Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• Gideon's desire for encouragement 6:36-40
  The Lord graciously answered Gideon's request for additional signs that God was with him. Gideon did not need to request these signs; God had already promised to help him (vv. 14, 16) and had given him a sign (v. 21). Notwith...
• David's concern for his own safety 20:1-11
  David was wondering if he had done something wrong that had provoked Saul's hatred (v. 1). Walking with God is sometimes confusing. We need to learn, as David did, that when we try to follow God faithfully some people will op...
• David's adultery with Bathsheba 11:1-5
  While Joab was continuing to subdue the Ammonites the following spring by besieging Rabbah (modern Amman, the capital of Jordan; cf. 10:7), David was residing in Jerusalem (11:1). By mentioning the fact that normally kings le...
• A. Solomon's Wisdom and Prosperity ch. 1
  Solomon had some serious weaknesses that the writer of Kings pointed out. However the Chronicler presented a generally positive picture of this great ruler because Solomon did well regarding Yahweh worship at the temple. His ...
• B. Job's Calamities 1:6-2:10
  God permitted Satan to test Job twice.23The first test touched his possessions, including his children (1:6-22), and the second his person (2:1-10). God permitted Satan to afflict Job to demonstrate and to purify Job's motive...
• 1. The first test 1:6-22
  These verses reveal that angels ("sons of God,"v. 6), including Satan, periodically report to God on their activities. Satan was doing then what he still does today, namely, "seeking whom he may devour"(1 Pet. 5:8).25Satan's ...
• Conclusion
  I believe the primary application of the Book of Job is that we do not need to know why God does what He does if we know Him. Job is a book that deals with persevering faith (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7).203"To sufferers in all ages the b...
• 4. David's resolution to praise God 69:29-36
  69:29-33 Again David asked God to deliver him (cf. v. 13). Assured of salvation he vowed to praise the Lord confident that that would please Him more than animal sacrifices. Bulls with horns and hoofs (v. 31) were mature anim...
• Message10
  The Book of Proverbs contains no history. It is purely didactic. It is a book of explicit instruction. Like the other Old Testament wisdom books, Job and Ecclesiastes, it does not contain references to Israel's laws, rituals,...
• The difficulty of obtaining wisdom 2:1-5
  Even though wisdom wants people to adopt her (1:20-33) she is hard to get. The person who wants her has to work hard to obtain her (v. 3). If understanding does not come easily, one should work harder to obtain it.40He or she...
• The lure of adultery ch. 7
  This chapter dramatizes the arguments Solomon advanced in the previous section (6:20-35).The prologue (vv. 1-5) again urges the adoption of this advice, not just the reception of it. The apple (pupil) of the eye (v. 2) is its...
• A song 26:1-6
  26:1 The prophet revealed another song that will be sung "in that day"(the Millennium, cf. ch. 25) by those in Zion.The New Jerusalem that God will set up will be a place of strength and security for the redeemed (cf. Rev. 21...
• The certainty of redemption 42:10-43:7
  God had not forgotten nor was He unable to deliver His people. Their redemption was certain."This vision of what God will accomplish through his Servant is so exciting that Isaiah breaks into the ecstatic hymn of praise (vv. ...
• Isaiah's evidence 59:1-8
  "This passage describes the appalling moral breakdown of Jewish society--which perfectly accords with what we know of the degeneracy of Manasseh's reign."670The prophet resumed his accusations against God's people (cf. 58:1-5...
• The complaint 63:15-19
  Isaiah next appealed to God, on behalf of the nation, to have pity on Israel. The prophet was speaking for the faithful remnant after the exile who found little evidence that God was among them then as He had been during the ...
• Proper grounds for boasting 9:23-24
  This reflection on the nature of true wisdom contrasts strongly with the preceding dirge. In such crucial days, Judah's only hope lay in her relationship with God. The thematic connection with the context is judgment.9:23 The...
• A warning to the elders of God's people 14:1-5
  14:1-2 Some of the elders of the Jewish community in exile came to visit Ezekiel. While these men sat with the prophet, a word from the Lord came to him.14:3 The Lord revealed to His servant that these elders (along with the ...
• E. God's blessing of Daniel and his friends 1:17-21
  1:17 In addition to favor with their overseers, God gave Daniel and his three friends the ability to master the subjects they studied and wisdom in these matters (cf. James 1:5). They may have thought that Nebuchadnezzar had ...
• Praying 6:5-15 (cf. Luke 11:1-13)
  6:5-6 Jesus assumed that His disciples would pray, as He assumed they would give alms (v. 2) and fast (v. 16). Again He warned against ostentatious worship. The synagogues and streets were public places where people could pra...
• The cost and reward of discipleship 16:24-27 (cf. Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-26)
  Jesus proceeded to clarify the way of discipleship. In view of Jesus' death His disciples, as well as He, would have to die to self. However, they could rejoice in the assurance that the kingdom would come eventually. Glory w...
• Failure in self-discipline 9:43-50 (cf. Matt. 18:8-14)
  Jesus' proceeded to elaborate on the importance of disciples dealing radically with sin in their lives. He had just warned about leading other disciples astray. Now He cautioned against being led astray oneself."Seducing simp...
• The lesson of the withered fig tree 11:20-26 (cf. Matt. 21:19-22)
  This is the third part of the incident centering on the cleansing of the temple (cf. vv. 12-14).11:20-21 This event happened on Wednesday morning. "Withered from the roots"means that death was spreading through the tree begin...
• D. The temptation of Jesus 4:1-13 (cf. Matt. 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13)
  Luke stressed how the Spirit who had come upon Jesus at His baptism guided and empowered Him in His temptation and how Jesus, God's approved Son, pleased His Father by His obedience. Jesus overcame the devil who opposed God's...
• 1. The stilling of a storm 8:22-25 (cf. Matt. 8:18, 23-27; Mark 4:35-41)
  This story pictures Jesus in complete control of Himself and His environment. Its climax is not the stilling of the storm but the disciples' question about Jesus' identity (v. 25). This is the first miracle that Luke recorded...
• The Lord's Prayer 11:1-4 (cf. Matt. 6:9-13)
  Luke's record of Jesus' teaching the Lord's Prayer differs significantly enough from Matthew's account that we can safely conclude that Jesus gave similar teaching on separate occasions. This repetition illustrates the import...
• The parable of the rich fool 12:16-21
  12:16-18 Jesus told the parable of the rich fool to illustrate His point (v. 15). He presented the rich man as an intelligent farmer. The farmer did only what was reasonable. Jesus was not faulting him for his plans. Likewise...
• The vine and the branches metaphor 15:1-8
  Jesus often used a grapevine to describe the nation of Israel (cf. Matt. 20:1-16; 21:23-41; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 13:6-9; 20:9-16). The vine as a symbol of Israel appears on coins of the Maccabees.474Here Jesus used the vine meta...
• The supernatural deliverance of Peter 12:1-19
  "Peter's rescue from prison is an unusually vivid episode in Acts even when simply taken as a story about Peter. Because it is not connected with events in the chapters immediately before and after it, however, it may seem ra...
• Ministry in Philippi 16:11-40
  Luke devoted more space to Paul's evangelizing in Philippi than he did to the apostle's activities in any other city on the second and third journeys even though Paul was there only briefly. It was the first European city in ...
• Paul's speech to the dignitaries 26:1-23
  Paul was not on trial here. When he had appealed to Caesar (25:11), he had guaranteed that his next trial would be before the emperor. This was just a hearing designed to acquaint Agrippa with Paul's case so Agrippa could giv...
• 5. The exemplary value of Abraham's faith 4:18-22
  Paul concluded his proof that faith was the only method of justification before the Cross by showing that what Abraham did in trusting God is essentially what everyone must do.4:18 Abraham's hope rested solely on God's promis...
• D The benefits of justification 5:1-11
  Paul's original readers would have had another question because of what he had written in chapters 1-4. Is this method of justification safe? Since it is by faith, it seems quite unsure. Paul next gave evidence that this meth...
• 4. Our place in God's sovereign plan 8:26-30
  In the foregoing verses Paul spoke of God's plan for creation and the believer. In these verses he showed how central a place His children occupy in the plan He is bringing to completion in history.8:26 Hope helps us in our s...
• Builders of God's temple 3:10-15
  3:10 In the new illustration Paul laid the foundation of the church in Corinth by founding the church, and others added the walls and continued building on that foundation. Paul's special mission from God was to found churche...
• Paul's encouragement at their response 7:5-13a
  Paul returned to the subject of his meeting Titus in Macedonia (2:13), which he had left to expound new covenant ministry (2:14-6:10) and to urge acceptance of his ministry (6:11-7:4).7:5 When he had arrived in Macedonia Paul...
• B. Denunciation 1:6-10
  In these opening words Paul rebuked his readers for turning away from the gospel that he had preached to them and for turning toward a different "gospel."He accused them of being religious turncoats. He did so to impress them...
• I. Salutation 1:1-2
  Paul began this epistle by identifying himself and his companion and by wishing God's richest blessings on his readers."Almost all letters from the Greco-Roman period began with a threefold salutation: The Writer, to the Addr...
• A. A worthy walk 1:27-30
  The first sub-section (1:27-30) begins with a topic sentence that expresses Paul's desire for the Philippians. Then he proceeded to explain and to illustrate what constitutes a worthy walk (2:1-4:9)."With this section we come...
• 3. Slaves and masters 3:22-4:1 (cf. Eph. 6:5-9)
  3:22 Paul probably made this section longer than the preceding two because he sent this epistle to Colosse with the Epistle to Philemon. Onesimus, Philemon's run-away slave, carried them.166Moreover there may well have been m...
• II. COMMENDATION FOR PAST PROGRESS 1:3-12
  Paul thanked God for the spiritual growth of his readers, encouraged them to persevere in their trials, and assured them of his prayers for them. He did so to motivate them to continue to endure hardship and thereby develop i...
• C. Paul's role in the last days 4:6-8
  Paul revealed that he was about to die to impress on Timothy further the importance of remaining faithful to the Lord.4:6 Paul believed that he would die very soon. He used two euphemistic expressions to describe his death. F...
• E. The Son's Solidarity with Humanity 2:10-18
  The writer next emphasized the future glory that the Son will experience to heighten his readers' appreciation for Him and for their own future with Him. He did this by reflecting on Psalm 8. He wanted his readers to apprecia...
• C. The Possibility of Rest for God's People 4:1-14
  The writer returned again from exhortation to exposition. He now posed the alternatives of rest and peril that confronted the new people of God, Christians.127The writer warned his readers so they would not fail to enter into...
• 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...
• 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...
• Historical background
  The writer of this epistle was evidently the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:19) and the brother of Jude, the writer of the epistle that bears his name (cf. Matt. 13:55). This was the opinion of many of the earl...
• Message13
  The Book of James teaches us that faith in God should result in behavior that is in harmony with God's will. The theme of the book is "living by faith"or "spiritual maturity."James' concern was Christian behavior (ethics) as ...
• Outline
  I. Introduction 1:1II. Trials and true religion 1:2-27A. The value of trials 1:2-111. The proper attitude toward trials 1:22. The end product of trials 1:3-43. Help in adopting this attitude 1:5-84. The larger view of circums...
• 1. The proper attitude toward trials 1:2
  What kinds of trials was James talking about? Did he mean troubles such as running out of money, or failing a test in school, or having to stay up all night with a sick child? Yes. The Greek word translated "trials"(peirasmoi...
• 3. Help in adopting this attitude 1:5-8
  1:5 What James just explained is divine wisdom, God's view of life. However the world, which does not have or accept this revealed wisdom, generally fails to appreciate the value of enduring trials. The Christian is apt to ta...
• 4. The larger view of circumstances 1:9-11
  James had been urging his readers to adopt God's view of their trials. Now he broadened their perspective and encouraged them to adopt His viewpoint on all their present circumstances.1:9 Materially poor believers should deri...
• 2. The source of temptation 1:13-14
  James did not want us to draw the conclusion that because God permits us to experience trials He is the source of temptation. That deduction might encourage us to give in to sin.1:13 God is never the source of temptation. He ...
• 3. The progress of temptation 1:15
  Lust in this context is the desire to do, have, or be something apart from the will of God. Lust is covert, but sometimes it manifests itself overtly. If we do not check lust, it will lead to sin, and if we do not confess and...
• 4. The goodness of God 1:16-18
  James now defended God before those who doubted His goodness or reliability or who had given up hope in a time of testing and had concluded that this was their "fate."551:16 James wanted his readers to have no doubt about God...
• 2. The essential response 1:21
  The filthiness in view seems to be all kinds of unclean behavior that lies outside the will of God including anger and wrath. The "remains of wickedness"are those evil habits of life we carry over from the unredeemed world (c...
• A. The Problem of Favoritism 2:1-13
  James' previous reference to hypocritical religiosity (1:26-27) seems to have led him to deal with one form of this problem that existed among Christian Jews of his day. It is still with us today. It is the problem of inconsi...
• 2. The present improper practice 2:2-4
  The hypothetical84or familiar85situation James constructed in verses 2 and 3 presents what some have called the case of the nearsighted usher.2:2-3 "Assembly"is literally "synagogue."In the early history of the church Jewish ...
• 3. The inconsistency of favoritism 2:5-7
  James' three questions in these verses all expect positive answers, as is clear in the construction of the Greek text.2:5 Since God has chosen the poor of this world to be the recipients of His blessings it is inconsistent fo...
• B. The Importance of Vital Faith 2:14-26
  Some have seen this section as dealing with a new subject, the relationship of faith and works, whereas the previous one dealt with partiality (vv. 1-13). It seems to me, however, that this section relates to the preceding on...
• 1. James' assertion 2:14
  The Arminian interpretation of this verse (view one above) is as follows. If a person claims to be a Christian but gives no evidence of true faith by the way he lives, he may never have been saved or he may no longer be saved...
• 2. James' illustration 2:15-16
  As he did before (vv. 2-4), James provided a hypothetical though not uncommon situation to illustrate his point (vv. 15-16).James envisioned a situation that may very well have taken place in his church in Jerusalem where the...
• 5. James' rebuttal 2:19-23
  2:19 James refuted the argument of the objector stated in verse 18. Genuine faith does not alwaysresult in good works. The demons believe that what God has revealed about Himself is true. The Shema(Deut. 6:4) was and is the p...
• 1. The negative warning 3:1
  As in the previous two chapters, James introduced a new subject with a command (cf. 1:2; 2:1).Every Christian is responsible to teach others what God has revealed in His Word (Matt. 28:19; Heb. 5:12). However, James was evide...
• 5. The inconsistency of the tongue 3:9-12
  3:9 We honor God with our words, but then we turn right around and dishonor other people with what we say. This is inconsistent because man is the image of God (Gen. 1:27)."To bless God is the sublimest function of the human ...
• 1. The importance of humility 3:13
  The real qualifications of a teacher (v. 1) are wisdom (the ability to view life from God's perspective) and understanding (mental perception and comprehension).145We can perceive understanding in others quite easily, but wis...
• A. Interpersonal and Inner Personal Tensions 4:1-10
  In this chapter James gave direction to his readers to encourage and enable them to live at peace with God, others, and themselves. It ties in closely to chapter 1 (cf. 4:6 and 1:5, 21; 4:8b and 1:6-8, 15, 21, 27; 4:9-10 and ...
• 1. The source of conflict 4:1
  As in the previous chapters, James began this one with a clear introduction of a practical problem his readers faced. He had just been referring to the importance of avoiding strife (3:14-16) and loving peace (3:13, 17-18). N...
• 4. The resources to choose right 4:6-10
  4:6 God has set a high standard of wholehearted love and devotion for His people, but He gives grace that is greater than His rigorous demand. Proverbs 3:34, quoted here, reminds us that God opposes the proud, those who pursu...
• VI. MONEY AND PATIENT ENDURANCE 5:1-20
  The final practical problem James addressed involves money. He wrote these instructions to appraise his readers of a danger, to inform them of the ramifications of the problem, and to exhort them to deal with the situation ap...
• A. Warnings for the Rich 5:1-6
  It is characteristic of James' well-balanced style that he opened and closed his exhortations (in 2:1-5:6) with references to the rich. There is also a return in this chapter to encouragement to persevere in the will of God w...
• 1. The introduction of the problem 5:1
  Rich people are usually happy that they have wealth. However, James challenged his rich readers to weep and howl in anguish, not repentance. The Bible nowhere condemns the rich for being rich. Money is not evil (cf. 1 Tim. 6:...
• 3. The misuse of wealth 5:4-6
  5:4 Some of James' readers were evidently getting rich by cheating their hired workers out of their fair wages (cf. Deut. 24:15). Cries for justice from these oppressed people had entered God's ears (cf. Gen. 4:5; 18:20-21). ...
• 2. Examples of endurance 5:10-11
  5:10 One could use just about any one of the Hebrew prophets as an example of patient endurance in suffering (cf. 1:4).5:11 Job was not always patient, but he did determine to endure whatever might befall him as he waited for...
• C. The Proper Action 5:13-18
  James encouraged his readers to pray as well as to be patient to enable them to overcome the temptation to live only for the present and to stop living by faith. James not only begins and ends his epistle with references to t...
• 2. The prescription for help 5:14-16
  It is not surprising to find that James dealt with physical sickness in this epistle. He referred to the fact that departure from the will of God sets the Christian on a course that, unless corrected, will result in his or he...
• VII. THE WAY BACK TO LIVING BY FAITH 5:19-20
  James concluded this section and his entire epistle by explaining how a brother who had erred could return to fellowship with God and could resume living by faith. These instructions apply directly to what James just explaine...
• 2. The joy of our salvation 1:6-9
  "The main thread of Peter's rhetoric [in this pericope] can . . . be expressed in one sentence: Then you will rejoice with inexpressible and glorious delight, when you each receive the outcome of your faith, your final salvat...
• 3. A life of love 1:22-25
  Peter next turned his attention from the believer's duty to God to the believer's duty to his or her Christian brethren. He did so to explain further the implications of living joyfully during trials and suffering. He returne...
• 2. Slaves' respect for their masters 2:18-25
  Peter proceeded to address the situation of Christians working under the authority of others."The unusual fact, unnoticed by most Bible readers, is that he [Peter], along with Paul (1 Cor. 7:21; Eph. 6:5-8; Col. 3:22-25; 1 Ti...
• A. The Fiery Trial 4:12-19
  Peter reminded his readers of how sufferings fit into God's purposes to encourage them to persevere with the proper attitude (cf. James 1).
• 1. Suffering and glory 4:12-14
  4:12 Some Christians feel surprised when other people misunderstand, dislike, insult, and treat them harshly when they seek to carry out God's will. Peter reminded his readers that this reaction is not a strange thing but nor...
• 1. The responsibility of the elders 5:1-4
  5:1 In view of the inevitability of trials and God's judgment Peter gave a special charge to the elders (overseers) of the congregations of his readers. Peter himself was an elder as well as an apostle. As an elder he spoke f...
• 3. The importance of humility and trust in God 5:6-7
  5:6 God's almighty hand had permitted affliction to touch Peter's readers. The apostle urged them to submit to God's working in their lives as to the skillful hand of a surgeon. He assured them that God would raise them up ev...
• 4. The importance of resisting the devil 5:8-11
  5:8 Trust in God is not all that we need, however. We also need to practice self-control and to keep alert (cf. 1:13; 4:7) because Satan is on the prowl (cf. Job 1:7; Matt. 26:41; 1 Cor. 16:13). Peter's readers were in danger...
• B. The Believer's Needs 1:5-9
  Having established the believer's basic adequacy through God's power in him and God's promises to him, Peter next reminded his readers of their responsibility to cultivate their own Christian growth. He did so to correct any ...
• B. Protecting the Truth vv. 7-11
  Next John moved on to his second purpose. He wrote to encourage his readers to resist the false teachers who were distorting the truth and deceiving some of the believers."The presbyter's attention now moves from the existenc...
• I. INTRODUCTION vv. 1-2
  Jude began his epistle by identifying himself and by wishing God's blessing on his readers to prepare them for what follows.v. 1 "On the very threshold of a book written about apostasy appears a name which brings to mind a tr...
• 1. The preface 1:1-3
  The Apostle John wrote these opening verses to introduce to his readers the main subject dealt with in this book and his purpose for writing it.1:1 "The revelation of Jesus Christ"is the subject of this book. "Revelation"mean...
• 4. Promise 2:10b-11
  The citizens of Smyrna had a reputation for being faithful to the emperor because of their previous acts of fidelity to him. The crown of life is probably the fullness of eternal life as a reward (cf. 1 Cor. 9:25; 1 Thess. 2:...
• 3. Exhortation 3:18-19
  Since they considered themselves to be rich but were spiritually poor Jesus urged them to "buy,"implying self-sacrifice, the things they really needed (cf. Isa. 55:1). Instead of real gold they should buy "gold refined by fir...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• II. Prov. 1:7-9 May Be Regarded As A Summary Statement Of The Principle On Which The Whole Book Is Based, And Of The Duty Which It Enjoins.
  The principle is that true wisdom is based on religion, and the duty is to listen to parental instruction. My son,' is the address of a teacher to his disciples, rather than of a father to his child. The characteristic Old Te...
• Patience And Her Work
  Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.'--James 1:4.IT does not appear from the rest of this letter that the persons to whom it was addressed were under the pressure of any part...
• II. And Now, Secondly, A Word As To How This Precept May Best Be Carried Out.
  It is a precept. The perfecting of Christian endurance is not a thing that comes without effort. And so the Apostle puts it into the shape of an exhortation or an injunction. He does not specify methods, but I may venture to ...
• Divine Wisdom, And How To Get It
  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not.'--James 1:5.IF any of you lack: James has just used the same word in the previous verse, and it is to be regretted that the ...
• The Crown
  The crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.'--James 1:12.MY purpose is to bring out the elements of the blessed life here, by grouping together those New Testament passages which represent the futur...
• I. Now, Most Misconceptions Of A Writer's Meaning Are Due To Imperfect Definition Of Terms.
  James was no metaphysician, and he does not stop to put precisely what he means by' faith.' Clearly he meant by it the full evangelical meaning of trust when he used it in the earlier part of the letter (Jas. 1:3, 6; 2:1-5). ...