Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2601 to 2625 of 2962 results

2601. Intercession for the King to Bring Prosperity to the Land and Justice to the Needy

Psalm 72:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

72:1–20 Psalm 72 is a royal psalm, used on behalf of the preexilic Davidic kings of Israel/Judah. The opening parallelism of the king and the royal son particularly fits the official coronation of the crown-prince designate, but this may be pushing poetic parallelism too far. The elevated court language is consistent with what we see in other ancient Near Eastern texts. This should not surprise us. By its own admission, the OT is clear that kingship was a foreign import (1 Sam. 8:5). It was ...

2602. The God of Zion Breaks the Weapons of War

Psalm 76:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... . Yahweh’s deliverance of Jerusalem from Assyrian invasion in 701 B.C. may be a case in point (Isa. 36–37). 76:1–3 The psalm begins with Judah’s special knowledge of Yahweh. His name, or self-revelation, is great in Israel. The terms chosen to designate Yahweh’s dwelling in Zion point to the antiquity of the tradition. The term for Jerusalem is Salem, its pre-Israelite name (Gen. 14:18). The term for his tent (Hb. sōk), meaning “hut,” may allude to the ancient tabernacle (27:5; cf. 2 Sam. 11 ...

2603. The Withering of the Wicked and the Flourishing of the Righteous

Psalm 92:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... ), relate in particular to the insight that “when the wicked sprout like plants . . . , it is so they may be destroyed forever” (lit.; the Hb. text lacks the concessive though). This literal translation shows that God, as both Judge and Creator, has designed the wicked specifically so that their flourishing is brief and final. In other words, their blossoming is no indication of their blessing; rather, this kind of blossoming is an indication of their judgment. When we read of my adversaries we normally ...

2604. An Invitatory to Enter the Temple’s Gates with Praise

Psalm 100:1-5

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... claimants to deity, is God. The rest of the verse unpacks the significance of this. The claim, it is he who made us, can refer to God’s roles as creator of humankind and as creator of a covenant people (cf. Isa. 43:1, 15; 44:2). The designations, his people and the sheep of his pasture (cf. 23:1), point particularly to the latter role. These phrases, among others, are closely paralleled in Psalm 95, where both divine roles are in view: he is both cosmic Creator and “our God” in particular (vv. 3–7 ...

2605. The Creator and His Providential Ordering of Creation

Psalm 104:1-35

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... praise of God (where he is the predominant grammatical subject), the closing section is comprised of grammatical forms typical of prayer psalms, though still with the intent of furthering his praise. There is first the wish that God’s works of creation, also designated as the glory of the LORD, may . . . endure forever, and especially that he rejoice in them. We often egocentrically assume the earth is at our disposal for our enhancement, but here we learn that it gives God pleasure. God is not a detached ...

2606. A Confession of Sin from Israel’s History: Mercy for the Generations of the Exodus and the Exile

Psalm 106:1-48

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... and gather us from the nations—along with the tacit admission that praising God is a future act (that we may give thanks, v. 47). Thus, although Psalms 105 and 106 share a similar content, a form-critical analysis of each reveals they are designed for very different purposes. Psalm 105 is hymnic praise throughout, and so God and his praiseworthy acts are the grammatical subject. Psalm 106 is a corporate prayer psalm that confesses and laments the people’s failure, and so they are the grammatical subject ...

2607. The Lord of Reversals: Thanksgiving of Desert Wanderers, Prisoners, the Sick, and Sailors

Psalm 107:1-43

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... note “he” in v. 33, etc.) than a thanksgiving. It may have been a later addition. Verses 2–3 appear to refer to Judah’s restoration from Babylonian exile. The verses in these two sections strongly echo passages in Isaiah addressed to exilic or postexilic audiences. The designation, “the redeemed” (Hb. gʾl, as a qal passive participle) appears only here in verse 2 and in Isaiah 35:9; 51:10; 62:12. Verse 3 is closely paralleled in Isaiah 43:5–6, and verses 33–35 in Isaiah 42:15 and 41:18–19 ...

2608. The Davidic King Promised Dominion over Enemies

Psalm 110:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... some support from the priestly order of Melchizedek, which may point to David’s appointment of the line of “Zadok,” a name that derives from the same Hebrew root. It is perhaps significant that “the priests who have charge of the altar” are designated as “the sons of Zadok” in Ezekiel 40:46, etc. It names the order of Zadok, not the order of Aaron, as the priestly line. If, however, the Davidic king is addressed, the Davidic dynasty is here granted the more ancient, royal prerogatives of ...

2609. The Rich Young Man

Matthew 19:16-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... called the rich young ruler. That he is rich is clearly seen in all three Gospels. In Mark there is no indication of his age or rank. In Luke he is called a “ruler” (Luke 18:18), but his age is not mentioned. In Matthew he is twice designated young man (vv. 20, 22), but his rank is not indicated. It is instructive to compare the young man’s question to Jesus as recorded both in Matthew and in Mark. In Mark he addresses Jesus with the title “good teacher” and asks, “What must I do to inherit ...

2610. Surrendering to God’s Inescapable, All-Searching Presence

Psalm 139:1-24

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... with reference to God. The interest reflected here is not to clear the speaker’s name before accusers and society but to establish his willingness to live in relationship with God and thus participate in his worship. The psalm was probably designed not as a special prayer for particular accused persons but as a regular prayer for the general population of Yahweh’s worshipers. (We should note that Ps. 104 focuses entirely on Yahweh’s creative work until its closing verse, which likewise expresses ...

2611. No One Is Righteous before God

Psalm 143:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... is no third party here, so this may be likened to a criminal case (further on this analogy, see C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms [London: Geoffrey Bles, 1958], pp. 15–22). Third, we need to consider the chief function of the designations “the righteous” and “the wicked” in the liturgies of temple entry (which include Ps. 26). Here worshipers were asked to confess their loyalty to Yahweh’s prescribed way of “the righteous.” Otherwise, they must be counted among “the wicked” who were ...

2612. Praise from the Heavenly Hosts and Creatures Here Below

Psalm 148:1-14

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... (though birds are not listed here but with other animals in v. 10). Next are listed elements of the land (mountains, hills), vegetation (fruit trees, cedars), and animals (wild animals, cattle, etc.). Two verses are then devoted to humans, first by political designations (kings, nations, etc.) and then by age and gender (young men and maidens, old men and children). Both the heavenly and earthly lists are rounded off with the invitation, let them praise the name of the LORD, and with substantiating reasons ...

2613. Praise in the Mouth and a Sword in the Hand

Psalm 149:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... rescues from “deceitful foreigners” (144:6–11) and thwarts and destroys “the wicked” (145:20; 146:9; 147:6, to list only references in Pss. 144–148), God’s people remind God to execute his justice and punishment on the peoples. Similarly, two psalms of Yahweh’s kingship, both also designated “a new song” in 96:1 and 98:1, sing of his “coming to judge the earth.”

2614. Jesus at the Temple

Matthew 21:12-17

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

21:12–13 The temple in Jerusalem consisted of an inner sanctuary (called the naos) surrounded by a series of courtyards. In descending order they were the Court of the Priests, Israelites, Women, and Gentiles. The entire temple area was designated as the hieron. It was in the outer court that the temple authorities arranged booths (called the Bazaars of Annas and belonging to the family of the high priest) to provide animals approved for sacrifice and to exchange foreign currency for coins acceptable for ...

2615. Daniel’s Training in Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... was king and there is no discrepancy. The above harmonization is possible, but it remains speculative, because we do not know what methods of counting Daniel and Jeremiah were using. Also, Jeremiah 46:2 is similar to Jeremiah 25:1 in designating Nebuchadnezzar as king, and in having the date given as the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Yet Jeremiah 46:2 is referring to the battle of Carchemish, which occurred before Nebuchadnezzar ascended the throne. Apparently, Jeremiah is calling him king proleptically, that ...

2616. The Lord's Supper

Matthew 26:17-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... the same night (v. 8). This was followed by a seven-day feast in which no leavened bread was to be eaten (vv. 15–20). Apparently the Jews, over a period of time, began to remove the leaven a day early, and this gave rise to the improper designation of Nisan 14 as the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. A famous controversy centers around the fact that the Synoptics present the Last Supper as a Passover meal whereas John (18:28; 19:14, 31, 42) places the crucifixion on the day before Passover. Some ...

2617. Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

Matthew 26:31-35

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... the others are “scandalized,” he will remain true (v. 33). Not so, responds Jesus. This very night, before cockcrow (no article before “cock”), you will deny me three times. In New Testament times the night was divided into four watches, the third being designated as the “cockcrow” (midnight until three a.m.). Some think that the reference is to the trumpet call that marked the end of the third watch, although as dawn was approaching it could well mark the time when roosters began to crow. The ...

2618. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Daniel 2:1-23

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... Sorcerers practiced magic, sorcery, witchcraft—strictly proscribed in Israel (Exod. 22:18; Deut. 18:10; Isa. 47:9; Mal. 3:5). The term rendered astrologers is actually “Chaldeans.” It initially referred to a group of people in southern Babylonia but came to designate a group of wise men or counselors (see the commentary on 1:4). Eventually, the term came to mean “astrologer,” but it is questionable whether the Hebrew word should be translated that way here, as in the NIV. Most modern versions have ...

2619. The Death of Jesus

Matthew 27:45-56

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... absence of the definite article before ‘Son’ allows but does not demand an indefinite meaning” (p. 578). Some are of the opinion that the centurion intended “a son of God” (in the secular sense of an unusually gifted individual) and that Matthew took the designation in the Christian sense of “the Son of God.” In either case, the Roman guards were the first to acknowledge that Jesus was no mere man paying with his life for his religious convictions. Many of the women who had followed Jesus from ...

2620. The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus

Mark 1:9-13

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... as one chosen to speak for him. It appears that Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42, and perhaps Genesis 22:2, were understood by some in Mark’s time as foreshadowing the Messiah (the anointed one, the Christ), and so the allusion to these passages implicitly designates Jesus as the one foreshadowed. As we will see in subsequent passages, Mark wishes to enhance and enlarge the significance of Jesus beyond his simply being the Messiah, but the allusion to these verses from the OT means that Mark wishes also to claim for ...

2621. The Appointing of the Twelve Apostles

Mark 3:13-19

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... here means that they are to be seen as specially commissioned by Jesus to work in his name. (See “Apostle,” NIDNTT, vol. 1, pp. 126–39; IDB, vol. 1, pp. 170–72.) Note that some ancient manuscripts of Mark do not include the phrase translated here “designating them apostles” (3:14), and it is likely that these words were added in some Markan manuscripts by scribes influenced by the parallel account in Luke 6:13. 3:16 The twelve: All four Gospels refer to a group of twelve disciples as a kind of ...

2622. The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

Mark 5:1-20

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

5:1–20 Mark’s stories of Jesus’ works are designed not only to tell something of what Jesus did but also to dramatize or symbolize important points. To read these stories the way Mark intended, we must look for what they suggest as symbols, and this involves reading the accounts carefully, with an eye for detail. The present story particularly ...

2623. The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man

Mark 7:31-37

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... 7:1–23. This healing story gives a very detailed description of Jesus’ actions toward the needy person (7:33–34; cf. 8:22–25). Jesus’ actions can be seen in at least two ways. First, they could be seen simply as a kind of sign language designed to show the man what Jesus intended to do for him, perhaps to encourage his faith. Thus, touching the man’s ears and tongue might mean that Jesus intended to deal with these needs. Spittle (at least the spittle of certain men) was apparently regarded by ...

2624. Jesus Predicts His Death

Mark 8:31--9:1

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... 13) prefigures. After this passage (8:31–9:1), which emphasizes the necessity of Jesus’ suffering and summons disciples to a commitment like Jesus’ own in the hope of ultimate vindication before the Son of Man, Mark gives a story that is designed to demonstrate the validity of all stated here, the transfiguration episode that follows (9:2–13). There is thus a connection between these two accounts, balancing a foreshadowing of Christ’s glory to come with the emphasis upon humiliation and obedience ...

2625. The Healing of a Boy With an Evil Spirit

Mark 9:14-32

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... (9:32). The dullness of the disciples that Mark consistently emphasizes and that caused a rift between Jesus and Peter in 8:32–33 remains open. The disciples were perhaps worried that Jesus was far too pessimistic for one whom they regarded as God’s Messiah-designate. Both in 9:33–34 and 10:35–37, we are shown the disciples still assuming that in a short time they will be in chief positions with Jesus over the kingdom. But based on Jesus’ rebuke of Peter in 8:32–33, the disciples are fearful ...

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