God’s kingdom will arise by a shoot coming up from the stump of Jesse (v. 1; 2 Sam. 7:16; Rev. 22:16). He will come directly from the line of David and will fulfill God’s promises in the Davidic Covenant. Isaiah wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of …
In this chapter Moses states that during this seventh year the Israelites were not to be pressed to pay their debts. This does not mean that the debts would be eliminated completely but simply that the time of payment was extended for one year. The Israelites were allowed to press foreigners …
The text begins in this passage by focusing on the puffed-up minds of men (v. 25). It ends with Paul falling before God in praise, based upon the infinite and unfathomable wisdom of God (vv. 33-36). These words are a most appropriate conclusion. They conclude not only the argument of …
In this passage we see that many people in Ephesus believed that illness and disease, and especially mental illness, were due to evil spirits who settled in a person. Exorcism was a regular trade. Many treasured their books on magic and their curios covered with charms because th …
Jesus had great sorrow for the Pharisees because they were blinded to God’s truth and their sins. In this passage & the next, we see eight woes that we might contrast to the eight beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. The beatitudes described true righteousness and here Jesus describes false …
Levi was the ancestor of the tribe of Levites, the tribe set apart for service to God (Num. 1:47-54). These Levites became God’s priests, first in the tabernacle, then in the temple. The priests in Malachi’s day had stopped loving God and thus they did not know nor care what He wanted. They …
1. Babylonian Exiles Who Returned to Jerusalem (vv. 1-9). The people of Judah were taken to Babylon as prisoners because they sinned against God. When they returned there were 690 people from the Judah tribe who settled in Jerusalem …
Any who rejoice over the misfortune of others are actually mocking God (v. 5). Since the poor are made in God’s image, as all people are, to mock them is to speak against God. I have known people to rejoice when the group they felt in competition with suffered loss and their gr …
The night meeting of the Sanhedrin had been illegal, so as soon as morning came they all got together again to make it legal. From here they bound Jesus and led Him to Pontius Pilate who was then governor of Judea (v. 1). In (Luke 23:1-2) it tells us that their charge became thre …
Evidently some of the believers had misunderstood Paul’s teaching concerning the Lord’s return and because of the terrible persecution they were going through, had concluded that they were already in the tribulation. Perhaps they had sent an inquiry to Paul concerning this matter …