Respect

God’s Word Is Awesome - Psalms 119:105 – 119:120 (commentary)

The greatest ability is dependability. Faithfulness is evidence of faith. In this passage the psalmist describes several characteristics of faithfulness in the life of the believer: (1) Faithful feet. (v. 105). If you’ve ever gone camping, then you know the value of a good flashlight at night. God’s Word ...

God’s Word is Awesome - Psalms 119:113 – 119:120 (commentary)

The psalmist hated double-mindedness and hoped in God’s Word because God was his refuge.I. Five ways to show respect for God’s Word (vv. 113-117). 1. Whole-Hearted commitment to God’s Word (v. 113). &nbs …

Responsibilities as Believers - I Thessalonians 5:12 – 5:15 (commentary)

It seems that there was a problem in the Thessalonian church that was caused by those who had stopped working, because of their belief in the nearness of the second coming. With this in mind Paul urges the Christians to listen to those who had positions of spiritual leadership in …

Submission to Government - I Peter 2:13 – 2:17 (commentary)

Peter says it is the will of God that Christians should be subject to their governments. In New Testament days the government was authoritarian and it was the duty of citizens to follow the rulers in absolute obedience (vv. 13-17). If Peter could urge believers to submit …

Ruth’s Redemption Assured - Ruth 3:1 – 3:18 (commentary)

We don’t know a lot about the customs of the arrangements for marriage during this period. We do know that Ruth’s way of offering herself in marriage to Boaz followed the coaching of her mother-in-law (v. 1). Naomi explained to Ruth what she must do to show Boaz that she was ...

Head Covering in the Church - I Corinthians 11:1 – 11:16 (commentary)

Two of the issues Paul deals with in this chapter are women praying and prophesying, and instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper. The topic of head coverings (vv. 4-7) is not one of the fundamentals of the faith but deals with the matter of obedience. One pastor said, “This may not ...

The Response of Saul’s Death - II Samuel 1:17 – 1:27 (commentary)

In spite of all that Saul had done in trying to kill David for many years, David did not rejoice when he learned of his death. He had every reason to hate Saul, but he chose not to. Instead, he chose to look at all the good Saul had done and ignore the times when Saul had attacked …

Solomon Builds The Temple - I Kings 6:1 – 6:22 (commentary)

The author begins chapter 6 by describing the building of the temple. It began in mid-spring during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign (v. 1). This was 480 years after Israel was delivered from Egypt. The temple was not made according to the pattern of the Tabernacle, which had …

The Temples Interior - I Kings 6:23 – 6:38 (commentary)

In this passage a description of the inside of the temple is given. The cherubim were sculptured angels, carved from olive wood. Their wings were spread 30 feet and they were covered with gold (vv. 23-28). The walls of the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place were decorated with …

Elisha Succeeds Elijah - II Kings 2:15 – 2:25 (commentary)

Following his return across the Jordan, Elisha was faced with three situations that confirmed his call. The first situation established his authority. The 50 prophets from Jordan did not realize that Elijah had permanently been ushered into the presence of God. Therefore …

David Spares Saul’s Life - I Samuel 24:1 – 24:22 (commentary)

After Saul had turned back the Philistine attack, he returned to his pursuit of David with an army of three thousand. The king came to the sheep pens but found no one there. He decided to go to the bathroom in one of the caves nearby and actually walked right into the cave where …

David Again Let’s Saul Live - I Samuel 26:1 – 26:25 (commentary)

The Ziphites had betrayed David before with serious consequences and now they do it again by telling Saul where David is hiding (v.2). Saul takes 3,000 troops and goes to find David. Within a day’s march, or two at the most, Saul and his men reached the area where David was camp …

King Xerxes Hosted a Banquet For His Officials - Esther 1:1 – 1:9 (commentary)

Esther’s story begins 103 years after Nebuchadnezzar had taken the Jews into captivity (II Kings 25), 54 years after Jerubbabel led the first group of exiles back to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:2) and 25 years before Ezra led the second group to Jerusalem (Ezra 7). Only Esther tells us anything about ...