Bible Commentaries

Proverbs 15:13 — "A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance; But by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken." "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."The New International Version (NIV). This proverb merely states that a man's happiness or sorrow will show in his face. It was this fact that enabled Artaxerxes to read the face of Nehemiah and to send him to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:2). The same thing is true of innocence and guilt.

Proverbs 27:18 — "Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof; And he that regardeth the master shall be honored." Paul evidently had this in mind (2 Timothy 2:6). The comparison here seems to be: "Just as the fig-tree requires constant care, but also yields abundant fruit, so the ministrations of a faithful servant will not be without their due reward."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 edition), op. cit., p. 74.

Proverbs 28:27 — "He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack; But he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse." The sentiment of the first line here is reiterated in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 9:6-11). God today blesses liberal and generous Christians. The reference to `curses' in line 2 reflects the extreme bitterness of poor people who are suffering for lack of the bare necessities of life, which are denied to them by people wallowing in affluence and luxury.

Jeremiah 11 overview — Jehoiachim, during that four or five year period while Israel was still feeling a false sense of security by reason of their friendship for Egypt.W. Harvey Jellie, Jeremiah, in Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company), p. 231. This would have been about 620. B.C. The great theme here is the breaking of the Sinaitic covenant by the Chosen People. That sacred covenant made by God with the Children of Israel at the time when he brought them up out of Egypt had been neglected

Jeremiah 2 overview — THE APOSTASY OF ISRAEL "In this chapter, `Israel' refers to the whole nation, but in Jeremiah 3 the reference is to the Northern Israel."Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House), p. 285. Keil's summary of the chapter notes these divisions: Israel had indeed loved God at first during the days of their delivery from Egypt (Jeremiah 2:1-3); but Israel had fallen away from the love of God and had taken up the worship of idols (Jeremiah

Ezekiel 30:1-5 — of the Lord when his righteous judgments shall be executed upon the fallen and rebellious race of Adam, that day of Doom and Destruction mentioned in Genesis, upon which God said, "In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die!" (Genesis 2:17) Regarding that particular day, upon which God promised the death of Adam and Eve in the case of their eating of the forbidden tree, it was the seventh day of creation, a day, which, according to Hebrews 4 th chapter, is still going on and has not

Joel 1:4 — hath left hath the canker-worm eaten; and that which the canker-worm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten." The two great problems of interpretation encountered in this verse regard (1) the four different names applied to the destroying insects, and (2) the question of whether or not this was a literal infestation. As to the four different names, they have been supposed to refer to the locust at various stages of its development, but the most thorough studies of that insect do not reveal four different

Haggai 2:11-13 — priests, make us a law about the situation mentioned; but "tell the people what the law is!" The exact passage of the Old Testament that carries the full and exact teaching of that enunciated by the priests in this interview is Numbers 19:11; Numbers 19:22, as follows: "He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days… and whosoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean." Apparently, some of the commentators are simply unaware of what God's law surely contains. Despite

Matthew 18:7 — The great issues of time and eternity proceed from God, and no appeal (or escape) from his total authority is possible. That heavenly compulsion was laid even upon Christ while he was in the form of man. He MUST be about the Father's business (Luke 2:49), MUST preach the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43), MUST put new wine in new flasks (Mark 2:22), MUST work the works of God (John 9:4), MUST suffer death (Mark 8:31), and MUST reign until all enemies are put under foot (1 Corinthians 15:25). There MUST

Matthew 5:9 — of his kingdom shall be peacemakers. Indeed, persons without this attitude need not apply. There are several ways in which God's children can serve as peacemakers: (1) Through spiritual instruction, they can bring peace to hearts that are troubled. (2) They can bring peace to their fellow men who are at strife between or among themselves. (3) They can bring men, through preaching God's word, or teaching it, to become reconciled to God, which is the greatest of all the achievements of the peacemaker.

Acts 16:29-30 — out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? What must I do to be saved? … This question occurs at three places in Acts, identically in each instance as to meaning, and varying only slightly in form: (1) "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37), (2) "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30), and (3) "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10). The answers as given in each instance are: (1) "Repent and be baptized every one of you, etc." (Acts 2:38), (2) "Believe

Romans 2:16 — being no disunity whatever between Peter's Gospel, Paul's Gospel, and Matthew's Gospel, etc. It is the entire New Testament that shall confront people in judgment. Jesus Christ declared of his word, that the same should judge men in the last day (John 12:48); and there is no other authentic source than the New Testament for either the words of the Master or the gospel of Paul. By Jesus Christ … The fact of the judgment's being "by Jesus Christ" is comprehensive: (1) Christ is to be

2 Corinthians 1:7 — And our hope for you is stedfast; knowing that, as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort. This says that all sufferings received in the service of Christ are also certain to receive the comfort of Christ, the sufferings and the comfort being inseparably linked together. "We suffer with him, that we may be glorified with him" (Romans 8:17). "If we endure, we shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12).

2 Corinthians 3:7-8 — glory? MINISTRATION OF DEATH The old covenant, deficient on account of man's sins, was nevertheless attended at its inception by glorious manifestations of God's power and majesty, including the radiance of Moses' face mentioned here (see Exodus 34:29-35). Paul's argument is simply this, that if even the old covenant, called here the ministration of death, was attended by such glory, how much more glorious is the gospel of Christ, or the new covenant. Of deep interest is Paul's view of history,

2 Corinthians 7:6 — William M. Ramsay receive the speculation that Titus was Luke's brother, giving that as the reason why Luke in Acts nowhere mentioned Titus by name, especially in view of the fact that Luke apparently avoided doing so in relating a circumstance (Acts 20:4) where Titus' name would have been very appropriate. Sir William M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveler, pp. xxxviii, 390. Also, F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishers, 1954), p. 406. Furthermore, the very first

Philippians 1:29-30 — having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. Here one glimpses the impact of terrible persecutions upon the soul of the beloved apostle. "This allusion, of course, is to the lawless scourging and imprisonment of Acts 16:22-24." Alfred Barry, op. cit., p. 72. That outrage deeply impressed itself upon Paul's heart, as indicated, at the very first, by his demand that the magistrates apologize and by subsequent references to it in 1 Thessalonians 2:2 and 2 Timothy 3:10. The

Joshua 5 overview — This important chapter recounts: (1)    the near-panic that settled over the Canaanites (Joshua 5:1); (2)    the circumcision of the males of the Israelites, a rite that had been neglected for many of them during the wilderness wanderings (Joshua 5:2-9); (3)    the third instance of Israel's observing the Passover

1 Timothy 1:14 — Christ." "The words (abounded exceedingly) occur 158 times in the New Testament, 106 of these in the Pauline letters." A. C. Hervey, op. cit., p. 5. Hendriksen classified this as another instance of Paul's "super" words, such as are in Romans 5:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 7:4; 1 Thessalonians 3:10; Philippians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 12:7, etc. "It is clear that this super vocabulary is characteristic of Paul." W. H. Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 75.

Titus 2:7 — in all things showing thyself an ensample of good works; in thy doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, This entire verse reiterates instructions already given to others, above; but here is the additional thought that Titus is to exemplify in himself the conduct, demeanor and virtues enjoined upon others. As Gould well said, "It is evident that Paul is as fully concerned with Titus' teaching as with his conduct." J. Glenn Gould, op. cit., p. 680. Gravity… See under Titus 2:2.

James 2 overview — The first section of this chapter (James 2:1-13) carries a warning against courting the favor of middle-upper income people or the wealthy, against showing special courtesies and solicitude. There are no doubt many congregations which are tempted to do this very thing. After all, there are budgets