Recent Commentaries

We are told that the Earth is the Lord’s (v. 1). It is certainly true that every nook and cranny is His, but there is one spot to which he lays special claim and that is the land of Israel. The Palestinian Arabs and the P.L.O. say it belongs to them, but it doesn’t. It belongs to God, and he has deeded it …

We find one of the rulers of the synagogue shoving his way through the crowd to get to Jesus. This man had a high position of authority whose duty it was to be in charge of the service. In spite of his position as a leading person in the community, he humbled himself and fell at J …

It seems that the author felt that, after some heavy and solemn warnings, a word of encouragement was in order. He states that he is confident that the people he is addressing are ready for better things that come with salvation (v. 9). The words are like those of a pastor who, after warning his …

In this passage Paul lists three great blessing of our justification …

The church at Jerusalem could no longer ignore what was happening at Antioch. In this passage we find believers, with the gift of prophecy, coming down from Jerusalem to Antioch (v. 27). This New Testament gift of prophecy was unique to the early church. Their function is to be seen in …

A contingent from Jerusalem, along with Paul and Barnabas, took the good news to Antioch (v. 30). Two of this group, Judas and Silas, are noted as especially being appreciated for their ministry by the saints in Antioch (v. 31). They remained in this dynamic church to minister the Word of …

The instructions pertaining to the construction of the tabernacle and the account of it being carried out (Ex. 35-40) represent 13 chapters out of the total of 40 for the entire book. This is approximately the same amount of space devoted to the deliverance of Israel from E…

This Psalm details the Lord’s glory in creation while revealing the fall of man and the cursed earth. This section of the Psalm (vv. 1-13) approximates the first 3 days of creation (Gen. 1:1-13). The Creator is greater than the creation and he is to be worshiped and not the creation (vv. 1-2). The …

How does someone write to suffering Christians and tell them to stay faithful, despite the fact they are going through severe trials? The author wisely begins not by considering their difficult circumstances, nor by simply telling them, “This is right to do, so do it.” They are reminded that …

Solomon reigned in what has been referred to as Israel’s golden age. He built the magnificent temple, and even the pots and pans in the kitchen were made of gold. However he had pity on the poor and the weak and helped everyone who was poor and needy (vv. 12-13). He cared f …