Bible Commentaries

Genesis 6:1 — Toledoth III (Genesis 6:9) This is one of the most significant chapters in the Bible, as evidenced by the N.T. references to it. As repeatedly emphasized in this series, the key to understanding the O.T. is a thorough knowledge of the N.T., and therefore we shall first review

Genesis 6:5 — humanity. The very citadel of human life, the heart, which in Hebrew thought meant the mind, was devoted exclusively to the contemplation of evil, and there were no exceptions. Furthermore, there were no men anywhere (with the exception noted in Genesis 6:8) who varied from this pattern; and there were not even any occasions when any man left off the mental pursuit of wickedness! It would be difficult to devise a sentence that would any more effectively portray the corruption of humanity than does Genesis

Exodus 20:7 — vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." The name of God is holy beyond any comparison. The prayer which Jesus taught his apostles began with the words, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name!" (Matthew 6:9). Salvation itself is accomplished in the power of this glorious name. "Neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). "Thou shalt not" Notice the recurrence of these words. Evidently

Psalms 32:6-7 — Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. (Selah)" "Let every one that is godly pray unto thee" (Psalms 32:6). "Godly" here is a reference to persons in covenant relationship with God. Leupold complained vigorously about this verse, writing, "Unwarranted conclusions are drawn from Psalms 32:6; Psalms 32:10, to the effect that forgiveness is made available

Proverbs 26:13-16 — hinges" "Just as the door moves on its hinges, but does not go anywhere, the sluggard turns over and over in his bed but does not get out of it and go anywhere to do any work."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 501. See the comments under Proverbs 6:9-10, and under Proverbs 24:33. Proverbs 26:15 is practically identical with Proverbs 19:24. See the comments there. The meaning of Proverbs 26:16 is that, "The idle fool sets more value upon his own opinion than that of any number of wise men."Ibid. We

Isaiah 24:23 — for Jehovah of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders shall be glory." This verse again points squarely at the Great Day. "And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood" (Revelation 6:12). It appears here that the same cosmic disturbances mentioned by Isaiah were also foreseen in the revelation to John. There is little doubt that both visions contemplate the final judgment and second advent of Christ. "After many days shall they

Isaiah 25 overview — prolepsis, that is, an anticipation of the rejoicing and praise of God which the redeemed of all ages will sing. However, the song of exultation contains other tremendously significant prophecies which seem to break into the song itself, as in Isaiah 25:6-12. The three paragraphs of the chapter are: praise of God for the great things he has done (Isaiah 25:1-5), the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the prophecy of the end of death (Isaiah 25:6-8), and the ultimate triumph of God over all his enemies (Isaiah

Isaiah 51 overview — Douglas divided this chapter and Isaiah 52 into seven divisions, as follows: the 1st call (Isaiah 51:1-3), 2nd call (Isaiah 51:4-6), 3rd call (Isaiah 51:7-8), 4th call (Isaiah 51:9-16), 5th call (Isaiah 51:17-23), 6th call (Isaiah 52:1-6), and 7th call (Isaiah 52:7-10).George C. M. Douglas, p. 360. This is an interesting arrangement, in spite of the fact that it is not always clear

Matthew 12:7 — sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. Christ said the disciples were guiltless. Therefore, he was not attempting to justify their conduct on the basis that David had also been guilty of sabbath breaking. Christ's quotation from Hosea 6:6 (See more on this under Matthew 9:13) was a plain reference to the corruption and guilt of the Pharisees, and suggests that a proper attitude of mercy in their hearts would have rejected the criticism of this action before it was made. The real trouble

Matthew 19:23 — impede our soul's entry into the kingdom of God? Do people really wish to do it the hard way? Then let them get rich. That will provide an acid test that most people cannot pass. No wonder an apostle warned against ambition in that quarter (1 Timothy 6:9-10), and that Jesus taught people to seek his kingdom "first"! (Matthew 6:33). The rich are not hopeless. Christ did not say they cannot be saved, only that it is "hard" for them to enter.

Luke 24:27 — Jesus our Lord. Spence has suggested the following as having probably been included in the interpretations given by the Lord: The promise to Eve (Genesis 3:15) The promise to Abraham (Genesis 22:18) The Paschal lamb (Exodus 12) The scapegoat (Leviticus 16:1-34) The greater Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15) The star and scepter (Numbers 24:17) Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) "Unto us a child is born" (Isaiah 9:6) The Good Shepherd (Isaiah 40:10-11) The meek Sufferer (Isaiah 50:6) He who bore our griefs (Isaiah

John 12:24-25 — Johannine vocabulary, `eternal life,' is eschatological in its origin."W. F. Howard, op. cit., p. 109. The reference to final resurrection and judgment (John 5:24-29), and the recurring refrain, "I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:39-40; John 6:44; John 6:54) along with such passages as the one before us, make it clear that John's Gospel, in this particular, is no different from the others.

John 2 overview — seven signs are: 1.    Changing the water into wine (John 2). 2.    Healing the officer's son (John 4). 3.    Healing the cripple (John 5). 4.    Feeding the 5,000 (John 6). 5.    Walking on Lake Galilee (John 6). 6.    Healing the man who was born blind (John 9). 7.    Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Of these, Numbers 2, 4, , 5 are also found in the

John 8:12 — I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. JESUS, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD I am the light of the world … is the second of the seven great "I am's" of John. See: John 6:35; 8:12; 10:9; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; and 15:5. Several suggestions of what might have prompted such a metaphor by Jesus are: (1) the great lamps kindled in the temple court during the feast of tabernacles, (2) the glorious sun rising at that very moment

Acts 6:6 — himself connected the laying on of the apostles' hands with the gift extraordinary of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:18); and coupled with Luke's statement a moment later that one of the Seven did "great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8), the teaching appears to be that the apostles here endowed the Seven with miraculous powers. To view the laying on of hands as a mere ceremony of ordination is incorrect. For more elaborate discussion of the laying on of hands, see my Commentary

Romans 6:2 — temptation to sin has ceased. Neither does it refer to repentance, nor to any other subjective or inward change wrought by the gospel in Christians themselves. Three times in this chapter it is stated that Christians are dead, or have died, unto sin (Romans 6:2; Romans 6:7; Romans 6:11). A careful reading of Romans 6:11 shows what is meant: Even so ye also reckon yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God, in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). Christ died to pay the penalty of sin; and the person who is

Galatians 6:15 — For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. For full discussion of this thought, see under Galatians 5:6. The significance of its recurrence here is that of focusing upon Paul's main theme continuing right through this chapter and to the very end of it, namely, that of the Law of Moses vs. the Law of Christ, forcing the conclusion that "Law of Christ"

Galatians 6:18 — and doeth Christ's "sayings" shall be saved; he that does not do so shall be lost (Matthew 7:24-29). 2.    "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that disbelieves shall be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16). 3.    "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). 4.    Regarding the Lord's supper: "This do ye until I come" (1 Corinthians 11:24 ff). "Except ye

1 Peter 1:14 — to your former lusts … A noble principle is in view here. Through the practice of wickedness, people fashion themselves in the likeness of the sins they commit; and thus they become "sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6), the very opposite of what Peter required for Christians here. In the time of your ignorance … The very nature of the Christless life is that it is controlled by lust, grounded in ignorance, and destined to end in futility.

1 Peter 4:2 — that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. The meaning of these entire first three verses is closely paralleled in thought by Romans 6:1-11. "Peter is saying much the same thing as Paul in Romans 6, but in different language." F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1973), p. 129. "He who has shared Christ's cross is no