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Exell's Victorian commentary identifies three dynamics at work.
His brother said, "I go, sir," but went not.
The guilt of forsaking God rests upon a fundamental truth: man is bound by the law of his nature to obey the Almighty Being who made him an intelligent and immortal creature.
When comfort abandons us and earthly props crumble, the soul rises on wings of intercession toward Yahweh.
This imperative cuts deeper than His miracles over wind and waves—it exercises mastery over the highest principles of human nature itself.
The distinction between "lively" and "living" reveals Scripture's nature: where *lively* denotes mere animation, *living* (*zōē*) signifies life as an operative principle—comprehensive, generative, self-perpetuating.
1)—the first and last prophets of the old covenant—establishing the continuity between testaments.
Joseph Exell's 1887 *Biblical Illustrator* frames this eschatological promise through three movements.
David speaks not of mere bodily existence, but of life in its truest sense—union with Elohim himself.
Human history becomes one prolonged wrestling match with God's infinite riddle.
First, adoption grants believers the *huiothesia* (legal status of sons), while regeneration grants the nature of children—we possess both through faith.
For He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet.—The reign of Christ establishes this world as His battlefield now; when this conflict ends, His reign concludes also. "He shall reign till," and no longer. Who are...
Its rarity made it precious; it formed an essential ingredient in incense throughout the ancient world.
Stephen presents the portrait of a dying saint: he was filled with the Holy Ghost, lifted above earthly consciousness of his enemies' gnashing teeth, granted a full vision of heavenly glory and his glorified Redeemer, and embodied the spirit of...
His selection springs entirely from His sovereign good pleasure, not from merit or deservedness.
The apostle deliberately substitutes "is known of Him" for "knows Him"—a rhetorical choice that elevates God's initiative above human capability.
The psalmist perceives what theologian Franz Delitzsch observed: heaven and earth possess a mutually interwoven history.
Though believers, Paul could not address them as spiritual persons, for they moved in the lower, earthly region of human nature, where strife and division held sway.
Life is not blind accident but the deliberate operation of the great Workman, and perceiving Elohim's purpose becomes our shield against sorrow, doubt, despondency, and fear.
Spurgeon identifies five reasons why this upholding prayer is essential.
This distinction cuts to the heart of His redemptive mission.
Yet notice what concludes this catalog of glory: "Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever." The same reason anchors both the miraculous and the mundane.
The narrative refuses naturalistic explanation; it is supernatural or nothing.
The hand lifts itself to violence, as Cain's did against Abel, or grasps what belongs to others, as Achan seized forbidden spoils.