that followed Elijah’s great victory over the prophets of Baal and Asherah: NKJ 1 Kings 19:1-3 “And Ahab told Jezebel all…
Toward a Biblical Perspective on Depression: Case Study #4
There are many examples of depression from the life of David, who may have had a tendency toward depression that many of God’s children have experienced over the years. Many of his psalms deal with this very issue in one way or another, but we will limit our focus to just two of them. NKJ…
Toward a Biblical Perspective on Depression: Case Study #3
There are perhaps several examples from the life of Moses that we could examine, but one clear instance of depression in his life can be found in Numbers 11, which relates the account of the Israelites complaining about having to eat manna every day: NKJ Numbers 11:10-15 “Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their…
Toward a Biblical Perspective on Depression: Case Study #2
In our first case study, we saw that depression can be the result of unresolved sin, but in this case study we will see an example of depression that doesn’t stem from sin, even though it leads to sin. In fact, we will see that even the most righteous man on the earth in his…
Toward a Biblical Perspective on Depression: Case Study #1
Cain may be the first clear example of depression in the Bible. Although Adam and Eve may well have been depressed after they sinned and then after they were driven from the Garden of Eden, the text does not explicitly address it. But it is clear that Cain was depressed, for God spoke to him…