And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

2:21 deep sleep. The “deep sleep” was not simply an anesthetized state to prevent pain, since there was as yet no pain in the world. It was most likely ordained as a primeval picture of the future death of the second Adam, whose sacrificial death would result in the formation of His bride (II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:30-32).

2:22 made he a woman. This remarkable record of the formation of the first woman could hardly have been invented by human imagination. Neither can it be interpreted in the context of theistic evolution, even if one could interpret the formation of Adam’s body from the dust in evolutionary terms. Its historicity is confirmed in the New Testament (I Timothy 2:13; I Corinthians 11:8). All other men have been born of woman, but the first woman was made from man.

3:20 all living. There were no children at this time, so this statement is apparently an editorial insertion by Moses, testifying that all mankind had descended from Adam and Eve. There were no “pre-Adamite” men (compare I Corinthians 15:45, speaking of “the first man Adam”), nor were there any pre-Fall children, since “in Adam all die” (I Corinthians 15:22).

24:4 my country. Abraham had learned the hard way that the heir of the promises should not leave the promised land. Nevertheless, a suitable wife through whom the promised seed could be born and trained could not be found among the people then in the land. Consequently, the father must send a trusted servant to find a suitable bride for his son, far away and among a small remnant who still served the true God. A typological parallel with the heavenly Father sending the Holy Spirit to claim a bride for His Son seems well warranted in this case (note John 14:26; 16:13,14; II Corinthians 11:2; Acts 15:14; etc.).

12:4 too little for the lamb. Note that the lamb was never too little for the household. The lamb, of course, is a foreshadow of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:29) our Passover (I Corinthians 5:7) without blemish, sacrificed for us (I Peter 1:19).

15:24 the people murmured. Note God’s responses to the murmurings (complainings) of Israel, acting for a while in grace and patience, but eventually acting in judgment. He first provided pure water (Exodus 15:25), next He provided food (Exodus 16:2,7,8,9,12), and then a continuous water supply (Exodus 17:3). But eventually God sent them into exile in the wilderness (Numbers 14:2,27,29,36) and even put many to death (Numbers 16:11,41). Finally, their murmurings ceased after the miracle of the budding of Aaron’s rod, which was a symbol of the resurrection (Numbers 17:5,10). God’s attitude toward murmuring on the part of believers today is indicated in I Corinthians 10:10 and Philippians 2:14.

17:6 smite the rock. Critics are repeatedly confounded when they try to explain the many miracles of the Exodus on a naturalistic basis. This was a uniquely significant period in world history and God was once again revealing Himself as the world’s Creator, miraculously creating bread and water in the desert for a whole generation of Israelites. Moses was not a gifted “water witch,” locating an underground stream of water, but God’s prophet. God created a river of water that followed their itinerary throughout the forty years of wandering, “for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (I Corinthians 10:4).

22:20 unto any god. The sin of idolatry–worshipping false gods–was as inimical to the plan of the true God as witchcraft, and very similar to it. As the Apostle Paul noted: “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God” (I Corinthians 10:20).

31:3 the spirit of God. The “gifts of the Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:4) thus can include what might be considered mundane skills, if they are dedicated to God’s service. Bezaleel is thus said to have been “filled with the Spirit” for the accomplishment of building the tabernacle and all its accessories in accord with the divine specifications.

34:35 Moses’ face shone. This was evidently a supernatural glow, resulting from Moses’ face-to-face encounters with God (note Exodus 34:29; Deuteronomy 34:10). His face shone so brightly that the people could not stand to face him unless he placed a veil over his face (see notes on II Corinthians 3:13,14,18). There should, in analogous fashion, be a spiritual glow on the countenances of believers who are walking in close fellowship with the Lord through His Word and prayer.