Bible Commentaries

Leviticus 6:1-7 — against God, for the law of God regulates human conduct in the relationships of man to man(as well as man to God of course). It is only a “sin” because God named it that. Wait a minute, didn’t David say, (turn to Ps.51:4) “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight;” And this was in regards to the 2 most heinous crimes you could commit against your fellow (namely Bathsheba & Uriah) What David does is loses sight

Ecclesiastes 2:1-26 — theory that pleasure is the sole or chief good in life and that the pursuit of it, is the ideal aim of conduct. This is what the Epicureans were about in Acts 17:18. Paul had to deal with. He tested his heart with: Pleasure (1-3). Works (4-6). Workers (7a). Wealth (7b-9). You’ve probably never dabbled in any of these :) PLEASURE (1-3) Wiersbe, God made life for Enjoyment & Investment not Experiment. ​​​​​​​Which is

Ecclesiastes 2:1-26 — theory that pleasure is the sole or chief good in life and that the pursuit of it, is the ideal aim of conduct. This is what the Epicureans were about in Acts 17:18. Paul had to deal with. He tested his heart with: Pleasure (1-3). Works (4-6). Workers (7a). Wealth (7b-9). You’ve probably never dabbled in any of these :) PLEASURE (1-3) Wiersbe, God made life for Enjoyment & Investment not Experiment. ​​​​​​​Which is

Isaiah 52:13-15 — up” (same term) Ascending phrases: exalted(raised), extolled(lifted up), very high. The Servant will ascend to the height of God Himself. Some say this refers to Christ’s res., ascension, & exaltation. Jn.3:14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” Prior to the Servants Exaltation, is his Humiliation! HUMILIATION! (52:14-53:12) Unrecognizable! (52:14,15) (15) Sprinkle –

Matthew 5:6 — eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. Is.55:1-3 Slide11a Our hypothalamus controls our body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms (those 24 hour rhythms of our biological or internal clocks)   1 George Lamsa, Gospel Light, pg.27.   3 When organisms are thirsty, they have a tendency to seek water. When they find water and drink, they are no longer thirsty,

Matthew 5:6 — eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. Is.55:1-3 Slide11a Our hypothalamus controls our body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms (those 24 hour rhythms of our biological or internal clocks)   1 George Lamsa, Gospel Light, pg.27.   3 When organisms are thirsty, they have a tendency to seek water. When they find water and drink, they are no longer thirsty,

Matthew 6:5-15 — have ever lived The initial focus is upward, 3 requests having to do with God’s glory. And the 3 remaining, for our well being. God 1st, man 2nd...the ideal in prayer. His glory before our wants. Parallel to the 10 commandments (4+6). Bonhoeffer, “it’s not only the pattern for prayer, it’s the way Christians must pray.” So when we approach the Our Father...do we still see it? Or have we stared at it too long? said it too many times by rote? As

Matthew 6:5-15 — have ever lived The initial focus is upward, 3 requests having to do with God’s glory. And the 3 remaining, for our well being. God 1st, man 2nd...the ideal in prayer. His glory before our wants. Parallel to the 10 commandments (4+6). Bonhoeffer, “it’s not only the pattern for prayer, it’s the way Christians must pray.” So when we approach the Our Father...do we still see it? Or have we stared at it too long? said it too many times by rote? As

Mark 13:1-13 — night on the town…but no hope for our groom; A thrill for the present…but no future. God has placed w/in us an interest in the future, an awareness that life as we know it is not going to continue indefinitely. Jerry Vines, Mark, pg.249. I don’t claim to know how to unravel everything in the end times. As Chesterton said, “It is only the fool who tries to get the heavens inside his head, & not unnaturally his head bursts. The wise man is content to get his head

Mark 13:1-13 — night on the town…but no hope for our groom; A thrill for the present…but no future. God has placed w/in us an interest in the future, an awareness that life as we know it is not going to continue indefinitely. Jerry Vines, Mark, pg.249. I don’t claim to know how to unravel everything in the end times. As Chesterton said, “It is only the fool who tries to get the heavens inside his head, & not unnaturally his head bursts. The wise man is content to get his head

Mark 2:18-22 — & admire their devotion! The Scriptures only required(maybe?) fasting once a year, on the day of Atonement. Lev.16:29 you shall afflict your souls (lit. humble yourself) In Zech. 8:19 we learned that they had come up w/4 other fasts themselves. But they weren’t necessary anymore after the rebuilding of the new temple. By Jesus’ time, the Pharisees had decreed that “godly people” should fast twice a week (Mon & Thursdays) [6am-6pm] Most

Mark 2:18-22 — & admire their devotion! The Scriptures only required(maybe?) fasting once a year, on the day of Atonement. Lev.16:29 you shall afflict your souls (lit. humble yourself) In Zech. 8:19 we learned that they had come up w/4 other fasts themselves. But they weren’t necessary anymore after the rebuilding of the new temple. By Jesus’ time, the Pharisees had decreed that “godly people” should fast twice a week (Mon & Thursdays) [6am-6pm] Most

Luke 2:36-52 — Luke’s account. Luke provides a kind of bridge between events connected w/His birth & the account of His adult ministry. TEMPLE DWELLER! (36-38) ANA,TEMPLE DWELLER! (36-38) (36) A widow after 7 years of married life. Now, 84 yrs old. What a very long widowhood! In her loss of human fellowship she waited much on God! The Lord will bring healing to the wounded soul; companionship to the lonely hour; & send you forth with blessings. Old age has

1 Corinthians 9:1-27 — Voluntarily Limiting Personal Liberties! Paul, the master illustrator, uses 15 examples in this chapter. He’ll liken Christian Ministry to: a Soldier (7a), a Winegrower (7b), Shepherd (7c), Oxen (8,9), Farmer (10), an OT Priest (13), Preacher (14-16), Steward (17), Servant (19), Jew (20a), one under the law (20b), those w/o the Law (21), Weak (22), Runners (24,25), & Fighter (26,27). Note: Paul’s one great desire was to win the lost, & that governed his every decision! Stats

1 Timothy 3:1-16 — senses, clouds the mind, and makes him emotionally unstable. It also would point to an underlying need for him to have to numb reality for a time. He wants us to be clear thinking, alert, discerning individuals, capable of making decisions. Prov.31:4-6 “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those

James 4:1-10 — might come to a different conclusion! They come from: my wife; my kids; my boss! [We’ll see, no, they come from “me”!] Forget the chapter break...we move right from the fork tongue of ch.3 to the result of its venom in ch.4 wars & fights! Q: How many fights have you picked in your lifetime? (physical fights; emotional fights w/your parents, w/spouse, w/children, a co-worker, another Christian) Fighting is something that comes to us naturally. Because we’re

1 Samuel 21:1-15 — David finds himself temporally caught in a cave. DAVID...ISRAEL’S MOST WANTED! DESPERATE MAN AND DESPERATE MEASURES! (1-9) David lived in exile for about 10 years. And we reap wisdom from Psalms 7,11,12,13,16,17,22,25,31,34,35,52,53,54, 56,57,58,59,63,64,142,143 from what he learned during the 10 years of exile! From these encouraging Psalms God’s people throughout the generations, & still today, can find strength & courage in our own times of testings. Even

1 Samuel 21:1-15 — David finds himself temporally caught in a cave. DAVID...ISRAEL’S MOST WANTED! DESPERATE MAN AND DESPERATE MEASURES! (1-9) David lived in exile for about 10 years. And we reap wisdom from Psalms 7,11,12,13,16,17,22,25,31,34,35,52,53,54, 56,57,58,59,63,64,142,143 from what he learned during the 10 years of exile! From these encouraging Psalms God’s people throughout the generations, & still today, can find strength & courage in our own times of testings. Even

2 Samuel 24:1-25 — ultimately God’s judgement on Israel (not David). Are these Contradictory? Or, is this Concurrence at work? [concurrence=(Lt.)running together] God’s sovereignty & providence is seen in His control of men & events. [Lets start w/Dan 4:35] He does according to His will among the host of heaven & among the inhabitants of the earth; & none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” William Blaikie said the intertwining of events is like, “a web

2 Samuel 24:1-25 — ultimately God’s judgement on Israel (not David). Are these Contradictory? Or, is this Concurrence at work? [concurrence=(Lt.)running together] God’s sovereignty & providence is seen in His control of men & events. [Lets start w/Dan 4:35] He does according to His will among the host of heaven & among the inhabitants of the earth; & none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” William Blaikie said the intertwining of events is like, “a web