Bible Commentaries

Exodus 10 overview — conspicuously under the control and at the direction of Jehovah. The gradations and subtle changes in the situation noticed in the previous wonders appear here also in (1) the fact of Pharaoh's attempting to negotiate with Moses before the plague came, and (2) in the insistence of Pharaoh's own people that he let the men go.

Psalms 149 overview — that shortly after the conquest of Jericho by the Children of Israel under Joshua, making the psalm not merely pre-exilic, but pre-monarchical also. The only thing in the psalm that might cast a doubt on this is the mention of "their King," (Psalms 149:2); but that is a reference to God (indicated by the capital letter "K" in the ASV), as in Psalms 145:1. There are many who date the psalm in post-exilic times. Briggs said, "It is expressive of the vengeful military spirit of the Maccabean wars."International

Psalms 71:13 — AN IMPRECATION AGAINST ENEMIES "Let them be put to shame and consumed that are adversaries to my soul, Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt." Who was as skilled as David in calling down the judgments of God upon his enemies? The very vocabulary of this imprecation is found no less than five times in other psalms of David: Psalms 41:7; Psalms 41:9; Psalms 53:5; Psalms 35:4; Psalms 40:14; Psalms 70:2.

Proverbs 19:10 — "Delicate living is not seemly for a fool; Much less for a servant to have rule over princes." A remarkably effective illustration of what is taught here is that of Gideon's son Abimelech by a concubine. See Vol. 2, of our Series on Historical Books (Judges-Ruth), pp. 138-150. Another Biblical example of the same thing is that of Felix (Acts 23:27-33). "He exercised the authority of a prince, but he had the heart of a slave."

Isaiah 1 overview — DIVISION I (Isaiah 1-12) This division has prophecies concerning Judah and Jerusalem, closing with promises of restoration and a psalm of thanksgiving. This chapter has the title for the whole prophecy (Isaiah 1:1), God's complaint against Israel (Isaiah 1:2-9), the statement

Ezekiel 9 overview — SPARED This chapter continues the great theme of these four chapters by recording the first stage of the removal of God's presence (Ezekiel 9:3). Keil's divisions of the chapter are: (1) the supernatural executioners of Jerusalem are summoned (Ezekiel 9:1-3; (2) mercy is extended to the faithful (Ezekiel 9:4-7); and (3) Ezekiel's intercession cannot avail (Ezekiel 9:8-11).Carl Friedrich Keil, Keil-Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 124.

Micah 6:11 — "Shall I be pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights?" Amos denounced these very things (Amos 8:5), as did all the holy prophets. The corollaries of this verse are easily discerned. (1) God can never be pleased by the exploitation inherent in crooked weights and measures. (2) Mountains of sacrifices, or the constant observance of religious routines are impossible of pleasing God if found in the conduct of people whose lives are immoral, unethical, unselfish, or deceitful.

Haggai 2:1 — THE SECOND MESSAGE (Haggai 2:1-9) "In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of Jehovah by Haggai the prophet, saying." The significance of this dating lies in the fact of its having been a little less than a month since the work on rebuilding the Temple had commenced. "This seventh month was Teshri, the equivalent of our October/November."Homer Hailey, Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1972), p. 3O7.

Matthew 11:24 — But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. The mystery of why more was not done for Sodom and Gomorrah, Tyre and Sidon, and other wicked cities of the remote past, should be contemplated with the deepest reverence for the wisdom and righteousness of God. It is not given men to know the "why" concerning many of the "deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10).

Mark 15:29 — And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ha! thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days. This is one of the six instances of the mockery of Jesus, as noted under Mark 15:16. The priests had done a good job of spreading their infamous lies regarding Jesus, so good in fact, that passers-by were able to repeat it exactly. The truth was far different from their insinuations, as seen from John 2:19.

Luke 1:33 — And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. The house of Jacob … This patriarch's God-given name was "Israel"; and the Israel over which Christ is now reigning is the true "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16; Matthew 19:28). And of his kingdom there shall be no end … has reference to the perpetual existence of Christ's church throughout the present dispensation of God's grace (Daniel 2:44; Ephesians 3:21).

Luke 2:50 — And they understood not the saying which he spake them. To misunderstand this verse as implying that Joseph and Mary had never even heard of such a thing as the virgin birth, or the Messiahship of their Son (as in Interpreter's Bible), is to miss the point of Luke's sublime history; and only those who are perversely ignorant of Luke's inspired record can so misunderstand it. See under Luke 2:28 ff. Many who are ignorant pretend to misunderstand because of unbelief.

Luke 8:17 — For nothing is hid, that shall not be made manifest; nor anything secret, that shall not be known and come to light. This too has a dual application: (1) to the fact that Jesus' purpose was to reveal the whole Gospel to men, not to conceal it, and also (2) to the hidden secrets of every life. These shall be made known in judgment; but more immediately, the choices men make with reference to believing and obeying are likewise great revealers of the secret hearts of men.

John 4:24 — from the earliest times, has been associated with such things, actual worship is spiritual. WHAT IS WORSHIP? A good description of worship is that of Isaiah 6:1-8, an analysis of which shows that worship is: (1) an awareness of the presence of God, (2) a consciousness of sin and unworthiness on the part of the worshipper, (3) a sense of cleansing and forgiveness, and (4) a response of the soul with reference to doing God's will: "Here am I, send me!" In the New Testament, it is evident

Romans 13:5 — Whereofore ye must needs be in subjection, not merely because of the wrath, but also for conscience' sake. There are twin reasons for the Christian's observance of society's laws: first, as a matter of conscience, it is a sin for him to break the law; and second, in order that he might not incur the legal penalty of lawbreaking. The preeminent consideration is that of pleasing God, as Peter expressed it, "Obey every ordinance of man, for the Lord's sake" (1 Peter 2:13).

2 Corinthians 1:5 — resulting directly from the sufferer's engagement in the service of the Lord. Christ promised his apostles that they would suffer terrible persecutions in the course of their ministry; and Paul certainly sustained his share of them, and even more. See 2 Corinthians 11:23 ff.

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 — For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you. He that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God … See comment by James Moffatt under 1 Thessalonians 4:2, above; also compare Luke 10:16. Moffatt also believed that "Holy Spirit" in this place does not refer to the Third Person of the Godhead, so much as it does to "the motive and power of the new life." Ibid., p. 35.

2 Thessalonians 1:11 — To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and every work of faith, with power; Every work of faith … See under 2 Thessalonians 1:3, above, for discussion of "the work of faith"; the new thought here is that even when Christians do the works required by faith it is actually God who supplies the spiritual energy for them to do it, thus referring all the glory unto God.

Philemon 1:3 — Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This greeting used repeatedly at the beginning of Paul's epistles expresses the thought that Paul wishes, desires and prays that those greeted may possess that spiritual state "which is the result of a right relationship between God and man." Newport J. D. White, op. cit., p. 212. The bringing of such a state of tranquillity was viewed by the Jews as being one of the main functions of the Messiah (Luke 2:14).

1 Peter 2:5 — the last day. Nicholson was correct in seeing here a contrast between a spiritual temple of born-again believers with the stone temple in Jerusalem." Roy S. Nicholson, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 10 (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 279. The words "living stone" and "living stones" are to be understood as "distinguishing the Christian church, the spiritual temple of God, both from the temples of the idols and the temple in Jerusalem, which were built of dead