Herschel hobbs commentary fall 2018 time

This quarter’s Study Themes are: The Full Picture of Christmas The thought of Christmas evokes different images for different people. For some, it is a time of family, tradition, and going home to special memories. For others, Christmas is all about Santa Claus, holiday songs, parties, and exchanging gifts. For the Christian, Christmas is about Jesus coming to earth to bring salvation. For many people, Christmas is a combination of all these images! By looking at the birth of Christ from the perspective of different people in Scripture, we get an accurate image—the full picture—of the true meaning and purpose of Christmas. Engaging Culture in an Ever-Changing World Culture changes. The behavior, habits, and interests of a particular group are in constant flux. Observe fashion or listen to the speech pat­terns of different generations, and it becomes clear: we are constantly changing. Truth, ethics, and morality remain constant, but unfortu­nately, society is seeking to make those unchanging principles as pli­able as the culture they should shape. How do we stand for the truth and righteousness in which God calls us to live? Through the love and grace of Christ, we can display to those around us the wonderful truth of God’s Word—principles that make life fuller and richer. The Herschel Hobbs Commentary is designed for group leaders and group members who desire a more extensive exposition of the Bible passages in LifeWay’s Bible Studies for Life series. Based on the King James Version of the Bible, The Herschel Hobbs Commentary can be used with all major modern English translations.

Today is Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus on Calvary. That Jesus died on a cruel Roman cross is a historical fact.  While it is universally recognized Jesus died on the cross, few seem to know what death by crucifixion entailed. Understanding what was involved when one was crucified gives us a greater appreciation of what Christ went through as He endured the shame and agony of the cross for all humanity.

The Roman practice of crucifixion was taken from the Carthaginians (800 B.C.) who were a very cruel and barbaric people. They adopted it from the Persians and Assyrians who used the cross as a method to slowly torture their enemies to death. It was said the cross was the most horrible form of punishment devised by man. The Roman orator Cicero said of crucifixion, “It is the most wretched of deaths, the supreme capital punishment.” Death by crucifixion was so ghastly it was reserved for the worst criminals, slaves  and foreigners.

For one who was crucified on the cross the normal procedure was first a flogging. The whip used had 3-9 lashes on it. At the end of each lash were pieces of metal, bone or stone. The victim was hit 39 times (40 save 1). The victim being flogged, depending on the number of lashes on the whip, could receive from 120 to 350 lashes across the back, each strike painfully cutting deep into the flesh like a knife. Josephus, an early Jewish historian, records that flogging could be so vicious it could often cause a man’s teeth and eyes to be knocked out. Many victims wouldn’t live through the flogging, dying in their own pool of blood.

Not only did Jesus receive this flogging (Isaiah 50:6; John 19:1), He was beaten with the fists of the soldiers (John 18:22) and beaten on the head with a rod (Matthew 27:30). He was spit upon and His beard was painfully plucked out (Isaiah 50:6). Then a crown of thorns was pressed into His brow (John 19:5). If the victim lived though the flogging an

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Acts 20:18-32, with the title “Commit,” for Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO: You could use one of the two following suggestions for an introduction to the lesson:

— George Washington’s farewell dinner with his officers, December 4, 1783. It’s a bit long, but it’s very touching. You might share all or part of, or summarize it for your class:
“At Fraunces Tavern the invitees milled about awaiting Washington’s direction. … With glass raised, Washington waited until all had filled their own. ‘With a heart filled with love and gratitude,’ he began in a choked voice, ‘I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your later days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable.’ … Blinded by tears, his voice still faltering, Washington resumed, ‘I cannot come to each of you, but shall feel obliged if each of you will come and take me by the hand.’ As the senior office present, Henry Knox stepped forward silently and proffered his large cannoneer’s fist. Weeping openly, Washington embraced his burly longtime chief of artillery and kissed him…. In turn, and by rank, each officer, Van Steuben following, came forward to be clasped, ‘suffused with tears,’ and unable to utter an intelligible word.
‘Such a scene of sorrow and weeping, ‘Tallmadge recalled, ‘I had never before witnessed. … tears of deep sensibility filled every eye … The simple thought that we were about to part from the man who had conducted us through a long and bloody war, and under whose conduct the glory and independence of our country had been achieved, and that we should see his face no more in this world seemed unsupportable.’ The General’s parting band of brothers seemed like ‘grieving children.’ Each realized that they had all lived through something that would not be replicated in

Explanation - The following list includes not only commentaries but other Christian works by well known evangelical writers. Most of the resources below are newer works (written after 1970) which previously were available only for purchase in book form or in a Bible computer program. The resources are made freely available by archive.org but have several caveats - (1) they do not allow copy and paste, (2) they can only be checked out for one hour (but can be checked out immediately when your hour expires giving you time to read or take notes on a lengthy section) and (3) they require creating an account which allows you to check out the books free of charge. To set up an account click archive.org and then click the picture of the person in right upper corner and enter email and a password. That's all you have to do. Then you can read these more modern resources free of charge! I have read or used many of these resources but not all of them so ultimately you will need to be a Berean (Acts 17:11+) as you use them. I have also selected works that are conservative and Biblically sound. If you find one that you think does not meet those criteria please send an email at https://www.preceptaustin.org/contact. The resources are listed in alphabetical order by the author's last name and some include reviews of the particular resource. 

IMPORTANT CAVEAT - As these resources have become more popular over the last year, many times you will click on a book and it will say "UNAVAILABLE" which means that someone else has it checked out. And if they keep re-checking it out after their allotted hour, it may remain unavailable for a long time. There are a couple of "Work arounds" I have used in those cases. (1) If I know the exact quote I am want to read in context, I do a search on that specific book on archive.org taking care to put a portion of the quote in quotation marks. That will usually allow you to read that page plus one other pag