Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3051 to 3075 of 3852 results

3051. “In Peace I Will Lie Down and Sleep”

Psalm 4:1-8

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C. Hassell Bullock

... ESV: “those [“men”] of low estate” [bene ’adam] and “those [“men”] of high estate” [bene ’ish]). The distinction is in the two modifying words, ’ish (an individual man), for persons of distinction, and ’adam (humanity), for persons of common origin. Our term here may allude to the noble class that joined Absalom’s rebellion. The Hebrew word for “false gods” means literally “lies” (see NIV footnote). If, as we have suggested, this psalm is a meditation on the aftermath of ...

3052. “Their Violence Comes Down on Their Own Heads”

Psalm 7:1-17

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C. Hassell Bullock

... ’s death (see 2 Sam. 18:31–32), or more likely to one of Saul’s servants (compare David’s innocence in 7:3 to 1 Sam. 24:12 and 26:18). The monarchy began with Saul of the tribe of Benjamin, and when David acceded to the throne, his origin in the tribe of Judah was a sore spot in the kingdom for many years. It represented, in fact, a turn from the Rachel side of Jacob’s family to the Leah side, an issue that is the concern of Psalm 78:67–72. The Greek translator (LXX) takes the ...

3053. “The Lord . . . Rules the World in Righteousness”

Psalm 10:1-18, Psalm 9:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... that the editor deemed it more appropriate to follow the thanksgiving of Psalm 8 with another thanksgiving psalm.[2] Psalms 9 and 10 are generally considered a single psalm, as they are in fact in the Septuagint and Vulgate. The evidence that they were originally one psalm instead of two is rather compelling. First, while Psalms 3–9 all have titles, Psalm 10 does not, indicating that it may be the continuation of Psalm 9. Second, the partial acrostic of Psalm 9 seems to continue in Psalm 10, containing ...

3054. “In the Lord I Take Refuge”

Psalm 11:1-7

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C. Hassell Bullock

... proper printing equipment to produce copies of the Bible. Resourcefully, they collected as much printed Communist literature as they could obtain. Taking those printed texts, they cut out each word and pasted them back together to produce a printed Bible. Originally, these same words, when configured within the Communist documents, had depicted the world of the Communist literature they printed. Once reconfigured as the Bible, these words had quite a different textual meaning.16 “I Will Sing the Lord’s ...

3055. “Some Trust in Chariots . . . , but We Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God”

Psalm 20:1-9

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C. Hassell Bullock

... , to offer sacrifices in those circumstances (1 Sam. 7:9–10; 13:9–23; Ps. 20:3).[5] The general opinion is that Psalm 20, besides its use in David’s day, was used on other occasions prior to battle. Here we are speaking of the original purpose of this psalm, rather than its editorial purpose. They are two different functions (see “The Text in Context”). The words of the psalm paint mental scenes that we see only in outline form. Here the king is offering sacrifices before he goes into battle (20 ...

3056. “Show Me Your Ways, Lord”

Psalm 25:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

... is such great value placed on education in the United States that the Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974 provides that no state shall deny equal educational opportunity to an individual on the basis of race, color, sex, or national origin.[15] However, once a student has satisfied the requirements of a twelfth-grade education, the government tends to stop emphasizing the importance of education. Sadly, many Christians carry this notion into their Christian experience. Instead of realizing their need ...

3057. “Lord, I Love the House Where You Live”

Psalm 26:1-12

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C. Hassell Bullock

... .[11] 26:8 Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells. The center of the psalmist’s life was the sanctuary. “The house where you live” is literally “the habitation of your house” (see KJV). The noun “habitation” (rendered verbally in NIV) originally meant a hiding place or retreat, and in Old Testament poetry it has the sense of God’s dwelling place, both in heaven and on earth (Deut. 26:15; 2 Chron. 36:15; cf. 2 Chron. 7:1–3; Ezek. 43:4–5; 44:4).[12] God ...

3058. “The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation—Whom Shall I Fear?”

Psalm 27:1-14

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Our lives, guided by a single purpose, find their security in our relationship to God. Understanding the Text This psalm has two distinct parts, which leads some interpreters to suggest that it was originally two separate poems.[1] Part 1 (27:1–6) has the qualities of an individual psalm of trust (see the sidebar “Psalms of Trust” in the unit on Ps. 16),[2] while part 2 (27:7–13) takes the form of a complaint[3] or lament. The difference in genre ...

3059. “As the Deer Pants for Streams of Water, So My Soul Pants for You, My God”

Psalm 42:1-11, Psalm 43:1-5

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C. Hassell Bullock

... �sons of Korah”), partially completes the picture of the appropriateness of this longing as stretched across the lines of ancient Israel, kings, priests, and commoners alike. The geographical provenance of this Psalm in the northern kingdom may be a hint of the origin, or most likely the adaptation, of the Elohistic Psalter. Here the soulful longing of David for the temple and encounter with God has, in an editorial way, been planted firmly in the hearts of the Levites by this powerful liturgy of yearning ...

3060. “For Your Sake We Face Death . . . as Sheep to Be Slaughtered”

Psalm 44:1-26

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C. Hassell Bullock

... country. There are others who represent a different stage, feeling more at home in the new country and even speaking its language, but with the accent of the old country. Still another degree is that of the citizens who are conscious of their ethnic origin but are totally acclimated to the new country and the new language—at home, no less. Our psalmist, or the community—both speak—would likely belong in this last group, for they have “not turned back” and have not strayed from the King’s path ...

3061. “God Is Our Refuge and Strength, an Ever-Present Help in Trouble”

Psalm 46:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... the psalm into its parts, then it likely consists of two parts: 46:1–7 and 46:8–11.5Those who take their cue from the liturgical term selah that occurs after verses 3, 7, and 11 (see NIV footnote) insist that the refrain of 46:7 and 11 originally stood after 46:3 also, and they generally divide the poem into three parts (46:1–3, 4–7, and 8–11). There is probably no compelling reason to endorse this view, since Hebrew poetry does not exhibit the same kind of symmetry we expect of classical Western ...

3062. “I Will Praise Your Name, Lord, for It Is Good”

Psalm 54:1-7

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C. Hassell Bullock

... psalmist introduces the underlying reason that generates his request: God is his helper. It is a turning point in the psalm, with selah (see NIV footnote) at the end of verse 3 probably alerting the reader to the change. While it is quite possible that selah was not original to the text of the Psalms but was a later liturgical note, this is one place where the term indicates a change in the tone of the psalm.3 54:5 Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them.In the margin ...

3063. “Be Exalted, O God, above the Heavens; Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth”

Psalm 57:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... heart.” See Psalm 78:37. 57:8 Awake, my soul! . . . I will awaken the dawn.The word rendered “soul” is kabod (“honor”) and parallels “heart.” Also Psalm 16:9: “Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul [kabod] rejoices” (NRSV). The original meaning of kabod (“heavy, honor, glory”) is “liver,” since the liver was a heavy organ of the body. The phrase “I will awaken the dawn” is either some powerful music or a powerful metaphor—the latter, I am sure. Using personification (see ...

3064. “In Your Heart You Devise Injustice”

Psalm 58:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... cf. 58:2).18Jesus spells out this lamentable reality in Luke 6:45 (see also Gen. 6:5). Judaism generally explains these verses in the sense that they describe the inclination to sin, which is an inclination from our birth. In comparison, the Christian doctrine of original sin insists that all sinned in Adam, and all must be redeemed in the second Adam, Christ (Rom. 5:12). We may observe that when the church devalues the seriousness of sin, the corollary is that the church is likely to devalue the wonder of ...

3065. “You Have Given Me the Heritage of Those Who Fear Your Name”

Psalm 61:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... our daily work, when we come to the table to eat, after we have eaten under God’s blessing and when we get ready to go back to bed again.” The worldwide Reformed practice of praying before and after every meal, at home and elsewhere, had its origin in Calvin.9 Pray for “the king.” Quote: Abraham Lincoln. In Psalm 61:6–7, the psalmist prays specifically for the king. This is a good reminder to us of the importance of prayer for those in authority over us, whether we agree with their policies or ...

3066. “Come and See What God Has Done”

Psalm 66:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... to the world (66:1–4, 8), to Israel (66:11–12), and to the psalmist (66:16–20). Not mentioned as such, the covenant is attested in the redemptive events of the exodus and the entrance into Canaan (66:6). If the poems were originally independent, they are now artfully integrated into a whole. Historical and Cultural Background The historical setting of Psalm 66 is not at all clear. A. A. Anderson suggests that it could have been composed to celebrate a great military victory, but the military language ...

3067. “May All the Peoples Praise You”

Psalm 67:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... . But over time, the crew members lose their vision and begin to exist simply for themselves. They think it would be better if they existed as just a club for themselves rather than to serve and save others. Some, still believing in the original purpose, go down the coast to build another lifesaving station. The parable ends with these words: “History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent ...

3068. “Endow the King with Your Justice, O God”

Psalm 72:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Solomon’s prayer for a “discerning heart” to govern Israel in 1 Kings 3:6–14. The content of the psalm, however, leaves the matter indecisive as to whether the psalm was written by Solomon or by David for Solomon. Calvin posits that it was originally a psalm by David, later adapted by Solomon.1Our interpretation assumes the position that David wrote the psalm as a prayer for Solomon. Psalm 72 is unique in the Psalter in that it has a postscript: “This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse ...

3069. Nebuchadnezzar’s Testimony and Tree Dream

Daniel 4:1-18

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Ronald W. Pierce

... ’s footnote follows the popular interpretation “years” (suggested by the OG), the ESV captures the text’s ambiguity with “periods of time.”11 4:17 The decision is announced by messengers. Although Nebuchadnezzar may understand the verdict as originating with the watchers (the Aramaic construct suggests this; cf. NRSV, ESV), they are mere messengers of the decree of the Most High. The decree’s purpose, “that all . . . may know” (NRSV) both recalls and foreshadows the public confessions ...

3070. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... attended Persian feasts (Hist. 5.18).4 Interpretive Insights 5:1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet. The transition from Daniel 4 is abrupt, with no mention of Nebuchadnezzar’s passing or the four kings before Belshazzar. In their original forms, Belteshazzar (Daniel’s pagan name) and Belshazzar were likely identical (see the comments on 1:7).5 The rounded number of nobles (“a thousand”) symbolically represents all surviving high officials in Babylon after the military defeats nearby. The ...

3071. Ancient of Days and Son of Man

Daniel 7:1-14

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... riders”—“bringers of rain” and “cosmic warriors” riding on storm chariots.5 Daniel 7 reflects images from Mesopotamian religious literature and art in which cosmic wars stir up the sea and hybrid or deformed beasts appear. Although Daniel’s vision is original to him, it utilizes materials familiar to its exilic readers.6For a discussion of four-kingdom patterns in the ancient Near East, see “Historical and Cultural Background” in the unit on 2:31–49. Interpretive Insights 7:1 In the ...

3072. Daniel's Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... their fidelity to him. Refer your listeners to Jeremiah 29:11–14 to show this aspect of God’s character. There, Jeremiah’s promise of restoration is inseparably linked with the people seeking God with all their heart. Daniel reminds his readers of the original stipulation in the torah to love and obey God if they wish to know his blessing (Deut. 7:9). By way of application, avoid the temptation to emphasize God’s promise in a way that marginalizes our human responsibility—or vice versa. While ...

3073. Gabriel Brings an Answer to Daniel’s Prayer

Daniel 9:20-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... on Israel’s sabbatical cycles (70 × 7 years; 2 Chron. 36:21–23) yet may also be calculated as Jubilee cycles (10 × 49 years). Failing to observe sacred seasons results in God’s judgment (Lev. 25:1–17; 26:33–35). This symbolic period originally reflected Israel’s failure from Solomon to the exile (970–586 BC; cf. the content of 1 and 2 Kings, and the division between 1 and 2 Chronicles).8In Daniel 9:24–27, the former sabbatical “seventy ‘sevens’” are judged by “seventy ‘sevens ...

3074. The Power of Persistence

Luke 11:1-13, Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... persons who put their duty to their brethren above their own comfort? Shall we assume that evil is a mystery but kindness is automatic? Jesus did not think so and neither should we. Jesus looked about him and saw the unmistakable signs of God. The marks of a divine origin in His fallen children spoke of a pure source of concern and care. If a man will give his neighbor bread from unworthy motives, how much more may we depend upon the God who is the Father of all? If a judge will vindicate a woman just to ...

3075. What Can I Get By With?

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , in the world of medicine, there must be confirmation as well as explanation. So a third doctor looked at the infant and agreed that there was no Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. Both doctors were baffled at the drastic difference. On the surface it appeared the original doctor made a mistake—a very good doctor, highly regarded in medical circles. But you see, when Nathan was first diagnosed, they told friends and family who in turn told their friends and family and soon they were receiving letters from all over ...

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