Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• Summary of the law of the offerings 7:37-38
  This section closes with a summary. This is a common feature of Leviticus (cf. 11:46-47; 13:59; 14:54-57; 15:32-33)."The sacrificial law, therefore, with the five species of sacrifices which it enjoins, embraces every aspect ...
• B. The prophet's commission 6:9-13
  The Lord proceeded to give Isaiah specific instructions about what He wanted him to do and what the prophet could expect regarding his ministry (vv. 9-10), his historic-political situation (vv. 11-12), and his nation's surviv...
• Message39
  The reader of Jeremiah must have a knowledge of the times in which this prophet lived and ministered to appreciate the message of this book. This is more important for understanding Jeremiah than it is for understanding any o...
• Blind complacency 8:4-12
  8:4 The Lord commanded Jeremiah to ask the people if it was not normal for people to repent after sinning. After all, when someone falls down, the natural thing to do is to get up. When he gets lost, he tries to get back on t...
• Jerusalem's incurable wickedness 13:20-27
  13:20 The Lord called Jerusalem to look north and she would see people coming.238The city was about to lose the flock of special people over whom the Lord had made her responsible, namely, His people of Judah.13:21 What would...
• The model of the map 21:18-27
  21:18-20 The Lord also commanded Ezekiel to make a representation of two roads coming out of Babylon by which judgment from Yahweh would come. Perhaps he did this by drawing in the dirt or on a tablet. Really there was to be ...
• Jesus' summary of His disciples' duty 5:48
  This verse summarizes all of Jesus' teaching about the Old Testament's demands (vv. 21-47). "Therefore"identifies a conclusion."Perfect"(Gr. teleios) often occurs in a relative sense in the New Testament, and translators some...
• 4. The call of Peter, James, and John 5:1-11 (cf. Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20)
  Luke's account of this incident is the longest of the three. Luke stressed Peter and omitted any reference to Andrew, his brother (Matt. 4:18; Mark 1:16). He characteristically focussed on single individuals that Jesus' touch...
• Peter's exhortation 3:17-26
  3:17-18 If Peter's charges against his hearers were harsh (vv. 13-15), his concession that they acted out of ignorance was tender. Peter undoubtedly hoped that his gentle approach would win a reversal of his hearers' attitude...
• 4. Internal conflict 6:1-7
  The scene shifts back to life within the church (cf. 4:32-5:11). Luke wrote this pericope to explain some administrative changes that the growth of the church made necessary. He also wanted to introduce the Hellenistic Jews w...
• Paul's sermon to the Athenians 17:22-31
  Luke probably recorded Paul's address (vv. 22-31) as a sample of his preaching to intellectual pagans (cf. 13:16-41; 14:15-18; 20:18-35).712In this speech Paul began with God as Creator and brought his hearers to God as Judge...
• The disciples of John the Baptist 19:1-7
  This is the first of two incidents taken from Paul's ministry in Ephesus that bracket Luke's description of his general ministry there.19:1-2 Two roads led into Ephesus from the east, and Paul travelled the northern, more dir...
• 3. The Spirit's ministry of revealing God's wisdom 2:6-16
  Paul's reference to the Holy Spirit's power (vv. 4-5) led him to elaborate on the Spirit's ministry in enlightening the minds of believers and unbelievers alike. The Corinthians needed to view ministry differently. The key to...
• A. Thanksgiving 1:3-8
  The apostle proceeded to express his sincere gratitude to God for his friends in Philippi. He did this to assure them of God's continuing working for them and his satisfaction with their partnership in the work of the gospel....
• Paul's greater goal 3:8-11
  3:8 Paul had regarded his advantages over other people as what put him in a specially good position with God. However, he had come to realize that absolutely nothing apart from Jesus Christ's work on the cross was of any valu...
• Message16
  We could summarize the message of this epistle in the following words. We will only realize our full eternal reward as believers if we appreciate the greatness of Jesus Christ and continue to trust God rather than turning awa...
• Outline17
  I. The culminating revelation of God 1:1-2:18A. The agent of God's final revelation 1:1-4B. The superiority of the Son 1:5-14C. The danger of negligence (the first warning) 2:1-4D. The humiliation and glory of God's Son 2:5-9...
• I. The culminating revelation of God 1:1--2:18
  Hebrews is a sermon reduced to writing (cf. 13:22; James). Indications of this fact are the writer's references to speaking and hearing (cf. 2:5; 5:11; 8:1; 9:5; 11:32). His epistle is more typical of speech than of writing.V...
• A. The Agent of God's Final Revelation 1:1-4
  The writer began his epistle with an affirmation of Jesus Christ's greatness to introduce his readers to his subject. This section is one sentence in the Greek text. It contrasts God's old revelation with the new, specificall...
• B. The Superiority of God's Son 1:5-14
  The writer proceeded to explain the exaltation of Jesus Christ to help his readers appreciate the fact that He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy concerning the Son of David. He did this so they would appreciate Him properly an...
• C. The Danger of Negligence (The First Warning) 2:1-4
  Having just encouraged his readers with a reminder of God's help for the faithful (1:14) the writer next urged his readers to be faithful. He did so to warn them of the possibility of retrogressing spiritually and consequentl...
• B. The Danger of Disbelief (The Second Warning) 3:7-19
  "The comparison between Christ and Moses leads to one between their followers. The writer uses the conduct of the Israelites as a means of challenging his readers to a closer walk with God."109The writer next reminded his rea...
• III. The High Priestly Office of the Son 5:11--10:39
  The transition from exposition (4:15-5:10) to exhortation (5:11-6:20) marks the beginning of a new division in this sermon. The structure of this division is as follows.158aPreliminary exhortation (5:11-6:20)AThe priest like ...
• A. The Danger of Immaturity (The Third Warning) 5:11-6:12
  "Dull of hearing"(5:11) and "sluggish"(6:12, Gr. nothroiin both cases) form an inclusiothat frames this pericope and sets it off as a distinct textual segment.159The first two warnings in Hebrews were against drifting (2:1-4)...
• 2. The needed remedy 6:1-3
  The writer proceeded to explain what the community of Christians that he addressed should do to rectify its dangerous condition.6:1 Since they needed stretching mentally they should with the writer "press on to maturity."That...
• 3. The dreadful alternative 6:4-8
  The writer pointed out the consequences of not pressing on to maturity to motivate his readers to pursue spiritual growth diligently.Christians have interpreted this passage in many different ways. Some believe that those who...
• 4. The encouraging prospect 6:9-12
  Even though the danger his readers faced was great, the writer believed they could avoid it. Consequently he concluded this warning as he did the ones in 2:1-4 and 3:1-4:16 with a word of hope to encourage his audience.6:9 Th...
• B. The Basis for Confidence and Steadfastness 6:13-20
  Again the change in genre, this time from exhortation to exposition, signals a new literary unit within the epistle. Here the writer proceeded to expound the reliability of God's promise to Christians through Jesus Christ's h...
• The mortality of the Levitical priests 7:23-25
  7:23-24 The Levitical priests had to succeed one another because they kept dying, but Christ needs no successor because He will not die.7:25 The fact that Christ will not die and need replacement by another priest means that ...
• The heavenly sanctuary 9:1-10
  In this pericope the writer concentrated on the tabernacle and its provisions for cultic worship.254The word "first"(Gr. prote) links this section with the former one (cf. 8:13). The writer introduced two subjects in the firs...
• The final purging of sin 9:11-28
  The writer now focused on the issue of sacrifice."The argument moves a stage further as the author turns specifically to what Christ has done. The sacrifices of the old covenant were ineffectual. But in strong contrast Christ...
• D. The Danger of Willful Sinning (The Fourth Warning) 10:19-39
  From this point on in the epistle the writer made application from the great truths concerning Jesus Christ that he had now finished explaining. He followed his exposition of Jesus Christ's superior high priestly ministry (6:...
• 2. The warning of judgment 10:26-31
  The writer turned from positive admonition to negative warning to highlight the seriousness of departing from the Lord."Between the imperatives of vv. 22-25 and 32, 35, the author describes, more fully than in 2:2f.; 6:4-6, t...
• 3. The encouragement to persevere 10:32-39
  The writer concluded his warning by reminding his readers of their former faithfulness when tempted to encourage them to endure their present and future testings (cf. 4:12-16; 6:9-20)."The juxtaposition of 10:26-31 and 32-35 ...
• 2. The proper view of trials 12:4-11
  The writer put his readers' sufferings in perspective so they might not overestimate the difficulty they faced in remaining faithful to God."Suffering comes to all; it is part of life, but it is not easy to bear. Yet it is no...
• 2. The superiority of the New Covenant 12:18-24
  The writer proceeded to explain the superiority of the New Covenant by comparing it with the Old Covenant using the figure of two mountains: Sinai and Zion.12:18-21 These verses describe the giving of the Old Covenant at Mt. ...
• Bibliography
  Andersen, Ward. "The Believer's Rest (Hebrews 4)."Biblical Viewpoint24:1 (April 1990):31-38.Bailey, Mark L., and Thomas L. Constable. The New Testament Explorer. Nashville: Word Publishing Co., 1999.Barclay, William. The Lett...
• A. Confidence in action: prayer 5:14-17
  5:14-15 Prayer is another expression of the believer's trust in Jesus Christ and confidence toward God (cf. 3:21)."Prayer is not a battle, but a response; its power consists in lifting our wills to God, not in trying to bring...