Commentaries

 October 14, 2023

I cut my Bible commentary teeth on Matthew Henry when I was about fifteen. My parents bought me a volume which meant there were five more which I soon purchased myself from VanHouten’s Christian bookstore in Rochester, NY. A few years ago, I gave the set to a lay preacher who as far as I know, isn’t using them anymore. Too bad; they were good stuff. It was Henry who came up with the now famous quote from his commentary on Genesis: 

“The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”

I got to thinking about old Matthew Henry today as I was pondering a couple of Scripture passages. As the story goes, he asked his servant for his opinion on a portion of the commentary he had just completed. The servant read the passage, put down the manuscript and said, “Well sir, the Bible sure does shed some light on your commentary.”

I’ve been considering the 21st chapter of 1 Chronicles which begins, “Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” This sounds pretty straightforward until we read the parallel account from 2 Samuel 24: “Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” So, which is it? Was it Satan or the Lord who incited David to number the people? And why was this such a terrible sin? And if that weren’t enough, the Chronicles account ends with these words: “For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon, but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.” (Vv. 29-30)

I know from other Biblical texts that seeing the angel of the Lord was always a fearful thing. These beings are not the chubby cherubs of Renaissance paintings; they are fierce soldiers of God himself. I can understand David’s fear at seeing one at the threshing floor of Ornan, but why was he afraid to worship at the high place in Gibeon?

My intention tonight is not to confuse or cause doubt to anyone who reads this, but simply to say that the answers we seek are often not easy to find. I’ve read the commentaries on these two chapters, and have come away unconvinced of the explanations given. I can live with that, much as I live with uncertainty in many of life’s matters. I am still questioning, pondering, mulling over these texts and questions in my mind, and so far the answers seem as distant as they have always been. But faith is faith. It is not contrary to facts, but is the framework from which I view the facts, not only Biblically, but in every facet of life, so I keep reading, keep thinking, keep believing, knowing that life is and will always be bigger than I can grasp. But it is in the reaching that we grow, and I hope never to stop doing that.

In the meantime, I stand with Matthew Henry’s servant, and keep scouring the Scriptures. The commentaries may not shed much light on the difficult parts of the Bible, but the Bible sure sheds a lot of light on the difficult parts of my life.