Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• The Fall 3:6-8
  In this section the relationship that God had established with man, which is the focus of the creation story, is broken. We can gain a great insight into human nature from this story. Adam and Eve's behavior as recorded here ...
• 14. The rape of Dinah and the revenge of Simeon and Levi ch. 34
  After Shechem the Canaanite raped Dinah, Simeon and Levi gained revenge by deceiving the Shechemites into being circumcised as the condition for Dinah's marriage. Then they murdered the incapacitated men of the city."The stor...
• 4. Punishments for serious crimes ch. 20
  The preceding two chapters specify correct behavior. This one sets forth the punishments for disobedience. Chapters 18-19 already discussed most of the subjects dealt with in this chapter."The difference between the laws in t...
• 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...
• Moses' last campaign ch. 31
  The writer now recorded the fulfillment of God's instructions to Moses that Israel should destroy the Midianites (25:16-18). In this account, the aftermath of the battle receives more attention than the battle itself. Evident...
• The town 13:12-18
  The closest example of this ever happening in Israel that Scripture records occurs in Judges 20 in the case of Gibeah, a city in Benjamin. The circumstances were not exactly the same, but the other Israelites did discipline t...
• Individual responsibility 24:16
  The Israelites were not to punish children for the crimes their parents committed. To do so charged them with guilt unjustly.". . . it was a common thing among heathen nations--e.g., the Persians, Macedonians, and others--for...
• Date and Writer
  The Book of Joshua evidently came into being several years after the events recorded in the book took place. A number of statements point to a time of composition beyond the conquest and perhaps beyond the lifetime of Joshua....
• Scope
  As I have explained previously, the date of the Exodus was about 1446 B.C. (cf. 1 Kings 6:1).7Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness (Exod. 16:35; Num. 14:33-34). Thus Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the land abo...
• Message10
  Joshua reveals that God hates sin because He loves people. (This is the message statement.) Of course He also hates sin because it offends His holiness. However in Joshua I believe the emphasis is on God's concern for the Isr...
• Outline
  I. The conquest of the land chs. 1-12A. Preparations for entering Canaan chs. 1-21. God's charge to Joshua 1:1-92. Joshua's charge to Israel 1:10-183. The spying out of Jericho ch. 2B. Entrance into the land 3:1-5:121. Passag...
• 1. God's charge to Joshua 1:1-9
  In one sense verses 1-9 are a preamble to the whole book. They contain the basic principles that were to guide Joshua and Israel so they could obtain all that God had promised their forefathers.1:1 The first word of the book ...
• 3. The spying out of Jericho ch. 2
  As preparation for entering Canaan, Joshua sent spies to reconnoiter the area Israel would enter."Although Joshua had received a promise from the Lord of His almighty help in the conquest of Canaan, he still thought it necess...
• 2. Defeat at Ai ch. 7
  At Jericho, Israel learned God's strength. At Ai, she learned her own weakness. She could only conquer her enemies as she remained faithful to God's covenant."We are never in greater danger than right after we have won a grea...
• 3. Victory at Ai 8:1-29
  When the people had dealt with the sin of Achan as God had commanded, Israel was ready to engage the enemy again.8:1-2 In view of Israel's defeat God's encouraging words were necessary to strengthen Joshua's resolve (cf. 1:9)...
• 6. Victory over the Amorite alliance at Gibeon 10:1-27
  Israel's continuing success led her enemies to exert increasing opposition against the people of God. This chapter records the Canaanites' first aggressive action against the Israelites.10:1-5 The Jebusites lived in and aroun...
• The conquest of the land 11:16-23
  The writer referred to Canaan as "the land of the sons of Israel"first here in Scripture (v. 22). The Anakim were the mighty warriors that the 10 spies had feared (Num. 13:28). Israel destroyed most of these."The hardening of...
• The slaughter of the western kings 12:7-24
  The writer identified 31 kings in the order in which Joshua defeated them."Many of the same names appear in the Amarna letters, thus confirming the historicity of our text."158"The description was not complete. Shechem is not...
• Bibliography
  Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Province-List of Judah."Vetus Testamentum9 (1959):225-46.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwel...
• 2. The civil war in Israel ch. 20
  This chapter continues the story begun in chapter 19. The emphasis in chapter 19 was on moral degeneracy and that of chapter 20 is Israel's political disorganization. One man's sin in chapter 19 resulted in over 65,000 deaths...
• Scope
  The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
• 1. The battle of Aphek 4:1b-11
  The Philistines, as we have already seen in Judges, were Israel's primary enemy to the west at this time. Samson, too, fought the Philistines (Judg. 13-16).52There are about 150 references to the Philistines in 1 and 2 Samuel...
• 1. The plan to terminate God's judgment 6:1-9
  The Philistines acknowledged Yahweh's superiority over Dagon, but they believed they could manipulate Him (v. 3). Guilt offerings were common in ancient Near Eastern religions."Ancient religious protocol mandated that the wor...
• 3. The choice of Saul by lot 10:17-27
  "Saul's rise to kingship over Israel took place in three distinct stages: He was (1) anointed by Samuel (9:1-10:16), (2) chosen by lot (10:17-27), and (3) confirmed by public acclamation (11:1-15).112Saul's anointing had been...
• Saul's selfishness 14:24-35
  Saul's improper view of his role as Israel's king comes through clearly in verse 24. The Philistines were not Saul's enemies as much as God's enemies. This was holy war (cf. Judg. 16:28), but Saul viewed the battle too person...
• Saul's blindness to his guilt 14:36-46
  Evidently Saul would not have inquired of God if Ahijah (cf. v. 18) had not suggested he do so (v. 36). Probably God did not answer his prayer immediately because Saul wanted this information to vindicate himself rather than ...
• 5. Yahweh's final rejection of Saul ch. 15
  "In the short pericope 13:7b-15a obedience was the stone on which Saul stumbled; here it is the rock that crushes him."147Chapter 15 records one of the battles Saul had with the Amalekites, Israel's enemy to the south (cf. 14...
• The first move 6:1-11
  Baale-judah (v. 2) may have been the later name of Kiriath-jearim (cf. Josh. 15:9-10).76This was where the ark had evidently rested since the Israelites had moved it from Bethshemesh in Samuel's days (1 Sam. 6; cf. Ps. 132:6-...
• The vindication of Yahweh 18:17-40
  Ahab had a problem of perception similar to Obadiah's (v. 17; cf. v. 7). The real source of Israel's troubles was Ahab and Omri's disregard of the Mosaic Covenant and their preference for idolatry (Deut. 6:5)."This was a crim...
• 5. The Jews' self-defense 9:1-19
  The king gave the Jews permission to defend themselves by killing their enemies. Evidently this meant that they not only met attack with resistance but in some cases initiated attack against those who they knew would destroy ...
• A final plea and warning 13:15-17
  13:15 Jeremiah called the people to pay attention and not to disregard what he would tell them because they thought it was unimportant. Yahweh had a message for them.13:16 They were to give glory to Yahweh before the darkness...
• The birth of Jerusalem 16:1-5
  16:1-2 The Lord instructed Ezekiel to make the detestable practices of the people of Jerusalem known to them. He prophesied to the exiles, but his message presented the people of Jerusalem as the primary object of his attenti...
• The principle 18:1-4
  18:1-2 The Lord told Ezekiel to ask the people what they meant when they used a proverb that implied that the present generation of Israelites was suffering because of the sins of their forefathers (cf. Jer. 31:29). They were...
• 1. Renewed love and restored marriage 2:14-20
  The emphasis in this message is on the fact that God would renew His love for Israel and would restore their "marriage"relationship.2:14 Following Israel's decision to return to Yahweh after her punishment (v. 7), the Lord pr...
• 2. Micah's call for the people's response 1:10-16
  The prophet used several clever wordplays in this poem to describe the desolation that God would bring on Judah. He selected towns and villages near his own hometown in Judah's Shephelah whose names were similar to the coming...
• D. Israel's restoration to God's favor 8:1-17
  Chapter 8 not only contains two major messages from the Lord (vv. 1-17, 18-23) but 10 minor messages, "a decalogueof divine words,"155that make up the two major ones. "Thus says the Lord"introduces each of these minor message...
• The destruction of Israel's enemies 14:12-15
  Chronologically these verses describe what will follow verse 3.14:12 The Lord would smite the nations that warred against Jerusalem (vv. 1-3) with a plague that would cause the people's flesh to rot off them wherever they mig...
• The death of Ananias 5:1-6
  5:1-2 "But"introduces another sacrificial act that looked just as generous as Barnabas' (4:37). However in this case the motive was quite different. Ananias' Jewish name means "Yahweh is gracious,"and Sapphira's Aramaic name ...
• The judgment of the harlot 17:15-18
  17:15 The angel next helped John understand the identity of the waters (v. 1). Water is a common symbol for people in the Old Testament (e.g., Ps. 18:4, 16; 124:4; Isa. 8:7; Jer. 47:2). The harlot exercises a controlling infl...
• Laments over this judgment by those affected 18:9-19
  Three groups of people mourn Babylon's destruction in these verses: kings (vv. 9-10; cf. Ezek. 26:15-18), merchants (vv. 11-13, 15-17a; cf. Ezek. 27:36), and sea people (vv. 17b-19; cf. Ezek. 27:29-36).18:9 World government l...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• Achan's Sin, Israel's Defeat
  Joshua 7:1-12This passage naturally parts itself into,1. The hidden sin (Joshua 5:1); 2. The repulse by which it is punished (Joshua 5:2-5); 3. The prayer of remonstrance (Joshua 5:6-9); 4. The answer revealing the cause (Jos...
• IV. The Answer Sounds Strange At First.
  God almost rebukes him for praying. He gives Joshua back his own wherefore' in the question that sounds so harsh, Wherefore art thou thus fallen upon thy face?' but the harshness is only apparent, and serves to point the less...