by Paul Apple | Oct 24, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: BOAST ONLY IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST AND THE CORRESPONDING SCARS OF IDENTIFICATION WITH THE CROSS INTRODUCTION: Thomas Schreiner: Galatians 6:11–18 should be categorized as a letter closing. The exhortation section has concluded with 6:10, and Paul now touches...
by Paul Apple | Oct 24, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: 2 PRACTICAL WAYS TO WALK IN LOVE BY THE SPIRIT INTRODUCTION: Richard Longenecker: In 6:1–10 Paul gives a series of instructions that spell out in practical terms what it means for his Galatian converts to “live by the Spirit” (5:16, 25a), to “be led by the...
by Paul Apple | Oct 22, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: USE FREEDOM AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WALK IN LOVE BY WALKING IN THE SPIRIT — (NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO FULFILL THE LUSTS OF THE FLESH) INTRODUCTION: Howard Vos: As Paul now launches into his discussion of the life of Christian liberty, he points out that...
by Paul Apple | Oct 21, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: STAND FIRM IN THE LIBERTY TO WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED INTRODUCTION: Robert Gromacki: After the Civil War a great majority of the slaves became sharecroppers. Although they were free, they did not enjoy their freedom. In some cases they were worse off...
by Paul Apple | Oct 20, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE OT ANALOGY OF ISHMAEL AND ISAAC PICTURES OUR FREEDOM — ACCOMPLISHED BY THE SPIRIT ACCORDING TO GOD’S PROMISE INTRODUCTION: William Hendriksen: The chapter closes with a reminder–in the form of an allegory–that those who hear the law...
by Paul Apple | Oct 16, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH MUST BE HELD ON TO DESPITE THE SEDUCTIVE DECEPTIONS OF ZEALOUS FALSE TEACHERS INTRODUCTION: Nijay Gupta: After engaging in a heavy dose of theoretical and theological discussion of the law and its place in the ongoing story of God’s...
by Paul Apple | Oct 15, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE COMING OF CHRIST ELEVATED OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD TO THAT OF PRIVILEGED SONS AND HEIRS – that’s a Big Deal INTRODUCTION: What’s the Big Deal about Christmas? Secularists today continue to try to minimize Christmas. They do everything in their power to...
by Paul Apple | Oct 14, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE COMING OF CHRIST ELEVATED OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD TO THAT OF PRIVILEGED SONS AND HEIRS INTRODUCTION: David deSilva: Paul continues to advance the view of salvation history articulated in 3:15–22, with the period of Torah’s authority yielding to the...
by Paul Apple | Jun 4, 2024 | Bible-OT
Richard Clifford: The poem on the capable or valiant woman is an acrostic poem of twenty-two lines, each line beginning with a successive letter of the alphabet. . . As with most acrostic poems in the Bible, the unity of the poem comes more from its alphabetic...
by Paul Apple | Jun 2, 2024 | Bible-OT
Richard Clifford: Verses 1–9 are skillfully composed. The first section (vv. 3–5, 26 words) is an admonition against the imprudent use of sex and alcohol (“wine,” “strong drink”) lest the luxury-loving king forget the poor. The second section (vv. 6–9, 28 words) is an...
by Paul Apple | Jun 1, 2024 | Bible-OT
Paul Koptak: There are five numerical sayings in this section, all list “four” items. Four use a “three plus one” pattern. The numerical sayings are early examples of reflections on nature and society, distinct from the numerical lists in chapter 6 and elsewhere. The...
by Paul Apple | May 30, 2024 | Bible-OT
Paul Koptak: The introduction to the “sayings of Agur” asks a series of four rhetorical questions, followed by one person’s despair at finding wisdom and God. In a sense, the “oracle” is actually a prayer in two parts, first for knowledge of God and second for a life...
by Paul Apple | May 29, 2024 | Bible-OT
I. (:17-19) BENEFITS AND DIFFICULTIES OF TRAINING REGIMENS A. (:17) Benefits of Parental Discipline “Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul.” Paul Koptak: this hopeful proverb stresses the positive aspect of “discipline”; if a...
by Paul Apple | May 28, 2024 | Bible-OT
Paul Koptak: While chapter 29 does not fall into an obvious outline, the repetition of “thrive” (root rbh, “increase”) in 29:2 and 16 and the recurrence of “wise/wisdom” in between (29:3, 8, 9, 11, 15) ties the first half together. (:1) TRANSITIONAL WARNING –...
by Paul Apple | May 25, 2024 | Bible-OT
I. (:13-14) RIGHTEOUS VS. UNRIGHTEOUS RESPONSE TO SIN A. (:13) Confessing and Forsaking vs. Concealing – Impenitent Sinner “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” Allen Ross: Repentance and...
by Paul Apple | May 24, 2024 | Bible-OT
Lindsay Wilson: These verses deal with both the righteous and the wicked, but there is a greater emphasis on the wicked. In most verses both are mentioned, but sometimes there is a focus only on the wicked (vv. 3, 9). The righteous are never the subject of an entire...
by Paul Apple | May 24, 2024 | Bible-OT
Lindsay Wilson: While Van Leeuwen regards these verses as a loosely structured section, Waltke has shown that they divide into two parallel sections (vv. 1–10 and 11–21), with the hinge verse 22 (or Janus) at the end. He suggests that each section begins with ‘to whom...
by Paul Apple | May 22, 2024 | Bible-OT
Richard Clifford: According to its topics, the chapter falls into three parts, each marked by repetition of key words: vv. 1–12, 13–16, and 17–28. In vv. 1–12, “fool” occurs eleven times, being found in every verse but v. 2. “Sluggard” occurs in every verse of vv....
by Paul Apple | May 21, 2024 | Bible-OT
Lindsay Wilson: In this section on wicked characters, there appear to be six sections with negative figures mentioned: a hateful friend, false witness, faithless man/tormentor, enemy, backbiter/bad wife and the wicked (so Bryce 1972). Verse 27b operates as an inclusio...
by Paul Apple | May 20, 2024 | Bible-OT
(:1) PROLOGUE A. Author “These also are proverbs of Solomon” Van Leeuwen: Analysis of chapters 25-27 identifies the following components: 25:2–27 – a ‘proverb poem’ addressed to courtiers, about social rank and social conflict; 26:1–12 – a ‘proverb poem’ dealing...
