Bible Commentaries

Genesis 32:26 — was content to accept the blessing of God’s free gift, that moment the blessing came. He received his royalty on the field of battle, was suddenly lifted up into a heavenly kingdom and made a member of a royal family. Canon Hay Aitken. Illustration (1) ‘The victory came after Jacob was crippled. It was when the disabling touch came, when he felt his utter helplessness, when he could simply cling, that he prevailed. Second, it was a triumph of persistence. Helpless to struggle, he could still cling,

Genesis 41:14 — POTENTATE AND PRISONER ‘Pharaoh sent and called Joseph.’ Genesis 41:14 I. Trouble is glad to find a deliverer anywhere, it matters not what his condition may be. Else had Pharaoh scorned the notion of seeking instruction from a Hebrew slave out of a dungeon. The readiness of the king to profit by the experience of

Genesis 41:41 — PRISON TO PALACE ‘Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.’ Genesis 41:41 Pharaoh was a wise king. When he found a man of capacity and honesty like Joseph, he made use of him. And he did it in a royal style. He gave him a place in which he could use his qualities for the kingdom, and he invested the place with dignity

Exodus 16:15 — BREAD FROM HEAVEN ‘The bread which the Lord hath given.’ Exodus 16:15 Six weeks of the desert, part of which was spent beside the wells and under the palm-trees of Elim, were enough to sicken the people of freedom. They were but a mob of slaves in heart yet, and, like children, lived in the present, and were more

Exodus 3:5 — private, we must, if I might so express it, meditate and study God’s presence. We must not begin our prayers without trying to set God clearly before us a living Person to whom we are coming, to whom we are about to speak. —Dean Vaughan. Illustration (1) ‘One sometimes fears that the power to see great sights is dying out of our eyes. Reverence is the hush that falls upon the spirit which beholds such sights and understands, at least, something of their significance. The vision of God is the greatest

Proverbs 30:7-8 — Thee; deny me them not before I die: remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me.’ Proverbs 30:7-8 The manner and the matter of this prayer are alike full of instruction. I. The manner.—(1) Agur’s prayer was definite, precise, specific, plain, and simple. He knew what he wanted, and he asked for that. So he went and spread these two things before the Lord. Is there not a lesson for us here? People speak of ‘saying their prayers,’ ‘saying

Jeremiah 39:10 — ‘SOME SHALL BE TAKEN AND OTHERS LEFT’ ‘Nebuzar=adan … left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.’ Jeremiah 39:10 I. It is an ill wind that blows nobody good, and the sack of Jerusalem strangely blessed the poor.—Perhaps in the bosom of every judgment of heaven there lies an unexpected joy for somebody. The very poor were not carried off to Babylon. Here, at

Numbers 14:33 — THE DOOMED GENERATION ‘Your children shall wander in the wilderness … until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.’ Numbers 14:33 It is very common to hear Christian preachers refer to the forty years’ wandering of the children in the wilderness as the type of the Christian’s pilgrimage in this world. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The allusions of Moses to the

Mark 12:16-17 — GOD AND CAESAR ‘Whose is this image and superscription?… Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ Mark 12:16-17 These words contain a peculiarly characteristic example of our Saviour’s mode of teaching, and a profound evangelical principle, applicable to all religious study and instruction. The question was put to Him, not sincerely, but ‘to catch Him

Mark 8:36 — the price any one thoroughly understanding it will give for it, or will require as an equivalent for it. But man cannot appraise the value of his own soul ( Micah 6:6-7). God has done this for him in a wonderfully gracious and perfect manner ( John 3:16). ( c) The loss of it is beyond all calculation. As the worth of the soul immeasurably transcends all that material wealth and carnal grandeur of which the wildest ambition can form a notion, its loss, then, must rank next to the loss of its God!

Luke 8:14 — HALF-HEARTED CHRISTIANS ‘And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.’ Luke 8:14 Our Lord would have us understand that besides those hearers of the Gospel who are simply hard-hearted, and those others who are shallow, there is yet a third class, who come next to those who are true and devout followers of Him, but are still a

John 18:1 — GETHSEMANE ‘Jesus … went forth with His disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden.’ John 18:1 I. Sorrow experienced.—The agony and bloody sweat ( Matthew 26:36; Luke 22:44). II. Indignity suffered.—The traitor’s kiss ( Matthew 26:49) and the soldiers’ assault ( John 18:3 ; John 18:12). III. Majesty displayed.—Christ’s advance towards

John 6:48 — answer, but directs their attention to the subject of their own personal interest in the things of salvation. Thereupon ensues a conversation and a discussion, the leading points of which shall be the topics of the present discourse. We will consider (1) The demand made by God of everybody to whom the message of salvation comes—‘This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent” ( John 6:29). (2) The result of compliance with the demand—Christ becomes to us ‘the bread of life’ ( John

John 7:39 — THE PROGRESSIVE WORK OF THE SPIRIT ‘The Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.’ John 7:39 ‘The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.’ Genesis 1:2 I. At the very opening of the sacred record, we have a most suggestive statement made.—The language must not be treated with a base literalism. When it is said that ‘the Spirit of the Lord moved over the face of the waters,’ we must banish from our

Joshua 21:44 — REST AT LAST! ‘Rest round about.’ Joshua 21:44 The conquest is ended, and the distribution of the land is completed. The time has now come for the peaceable possession and cultivation of the land. During the whole of this time, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, already

Joshua 9:22 — accomplished, and what multitudes were won to Christ. Satan saw that he could not prevail by force; and so he resorted to wiles, until, little by little, the Church made a league with the world and the things of Satan, and rapidly lost power. Illustrations (1) ‘What mistakes I make, when I “ask not counsel at the mouth of the Lord”! My foes are very crafty. The devil has a thousand wiles. There seem so many reasons why I should make my peace with the world. Many of these reasons will present themselves to-day.

1 John 3:14 — AMOR A LOS HERMANOS DE CRISTO "Sabemos que hemos pasado de muerte a vida, porque amamos a los hermanos". 1 Juan 3:14 En la Versión Revisada, nuestro texto dice: "Sabemos que hemos pasado de la muerte a la vida, porque amamos a los hermanos". "De la muerte a la vida". I. Note primero el poderoso cambio descrito. —La muerte espiritual es una realidad terrible.

2 Samuel 11:27 — THE AWFUL LAPSE ‘The thing that David had done displeased the Lord.’ 2 Samuel 11:27 David’s career thus far had been one of singular excellence and attractiveness—not without great weaknesses, and blemishes of character, and many sins. Under Divine direction, and with Divine help, he engaged and conquered all neighbouring hostile

2 Samuel 12:7 — THE ARROW OF CONVICTION ‘And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.’ 2 Samuel 12:7 David spoke to Nathan like a man whose conscience made no answer to the parable of the prophet; we see him so devout before his sin, and so penitent afterwards, yet apparently (for the moment) quite unconscious of his great offence; so that he needs

2 Samuel 16:11 — CURSING TO GOD’S ORDER ‘Let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him.’ 2 Samuel 16:11 Shimei called abusive names, he hurled wicked charges against David; he declared that God was fighting against him, and fighting justly against such a man of blood, such a man of Belial. And, as if this were not enough, he stung him in the most