Psalm 22
Psalm 22 - "I know not whether any Psalm throughout the whole book contains matter more weighty, or from which the hearts of the godly can so truly perceive those sighs and groans, inexpressible by man, which ...
Psalm 21
Psalm 21 - There is a theme of kingship within this psalm. It's likely it was originally composed for recital during the ceremony of enthronement for a king. In his commentary titled "Psalms," James Luther Mays writes, ...
Psalm 20
Psalm 20 - Already, but not yet. What a difficult attitude to have. How do you move from crying out in prayer to trusting in God? Does that even happen in your life? It's an interesting question. ...
Psalm 19
Psalm 19 - One of the issues addressed in this psalm is hidden sin. I'm not talking about sins you know about, but sin that you are ignorant of. The psalmist calls them "hidden faults." None of ...
Psalm 18
Psalm 18 - There are some things which can only be learned over time. God's faithfulness is one particular characteristic that cannot be understood outside of the ups and downs of life. The psalm here in chapter ...
Psalm 17
Psalm 17 - We face critical situations all the time. These trials batter our hearts and our minds. They trample our senses and destroy our hope. The psalmist describes such trials by repeatedly referencing the physical attributes ...
Psalm 16
Psalm 16 - Inheritance is something that's found extensively in Scripture. David writes of this inheritance in verse 5. The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. Psalm 16:5 The ...
Psalm 14
Psalm 14 - When the psalmist refers to the unbeliever as a fool, he isn't insulting his intelligence. It's a moral charge. Sye Ten Bruggengate, a Christian apologist, relates this thought to a personal story. “My father ...
Psalm 13
Psalm 13 - This psalm is general enough to speak to anyone going through a crisis but specific enough to contain the primary elements of a prayer for help. It is a solid illustration of how we ...
Psalm 12
Psalm 12 - Lies. Deception. Delusion. We all do it. We use coping mechanisms to help us deal with reality. In many ways, it's a strategy to deny reality. The problem with this is that we begin ...
Psalm 11
Psalm 11 - Many scholars believe this Psalm was written while David was still in King Saul's court. The hatred of David by Saul had just begun but had not manifested into open persecution quite yet. People ...
Psalm 9
Psalm 9 - According to Spurgeon, the title of this Psalm is, “A Psalm on the death of the son,” or “on the death of the champion.” Many have speculated that this could have been written following ...
Psalm 8
Psalm 8 - "Have you never read..." The words pierced like a dagger. It was a direct challenge to the authority and comprehension of these so-called representatives of God. The Pharisees hated Jesus. They made it their ...
Psalm 7
Psalm 7 - As I read Psalm 7, I found myself asking if God was not righteous, would I pray to Him? In other words, what logical reason do we have for pleading our case before the ...
Psalm 6
Psalm 6 - This is the first of the Penitential Psalms. Most believe this piece would have begun with a wail and finished as a song. Speaking of... have you ever wailed before God? Can you relate ...
Psalm 5
Psalm 5 - In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. Psalms 5:3 NASB It's easy to tell God what we want, ...
Psalm 4
Psalm 4 - A major NT theme for believers is the concept of perseverance. This is something David articulated well. If we look closely at this Psalm, we can see that David seems troubled. He is calling ...
Psalm 3
Psalm 3 - When studying the Psalms, you can generally classify them into three different categories of petition, thanksgiving, and praise. This approach to the Psalms is validated in 1 Chronicles. Then he appointed some of the ...
Psalm 2
Psalm 2 - This royal psalm was a familiar one, as it was recited often by God's followers. We read of two instances in the book of Acts where this Psalm is quoted. The one I want ...
Psalm 1
Psalm 1 - Regarded as the Psalm of Psalms, this opening chapter sets the table for the entire book. Psalms seeks to encourage us in the ways of the Lord and discourage us from the wickedness of ...
Mark 16
Mark 16 - The Great Commission is important. So important, in fact, that we find it 5 times in the NT. It's found here in Mark 16, as well as Matthew 28, Luke 24, John 20 and ...
Mark 11
Mark 11 - The Pharisees were reeling. Jesus had just cleansed the Temple and done it with supreme authority. Aside from that one event, however, they were most likely trying to figure out who this man really ...
Mark 10
Mark 10 - Bartimaeus called Jesus the “son of David” which was a prophetic title. It revealed a spiritual depth of both trust and faith. He believed in the sovereign power of the Messiah. What's interesting about ...
Mark 9
Mark 9 - We all know the greatest commandment according to Jesus. Here's a refresher... "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. ...
Mark 7
Mark 7 - Judaism during Jesus' time not only put an emphasis on the written law (the Old Testament) but also the oral law. The oral law would have been man's interpretation of the written law passed ...
Mark 6
Mark 6 - Have you ever sat down and read Scripture and thought, "I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to live like that? Or how about, "Did Jesus really mean what I think He meant?" ...
Mark 5
Mark 5 - I want to make a few quick points about the demon-possessed man and then move to the woman who touched Jesus. We read several striking characteristics about this demon-possessed man. This man had been ...
Mark 2
Mark 2 - At the end of this chapter, we see a common problem that Jesus faced with the Pharisees. These law-abiding men had taken a command and turned it into a burden. The Sabbath was established ...
Mark 1
Mark 1 - It's fascinating to identify the different writing styles of the Gospel authors. Matthew began with genealogy. His mission was to write to the Jews and prove that Jesus was the heir to David's throne. ...
Deuteronomy 31
Deuteronomy 31 - “But was his momentary failure not far too severely punished?" Alexander MacLaren We tend to look at old man Moses and feel sorry for him. The fiery temper that ended the life of an ...
Deuteronomy 23
Deuteronomy 23 - As we've written many times in Deuteronomy, these laws can seem foreign to us. In some ways, they prescribe almost an ascetic type of lifestyle. Asceticism is defined as a lifestyle characterized by abstinence ...
Deuteronomy 19
Deuteronomy 19 - We find the familiar "eye for an eye" passage in Deuteronomy 19. In such cases show no mercy; the punishment is to be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a ...
Deuteronomy 18
Deuteronomy 18 - "God said..." It's a phrase that has permeated our Christian culture. It's a statement that flies out of people's mouths easily and routinely. Reading it in Christian books and magazines and hearing it in ...
Deuteronomy 17
Deuteronomy 17 - There are many times that the Old Testament rituals and rules can seem odd and misplaced under our New Covenant relationship with Jesus. It is imperative that when we go back through the Old ...
Deuteronomy 16
Deuteronomy 16 - Favoritism. Bribes. Bias. Corruption. Does this not describe our current political climate? God gave specific laws regarding the judges that He Himself would appoint for Israel. First, there would be impartiality. Everyone would be ...
Deuteronomy 11
Deuteronomy 11 - Remember. Teach. Obey. This is the instruction given to those who were responsible for raising the next generation. Remember today what you have learned about the LORD through your experiences with him. It was ...
Deuteronomy 8
Deuteronomy 8 - Remember that the LORD your God corrects and punishes you just as parents discipline their children. 6 So then, do as the LORD has commanded you: live according to his laws and obey him. ...
Deuteronomy 7
Deuteronomy 7 - What is your motivation for obedience? Do this because you belong to the LORD your God. From all the peoples on earth he chose you to be his own special people. 7 "The LORD ...
Deuteronomy 4
Deuteronomy 4 - "No other nation, no matter how great, has a god who is so near when they need him as the LORD our God is to us. He answers us whenever we call for help. ...
Numbers 24
Numbers 24 - To me, the most striking verse in this chapter begins with verse 1. When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek ...
Numbers 23
Numbers 23 - This chapter reminds me of an encounter Elijah had with the prophets of Baal when they were seeking help from their "god." They took the bull that was brought to them, prepared it, and ...
Numbers 20
Numbers 20 - So... do you want the bad news or the worse news? Well, the bad news is that in Numbers 20 we, unfortunately, witness a sobering truth - complaining and unbelief go hand-in-hand. Where you ...
Numbers 17
Numbers 17 - But the LORD said to Moses, "Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put an end to their grumblings against ...
Numbers 13
Numbers 13 - We finally arrive at the "meat and potatoes" of the book of Numbers. The Israelites were to scope out the Promised Land and give a full report back to Moses. In the beginning, everything ...
Numbers 5
Numbers 5 - The ceremony (Num 5:11-31) which was developed as a means to test someone suspected of adultery is very strange in our modern context. God instructed a specific way to handle these affairs because He ...
Numbers 4
Numbers 4 - Numbers 1 dealt with numbering the tribes. Numbers 2 was all about the ordering of the camps. Numbers 3 introduced us to the duties of the priests and Levites. Now, in Numbers 4, it ...
Luke 20
Luke 20 - Some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well." 40 For they did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything. Luke 20:39-40 NASB The so-called “experts” of the ...
Luke 18
Luke 18 - Have you ever uttered these phrases? “Well, I’m not really that bad.” “I’m not as bad as _________.” “I’ve done ________ so I’m a pretty good person.” We’ve probably all muttered these phrases to ...
Luke 3
Luke 3 - The way the Holy Spirit moved in order for Jesus Christ to come into this world is really fascinating. There are so many wonderful stories in Christ’s family tree. The interesting thing is, the ...
Luke 1
Luke 1 Commentary by Brad Boyles Who made the most significant contribution to the New Testament in terms of total verses? Most would say Paul or maybe even John, but those answers would be incorrect. Who was the only non-Jewish ...
Song of Solomon 1
Song of Solomon 1 Commentary by Brad Boyles Just like the phrase "holy of holies" and "king of kings," Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) means "the loveliest of songs." Some Jewish scholars originally interpreted this book allegorically stating that ...