Recent Commentaries

This chapter introduces the book by giving the background and preparation of the prophet. It opens with Nebuchadnezzar’s besieging of Jerusalem which took place during the reign of Jehoiakim, the eldest son of Josiah (v. 1). Jeremiah had warned Jehoiakim of an impending invasion …

Luke starts by connecting Luke and Acts (vv. 1-2). At the close of Luke’s Gospel, the believers were in the temple praising God. Acts is the story of what came next. Luke tells what Jesus did and said in His human body; Acts tells what He did and said through His spiritual body, the church …

We find here a great roll call of heroes (vv. 21-24). Timothy was mentioned first as he was often in the book of Acts and the Epistles. He was Paul’s “son in the faith” and labored with him in many difficult places. He was a key person in the growth of the early church, traveling with Paul on his …

In the culture in which Solomon and his lover lived it was improper to show public affection except between family members. Therefore, his beloved wished that her husband was like a brother so that it would be acceptable for her to display affection for him at any time (v. 1). Verses 6 and 7 …

God’s covenant with David makes this one of the great chapters of the Bible. God promised a king and a kingdom to come in the line of David. God confirmed this promise with an oath (Psa. 89:34-37). It is very difficult to understand the prophets from this point on without knowing …

It appears that Paul is trying to persuade men of his own sincerity. He has no doubt whatever that in the sight of God his hands are clean and his motives pure, but his enemies have cast suspicion on them. This is not from any selfish desire to vindicate himself. It is from the knowledge that, if …

This passage has to do with God’s Judgment against Damascus (vv. 23-27). Damascus is the capital of Syria and was located at the intersection of three major trade routes. It was as much north of Canaan as Edom was south. Damascus was an old city (Gen. 14:15) but little is k …

We find Jehoshaphat initiating new reforms within the judicial system. He traveled throughout Judea to encourage people to turn back to the Lord God of their fathers. Throughout the land he appointed godly judges to judge not for man but for the Lord. They were to have no respect of …

This passage begins one of Isaiah’s most unusual prophecies in that it is both a message of judgment and blessing that is to come upon Egypt. Judgment was to come to Egypt from the Lord. God is pictured as riding on a swift cloud (v. 1). He was the true giver of rain (not Baal) w …

Moses continues to deal with various Israelite laws in this chapter. He deals with the need for maintaining purity in the religious assembly (vv. 1-8). He gives three types of people that were excluded from Israel’s “worship service.”…