Bible Commentaries

Exodus 11 overview — This is a transitional chapter. To this point, Moses has been dealing with Pharaoh, but, with God's judgmental punishment of Egypt about to be completed, Moses' concern (beginning with Exodus 12) will focus upon Israel. The section of Exodus ending with this chapter may be called JUDGMENT; the rest of the book may be called DELIVERANCE. Even the Tenth Plague prophesied here will not require the instrumentality of Aaron or Moses. Without human

2 Chronicles 10:16 — the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day." "Hadoram ... over the men subject to task-work" (2 Chronicles 10:18). This is merely the Chronicler's polite word for, "Hadoram ... the slave-driver," the most hated man in Solomon's kingdom, the same as Adoram in the First Kings narrative. Rehoboam could not possibly have made a more serious

2 Chronicles 12:13 — after the manner of genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead." "And he did that which was evil" (2 Chronicles 12:14). The Chronicler did not dwell unnecessarily upon the details of Rehoboam's wickedness, but it was very great indeed. His wickedness exceeded anything that his fathers had done before him. The sodomites were brought into the

2 Chronicles 12:9 — Chronicles is it stated that Shishak captured Jerusalem; but either he actually did this, or Rehoboam was able to buy him off with all the treasures both of the temple and of the king's house. "And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass" (2 Chronicles 12:10). (See our somewhat extensive comment on this in 1Kings pp, 185-186.)

2 Chronicles 28:1 — and burnt his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree." Pages 197-207 in my commentary on 2Kings are devoted to a discussion of the reign of Ahaz; and the only section of this chapter which is not mentioned there is found in 2 Chronicles 27:8-15. These verses provide a remarakbly interesting insight into the

2 Chronicles 33:14 — and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve Jehovah, the God of Israel. Nevertheless the people sacrificed still in the high places, but only unto Jehovah their God." The people sacrificed in the high places, but only unto Jehovah their God (2 Chronicles 33:17). "This was still contrary to the Mosaic Law and actually accomplished little more than apply a new name to the old Baal worship."[6] These reforms in Manasseh's reign came far too late to have much effect; and besides that,

Psalms 2:12 — and homage, paid to ancient kings and rulers. It was also adopted by pagan worshippers as a manner of honoring their false gods. The once-worshippers of God in the times of Hosea were saying, "Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves"! (Hosea 13:2). "Kissing the calves, or kissing the hand toward the calves or idols was an act of devotion or homage expressed toward the false deity."[4] How incredible was it that intelligent men should kiss the image of a bull calf! "Behind Hosea's statement

Psalms 40:4 — 40:4). "This is the same as, `Those that turn aside to false gods.'"[11] "Many ... are the wonderful works which thou hast made" (Psalms 40:5). The wonderful works of God are: (1) all of those things which are beyond the power of men to accomplish; (2) so complex that they cannot be set in order, meaning that they cannot be classified, or in any sense completely comprehended; and (3) they are innumerable, as stated in the last line of Psalms 40:5. "When we have said the most we can of the wonders

Psalms 6:9 — true that the righteous are indeed continually encompassed with bitter, determined, and ruthless enemies. Why? Why did Cain hate his brother Able and climax it with his murder? "Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous" (1 John 3:12). Servants of the devil hate the Christ; and as Jesus said, "Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake" (Luke 21:17). Thus, the very name Christian is sufficient to incur the hatred and persecution of any true follower of Christ. All of the

1 Thessalonians 5:7 — universally accepted that when Peter defended the apostles against a charge of being filled with new wine on Pentecost, he appealed to a universally accepted truth, "These are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day" (Acts 2:15). There has always been something about wickedness which makes it inappropriate to indulge in it in the daytime. Night is the time for the deeds of darkness. George Elliott has a beautiful passage on this, quoted by Moffatt: There are few of

Titus 2:11 — say that salvation had indeed been brought to all men. As Simeon said: Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord, According to thy word, in peace; For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples (Luke 2:29,30). When Simeon said this, all men had not been saved; and at the time of Paul's writing here, nor at any time ever, was it ever true that all men are saved. Yet God has established the charter of human redemption in dimensions large enough to

Hebrews 5:12 — and advanced is explicit in the words "milk" and "solid food." Perhaps there is even a more advanced classification to be discerned in the words of Paul who said, "For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10). The metaphor of milk and solid food will be noted under Hebrews 5:13-14. It should be noted specifically that there are certain elementary, basic, and foundational truths in the Christian system that should be known and received by all. These

Hebrews 6:10 — For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye showed toward his name, in that ye minister unto the saints, and still do minister. Things done to the Lord's servants are done to the Lord (Matthew 25:40); and by distinguishing themselves in ministering to the needs of the saints, which they had done and were continuing to do, they were showing their love for God's name. From the things said here, it is plain, as Milligan pointed out, that "the

James 2:23 — view by Paul; it does, however, explode any possibility of "faith only" having been the grounds of that justification, even in the teachings of Paul. And he was called the friend of God ... References to Abraham as the "friend of God" are found in 2 Chronicles 20:7 and Isaiah 41:8. Tasker's explanation of why God called Abraham his friend is this: God did not hide from Abraham what he proposed to do (Genesis 18:17); Abraham rejoiced to see the day of the Messiah (John 8:56). Similarly

1 Peter 1:18 — redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers; Ye were redeemed ... This is one of the great ransom passages of the New Testament, along with Mark 10:45; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Timothy 2:5; Revelation 1:5, and many others. Not with silver or gold ... These are some of the corruptible things cited as examples; nothing of earthly value or merit made up the purchase price of Christians, but only the blood of Christ. From

Revelation 10:4 — when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. Eller called this verse, "a puzzler, but a passage not to hang up on!"[22] As for the reason why the incident was given at all, see under preceding verse. Another possible view was given by Morris: The Revelation conveyed the messages to John himself, for he clearly understood them; and Paul speaks of such experiences

Revelation 12:2 — Israel during the long period of waiting for the birth of the Messiah. At times, there must have been many, like Elijah, who felt that they were utterly alone, and like the prophets must have prayed for God to "take away" their lives (1 Kings 18:22; 19:4). This was a time of "waiting for the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25). This dramatic verse brings us near the time of the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, for the child about to be born was the Seed of Woman, the Incarnate Son of God, the Lord

Revelation 17:7 — didst thou wonder ... The terrible thing that astounded John was "that a portion of the church is one with the hostile world."[31] The angel seems to have wondered at John's wonderment, because "there were sufficient marks to identify the harlot,"[32] Very similar descriptions of Judah, a type of the church, in Jeremiah 2 and Jeremiah 3 should have made it plain to John. He should have been able to read in the vision the truth that just as the old Israel had apostatized and crucified the Christ,

Revelation 9:18 — in this connection is interesting. The word has several meanings, and each one of them is suggestive of the terror here described: (1) It is a bulbous plant of the lily family having spike-like flowers, suggesting the weapons of ancient warfare. (2) It is the name of an ancient gem with a bluish-violet color, the color of smoke, which the word replaces in Revelation 9:17. (3) It is a plant frequently alluded to by the Greek poets, fabled to have born on its petals the words of grief.[73] Whatever

1 Samuel 25:14 — to him." This passage reveals that David and his men indeed had guarded Nabal's flocks of sheep for a long while, giving them marvelous protection. "We know of raids on two walled towns in this south country, one by the Philistines (1 Samuel 23:1-5) and one by the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:1-2). How much more, then, must the shepherds in the open country have been in constant danger from marauders, unless they had someone like David to be a wall of protection to them."[12] It is also