Bible Commentaries

Genesis 12:6-9 — significant only because of what Abram did there. He built an altar unto Jehovah who appeared unto him. By such action, he laid claim to all of Canaan as belonging to his posterity as revealed in the promise of God. "This action expressed Abraham's faith that the land was the Lord's to give, and that he accepted as true his promise that his seed would occupy it."Meredith G. Kline, The New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 93. "There he builded

Genesis 18:13-15 — 341. This concludes the first half of the chapter, the remainder being devoted to the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and with related events. As to the purpose of this episode, the big thing in it was apparently the strengthening of Sarah's faith and her enlistment as an enthusiastic partner in the achievement of God's purpose. Another very important purpose was that of revealing in advance to Abraham the impending fate of the grossly wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We shall discuss

Genesis 30:1-42 — has been written about this than about nearly anything else. This device of Jacob was one of two things: (1) It was either a semi-pagan superstition, just like the mandrakes, or (2) it was an order from God Himself delivered to Jacob as a test of his faith, nor can that possibility be discounted. Certainly, it was a supreme act of faith in God that Jacob agreed to continue working for Laban for that class of cattle. Why did Jacob propose this? The answer comes out in the next chapter, where Jacob

Exodus 4:22-23 — as the type of the New Israel; and later, in this study, we shall point out the extensive parallels between them. All of the marvelous experiences of Israel throughout the Book of Exodus "have counterparts in the experience of `the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ' (Galatians 3:26)."J. Orr, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 1, Exodus (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 106. "I will slay thy son, thy first-born" Visible here is the final and most devastating of the plagues

Job 40:3-5 — answer; Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further." "Here we have a classical illustration of the results which must always follow when the silence of heaven is broken, when there is a revelation of God himself, to which men must listen in the posture of faith without which it is impossible to please God; and at such times the speech of earth is stilled."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 442. Hearing the Word of God has changed the defiant critic into an humble worshipper; and, today, it will do the

Numbers 13:30-33 — the change: "All the people that we saw were men of great stature." So, they saw a few giants and then cried that "all the people" were giants! Yes, their report was evil, false, inaccurate, exaggerated, slanted, and perverted to serve their lack of faith. It is not the first time, nor the last, that a majority has shouted a lie to persuade the thoughtless to follow them instead of the true leaders. "How exaggerated and one-sided is the distrust of God's promises"Ibid., p. 339. Caleb's magnificent

Habakkuk 2:20 — appointed time, and all nations shall assemble before Him for the Judgment of the Great Day. And at that moment, all the world will fulfil the commandment uttered here. "No other attitude is proper but to keep silence, whether in submissive, patient faith, or in speechless terror."L. E. H. Stephens-Hodge, op. cit., p. 771. That occasion will be the one mentioned in Revelation, "For the great day of his wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:17).

Habakkuk 2:3 — it is compared with Hebrews 10:36-38 – "For ye have need of patience, that, having done the will of God, ye may receive the promise. For yet a very little while, He that cometh shall come, and shall not tarry, But my righteous one shall live by faith: And, if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him." Thus, the very terminology of this passage was applied by the writer of Hebrews to the Second Coming of Christ. Both in Habakkuk and in Hebrews, "The reference is to the certainty of the

Zephaniah 2:3 — this for his failure to mention God's mercy, and for the uncertainty that seems to remain in the promise, "Ye may be hid." We do not agree with any faultfinding. The cocksure attitude of modern theologians claiming eternal salvation on the basis of "faith alone," and declaiming continually on the love and mercy of God does not echo the teachings of the Word of God. Even the apostle Paul said, "I count not myself to have apprehended" (Philippians 3:13); and, in Jesus' picture of the eternal judgment

Zechariah 11:14 — However, there is another possibility. This may refer to the breaking away of the true "Israel" from any further connection with the race factor. Henceforth, God's children would be accounted sons of Abraham, only if they manifested the grace and virtuous faith of Abraham. John 8 elaborated this in detail. The Pharisees boasted about being Abraham's sons; but Jesus said, "Ye are the sons of the devil?' "If ye were Abraham's sons, ye would believe in me." Also Paul noted that Christians are "the seed of

Zechariah 12:3 — the earth… This indicates that the struggle spoken of is no mere local conflict, but the great battle of the world against the Church, which shall rage in the Messianic era."W. J. Deane, op. cit., p. 135. "The gospel claiming `obedience to the faith among all nations,' provoked universal rebellion."E. B. Pusey, Notes on the Minor Prophets, Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1953), p. 435.

Malachi 2:17 — were cynical and had stopped taking right and wrong seriously. Practically, if not theoretically, they doubted the justice of God."W. Ward Gasque, op. cit., p. 1055. Hailey was correct in seeing this condition "in the large majority who had lost their faith in God";Homer Hailey, op. cit., p. 417. but a minority, called the remnant, were true to God; and they will be mentioned in Malachi 3:16. Under Malachi 3:6, below, a fuller discussion of why the Lord allows the wicked to prosper will be included.

Matthew 11:14 — this is Elijah, that is to come. Basing their confident expectation of the return of Elijah before the advent of the Messiah upon Malachi 4:5-6, the Jews of Christ's day expected a literal return of the natural Elijah and had even tried to shake the faith of the apostles in Jesus' Messiahship because, in their view, Elijah had not yet come. Elijah did actually return and met with Christ on the mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3); but in this passage, Christ revealed that the true intention of

Matthew 25:20-21 — And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: lo, I have gained other five talents. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. It is of vast significance that the "reckoning" with the servants was upon an individual basis and that no group

Matthew 25:26-27 — OVERCONFIDENCE, this servant through an UNDERCONFIDENCE that was equally vain and sinful. They were over bold; he was not bold enough. Thus two wrong aspects under which we may be tempted to regard God's service, two rocks upon opposite sides on which faith is in danger of being shipwrecked, are laid down for us, as in a chart, that we may avoid them both. Those virgins counted it too easy a thing to serve the Lord; this servant counted it too hard.Richard C. Trench, op. cit., p. 288.

Matthew 5:24 — "public," is a gross and sinful perversion of our Lord's teaching. To distinguish sins as "private" or "public" and make the application of God's word depend on man's classification is every whit as sinful as the unwarranted division of faith into "historical" and "saving" varieties, or as the Roman classifications of "mortal" and "venial" sin! Where is the Scripture that says Matthew 5:34; Matthew 18:15 and Galatians 6:1 do not apply to "public"

Mark 1:23-24 — flaunted by our Lord's borrowing water from the woman of Samaria. The Saviour himself represented demons as preferring "waterless places" (Matthew 12:43); but he did not hesitate to frequent waterless places, or desert places. The child of faith will not be intimidated by the accusations of those who would make of our Lord a mere child of his age, ignorantly making their own prejudices his own, and falling in with an erroneous superstition regarding demon possession. The dogmatism and arrogance

Romans 6:3 — Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? This verse is proof that justification by faith, as possessed by those Christians to whom Paul addressed Romans, included baptism. Not a single one of them was ever justified without it; for Paul wrote, "ALL WE who were baptized." Paul's focal purpose in this paragraph was to stress

Hebrews 3:13 — relationships, such as families, congregations, fellow-workers, and close associates of every kind. Is this commandment heeded today? It is strongly to be feared that it is forsaken. How many families must there be where there is no daily exhortation to faithfulness in Christ! How many people work side by side without ever knowing if a fellow-worker is even a Christian or not and who for months or years never mention either God or religion, except, perhaps, profanely! When this writer was once minister

1 John 4 overview — stressed (1 John 4:7-21). One of the features of this whole epistle is the presentation of a number of tests regarding the genuineness of Christian life. These have been organized by some and classified as the tests of: (1) obedience; (2) love; and (3) faith.<1> However, they are not separate tests, but each partakes of the nature of the others. Note the following: The Test What is Proved Everyone that doeth Is begotten of him righteousness (1 John 2:29). By the Spirit which he gave us We know