Recent Commentaries

This familiar story appears only in Luke, yet these two ladies, Mary and Martha, are among the most famous of all Bible characters. The village where Martha opened her home to Jesus was Bethany, which was just a few miles east of Jerusalem (v. 38). Jesus stays in Bethany duri …

It is not physical strength alone that gives us the ability to break through seemingly impossible positions. Wisdom gives strength and security (v. 22). This lesson is very important for us to learn when we are up against spiritual foes. Unwise words, however true they may be, are often the cause …

Peter listed five sins that his readers were guilty of (v. 1). (1) hate, (2) hypocrisy, (3) envy, (4) jealousy and (5) slander. Sadly, many who claim to be “Christians” lack any appetite for God’s Word. They will only eat if some else feeds them (v. 2). Often, when a child lacks an appetite, they …

The willful unbelief of the Pharisees disturbed the Lord to the depths of His spirit. They’re demanding to see a sign was not due to their desire to see the hand of God but because they were blind to His hand. The Biblical order for a Christian should be that “believing is se …

Peter urges his people to equip their lives with every virtue and to be content with nothing less than the most splendid life. Let us look at the list of virtues which he says we need to add one to another: It begins with faith (v. 5). It is the unquestioning certainty that t …

Paul’s statement gives us good reason to believe that he was referring to known languages and not some “heavenly” language (vv. 10-11). Each known language is different and yet it has its own meaning. No matter how sincere a speaker may be, if I do not understand his language, he cannot …

Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel because he knew that it came from God (v. 16). He was taking to sinful Rome the one message that had the power to change men’s lives. He had seen this Gospel work in other wicked cities, such as Corinth and Ephesus, and he knew that it would als …

The emphasis in this passage is that the workman needs to be diligent in his labors so that he will not be ashamed when his work is inspected. The word study (v. 15) means “to be diligent, be zealous.” An approved worker studies the Word and seeks to apply it to …

Biblical scholars say that the mountains spoken of in this passage are symbolic of the power and strength of Israel, which is the key nation in God’s plan for the ages and the only nation chosen to be the means of bringing God’s blessings to the world. These blessings are s …

God spoke from heaven directly to Joshua to reassure him of his appoint¬ment Moses’ successor (vv. 1-3). Joshua was commanded by God to lead the Israelites and claim the land. Although the land was God’s gift to Israel, it would only become theirs by hard fighting. John Wesley once said …