Synonyms: thirstiness, dryness, parched, craving, strong desire, longing, yearning, avidity, hunger, voracity, keenness, eagerness, lust, appetite, passion, love, crave, want, covet, desire, hunger for/after, lust for/after, hanker for/after, have one's heart set on
Antonyms: aversion, distaste, apathy, dislike, hatred, antipathy, disgust, disregard, abhorrence, acrimony, wet, animosity, animus, antagonism, bad feeling, bitterness, be averse to, detestation
Showing 2976 to 3000 of 3108 results
2976. Negative Responses to Jesus
Luke 11:33-36, Luke 11:29-32, Luke 11:14-28
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R.T. France
Big Idea: Jesus has come not to collude with Satan but rather to confront and dispossess him. Jesus is far greater than any prophets or kings who have come before, bringing the light that we now must shine to the world. Understanding the Text There have been indications throughout Jesus’s ministry in Galilee that not everyone is favorably impressed by him. Now the opposition is focused in two specific lines of attack (11:15–16). The first concerns his deliverance of those who were demon-possessed, a major ...
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R.T. France
Big Idea: Two incidents at Jericho demonstrate Jesus’s mission to save the lost, whatever their place in society, whether oppressed or oppressor. Understanding the Text The journey that began in 9:51 is near its end, as Jesus and his disciples cross the Jordan and enter Jericho before the final climb up to Jerusalem. Two events in Jericho illustrate again the deep social divisions that came to our attention in 18:14–30, and the issue of the salvation of the rich (18:18–27) is explored further in the story ...
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C. Marvin Pate
Big Idea: Paul declares that government is a divine institution, and so Christians should submit to its authority. He provides two reasons why believers should do so: fear of punishment for wrongdoing, and obedience for conscience’s sake. The specific form that this submission should take is paying taxes. Thus, obeying the authorities is another expression of being a living sacrifice to God. Understanding the Text Even though Romans 13:1–7 is a part of general Christian exhortation (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1–3; 1 Pet ...
2979. The Focus of Christian Worship
1 Corinthians 14:26-40, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
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Preben Vang
Big Idea: Christian worship gatherings must be conducted in an orderly fashion to avoid confusion and to ensure that the character of Christ is clearly portrayed throughout the service. Individuals desiring to share their gifts must submit to the greater purpose of portraying Christ. Understanding the Text Having dealt generally with the matter of tongue speaking (the exercise of private devotion) in a public gathering, Paul now turns to the more specific subject of how several of the questions he ...
2980. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration
Revelation 19:1-10, Revelation 18:1-24
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J. Scott Duvall
Big Idea: God’s people are called to rejoice over his judgment of the evil city and his vindication of the saints. Understanding the Text We now enter the final stage of Babylon’s destruction (17:1–19:5). The laments of Babylon’s codependents in 18:9–19 are contrasted with the rejoicing of the righteous in 18:20–19:5. God’s people are urged to celebrate God’s judgment of the “great city” (18:20). This command is followed by the announcement of Babylon’s certain destruction (18:21), which focuses upon what ...
2981. The Sin Offering
Leviticus 4:1--5:13
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Joe M. Sprinkle
Big Idea: There needs to be cleansing from sin before God. Understanding the Text The sin offering is the fourth in a series of five offerings found in Leviticus 1:1–6:7. Why are the sin and guilt offerings not treated with the earlier atoning sacrifice, the burnt offering? Probably because unlike the burnt offering, the sin and guilt offerings are obligatory.1The burnt, grain, and fellowship offerings can be offered whenever one feels the need; sin and guilt offerings are mandatory whenever one commits ...
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Joe M. Sprinkle
Big Idea: We need to recall how God saved us. Understanding the Text The book of Numbers begins with the census initiated twelve and a half months after the exodus (Num. 1:1, 18). But in Numbers 9 (and probably Num. 7–8 as well; see comments as Num. 7:1), the book flashes back to the previous month (Num. 9:1)—that is, to the very month when the tabernacle had been completed (Exod. 40:17). Precisely one year after the initial Passover, the Israelites begin the first annual Passover commemoration around ...
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Joe M. Sprinkle
Big Idea: God confirms his ministers and directs them to protect that which is sacred. Understanding the Text In Numbers 16 Korah challenges the exclusive privilege of priesthood by Aaron and his sons. But in the contest between Aaron and the followers of Korah, God shows Korah to be wrong by sending fire to consume the 250 non-Aaronites who have come to offer incense to God. A challenge also comes from Reubenites, who in sympathy with Korah claim that “the whole community is holy” (Num. 16:3b), not just ...
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Joe M. Sprinkle
Big Idea: Reviewing God’s dealings in the past helps people to keep following God in the present. Understanding the Text All the major events in the book of Numbers are now complete. So this seems an appropriate occasion for the book to review what has gone before by listing campsites from Egypt to Canaan, starting with Rameses in Egypt, where Israel had lived, and ending at the plains of Moab with some forty campsites in between. Verses 1–15 take us to Mount Sinai. Verses 16–36 list camps in the desert. ...
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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
Big Idea: The Lord disciplines his sinful servants but also extends forgiveness and mercy. Understanding the Text Thanks to the help of Joab and the silence of Bathsheba, David appeared to get away with the murder of Uriah and even ended up adding Uriah’s beautiful wife to his harem. But the last words of chapter 11 suggest that the story will take a turn for the worse for David. Chapter 12 tells how the Lord confronts David with his sin. The Lord announces that he will severely punish David, and the rest ...
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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
Big Idea: The consequences of sin can be persistent, even when the Lord’s repentant servants do their best to promote unity and the Lord’s faithful covenantal promise is fulfilled. Understanding the Text The previous episode ended with David’s mourning the death of Absalom as if he were not grateful for what his men had accomplished on his behalf. Joab warned him that he was jeopardizing the loyalty of the troops, who had risked their lives for him. David presented himself to his loyal followers, and they ...
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Daniel J. Estes
Big Idea: Zophar dismisses Job’s complaints as illogical. Understanding the Text In their first responses to Job, Eliphaz appeals to experience and personal revelation (Job 4–5), Bildad adduces traditional teaching (Job 8), and Zophar applies strict deductive logic to evaluate Job’s situation (Job 11). Zophar seems to be the most curt and insensitive of the three friends in speaking to Job. By taking the retribution principle to its logical conclusion, Zophar insists that suffering necessarily proceeds ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
Big Idea: The story of humanity, from creation to redemption, is tied together with the golden thread of God’s unfailing love. Understanding the Text Psalm 33 is atypical of the psalms in Book 1 in that it has no title, sharing this feature only with Psalm 10 (assuming, of course, that Psalms 1 and 2 are introductory). It is a good example of the hymn, which represents the “purest form” of praise to God, expressing who he is and what he does.[1] The absence of a title has led to the speculation that this ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
Big Idea: Sometimes when we have been faithful to God and bad things still happen to us, the best and only explanation is that it is for God’s sake. Understanding the Text Psalm 44 is a community lament that follows some national defeat of Israel’s army (44:9), even though the psalmist, speaking on behalf of the king, cannot understand why this has happened, since Israel has not forgotten God or “been false” to his covenant (44:17). Psalms 42–43 celebrate the psalmist’s hope that he, isolated and dejected ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
Big Idea: Faith affirms God and worships, and in that context confronts the ongoing conflict between truth and evil. Understanding the Text Psalm 54 contains most of the characteristics of an individual lament, including an address to God, petition, lament/complaint, confession of trust, vow to praise, and assurance of being heard.1 It is another of the thirteen psalms that have historical titles (see the sidebar). Psalm 54 belongs to a minicollection (Pss. 52–55) that is joined together by the phrase “A ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
Big Idea: When our strength ebbs with age, our spiritual inclination is to pray that God will not forsake us. Understanding the Text Psalm 71 has no title, evoking the idea that Psalms 70 and 71 might be viewed as a single unit. In view of their verbal affinities (see “Additional Insights: Corresponding Verbal and Thematic Connections in Psalms 69–72,” following the unit on Ps. 72), the latter psalm, perhaps composed by David himself in his old age, was likely adapted by the compiler of Book 2 to provide a ...
2992. Resurrection and Accountability
Daniel 12:1-13, Daniel 11:36-45
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Ronald W. Pierce
Big Idea: The wise should understand that the struggle of human history ends with resurrection to everlasting life for the righteous and to everlasting punishment for the wicked. Understanding the Text See the unit on 10:1–11:1 for a discussion of the larger context, structure, and comparisons of chapters 10–12, including its fourfold division. Against this backdrop, 11:40–12:13 completes the last section of Daniel’s final appearance vision (chaps. 10–12), the book’s two Hebrew sections (chaps. 1 and 8–12 ...
Sermon
James L. Killen
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Now, however, the brothers feel that Joseph will retaliate since their father is out of the way. Nowhere is it recorded that Jacob gave to his other sons the directives that verse 16 claims he did. Either the brothers are fabricating this, or they are recalling a legitimate word that did not make it into the biblical record. To that degree the brothers’ quotation of their father’s words is unverifiable (as is Absalom’s referencing his own earlier words in 2 Sam. 15:8). Their apprehension is all for naught ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The Prophet's Sermons: Warning of Disaster (2:1–10:25): The prophet’s opening sermon, dated prior to Josiah’s reform in 621, is direct, even abrupt. The first scene (2:1–3) shows God with his people, who are like a new bride on a honeymoon. But almost at once there is trouble. The last scene (3:1–5) puts divorce talk squarely at the center. It is a case of a ruined marriage. God does not want a divorce. Through these verses rings the pathos of a hurt marriage partner. The strong feelings that accompany the ...
Sermon
King Duncan
It’s said that in Rome, on New Year’s Eve, there is a tradition of literally throwing old things right out the window, to start the New Year free from the past. I guess the moral of that is, if you are fortunate enough to be in Rome, Italy some New Year’s Eve, you best keep an eye skyward. Somebody might be throwing out a heavy piece of furniture just as you are passing by. That’s their tradition. A pastor named Patricia Farris tells about being in Mexico one year with her husband on New Year’s Eve. They ...
Sermon
Charley Reeb
I’ll never forget the first day of a golf tournament I played in a couple of years ago. It was at Mangrove Bay and it was my first real competitive tournament. It turned out to be a memorable day but not in the way you might think. I arrived at the course early, all geared up for the round. I hit a few practice balls and putts and was feeling really good about my game. It was a shotgun start and my foursome’s first hole was on the back nine. My partner and I rode out to the hole. We spoke about what a ...
Sermon
Charley Reeb
To me the best thing about Christmas is the surprises. Who does not enjoy the look of wondrous surprise on a child’s face on Christmas morning? Who among us does not remember the rush of excitement we experienced when we were surprised on Christmas day with the best gift ever? I will always remember the surprise I experienced the Christmas of 1984. That Christmas I received one of the best gifts an American boy could receive. In the months leading up to Christmas I had begged my parents for it, but they ...
Sermon
Kristin Borsgard Wee
Last summer, a large crowd gathered at the Wee family cabin in northern Minnesota to celebrate my mother-in-law's ninetieth birthday. At one point I realized that all the relatives had gone outside and I was in the middle of a room full of strangers. It's an awkward feeling. I wished that someone would come in who would be happy to see me and make their way toward me through that crowd of strangers. A similar thought is expressed in an old song, "Some Enchanted Evening." Some enchanted evening You will see ...
Sermon
Kristin Borsgard Wee
If we had Bibles in the pews I would ask you to open them up now. Something remarkable is going on in Matthew 18. I'll give you a brief summary. • Chapter 18 begins with the disciples asking Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus puts a child in their midst and says that anyone who becomes as humble as the child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. • Second, Jesus tells the story of the shepherd who risks everything to save one lost sheep. • Third, Jesus offers a formula for ...
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