Bible Commentaries

Psalms 125 overview — JEHOVAH IS ROUND ABOUT HIS PEOPLE This is another of the very brief Songs of Ascent. It is No. 6 in the Little Psalter, which was the songbook of the pilgrim Jewish worshippers attending the great national feasts such as Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, and other feasts added later. These songs were sung by them on the way "up" to Jerusalem, hence

Jeremiah 44 overview — continued to be an almost unending series of tragedies. "The exact date of this chapter cannot be determined; but it came a long time after the events recorded in the preceding chapter."C. F. Keil in Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, p. 156. This conclusion is drawn from the fact that the Jewish immigrants as seen in this chapter were living in various cities from one end of Egypt to the other, indicating the passage of considerable time. Chapter divisions are: (1) Jeremiah warned the

Deuteronomy 25 overview — 25:4); (3)    rules regarding Levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10); (4)    a special law regarding wrestling (Deuteronomy 25:11-12); (5)    the law against crooked weights and measures (Deuteronomy 25:13-16); (6)    God's order calling for the extermination of the Amalekites (Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Of special interest in the chapter is the last paragraph containing the Divine instructions to destroy Amalek. It is amusing that Watts

Luke 15 overview — figure of a woman) who sought the lost coin, and the Father who patiently awaited the return of the prodigal, reinstated him with honor, and then went out and entreated the older brother. Since the church is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), the activity of the entire Godhead appears here as engaged in the redemption of the lost. There are four ways to become lost, and all of them are evident in this remarkable sermon. The sheep was lost by wandering away from the flock, the coin was

John 17:1 — prayer is searched for implications bearing upon the prayers offered by Christians, the thing that stands out is the priority of God's glory. Before any earthly desire, the desire for the glory of God comes first. In this, it corresponds with Matthew 6:9.

John 4:30 — before the word could be generally circulated among the people. Finally, the movement of an entire multitude of villagers toward the well would also have required still further time. All of these things taken together suggest that the hour was noon, not 6:00 o'clock in the evening. It should be remembered that they were not on daylight saving time. The movement of the multitude toward Jesus across the plain that separated between the well and the city deeply touched the Saviour's heart. The prevailing

John 7:33 — perceptive words of Hunter shed more light upon what might have been the meaning there. He wrote: Possibly the Greek word meaning "to go up" carries here (in John 7:8) not its usual geographical sense but the SPIRITUAL one it has in John 3:13; John 6:62 and John 20:17. It would then refer to Christ's ascent to the Father by way of the cross: "I am not going up (to my Father) at this feast."A. M. Hunter, The Gospel according to John (Cambridge University Press, 1965), p. 79. I go unto

Acts 1:6 — They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? THE ASCENSION (Acts 1:6-11) Error always dies hard, especially that type of error which is deeply ingrained and fortified by human lusts and desires. An earthly kingdom was never, in the long history of Israel, or at any other time, contained in the purpose of God for Israel.

Acts 14:4 — that the Twelve were, the term being used here in a secondary sense. Boles pointed out that Paul applied the term to James the Lord's brother (Galatians 1:19), to Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25), to Silvanus and Timothy (Acts 18:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:6), and even called the Judaizing teachers "false apostles" (2 Corinthians 11:13). H. Leo Boles, Commentary on the Acts (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1953), p. 221. The name "apostle" is here applied to Paul for the first time

Acts 16:5 — into the worship (even though David himself was condemned for that), (3) devising daily "sacrifices," such as that of the Mass, (4) ordaining a "priesthood" separate from the "laity," (5) the lighting of sacred candles, (6) the requirement of certain periods of official, formal fasts, and (7) the imposition of diet restrictions, etc., etc.

Acts 28 overview — shipwrecked passengers and crew were all saved alive, fulfilling Paul's prophecy made at a moment when all hope had perished. The population of Malta aided in the rescue, building a fire and "receiving" them kindly. Paul was snakebitten (Acts 28:1-6). Hospitality was extended to the victims of shipwreck by the first man of the island; and Paul wrought many cures of the sick and suffering of Malta (Acts 28:7-10). The voyage to Rome was continued after three months, ending very shortly at Puteoli,

Acts 4:9-10 — Revised Version (1885) rendition here, it may be assumed that the man had been baptized into Christ since the miracle was wrought; because the New Testament reveals no other device by which any man was accounted to be "in Christ." See Romans 6:3, 1 Corinthians 12:13, and Galatians 3:27. If this is allowed, and we believe it should be, then Peter's words emphasized the fact of the spreading kingdom and the multiplication of disciples mentioned by Luke a bit earlier (Luke 4:4), This, of course,

Acts 5:19-20 — of course he was. All of the powers of hell would be frustrated in the establishment of the true faith on earth. All the words of this Life … This means all the words relative to the eternal life in Jesus Christ. A similar meaning is in John 6:68, in which is recorded Peter's words, "Thou only hast the words of eternal life." As Plumptre pointed out: The "life in Christ" which the apostles preach is that eternal life which consists in knowing God (John 17:1), and in which

Acts 5:32 — Spirit. "Obey," as used here, indicates that "a lifelong obedience to God." Orin Root, op. cit., p. 40. was a continuing condition to be fulfilled by those desiring to enjoy the continuing gift of the Holy Spirit. See Galatians 4:6, where it is declared that the Holy Spirit is given to men, not to make them sons, but as a consequence of their already being sons. The popular notion to the effect that God sends the Holy Spirit with the purpose of making men desire to serve God is

Romans 8 overview — this fact thus: With a sharp turn, Paul now breaks off reflections on man under the Law; again, a "now" stands here as the signal of the new train of thought. Emil Brunner, The Letter to the Romans (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1956), p. 69. Actually, Paul here returned to a train of thought he had already followed in Romans 5 and Romans 6; but he took it up here again, following the interruption of Romans 7, that theme being the blessing and privilege of the life "in Christ."

2 Corinthians 2:7-8 — that the blood of Jesus Christ is more than sufficient to the cleansing of "all sin" (1 John 1:7), even of Christians. As a matter of truth, the incestuous person was hardly any greater sinner than many of the other Corinthians (1 Corinthians 6:8-11). The failure to believe Paul was here speaking of the incestuous person also stems from the failure to view a sin forgiven as being something infinitely removed from a sin unforgiven. I beseech you to confirm your love toward him … Nothing

Galatians 2:19 — baptized into his death." Through the Christian's being "in Christ," and identified with Christ, he has already perished upon the cross in the person of his substitute. "Being dead to sin but alive unto God in Christ" (Romans 6:11) has a meaning parallel with this verse. The Romans passage does not mean that "in Christ" the Christian is no longer tempted; but that "in Christ" the penalty of sin, which is death, is already paid upon behalf of the Christians

Galatians 5:14 — For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, even this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The "law" in view here is the "law of Christ," mentioned again in Galatians 6:2. True, this was a commandment of the Law of Moses (Leviticus 19:18), but that is not the frame of reference applicable here. Christ himself had made the "first and great commandment" to be the "love of God, and love of one's neighbor"

Colossians 3:12 — these admonitions, Paul does not allow for one moment that anyone might attain to the full stature of Christ in a single act, but that the development of the soul into that which pleases God is a growth process. See more on this principle under Romans 6:5, in my Commentary on Romans. This is why Paul here admonishes Christians who had already "put on Christ" to put on kindness, etc., and to put on anything else that might be lacking.

James 5:5 — and their pleasures, called here "nourishing their hearts" and (b) to the forthcoming destruction of Jerusalem, called here "a day of slaughter," the Old Testament expression meaning "the day of God's judgment" (Isaiah 34:6; Ezekiel 21:15); and let it be noted that the day had already arrived. Their sins continued in a day of slaughter, that is, up until the very moment of the impending judgment. As Carson put it, "They were like animals gorging themselves on the