Bible Commentaries

Psalms 29:1-2 — Pentateuch Series, Genesis, pp. 98,99, wherein are given seven unanswerable arguments against interpreting that passage as a reference to "angels." It is no such thing. If one wants to know who "sons of God are," let him read it in the Bible (1 John 3:1; Romans 8:14; Galatians 4:6, etc.). As for the references usually cited as supporting the view that angels are mentioned in Genesis 6, namely Job 1:8 and Daniel 3:25, etc., the word "angels" is not found in any of them. Delitzsch and other usually

Psalms 32:1-2 — point of these verses is the happiness that comes from the knowledge that God has indeed forgiven our sins. From the New Testament, it will be remembered that when the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized into Christ, "He went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:39). So it was also with the Philippian jailer, who after his baptism, along with his household, "Rejoiced greatly, with all his house" (Acts 16:34). This great rejoicing that always comes from the consciousness of God's forgiveness has been personally

Micah 4:2 — fulfilling it. The righteousness of Christ himself consisted, at least in part, of his perfect obedience to the ancient Law; and as Christ's righteousness is that alone which redeems men now, the salvation of every man is surely, thereby, related to it. (3) Note that it will be a law that will go forth from Jerusalem in the new dispensation, confirming exactly what is reiterated again, and again by the sacred writers of the New Testament who referred to the gospel as "the precious law of liberty" (James

Malachi 3:2 — the just shall be saved; and, according to the Bible, the rest shall perish. This was the thing "Elijah" also referred to when John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Matthew 3 has an account of his message: "His fan is in his hand; and he will thoroughly purge his threshing floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12). This is exactly the thought

Matthew 18:12-14 — account of it, it appears to have been spoken as an argument against the Pharisees who would go to a lot of trouble for a lost animal but had no regard for a lost man. The parables are the same, but they are spoken with significant variations (Luke 15:3-7). In the Scriptures, goats are used to represent sinners, and sheep represent Christians. The lost sheep, therefore, represents a child of God who has become a backslider, who is separated from the fold, and from the Shepherd. Note these facts about

Deuteronomy 5:1-33 — books of the Pentateuch) are indeed the "Books of Moses." "A growing number of present-day scholars affirm that it (the Pentateuch) is essentially Mosaic."Edward P. Blair, The Layman's Bible Commentary, Deuteronomy (Richmond: John Knox Press, 1964), p. 32. One thing that is hastening a more general acceptance of the traditional view of the date and authorship of the O.T. is the type of arguments the critical scholars frequently make. Note the following: "Jehovah made not this covenant with our fathers,

Mark 2:14 — followed him. The call of Matthew is also reported in Matthew 9:9 and Luke 5:27. Both Mark and Luke refer to this apostle as Levi, Mark only indicating that he was the son of Alphaeus. Strangely, Mark also called James "the son of Alphaeus" (Mark 3:18), indicating that both Matthew and James were sons of fathers who were named Alphaeus. There is no hint in the New Testament that they were brothers. And as he passed by … Many of Jesus' most wonderful deeds were accomplished in the impromptu

Luke 16:13 — no less than four, basing them all upon this parable. Barclay summarized these thus: (1) children of this world are wiser than children of light (Luke 16:8); (2) material possessions should be used to cement … eternal friendships (Luke 16:9); (3) a man's way of fulfilling a small task is proof of his fitness for a larger one (Luke 16:10-11); and (4) no slave can serve two masters.William Barclay, op. cit., pp. 216-217.

John 2:5 — do it. This verse shows several things: (1) Mary did not understand Jesus' words either as a rebuke or as a refusal to meet the need pointed out by her; (2) she evidently anticipated that Jesus' command might appear unreasonable to the servants; and (3) under normal circumstances, servants might hesitate to carry out the orders of a guest. Thus, her remarks to the servants were needed and timely. That she was in a position to instruct the servants suggests a close personal connection with the family

John 6:1 — Herod's jurisdiction. Which is the sea of Tiberius … At the time John wrote, near the end of the first century, this was the common name of Galilee, hence the explanation. Hendriksen stated that: It had many names: Sea of Chinnereth (Numbers 34:11), Sea of Chinneroth (Joshua 12:3), Lake Gennesaret (Luke 5:1), and the Sea of Tiberius (as here). The latter name, which in its modified form is still used, was derived from the city of Tiberius which was founded on its western shore by Herod Antipas

John 7:33 — the 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.

Acts 16:5 — disappeared. Even now, nearly two millenniums afterward, the Judaizers are still in business: (1) attempting to bind sabbath-observance on Christians, (2) dragging instruments of music 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)

Acts 9:23 — days were fulfilled … It is obvious that Luke did not here stress the exact chronology of the events narrated. Boles gave, as the probable chronology of the events in view here, the following: Saul was struck down on the Damascus road (Acts 9:3-8). Three days of blindness and prayer (Acts 9:8). Sight restored, baptized and received the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:10-19). Preached Christ and confounded the Jews (Acts 9:19-22). Made a sudden departure to Arabia for further study and communion with God

Romans 12:18 — sacred duty would require resistance. Peace with some people under some circumstances, impossible without the sacrifice of sacred honor and duty, is not here enjoined. An apostle said: The wisdom which is from above is first pure, then peaceable (James 3:17). But, while allowing theoretical situations where peace could not honorably be maintained, we should strictly heed the principle of avoiding discord. Christ taught that people should give the cloak also, go the second mile, turn the other cheek,

1 Corinthians 15:46 — spiritual, but that which is natural; then that which is spiritual. The time sequence here applies to people now, their first existence being merely physical, the natural life derived from the great progenitor Adam in whose "image" (Genesis 5:3) all people are born. God made Adam in God's image; but after the fall, it appears that people were not born in God's image (except in a limited sense), but in the image of the fallen ancestor. Hereditary depravity is not in this, but there is certainly

1 Corinthians 6:5 — members who were of "no account" should be entrusted with such an assignment. The apostles themselves when appointing brethren for such a purpose demanded that the ones appointed should be men "full of the Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3). Thus, here is another strong reason for accepting the thesis that Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6:2-4 were spoken in irony.

2 Corinthians 1:20 — only honor his promises, which are invariably true; but he will sum them up with a heavenly Amen. God's word is the last word. God is the Amen; but so also is Christ. "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness" (Revelation 3:14). Thus, "The Amen is through him who is himself the Amen." Philip E. Hughes, op. cit., p. 37. Many of our Lord's most solemn pronouncements began with "Amen, Amen, I say unto you … etc." This is translated, "Verily,

Ephesians 5:14 — words with exactly the same formula, "Thus saith the Lord," "God saith," etc. As Hendriksen said, "There is no sound reason here to interpret this in any other way than in Ephesians 4:8." William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 234. See under Ephesians 4:8 for another example of the same phenomenon. Despite the obvious, however, the translators and commentators have done a number of strange things with this verse: (1) They have accused Paul of misquoting Scripture; (2) they have

Colossians 3:13 — equivalent to an affirmation of his deity. Roy F. Osborne stated in a sermon that there are only three possible reasons for forgiveness: (1) the person forgiven deserves it; (2) the holiness of the person forgiving is sufficient to guarantee it; or (3) Christ also forgave us! It is not hard to locate the true reason.

1 Timothy 6:15 — passage; and thus there is no impediment to holding the same as true here. After all, in the Greek New Testament, Christ is called "God" no less than ten times, not including this passage. See comment on this in my Commentary on Hebrews, p. 31. See also Revelation 17:14. THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS In this survey, we shall classify some of the Scriptures relating to the kingship of Jesus Christ, inquire as to his credentials for such authority, explore the extent and duration of