Bible Commentaries

Exodus 19:15 — What then, does this have to do with consecration to God? First of all, the flesh is antithetical to the Spirit of God. "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other" (Galatians 5:17). Thus, it was considered to be desirable among Christians that husbands and wives should refrain from their usual relations, upon occasion, to "give themselves unto prayer" (1 Peter 3:7; 1 Corinthians 7:5). Back of scriptures such as these lies

Exodus 6:4 — you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments." "My covenant with them" This is exactly the covenant that Jehovah (in that name and identity) made with Abraham. Note the emphatic words: I have established (Exodus 6:4).I have heard (Exodus 6:5).I have remembered (Exodus 6:5).I AM JEHOVAH (Exodus 6:6).I will bring (Exodus 6:6).I will rid (Exodus 6:6).I will redeem! (Exodus 6:6). "And with great judgments" These had previously been hinted at (Exodus 3:20; Exodus 4:22), but had not previously

Psalms 71:13 — AN IMPRECATION AGAINST ENEMIES "Let them be put to shame and consumed that are adversaries to my soul, Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt." Who was as skilled as David in calling down the judgments of God upon his enemies? The very vocabulary of this imprecation is found no less than five times in other psalms of David: Psalms 41:7; Psalms 41:9; Psalms 53:5; Psalms 35:4; Psalms 40:14; Psalms 70:2.

Proverbs 28:11 — "The rich man is wise in his own conceit; But the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out." "Poor men know what rich men really are. The rich may fool themselves into thinking they are really wise and good; but poor people see through the masks to their true worth."Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971), Vol. 5, p. 88. Toy's rendition of the second line: "But an intelligent man will probe him thoroughly."International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 500.

Song of Solomon 2:7 — "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, or by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up, nor awake my love, Until he please." "This refrain appears four times in this book: here, and in Song of Solomon 3:5; Song of Solomon 5:8; and Song of Solomon 8:3; and with each use of it, there is a definite break in mood and movement. It twice follows the clause, `O that his left hand were under my head, and that his right hand embraced me.'"Ibid. What does it say?

Isaiah 3:13-15 — peoples," all the nations of men; but he includes here the stern warning that his own people are sorely in need of judgment, that it is the rulers and princes of the chosen nation itself that have eaten up God's vineyard and oppressed his people. In Isaiah 5, Isaiah will return to this subject; but this statement of the Lord is not less damning than Isaiah 5. The charges against the false leaders are powerful indeed. They crush… eat-up, and grind God's people. Hailey pointed out that God's warning

Isaiah 62 overview — the Bible (London: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837), Vol. IV, p. 430. True to Isaiah's pattern of "here a little and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10; Isaiah 28:13), the prophet here returns to the revelation regarding that new name, mentioned also in Isaiah 56:5, where the passage affirms that: (1) the name will be given by God Himself, (2) within his walls and in his house, i.e., in his Church, (3) a memorial name, (4) a name better than that of sons and of daughters, and (5) an ever-flaming name that shall

Ezekiel 10:20-22 — Scriptures, they are seen as performing a number of functions: (1) Here, they are bearers of the sapphire throne of God. (2) They guard the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). (3) They are honored with a place above the Mercy Seat in the ancient Tabernacle (Exodus 25:18-20; Exodus 37:7-9). (4) They are personified as wind or cloud. (5) They form the chariot of Deity (2 Samuel 22:11; Psalms 104:3; 1 Chronicles 28:18). They worship God perpetually (Revelation 4:6; Revelation 5:6; and Revelation 6:1). In our opinion,

Hosea 13:12 — eternal justice will at last be meted out to every man. "For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). In the case of Northern Israel, addressed here by Hosea in God's name, their conduct had finally exhausted the patience and forbearance of God Himself; the cup of his wrath was full and about to overflow. The New English Bible translates Hosea

Hosea 4:8 — "They feed on the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity." "They feed on the sin of my people" Hosea had already mentioned the false priests and prophets (Hosea 4:5); and here he returned to the subject of the evil priesthood, as indicated by the contrast between "they" and "my people" in the same clause. Harper gave the meaning of this accurately, thus: "The priests encouraged the people to sin in order that they

Micah 6:11 — "Shall I be pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights?" Amos denounced these very things (Amos 8:5), as did all the holy prophets. The corollaries of this verse are easily discerned. (1) God can never be pleased by the exploitation inherent in crooked weights and measures. (2) Mountains of sacrifices, or the constant observance of religious routines are impossible of pleasing God if found in the conduct of people whose lives are immoral, unethical, unselfish, or deceitful.

Matthew 11:5 — The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. The miracles Jesus mentioned to John's messengers were precisely those which Isaiah identified with the advent of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5-6; Isaiah 61:1). This was Christ's unique way of letting John know that he was indeed the Christ without phrasing it in terms that would have secular overtones.

Matthew 7:15-16 — teachers, who will attempt to widen the narrow way and breach the strait gate. This passage suggests the great apostasy which is elaborated in the following New Testament passages: Acts 20:29-31; 2 Corinthians 11:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-8; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 2 Peter 3:1-7; and Revelation 17 and Revelation 18. It is essential that Christians recognize false teachers or prophets, as they are called here. By their fruits ye shall know them. To be effective

Luke 1:15 — The same contrast was evident on Pentecost when the apostles were not "drunk with wine" but filled with "the Spirit." Paul wrote, "And be not drunken with wine wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). Strong drink is an unqualified curse upon the earth; and, although Christ did not require the kind of abstinence which marked the life of John the Baptist, drunkenness is forbidden, as well as any association with a drunkard (1 Corinthians 5:11).

Luke 19 overview — the beggar (Luke 19:18:37,38): (1) This first "announcement" (it was actually that) was founded on the fact that restoring sight to the blind was one of the prophetic signs of the Messianic age (Luke 19:4:18; Luke 7:21; Isaiah 29:18; Isaiah 35:5). (2) Jesus' calling of Zacchaeus, a prominent publican, as a "son of Abraham," stressed the religious rather than any political quality of his kingdom (Luke 19:1-10). (3) He then gave a great parable (the pounds), identifying himself absolutely

1 Corinthians 6 overview — Just as 1 Corinthians 5 was devoted to the subject of the incestuous man and related thoughts, so this is devoted to another serious problem at Corinth, that of Christians going to law with one another before the pagan judges (1 Corinthians 6:1-11), and a special paragraph on sexual vice (1 Corinthians 6:12-20), the entire subject matter in both chapters being discussed in the light of the conceited glorying which characterized the Christian community in Corinth.

Ephesians 5:1-2 — should in any sense "play God" by usurping to themselves judgments that pertain to God alone. As Mackay said, "To copy God is to be like a Person, to reflect his image." John Mackay, God's Order (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1953), p. 170. Christians should strive to be like God in forbearance, goodness and love. The reference to Jewish sacrifices in Ephesians 5:2 has puzzled commentators who have variously understood the nature of Christ's sacrifice (as mentioned here) to

Colossians 1:27 — mystery to be somewhat complex. There are eight expressions in the New Testament, all eight of which refer to a single state, namely, the saved state; and these are: (1) Christ is in you; (2) you are in Christ; (3) God is in you; (4) you are in God; (5) the Holy Spirit is in you; (6) you are in the Holy Spirit; (7) the mind of Christ is in you; (8) the word of Christ is in you. For Scriptural references and discussion of all these see Galatians 5:23, this volume. It is mandatory, of course, to see

Titus 1 overview — After the 65-word salutation (in the Greek), longer than that of any of the Pauline letters except Galatians and Romans William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary, Titus (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1957), p. 339. (Titus 1:1-4), Paul outlined the

1 John 2:3 — question can be trusted. "It is all too easy to fall into illusions about ourselves if we make too much of our religious feelings, even those of an elevated kind."Amos N. Wilder, The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. XII (New York: Abingdon Press, 1957), p. 226. Keeping the commandments of God is the prerequisite and the test either of loving God (John 14:15) or of knowing God. Macknight supposed that John here was teaching against "the Nicolaitans and Gnostics who affirmed that the only thing