Bible Commentaries

Genesis 22:5-6 — the violent action of the father. "Isaac yielded himself to the knife; Jesus laid down his life for the sheep."Ibid. "We will worship, and come again to you" How could Abraham, in truth, have spoken a thing like this? The answer lies in the N.T. "By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only son; even he to whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God is able to raise up, even the dead; from whence

Psalms 21:1-2 — "king" here is the Messiah. He is not merely a king, but The King; king over minds and hearts, reigning with a dominion of love before which all other rule is merely brute force. He was proclaimed King even upon the Cross, for there indeed in the eyes of faith, He reigned as on a throne, blessing with far more than imperial munificence the needy sons of earth.Charles Haddon Spurgeon, p. 95.

Proverbs 16:33 — Jehovah" Making decisions by the casting of lots was widely practiced in the Old Testament; and even in the early days of the New Testament, Matthias was chosen to the apostleship by the casting of lots. "Casting lots was an ancient practice, animated by faith in God's government of the world."C. F. Keil, Keil-Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), Vol. 6, p. 352. "Following the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the apostles never resorted to casting

Proverbs 23:17-18 — Word 13. "Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long: For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off." Concerning the blessed hope of holy religious faith, mortals need all the encouragement they can find; and here the sacred text thunders the message, "Surely there is a reward." The hope of heaven is a reality. Christ said, "In my Father's house, there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would

Isaiah 40:27-31 — his cord of escape."Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971), p. 302. Some are tempted to view the last clauses of Isaiah 40:31 as an anticlimax, that is, in the words flying, running, and walking; but as Kelley noted: "The man of faith may sometimes soar on eagles' wings, or run without wearing; but most of the time he will merely walk. And the real test of his faith comes, not when he flies or runs, but when he must plod along. It is in the monotony of everyday life that the

Matthew 1:21 — thou shalt call his name Jesus; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. This was not an unusual name among the Jews, the name appearing both as Jesus and as Joshua. The word "Christ" means Messiah; hence, in the confession of faith, the believer affirms that he believes that "Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God," as did Peter in Matthew 16:16. In all ordinary cases, parents do not name their children before they are born, seeing that the question of their

Matthew 15:14 — worldly wise, socially prominent, sophisticated, unscrupulous, hypocritical religious leaders. The apostles would have been able to do the Pharisees no good, and there was a grave possibility the Pharisees would do the apostles harm by damaging their faith. The child of God today should heed the same admonition with reference to the same kind of persons. Spiritual darkness and sin are set forth in this place under the figure of blindness, a symbol often so used in the Bible (2 Peter 1:9, etc.).

Mark 10:51 — And Jesus answered him, and said, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And the blind man said unto him, Rabboni, that I may receive my sight. Jesus did not ask the blind man for the purpose of procuring information but to bring out his faith. Christ generally healed only those who expressed a desire to be healed and who made application to him for benefit. Rabboni … Dorris noted that "there were three titles used by the Jews for their teachers: `Rab,' meaning MASTER as the

Luke 8:49 — of his daughter's death and the equally blunt command to leave Jesus out of his plans. They said, in effect: "Look, the child is dead, Jesus can do nothing in this situation." How wrong they were! Jesus at once moved to confirm Jairus in a faith that must have wavered in the presence of so colossal a challenge.

Luke 9:42 — Generations may rise and reject the Lord; unbelievers may wax bold and arrogant; and even the Lord's disciples may, through their own neglect of spiritual things, find themselves powerless to cope with life's problems; nevertheless Christ and his holy faith are always successful. "The gates of Hades" shall not prevail against his church.

Acts 13:8 — But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith. Elymas … Bar-Jesus was the name this character had received from his family; but his practice of the black arts had earned him another, "Elymas," which is "an Arabic word meaning sorcerer." Robert Milligan, Analysis of

Acts 18:23 — THIRD MISSIONARY TOUR This journey began just like the second, with a revisitation of all the congregations previously established in Galatia and Phrygia, having exactly the same purpose, namely, that of establishing the young churches in the most holy faith. In Acts 18:21, Paul had promised Aquila and Priscilla that he would return to them at Ephesus, the next great scene of Paul's labors; and in anticipation of that return, Luke here gave some background information on what was going on in Ephesus.

2 Corinthians 4:15 — cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of God. For all things are for your sakes … This is reason No. 3. Paul's hardships were actually contributing to the conversion of many souls, and also to their being grounded and established in the faith. This occurred because it would not have been possible for any man to suppose that such trials, dangers and persecutions as those endured by Paul would have marked the efforts of any insincere charlatan. Through the many … unto the glory

Galatians 5:4 — throughout the entire argument. All the other points climax in this." <footnote R. E. Howard, op. cit., p. 83. Of course, this is true; and the allegation that Paul was, in these chapters, displaying a brand new conception of being saved "by faith only" is absolutely foreign to the entire Galatian letter, and the whole New Testament. The present tense in this verse must be read as indicating that some of the Galatians had actually defected from Christianity in the manner indicated, with

Galatians 6:9 — have for it. In due season we shall reap if we faint not … For discussion of fainting, see my Commentary on Hebrews. Hebrews 12:3. Many things can cause Christians to faint, among them being the evil doctrines which undermine and destroy their faith.

Joshua 6:12-14 — they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days." Certainly it must be accepted that this procedure, day after day, without any VISIBLE results of what they were doing must have been a severe "test of the discipline and faith of the Hebrews."John Lilley, op. cit., p. 317.

2 Thessalonians 1:4 — so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure; Paul here cited the reason why the Thessalonians were entitled to praise. "To be a true Christian in the time of peace is a great matter; but to be a true Christian in the season

Hebrews 10:1 — the shadow of the heavenly things as revealed in the law is far inferior to the knowledge of God and his divine fellowship available in the new covenant. We might even affirm that the true forgiveness available in Christ, along with the privileges of faith, and including all the attendant promises, hopes, and blessings of the Christian faith, actually are the REALITIES typified by the shadows of the old covenant; and yet, significantly, the sacred text falls far short of any such declaration, the

Hebrews 11:28 — By faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them. THE PASSOVER The ruler of Egypt had repeatedly resisted the will of God concerning the freedom of Israel; and finally God, as a terminal

Hebrews 7:16-17 — beginning or ending, but is truly "forever." In all that has been said relative to the abrogation of the Law of Moses and the fact that it made nothing perfect and did not provide true forgiveness, it should not be doubted that worthy and faithful persons of the Old Testament did enjoy peace of conscience, a sense of forgiveness, and a feeling of unity and identity with the purpose of God, as witness such words as "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered;