Synonyms: renounce, relinquish, dispense with, forswear, disclaim, disown, disavow, discard, wash one's hands of, give up, stop, cease, drop, forgo, desist from, have done with, abjure, abstain from, discontinue, break off, refrain from, set/lay aside, desert, leave, leave high and dry, turn one's back on, cast aside, break (up) with, vacate, quit, evacuate, withdraw from, surrender, cede, yield, indulge in, give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in, uninhibitedness, recklessness, lack of restraint, lack of inhibition, unruliness, wildness, impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness
Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on
Showing 2651 to 2675 of 2844 results
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Preparation for Occupation of the Promised Land (26:1–36:13): The remaining chapters of Numbers focus on preparations for the Israelites to enter Canaan, including a census of the new adult generation, instructions for apportionment of territory, and more laws. 26:1-65 · A fresh census (Numbers 26) is necessary for organization because the generation counted in the earlier census (chaps. 1–3) is now gone. The second census also verifies that only Caleb and Joshua remain of those numbered in the first ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Naomi navigates a plan ( 3:1–5 ) · Ruth works in Boaz’s field for about three months and continues to live with Naomi (2:23). But living together was never Naomi’s long-term plan for Ruth. Now that Boaz and Ruth have providentially met, and given that Boaz bears a legal family responsibility, Naomi attempts to secure a new home and identity for Ruth. She hopes to restore the coveted family name and reputation along with any inheritance. Naomi seizes the opportunity to inform Boaz of his responsibility by ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
In spite of, or perhaps because of, the beneficial results that David’s triumph brings to Israel as a whole, Saul soon becomes jealous of David and begins to treat him as a rival to the throne. Perhaps Saul suspects that David is the “neighbor” who will replace him as king (15:28). After a brief period of promotions and honor, David becomes persona non grata in Saul’s court, and the king tries several methods to get rid of him. Saul’s attitude is diametrically opposed to that of his son Jonathan, who does ...
2654. David Saves Keilah
1 Samuel 23:1-29
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Throughout his time as a fugitive David protects the cities of Judah from their enemies. When the Philistines steal grain from the threshing floors of Keilah, a city in the western foothills about ten miles northwest of Hebron, David and his men attack them and drive them off (23:1–6). Even though David is no longer in Saul’s employ, he continues to enjoy mastery over the Philistines. The victory nets David considerable plunder, especially livestock (23:5). While David and his men stay in Keilah, Saul ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The reconstruction of the northern and western walls is described in 3:1–15, starting at the Sheep Gate, near the northeastern corner of Jerusalem. Eliashib, grandson of Joshua (Neh. 12:10), who was the leader when the temple was rebuilt (Ezra 5:2), along with his fellow priests, rebuilds the Sheep Gate and the wall as far as the Tower of Hananel. There are two towers in the north wall; this is the only side of Jerusalem not defended by steep hills. The fact that this part of the wall and the Tower of ...
2656. Wealth is Meaningless
Ecclesiastes 5:8--6:12
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
5:10–6:9 Review · Qoheleth concludes his examination of foundational human activities with an extensive and highly structured analysis of wealth. This section can be subdivided into three distinct scenarios involving wealth on the basis of the threefold use of “I saw” (5:13; 5:18; 6:1) as well as the striking verbal and conceptual parallels between 5:10–12 and 6:7–9. Two negative portraits (5:13–17; 6:1–6) frame a positive one (5:18–20). These three observations are in turn framed by an introduction and a ...
2657. Not One is Upright
Jeremiah 5:1-31, Jeremiah 6:1-30
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
So far, statements about Judah’s evil have been only sketches. Now the people (not only Jeremiah) are commanded to investigate the moral situation by means of a citywide poll (5:1–13) to show statistically, so to speak, that the place, like Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:23–33), totally lacks persons of integrity. And worse—people are outrightly defying the Lord. The poll gives warrant for God’s severe judgment. Were there even only one who would seek after truth, God would pardon the city! “Doing justice” ( ...
2658. Sin and Punishment
Jeremiah 8:4--9:26
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
8:4–10:25 Review · Treachery, trouble, and tears:“Oh, that . . . my eyes [were] a fountain of tears!” (9:1). It is from such expressions in this section that Jeremiah has been called the weeping prophet. The prophet aches for his people. Trouble will be everywhere, and it will be terrible. Crops will fail; fields and properties will be taken over by strangers; and the dreaded foe from the north will be on the way. Things will never be the same. And the reason is that God’s people have forsaken God’s law (8 ...
2659. A Pastoral Letter
Jeremiah 29:1-23, Jeremiah 29:24-32
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Jeremiah’s letter to the Judean captives in Babylon advises them to adjust to the new circumstances and warns about false prophets and manipulators. A brief explanation of the letter is given first (29:1–3). A full title for God opens the letter before Jeremiah exhorts the people to work and pray (24:4–9). God is the ultimate agent of the exile. Jeremiah counsels the people to resume work because the exile will be long and not short, as the false prophets are announcing. His advice is also intended to ...
2660. Trouble from Within
Jeremiah 40:1-6, Jeremiah 40:7--41:15
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
40:1–45:5 Review · After the Catastrophe: The capture of Jerusalem touches off a sordid set of events. The assassination of Gedaliah leads to strife, insecurity, and fear of Nebuchadnezzar’s reprisal. Consequently some trek off to Egypt, against Jeremiah’s advice. There the familiar godless lifestyle persists; more judgment speeches follow. 40:1–41:18 · A fresh beginning quickly turns sour with Ishmael’s struggle for power over Gedaliah.Ramah, five miles north of Jerusalem, is the dispatching point for ...
2661. Prophecies Against Tyre and her King
Ezekiel 28:1-19, Ezekiel 28:20-26
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The concern of most of chapter 28 is an individual identified in verse 12 as the king of Tyre. There are two clear parts to this unit. The first is verses 1–10, an oracle of judgment. Verses 11–19, on the other hand, are a lament. Verses 1–10 perpetuate the maritime connections of Tyre that chapters 26 and 27 emphasize, but verses 11–19 do not. The city is ruled by a monarch who fancies himself a god. Again the point is made, as in chapters 26 and 27, that Tyre’s location confers on it an almost superhuman ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The next oracle (5:1–6) is similar to the previous two in that in Hebrew it also begins with the word “now.” Further, like the others, this oracle begins by describing a time of distress for Israel from which she will be delivered. This third oracle, however, reverses priorities and concentrates on the positive note of deliverance. The first line of the oracle is extremely difficult. Some versions translate it as, “Marshal your troops, O city of troops,” but it is best to read it, along with many ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Chapter 7 ends with a description of the desolation of the land brought about by Israel’s disobedience. Now God takes it upon himself to bring about a change despite Israel’s failure. This is the outworking of God’s grace and his faithfulness to his promises. The depth of God’s emotion is very evident here. In 1:14 his zeal is aroused by the sight of a Gentile world that is secure and prosperous while Israel is in distress. There his zeal brings about the destruction of the godless nations and a restored ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
24:1–25:46 Review · Matthew’s fifth and final extended section of Jesus’s teaching continues with the theme of judgment on Jerusalem leaders and the temple begun in chapters 21–23. Matthew provides glimpses of Jesus’s second coming or reappearing and the end of the age, with its final judgment of all peoples. Regarding the temple’s destruction, Jesus warns his followers against confusing precursor signs with the events that will occur when it falls (24:4–35). The opposite warning is given for Jesus’s ...
2665. Apostles of Christ
1 Corinthians 4:1-21
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Paul then turns to the situation that gave rise to his remarks on wisdom, the tendency of some at Corinth to make comparisons between their teachers, to boost their favorite above the others, and to boast of their allegiances (1:12–17). Alluding to 3:5–9, Paul again asks the Corinthians to recognize that the truth lies in precisely the opposite direction. It is not the Corinthians who “belong” to Paul, Apollos, or Cephas; rather, along with all things, life and death, the present and the future (Rom. 8:38– ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
A final issue, closely related to the third, apparently pertained to the ability to recount previous personal experiences of revelatory visions (12:1–13). Once again, though there is really nothing to be gained by an attempt to supplement the record of divine support that he has already presented, Paul consents, as before, to “go on boasting” in an attempt to win the wayward Corinthians back to his side (12:1). But once more he does so in a way that shows his reticence to cooperate fully in any contest of ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The word “finally” or “further,” which begins this chapter (see “Literary Unity” in introduction), might lead Paul’s readers to expect some concluding remarks, especially since the exhortation to “rejoice in the Lord” appears to be such an apt summary of what Paul has previously written. But the whole tone of the letter changes abruptly in 3:2, and a new subject is introduced rather unexpectedly. This change of tone and subject has led several scholars to suggest that Philippians 3 is actually a fragment ...
2668. The Hymn to Christ
Colossians 1:15-23
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
1:13–14 · The Father rescues his people: Verse 12 prepares the reader for a further discussion of God’s kingdom with its insistence on the church’s rightful inheritance of it. (On the kingdom of God in Paul, see also Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20; 6:9; 15:24–28.) Verses 13–14 explain how this inheritance has been accomplished. Paul makes clear that the Colossians had lived in darkness, that is, in sinfulness. God rescued them through his beloved Son, and now they are in the light (see Luke 16:8; John 12:36; 1 ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The next major subsection focuses on the sufficiency of the redemption obtained by Jesus Christ. The imagery continues to be that of the Day of Atonement, but Christ’s offering of himself is a transaction that transcends the earthly sphere and the potentialities of mere humans and their rituals. Though he died on a cross near Jerusalem (Heb. 13:12), his sacrifice is thought of as being offered in heaven (9:11). Text-critical considerations in 9:11 together with the author’s sustained emphasis on the ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Major Themes of Judges: Although it is best to establish these through an inductive approach, here the major themes are briefly noted so as to be aware of them as we work through the text. The theme of covenant underlies the entire story, in keeping with its Deuteronomic character. More specifically, Judges is about God’s covenant people, Israel, about their faithfulness and unfaithfulness to covenant commitments made first at Mount Sinai and later renewed, especially at Shechem under Joshua’s leadership ( ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Retired Presbyterian pastor John Buchanan tells of baptizing a two-year-old boy in a Sunday worship service. After the child had been baptized, Pastor Buchanan, following the directions of the Presbyterian prayer book, put his hand on the little boy’s head and addressed him like this. He said, “You are a child of God, sealed by the Spirit in your baptism, and you belong to Jesus Christ forever.” Unexpectedly, the little boy looked up and responded, “Uh-oh.” The people in the congregation smiled, of course ...
Sermon
Robert Leslie Holmes
Unlike John or Peter, the gospel writer Luke was a cool-headed intellect. Luke was a physician. As a physician, he was trained to keep his emotional distance from the events he saw. Nobody wants a physician who lets emotion run ahead of intellect. We want our medical doctors to be able to confront the most remarkable experiences and stay calm; to analyze, decide the best course of action, and prescribe whatever it takes to get the patient well again. Above all else, "Keep calm and carry on." That is, do ...
2673. Fix It, Daddy
John 11:17-45
Sermon
King Duncan
In his book Father Care, Charles Paul Conn tells about his two-year-old daughter Vanessa who was given a helium-filled balloon at Sunday School. It was bright blue and seemed almost alive as it danced and floated on the end of her string as she ran through the halls of the church pulling it along behind her. But the inevitable happened. The balloon bumped into the sharp edge of a metal railing and popped. With a single, loud “bang,” it burst and fell to her feet. She looked down and saw what had been her ...
Sermon
Charley Reeb
True Stories #1: He was one of my best friends in elementary school. We did just about everything together – rode bikes, played cops and robbers, had slumber parties, went to the movies. You name it, we did it. He had a younger brother and an older sister. They were all adopted and came from different biological families. They seemed to be happy with their adoptive parents. They lived in a nice home and attended a very good school in suburban Atlanta. They were provided for in every way. One day one of the ...
Sermon
Charley Reeb
Dr. Arthur Caliandro, long-time pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, had a therapist on his church staff. One day they were having a conversation about prayer. The therapist told him that prayer was the most therapeutic behavior for a human being. Caliandro was not surprised but he was excited because an expert in human behavior was telling him what he knew all along — prayer is powerful! Do you desire power for living? Try prayer power! In Acts we read that in God “we live and move and have our being.” You ...
Showing results