Song of Songs 4:9–10 “You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes … How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!” (NIV). Observation: The very title of the...

Psalm 94:14 “For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance” (NIV). Observation: Psalm 94 is a plea from the oppressed of Israel to be rescued from their afflictions. There are some who take advantage of the weak; it is to God that the...

Psalm 94:18 “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me” (NIV). Observation: This Psalm embodies a plea from Israel’s oppressed for deliverance and protection. There are taskmasters who take pleasure in wrongdoing; the appeal of the weak is...

Psalm 18:20 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me” (NIV). Observation: David exulted in God’s deliverance from all his enemies. He earlier likened such oppression to being entangled by...

Ecclesiastes 1:11 “There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow” (NIV). Observation: Most of Ecclesiastes is a commentary on life’s futility. The author’s range of vision was necessarily limited...

Romans 16:3–13 “Greet (fill in the blank) … fellow workers in Christ [who] risked their lives for me … who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia … my relatives who have been in prison with me … whom I love in the Lord … tested and approved in Christ...

Romans 15:7 “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant” (NIV). Observation: In Romans 15, Paul continued his persuasive arguments to the effect that the Gospel is the great...

Romans 14:4(a) “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?” (NIV). Observation: Paul’s question is intended to build harmony within the body by pointing out that all believers are fellow servants of the same Lord, Jesus Christ. The examples upon which Paul builds...

Romans 13:1–2 “The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment upon themselves” (NIV). Observation: Paul’s treatise on our...

Romans 10:3 “Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (NIV). Observation: Paul continued to express ardent hope that all might be saved, including his beloved fellow...