Bible Commentaries

Proverbs 1:8-36 — B. Instruction for Young People 1:8-8:36 The two ways (paths, worldviews) introduced in Proverbs 1:7 stretch out before the reader (cf. Matthew 7:13-14). In this section Solomon spoke to his son, guiding him into God’s way. "My son" was and is a customary way of addressing a disciple. "It derives from the idea that parents are primarily responsible for moral instruction (Proverbs

Isaiah 48 overview — 4. The servant’s attention to her Lord ch. 48 This chapter climaxes Isaiah’s arguments for Yahweh’s superiority over pagan idols. The prophet was led to use the Israelites’ exile in Babylon to prove his point. Isaiah had demonstrated

Daniel 1:3-5 — regardless of their national or ethnic origin. We do not know how many other Jews and Gentiles were the classmates of Daniel and his three friends. However, they were evidently the only ones who expressed a desire to observe the Jewish dietary laws (Exodus 34:15; Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14; cf. Deuteronomy 8:3; Proverbs 20:1). "In selecting these youths for education in the king’s court in Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar was accomplishing several objectives. Those carried away captive could well serve

Hosea 1:2 — beginning of Hosea’s ministry, Yahweh commanded him to take a wife of harlotry and to have children of harlotry. The reason the Lord gave for this unusual command was that the land of Israel (i.e., the people of the Northern Kingdom, cf. Hosea 4:1) were committing flagrant harlotry in the sense that they had departed from the Lord to pursue other loves. The Lord used personification to picture the land (i.e., the people of the land) as a woman acting as a prostitute. Students of this book have

2 Corinthians 6:8-10 — These contrasts probably give us some indication of the charges that Paul’s critics were leveling at him (cf. Romans 3:8; 1 Corinthians 4:13). Human responses to Paul’s preaching evidently varied greatly (2 Corinthians 6:8), but God’s estimate was positive regardless of the opinions of people. These contrasts may be between human responses or between the human and the divine

2 Corinthians 7:10 — a change of mind (repentance) but leads to resentment and bitterness (ultimately death in the temporal sense). Suffering in itself does not necessarily benefit us. It proves to be a good thing for us only as we respond to it properly (cf. James 1:2-4).

Galatians 3:11 — Paul further quoted Habakkuk 2:4, from the Prophets section of the Old Testament, to show that justification by faith has always been God’s method. Since Scripture says that it is the person who is righteous by faith that will live, no one can be justified by works of the law. In

Ephesians 3:12 — an abiding present effect for believers today. Because of His work we now enjoy the rights of address and access to God. We can address God and approach Him confidently because our Savior’s work has brought us to God (cf. Hebrews 3:6; Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 10:19; Hebrews 10:35; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 5:2). "Forgiven sinners do not come to God hesitantly, wondering about their likely reception. They rest not on their own achievement but on what Christ has done for them, and for that reason

Ephesians 5:8 — The reason Christians should not partake with unbelievers in their evil deeds is that we were formerly darkness (cf. Ephesians 4:17-19) but are now light, having trusted Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-3; Ephesians 3:17-21; cf. Matthew 5:14; Colossians 1:12-13). The second command is to walk as children of light. Obviously it is possible for the children of light not to walk (live)

Philippians 1:27-9 — III. PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL 1:27-4:9 Paul had been saying he hoped to be able to revisit Philippi and to minister to his original readers again in person. However, he was not sure that he could do that. This uncertain state of affairs led him to exhort them now that he had the opportunity.

Colossians 4:9 — Christ who had proved himself faithful (cf. Phile.). These men traveled from Rome to Colosse, probably by way of Ephesus and Laodicea, with the epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:21-22). They probably also carried one to the Laodiceans (cf. Colossians 4:16), and the epistle to Philemon (Philemon 1:23-24), as well as this epistle.

1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 — is not pleased, though with the dim hope that God will after all condone or overlook. Nothing but experience will convince some preachers how fickle is popular favour and how often it is at the cost of failure to please God." [Note: Robertson, 4:17.]

1 Thessalonians 5:7-8 — view of the future. As soldiers engaged in spiritual warfare, they needed to protect their vital parts with trust in God and love for others (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 3:5; Isaiah 59:17; Romans 13:12; 2 Corinthians 6:7; 2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:14-17). They also needed to protect their thinking from attack by keeping their sure hope of deliverance at Christ’s appearing in mind (i.e., the Rapture). Note the recurrence of the triad of faith, hope, and love, as in 1 Thessalonians

Hebrews 1:7 — Instead of being sovereign, the angels are servants. The fourth quotation is from Psalms 104:4. By describing the angels as "winds" the psalmist was drawing attention to their spirit nature, invisibility, power, and role as servants of a higher Power. As flames of fire they are God’s agents of judgment and illumination. Wind

Hebrews 11:23 — than in any other New Testament book except for John and Acts. Amram and Jochebed regarded God’s will concerning the sanctity of life as more important than obedience to the state when national law required disobeying God’s will (cf. Acts 4:19). God honored their faith.

Hebrews 12:4-11 — 2. The proper view of trials 12:4-11 The writer put his readers’ sufferings in perspective so they might not overestimate the difficulty they faced in remaining faithful to God. "Suffering comes to all; it is part of life, but it is not easy to bear. Yet it is not quite so

Hebrews 13:21 — "Equip" means to prepare for use (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The same Greek word, katartidzo, describes elsewhere a doctor setting a broken bone, a general preparing his army for battle, and a fisherman mending his net (cf. Matthew 4:21). It was the writer’s concern that his readers be ready to reign with Jesus Christ. This is the purpose for remaining faithful to God throughout the epistle. Part of our full inheritance (full rest, full salvation) is the privilege of reigning

Hebrews 7:1-10 — 7:1-10 The writer began by explaining the significance of Melchizedek since understanding him is foundational to appreciating Jesus Christ’s high priestly ministry. [Note: See James Swetnam, "Form and Content in Hebrews 7-13," Biblica 55 (1974):333-48.] "The dominant text in Hebrews 7:1-10 is Genesis 14:17-20, but in chap. 7 as a whole Genesis 14:17-20 is subordinated to Psalms 110:4 . . . "The limits of the first section are confirmed literarily by an inclusio established

Judges 17:1-6 — because he feared his mother’s curse (Judges 17:2). Instead of cursing him she blessed him, a very unusual reaction in view of the amount of money involved. Perhaps she believed that her blessing would undo her previous curse. [Note: Wolf, p. 481.] Micah’s mother then claimed to dedicate all 1,100 pieces of the recovered silver to Yahweh. However she gave only 200 pieces to a silversmith to make an image. The Lydians first produced coined money in the sixth century B.C. Therefore these

1 John 3:5 — is a strong assertion of Jesus’ sinlessness (cf. 1 John 2:1; John 8:31-59; John 10:30; John 17:22; 1 Peter 2:22) "Because Jesus was holy, and without sin, this can become the character of those who abide in him (cf. Hebrews 2:10 to Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 5:9)." [Note: Ibid., p. 158.] "The dominant thought here is not that of the self-sacrifice of Christ, but of His utter hostility to sin in every shape." [Note: Westcott, p. 103.]