Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• The sins of humanity generally 6:5-8
  The second reason for the flood was the sinfulness of humanity generally.6:5 Men's and women's actions were very wicked and their thoughts and affections were completely evil by this time (cf. vv. 11-12; Rom. 1:18-32)."Near t...
• 5. The fourth, fifth, and sixth plagues 8:20-9:12
  "As the Egyptian magicians saw nothing more than the finger of God in the miracle which they could not imitate, that is to say, the work of some deity, possibly one of the gods of the Egyptians, and not the hand of Jehovah th...
• 3. Eli's lack of influence on his sons and its effect 2:22-26
  The sons of Eli followed the example of Canaanite worship rather than the instruction of the Mosaic Law. Ritual prostitution was part of Canaanite worship, and Eli's sons seem to have adopted this custom. Even when their fath...
• The battle of Mt Gilboa 31:1-6
  God had announced that Saul would deliver His people from the hand of the Philistines (9:16). However, Saul frustrated God's purpose by not following the Lord faithfully. Consequently the Philistines got the better of Saul an...
• Message10
  The fact that this book opens and closes with death should be a clue as to its message.It opens with David's death, and it closes with Ahab's death. The intervening period of about a century and a half is a story of national ...
• Message
  What this book is all about has been the subject of considerable debate. Many people think God gave it to us to provide His answer to the age-old problem of suffering. In particular, many believe it is in the Bible to help us...
• 1. Reflection on the human race 53:1-3
  53:1 A fool in the ancient Hebrew view of life was a person who did not acknowledge God's existence either intellectually or practically (cf. Rom. 1). He lived as though God does not exist. Such a viewpoint leads to unrestrai...
• II. COUPLETS EXPRESSING WISDOM 10:1--22:16
  Chapters 1-9, as we have seen, contain discourses that Solomon evidently wrote urging his sons to choose the way of wisdom for their lives.92At 10:1 we begin the part of the book that sets forth what the wise way is in a vari...
• Message20
  In contrast to the New Testament prophets, Isaiah had very little to say about an individual's relationship with God. His concern was more the relationship of God's people as a whole to the Lord, specifically the nation of Is...
• Death of liberty 3:16-4:1
  The Lord's condemnation of His people continues, but there is a change in focus. In verses 1-5 it was the male leaders who received criticism, but in this section the female citizens are more prominent. Undoubtedly what the L...
• 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...
• The oracle against Egypt chs. 19-20
  This oracle clarifies that God's purposes for Egypt, another nation the Judeans wanted to trust for help during this time of Assyrian expansion, would involve judgment followed by blessing. The passage consists of three palis...
• The preservation of God's people within a world under divine judgment 24:1-20
  Isaiah revealed that the Lord's people are at the center of His plans for the world (cf. 14:2; 21:10). He will preserve them even though He will judge sinful humanity.227This passage contains many connections with the flood n...
• Two woes against Jerusalem ch. 29
  There are two more "woes"that deal with Jerusalem in this chapter (vv. 1-14, 15-24) in addition to the one in chapter 28. The first of these is similar to the previous "woe"(cf. vv. 1-8 with 28:1-6, and vv. 9-14 with 28:7-13)...
• The incomparable Lord 40:12-26
  The preceding section answered the question that the people of Isaiah's day had about God's desire to deliver them. Yes, He wantedto deliver them. This section answered their question about whether He could save them. Yes, He...
• The witness to redemption 43:8-44:20
  Isaiah continued to show that Yahweh was both willing and able to deliver His people, a theme begun in 42:10. He confronted the gods, again (cf. 41:21-29), but this time he challenged them to bring forth witnesses to their de...
• Rampant apostasy 57:3-13
  Isaiah identified another mark of Israel, which boasted in its election by God and viewed righteousness in terms of correct worship ritual. This was the widespread departure of the nation from God (apostasy). She had forsaken...
• 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 ...
• The departure of God's glory from Jerusalem and the end of Ezekiel's vision 11:22-25
  11:22-23 Ezekiel then saw in his vision the glory of God depart from the temple gate and from the city of Jerusalem. He saw the cherubim under Yahweh's throne-chariot bear the Lord east from the entrance of the temple to 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 ...
• An application of this history lesson 20:39-44
  20:39 For now the Israelites to whom Ezekiel spoke could continue to practice idolatry, not with the Lord's blessing of course, but in the future they would listen to and obey the Lord. Then they would make His name common no...
• Samaria's prostitution 23:5-10
  23:5-8 Oholah proved unfaithful to the Lord by lusting after her attractive neighbors, the Assyrians."The appeal, then as now, was to youth, strength, position, wealth and self-gratification; that is, the world in all its daz...
• Message8
  The book of Hosea is an unusually powerful book because the prophet ministered out of his deep personal emotions. His intellectual appeals to the Israelites in his day, and to us in ours, arose out of great personal tragedy i...
• Judgment on the idolatrous worship 4:15-19
  4:15 The Lord warned the Israelites not to pollute their brethren in the Southern Kingdom with their unfaithfulness. He also warned them not to go to the pagan shrines and take an oath in His name since they did not really wo...
• Message8
  The Book of Amos is distinctive from the other prophetic books of the Old Testament in two respects.First, the prophet Amos was not a prophet in the same sense that the other prophets were prophets. He was not recognized as a...
• A. The anger and goodness of Yahweh 1:2-8
  "The opening verses of Nahum form a prologue dominated by the revelation of God's eternal power and divine nature in creation (cf. Rom 1:20). As in Romans 1:18-32, this revelation is characterized preeminently by God's justic...
• Judgment for idolatry 2:18-20
  2:18 Habakkuk, like other prophets, saw through the folly of idolatry and exposed it (cf. Isa. 41:7; 44:9-20; 45:16, 20; 46:1-2, 6-7; Jer. 10:8-16). An idol carved by human hands cannot help its maker because anyone who creat...
• 2. Indifference to the King's message 11:20-24
  One indication of Israel's opposition to her King was the antagonism she displayed toward John and Jesus' methods (vv. 2-19). Another was her indifference to Jesus' message. Jesus and His disciples had preached and healed thr...
• 5. The explanation of Jesus' preeminence 3:31-36
  This pericope explains why Jesus must become greater. It also unites several themes that appear through chapter 3. John the Apostle or John the Baptist may be the speaker. This is not entirely clear.3:31-32 The incarnate Son ...
• The teaching of Moses 7:37-43
  Stephen continued dealing with the Mosaic period of Israel's history, but focused more particularly now on Moses' teaching, the Mosaic Law. This is what the Jews of his day professed to venerate and follow exactly, but Stephe...
• Ministry in Lystra 14:8-20a
  14:8 Like Antioch of Pisidia, Lystra (modern Zoldera) was a Roman colony.580It was the most eastern of the fortified cities of Galatia. Lystra was about 20 miles south of Iconium.581Luke did not mention synagogue evangelism h...
• 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...
• Message9
  Throughout the history of the church Christians have recognized this epistle as the most important book in the New Testament. The reason for this conviction is that it is an exposition of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Luther ca...
• Outline
  I. Introduction 1:1-17A. Salutation 1:1-71. The writer 1:12. The subject of the epistle 1:2-53. The original recipients 1:6-7B. Purpose 1:8-15C. Theme 1:16-17II. The need for God's righteousness 1:18-3:20A. The need of all pe...
• II. THE NEED FOR GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS 1:18--3:20
  Paul began his explanation of the gospel by demonstrating that there is a universal need for it. Every human being needs to trust in Jesus Christ because everyone lacks the righteousness that God requires before He will accep...
• A. The need of all people 1:18-32
  Perhaps Paul began by showing all people's need for God's righteousness first because he was the apostle to the Gentiles and his Roman readers were primarily Gentiles. His argument in 1:18-3:20 moves inward through a series o...
• 1. The reason for human guilt 1:18
  In this verse Paul explained why Gentiles need to hear the gospel and experience salvation.God has revealed His wrath as well as His righteousness (v. 17) from heaven in the gospel.39As Paul would explain, the unfolding of hi...
• 2. The ungodliness of mankind 1:19-27
  1:19-20 These verses begin a discussion of "natural revelation."Natural revelation describes what everyone knows about God because of what God has revealed concerning Himself in nature. What He has revealed about Himself in S...
• 3. The wickedness of mankind 1:28-32
  The second key word in verse 18, "unrighteousness"(v. 29), reappears at the head of this list of man's sinful practices. It is a general word describing the evil effects in human relations that man's suppressing the knowledge...
• B. The need of good people 2:1-3:8
  In the previous section (1:18-32), Paul showed mankind condemned for its refusal to respond appropriately to general revelation. In this one (2:1-3:8), His subject is more man's failure to respond to special revelation. Since...
• 1. God's principles of judgment 2:1-16
  Before showing the guilt of moral and religious people before God (vv. 17-29), Paul set forth the principles by which God will judge everyone (vv. 1-16). By so doing, he warned the self-righteous.2:1-4 "Therefore"seems more l...
• 2. The guilt of the Jews 2:17-29
  Even though the Jews had the advantages of the Mosaic Law and circumcision, their boasting and fruitlessness offset these advantages. Divinely revealed religion is no substitute for trust and obedience toward God. Verses 17-2...
• C. The guilt of all humanity 3:9-20
  Having now proven all people, Jews and Gentiles, under God's wrath Paul drove the final nail in mankind's spiritual coffin by citing Scriptural proof.3:9 The phrase "What then?"introduces a conclusion to the argument that all...
• III. THE IMPUTATION OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS 3:21--5:21
  In beginning the next section of his argument Paul returned to the major subject of this epistle, the righteousness of God (v. 21; cf. 1:17). He also repeated the need for faith (v. 22; cf. 1:16) and summarized his point that...
• 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...
• IV. THE IMPARTATION OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS chs. 6--8
  The apostle moved on from questions about why people need salvation (1:18-3:20), what God has done to provide it, and how we can appropriate it (3:21-5:21). He next explained that salvation involves more than a right standing...
• 3. God's freedom to elect 9:14-18
  The question of fairness arises whenever someone makes a choice to favor one person over another. Paul dealt with the justice of God in doing what He did in this pericope."These verses are a detour from the main road of Paul'...
• 4. God's mercy toward Israel 9:19-29
  Next Paul dealt with a question that rises out of what he had just argued for, namely God's freedom to extend mercy to whom He will. Is it not logical that if God is going to show mercy to whom He will in spite of human actio...
• 1. Israel's rejection not total 11:1-10
  The first pericope gives hope for the future by showing that even now some Jews believe.11:1 The opening question carries on the rhetorical style of 10:18 and 19. God has not rejected the Israelites because they have, on the ...
• VI. THE PRACTICE OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS 12:1--15:13
  In contrasting chapters 1-11 with chapters 12-16 of Romans, perhaps the most important distinction is that the first part deals primarily with God's actions for humanity, and the last part deals with people's actions in respo...
• 4. The importance of accepting one another 15:7-13
  This section concludes Paul's instructions concerning the importance of accepting one another as Christians that he began in 14:1. In this section the apostle charged both the strong and the weak.15:7 "Accept"repeats Paul's o...
• Bibliography
  Alford, Henry. The Greek Testament. 4 vols. New ed. Cambridge: Rivingtons, 1881.Allen, Kenneth W. "Justification by Faith."Bibliotheca Sacra135:538 (April-June 1978):109-16.Auden, W. H. For the Time Being. London: Faber and F...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• II. The Apostles Are As Deeply Moved As The Multitude Is, But By What Different Emotions!
  The horror of idolatry, which was their inheritance from a hundred generations, flamed Up at the thought of themselves being made objects of worship. They had met many different sorts of receptions on this journey, but never ...