Bible Commentaries

Genesis 25:19-24 — there were twins in her womb." "Because she was barren" This is one of a number of interesting parallels between the lives of Isaac and Abraham. Things never run smoothly for God's elect. There will always be problems and trials that discover and test faith in the Lord. We may readily believe that both Isaac and Rebekah sought the prayers and counsel of the mighty Abraham who lived for another sixteen years after Rebekah's conceiving twins. "And the children struggled within her" The concern and distress

1 Kings 14:15-16 — some affirm, it is merely the philosophy of later editors, it is less than worthless. And to repeat the question, "Why do they write about it"? We believe the true answer for some such writers, at least, is that their purpose is to destroy Christian faith. "He will give Israel up, because of… sin" This prophecy of God is just as wonderful as the other one in this passage. It is amazing that none of the commentators available to us has even mentioned this, and yet it is one of the great O.T.

Job 3:3-10 — knowing that, "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18). One's heart instinctively reaches out toward this ancient sufferer, who even in his despair refused to renounce his faith in God. "Leviathan" This was a mythological sea-monster whom some charlatans pretended to be experts to rouse up against those whom the charlatan cursed. "The mention of this here should not be taken as evidence that Job believed either in Leviathan,

Psalms 62:9-12 — of the Judgment in Matthew 25; in which account, the saved and the lost were distinguished from each other by the simple record of "who did" and "who did not." Furthermore, Paul did not contradict Jesus and give us a whole new system of salvation "by faith alone," or by "grace alone." Did he not write, "We must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10)?

Psalms 98 overview — David.' "In the Syriac, it is attributed to David and stated to have been composed concerning the restoration of the Israelites from Egypt. Spiritually, this psalm applies to the Advent of the Messiah and the calling of the Gentiles into the Christian faith."It was probably written to celebrate the deliverance of Israel from their Babylonian captivity; but it is to be understood prophetically of the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ."Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (London: T. Mason and

Leviticus 14:10-20 — with the blood of Christ… you shall be washed thoroughly and cleansed from your sin."Footnote is not available There is no way for such a view to be mistaken, for the author of Hebrews wrote: "Let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22). "Log of oil" (Leviticus 14:10; Leviticus 14:12). "This log was a liquid measure, probably less than a pint."Bernard J. Bamberger, op.

Ecclesiastes 9 overview — allegations of materialistic unbelievers with a view to refuting them in his conclusion (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14), (2) that he was writing of what he saw `under the sun,' and not of what he believed, or (3) that, "Solomon, for the time being, had abandoned his faith in God, altogether,"James Waddey. p. 53. and that his words throughout Ecclesiastes thus far indicate that, "Man would not know that there was any fundamental difference between a man and a beast."Ibid. This writer has been unable to find a convincing

Isaiah 7:10-17 — upon thy fathers house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah - even the king of Assyria." The first two verses of this paragraph record God's offer to provide a sign (presumably a miraculous sign) to strengthen the faith of Ahaz, even offering him the choice of what it might be; but hypocritical Ahaz, having already made up his mind to reject God's counsel, refused to ask, pretending that he did not wish to tempt Jehovah. Of course, he referred to such passages

Numbers 11:16-23 — involve a judgment also. "Ye shall eat… for a whole month… until it come out at your nostrils" (Numbers 11:19-20). Moses himself was incredulous that even God could do such a thing, as indicated by his protest. However, Moses had enough faith to command the people as God had said. Despite our conviction that sin must be attributed to Moses for his attitude here, many commentators, including especially the Jewish family of writers, "tend generally to exculpate (exonerate) him."W. Gunther

Numbers 36:5-9 — the matter of the perpetuation of the common good, even such personal things as marriage should conform to the pattern of benefiting the perpetuation of the common wealth. This, of course, has an application that requires Christians to marry "in the faith." Henry spoke of marriages that are contracted solely upon the basis of self-gratification and foolish ungovernable passion in defiance of authority and without regard for the results, saying that, "They are against common sense, the interests of

Luke 3:21-22 — being (among other things) baptized (Acts 2:38); and significantly, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended and remained upon Jesus AFTER his baptism. Therefore, it cannot be denied that the baptism commanded in the great commission (following faith, repentance, and confession) is PRIOR to the convert's becoming a child of God, receiving the Holy Spirit, and entering into the more exalted prayer-privileges pertaining only to Christians; and we do not hesitate to add that baptism is a precondition

Luke 8:33 — same destructive purpose of the evil one in what the devil was permitted to do to Job (Job 1:12-22). The calamities that befell that patriarch are justified upon the premise that God was showing to all men the malignant purpose of Satan and the true faith of Job. The same is true here, with the significant difference that swine were destroyed instead of human children, as was the case with Job. How reprehensible it is therefore for men to quibble about this, even charging the Lord with a capital

John 9:5 — should walk in the light (1 John 1:6-7); they should put on the whole armor of light (Romans 13:12); and they should arise and shine in the reflected glory of the light (Isaiah 60:1). The import of all this is that all men should exhibit an obedient faith in Christ.

Romans 6:23 — donatives were indeed "free gifts," but in no wise unconditional, the generals not bestowing such favors upon any except "their soldiers." Thus, although the soldier did not earn the donative, he qualified as a recipient through his faithful service as a soldier of the general giving the gift Eternal life … is so magnificent a conception of so wonderful and comprehensive a gift as to be in its ultimate glorious essence something that lies beyond the perimeter of finite understanding.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 — be acquired by the believer in no other way except through being baptized into Christ. The notion that "this righteousness is forensic," S. Lewis Johnson, Jr., op. cit., p. 593. that is, an imputed righteousness, bestowed on the grounds of faith alone, is incorrect. It is not an imputed, forensic, bestowed righteousness in any sense whatever. It is a pure, perfect, genuine, and ACTUAL righteousness performed and achieved by Jesus Christ our Lord; and when the believer becomes a part of

2 Corinthians 6:1 — R. V. G. Tasker, The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1958), p. 92. It is much more likely that the Corinthians were suffering from the delusion that they would be saved "by faith alone" even while linking up in the most shameful manner with pagan associates.

Hebrews 7:27 — statements in the New Testament. (1) Christ has been manifested in human form once for all (Hebrews 9:26). (2) He suffered for man's sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, once for all (1 Peter 3:18). (3) Christ died once for all (Hebrews 9:28). (4) The faith was once for all delivered to the saints (Judges 1:3). (5) Christ offered his blood in heaven once for all (Hebrews 9:12; Hebrews 9:26). (6) It is appointed unto man to die once for all (Hebrews 9:27). (7) Once for all God will shake the earth and

Judges 18:21-26 — exterminate your whole generation!" "Micah realized his helplessness against an armed force of six hundred fighting men; and with a heavy heart he returned to his empty house and empty life. He was a disillusioned and misguided Israelite who had forsaken the faith of his fathers and justly suffered the consequences of his grievous apostasy."Ibid. "Lest angry fellows fall upon you" "In the Hebrew, the literal words from which the words angry fellows are translated are literally, `men of acid temper.' It is

Ruth 1:6-10 — her two sons, at this point, were merely extending the ancient oriental courtesy of going part of the way as an escort for their mother-in-law, a custom which ordinarily would have ended at the border of Moab. "Jehovah deal kindly with you." Naomi's faith shines in these words. According to the usual thinking of that time, Chemosh was considered the God of Moab, but no such nonsense as that entered Naomi's mind. She recognized Jehovah as the true God of all lands. "As you have dealt with the dead."

1 Samuel 9:5-10 — that a meeting with Samuel was about to take place."The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 291. "All that he says comes true" "This was one of the two tests of a true prophet; the other was that the teaching of the prophet must be in keeping with the faith of Israel (Deuteronomy 18:21-22; Deuteronomy 13:1-3)."Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, op. cit., p. 281. "The fourth part of a shekel of silver" The silver shekels were sometimes cut into halves or quarters; and a quarter of this coin, much more