Bible Commentaries

Psalms 149:4-5 — 2. A reason to rejoice in the Lord 149:4-5 The reason for rejoicing and praising is God’s care for His people, seen in His providing salvation for them. No specific deliverance is in view here. It is salvation in any and every form and occasion that the psalmist wanted to emphasize. Salvation is a theme for exaltation under any circumstance, even when one reclines on his or her bed.

Song of Solomon 4:8 — 2. The groom’s request 4:8 Solomon appealed to his bride to put all thoughts of her former life away. These included both the pleasant thoughts-such as those of the beautiful mountains of the Anti-Lebanon and Hermon ranges in Lebanon, from which she had come-and fearful thoughts, such as those of wild animals. He urged her to give him her attention on this their wedding night.

Isaiah 43:27 — Israel’s sin was traceable all the way back to her namesake, Jacob (Isaiah 43:22; cf. Deuteronomy 26:5; Hosea 12:2-4). Other possibilities are that Adam or Abraham is in view. Even the leaders of Israel had consistently sinned against the Lord (cf. Isaiah 9:15; Isaiah 28:7; Isaiah 29:10; Jeremiah 5:31); it was not just the present generation that was unacceptable to Him.

Isaiah 45:20 — The Lord again summoned the people of the world, possibly after Cyrus’ judgments, for a debate (cf. Isaiah 41:1; Isaiah 41:21; Isaiah 43:8-9). He claimed that pagan idol-worshippers were ignorant (cf. Isaiah 44:9). They carried their gods of wood, rather than being carried themselves by a personal God (cf. 1 Samuel 4-5). And they prayed to gods that could not save.

Isaiah 49:16 — Some servants inscribed the names of their masters on their hands in Isaiah’s day, but masters did not write the names of their servants on their hands. Yet Yahweh had written (lit. engraved, cf. Ezekiel 4:1) the name of Zion on His palms so that He would not forget her, but be reminded of her frequently. The profile (skyline) of the city was constantly in His thoughts.

Isaiah 49:21 — Zion would then say to herself: "Where in the world did all these children of mine come from? I thought all my children were dead and gone and that I was an old, forsaken widow. But now my children surround me." Her many children will not simply be the product of her own fertility, but a supernatural gift from God (cf. Genesis 18:12-14; Ruth 4:13-17).

Isaiah 49:9 — Part of the salvation to appear in that favorable time will involve the liberation of captives, physical and spiritual (cf. Isaiah 61:1-4). God’s sheep will enjoy feeding, even on the roads and formerly barren heights of their land (cf. Isaiah 17:2; Isaiah 40:10-11; Isaiah 41:18; Isaiah 43:19; Isaiah 63:11). This is a picture of abundant pasturage, and it represents millennial blessings.

Jeremiah 10:2 — He warned his people not to be disciples of the Gentile nations, specifically not to let the celestial phenomena-that the nations looked to for guidance-frighten them. The nations regarded abnormalities in the heavens as divine signs, and held them in awe, particularly unusual phenomena such as comets, meteors, and eclipses. But it was Yahweh who controlled these things (cf. Genesis 1:14; Habakkuk 3:4; Habakkuk 3:11).

Jeremiah 24:2-3 — In one basket there were very good figs, like the highly valued figs that matured in June (cf. Isaiah 28:4; Hosea 9:10), and in the other there were such bad figs that no one could eat them. In Jeremiah’s day it was not uncommon for people to bring less than the best to the Lord. Jeremiah explained to the Lord what he saw, in answer to the Lord’s question.

Jeremiah 46:26 — The Lord would hand Egypt over to Nebuchadnezzar, who would kill the people. The crisis would pass, however, and life would eventually return to normal (cf. Jeremiah 48:47; Jeremiah 49:6; Jeremiah 49:39; Isaiah 19:19-25; Psalms 87:4). This occurred later in Egypt’s history, and the promise probably anticipates millennial conditions (cf. Jeremiah 48:47; Jeremiah 49:39). [Note: See Dyer, "Jeremiah," p. 1193.]

Ezekiel 1:13 — In the center of this group of four living beings was something that looked to Ezekiel like a fire of burning coals that sent out sparks toward the creatures (cf. 2 Samuel 22:9; 2 Samuel 22:13; Psalms 18:8). This fire was very bright, and what appeared to be lightning as well as sparks flashed forth from it (cf. Psalms 18:12; Psalms 77:17-18; Psalms 97:4).

Ezekiel 36:35-36 — People would marvel at the lushness of the formerly desolate land and at the strength of the formerly ruined cities of Israel (cf. Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 51:3; Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13-15; Romans 8:19-22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 21:23-27). The other nations of the world would recognize that Israel’s God was responsible for this transformation.

Hosea 14:7 — Other nations would also flourish as they benefited from Israel’s good influence. The Israelites would again grow grain, a mark of covenant blessing (cf. Hosea 2:21-23; Deuteronomy 28:4; Deuteronomy 28:8; Deuteronomy 28:11; Deuteronomy 30:9; Amos 9:13-15). The nation would be like a fruitful vine that produced the best wine, no longer like a scraggly vine in the wilderness (Hosea 10:1).

Habakkuk 1:5-11 — B. Yahweh’s answer about Judah 1:5-11 Though God had not responded to the prophet’s questions previously, He did eventually, and Habakkuk recorded His answer. The form of this revelation is an oracle. "The hoped-for response to a lament (cf. Habakkuk 1:2-4) would be an oracle of salvation, but here the response is an oracle of judgment." [Note: David W. Baker, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, p. 52.]

Malachi 3:9 — All the people were guilty of this offense. That is, it was widespread in the nation, not that every individual Israelite was guilty necessarily. Robbing the priests and Levites of what was due them was really robbing God since they were His servants and they maintained His house, the temple. They would receive a curse from the Lord for this covenant violation (Malachi 3:11; cf. Malachi 4:6).

Malachi 4:3 — The righteous would also enjoy superiority over the wicked in that day, the opposite of the situation in Malachi’s day. The wicked would be as ashes (from the burning, Malachi 4:1) under their (the calves’) feet in that the wicked would suffer judgment and offer no resistance (cf. Isaiah 66:24; Matthew 3:12; Mark 9:48). Almighty Yahweh was preparing that day, so it would inevitably come.

Matthew 15:21 — Matthew used the key word "withdrew" many times (cf. Matthew 2:12; Matthew 2:22; Matthew 4:12; Matthew 12:15; Matthew 14:13). Tyre and Sidon stood on the Mediterranean coast about 30 and 50 miles north of Galilee respectively. This was pagan Gentile territory. This was not a mission to preach the kingdom in this Gentile region. Jesus was simply getting away with His disciples for a rest.

Matthew 7:13-27 — 4. The false alternatives 7:13-27 To clarify the essential choices that His disciples needed to make, Jesus laid out four pairs of alternatives. Their choices would prepare them to continue to get ready for the coming kingdom. Each of the four alternatives is a warning of catastrophic proportions. They all focus on future judgment and the kingdom. This section constitutes the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount.

Mark 6:45-52 — The walking on the water 6:45-52 (cf. Matthew 14:22-33; John 6:14-21) This miracle followed the feeding of the 5,000 by just a few hours. Both miracles were important parts of Jesus’ discipleship training program for the Twelve. Earlier Jesus had calmed the sea with a word (Mark 4:35-41). Here He used His whole body to walk on top of the sea.

Luke 6:25 — Similarly eating well and laughing are not wrong in themselves. However if a person decides not to follow Jesus because he prefers a fuller stomach and greater happiness than he believes he would have if he followed Jesus, he makes a bad choice. He is a fool for giving up what he cannot lose to get what he cannot keep (cf. Isaiah 65:13-14; James 4:9).