Category: <span>Commentary</span>

2 John

John’s second and third letters related to specific situations in churches with whom he was familiar. John was concerned for his readers to grasp the significance of Jesus’ coming in the flesh and the necessity of responding to God’s love in Christ by loving the brethren. When many began to abandon these fundamental Christian doctrines, John was inspired to write messages of warning to the faithful—lest more be led astray by falsehood. Though John had particular issues to address in 2-3 John, the logic of his instructions displayed a mindset grounded in God’s redemptive work in the history of Israel and in Christ.

2 John

The notion of “truth” dominated even the greeting of 2 John: “To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not only I, but also all who have come to know the truth—because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever” (2 John 1-2). John reminded his readers that those who denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh were actually following the teaching of the antichrist (2 John 7; 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3). In 2 John 6 John exhorted the church to walk in love, reflecting the old command of Lev 19:18. In Leviticus 19, Moses set forth instructions for Israel’s community maintenance as they headed toward Canaan and occupancy in the land. He commanded God’s people to love one another as they loved themselves (Lev 19:18). This was an ancient command, one God’s people had from the beginning, and John reminded his readers that it applied to them (2 John 5; 1 John 2:9-11; 3:10-23; 4:7-12).

For John, knowledge of the truth demanded that one walk in love toward other believers and thus walk according to God’s commands (2 John 6). While there was consistency in John’s message, some had gone out from the church with a new teaching saying that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh (2 John 7). John’s portrayal of the stability of the Christian message in 2 John 9, reflected Moses’ understanding of the stable tradition of the law God gave to Israel. Moses commanded Israel not to add to or take away from the words God had given them (Deut 4:2; 12:32). In Deut 18:9-22, Moses warned Israel not to follow false prophets and foretold of a day when the Lord would raise up another prophet like him so that the people could have a stable frame of instruction. John warned his readers, saying, “Anyone who does not remain in the teaching about Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9).

2 John Commentary New Testament

1 John 3-5

Of the New Testament writers, it may be that the apostle John would have the greatest claim to intimacy with Jesus (John 13:23; 21:20). Pastoral remorse may have filled John’s heart when some in his audience began denying that God had come in the flesh. With both warmth and warning, John wrote to affirm his readers—some of whom, because of the growing popularity of the heretical message, had begun to falter in their confession of faith. John’s message to them reflected his understanding of Scripture as a storyline that anticipated the incarnation and ministry of Jesus.

(1) In 1 John 3:8-10, John described the Devil’s role in human sin, echoing Genesis 3 and Job 1-2. The serpent in the Garden of Eden was more crafty than any other animal the Lord created. The serpent spoke to Eve, tempting her to doubt God’s word and take the fruit and eat of it so that she could be like God. In Gen 3:15, the Lord condemned the serpent and said that one of Eve’s offspring would crush his head. Satan slandered Job when he said that Job only feared God because God protected his property, family, and health. John wrote that Jesus was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). Those in the congregation of John’s audience who continued to practice sinful lifestyles while claiming to be believers in Christ were actually of the Devil. John encouraged his audience that those who were truly born of God and believed in Jesus should manifest their spiritual state by practicing righteousness.

(2) In 1 John 4:12, John wrote that no one has ever seen God, recalling the Lord’s statement to Moses in Exod 33:20. Following Israel’s sin with the golden calf in Exodus 32, the Lord told Moses that He would yet lead Israel to the Promised Land. Moses asked the Lord to confirm His word by allowing him to see God’s glory (Exod 33:18). The Lord replied that He would allow Moses to see His goodness and that He would proclaim His name to Moses but told him, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live” (Exod 33:20). John affirmed God’s word to Moses but went on to say, “If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12). John’s statement mirrored Jesus’ words in John 13:34-35, when Jesus told the eleven that all would know that they were His disciples if they had love for one another. John’s readers could be assured that since the message of the historical Jesus would not change, a lifestyle of love would always be the mark of true conversion.

(3) In 1 John 5:3-5, John coordinated love for God with obedience to God’s commands, reflecting Moses’ logic in Deut 6:1-9; 30:1-11. After Moses restated the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5, he exhorted Israel in Deut 6:1-9 to obey God’s instructions that they might fear and love Him. Then just before Moses established Joshua as the new leader of Israel in Deuteronomy 31, Moses prophesied that the Lord would cast Israel from the land because of their disobedience (Deut 30:1-10). Moses urged Israel to obey what God had commanded them, saying, “This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach” (Deut 30:11). John wrote that God’s children are known by their obedience to God’s commands. Because of the new birth John’s audience had received, God’s commands were not a burden to them, not too difficult for them. They had conquered the world through their faith in Jesus (1 John 5:3-5).

(4) In 1 John 5:21, John commanded his readers to avoid idols, echoing the second commandment of the law. Moses commanded Israel not to make any object which they would worship as a god (Exod 20:4; Deut 5:8). Throughout the historical and prophetic books of the Old Testament, God’s people were warned against their tendency to bow to the idols of the nations around them—an error that first took place before Moses had even come down with the tablets of the covenant, when Israel bowed to the golden calf in Exodus 32. Israel’s failure to heed the second commandment was ultimately the cause for the exile (Deuteronomy 28-30; 2 Kings 17, 25). In the final sentence of 1 John, John addressed his audience, saying, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). For John, one committed idolatry when they deviated from Christian doctrine and failed to worship Jesus, the One whom John called the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20). In John’s understanding, one committed idolatry when they adopted false views about Jesus.

1 John Commentary New Testament

1 John 1-2

John wrote his first epistle to set forth objective standards by which those under his care could evaluate their spiritual experience. In a day when many were claiming to have subjective standards of spirituality, John sought to bolster his reader’s faith by providing factual criteria for charting one’s relationship with God. Near the end of 1 John he wrote, “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Though John never explicitly quoted the Old Testament in 1 John, he repeatedly linked his descriptions of God, Jesus, and Christian living to passages of Scripture that would have been familiar to his readers.

(1) In 1 John 1:1, John described the Word of life in reference to Gen 1:1. John’s phrase “what was from the beginning” (1 John 1:1) echoed the opening line of Genesis, “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” At the outset of John’s description of Jesus in 1 John, he identified Jesus with God. Later in 1 John 1:1, John referenced Jesus’ incarnation stating that he and others had touched the Word of life with their hands. Parallel to John 1:1-4, here John established the point that God came in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

(2) In 1 John 1:1b-3, John portrayed the revelation of the Word of life in terms that recalled God’s revelatory acts in Psalm 19. The psalmist reflected on God’s revelation in the natural world (Ps 19:1-6) and in His word (Ps 19:7-14). The psalmist portrayed the heavens as living, communicative beings that speak of God’s glory as Creator. Since the heavens surround the globe, there is no habitation on earth hidden from God’s revelation of His glory in creation. As God has revealed His glory pervasively in creation, He has revealed His moral expectations to His people through His word so that humanity might walk uprightly before God, the Redeemer. John wrote that the Word of life was revealed and seen and proclaimed so that those who heard of the Word of life might have fellowship with God.

(3) In 1 John 1:5-6, John coordinated the metaphor of God being light with His requirement of moral uprightness, echoing a theological portrait of God in the Old Testament. Psalm 27:1 begins, “The LORD is my light and my salvation.” In Ps 18:28, the psalmist described God as the lamp that guided his feet in the darkness. In Ps 43:3, the psalmist said, “Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place.” Isaiah prophesied that the Lord would be the everlasting light for His people after the Lord restored them from those whom He had sent to violently oppose them for their sin (Isa 60:17-22). John maintained the same theological understanding as the psalmists and Isaiah. Since God is light, those claiming to know God must walk in moral purity lest they be found false and fail to walk in the truth (1 John 1:5-6).

(4) In 1 John 1:7 and 2:2, John noted that Jesus’ blood provides cleansing for sins, recalling the connection between blood and cleansing in Israel’s sacrificial system. When the Lord instituted the Passover festival in Exodus 12, He told Moses that the blood on the doorposts and lintel of the homes where the Passover was eaten would distinguish His people from the Egyptians (Exod 12:7, 13). During the covenant ceremony in Exodus 24, Moses sprinkled blood on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you concerning all these words” (Exod 24:8). The blood of a bull or lamb sacrificed as the sin offering atoned for sins in Israel (Leviticus 4) and the blood of the bull and goat offered on the Day of Atonement annually atoned for Israel’s sin (Leviticus 16). John’s frame of thought in 1 John 1:7 and 2:2 portrayed Jesus’ blood as the realization of what Israel hoped to enjoy through the sacrificial system of the law.

(5) In 1 John 2:9-11, John described the importance of loving other believers, echoing Lev 19:17-18. In Leviticus 19, Moses recorded laws for community maintenance in Israel. As Israelites directly confronted one who sinned against them, avoided taking revenge, and loved their neighbors as themselves, they would reflect the Lord’s presence among them. Jesus said that love for neighbor accompanied love for God as the greatest commandment in the law (Matt 22:39//Mark 12:31//Luke 10:27b) and told His disciples that all would know they were in fact His disciples if they loved one another as He loved them (John 13:34-35). In Rom 13:9 and Gal 5:14, Paul said that all of the commandments of the law were summarized in love for neighbor as described in Lev 19:18. James called Lev 19:18 the “royal law” of Scripture (Jas 2:8). John wrote, “The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother is in the darkness until now” (1 John 2:9).

(6) In 1 John 2:20-27, John coordinated the concept of anointing with knowledge, reflecting Jeremiah’s description of the new covenant in Jer 31:31-34. Jeremiah prophesied that in the new covenant, the Lord would put His law in the hearts and minds of His people so that each could know Him in a personal way. John was concerned that some false teachers were persuading his audience and suggesting that to know God they needed further knowledge beyond the message of Christ. The audience had received this knowledge in their minds when God anointed them; they needed nothing else.

1 John Commentary New Testament

2 Peter

The opponents in view in 2 Peter taught that believers like Peter were wrong in their interpretation of the times. In 2 Peter, Peter was strongly polemical against a specific group of false teachers with whom he disagreed. These teachers had come to different doctrinal conclusions not only out of errant analysis of Scripture but also because of moral license (2 Pet 2:10-11, 13-14, 18-19; 3:17). Peter’s response to those who opposed him and his friends was grounded in the storyline of Scripture.

(1) In 2 Pet 2:5-7, Peter recalled accounts of deliverance and destruction in Genesis to remind his audience that God is able to rescue whomever He would choose while destroying their opponents. When the Lord saw the wickedness of humanity, He said He was going to judge the world by flooding the whole earth. Moses wrote, “Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen 6:8). The Lord rained fire and sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah but sent angels to rescue Lot (Gen 19:29). Peter wrote that in light of God’s historical faithfulness to simultaneously save and condemn, He was able to care for the believers in Peter’s audience while obliterating those who reject the gospel.

(2) In 2 Pet 2:15-16, Peter cited Balaam’s greed as an analogy for the greedy prophets surrounding his audience. Balak king of Moab was intimidated by Israel and sought to hire Balaam to curse them (Num 22:1-6). Balaam acquiesced to Balak’s request and came to Moab, stating, however, that he would speak only as the Lord directed him (Num 22:7-21). Along the way, the Lord rebuked Balaam by sending an angel to speak through the mouth of the donkey carrying him to Balak (Num 22:22-35). Peter knew the flow of the story in Numbers 22 and thought it illustrative for his audience. In Peter’s analysis, the false teachers terrorizing his audience did so because of greed. Like Balaam, they sought the wages of unrighteousness (2 Pet 2:14-16). Peter said that judgement was reserved for those who walked in Balaam’s steps (2 Pet 2:17).

(3) In 2 Pet 2:22, Peter quoted Prov 26:11 to portray the awfulness of apostasy. Some of those who opposed Peter’s audience at one point had professed faith (2 Pet 2:20). Peter said that it would have been better had they not known the way of righteousness than having known it to be entangled again in worldliness (2 Pet 2:21). Proverbs 26:11 illustrated the situation of the apostates, they were like dogs that return to their own vomit.

(4) In 2 Pet 3:5-7, Peter noted the power of God’s word in creation and in preserving the world until the day of judgement. In the account of creation in Genesis 1, God’s word was the creative means by which He formed all that is seen (Gen 1:3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24, 26). Peter knew this and knew that God maintained by His word what He had created by His word. The heavens and the earth are being held by God’s word until the day of judgement when God will destroy the wicked with fire. Peter portrayed the period of delay as an exclamation point on God’s mercy—a time when the Lord wanted many to come to repentance (2 Pet 3:8-9).

(5) In 2 Pet 3:4, 10, Peter portrayed the Day of the Lord—described by the prophets as the day of judgement—as the time of Christ’s return. Israel’s prophets reminded their audiences of the future day when God would judge all who opposed Him and His faithful ones. Isaiah said the Day of the Lord would be a time of reckoning upon the arrogant for their idolatry (Isa 2:5-22). It would be the time of Babylon’s destruction (Isa 13:6-22). Joel prophesied that the Day of the Lord would be signaled by cataclysm in the heavens and on earth, bringing devastation upon the nations that oppose God (Joel 1:15-2:11). The false prophets Peter had in mind in 2 Peter led a lifestyle of deceit and libertinism (2 Pet 2:1-3), took advantage of those weak in faith (2 Pet 2:17-22), and mocked the Lord’s imminent return (2 Pet 3:1-7). Rather than recognizing the Lord’s patience as an opportunity for holy and godly living (2 Pet 3:11-12), they became naturalists, materialists, and sought all sorts of selfish greed. Peter prophesied that they would be judged when Christ returned like a thief (2 Pet 3:4, 10). Peter encouraged his audience to await the new heavens and earth, where righteousness will dwell without end (2 Pet 3:13; Isa 65:17).

2 Peter Commentary New Testament

1 Peter 3-5

In the final three chapters of 1 Peter, Peter continued to urge his audience to fully embrace the alien status that had been forced on them. As those scattered from their homeland, they were to be mindful that nowhere on earth was home; in consequence they ought to alienate themselves from the selfish ways of the world and follow Christ’s example of submission in suffering. Peter employed texts from Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah to buttress the Christian faith and endurance of his readers

(1) In 1 Pet 3:6, Peter referenced Sarah’s submission to Abraham as a precedent for wives among the elect exiles to trust God and obey their husbands. When the Lord called Abraham, He promised the patriarch that he would have a great lineage (Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-6). But as Abraham and Sarah aged, they were not given children. When Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord told him that within a year Sarah would conceive and they would have a son (Gen 17:15-22). The Lord sent messengers to Abraham reaffirming His word that Sarah would conceive within a year. When she heard the news, she laughed within herself and said, “After I have become shriveled up and my lord is old, will I have delight?” (Gen 18:12). Peter knew that Sarah called Abraham her lord after years of following Abraham and waiting on God to fulfill His promise. Peter wanted the women in his audience to follow Sarah’s example in deed and word so that their submissive obedience would reflect not only Sarah’s posture toward Abraham but also Jesus’ submissive obedience to God (1 Pet 2:21-3:1).

(2) In 1 Pet 3:10-12, Peter quoted Ps 34:12-16 to reinforce his exhortations that his audience live at peace with one another. This is the second use of Psalm 34 in 1 Peter, Peter having quoted Ps 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” in 1 Pet 2:3. David went undercover to the Philistines in order to hide from Saul (1 Sam 21:10-15) and he wrote Psalm 34 after he departed from them. While David was in the presence of the Philistine king, he pretended to be insane so that the king would dismiss him rather than see him as a political threat. David wrote that the one who wants to see a long life and good days should seek peace and pursue it (Ps 34:12, 14). By pretending to be insane, David was seeking peace with the Philistine king and with Saul. Peter used David’s words in Ps 34:12-16 to encourage his audience to demonstrate humility and congeniality toward one another, reminding them that as they bestowed blessing on others, God would bless them.

(3) In 1 Pet 3:14, Peter quoted Isa 8:12 to urge his readers to be confident even when they suffered for righteousness. In Isaiah 8, the prophet recorded the Lord’s word to him, and the prophets under his care, following Ahaz’s decision to reject God’s offer of help against the threat from Israel and Syria (Isa 7:1-8:10). Ahaz chose to make an alliance with Assyria, rejecting God (2 Kgs 16:1-9). The Lord told Ahaz, “Do not call everything an alliance these people say is an alliance. Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified” (Isa 8:12). In Isa 8:13, the Lord said, “You are to regard only the LORD as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be held in awe.” After Peter’s citation of Isa 8:12 in 1 Pet 3:14, he wrote, “Set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Peter thus placed Jesus in the position Isaiah reserved for God.

(4) In 1 Pet 4:8, Peter quoted Prov 10:12 to spur on further community in his audience. Peter placed the proverb, “Love covers a multitude of sins,” in the shadow of his exposition of Christ’s suffering and covenantal love at Calvary (1 Pet 2:21-25) and the reminder that Christ had suffered unjustly for sinners (1 Pet 3:18). In the literary flow of the Epistle, the call to love set forth in Prov 10:12 had a bloody-red hue about it.

(5) In 1 Pet 4:18, Peter quoted Prov 11:31 to encourage his audience to endure suffering on the way to ultimate salvation. In 1 Pet 4:12-19, Peter wrote that though his audience would suffer for their faith in Christ, that suffering would not be ultimate. Salvation they would finally enjoy. And if God brought such suffering upon His righteous ones, what would come of those who do not obey the gospel? The conditional statement of Prov 11:31, “If the righteous will be repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and sinful,” expressed the frame of thought Peter wanted to establish in his audience.

(6) In 1 Pet 5:5, Peter quoted Prov 3:34 to exhort his audience to humble themselves before the Lord and their leaders. Since “God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:5b), Peter’s audience could either follow the way of wisdom expressed in Prov 3:34 or open themselves to the Devil’s influence (1 Pet 5:8).

1 Peter Commentary New Testament

1 Peter 1-2

The Epistle of First Peter was written to a group of believers who had been removed from their homeland because of persecution. They were thus aliens, temporary residents in a foreign place. While many would have considered this a disadvantaged position, Peter proposed that their current situation mirrored the spiritual reality of believers in any age. Peter used the Old Testament to exhort his audience to remember what God had done for them and embrace their alien status.

(1) In 1 Pet 1:2, Peter noted that his audience was elect and marked by the blood of Jesus, recalling when Moses sprinkled blood upon Israel in Exod 24:3-8. In Exodus 19, the Lord appeared to Moses and Israel on Mount Sinai. There the Lord gave Israel the law (Exod 24:1-2). Moses offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord and sprinkled some of the blood on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you concerning these words” (Exod 24:8). Peter told his audience of exiles that their election by God was confirmed by God Himself, sprinkling the blood of Jesus upon them so that they would be marked as His people of the new covenant.

(2) In 1 Pet 1:16, Peter quoted Lev 19:2, exhorting his audience to embrace their status as elect aliens. In Leviticus 17-24, Moses commanded Israel to live distinctly unto the Lord in their religious practices and community life. As Israel lived unto the Lord in the Promised Land, they would display God’s glory and capture the interest of the surrounding nations (Deut 4:1-8). Thus, Moses recorded the word of the Lord in Lev 19:2, “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.’” Peter told his audience that as temporary residents of the earth, they should live as those who are distinctly other (1 Pet 1:13-16). He urged the elect exiles to embrace their alien status by living self-disciplined lives and fixing their hope entirely upon God’s grace that will be revealed at Christ’s return (1 Pet 1:13). Peter concluded his exhortation by reminding his audience of the Lord’s word to Israel, “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16).

(3) In 1 Pet 1:24-25, Peter used Isa 40:6-8 to describe the enduring word of God that had given his readers new hearts to sincerely love one another. In Isaiah 40, the prophet announced the coming day of the Lord’s grace upon His people. Isaiah prophesied that the Lord would send His messenger to prepare the way for His glorious appearing (Isa 40:3-5), which was interpreted by the Evangelists and Jesus as a reference to John the Baptist’s ministry (Matt 3:3//Mark 1:3//Luke 3:4-6//John 1:23). The Lord’s messenger would cry out contrasting the glory of man that fades and the glory of the enduring and powerful word of the Lord (Isa 40:6-8). Peter wanted his audience to alienate themselves from their former empty ways of selfishness and participate as loving members of God’s kingdom. Their alien status began when they were born anew by hearing the enduring word of the Lord (1 Pet 1:24-25), just as Isaiah had prophesied. Having been born again, the audience had the capacity to sincerely love one another from a pure heart.

(4) In 1 Pet 2:3, Peter quoted Ps 34:8 to encourage his audience to partake of pure spiritual nutrition in Christ. David wrote Psalm 34 after he took refuge for a time with the Philistines (1 Sam 21:10-15). When those in the court of the Philistine king realized who David was, they reported their concerns to the king. David feared for his life and pretended to be insane with the result that the king of Gath sent David away. In Psalm 34, David recounted the Lord’s faithful deliverance and exhorted his readers, “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps 34:8). Peter urged his audience to crave the spiritual truth of Christ just as a newborn craves its mother’s milk. The elect aliens knew that the Lord is good, and Peter wanted them to feast on Christ just as David wanted his readers to know of the Lord’s goodness (1 Pet 2:3).

(5) In 1 Pet 2:6-7, Peter assembled Isa 28:16, Ps 118:22, and Isa 8:14 to reiterate Jesus’ status as One who, like Israel, simultaneously enjoyed God’s favor and the world’s ire. In Isa 28:14-22, Isaiah chastised the complacent in Israel, those who thought that they could make a deal with death and be spared in the day of God’s wrath upon their sin. Isaiah countered that the Lord laid in Zion a chosen and precious cornerstone such that the one who believed in Him and amended their ways would not be shaken (Isa 28:16). To the stone imagery of Isa 28:16, Peter appended Ps 118:22 and Isa 8:14, passages that also include stone imagery. In Psalm 118, the psalmist praised God for delivering His people. The psalmist likened the reversal of fortunes that he and Israel had enjoyed to a stone that was at one time rejected only later to be used as a cornerstone (Ps 118:26). In Isa 8:11-22, the prophet distinguished himself from the false prophets of Israel. Isaiah prophesied that though the Lord had offered Himself as a sanctuary to His people, since they rejected Him, He became a stone that caused them to stumble and trip (Isa 8:14). Peter’s synthesis of Isa 28:16, Ps 118:22, and Isa 8:14 portrayed Christ as God’s chosen cornerstone Who rejected all those rejecting Him.

(6) In 1 Pet 2:9, Peter employed Exod 19:5-6 and Hos 1:10; 2:23 to delineate the favored status his audience enjoyed as part of the people of God by faith in Christ. The Lord came upon Mount Sinai and the mountain shook so violently that the people were afraid to come near. There the Lord told Moses to remind Israel that if they obeyed the covenant commands He was giving them, then they would be His special possession out of all the peoples of the earth (Exod 19:5-6). Hosea announced the day when the Lord would turn and have compassion on His people such that those who were alienated from Him would be called His people and sons of the living God. In 1 Pet 2:9, Peter reminded his readers that though they were exiles, they were elect, God’s special people established to declare His praise through their holy conduct.

(7) In 1 Pet 2:22, 24-25, Peter quoted from Isaiah 53 to remind his audience of God’s faithfulness to Christ during His sufferings so that they would rely upon God during their sufferings. In Isaiah 53, the prophet described the Lord’s servant as one who would suffer on behalf of God’s people. Peter reflected upon the atoning work of Jesus Christ and then called his audience to imitate Him while enduring hostility from government or worldly powers. Just as Jesus committed Himself to God during His sufferings, and found God faithful, the elect aliens of Peter’s audience would also enjoy God’s power as they cast themselves upon His grace.

1 Peter Commentary New Testament

James 3-5

James’s readers were enduring financial difficulty. They had been dispersed from their homeland and were socially and economically disadvantaged (Jas 1:1). In the midst of this difficulty, interpersonal relationships were strained. Having such conflict from without, the church in view could hardly endure if they did not have peace within—and this was James’s primary concern in chs. 3-5. From the storyline of Scripture, James understood God’s jealousy for His people and God’s ability to intervene in their difficulty at just the right time.

(1) In Jas 4:6, James quoted Prov 3:34 as a basis for commanding his readers to humble themselves before the Lord. James saw in Prov 3:34, “He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble,” both warning and promise. If his readers walked in pride, God would oppose them; if they humbled themselves before the Lord, they would find Divine aid. James stated that the mature course of action was to submit to God’s providential care and resist the satanic temptation to be selfish (Jas 4:7-10). From this humble posture, one would be much more hesitant to judge a brother—which, according to James, was the same as judging the law (Jas 4:11-12).

(2) In Jas 5:11, James called his readers to consider God’s faithfulness to Job and endure their trials just as Job endured his trials. In Job 1-2, Job suffered the loss of property, family, and friends. After cycles of dialogue with Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu, in which Job complained and lamented God’s justice, the Lord revealed Himself to Job. Job was speechless before the Lord and had no further complaint (Job 42:1-6). The Lord told Job to pray for his friends, the ones who had abused him. When Job did, the Lord restored Job’s fortunes and the latter portion of Job’s life was blessed more than his days that preceded his trials (Job 42:10-15). James wanted his readers to recall Job 42:10-15 and endure in hope that God would do for them what He did for Job. “The Lord is very compassionate and merciful,” James said (Jas 5:11b).

(3) In Jas 5:17-18, James reminded his audience that that though Elijah was a man like them, his prayers were effective to cause drought and rain. During the administration of wicked King Ahab of Israel, the Lord raised up Elijah as a prophet. Elijah pronounced that no rain would fall in Israel except at his word (1 Kgs 17:1). Elijah’s prophecy reflected Moses’ statement that God would withhold rain from the land if Israel persisted in idolatry (Deut 11:16-17). During the drought, Elijah and the prophets of Baal met on Mount Carmel. There the Lord showed His supremacy over the prophets of Baal by sending fire upon the altar that Elijah had built, consuming the sacrifice and the water that Elijah poured on it (1 Kgs 17:38). Elijah immediately prophesied to Ahab that rain was on the way (1 Kgs 18:41). James wanted his readers to know that they too could pray boldly, reminding them, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours” (Jas 2:17). The congregation needed to gather and pray in faith that the Lord would heal the sick both physically and spiritually.

Commentary James New Testament

James 1-2

James was concerned for his audience to grasp their lofty spiritual status. Though at present they suffered all sorts of trials and felt lowly, they were God’s chosen ones, heirs of God’s promises in Christ, constantly under His care. James employed the Old Testament to orient his readers to their spiritual wealth and call them to faithfulness.

(1) In Jas 1:27, James echoed Deut 24:16-22; Isa 1:17, 23; and Jer 7:3-6, telling his audience that pure religion included caring for orphans and widows. Many of Moses’ commands in Deuteronomy 24-25 concerned the need for Israel to practice justice toward one another and the surrounding nations. The Lord commanded fathers to look out for the needs of the foreign resident, fatherless child, and widow, saying, “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this” (Deut 24:18). At harvest time, Israel was to leave a portion of the field for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow (Deut 25:19-21). Isaiah exhorted the people of Israel to wash themselves, defending the rights of the fatherless and pleading the case of the widow—lest they resemble rebels and thieves (Isa 1:17, 23). Jeremiah confronted the people of Judah for trusting in the temple of the Lord rather than honoring the Lord by caring for the needs of the fatherless and widow (Jer 7:3-6). James argued that spiritual maturity is displayed by obedience to the word of God (Jas 1:19-2:26). Given the severity of their situation, some in James’s audience might have reacted with anger at the demands of discipleship. He exhorted them that they should humbly receive the word without anger and practice what God commanded them (Jas 1:21-22). Caring for orphans and widows would demonstrate that the audience had taken up the funnel-shaped posture of Christian discipleship, giving away what it received (Jas 1:27). Just as the Lord commanded Israel to do justice to the foreigner, fatherless, and widow because He brought Israel out of Egypt, James commanded that those who had received the implanted and powerful word of salvation needed to care for the vulnerable in their community. This would keep the congregation free from the selfish pleasures of the world (Jas 1:27).

(2) In Jas 2:8-11, James coordinated Lev 19:18 with the sixth and seventh commandments to dissuade his audience from favoring the rich. Moses commanded Israel to be holy because God is holy (Lev 19:2). For Moses, Israel’s holiness involved wholeness. He exhorted God’s people to love their neighbors as themselves (Lev 19:18). Jesus coordinated Moses’ command in Lev 19:18 with Moses’ command in Deut 6:5, which says that Israel should love God with all of their heart, soul, and mind (Matt 22:37-39//Mark 12:30-31//Luke 10:27). Paul wrote that the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself was the foundation of Israel’s corporate life and had direct bearing on how churches should express their faith in Christ (Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14). James called Lev 19:18 the royal law of Scripture, urging his readers to follow it lest they succumb to the temptation to receive face and favor the rich over the poor (Jas 2:8-9). James reminded his readers that it was often the case that the wealthy were not benevolent but oppressed the needy and took them to court (Jas 2:9). Further, James’s audience needed to recall that God had chosen the poor to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom that He promised to the ones that love Him (Jas 2:5). James connected Lev 19:18 with the commands against adultery (Exod 20:14; Deut 5:18) and murder (Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17). In James’s reading of the Old Testament, the commands were interwoven; if someone showed favoritism to the rich, it was as if they committed murder. James wanted his readers to walk in integrity, showing mercy to the needy while showing the wealthy no privilege because of their wealth.

(3) In Jas 2:20-26, James called his readers’ attention to the faithfulness of Abraham and Rahab, reinforcing his command that one’s faith should be known through one’s actions. In Gen 15:6, Abraham, childless and aging, believed God’s promise that God would give him descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. When God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the child of promise, Abraham put his faith to work and placed Isaac on the altar (Gen 22:9-10). In James’s interpretation, Abraham was justified by faith in Gen 15:6 and acted upon his faith, perfecting it, in Gen 22:9-10. James argued that Rahab’s faith mirrored Abraham’s faith. At the risk of her own life, Rahab showed her trust in God by welcoming the spies that Joshua sent to scout out Jericho (Josh 2:1-4; 6:15). James had a specific work in mind when he referenced Abraham’s and Rahab’s faith. Faith is dead, James wrote, if one who claims faith sees a brother in need and does not look for ways to help (Jas 2:15-17).

Commentary James New Testament

Hebrews 12-13

The references to the Old Testament in Hebrews 12-13 show that the author did not arbitrarily employ Scripture. His use of passages from Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, and Haggai show that he viewed Scripture as a storyline that applied to the unique situation of his audience in Christ.

(1) In Heb 12:5-6, he quoted Prov 3:11-12 in order to describe how God used the audience’s struggles to train them in following Christ. While the audience had to endure their estrangement from Judaism, the author wanted his friends to know that they were in the Lord’s care. He quoted Prov 3:11-12 in Heb 12:5-6, writing, “My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly, or faint when you are reproved by Him; For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and punishes every son whom He receives.” God was not disciplining them for sin, He was rather training them in the steps of Christ. While natural fathers discipline their children based upon what seems good to them, Hebrews says that God disciplines His children so that they can share in His holiness (Heb 12:10). The audience in view had need of endurance not because of what they had done wrong, but in view of what they might become—those who enjoy fellowship with Him outside the camp (Heb 13:13), those who have a share in the city to come (Heb 13:14).

(2) In Heb 12:20-21, the author quoted Exod 19:12 and Deut 9:19 to contrast the manner of God’s revelation in the old and new covenants. In Exodus 19, the Lord appeared on Mount Sinai with the result that the mountain burned, and the earth shook, frightening Israel. Before the Lord came down upon the mountain, the Lord warned Moses of what was about to take place and told Moses to warn the people against approaching the place of the Lord’s presence. God said, “Put boundaries for the people all around the mountain and say: Be careful that you don’t go up on the mountain or touch its base. Anyone who touches the mountain will be put to death” (Exod 19:12). Moses later trembled at the sight of the Lord’s fierce anger upon the congregation when they bowed to the golden calf (Deut 9:19; Exodus 32). The audience of Hebrews need not fear the Lord in this way. Because of the arrival of the new covenant in Christ, they had come to Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an assembly of the perfected; they enjoyed the sprinkled blood of Jesus that gave them access to God (Heb 4:14-16; 10:19-25; 12:21-24; 13:20-21). By these gifts, the audience had all they needed to abstain from idolatry.

(3) In Heb 12:26, the author quoted Hag 2:6 to illustrate God’s activity in the abrogation of the old covenant and the establishment of the new covenant. The prophet spoke God’s word of promise to the returned exiles, those whose temple was meager in comparison to Solomon’s day, those who were discouraged at their small place in the broader world of their day. Through Haggai, the Lord promised to shake the earth and bring the treasures of the nations to Judah so that they could build the temple into an edifice that would surpass even the glory of Solomon’s temple (Hag 2:6-9). The author of Hebrews employed the words of the prophet to show that in the shaking of heaven and earth, only that which is in heaven, only that which is not created—only that which is distinctly of Christ—will endure. Because the new covenant provided permanent access to God, the author urged his audience to endure their difficulties, saying, “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:28-29).

(4) In Heb 13:5-6, the author quoted Deut 31:6 and Ps 118:6 to remind his audience that God would care for them in their time of financial need. Near the end of his life, Moses prepared Israel for their conquest of Canaan. Moses assured Israel that Joshua would lead them to follow the ways of the Lord just as he had done and exhorted the people to be strong knowing that the Lord would never leave them nor forsake them (Deut 31:1-6). In Psalm 118, the psalmist celebrated the Lord’s care for Israel in giving them victory over their foes. When the psalmist was in distress, he cried out to the Lord, “The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Ps 118:6). The author of Hebrews linked Deut 31:6 and Ps 118:6 to portray God’s care for those who rely upon Him.

(5) In Heb 13:11, the author referenced Moses’ command that Israel take the bodies of sacrificed animals outside the camp to burn them as a prompt for his audience to identify with Jesus apart from the structures of Judaism. When the Lord established Aaron and his sons as priests for Israel, He commanded Moses to consecrate them by slaughtering a bull as a sin offering. After the blood of the bull was applied to the altar, Moses was to burn the bull’s hide and flesh outside the camp (Exod 29:1-14). On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest was to burn outside the camp the remains of the bull and goat sacrificed as sin offerings (Lev 16:27). The author of Hebrews read these commands in light of Jesus’ death outside the city walls of Jerusalem. His audience therefore needed to courageously leave behind the structures of their religion and offer to Jesus the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name and bear His disgrace (Heb 13:13-15).

Commentary Hebrews New Testament

Hebrews 11

The author of Hebrews argued that his audience should look to Jesus—their High Priest—for help to make it through their time of testing. Just when they were tempted to let go of their distinctly Christian posture, they received this note of pastoral correspondence. In Hebrews 11, the author of Hebrews (again) looked back to the Old Testament, this time in search of heroes who could inspire his congregation to keep pressing on faithfully. His search was fruitful.

Yet Hebrews 11 is not just a list of the greats of the Old Testament; the chapter has a theological argument as well. Here the author argued that in faith Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and company endured greater struggles than those his readers had faced. And the Old Testament saints accomplished such feats in the days of preparation, before the time of Christ, before the age of a divine intercessor, before the age of perfection (Heb 2:14-18, 4:14-16, 10:14-18). These Old Testament saints thus did more, with less. The author listed the faithful of old in order to persuade his audience to endure their present difficulty—since they lived in the age of open access to the throne of God itself (Heb 9:11-28; 10:19-23). In three places, the author quoted the Old Testament to reinforce the need for his audience to endure in faith just as Enoch, Abraham, and Jacob did.

(1) In Heb 11:5, the author quoted Gen 5:24 to remind his readers that Enoch walked with God by faith and was approved for his faithfulness. After Cain murdered Abel, the Lord gave Adam and Eve another third son, Seth (Gen 4:25). Enoch descended from Seth. The author of Genesis gave few details of Enoch’s life, writing simply that Enoch walked with God and God took him. The author of Hebrews cited Enoch as a model of faith and one who experienced God’s faithfulness. He wanted his audience to know that God knew their faithful commitment to Him and would see to it that they, like Enoch, were rewarded because they labored in faith to please God.

(2) In Heb 11:18, the author cited Abraham’s faithful offer of Isaac as a model of faith because God had told Abraham that Isaac would carry on the covenant promises (Gen 21:12). After Isaac was born, Sarah became jealous for her son and felt that Isaac was threatened by Hagar’s son Ishmael (Gen 21:1-10). Sarah demanded that Abraham drive Ishmael away and the Lord told Abraham to heed Sarah’s word, saying, “Your offspring will be traced through Isaac” (Gen 21:12). When the Lord later called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac—after just receiving confirmation that in Isaac the promises would carry on—Abraham had to trust God. According to the author of Hebrews in Heb 11:19, Abraham knew that God could even raise someone from the dead, and figuratively Abraham saw Isaac raised when the angel of the Lord intervened to stop Abraham from sacrificing his son (Gen 22:12).

(3) In Heb 11:21, the author quoted Gen 47:31 to remind his audience of Jacob’s endurance even in his old age, even in Egypt. When Jacob and his family traveled to Egypt in Genesis 47, Joseph and Pharaoh welcomed them. Jacob and his family settled in the land of Goshen, the best land of Egypt, for seventeen years, and they became prosperous. As Jacob aged and knew that his days on earth were drawing to a close, he asked Joseph to swear to him that Joseph would not bury him in Egypt (Gen 47:29-30). When Joseph swore to his father, Jacob bowed his head in worship (Gen 47:31). The author of Hebrews wanted his audience to imitate Jacob’s enduring faith (Heb 11:21) “outside the camp” (Heb 13:13).

Commentary Hebrews New Testament