Loading...
Loading...
268 illustrations
When David hears of a wealthy man stealing a poor man's sole ewe lamb, his righteous fury blazes instantly: 'The man that did this thing shall die because he had no pity.' He condemns with the heat of genuine moral...
Exell notes the critical distinction: it is not the place itself, but the way to it.
First, *Satan* (Hebrew: adversary, opponent) is not mere allegory but a real spiritual being, the prince of darkness and accuser of mankind (Job 1:7; Revelation 12:9).
The king received a narrow escape when Jeroboam's schism drove faithful priests and worshippers southward, strengthening his kingdom.
First, they robbed widows materially—devouring their houses under the facade of lengthy prayers, enriching themselves through religious pretense.
This text diagnoses humanity's universal condition: all are liable to sin and under its dominion.
The Hebrew rendering cuts deeper than arbitrary punishment: "He that despiseth the Word shall bring ruin on himself." This reveals a foundational law of Biblical revelation—that destruction is not merely God's external penalty imposed from above, but rather self-ruin, a...
"Four young men have I slain with the sword . . . yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the Lord." God's dealings with nations and individuals during trial proceed not from vindictiveness but from love and compassion, designed...
Their judgment surpasses that of Sodom, for they rejected not ignorance but revealed truth.
The work of retribution operates as a fowler's craft—precisely, inexorably.
This divine severity serves two purposes: first, the wicked have increased "the number, weight, and measure of their sins" until judgment becomes inevitable; second, Yahweh respects the benefit of others who, witnessing sudden destruction, learn not to abuse His patience...
This original uprightness required five distinct faculties working in harmony: an understanding perfectly acquainted with God's law; a memory retaining all its precepts faithfully; a conscience applying it without compromise; a heart loving that law completely; and a will obedient...
This guilt universally carries a sense of demerit.
These two graces mutually reveal and react upon each other in the penitent heart.
Wickedness and peace are mutually destructive terms—not because God arbitrarily withholds peace, but because wickedness itself is incompatible with it.
Consider how easily stubble kindles when fully dry.
First, we come into actual contact with sin, imaged in the corruption of death itself.
The Lord of hosts has purposed to stain the pride of all glory—exposing the fundamental corruption underlying human honor derived solely from men's approval.
Bishop Ryle offers a piercing parallel: the bankrupt cannot finance another's recovery; the imprisoned cannot liberate a fellow prisoner; the shipwrecked sailor cannot rescue his drowning comrade.
God does not pronounce judgment until men have first abused His benevolence and provoked His intervention.
The pedigree of true believers consists of two movements: first, they were once *in* the world, characterized by practical atheism (living without God in spirit and conduct), imperial materialism (recognizing no spiritual universe), and dominant selfishness (each governed by selfish...
Moses' honesty is remarkable—he records the magicians' genuine successes in their experiments, lending credibility to the account.
Achan's sin was not mere theft; it was *maʿal* (breach of trust), that treacherous departure from God described throughout the Pentateuch.
Our Lord justifies His parabolic teaching method on the principle that immediate revelation is not always desirable.