Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 17:2-7 — effort to diminish what is written here. Tatum's advice should be heeded: "Here we are face to face with a series of miracles and any attempt to explain one of them away still leaves us a number of others even more amazing. It is better to accept them by faith in an all-powerful God."The Teachers' Bible Commentary, p. 202. As Montgomery stated it in the International Critical Commentary, "The divine provision of the prophet's food was simply miraculous."International Critical Commentary, Kings, p. 294.

1 Kings 3:1-3 — religion to that of her husband's nation. Even then, the permission to marry foreign women was usually related to captives taken in war. "But, at the same time, it was permitted only when the foreign wives renounced their idolatry and confessed their faith in Jehovah. It was only then that such marriages were in accordance with the spirit of God's law."C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch's Old Testament Commentaries, Vol. 3a, p. 39. Keil and other scholars, "Assume that this was the case in Solomon's marriage

Job 13:13-19 — radical than the one here. The KJV is by far the preferable translation of this verse; and it is backed up by the Douay Version and the new Easy-to-Read Version of the Bible by the World Bible Translation Center. This is the quintessence of Biblical faith, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him." We reject as totally unjustified the critical presumption that they may emend any passage they please to make it conform to their theory, but refuse to allow such an emendation as the one here that gives

Job 9:25-35 — having clone any wickedness that deserved it. It is the glory of that patriarch that his attitude toward God remained one of submission and not one of rebellion. "There is no umpire" This is one of the great lines in the whole book. "Here, when Job's faith is at its lowest ebb, there emerges in this complaining negative, the conception of the Mediator, which afterward became for Job a positive conviction, a conviction that attained its grandest expression in that marvelous speech of Job 19. which,

Isaiah 30:23-26 — Israel that these blessings were contingent, absolutely, upon their fidelity to God and upon their honoring and abiding by the teachings of his word. Even today, many Christian people are making the same tragic mistake, prattling about salvation "by faith alone." Israel tried that method and it didn't work. Neither will it work now (James 2:24). Even as late as the days of Malachi, God said that he would "open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough

Isaiah 36:13-20 — have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who are they among all the gods of these countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?" The strategy of Rabshakeh here was to destroy the faith of the people in their king Hezekiah, and in their God Jehovah, and in themselves. If he could have accomplished that, there would not have been very much left for Jerusalem to rely upon. One may only admire the arrogant and skillful verbal assault

Isaiah 51:12-16 — many did die in Babylon. What was meant is that death, failure, hunger, nor anything else, would be able to thwart God's purpose of delivering them from bondage. "Thou hast forgotten Jehovah thy Maker" "It is not so much apostasy as want of a practical faith with which captive Israel is here reproached,"Pulpit Commentary, Vol. II, p. 261. according to Rawlinson; but this was true only of the "righteous remnant," not of the thousands who would never leave Babylon. The Hebrew in Isaiah 51:14 allows the

Isaiah 57:14-18 — as violence, murder, etc."Ibid. This rhetorical figure is used extensively in the New Testament, where a single command is frequently made to stand for the whole Christian system. In turn, salvation, for example is said to be bestowed on the basis of faith, or hope, or baptism, or repentance, or grace, or confession; but the Word of God nowhere states that upon the basis of any one of these alone does one receive salvation. All such statements actually include all Christian obligations in any one

Jeremiah 14:13-15 — The Bible and Archeology (Grand Rapid, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972) p. 383. What fools they were! However, we should reserve a little of our pity to the men of our own day who just as vainly imagine that, "We are justified by faith alone." These ancient protagonists of that same doctrine learned to their eternal sorrow how wrong they were.

Amos 9:14-15 — build the waste cities, and shall inhabit them" Barnes gave an excellent interpretation of this, thus: "Throughout the world, amid the desert of Heathendom, which was formerly deserted by God, Churches of Christ have arisen, which, for the firmness of faith, may be called cities, and for the gladness of hope which needeth not to be ashamed."Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 339. By way of summary: The raising up of the fallen tabernacle of David began with the coming of Christ and the establishment of his

Jonah 3:10 — their salvation was effected by God."Paul T. Butler, op. cit., p. 251. This is a plain doctrine of both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and it is opposed in every way to the popular misconception which alleges that people are saved "through faith alone." Some have complained that there is no archeological or documentary testimony regarding this wholesale repentance in Nineveh, but no thoughtful person could really be surprised by that. "It is very unusual in monumental history to find mention

Malachi 3:16 — a few whom Jesus Christ himself identified as "sons of Abraham" (Luke 19:9). No one knows how large this minority was at any given time; but the truth of its existence is clearly given. This priceless verse in Malachi gives the secret of maintaining faith and confidence in a time of widespread wickedness: "When the fire of religion burns low, true believers should draw the nearer together, to keep the holy flame alive. Coals separated soon go out."Robert Jamieson, op. cit., p. 874.

Matthew 19:14-15 — neither commanded nor allowed in the New Testament, a truth which was remarkably emphasized by events in the Anglican church in 1964, and published in the New York Times (Dec. 16, 1964, p. 16) where it was reported that many distinguished vicars of that faith would no longer baptize infants, affirming that to do so was contrary to Scripture. The report quoted the clergymen as saying, "We are denying adults the right of baptism" by baptizing infants. Of course, they were correct in that allegation.

Mark 1:40 — appeared and demanded that he be healed of his leprosy. The king said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy?" (2 Kings 5:7). If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean … The faith of the leper was very great. He did not suggest that Jesus intercede with God on his behalf but that he should cleanse him. He did not merely petition Jesus but worshipped him, falling on his face, and kneeling to him.

Mark 16:6 — wrong grave, or that Jesus walked out after a long swoon, etc., etc., endlessly; but all of the devices of the devil fail in the light of the facts: (1) that if the enemies of Christ had stolen the body, they would have used it to destroy the infant faith, and (2) that if the disciples had stolen it, it would have resulted in Christianity's having been founded upon a fraud, an assumption so monstrous that only a fool could believe it. There was nothing in heaven or upon earth that could have sent

Luke 2:4 — of the Holy Spirit; nor may we leave out of sight the presumption that Mary knew of Micah's prophecy and, guided by God's Spirit, moved toward fulfillment of it. Elizabeth had already identified Mary's unborn Son as the Messiah (1:43). However, her faith might not have been sufficiently strong to have caused her to go to Bethlehem without the occasion of Caesar's decree. There is a possibility, at least, that under the circumstances they had decided to move to Bethlehem. Some elements of the sacred

Judges 19:16-21 — may also be translated, `I frequent the house of Jehovah.'"The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 293. It is clear from this that a number of the men of Gibeah had actually talked with the Levite and had refused to offer him hospitality because of his faith in God and his connection with the house of Jehovah at Shiloh. This affords additional information on the depravity of the Benjamites of Gibeah. "Only lodge not in the street" Like our own streets in the city of Houston, Texas, the ancient streets

Judges 7:2-3 — might. "The number of the Midianites and their allies was about 135,000 men (Judges 8:10)."Ibid., p. 341. And the reduction which God accomplished in Gideon's forces would have appeared to be absolute madness by any general not endowed with Gideon's faith. "Proclaim in the ears of the people" "This proclamation was in full accordance with the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 20:8)."Albert Barnes, Notes on Bible Books, Judges, p. 434. If this is a fair cross-section of human opinion, it indicates that the

Ruth 1:15-18 — loving loyalty to be found anywhere in the literature of all mankind. This writer has heard them intoned on the occasion of a hundred weddings, 3,000 years after Ruth spoke them, and as Hubbard stated it, "These words tower as a majestic monument of faithfulness,"Robert L. Hubbard, Jr., p. 117. rising supremely above all of the prosaic platitudes of a thousand libraries. "Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" "This means she will join in Naomi's religion. She is determined to be hers

2 Samuel 15:24-29 — and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness, until word comes from you to inform me." So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem; and they remained there." David appears here as the giant of faith which he was. How he had grown spiritually! He relied upon the power and lovingkindness of God as totally distinct from such a talisman as the ark of the covenant, important as that ark was. Furthermore, David courageously faced the truth that it