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The book of II Samuel calls David the sweet psalmist of Israel (II Samuel 23:1), and yet the same book tells us that God prohibited him from building the temple (II Samuel 7:1-11), because as we will learn later, he was a man of war (I Chronicles 22:8). We often do not think of army commanders as gifted composers, but such was the case with David. All too often the battles of life rob us of our song. David, however, who had slain his thousands, never let the song go out of his heart. Indeed, many of David’s greatest psalms were written during times of conflict. We trust that you will learn more about this mighty conqueror and gifted composer as you study his life in II Samuel.
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Isaiah ends his great prophecy by telling us about a new heaven and new earth. He does not leave us in the dark, however, about how this new universe will come to be. The entire focus of the book is on the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The prophet tells us of Christ’s birth, Christ’s cross, and Christ’s return. Jesus is the Servant of the Lord who accomplishes the very salvation of God. Indeed, He is God’s salvation. And it is no halfway salvation. It is salvation that helps us in this life and in the life to come. Those who embrace Christ are saved to the uttermost. We trust that you will arrive at a greater appreciation of this great salvation through this study of Isaiah
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As the children of Israel were exiled in Babylon, it appeared as if God’s glory had permanently departed from their midst. Indeed, God begged them not to send Him away as His glory gradually departed. The Israelites, however, like us, often believe that life is do-able without God. The result of this humanistic philosophy is bondage and death. God, however, is not through with us. He promises to return in all of His power and fill not only the temple, but also the whole earth, with His glory. Join us in a study of Ezekiel and learn how to appreciate the glory of God that indeed fills the house.
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The Jewish people, after a long deportation, were now allowed to return to the land of promise. The primary spiritual leader during this return was Ezra. By examining the book that bears his name, the modern Christian is able to see the importance of corporate worship, spiritual fellowship, fervent prayer, and hard work. More importantly, the reader of Ezra is able to see the necessity of maintaining a spirit of revival to avoid the temptation to apathy and despair. God has not abandoned us, and He will see us through the process as we come home.
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Though there are many different interpretations to the book of the Revelation, and good men disagree about minor points of exegesis, the thrust of the book is obvious. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The book is about Jesus and how He emerges victorious over Satanic and despotic government. And because believers are affiliated with Jesus, they too are winners. No matter how much tribulation we have in this world, we can be of good cheer, for Christ has overcome the world. In the end, the saints win. We trust that as a result of this study of Revelation, you will rest and rejoice in the victory that is yours through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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God comforts us so that we can comfort other people. No one knew this better than the Apostle Paul. When he left Corinth, his motives were questioned, and this prepared the way for an awkward visit upon his return. He thus writes to the Corinthian church in order to clear the air before his arrival. In addition, the Corinthian discipline of an erring brother had bordered on excessive, and this also was creating a strain on personal relationships on a variety of fronts. Thus, Paul writes to the Corinthian church about the necessity of using one’s influence to comfort others. The Christian community always functions better under comfortable relationships, and we trust that as a result of this study of Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, you will feel comfortable being a comforting believer.
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Job’s belief in the sovereignty of God did not allow him the luxury of attributing his successive and severe calamities to secondary sources. It never occurred to him to blame natural disasters, human agents, or even the devil for his suffering. The Lord had given, and the Lord had taken away. Why did God grant the devil permission to afflict Job so severely seeing Job lived so righteously? Job seeks answers, and those provided by his friends are wholly inadequate. When God finally arrives on the scene, He does so, not to answer questions, but to question answers. For example, God asks Job, “Where were you when I made behemoth?” The behemoth, a massive land animal, serves no apparent reason for existence. And if a man tries to get ahold of it in order to analyze it, he only ends up injuring himself. The point is that suffering is a behemoth. We often don’t know why God allows it, and if we attempt to understand it more fully, we only end up injuring ourselves. We trust that this commentary will assist you in trusting God even when His ways are inexplicable.
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Jeremiah was nearly twenty years old when he began his ministry in 627 BC and immediately began to address a nation that was rapidly approaching the judgment of God. Because Jeremiah prophesied in the final years of Judah before the Babylonian exile, his overwhelming theme is judgment. Indeed, the first forty-five chapters of the book focus on God’s judgment of Judah. Ironical- ly, however, there is an element of grace throughout the book, and significantly, Jeremiah’s prophesy provides the most vivid treatment of the New Covenant whereby God will remember Judah’s sins and iniquities no more. Indeed, God was pulling down in order to build. We trust that this commentary on Jeremiah will help you accept the grace of God even when life is falling apart.
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God promised Joshua that the entire land of Canaan was available, but he and the Israelites must go forward and possess their possessions. Sadly, in the New Testament era, Christians many times allow the promises of God to be nothing more than unclaimed freight. Paul, in the book of Ephesians, outlines for us the glorious inheritance that we have in Christ and then encourages us to advance and claim it. May this study in Ephesians incentivize you to possess your possessions.
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Many have seen a parallel between the five books of the Psalter and the five books of the Pentateuch. Indeed, the first book of the Psalter (Psalms 1-41), which mirrors the book of Genesis, speaks graphi- cally of the heavens that declare the glory of God and also of man’s ruination of the created environ- ment through his fall into sin. Many hymns, such as “How Great Thou Art,” speak of God’s excellence that can be observed in the created order. This is very much in keeping with God’s inspired hymn- book where you and I are invited to sing about the mighty power of God.
