Bible Commentaries

Psalms 143:1-6 — desolate. I remember the days of old; I meditate upon all thy doings; I muse on the work of thy hands. I spread forth my hands unto thee: My soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land. Selah" "In thy faithfulness… in thy righteousness" (Psalms 143:1). David does not here plead any merit of his own, but based his plea upon the character of God who would surely keep the wonderful promises made to him through Nathan the prophet. God's righteousness would not allow him to nullify those great promises. "Enter

Psalms 50:1-6 — that the great principles that are to determine the destiny of mankind in the Final Judgement are, those very principles which have been taught in the word of God that went forth from Jerusalem."Wilson Jones, p. 246. "Called the earth" In Psalms 50:3, the gathering of the `covenant people' are mentioned; but there is no such limitation here. All men, from the rising of the sun till the going down thereof, are here summoned to stand before the throne of God. Rhodes thought that the whole world was

Psalms 90:1-6 — and Sustainer of All Things is eloquently extolled and honored in this sentence, which we have chosen as an appropriate heading for this magnificent psalm. "Return, ye children of men" "For dust thou art, and to the dust shalt thou return" (Genesis 3:19). Moses' comment here is plainly a reference to this passage from Genesis. "A thousand years… as yesterday… as a watch in the night" This contrasts the dying generations of mankind with the eternity of God. The Apostle Peter quoted

Proverbs 2:1-8 — heart to understanding" The use of the words wisdom and understanding without the possessive pronouns `my' and `her' make it clear that, "Wisdom is no longer personified in this passage and regarded as the speaker."The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 9, p. 33. "Yea, if thou cry after knowledge" "The seeker after wisdom must be earnest and sincere, as indicated by these words."Ibid., p. 34. Furthermore, he must extend himself diligently and search for true wisdom with the same abandon and exertion that men

Isaiah 44:1-5 — enough where it stands. It is true of course that there is a connection, because Isaiah always placed in close juxtaposition his prophecies of doom for wicked Israel and redemption for upright Israel; and so it is here. The closing verses of Isaiah 43 left Israel under the curse and under the ban; but here the help and redemption of Israel are the glorious theme. This, of course, is fully in keeping with the "two Israels," visible on every page of this great prophecy. But the words, "Yet now hear"

Isaiah 53:1-3 — we esteemed him not." As Cheyne pointed out, there is a peculiarity in these three verses that one word in each of the three verses is quoted in the second half of each verse. "Thus: in (1), the word is `who,' `whom'; in (2) the word is `he'; and in (3) the word is `despised.'"T. K. Cheyne's Commentary, Vol. II, p. 42. In this paragraph, the surpassing glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is hidden behind obscurity, poverty, humiliation, misery, and shame; and this is the great example that "God's thoughts

Isaiah 62:10-12 — shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken." "Here the inhabitants of Jerusalem are urged to go out through the gates of the city and to prepare a highway for the return of the exiles."Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971), p. 364. The trouble with all such literal understanding of such prophecies is that it would be more than a hundred years after the return of the exiles before the literal Jerusalem would ever have an effective system of walls and gates. It seems more likely

Ezekiel 9:4-7 — foreheads of men" This of course was an act of Divine mercy. Although God would indeed destroy the apostate idolaters, he would by no means destroy his faithful worshippers. This placing of a mark upon the ones to be redeemed appears again in Revelation 7:3 and Revelation 14:1, indicating that all of the saved in our own generation indeed bear the "mark of God" in their forehead. As this appears to be the very same thing as the "sealing of God's servants" in Revelation 7:3, which is clearly a reference

Micah 3:5 — "Thus saith Jehovah concerning the prophets that make my people to err: that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and whoso putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him." These verses (Micah 3:5-8) were directed principally against the reprobate priesthood and the false prophets associated with them. In later centuries, after the captivity and prior to the coming of Christ, there were indeed, here and there, a few righteous men to be found

Zechariah 13:1 — opened… for sin and for uncleanness" This is the fountain of the blood of Christ, the only fountain in all history that ever afforded cleansing from sin and uncleanness. That fountain may also be understood as the fountain of living water (John 7:37). "To the house of David… inhabitants of Jerusalem" These expressions denote the "true Israel of God" in the times of the New Covenant; and, although that Israel is by no means restricted to racial Jews, or literal descendants of Abraham, neither

Matthew 27:37 — gospels, to the effect that they are "different," "various," or even "contradictory"! Thus, Plummer said, "No two gospels agree as to the wording of the title on the cross …"Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 396. But let any impartial reader read for himself:Matthew:THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWSMark:THE KING OF THE JEWSLuke:THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWSJohn:JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS Now, let four independent witnesses quote the first line

Luke 23:22-23 — the pagan governor to release Jesus. Here is a list of the efforts Pilate made to release the Lord: PILATE'S EFFORTS TO AVOID CONDEMNING JESUS 1.    He asked that the Jews take him and judge him according to their own law (John 18:31). 2.    He announced a verdict of innocence (Luke 23:4). 3.    He sent him to Herod. (Luke 23:5-10). 4.    He announced Jesus' innocence had been confirmed by Herod also (Luke 23:13-15). 5.    He

Luke 24:38 — rose from the dead. No wonder they believed it. Christ here established the fact of his resurrection in the intelligent faith of his apostles, the same being the foundation which no man could lay, "which is Christ the Lord" (1 Corinthians 3:11). See my hands and my feet … This is as near as the New Testament comes to saying that the feet of Jesus were nailed to the cross; but in conjunction with the prophecy in Psalms 22:16, the evidence is conclusive to the effect that they were

John 1:15 — John beareth witness of him and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, he that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me. The principal purpose of this Gospel is stated in John 20:30-31; but this teaching on John the Baptist could have been included, partially at least, to refute the erroneous views of a sect which had continued to follow the Baptist, even continuing to be baptized in his name, as was the case with certain disciples

John 16:25 — meanwhile, the heart of all of Jesus' teachings might have been called "dark sayings." The reason for this was complex: (1) It was a fulfillment of prophecy. (2) It was necessary to use a medium that could not be distorted by the Pharisees. (3) Finally, the dark sayings proved in the long run to be more memorable and effective than any other method could have been. Here are some of the subjects of Jesus' dark sayings: After the temple was destroyed, he would raise it in three days. Except

John 2:6 — their capacity was strictly proper and correct. The parable theory regarding this sign is really hard-pressed for evidence to support it when its advocate will seize upon something like this. After the manner of the Jews' purifying … In Mark 7:3-4 is a reference to the extensive washings of hands, cups, pots, and brazen vessels; and the observance of such ceremonies by the Jews required a bountiful supply of water-pots. Two or three firkins apiece … A firkin was not an exact measurement,

John 7:27 — of Galilee, because none ever had come from Galilee; but, in their arrogance, they were wrong on both counts, Jonah having come from Gath-Hepher, only three and one-half miles from Nazareth (2 Kings 14:25), and the Christ himself hailing from there! (3) They insisted that Elijah must first come; but they ignored John the Baptist's being the fulfillment of that prophecy. No one knoweth whence he is … This notion was a spin-off from the casuistry of the Pharisees and deserves a little more attention.

Acts 1:3 — believe, even after Lazarus' resurrection, proved that it would have done no good for Jesus to have appeared to the wicked and self-hardened priests. Jesus himself said, "Neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead" (Luke 16:31). "This implies, obviously, much unrecorded teaching." E. H. Plumptre, The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 1. Certain specifics, however, are clearly visible in what is recorded, such as:

Acts 1:4 — text here may be translated "eating with them," and thus there were possibly many occasions when Jesus ate food with his apostles after he was raised from the dead. Luke also in his gospel mentioned Jesus' eating with the apostles (Luke 24:43); and Peter referred to it in Acts 10:41. To be sure, the Lord needed to do no such thing, but it was important for the apostles to witness such a thing. Not to depart from Jerusalem … Not until after Pentecost and the baptism of the Holy Spirit

Acts 7:48-50 — experts at rationalizing the scriptures they did not like. The teaching in view here is fundamental to Christianity. It is not in any house, but "in Christ," that one may receive all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). There is no indication in Stephen's oration that he anticipated anything other than the condemnation of his hearers, his purpose not being to "defend" himself in any practical sense, but to preach the truth "in Christ." It was