Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2526 to 2550 of 3099 results

Isaiah 2:6-22, Isaiah 3:1--4:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... sailed the seas and brought crafts and products from other nations into the finest homes of Jerusalem. All these objects symbolize human pride and autonomous accomplishments. Humanity will have to face God, who comes to quell the rebellion of his subjects. Yahweh’s day is the day of his self-exaltation, which excludes humanity and any reasons for pride. Isaiah now charges the people with open rebellion (3:1–15). Their leaders are particularly responsible. He charges the leaders with irresponsibility ...

2527. The Branch from Jesse

Isaiah 11:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Israel. The qualities of the Messiah make him fit to protect his people. His relationship with God is beyond criticism, as he fears God and delights to do his will. He will protect the needy and execute judgment on the wicked without mercy. He favors his subjects with a rule of righteousness and faithfulness and will establish a paradisal renewal of the earth in which his peace extends even to nature; all people will know God. The Messiah of the root of Jesse will be a “banner for the peoples” (11:10 ...

2528. Babylon

Isaiah 13:1--14:23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... netherworld. But with the end of Babylon, spirits in the netherworld stir themselves up as the king of Babylon knocks and desires to enter. There is a sudden commotion, as the news of Babylon’s fall is announced. Babylon the great has fallen. It too is subject to powers greater than itself. Babylon’s fall is great (14:11–15). The king is compared to the “morning star, son of the dawn” (14:12). As the morning star is not the sun, which distinguishes day from night, the king of Babylon is not God ...

2529. Cataclysmic Judgment

Isaiah 34:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . After the destruction of its people and animals, the land itself will become worthless and desolate forever because of the brimstone and pitch that will cover it (34:10). It will revert to a wilderness with thorns and nettles, a place fit only for wild animals. All things will be subject to God’s judgment. When Yahweh comes in judgment, there will be no way of escaping. Yet there is the promise that those who belong to Yahweh are heirs of the new age.

2530. God's of Babylon

Isaiah 46:1-13, Isaiah 47:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... an expression of the vindication of the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, who delivers his people from their oppressors. Babylon is also portrayed as “the eternal queen” (47:5–7). She ruled over the nations like a queen mother, but showed no mercy to the subject nations. She showed no accountability to God as she ruled. The fame of Babylon is a claim to autonomy, but also to deity (47:8–11). The language “I am” and “there is none besides me” (47:8) is the language usually reserved for Yahweh ...

2531. Response to Redemption

Isaiah 56:1-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The Glory and Responsibility of Zion (56:1–66:24) Salvation is the act of God in which he gathers his people, both Jew and Gentile, and unites them with himself and with one another (56:1–2). To these he extends the privilege of being subjects under his righteous rule along with all its benefits. The proper response of the people of God is that of covenant loyalty. The Lord expects his people to act like him. He expects that the people who have been justified and thereby have entered into a ...

2532. A Story of Two Sisters

Jeremiah 3:6-4:4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... holy area in the temple (2 Chron. 35:3). To do away with the ark would be radical in the extreme. In the new era all of Jerusalem would contain God’s presence. Also striking in these announcements is Israel’s return to the land from the exile, a frequent subject in Jeremiah (24:6; 30:1–3; 31:17; 32:37). God advances further motivations for the people to return to God (3:19–4:2). Verse 19 is not so much a statement as it is a thought, a dream. For a moment we see inside God’s mind ...

2533. Restoration of Isarel

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... basis for the great trek (31:7–9). A reference to distress prepares for promise. The refugees from both the Assyrian invasion of Israel in 722 BC and the Babylonian invasion of 586 BC survive. Only here in Jeremiah is God the subject of love. “Again,” used three times and in Hebrew each time in first position, anticipates the reconstruction process, the return of joyful times, uninterrupted economic pursuits, and vigorous religious activity. Jeremiah prays for those left alive and dispersed in various ...

2534. Going Back on One’s Word

Jeremiah 34:1-7, Jeremiah 34:8-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... who wants you.” An accompanying ritual in covenant making included a “walk” between the two halves of a slain animal (34:18–19; Gen. 15:9–17). The practice is known from non-Israelite writings. This ritual symbolized that covenant violators would be subject to the fate of the slain calf. The announced disaster is a consequence of Zedekiah’s violation. He will not be exempt, even though, for the moment, he has reason for optimism. God will “turn” the Babylonians around; they will be back.

2535. The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

Ezekiel 4:1-5:17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... pan between himself and the inscribed city. This pan acts as a wall of separation between the prophet and the brick and symbolizes the impenetrable barrier between God and Jerusalem. The brick is a symbol of what is about to happen to Jerusalem. When Jeremiah raised this subject, it got him into hot water (see Jer. 7:1–15; 26:1–24). He was labeled a heretic and anti–Mount Zion. Ezekiel does not provoke such sentiment, perhaps because he is hundreds of miles away. Ezekiel’s second act (4:4–5) is to ...

2536. Division of the Land

Ezekiel 45:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... east and west sides of the sacred district and the city (45:7–8). While Ezekiel is talking about the contribution and apportionment of land for the prince, he addresses a sermonette to the kings (45:9–12). They are to keep their hands off their subjects’ holdings and are to be honest in the collection of taxes for the upkeep of the temple. Thus, the king is to be one who has “learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Phil. 4:11) and who is impeccable in his business affairs. With these ...

2537. The Preparation of Daniel and His Friends

Daniel 1:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to be used for the advance of the Babylonian kingdom. The royal grant was to perpetuate the Babylonian system of cultural, political, social, and economic values. The education was intended to brainwash the youths and to make them useful Babylonian subjects. The process of cultural exchange is also evident in the change of names. Daniel (“my judge is God”) becomes Belteshazzar (“may Nebo [Bel or Marduk] protect his life”). The names of his friends—Hananiah (“Yahweh has been gracious”), Mishael ...

2538. The Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... worship the image. He calls on the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all provincial officials to join him in dedicating the image he has set up. The king decrees that at the signal of the music, all his subjects proclaim allegiance to him, the Babylonian kingdom, and Nabu. Whoever disobeys will be thrown into a blazing furnace (3:6). However, the Jews do not submit to this decree. Daniel’s friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) are readily singled out by ...

2539. Vision of the Four Beasts

Daniel 7:1-14, Daniel 7:15-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... son of man” (7:13), who is permitted to approach the throne of the Ancient of Days without harm. In addition to authority, he is given glory and sovereign power and receives the worship of all nations and peoples of every language. His kingdom is not temporary or subject to God’s judgment, but is an everlasting dominion. 7:15-28 · The Vision:The visions of the beasts from the sea and the awe-inspiring vision of the glory of God and of his Messiah overwhelm Daniel. He is at a loss to explain what he has ...

2540. Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Micah 3:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... these wicked leaders will turn to the Lord. They will cry out to the Lord (the language reminds one of a similar phrase that occurs frequently in the book of Judges). The Lord, however, will not respond to these individuals because their sin is too great. The subject of God’s judgment as spoken through the prophet Micah now switches to the prophets (3:5–8). In a word, they prophesy falsely and thus turn the people away from the Lord. Why do they do this? The Lord accuses them of loving payment more than ...

2541. The Zeal and Power of God

Nahum 1:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... out his wrath, even the most fertile and productive lands wither and fade. Even the solidity and the mass of the mountains and hills cannot stand before the power of God when he chooses to act. How much less can humans, who are themselves subject to the forces of nature and who build their kingdoms on shaky ground, hope to withstand the searing blast of the judgment of God! The fact that mountains in the ancient Near Eastern world symbolized kingdoms allows the thought to move very naturally from quaking ...

2542. The Siege and Destruction of Nineveh

Nahum 2:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... assault. There is no stopping the onrushing chariots. “The streets” and “the squares” (2:4) refer to the area outside the strongly fortified central city. The outer defenses have already been breached, and the assault on the inner city is now imminent. The subject of verse 5 is difficult to identify with certainty. Some see this as a reference to the commander in Nineveh in his last desperate measures to shore up the defenses of the city. “Yet they stumble on their way” is taken, by this view ...

2543. Oracles of Judgment against the Nations

Zephaniah 2:4-7

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the case in the ordering of the cities: Gaza and Ekron both begin with the same Hebrew consonant (ayin) and form an envelope around Ashkelon and Ashdod, which both begin with an aleph. The judgment on the cities is singularly brief. Philistia will be subjected to two judgments: desolation of the land and removal of her population by death or exile. The term “Kerethite” (2:5) is a reference to the Cretan origin of the Philistines and may also be an example of prophetic irony, since in Hebrew the word ...

2544. The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem

Zechariah 8:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Here Jerusalem is destined to be restored; therefore, the people should now conduct their lives in anticipation of this. Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth and Holiness. They ought now to live a life of truth and holiness. In verses 18–23 the subject of fasting again comes to the foreground, though it has always been in view. Fasting will become passé, to be replaced by joyous festivals (8:19) because of the rich outpouring of God’s blessing on Jerusalem. The admonition to love truth and peace ...

2545. The Shepherds

Zechariah 11:4-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the breaking of the second staff, Union, symbolizing the lack of internal cohesion within the nation. Israel rejected the Good Shepherd provided by God for their benefit. There were immediate consequences, but much worse will be the time when they become subject to one whose qualities are opposite to those of the Good Shepherd (11:15–17). This is the antichrist, who will exercise terrible power during the tribulation (cf. Daniel 7; Revelation 13). He is a (spiritually) foolish (11:15) and worthless ...

2546. A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

Matthew 9:18-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... woman and the raising of a dead girl. A ruler approaches Jesus, asking him to come to his daughter who has just died and expressing his faith in Jesus’s ability to raise her (9:18). On his way to their home, a woman who has been subject to bleeding for twelve years approaches Jesus. Believing that contact with Jesus will heal her, she touches his cloak (9:20–21). Jesus declares that her faith has brought about her healing. The story ends with the raising of the ruler’s daughter as Jesus takes her ...

2547. Jesus and John the Baptist

Matthew 11:1-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... which Matthew shows to be happening in Jesus’s ministry. Jesus’s clarifying statement that John sits at the hinge of history (as precursor of the kingdom) also includes ambiguity (11:12). The verb might be intended to be read as a passive—“subjected to violence.” The emphasis is then on the suffering that John and Jesus and those following them must endure as the kingdom arrives. On the other hand, if the verb is active—“forcefully advancing” (see NIV note)—the meaning would indicate that ...

2548. Baptism and Temptation

Mark 1:9-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... baptism (1:9–11). It is with this event that Mark commences the story of Jesus, rather than with his birth (Matthew and Luke) or preexistence (John). Mark’s wording (“Jesus . . . was baptized by John,” 1:9) portrays Jesus as the undisputed subject of the event, with John serving as mediator. Arising from the water, Jesus experiences three things that Jews associated with the advent of God’s eschatological kingdom: 1. The tearing apart of the sky: According to Second Temple Judaism, the Spirit of ...

2549. Lord of the Sabbath

Mark 2:23-3:6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Of the two observances most characteristic of Judaism, circumcision and Sabbath, the latter is the more important and the subject of the fourth conflict narrative, in Mark 2:23–28. The Sabbath commandment forbids Jews (as well as their slaves and animals) from beginning any work that would extend over the Sabbath—from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday—or from doing any work on the Sabbath that was not absolutely ...

2550. Crowds Follow Jesus

Mark 3:7-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Idumea), and Gentile regions (Tyre, Sidon). A boat is made ready for Jesus as a refuge from the size and press of the crowd. The accent falls on the demons who, as spiritual forces, become the second party in addition to God to recognize Jesus’s divine Sonship. By their subjection, the demons demonstrate Jesus’s sovereignty over them.

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