Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 20:1-43 — omnipotence, & His providence as we read through this. GOD OF THE HILLS (1-22) AHAB DEFEATS SYRIANS PART#1 Their national religion faded. God’s Word lost its place. So dry rot & decay ate away the strength of the national heart. (4) Ahab was willing to compromise his family/wealth in the face of this military threat. (11) I like the old Living Bible, The king of Israel retorted, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!” ​​​​​​​A

Ezra 1:1-11 — true. ​​​​​​​What was Jeremiah’s warning to Judah? (kicked out of the land for 70 years) Why did Judah get kicked out of the land? (see 2 Chron.36:21) To make up for almost a half a millennium of neglected Sabbaths. 1/7th of 490 years = 70 years Daniel & Ezekiel were among those who were deported. But, Jeremiah also promised Restoration! - This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for 70 years. But then I will come and do for you all the good

Nehemiah 3:1-32 — organizing family chores; running a business; managing a church, or fellowship group; coaching a soccer team, or are the President of the U.S. trying to pull together National unity…we all need leadership skills. Nehemiah touches on at least 4 dynamics of effective leadership: The relationship of the leader to God (Ch.1) The relationship of the leader to his Earthly Superiors (Ch.2:1-8) The relationship of the leader to his Workers under him/her (Ch.2:9-20) The relationship

Psalms 34:1-22 — things in the wrong perspective, & to start to panic. But I’m glad the bible turns the key & opens the door to the inner shrine of this man’s life & shows us...a changed behavior yes, but a fixed heart on God. (we’ll see in Ps.34) ​​​​​​​Don’t just dismiss David as another casualty. We might be finished with him…but God sure wasn’t. Whatever happened to David in Gath caused him to acknowledge the inadequacies

Leviticus 12:1-8 — the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;” Prov.17:6 “Children's children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.” Mt.19:14 “But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." So, fruitfulness was seen as God’s favor, & barrenness considered a reproach. Gen.30:22-24

Leviticus 16:1-34 — but for us) Satisfaction – Jesus satisfied God’s holy justice. He received His wrath for us. I emailed a Jewish Website(researching their view of atonement today) today because they had an article of a word we looked at in Lev.4 “sin” he said, “ it doesn’t mean something evil, but it means to ‘miss the mark’…simply to ‘make a mistake’! When I came down off the ceiling I emailed the question, “then why the need

Leviticus 25:1-55 — homeland. Q: Do you trust God to take care of you? What faith this must have taken. What discipline this must have taken to not walk through your vineyard & “accidentally” break a branch…in the right spot(pruning vs.4). Or,(asking/yelling) “which of the kids spilt the fertilizer all over one of the fruit trees?” Or, with a hand full of seed, yelling to the wife, “honey, I’m going to scatter these seeds for the birds!” Q:

Isaiah 29:1-24 — Jerusalem! (1-12) On Fire! (1-4) (1) Ariel- “Lion of God”, or “hearth of fire”(in the sense of place of sacrifice) Hearth – Prob. refers to the altar hearth of God in Ezek.43:15,16. Play on words, Ariel is made Ariel. The hearth becomes

Joel 2:1-27 — Intro: Blow the shofar – Means? – To alarm, or to Gather. ALARM! (1-14) Right up front let me say that some scholars think Joel is describing only a locust swarm, some think an invasion by Assyria or Babylon, still others of the coming day of the Lord…so which is it? I believe all 3! Joel described

Amos 3:1-15 — Jesus.” Examples of humble beginners? – Moody(shoe salesman); Billy Sunday(former baseball player); William Carey(shoemaker)[edited & translated the bible in 36 languages India]; Galdys Aylward(parlor-maid in London/China); David Livingston(a boy w/a dream 4 China/,then Africa “unexplored”); John Bunyan(mender of pots & pans) “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus.” Purpose: Warn Israel of coming doom. Ch.’s – 1,2 = 8

Numbers 13:1-33 — you to God’s greatness & magnifies your own weakness. Unbelief sees giants & spells them with a big “G”; Faith sees God, & spells giants with a little “g”. Abraham staggered not at the promise of God. Rom.4:20 How do you spell giants, with a big “G” or a little “g”? How do you spell God, with a big “G” or a little “g”? Giants represent great difficulties & they stalk us everywhere. They’re

Numbers 16:1-50 — INTRO: Rose Barnes - volunteer with an organization called Bring Me Hope. She has gone 4 times to China, the last 3 summers she’s worked w/ Bring Me Hope & helped put on summer camps for orphans. How do you handle criticism? It seems like someone’s always waiting to criticize! Like the 2 men who were standing looking

Zechariah 14:1-21 — mankind!” Change IS Coming! ​​​​​​​(1,2) Armageddon…The 6th Bowl! (1) Note the typical Heb. “summary verse” of the sack of Jerusalem. The day is coming! Those days will be shortened - Mt.24:21,22 (2) I will gather! {So God’s to blame?} How does this work? God gathers them – Zech.14:2 Demons gather them – Rev.16:14 The kings gather themselves – Ps.2:2 This is what some have

Mark 6:30-56 — Jesus seeks to teach his disciples in these 3 life lessons. Outline: [1] He makes me to lie down in green pastures [2] He leads me beside still waters [3] He restores my soul. This outline is built from the why Jesus gives in vs.34, they were like sheep not having a shepherd. [shepherd-less sheep; folks trying to make it on their own through life] HE MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES (31-44) Their Rest (31,32) - Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and

Acts 20:1-38 — hypnotizing shadows & raising the temperature in the room. He probably had taken refuge in the window to catch a breath of fresh air to fight drowsiness. [2] If you don’t get sleep the night before; [3] Lack of interest in spiritual things; [4] A boring preacher (poorly organized; rambling material; monotone delivery; too much time spent on needless detail; being out of touch w/people’s needs) Read - Eccl.12:9-11 He pondered & sought out – He studied many subjects,

Colossians 2:11-23 — (From Ravi Zacharias Podcast) Thus Paul inspired by the H.S. said For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor.4:6 Paul born a Hebrew; raised in a Greek city; & of Roman citizenship. He knew what their pursuits were all about, & knew the answer for all...was in the face of Jesus! Last week we tackled Gnosticism, which believed the spirit

2 Thessalonians 3:1-18 — Edwin Markham He is faithful to do what? Faithful to give you stability(establish you) & protect (guard you) from Satan (the evil one). Your heart needs to be directed in 2 directions: love & patience. CONCERNING GOD’S LOVE (4,5a) Into the love of God – what a beautiful prayer, direct (make straight/guide) my heart into the love of God...I need that direction. CONCERNING GOD’S PATIENCE (5b) Into the patience of Christ – Saint Francis

Hebrews 7:11-28 — system came in. So, man would breach God’s law, a sacrifice was to heal that breach. But, there was also a problem with the priesthood. Way back in David’s time God promised a “new priesthood”. Ps.110:4 (Heb’s brings up 5x’s) But, a change of the priesthood, means the whole legal system on which the Levitical institutions were predicated...also had to be changed. This former regulation(Law) has been replaced because of its

Judges 8:1-35 — tribes. It also allowed him to stay focused on the mission, Defeating the enemy As God’s people we face the same thing today. Churches and Christian organizations breakdown when selfish concerns overshadow the cause. (4) Exhausted but still in pursuit - msg bone-tired but still pressing the pursuit. kjv faint yet pursuing. Hey saints we resemble these followers of Gideon...exhausted but still in pursuit Exhausted because we are pounded by bodily cravings,

1 John 3:16-24 — INTRO: For the past 40 years Eunice Pike has worked with the Mazatec Indians in Southwestern Mexico. During this time she has discovered some interesting things about these beautiful people. For instance, the people seldom wish someone well. Not only that, they are hesitant