Bible Commentaries

Exodus 20 overview — Armed Services of the United States follows the Jewish mode, and that of Jewish chaplains is the Star of David. B.    Jesus Christ and the Decalogue (1)    He unequivocally named "God" as the Author (Matthew 15:4). (2)    He taught that duties to God are higher than duties and obligations to people (Mark 12:28-31). (3)    Christ specifically mentioned Commandments VI,VII, and IX (Matthew 5:21-37), making his own words

Exodus 23:4-5 — their enemies. "One should not allow personal animosity to destroy one's willingness to be of assistance in a time of need."Roy L. Honeycutt, Jr., Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 1 (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1969), p. 410. The need in view in Exodus 23:5 is that of a helpless, over-burdened animal, slipping, or failing, under a load and unable to get up. There is also the need of that designated enemy for assistance with a problem that one man could not handle. It was a major premise of Judaism that

Ezra 2 overview — present company of returnees with the glorious names of their previous history, with the implied teaching that they were still the Chosen People and that God would continue to bless them. "This same list of names appears in Nehemiah 7:6-73 and in Ezra 5:4-17. It is not easy to account for the discrepancies."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 399. In fact, we have never seen any attempt by any scholar to harmonize the lists. They satisfied the people who returned from Babylon; and that is really

Isaiah 4:1-6 — the far side of judgment. Israel's glory must be that of new growth after destruction, and of holiness after a fiery cleansing, and of God's `Shekinah' - His manifested presence, as in the Exodus days."Derek Kidner, New Bible Commentary Revised, p. 593, Isaiah 4:5 here recalls the days during Israel's wilderness wanderings when the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night were constant witnesses of the presence and power of God to protect his people. Isaiah 4:2 in this chapter mentions

Matthew 11:8 — clothing that brings the highest price and is held as the most desirable is nearly always marked by its "softness"! This infinite perfection of all that Jesus said under any and all circumstances has often been noted. See more under Matthew 5:13. There is a quality of permanence and aptitude that marked all of our Lord's utterances.

Matthew 12:6 — authorizing in prescribed circumstances the breaking of God's laws, is to forget that Jesus said, "Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19).

Matthew 14:3 — even after the brother's death, much less while he was still alive; the one exception being that when a man died without an heir, his brother was commanded to marry the deceased's widow and produce an heir to his estate (Leviticus 18:16; Deuteronomy 25:5-10). Herod's imprisonment of John was due to the hatred of Herodias and shows what an evil influence can sometimes be exerted by an unprincipled woman in high place. Had it not been for the designs of the cruel, heartless, and immoral Herodias, John

Matthew 25:32 — "every creature," that is, "every man born into the world." Paul said, "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). The designation of all mankind under two figures, the sheep and the goats, is in keeping with the dual classification stressed throughout the Scriptures, such as the "wheat" and the "chaff," the "wise" and the "foolish,"

Matthew 5:38 — Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. THE OTHER TEACHINGS CONTRASTEDWITH JEWISH LAW (Matthew 5:38-48) Passages which contain this injunction are Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; and Deuteronomy 19:21. Harsh and demanding as such a principle appears to enlightened people of our day, it should be remembered that it was a tremendously significant

Deuteronomy 21:1-9 — is an impassable gulf intervening between what God commanded here and all of the magic ever practiced on earth. Cook was correct in the discernment here that, "This transaction was figurative, and was so ordered as to impress the lesson of Genesis 9:5 f."F. C. Cook, Barnes' Notes, Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House), p. 310. Regarding no other responsibility has the human race been quite so rebelliously indifferent as they have been with regard to the Divine order to put ALL murderers to

Mark 11:18 — they might destroy him: for they feared him, for all the multitude was astonished at his teaching. Note that it is not stated here that they "decided" to destroy him; that decision had already been made more than three years previously (John 5:18). Furthermore, Jesus, at the first cleansing, had associated his action with a veiled prophecy of his death and resurrection (John 2:19). Without doubt, Jesus' action in the two cleansings was a prime source of the motivation of the enemies who decided

Mark 2:9 — and report back any violations of their religious rules. It should be remembered that at least a year previously Christ had healed a man on the sabbath; and, following lengthy discussions of it, the Pharisees had already made plans to murder him (John 5:18). Significantly, Christ in this verse equated the power to forgive sins with the power to perform a miracle; and from the day Jesus said this, it has been true that the man who cannot do both can do neither. The Lord went even further, as the next

Luke 12:29-31 — than that of seeking the kingdom of God. That such basic things are indeed legitimate needs is indicated in the last clause. "Christ was by no means suggesting that faith makes work for a living unnecessary."Charles L. Childers, op. cit., p. 524. Believers are not expected to be drones. "Honest toil and the fulfillment of one's temporal obligations are not only consistent with faith; they are prerequisite to faith (2 Thessalonians 3:10; 1 Timothy 5:8)."Ibid.

Luke 14:13 — maimed, the lame, the blind. Boles' comment on this is: "It is far better to give to relieve the distressed than to set a feast to those who do not need it."H. Leo Boles, Commentary on Luke (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1940), p. 285. A man is not in the true sense hospitable who entertains only those who can entertain him. "Such interested hospitality is not wrong, but it does not lay up treasure in heaven."J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 757. With this word to the host,

Acts 22:16 — baptism in language derived from the nature of the ordinance and has the meaning of "Submit to the rite in order to be forgiven." B. W. Johnson, The New Testament with Explanatory Notes (Delight, Arkansas: Gospel Light Publishing Company), p. 516. Arise and be baptized … Vine's Greek Dictionary, as well as many commentators, has given the meaning of this as "Get yourself baptized and your sins washed away." E. H. Trenchard, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan:

James 1:25 — looking into the perfect law of liberty is represented as "continuing to do so," a mere glance being insufficient. Gibson said that "The conception of the gospel as a law is characteristic of James"; E. C. S. Gibson, op. cit., p. 5. but that conception was also that of the apostle Paul who wrote, "Do we then make law of none effect through faith? God forbid: nay, we establish law" (Romans 3:31), also, "And so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). The

James 2:15-16 — Although incorrect, this rationalism is, in fact, destructive of the "faith only" theory. Roberts pointed out that "It really makes little difference whether the passage is taken one way or the other." J. W. Roberts, op. cit., p. 85. To use James' words out of context, what could be the profit of an initial justification (at conversion) "by faith only," if the Christian's continued fellowship with Christ and his ultimate conversion, in the last analysis, still depended

1 John 5:19 — We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one. We know … This is the second of three great certainties stressed by the apostle in 1 John 5:18-20: (1) We know that we are guarded from the evil one by Jesus Christ our Lord. (2) We know that we belong to God in a hostile, Satan dominated world. (3) We know the great basic of divine revelation, especially the Incarnation of God in Christ. That

Revelation 13:8 — written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain. Whose name hath not been written … in the book of life … New Testament references to the book of life are: Philippians 4:3, and Revelation 3:5; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:12; Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:27. An Old Testament reference is Deuteronomy 32:32-33. Here the book of life is said to be "of the Lamb that hath been slain," indicating Christ as the owner

Revelation 8:3 — (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1943), p. 269. This prophecy does not present any diagram of the heavenly scene which John saw. Any altar is a place where prayers and sacrifices are offered. Having a golden censer … In Revelation 8:5, it is stated that the angel "taketh the censer," and some writers have expressed wonder as to how he could take it when he already had it; but such quibbles are due to not recognizing the nature of these visions, which "are surrealistic,