In 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:13, Paul had been defending himself against the charge that he didn’t care about the Corinthians because he changed his travel plans. In fact, the opposite was true: he loved them! But he didn’t want to cause them unnecessary grief, because, if he had visited, it would have not gone well. Instead…
2 Corinthians 1:23-2:13 (Reasons for Paul’s Absence)
The body of Paul’s letter begins with a defense of his change of plans (1:12-17). Despite the charge of being fickle and duplicitous, Paul’s behavior stemmed from God’s faithfulness (1:18-22). He continues a defense of his changed travel plans by arguing that it was actually a good thing he changed his mind about visiting (1:23-2:4).…
2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (Paul’s Greeting & Meditation on Suffering)
Paul opens 2 Corinthians by greeting the church he is writing to (1:1-2) and then moves into a meditation on suffering that serves as the theological foundation for the rest of the book (1:3-11). Paul demonstrates that true power is manifested in weakness, not in the glory of human ingenuity espoused by the "super-apostles" (cf.…
2 Corinthians Intro & Background
Ever have a complicated relationship with someone? A relationship where you love the person so much but they also drive you crazy? A relationship where you want what's best for them, but they look at your advice suspiciously? If so, you're in luck, because the apostle Paul also had some complicated relationships, especially with the…
Psalm 42: Translation and Commentary
1 To the choir director: A maskil of the sons of Korah. 2 As a deer pants for streams of water,So my soul pants for you, O God! 3 My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God, When will I come in and appear before God? 4 My tears have been my food day…
What moves the Bible’s story forward?
The Bible is a big book, encompassing almost four thousand years of human history and containing various genres of literature from poetry to prophecy. Even though the Bible seemingly contains so many disparate parts, the church has historically discerned a general movement, or plot structure, to Scripture's story. In the recent history of the American…
How do you actually outline the Song of Songs?
Christians and Jews have long recognized the Song of Songs to be one of the most mysterious books of the Bible. One medieval Jewish commentary, Saadia, claimed the book was like a lock whose keys had been lost. When reading the book, a host of questions arise like, "How 'literally' should the book be taken?"…
Doug Moo on the New Covenant in Paul
In NT scholar Doug Moo's article, "Every Spiritual Blessing," he seeks to provide the "general contours of Paul's concept of salvation" (135). In other words, Moo wants to sketch out the basic framework that Paul used to explain what Christ had done for the church. Moo first begins explaining the idea of "new creation." New…
Walter Kaiser on 2 Samuel 7:19
Walter Kaiser, in his article "The Blessing of David: The Charter of Humanity," seeks to explicate the meaning of the phrase, "this is the torah of man" in 2 Samuel 7:19. Kaiser examines the context of the passage to highlight the unconditional nature of the Davidic promise (305-07). While individuals in David's line can break…
How to Spend an Hour in God’s Word
Spending time in God's Word is always beneficial. But sometimes you might feel like you just don't know what to do. You know you should read. You know you should pray. But how? What does a realistic plan look like? Here I want to give you a sample schedule for how to spend an hour in…
Raising Lazarus 