Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2576 to 2600 of 2962 results

Numbers 2:1-34

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... of Meeting. The Levites serve as a buffer between the tabernacle and the camps. The term for banners is beo’tot, “with signs.” The term has a wide range of meanings in the OT and here probably does refer to some kind of ensign or emblem designating the family. The term standard, digelo, indicates a military flag of a company (Davies, Numbers, pp. 21–23). Both Davies (Numbers, p. 19) and Budd (Numbers, pp. 24–25) find the pattern for the arrangement of the camp in Ezekiel’s description of the new ...

2577. Setting Up the Lamps

Num 8:1-26

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... hammered gold. Oil lamps were then placed on the stand. The lamps provided light and were symbolic of the divine presence, as well as reminiscent of the beginning of creation (see the commentary on Lev. 24:1–4). The lampstand with its floral design and branches resembling a tree came to symbolize the life-giving power of the divine presence. 8:5–14 The remainder of the chapter considers the ritual of preparation of the Levites for their work with the tabernacle. The Levites have previously been counted ...

2578. Fire from the Lord

Numbers 11:1-3

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... God has conceived the people and needs to provide for them. Moses then pleads for his own death. The narrative in this dialogue takes an unexpected turn from the complaint about meat to Moses’ concerns about the burden of leadership. God’s response to Moses is to designate seventy elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people (v. 16). They are to gather at the Tent of Meeting, and God says, I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. These elders will ...

2579. Towns for the Levites

Numbers 35:1-5

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... the tribes will give proportionately. Larger tribes will provide more towns. Six of these towns will be cities of refuge. The description of the pastureland is somewhat puzzling. According to verse 4, the land is to extend out fifteen hundred feet, while verse 5 designates that the area is to be a square three thousand feet on each side. These numbers seem to assume that the size of the town is but a single point, perhaps not an uncommon notion in Jewish tradition. Joshua 21 also recounts the assigning ...

2580. Samuel Anoints Saul

1 Sam 9:1–10:8

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... . If the appointment of a king was a public matter and if Saul was to be accepted by the people, it was important that his appointment was ratified by the whole people in a public meeting. The brief ceremony of anointing is accompanied by detailed predictions designed to confirm to Saul that Samuel’s actions were, as he had said, on behalf of the LORD. Saul will meet two men who will corroborate the finding of the donkeys, three men who will provide food for him, and a band of ecstatic prophets. Saul ...

2581. Introducing Job

Job 1:1-5

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... integrity of Job (similarly, see also the adjectival form tamim in 12:4). Proverbs 1:7 employs the more particular phrase “fear of Yahweh,” where the distinctive name of Israel’s covenant God appears. On the other hand, Ecclesiastes uses the more generic designation ʾelohim, “God.” The reference in Eccl. 12:13 to “keep his commandments” makes it clear, however, that it is Yahweh who is intended in both instances. 1:3 People of the East suggests again that Job is not an Israelite. The “East ...

2582. Silent Comfort: Job’s Three Friends

Job 2:11-13

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... as the answer to that question unfolds. The three friends support the Edomite connections already established in the story. One of Esau’s sons, listed among his Edomite descendants in Genesis 36:10–11, is also called Eliphaz. This Eliphaz’s designation as the Temanite indicates that he lived in Teman, an Edomite city south of the Dead Sea. Zophar and Bildad have less obvious affiliations with Edom (through various linguistic and genealogical connections, see the extended discussion in Clines, Job 1 ...

2583. Job's Second Reply to Zophar

Job 21:1-34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... old and increasing in power? Not only do the wicked live to a ripe old age—a sign of blessing—but they also increase in strength and influence. The Hebrew phrase for “increasing in power” (gaberu khayil) is related to the social designation gibbor khayil, “men of influence.” These are the powerful social elite who gain influence in society by their “strength” (the meaning of the root gbr) and “wealth” (one of the derived meanings of khayil). So the wicked achieve all the benefits of ...

2584. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... a hardened mixture of “copper” and tin. Smelting—which involves removing metals from ore and eliminating impurities from the metal by means of heat—occurs at lower temperatures for copper. Iron, however, requires higher temperatures, so this process developed later with the design of some sort of air bellows to force hotter fires. At least at an early point in Israel’s history, it seems that the Philistines may have enjoyed a monopoly on the technique necessary to work iron efficiently (1 Sam. 13 ...

2585. Epilogue

Job 42:7-17

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... the friends’ restoration to God is dependent on the intercession of the one they had condemned as a sinner! I will accept his prayer. Job’s prayer will be efficacious in removing the friends’ sin and restoring their relationship to God. God designates the friends’ misleading speech as folly. This is not simply thoughtless, uninformed, or frivolous speech. “Folly” in the OT always has a willful edge to it, rejecting the purposes of God—thus the fool is culpable for failure to fear God rightly ...

2586. Entering the Lord’s House

Psalm 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... wicked in Psalm 5 is probably also a character profile. Thus, the mention of the wicked in Psalm 5 may stem not from the actual circumstances of the speaker but from the entry liturgy itself. Psalm 5 was probably not a special psalm designed for individuals who fell into the particular circumstances of false accusation; rather it was a regular liturgy for all entrants into Yahweh’s presence. We may now summarize the development of Psalm 5 as follows. In the opening section a speaker expresses the desire ...

2587. Delivering the Helpless from Social Oppression: Part I

Psalm 9:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... in anticipation of deliverance (expressed by the Hb. perfect in v. 15; cf. 13:6; 54:6–7; 56:12–13; 71:22–24; 86:12–13). The opening petition concerns my enemies and the closing petition the nations, which together form the same dual designation used for the opponents in the earlier thanksgiving. The image of “gates” links this section’s opening petition with its vow of praise: the speaker anticipates being transported from the gates of death to the gates of the Daughter of Zion. Verses 15–18 ...

2588. The Lord’s Refined Words and Humans with Double Tongues

Psalm 12:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... ”). But it also diverges from the opening petitions in two respects. First, while verse 3 requests Yahweh to “cut off all flattering (lit. ‘smooth’) lips,” his promise specifies no more than protection for the oppressed. Second, while the petitions designate God’s people by moral categories, “the godly” and “the faithful,” Yahweh uses social categories, the weak and the needy. He thus clarifies that they become objects of his salvation not by virtue of their moral behavior but because of ...

2589. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Psalm 22:1-31

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 22:29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship: The MT has “all the fat (Hb. dišnê) of the earth.” The NIV paraphrases this expression to refer to “the rich,” but there are no instances in the OT where it is used as a designation for the rich (though it is tempting to provide a complement to “the poor” in v. 26). Instead we should probably read “sleepers” (Hb. yešēnê, cf. Dan. 12:2) because it suits the parallelism of the verse. The MT also has “they have eaten and bowed down ...

2590. My Shepherd and My Host

Psalm 23:1-6

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... temple with the motif of shepherd and sheep (28:2, 9; 74:1; 79:13; 95:7; 100:3–4). Perhaps in the pilgrimage festivals there was the conception of Yahweh as shepherd gathering his people as sheep into his temple, which acts as a sheepfold. Elsewhere the temple is designated an “abode,” a term associated with the abode of the shepherd and sheep (Hb. nwh, related to the same term for pastures in 23:2; see 83:12; 93:5; Exod. 15:13; 2 Sam. 15:25; Isa. 33:20; Jer. 31:23; see BDB, p. 627). It is perhaps ...

2591. A Wisdom Prayer for Those Who Fear the Lord

Psalm 25:1-22

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... truth or faithfulness (Hb. ʾemet in both vv. 5, 10). Thus, the petitions of verses 4–7 seek to ensure that the speaker, though having “rebellious ways,” may be counted among those Yahweh instructs, who—fortunately for the speaker (and us!)—are designated as both the humble and sinners. Yahweh’s character determines the content of his teaching: being good and upright, he instructs . . . in what is right. Verse 11 rounds off this half of the psalm with another reference to Yahweh’s forgiving my ...

2592. The Voice of the Lord in the Thunderstorm

Psalm 29:1-11

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... characteristic of Canaanite poetry. 29:1–2 If Psalm 29 is a plundered Canaanite hymn, it would also explain the expressions, O mighty ones and the splendor of his holiness. The Hebrew phrase for “mighty ones” is literally “sons of gods” (Hb. benê ʾēlîm). In the OT, comparable expressions designate the angelic host in Yahweh’s heavenly council (1 Kgs. 22:19; Isa. 6:2–4; Pss. 8:6; 82:1–7; 89:6–9; 97:7; 103:20; 148:1–2; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; cf. Gen. 6:2, 4). The usage of “sons of gods ...

2593. My God as Refuge from Social Alienation

Psalm 31:1-24

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... of the opponents and the conflict. In verses 4, 8, 11–15, the conflict is between me and my enemies (esp. Hb. ʾôyēb), but in verses 17–20, 23–24, two distinct groups emerge, both defined in moral terms: the righteous (and their various designations) and the wicked (Hb. rešāʿîm). This shift may imply that the psalm was written in stages, perhaps at the hand of different liturgists (though the shift does not occur at v. 9), or it may imply a thematic development, namely that “my” suffering is ...

2594. The Trustworthy Lord Over Nature, Nations, and Armies

Psalm 33:1-22

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Psalm 33 is a hymn wherein a liturgist summons the congregation (v. 1) and the musicians (vv. 2–3) to perform their praise of God. The congregation is designated as the “righteous” and “upright,” that is, those admitted through the temple entry liturgy (see on Pss. 15 and 24). The chief quality sought in this liturgy is not moral blamelessness but loyalty to Yahweh (in 24:3–6 “righteousness” is received, not presupposed). The promise of deliverance from death ...

2595. Taste and See that the Lord Hears and Delivers

Psalm 34:1-22

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... ’s attentiveness, which acts on behalf of the righteous (referring to his eyes and ears) and against those who do evil (referring to his face). To the former, he is both responsive (v. 17) and close (v. 18). In verse 18, this group is designated not by their religious, moral standing (i.e., the righteous) but by their personal attitude (i.e., the brokenhearted; cf. “the afflicted” and “this poor man” in vv. 2, 6). As for the wicked, the psalm touches on the mystery of retribution and its divine ...

2596. Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... God in seducing human beings to evil, Jesus adds but deliver us from the evil one; he is the one who tears down and destroys. The Greek ponēros can be translated “evil” or the evil one. Since in Hebrew thought Satan is not designated as “the evil one,” many interpreters prefer the former meaning (i.e., those difficult circumstances that often plague our lives). Readers of most modern-speech versions will note the omission of any doxology at this point. (“For thine is the kingdom, and the power ...

2597. God Will Redeem My Soul from the Grave

Psalm 49:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

49:1–4 Unlike most psalms, this one explicitly labels its genre as a proverb and a riddle, though sung with the harp. The reason for the latter designation becomes evident in the question of verses 5–6. The psalm stems from Israel’s wisdom tradition—comparable especially to Ecclesiastes—and its purpose is didactic. This proverb is not just for Israelites but for all you peoples, all who live in this world—irrespective of social station (both low ...

2598. The Penitential Psalm

Psalm 51:1-19

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 51 that makes impossible its coming from David and his time period (aside perhaps from the closing references to the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls), it does show remarkable affinity to several prophetic passages around the time of Judah’s exile and shortly thereafter. The designation Holy Spirit (v. 11) elsewhere occurs only in Isaiah 63:10, 11, and the mention of a broken/contrite heart/spirit (v. 17), as an attribute pleasing to God, occurs only in Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 57:15; and 66:2. Isaiah 66:3 ...

2599. Defeat in Battle with Edom

Psalm 60:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... section are petitions that he take a more proactive role: Save us and “answer” (Hb. ʿanēnû, Kethib, not help) us with your right hand. Adding motivation to these appeals is the reminder that the petitioners are those you love, a designation that matches the preceding phrase, those who fear you. The petition for God to “answer”is perhaps intentionally ambiguous, meaning both “answer” us with saving action and “answer” us with saving words. The latter sense is most prominent in what follows ...

2600. The Pilgrim’s Thirst for God in a Dry and Weary Land

Psalm 63:1-11

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... Psalm 36 has certain parallels with our psalm. It too mentions personal opponents (v. 11) who are characterized by deceit (v. 3) and closes with an affirmation that they will be stopped (v. 12). Thus, we must not assume Psalm 63 was designed for special needs of individuals. Whatever were the particular circumstances of this psalm’s performance, the speaker’s participation in God’s worship will have widespread effects. Verses 9–10 illustrate with a concrete image the protection God grants his own ...

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