Bible Commentaries

Genesis 25:5-8 — than merely being buried where they were interred. As Keil expressed it: "This phrase is constantly distinguished from departing this life and being buried. It denotes the reunion in Sheol with friends who have gone before, and therefore presupposes faith in the personal continuance of a man after death.C. F. Keil, Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), p. 263. Unger pointed out this expression is used of only six persons: Abraham (Genesis 25:8);

Genesis 27:18-29 — am." (7)    He feigned the irreligion of Esau. It is curious that Jacob referred to Jehovah in this episode as "your God," thus answering the question after the manner of the irreligious Esau, who from this appears as one who had renounced all faith in God for himself. "So he blessed him" should be rendered, "Still, as he was about to bless him."E. A. Speiser, op. cit., p. 209. "This is the denotation of the Hebrew imperfect."Ibid. The source-splitting critics, not knowing this, suppose two

Genesis 4:25 — M. Yates, op. cit., p. 11. Dummelow allowed the meaning to be that, "In his day men began to worship Jehovah by public invocation and sacrifice."J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 12. Kline summarized it thus: "Now the religious worship of the community of faith was organized for their corporate covenant consecration to the name of Jehovah."Meredith G. Kline, op. cit., p. 87. Full agreement with these views is felt. Thus, two great streams of humanity become visible in this chapter — the descendants

Exodus 19:1-3 — for WHEN all this happened. The place of WHERE is also disputed and argued about almost endlessly. However, the traditional site assigned to Sinai is amply supported by all of the evidence that is needed. The preponderant opinion of all segments of faith, Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant, with near unanimity, accepts the traditional identification as Jebel Musa. Dummelow's presentation of this is: "The prodigious mountain block of Ras es Sufsafeh, is identified by Dean Stanley and others as the

Psalms 22 overview — Christ. (3)    There is another important reason why Christ alone is depicted here. The words here are free of any consciousness whatever of sin; there is no hint of confessing wrongs; there is no call for vengeance against enemies, only unfaltering trust and faith in God. This is utterly unlike David or any other human being who ever lived. The spiritual state of the Sufferer indicates no human being whatever, but the Lord Jesus Christ. To refuse the obvious interpretation of the psalm as a predictive prophecy

Psalms 90:1-6 — these precious words. It must have been a sad experience indeed for Moses to watch an entire generation of the Chosen People die in the wilderness. "Our dwelling place in all generations" This was true in two ways. In the nation of Israel itself, their faith in God dated back to the patriarchs. The years of Egyptian slavery had not destroyed their knowledge of the Lord. Even the mid-wives of Egypt knew enough about the God of the Hebrews that through fear of God they refused to follow strictly Pharaoh's

Proverbs 31:10-31 — prostitutes, adulterous, contentious, nagging, etc., but here we have emphasis upon the woman who is truly noble. Her many wonderful qualities are thrift, industry, kindness, compassion, efficiency, business sense, discretion, discernment, true love, faithfulness and all the other graces and virtues of true womanhood. However, her crowning glory is mentioned in the concluding verses: "A WOMAN THAT FEARETH JEHOVAH"! There is no ability or achievement that surpasses the sacred worthiness of a truly

Ezekiel 37:1-6 — that God was able to raise the dead. Certainly Abraham believed it, as it is dogmatically declared in Hebrews 11:19; and it appears to us extremely unlikely that the prophets of God would not also have believed it. In fact Isaiah eloquently confirmed faith in the resurrection of the dead in his great prophecy of Isaiah 25:6-8. (See my comments on this in Vol. 1 of the Major Prophets, pp. 230, 231.) Also, Hosea 13:14 speaks of victory over death and the grave, a passage quoted by the apostle Paul in

Ezekiel 38:1-6 — New Israel, and after God's judgment and scattering of racial Israel a final time, and after the progressive hardening, blinding, and apostasy even of . the New Israel; and in that time of which Jesus asked, "When the Son of man cometh shall he find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8)?" At that time Gog inspired by Satan would make the final move against God.

Daniel 7:23-25 — would come at the final judgment in the end of time, that is, at the end of the whole Christian dispensation. The answer? And it was said unto them that they should rest yet FOR A LITTLE TIME (until all the future martyrs who were yet to die in the faith should join them). Here the whole Christian dispensation is called "a little time." 2.    Revelation 12:12 explains the hatred of Satan for God's church, a hatred which, of course, exists during every moment of the Christian

Amos 7:17 — sufferings of mankind, and something far more than a "sincere" following of and participation in some traditional system of worship. Just as ancient Israel had a plumb-line, by which they could have measured, corrected, and constructed a proper and obedient faith, our own generation has the same privilege, that plumb-line, of course, being the teaching of the Word of God. Despite this, many, it would appear, are still making the same fatal mistake as that of the ancient Israelites. As Smith said: "Amaziah

Micah 4 overview — the secular Israel for their idolatry was exactly predicted and foretold, even Babylon being named as the place of their banishment a full century, and more, before the event. If one really wishes to experience the deepening and strengthening of his faith, then let him understand this chapter and other portions of Micah. SATAN'S ATTACK UPON MICAH Satan is perfectly willing to allow practically all of Micah to stand as the unquestionable Word of God through that prophet; but the fearless predictions

Zechariah 13:1 — forgiveness has ever been seen in the operation of God's natural laws (gravity, etc.); nature exhibits no such thing as forgiveness; and, even under the law of Moses, there was a remembrance made of sin, "every year." The unique glory of the Christian faith is that it embraces "the fountain opened for sin." "Sin and uncleanness" "These two terms together comprise all guilt and pollution."W. S. Deane, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 14, Zechariah (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company,

Zechariah 5:3 — no change in that principle. What does seem to be the lesson from the vision is that the returned remnant should be careful to live up to the holy terms of their covenant with God, which was at that time, and ever was, contingent upon their obedient faith in God. The near-total destruction of Israel had just occurred as a result of the vast majority of the people having indulged themselves in wholesale violations of the sacred law. Now that God had rescued a remnant and reestablished them in Canaan,

Mark 7:14-16 — is a base lie. Significantly, it is these very basic Christian duties that are denied and repudiated by the people who want to be "good" without obeying rules and regulations. Mere humanism can never be an adequate substitute for the holy faith that is in Christ Jesus; and it may be dogmatically affirmed that people who will not study the Holy Bible, and never attend church, and who do not pray have, by such omissions, placed themselves outside the promise of eternal life that is in Christ

John 1:1 — distinct Person, was enjoying loving fellowship with the Father. Thus, the full deity of Christ, his eternity, and his distinct personal existence are confessed once more, in order that heretics may be refuted and the church may be established in the faith and love of God.Ibid., p. 71. And the Word was God … This truth might have been deduced from either of the two preceding clauses, but the apostle left nothing to chance, categorically affirming in this third clause that the Word was indeed

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 — (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1927), p. 546. In such an atmosphere, some of the Corinthians were finding it difficult to adjust to the strict code of Christian morality. Adulterers … has special reference to persons not faithful to the marriage vows. Effeminate … Macknight wrote that this word is translated from a Greek word meaning "catamite," James Macknight, op. cit., p. 88. the technical word for "a boy used in pederasty." Britannica World

Joshua 6:2-7 — hurled at them by the citizens of Jericho. It is a wonder then, as suggested by Pink, that some of the Israelites, at least did not cry out, "What is the use of prolonging this business?"Arthur W. Pink, op. cit., p. 164. It was a crucial test of the faith of Joshua when he confronted a set of Divine orders such as those "the Prince" conveyed to him here. Longacre's comment shows how unwilling men are, even today, to BELIEVE that God said this. "The story does not read convincingly to men whose thoughts

2 Peter 1:9 — cit., p. 5. Great spiritual opportunities do not lie at the foot of some Andean rainbow, but here, not upon some nebulous tomorrow, but today and now. As Paul put it: "The word that is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith which we preach" (Romans 10:8). "Having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins … "This refers to wrong acts committed prior to baptism, not to inherited depravity of human nature." James Macknight, op. cit., p. 528.

1 Samuel 2:1-10 — exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful ones; but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength