Study Commentaries

“FOLLOW ME.” These two words echo the heart-defining call of our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples. Sadly, this life-changing invitation has lost much of its original meaning. Immersed in a society that worships success, we have succumbed to a trendy fixation with leadership. In I Am a...

Nick Neely chronicles his 650-mile trek on foot from San Diego to San Francisco, following the route of the first overland Spanish expedition into what was soon called Alta California. Led by Gaspar de Portolá in 1769, the expedition sketched a route that would become, in part, the famous El Camino Real. It laid the foundation for the Golden State we know today, a place that remains as mythical and captivating as any in the world.

The Book of Job is about a question for all of us. Why is there suffering? Job is a personal book that speaks to each of us as we face suffering and meaninglessness. Job is a theological book that both builds on the biblical worldview and prepares its listeners for the gospel. Job is a philosophical book that critically examines solutions to this question.

A child peeling an orange on the subway. A bearded man with gentle eyes holding a tin cup on the corner. When we see life through the lens of faith, everyday moments become a source of hope and strength. In this collection of essays, chaplain Andrea Raynor reveals the unexpected places she has experienced the Divine and shows us how we, too, might come to see life as a spiritual adventure - one on which we are never truly alone.

Travel Israel alongside Harvard-trained biblical archaeologist Amanda Hope Haley and learn about its history, people, and God. Through the memories Amanda brought back from her explorations and excavations, you can witness sites and artifacts that bring the Bible to life. In The Red-Haired Archaeologist Digs Israel, Amanda shares with you her humorous travel stories, including her misadventures with customs agents, eye-opening experiences with international cuisine, and crash-course education on driving in a new culture.

For years, L’Engle has been delighting and inspiring fans with her warm, eloquent prose, and inspirational poetry. She continues this tradition with a personal reflection of the mystery and majesty of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Bright Evening Star provides a glimpse into the life stories of this prolific author and her encounters with God. With a foreword by John Tesh, L’Engle invites us on a spiritual adventure that leads to hope, joy, and a closer relationship with Jesus.

The beginning of the modern contraceptive era began in 1882, when Dr. Aletta Jacobs opened the first birth control clinic in Amsterdam. The founding of this facility, and the clinical provision of contraception that it enabled, marked the moment when physicians started to take the prevention of pregnancy seriously as a medical concern. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Donna Drucker traces the history of modern contraception, outlining the development, manufacturing, and use of contraceptive methods from the opening of Dr. Jacobs' clinic to the present.

This is the first volume in a series that looks at thinking missionally about the world around us and our part in the mission of God. Volume 1 looks at the role and importance of missions in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Women physicians in 19th-century America faced a unique challenge in gaining acceptance to the medical field as it began its transformation into a professional institution. The profession had begun to increasingly insist on masculine traits as signs of competency. Not only were these traits inaccessible to women according to 19th-century gender ideology, but showing competence as a medical professional was not enough.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Warren W. Wiersbe tackles this question as he explores the life of Job in his commentary Be Patient. Through Job's story, we are reminded of God's sovereignty and encouraged to endure the suffering in our own lives.

This thoroughly enjoyable new commentary, The Pillar of the Truth, gives background for the three letters, brings out parallels between the Apostolic age and Israel's time in the wilderness, and, in step-by-step fashion, shows how the Apostle Paul was preparing the nascent Church for institutionalization.

Rather than contain vague references to the words and actions of "the LORD" and "God" within the text, The First Seventy offers both seasoned readers/listeners of the Bible and those new to the text a spiritual explanation that can be discussed, debated, and incorporated into each individual's moment-to-moment life. Weaving direct quotations from the Bible into a fluid narrative, The First Seventy: A Retelling Commentary, Creation - The Ten Commandments retells and explains the interconnected story that spans the first seventy chapters of the Bible.

Texas history buffs and travelers have an eerie need for this book, which offers an unusual twist to seeing the "sights" in the Lone Star state. Organized by region - Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley, South Texas, Central Texas, North Texas, and West Texas - this book is the complete guide for both hardcore ghost hunters and more earthly tourists seeking to add some spirited fun to their travels.

Depuis son enfance au milieu des plus pauvres, une conviction habitait le père Joseph Wresinski : le chrétien naît le regard tourné vers le plus misérable ; l'Église, c'est les pauvres, réellement. Là où l'homme le plus méprisé est oublié, l'humanité est cassée, l'Église absente, le Christ bafoué. Cette interview réalisé par Gilles Anouil, ancien rédacteur en chef de Preuves et rédacteur en chef adjoint de Réalités montre bien comment le message du père Joseph, sa vie personnelle et la création du mouvement ATD Quart-monde ont été intimement mêlés. En même temps il fait toucher du doigt à quel point on peut ignorer l'existence et l'ampleur de la grande pauvreté.

God has provided a tactful and solemn weapon for us to use in our daily Christian walk, but we must understand what we have and how to use it. In Making the Most Use of Your Bible, Dr. Ricardo Holloway has provided brief summaries and scripture examples for each book of the Bible, an explanation of the intertestamental books, and book reference charts for the Old and New Testaments.

David Evans offers a different and sensitive approach in this concise introduction for Christians seeking clarity about Israel, the Jews and the Church. David seeks to clear up some common misunderstandings about "Christian Zionists" and avoids a dogmatic position on the order of the End Times events.

In the Revelation Jesus speaks directly to John: “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;” The Revelation is not about “the things that were” or the past, at the time it was written. If this book is primarily about the future from the time of John receiving the Revelation, then we must consider that much of the things which shall be hereafter having commenced shortly thereafter, would now, in our time, 1900 years later, have already happened over that span of time, and can be found in history.

What would Jesus read? Ever heard of the Book of Ahikar? It is an ancient Hebrew legend replete with proverbs, which is explicitly referenced in Tobit, and is also alluded to in Sirach and by Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament.

Dr. Stauffer and Dr. Ray methodically, systematically, and scripturally consider many of the end times details concerning the timing of the Rapture. This concise commentary on the prophetic events of First and Second Thessalonians provides definitive and undeniable proofs showing that the scripture holds the answer when freed from private interpretation.

Matthew’s Gospel contains two discernible missionary mandates, where Christ sent His disciples to two different people groups with two evidently distinct messages. The command of Jesus to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19) is well known and oft repeated by Christians the world over. This missionary mandate has come to be commonly referred to as “the Great Commission.” However, there remains another commission with which the diligent reader of Scripture must come to terms.