Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• II. PATRIARCHAL NARRATIVES 11:27--50:26
  One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
• Scope
  Exodus embraces about 431 years of history, from the arrival of Jacob and his family in Egypt (ca. 1876 B.C.) to the erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai (ca. 1445 B.C.). However 1:1-7 is a review of Jacob's ...
• Outline
  I. The liberation of Israel 1:1-15:21A. God's preparation of Israel and Moses chs. 1-41. The growth of Jacob's family 1:1-72. The Israelites' bondage in Egypt 1:8-223. Moses' birth and education 2:1-104. Moses' flight from Eg...
• 4. The first three plagues 7:14-8:19
  Psalm 78:43 places the scene of the plagues in northern Egypt near Zoan.The plagues were penal; God sent them to punish Pharaoh for his refusal to obey God and to move him to obey Yahweh. They involved natural occurrences rat...
• B. The establishment of the Mosaic Covenant 19:1-24:11
  The Lord had liberated Israel from bondage in Egypt, but now He adopted the nation into a special relationship with Himself."Now begins the most sublime section in the whole Book. The theme of this section is supremely signif...
• 1. Preparation for the Covenant ch. 19
  Moses revealed God's purpose for giving the Mosaic Covenant in this chapter.19:1-6 The Israelites arrived at the base of the mountain where God gave them the law about three months after they had left Egypt, in May-June (v. 1...
• 3. The response of the Israelites 20:18-21
  The rest of this section contains the record of the Israelites' reaction to the giving of the Law and God's reason for giving it as He did. He wanted the people to reverence Him and therefore not to sin (v. 20).343"It can be ...
• 2. Contributions for the construction of the sanctuary 25:1-9
  "Only voluntary gifts were acceptable as materials for the Lord's house (25:2; 35:3, 21-22, 29), since love rather than compulsion is the basis of all truly biblical giving (2 Cor. 9:7)."431Moses employed four different terms...
• 9. The builders of the tabernacle 31:1-11
  Chapter 31 summarizes what God required for His people to approach Him. God appointed the men who would be responsible for interpreting Moses' instructions about the tabernacle and constructing it. He filled them with His Spi...
• 10. The sign of the Sabbath 31:12-18
  "As a sign of the Noahic covenant is the rainbow (Gen. 9:13), and as the sign of the Abrahamic covenant is circumcision (Gen. 17:11), the sign of the Mosaic covenant is the observance and celebration of the Sabbath day (Exod....
• 2. The re-establishment of fellowship ch. 33
  Breaking God's covenant resulted in the Israelites' separation from fellowship with Him. It did not terminate their relationship with Him, but it did hinder their fellowship with Him. Similarly when Christians sin we do not c...
• E. The construction and dedication of the objects used in Israel's worship chs. 35-40
  The renewal of the covenant made the erection of the tabernacle possible. Here begins what scholars refer to as the Code of the Priests (Exod. 35--Lev. 16). Having broken the covenant once, God proceeded to give His people mo...
• 2. Execution of the work 36:8-39:43
  Moses described the directions for constructing the tabernacle and its furnishings earlier (chs. 25-31). I will simply give a breakdown of the individual items here with references and parallel references (cf. also 35:11-19)....
• 3. The erection and consecration of the tabernacle ch. 40
  The Israelites erected the tabernacle on the first day of the first month, almost exactly one year after the Israelites left Egypt (vv. 2, 17). This was about nine months after Israel had arrived at Mt. Sinai (cf. 19:1).First...
• 1. The Sabbath 23:1-3
  The Sabbath (v. 3) was, of course, a weekly observance in contrast to the other feasts that occurred only once a year. Moses introduced the annual holidays in verse 4. God had prescribed Sabbath observance earlier (Exod. 20:8...
• The case of the defiant Sabbath-breaker 15:32-36
  This incident illustrates the fate of the Israelite or foreigner in Israel who deliberately violated the law of Sabbath observance. It clarifies the meaning of defiant sin as well as what it means to be "cut off from among hi...
• Israel's final rebellion and the termination of the older generation ch. 25
  This chapter contains one of the great failures of Israel that followed one of its great blessings.238As God was preparing to bless His people they were preparing to disobey Him."So now we come to the ultimate rebellion of Is...
• Commands regarding offerings chs. 28--29
  Another step in preparing to enter Canaan involved setting forth in an organized fashion all the sacrifices that God required the priests to offer for the whole nation during a year. These offerings maintained fellowship with...
• B. An exhortation to observe the law faithfully 4:1-40
  Moses turned in his address from contemplating the past to an exhortation for the future. This section is the climax of his first speech."The parallel between the literary structure of this chapter and that of the Near Easter...
• B. Naomi's inability to provide husbands for Ruth and Orpah 1:6-14
  God eventually withdrew the famine from Judah (v. 6) probably in response to His people's calling out to Him for deliverance (cf. Judg. 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6; 10:10; 16:28). This verse sounds one of the major themes of the story:...
• Furnishings outside the temple 7:13-47
  This Hiram was obviously a different person from the King of Tyre (5:1). God evidently guided him as he fashioned the furnishings (cf. Exod. 31:1-11).80The two pillars on the temple porch were common features that flanked the...
• 1. The removal of the ark from Kiriath-jearim ch. 13
  The lesson the writer intended this incident to teach the readers is that Yahweh is holy and His people should not take His presence among them lightly (cf. Lev. 10:1-11; Num. 16). God's presence is real, and His people must ...
• The temple plan 28:11-19
  God had revealed detailed plans for the temple to David (v. 19). Evidently God had instructed David as He had Moses (Exod. 25-31). The writer did not include all the details of the plan David received from the Lord any more t...
• Judah's indelible sin and sin's deceitfulness 17:1-18
  The next five sections (vv. 1-4, 5-8, 9-11, 12-13, and 14-18) continue the theme of Judah's guilt from the previous chapter. These pericopes have obvious connections with one another, but they were evidently originally separa...
• The importance of Sabbath observance 17:19-27
  This section contains one of Jeremiah's sermons. Notice its introduction, proclamation of the law, promise of blessing for the obedient, and threat of judgment for the disobedient.17:19-20 The Lord commanded Jeremiah to stati...
• 1. The recipients of Ezekiel's ministry 2:1-5
  2:1 Yahweh instructed Ezekiel to stand on his feet because the Lord wanted to speak with him."Not paralysis before him is desired by God, but reasonable service. . . . It is man erect, man in his manhood, with whom God will h...
• Israel's rebellion in the wilderness and God's grace 20:10-26
  20:10-12 So the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness. At Mount Sinai He gave them statutes and ordinances that would result in their welfare if they obeyed them, namely, the Mosaic Law. He also gave th...
• 6. Future invasion of the Promised Land chs. 38-39
  This is the sixth and last message that Ezekiel received from the Lord the night before the refugees reached the exiles with the message that Jerusalem had fallen (cf. 33:21-22). It too deals with God's plans for Israel in th...
• C. Ezekiel's vision of the return of God's glory chs. 40-48
  The Book of Ezekiel begins with a vision of God's glory (ch. 1), records the departure of God's glory (chs. 8-11), and ends with another vision of God's glory (chs. 40-48). This is the longest vision outside the Book of Revel...
• 1. The introduction to the answer 2:1-3
  2:1 Habakkuk compared himself to a sentinel on a city wall watching the horizon for the approach of a horseman. He purposed to watch and wait expectantly for the Lord to reply to this second question, as He had the first, so ...
• Healing on the Sabbath 3:1-6 (cf. Matt. 12:9-14; Luke 6:6-11)
  The following incident demonstrated Jesus' sovereign authority over the Sabbath. This is the last in this series of conflict accounts. It provides the climax in this section of Mark's narrative.3:1-2 This event happened on a ...
• 4. The woman caught in adultery 7:53-8:11
  The textual authenticity of this pericope is highly questionable. Most ancient Greek manuscripts dating before the sixth century do not contain it. However, over 900 ancient manuscripts do contain it including the important e...
• The importance of keeping the faith 2:26-27
  2:26 The "these things"in view probably refer to what John had just written (vv. 18-25)."The author concludes his attack on the false teachers with a warning and a word of encouragement for his followers."992:27 The "anointin...