Recent Commentaries

Malachi’s message up to this point has been bleak indeed. The Jews have spurned the love of God. But the hour of reckoning is about to come (v. 1). At the Messiah’s appearing God will intervene in a never to be forgotten fashion in Jewish history. Wrong will ultimately be avenged and the …

Chapter 18 deals with the sanctity of sex. The Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel: I am the Lord your God (vv. 1-2)! So don’t follow the customs of Egypt where you used to live or those of Canaan where I am bringing you (v. 3). I am the Lord your God, and you must obey …

The basis of truth is not only in Paul’s example, but also in the scriptures that we now call the Old Testament. Timothy was brought up to know these scriptures by his Jewish mother and grandmother. He has also learned from Paul, whose teaching and letters will become part of th …

Esther is unique among the books of the Bible in that it is the only book in which the Lord God of Israel is never mentioned. But you can’t read this book without seeing the Lord’s hand of providence moving in the background, preparing the way of salvation for his people. Last time …

The Lord told Moses and Aaron to say to the people (v. 1): If a skin rash should break out and start spreading you must be brought to Aaron or to one of the other priests (v. 2). If the priest discovers that the hair in the infected area has turned white, he will say, “This …

Hearing a father’s instruction and cleaving to a mother’s law are the things that make a young person’s life beautiful (vv. 8-9). Throughout the Bible you will find that obedience to parents runs parallel to being in subjection to God. Ephesians 6:1 where it says,"Children o …

Peter wisely had taken some Hebrew Christians with him when he went to Cornelius’ house, because it was not long before he was to be confronted for ministering to Gentiles (vv. 1-3). When he returned to Jerusalem he was met by members of the strong legalistic party in the church of …

Faithfulness requires more faithfulness (vv. 1-3). – Job proved his faithfulness at the end of chapter 1 by praising God even after losing his livestock, properties and children. You may think that faithfully serving the church for 20 years is good enough and that God will …

When grief and tragedies come, it is far better to have a faithful friend than a member of your own family whose affections have been weakened by time and distan¬ce (v. 10). If someone has been a good friend of your father, you need to feel an obligation to helping him when he needs help. A …

The writer did not state David’s motivation for taking a census of Israel except to say that Satan caused him to do so (v.11). Unlike the census taken in the book of Numbers (Numbers 1:2) that God had ordered, it appears that this census was taken so David could take pride …