Bible Commentaries

2 Chronicles 14:2 — GOOD KING ASA ‘Asa did that which was good.’ 2 Chronicles 14:2 I. Asa’s good beginning.—When Asa came to the throne he found the land overrun with idolatry. The first task to which he put his hand was that of a religious reformation. He let it be known at once that he was on God’s side, and that he meant to

Psalms 110:4 — THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.’ Psalms 110:4 Set apart from before all worlds for His priestly work, Christ in due time occupied His office. Consider Him in His wonderful exercise of its functions, which are threefold: to sacrifice, to intercede, to bless. I. What a sacrifice was that when

Psalms 111:9 — REVERENCE TOWARD GOD ‘Holy and reverend is His name.’ Psalms 111:9 What is the character of the age in which we live? It is an age of great advance and progress, but, alas! an age of irreverence. There are many things which give the age this tone of irreverence, but time will not allow me to dwell upon them all.

Psalms 119:113 — A GOOD HATER! ‘I hate vain thoughts.’ Psalms 119:113 I. First, what are vain thoughts?—(1) There are the vain, worldly thoughts, which we must hate. Thoughts which in themselves are perfectly harmless and innocent may become vain through being welcomed and entertained at the wrong season. The same

Psalms 41:10 — HUMAN FOES AND DIVINE FRIEND ‘Mine enemies.… But Thou, O Lord!’ Psalms 41:5; Psalms 41:10 I. It was a season of bodily suffering.—The Psalmist was prone on a couch of languishing; his discomfort was increased by the consciousness of guilt, and aggravated by the ingratitude of friends and the calumny of foes. His enemies

Psalms 41:5 — HUMAN FOES AND DIVINE FRIEND ‘Mine enemies.… But Thou, O Lord!’ Psalms 41:5; Psalms 41:10 I. It was a season of bodily suffering.—The Psalmist was prone on a couch of languishing; his discomfort was increased by the consciousness of guilt, and aggravated by the ingratitude of friends and the calumny of foes. His enemies

Proverbs 11:13 — TALEBEARING ‘A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.’ Proverbs 11:13 I. A talebearer.—One celebrated nation of antiquity used to express this man’s character by a very significant figure. They called a talebearer a ‘seedpicker.’ There are men in the world who live by going about here and there, from house to house,

Proverbs 6:2 — what to avoid. The hidden rocks upon which we may strike are all marked. Obedience to the Word of God, whole-hearted and continuous, is our only safety. If we stray, it is not for want of clear direction, but of care in following it. I. Suretyship (1–5).—All suretyship is not forbidden; such, for example, as that of Reuben and Judah for Benjamin ( Genesis 42:37; Genesis 43:9); and still more, that of Jesus for His people. He became answerable for our liabilities, with the full intention of having

Isaiah 49:2 — recalls the portrait of the Son of Man, out of Whose mouth a sharp two-edged sword proceeded. We may well ask that our words should partake of the nature of the Word of God, which is quick and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword’ ( Revelation 1:16). II. ‘Hidden in the shadow of God’s hand’ is a safe and strong position for the Christian worker.—We all need more of the shadow, and we need not fear it when it is cast by His hand. Our life must be hidden with Christ in God, if we shall come

Jeremiah 31:3 — ‘LOVED WITH EVERLASTING LOVE’ ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love.’ Jeremiah 31:3 I. We cannot estimate the length of God’s love.—When did it begin to be? Long before I was born. Long before the Cross was raised on the brow of Calvary. Long before the world was made. Its foundations lie in His own eternity. And when will it cease

Zechariah 10:1 — THE GIVER OF REVIVAL ‘Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain … so the Lord shall give showers.’ Zechariah 10:1 I. The giver of revival.—‘Ask of the Lord rain.’ Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? Or can the heathen give showers. Art not Thou He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait upon Thee. With God is the residue of

Zechariah 7:11-12 — DEAF EARS AND HARD HEARTS ‘They refused to hearken … they made their hearts as an adamant stone.’ Zechariah 7:11-12 I. I can ‘refuse to hearken’ to God in Jesus Christ. What an awful power is this with which my will is invested!—It is perfectly true that, in all instances of salvation God is the supreme and efficient Agent. He seeks the soul. He awakens in it

Matthew 5:5 — earth.’ Matthew 5:5 What is the secret of meekness? Conquest of self. I. Victory over self.—Think of the example of Moses. Ruler, Legislator, Poet, and best of all, Saint! Who can help admiring him? But his greatest victory was over himself. Exodus 2:11-12 tells us what sort of person he was by nature, and Numbers 13:3 what he became by grace. Forty years in Midian and forty years in the wilderness taught him many lessons, and he learned to control his temper and curb his tongue. II. Where is meekness

Deuteronomy 28:15 — ‘ALL THESE CURSES’ ‘All these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.’ Deuteronomy 28:15 These blessings and curses have not been repealed. It must, of course, be granted that Israel was an earthly people, whereas we are sitting with Christ ‘in the heavenlies.’ But these enumerations have perpetual illustration and fulfilment in modern

Mark 12:44 — A GREAT GIFT ‘They did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had.’ Mark 12:44 I. Who was the giver?—She was a poor widow. Sorrow more often makes people selfish. II. The gift.—Two mites. Wealth, commerce, religious custom reckoned it small; but in the judgment of God the gift was exceedingly great. III. The scene of the

Luke 1:32 — IN CONFIRMATION OF FAITH ‘He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest.’ Luke 1:32 For the sake of deepening our conviction of the unspeakable importance of the doctrine of the Incarnation, let us lay aside our own belief for the moment, and see what the result of the surrender will be. I. We should lose the Atonement.—If Jesus

Luke 1:80 — THE VIRTUES OF ASCETICISM ‘And the child grew, and wared strong in spirit.’ Luke 1:80 The words refer to the Baptist, who is set before us as an example of the ascetic, self-sacrificing, self-subduing life, and of the virtues that belong to it. The first, and perhaps the chief of these, is spiritual strength. He ‘waxed strong in

Luke 14:15 — EATING BREAD IN THE KINGDOM ‘Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God.’ Luke 14:15 That was the chance remark of a bystander who had heard our Lord speaking of the reward that belongs to the resurrection of the just. The resurrection of the just! The glory that belongs to the risen life, worth possessing, worth struggling after!

1 Peter 1:12 — LUZ DE LA OSCURIDAD "A quienes se les reveló que no a sí mismos, sino a nosotros, ministraban". 1 Pedro 1:12 Aquellos santos hombres de la antigüedad, que hablaban movidos por el Espíritu Santo, a veces estaban en tinieblas en cuanto a las cosas que decían. Los entendieron solo en parte, incluso cuando hablaron más libremente de la gracia que vendría.

1 John 2:2 — PROPICIACIÓN "Él es la propiciación por nuestros pecados". 1 Juan 2:2 La propiciación hecha por nuestro Señor Jesucristo se encuentra en el fundamento de todo el sistema del cristianismo, de modo que una debilidad allí implica una debilidad en todas partes, y si hay algún socavamiento de este gran hecho fundamental,