Bible Commentaries

2 Kings 16:1-4 — Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree." Three charges against Ahaz are made here. (1) He did not walk in the way of David; (2) he offered his son as a burnt offering to Molech; and (3) he participated in the licentious worship in the high places. The prior kings had winked at the old Canaanite worship still going on in the high places, but Ahaz was the first king of Judah actually to engage in it himself. There was nothing innocent

Psalms 10:3-4 — rendition is followed, as follows: "He (the wicked) blesses the covetous, and revileth Jehovah." His ideals are exactly the opposite of those found in the hearts of the righteous. An apostle has warned us that "covetousness is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). Christ himself said that a man cannot serve God and Mammon; and any person whose god is money is a practical atheist. His thoughts are, There is no God. The wicked man depicted here may not have been an avowed atheist, but he was a practical atheist.

Psalms 59:10-13 — enough righteous people left on earth to keep the lions and tigers from eating up the human race." Kidner pointed out the following roles of wicked people on earth. "(1) God uses them as scourges (Isaiah 10:5 f); (2) as tests of loyalty (Judges 2:22); (3) as hardeners (Judges 3:22); and (4), in this passage as object-lessons."Derek Kidner, Vol. 1, p. 213. And to these we may add a fifth; (5) God uses one wicked nation to destroy another. "The king of Assyria," for example, was called God's razor (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

Jeremiah 8 overview — deliverance of the people. All opportunities for repentance and return to God hav been spurned; and the nation is rushing headlong into destruction. Divisions of the chapter, as made by Feinberg,Charles Lee Feinberg in Ezekiel (Chicago: Moody Press), pp. 434-438. are as follows; the invaders desecrate the graves (Jeremiah 8:1-3); Israel stubbornly continues in idolatry (Jeremiah 8:4-7); God describes the penalty of their apostasy (Jeremiah 8:8-13); the invaders approach (Jeremiah 8:14-17); the sorrow of

Ezekiel 16:58-63 — in breaking the covenant" This meant the absolute, terminal abrogation of the Sinaitic covenant with Israel. What happens when any party to a covenant breaks it; it terminates the covenant. As Jeremiah put it, "Which my covenant they brake" (Jeremiah 31:32). Oh, but how about the restoration promised in this chapter? isn't God going to restore that old status of their being his "Chosen People" to Israel? No indeed! Look at Ezekiel 16:61, "But not by thy covenant!"! That old covenant is no more. There

Amos 1:2 — Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither. "And Jehovah shall roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem" These exact words are in Joel 3:16; and if they should be considered as the theme of the Book of Amos, then it may be said that Amos took his text from Joel. Shultz did not hesitate to write, "This verse is the text of the book.Arnold C. Schultz, op. cit., p. 831. It must also be

Mark 13:3-4 — "more detail." Amazingly, this instance of it comes in the very context where Mark left out the most important details of all, namely that the disciples also asked Jesus what would be the sign of his coming and of the end of the world (Matthew 24:3). Of course, it is impossible to understand the chapter unless the other two questions are taken into consideration. If Mark wrote after Matthew, he might have thought mention of the first question sufficient. Scholars certainly need to re-examine the

John 7:22 — Moses hath given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers); and on the sabbath ye circumcise a man. This and John 7:23 establish the fact that circumcision is an older ordinance than the sabbath (Nehemiah 9:13-14), the sabbath having been given through Moses, and circumcision having come before Moses. These verses are the end of any notion that the sabbath goes back

Acts 12:1 — victims of the famine. Stretched forth his hands to afflict … This vigorous and fatal movement of the supreme authority in the land against the young church was exceedingly serious. The motivation was clearly that of pleasing the Jews (Acts 12:3); and, if Herod Agrippa had proceeded indefinitely with that policy, there could never have been any end of it except the total destruction of Christianity. For a discussion of the ten Herod's mentioned in the New Testament, see my Commentary on Mark,

Acts 5:9 — Ananias further confirmed Peter's certainty of what would ensue. Try the Spirit of the Lord … It is significant that three different expressions appear in this narrative as being synonymous: "Lie to the Holy Spirit" … Acts 5:3. "Lied not unto men, but unto God" … Acts 5:4. "Try the Spirit of the Lord" … Acts 5:9.

1 Corinthians 8:3 — the observation that: Paul did not wish to use any terms which would foster the already overgrown conceit of knowledge which was inflating the minds of his Corinthian converts. Furthermore he felt that "God knoweth them that are his" (2 Tim. 3:19). F. W. Farrar, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 264. Also, as Morris said, "The really important thing is not that we know God, but that he knows us!" Leon Morris, op. cit., p.

2 Corinthians 10:12 — understanding. The dramatically repeated plurals in this verse compel the understanding of several false apostles, rather than some special "ringleader." As Farrar pointed out, this verse ties in with what Paul had already written "in 2 Corinthians 3:1 and 2 Corinthians 4:12." Ibid. "The value of a comparison depends on the standard"; John William Russell, Compact Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book Rouse, 1964), p. 452. and, as for the standard itself,

2 Corinthians 4:15 — For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of God. For all things are for your sakes … This is reason No. 3. Paul's hardships were actually contributing to the conversion of many souls, and also to their being grounded and established in the faith. This occurred because it would not have been possible for any man to suppose that such trials, dangers and persecutions

Galatians 6:9 — This touches the principal practical business of Christians on earth. It is amazing how little regard some seem to have for it. In due season we shall reap if we faint not … For discussion of fainting, see my Commentary on Hebrews. Hebrews 12:3. Many things can cause Christians to faint, among them being the evil doctrines which undermine and destroy their faith.

Philippians 1:19 — For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Knight preferred the translation, "turn out to my deliverance"; John A. Knight, op. cit., p. 303. thus not taking away the truth that Paul was most certainly a saved person already at the time these words were written. Regardless, however, of the confidence some modern Christians seem to have about the certainty of their salvation, Paul evidently

1 Timothy 1:5 — "subjective trust/faith." Wallis also perceived this, saying, "Faith (in this passage) is used in the sense of the faith, sound doctrine." Wilbur B. Wallis, Wycliffe Bible Commentary, New Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 843. Love … good conscience … faith … As Hervey said: These three phrases seem to rebuke by contrast the merely ceremonial cleanness and the defiled conscience and the merely nominal Christianity of those heretical Judaizers. A. C.

Titus 3:4 — appeared, The wretched night of human sin, suffering and shame was pitied by the Father himself; and Paul here related that pitying and loving kindness of God to the rescue of the Christians from the intolerable lives of sin which they formerly lived. John 3:16 is an excellent comment on this verse, for Paul was thinking of how God's kindness and love toward men had "appeared" upon earth in the epic events of the Incarnation and the preaching of the gospel of Christ which followed as a consequence

James 1:19 — admonition to be "slow to wrath" was given by Paul thus, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26), the same being also condemned by him in a number of other passages: 2 Corinthians 12:20, Galatians 5:20, Colossians 3:8, Ephesians 4:31, etc. "If we treat men according to the first promptings of anger, we shall always do them wrong." A. W. Momerie, Biblical Illustrator (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1937), p. 147.

1 Peter 5:6 — be said that they seldom are; but the exaltation will come. "It might be in the present life, but it will certainly be in the world to come." Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament, 1 Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1953), p. 205. Under the mighty hand of God … This is a common "Old Testament expression used in connection with deliverance (Exo. 3:19; 20:33)." J. H. A. Hart, op. cit., p. 78. The author of James also remembered this same teaching of Jesus