Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 2526 to 2550 of 5000 results

2526. Love One Another

1 John 3:11-24

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... ; 5:1, 5, 10, 13), as the subject of the epistle shifts more to issues of faith (and love) in the last two chapters. The tense of believe is aorist, signifying an initial, decisive act of commitment to Jesus Christ, though there can be no doubt that the Elder also understands the necessity of ongoing, continuous faith (4:1; 5:1, 5, 10, 13). The object of faith in the Johannine writings is predominantly Jesus (cf. John 1:12; 2:11, 22–23; 3:15–16, 18, 36; 4:39; 6:29, 35; 7:31, 38; 8:30; 9:35; 10 ...

2527. Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4-25

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... exclude these expressions of their union. Rather, the emphasis is on the spiritual and social unity of the new couple. In becoming one flesh a man and a woman become more closely bonded than their blood kinship (Wenham, Genesis 1–15, p. 71). This understanding of the union between a man and a woman is the grounds for the laws of incest (Lev. 18, 20). Because the deepest human relationship is found in marriage, any spouse’s abuse or domination of the other denies their mutuality and disrupts the harmony ...

2528. Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... the breeding of flocks are attributed to nomads, who were known for providing minstrels to entertain city dwellers (Westermann, Genesis 1–11, p. 331). However, Cain’s genealogy does not explicitly state that Jubal lived in tents. 4:22 It is possible to understand the Hb. to say that Tubal-Cain hammered these metals into tools. Another reading of the Hb. takes him to be an instructor of artisans who made tools. Perhaps he was a bronzesmith and a craftsman of iron. Moreover, archaeologists have discovered ...

2529. The Sons of Noah

Genesis 9:18-29

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... deluge. Though this is troubling to contemporary readers, it indicates that although the offense against Noah was serious, it was a single occurrence. If Noah had cursed Ham, many more peoples would have been affected. In the context of Scripture, it is best to understand the curse as on the Canaanites for their immoral practices (so U. Cassuto, A Commentary on the Book of Genesis, vol. 2, From Noah to Abraham: A Commentary on Genesis VI 9–XI 32 [trans. I. Abrahams; Jerusalem: Magnes, 1964], pp. 154–55 ...

2530. Abram Rescues Lot

Genesis 14:1-24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... Laws of War in Ancient Israel,” JJS 33 [1982], p. 81, n. 1), drawing on Ibn Ezra, shows that Hb. napal (“fall”) may mean “lower” oneself voluntarily (e.g., 24:64). He goes on to argue that it may have the overtone of “flee.” This understanding of “fall” keeps the balance: some of the fleeing troops hid in tar pits, and others fled to the hills. 14:13 The name “Hebrew” appears only some thirty times in Scripture. Its occurrences come in three clusters: the story of Joseph, the events of ...

2531. The Three Visitors

Genesis 18:1-15

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... promises. This was evident earlier in God’s giving each of them a new name. In God’s eyes they were equally essential in order for him to bring blessing to the earth. We need to keep the honor and role of the matriarch before us in our understanding of how the kingdom of God advances on earth. Additional Notes 18:1 The narrative opens with the report that Yahweh appeared to Abraham. Then, in v. 2, three men stood before Abraham. Was Yahweh one of the three? That is possible since in the second story two ...

2532. The Appointment of Leaders

Deuteronomy 1:9-18

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... human society today. We shall explore these more in our discussion of chapter 17. Additional Notes 1:8 The theme of this land is clearly one of the most central themes in the whole book and indeed is a key factor in Israel’s theological understanding in the whole Hb. Bible. It had two major dimensions, of which the first is expressed in this verse: (a) divine gift; (b) divine ownership—the land still belonged to Yahweh as ultimate divine landlord (cf. Lev. 25:23). Modern study of this theme owes much ...

2533. Wanderings in the Desert

Deuteronomy 3:21-29

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... for God that in Deuteronomy is used only in the prayers of Moses, for himself here and for the people in 9:26. He calls himself your servant—the privileged title that Moses shared with only a few people in the OT. He has a long-term understanding of God’s will and purpose, such that he can look back over the incredible acts of God in two generations and realize that they were only “the beginning” of God’s greatness (rather like the way Luke can describe his gospel as merely what Jesus “began ...

2534. The Only Place of Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... religious traditions of the world can be valid and salvific. For pluralism, the possibility of one true revelation by one true God known by one saving name through one particular people is a priori ruled out. Ignoring the OT’s own understanding of the universality of God’s saving purpose behind the particularity of Israel’s election, pluraliste reject the very possibility of such a view of truth and salvation as being (a) chauvinistic and/or imperialistic and (b) incompatible with their epistemology ...

2535. Clean and Unclean Foods

Deuteronomy 14:1-21

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... even in several visits after each major harvest. Therefore, it is likely that the ingredients of the symbolic meal were subtracted from the bulk of the tithe that was given to the Levites and dealt with as prescribed in Num. 18. On this understanding, Deut. is not legislating in detail about the tithe, but rather, assuming that the regulations and primary purpose of the practice (the support of the sanctuary personnel) as described in Lev. and Num. were well known and still in force. Deuteronomy is adding ...

2536. Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

1 Kings 1:1-27

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... last three around the Jerusalem-born Solomon is a commitment to the present in contrast to the past—a commitment to a kingdom in which Jerusalem is centrally important and the northern tribes are more likely to play their full part than if they were under Adonijah. We must understand the events of 1 Kings 1–2, in other words, in the light of the Judah-Israel tensions already evident in Samuel (e.g., 2 Sam. 20) and soon to explode into schism again in 1 Kings 12 (cf., in particular, 2 Sam. 20:1 and 1 Kgs ...

2537. David’s Charge to Solomon

1 Kings 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... so as to present Solomon with an ideal (peaceful community) and to suggest to him what kind of people from David’s past must be removed (those likely to disrupt peaceful community) if this ideal is to be attained. As we shall see, he is not slow to understand. 2:10–12 A death and burial notice concludes the account of the king’s reign; this will be the pattern throughout Kings (e.g., in the case of Solomon, 1 Kgs. 11:41–43). The notice about the length of the king’s reign is, however, usually ...

2538. Solomon Asks for Wisdom

1 Kings 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... place in Gibeon to make his burnt offerings to God and to whom God appears in a dream, inviting him to make his request. As Solomon makes this request, it is that same limited grasp of theology that first comes to expression. The basic covenant position as he understands it is that God has shown great kindness to David because he was faithful and righteous and upright in heart (3:6)—that is why Solomon sits on the throne (3:6). Not for the first time, however, what Solomon has to say is undermined for the ...

2539. Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

1 Kings 20:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... in such a way by the NIV. Thus far in the narrative of 1 Kings, for example, it has been rendered as “child/boy” (3:7; 11:17; 14:3, 17), “young man” (11:28), or “servant” (18:43; 19:3). It seems more likely, then, that we are to understand naʿar here as a reference to “servants” in a very generalized sense, taking our lead from 1 Sam. 17:33, where the contrast (in a narrative where the theme is also that “the battle is the LORD’s,” 17:47) is between the young, untrained David (naʿar ...

2540. Amaziah King of Judah

2 Kings 14:1-22

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... these texts that the authors of Kings thought leḇôʾ ḥamāṯ lay much further north than most modern commentators do. Jonah son of Amittai: That Jonah was a prophet of salvation similar to Elisha is crucial to the understanding of the book of Jonah, where he is presented as somewhat reluctant to understand his role in its broadest terms—as mediating salvation to the nations, as well as to Israel (contrast 2 Kgs. 5). He was not, of course, the only prophet active during this period, and his was not ...

2541. Hoshea Last King of Israel

2 Kings 17:1-6

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... to be asked, however, whether such a translation fits the context. There has been no suggestion so far that Israel’s apostasy was meant to be, or succeeded in being, a secret from anyone. If the connection with ḥph is correct, then it might be better to understand the verb in the sense of “to overlay” that ḥph has in 2 Chron. 3:5–9. That is also a context in which preparations for worship are described; various parts of the Solomonic temple are overlaid with gold. 2 Kgs. 17:9 would refer, then ...

2542. Distress and Help

Isaiah 33:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... them so that they also now promise hope. While some words that reappear are common ones that would prove nothing, others are very rare, and the total number of repetitions is exceptional. It is this technique that suggests that the repetitions are significant for understanding the chapter as a whole. The parallels noted below concern only passages where the Hebrew word is the same or is related. Sometimes NIV uses a different word of similar meaning, which again is noted below where it is harder to work out ...

2543. Comfort for God's People

Isaiah 40:1-31

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... on the other translation (both the preaching and the preparing happened in the desert). More significant is the fact that in the NT the preparing is a human act, whereas here it is God’s act. There, too, the NT is following the standard Jewish understanding of its day, as its application of the OT often does. The Qumran community had established themselves within sight of the scene of John the Baptist’s ministry to seek to fulfill this vision. Mark declares that John is the real fulfillment. 40:6 For ...

2544. Ezekiel's Call

Ezekiel 1:1-28, Ezekiel 2:1-3:15, Ezekiel 3:16-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... :3; Isa. 6:3). After all, priests from the same lineage were responsible both for the priestly material in the Torah and for priestly service in the temple. The Glory of the Lord, however, confronted Ezekiel in Babylon—among the exiles. Now we can understand the significance of the wheels, with their message of supreme freedom of movement. God’s throne is not a chair, but a chariot. For Ezekiel, the point appears to be that the presence is portable. Since God is enthroned in a chariot, God can manifest ...

2545. A Prophecy Against Gog

Ezekiel 38:1-39:29

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... you not the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel? At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them” (v. 17). It is impossible to think that Ezekiel penned these words. Here the understanding is that the prophets are figures of the past, who predicted the events of Israel’s (to them) distant future. Even setting aside the statement assigning the prediction to “former days,” this is a view of prophecy which none of the prophets held—certainly ...

2546. The Law of the Temple

Ezekiel 43:13-27, Ezekiel 44:1-31, Ezekiel 45:1-12, Ezekiel 45:13--46:24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... ) has let the verb stand but has agreed with the LXX in reading tabnit instead of toknit. Among the versions, only the Vulg. supports the MT here. On the other hand, Joyce argues that the rarity of toknit argues for its originality, though he also understands this Heb. term to mean something like “pattern” (“Ezekiel 40–42,” p. 28). In fact, Joyce proposes that the use of toknit rather than tabnit may be quite deliberate; while Moses saw only the pattern of the shrine (tabnit; see Exod. 25:9, 40 ...

2547. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... of Ezekiel. John is not artificially borrowing from the prophet to construct some fiction. Rather, his visions take a biblical form, reflecting the visions of Isaiah, Daniel, and particularly Ezekiel. John is steeped in the Scriptures; these ancient words structure his entire understanding of reality. Here in Ezekiel 47, “the man” takes the prophet to the entrance of the temple (v. 1). There, he notices a stream of water coming out from under the threshold of the temple (v. 1)—that is, not through the ...

2548. Jesus as True King of Israel

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:1-12

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... 2 is about political as well as religious authority and claims. For Matthew, Jesus is the Messiah or “king of the Jews.” As such, he threatens Herod’s claim to be king of the Jewish people, the very position granted to him by Roman authority. Herod understands Jesus to be a threat and responds by killing every boy in Bethlehem who might be the one whom the magi came to find (2:16), necessitating that Joseph and Mary take Jesus and flee to Egypt. Even when they return to Israel after Herod dies, they ...

2549. Sermon on the Mount: Jesus Teaches on the Torah

Matthew 5:17-48

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... the Messiah Matthew emphasizes the goodness and the relevance of the law (Torah) for Jesus’ followers, even as he shifts their focus to obeying all of what Jesus himself commands (28:19). This fits well the testimony of the Old Testament itself, which understands the Torah to be God’s instructions to Israel after they have experienced God’s covenantal promises and redemption from Egypt (Exod. 19, following Exod. 14–15). As the psalmist can say, “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than ...

2550. Jesus, Isaiah’s Servant of the Lord, Heals Many

Matthew 8:14-17, Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 8:1-4

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... this theological emphasis. First, Gentile inclusion is both an expression of God’s faithfulness to promises made and a vision of God’s wide embrace. Both motifs are eminently suitable for preaching and teaching from Matthew. Second, as the later church will struggle to understand (Acts 10; 15), Gentiles coming into the people of God through Jesus the Messiah should not be required to obey the Torah in all its facets (i.e., convert to Judaism) in order to be equal members in the church with their Jewish ...

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