Bible Commentaries

Exodus 18:24-27 — in Deuteronomy 1:12-18, where it appears that Moses also added a refinement of his own. He charged the people with the responsibility of picking out their judges, much in the same way as the apostles instructed the people to choose The Seven (Acts 6:3 f). The last verse of the chapter tells of the departure of Jethro. A moment's reflection will emphasize what an important and significant visit he had made: (1) He restored Moses' family to him, after their having been separated about one year; (2)

Exodus 24:9-10 — all Israel. "And they saw the God of Israel" Due to the teaching of many other passages in the Bible, it must be received as certain that they did not see God "face to face" in all of his eternal glory (See Deuteronomy 4:15; 1 John 4:12; and 1 Timothy 3:16). However, they did behold a very wonderful display of God's excellent presence, sufficiently miraculous to inspire them with the knowledge that it truly was God Himself who had given them the covenant and sealed it with blood. The fact of this "seeing

2 Kings 19:8-13 — and Ivvah?" A letter accompanied this second demand (2 Kings 19:14); but there was nothing new in it except three things. (1) Several more places that Assyria had devastated were mentioned; (2) and God was called "a deceiver" (2 Kings 19:10); also (3) Assyria's prior rulers were mentioned. "(He) found the king of Assyria warring at Libnah" "The location of Libnab relatively to Lachish is uncertain."The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 383. "When he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia" This bad

Psalms 126 overview — Commentary, Vol. II, p. 456. There are also a number of other scholarly "guesses"; but none of them carries any particular authority. The paragraphing of the composition was understood by Spurgeon as: "(1) a narrative (Psalms 126:1-2); (2) a song (Psalms 126:3); (3) a prayer (Psalms 126:4); and (4) a promise (Psalms 126:5-6)."Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Vol. II, p. 234. The occasion for the psalm is likewise impossible to identify with any certainty. Allen believed that, "The turning point to which the people

Psalms 141:1-4 — sin."Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House), p. 249 "Let my prayer be as incense… the lifting up my hands as the evening sacrifice" At both the morning and evening sacrifices, incense was offered (Exodus 29:38-41; Exodus 30:7-8; Numbers 28:4-8). The prayer here is that David's prayer, and his lifting up of his hands, "A common posture assumed in prayer,"C. M. Miller, co-author with Anthony L. Ash, p. 433. might be considered by the Lord "as," in the sense

Psalms 33:1-3 — ye righteous: Praise is comely for the upright. Give thanks unto Jehovah with the harp: Sing praises unto him with the psaltery of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; Play skillfully with a loud noise." "Praise is comely for the upright" (Psalms 33:1). This means simply that it is becoming of righteous people to praise their God and Redeemer. The paraphrase of this in the Book of Common Prayer is, "For it becometh well the just to be thankful."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8, p. 245. "Rejoice…

Psalms 79 overview — Commentary, Vol. III, p. 177. Charles M. Miller's analysis of this psalm points out that it exhibits several elements found in other psalms: (1) Psalms 79:5; Psalms 79:7; Psalms 79:10 a are lamentation; (2) Psalms 79:6; Psalms 79:10 b,12 are imprecations; (3) Psalms 79:8-9 are pleas for forgiveness; (4) Psalms 79:11 pleads for deliverance; and (5) Psalms 79:13 carries a pledge of praise and thanksgiving following deliverance.C. M. Miller, co-author with Anthony L. Ash, p. 174. Three possible occasions identified

Proverbs 8 overview — includes a profound presentation of Wisdom as the moving principle of the ways of God."Arthur S. Peake, A Commentary on the Bible (London: T. C. and E. C. Jack, Ltd., 1924), p. 401. The great problem in the chapter is the interpretation of Proverbs 8:22-31. Are they to be understood as speaking of Christ; or, are they merely a personification of Wisdom in the literary and poetic sense alone? That the passage most certainly carries the most significant overtones of Jesus Christ himself is undeniable,

Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 — if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." Barton gave only one subject to this whole chapter, calling it, "Man's Inhumanity, namely, (1) man's inhumanity to men (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3), (2) the inhumanity caused by rivalry and envy (Ecclesiastes 4:4-6), and (3) man's inhumanity to himself."International Critical Commentary, Vol. 18, p. 113. "No end of all his labor, neither is his eye satisfied with riches" This denounces avarice,

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 — him." These last verses in the chapter deal with how to distinguish between the true prophets and the false prophets. Dummelow thought that, "At no time is it easy to distinguish between the true prophet and the false prophet,"J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 130. but it appears to us that he was mistaken in this. It is easy enough to tell the true from the false, whether in the instance of prophets or teachers, and it is just as imperative now as it was then to be able to tell the one from the other. Of course,

Acts 20:25 — speaking as a prophet, but was merely giving utterance to an overpowering presentiment that the time of his death was near. As a matter of fact his life was preserved many years; and he subsequently revisited Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20), Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3; 1 Timothy 3:14), and other places in Asia. J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 846. Milligan concurred in this view, saying, "It seems probable that in this Paul was mistaken; and that he afterward did return (Philippians 1:25; Philippians 2:24; Philemon

1 Corinthians 15:58 — to how this relation is established, the sacred Scriptures leave no doubt whatever. People are baptized "into Christ" at a time subsequent to their having believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and having repented and confessed his name (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27). There is no other way to be "in the Lord." The conclusion of this chapter reveals it as a prime motivation of Christian service. It is unfortunate, in a sense, that its marvelous teachings are stressed almost

Galatians 3:22 — him in the eyes of Almighty God, except in the limited and secondary sense of his "obedience of faith" upon his believing and being baptized, these being prerequisites of his salvation, and thus, in that lower sense, justifying him. See note 3, at the end of this chapter. Thus, the full meaning of Galatians 3:22 is that the "promise of sharing in the perfect faith and obedience of Christ (called the faith of Christ) might be given to them that believe." Thus, the faith only concept

Joshua 10:1-5 — Mark 5:7, where a demon protested an order from Christ, addressing Jesus Christ as, "Jesus, thou Son of God Most High"; (2) Luke 8:28 states that a demon, pleading with Christ not to torment him, addressed Our Lord as, "Thou Son of the Most High God"; (3) the Christian martyr Stephen declared that, "The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands"; (4) the demon-possessed girl who followed Paul and Silas for days at Philippi, continually cried out, "These men are servants of the Most High God,

2 Thessalonians 3:6 — Now we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of us. See under 2 Thessalonians 3:4 regarding "we command." In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ … This is an appeal by the apostle to the authority of his commission and office as an apostle of Christ. It should be noted that he did not fail to mention "in the

Hebrews 10:27 — thing as "fire" for the wicked; but the burden of scriptural emphasis on this subject is far too great to be ignored or cast aside. Fire destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24); Korah and his company were consumed by fire (Numbers 16:35); and it was by fire that God answered the prayers of Elijah (1 Kings 18:38). Strangely, God himself is described a moment later in this epistle as a "consuming fire"! (Hebrews 10:27); Christ will appear the second time "in flaming fire"

Hebrews 2:3 — cross of Christ you read a manifestation of the wrath of God against iniquity, which must reduce to hopelessness every considerate person still living in sin, or must reduce to silence at the last day every sinner that will cling to delusive hope.<3> Neglect. It is not necessary to take up arms against God in order to be lost. Not merely the active pursuit of evil but the neglect of positive good can destroy the soul; and it is doubtless from the latter fault that the great majority of unredeemed

Hebrews 4:16 — government of all things is personal. Not a computer, but a throne; not blind senseless matter, but a person; not merely law, but the will of One on the throne — that is the concept of universal government explicit in this mention of the throne. (3) Such a throne, with its undergirdings of righteousness and justice, already mentioned in Hebrews 1:8-9, reveals the antagonism between God and evil, showing that eternal justice will prevail infinitely throughout the whole universe. (4) That throne's

1 Peter 4:16 — that the mere profession of Christianity did not become a capital offense until the times of Domitian. (2) It identifies the divinely authorized name which was bestowed upon Christ's followers by the mouth of God himself, that is, the name Christian. (3) The chosen people, the new Israel of God, the church of Christ is commanded to glorify God in this name. For a discussion of the prophetic utterances regarding this name with the divine events which prevented for a time the giving of it, and also the

1 Samuel 6:1-3 — and even today one cannot fail to be aware that palm readers, phrenologists, fortune-tellers, etc. are still operating in every great city on earth. The methods employed by diviners included: (1) shaking the arrows; (2) consulting the teraphim; and (3) looking at the liver (Ezekiel 21:21). For further comment on `shaking the arrows,' see our commentary on Ezekiel, pp. 215, 216. In this third method, the entrails of some animal were poured out, and the arrangements of different portions were supposed