Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3251 to 3275 of 4943 results

3251. Daniel’s Final Revelation

Daniel 10:1--11:1

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... vision accent the chiastic structure of chapters 8 and 10–12 in the concluding Hebrew section of the book—the latter significantly expanding on the former. 10:10–12 A hand touched me . . . highly esteemed. This gesture begins the words of assurance that continue through the end of this section, reflecting the language of 8:18. The angel’s kind words (repeated in 10:19) also match the positive description of Daniel and God’s eagerness to hear his prayer in 9:23. These ideas further connect the ...

3252. Moses’s Call and Commissioning

Ex 3:1-22, 4:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . 6:12, 30). God reminds Moses that he is the creator of all human abilities and impediments but promises his presence with Moses as he speaks (literally “with [his] mouth”; 4:12). Even though Moses stubbornly begs God to send someone else, God continues with his intention to use Moses, indicating that Aaron will be his mouthpiece. Providentially, in the context where Pharaoh considers himself a deity, for Moses to operate through a spokesperson-prophet for whom he would be “like a god” (4:16; 7:1 ...

3253. Covenant Lord and His Ministers

Ex 5:22–6:27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that God is the covenant Lord, about to redeem them and give the Sinai covenant. The name El Shaddai appears in Genesis 35:11 just after God reiterates Jacob’s name change to Israel and restates the covenant promises as given to Abraham and Isaac. Continuity is established with Genesis, and at the same time God’s declaration here changes the identity and future of Israel as his community. Genesis contains a wider variety of divine names, but from this point in Exodus onward, the names El and El Shaddai ...

3254. Instructions for Commemoration

Exodus 12:43–13:16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead” (13:9, 16) is also part of the command to teach children the torah (Deut. 6:4–9) and is the basis for wearing phylacteries. Eating unleavened bread for seven days (13:7) continues to identify and unite the community of Israel, even apart from the temple. The combined Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread crosses the boundaries between home and family, where it began, and the corporate community at the central place of worship. Deuteronomy 16:2 ...

3255. Contributions

Exodus 25:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the term for “tabernacle” means “dwelling place.” God has chosen to dwell in their midst; the tabernacle prefigures the incarnation of the Word of God: “The Word became flesh and tented among us” (John 1:14, author’s translation). John continues, “We beheld his glory,” drawing his readers’ attention back to the manifestations of divine glory in conjunction with the tabernacle, which is also called the “tent of meeting,” indicative of God’s intention to meet his people wherever they ...

3256. The Golden Calf

Ex 32:1–33:6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... among the people, and the Lord calls on those who are faithful to him to kill the idolaters (32:25–29). The choice made by the tribe of Levi, Aaron’s own tribe, is not an easy one (32:26). Killing three thousand people who are continuing in flagrant disobedience is a horrifying task and a severe punishment for not standing up for righteousness in the first place. The weight of responsibility Aaron must have felt would undoubtedly have been crushing. Yet, in the sovereign workings of God, he will be the ...

3257. Moses Intercedes for the People

Exodus 33:7-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the construction of the “official” tabernacle, the one whose pattern was shown to Moses on the mountain, the one at which Aaron would officiate, and the one that would represent God’s dwelling with his people. Now they are at a critical juncture. Will God continue with his expressed intention to dwell in their midst, or will it be only Moses who will meet face-to-face with God? In a remarkable response to Moses’s persistence, God reverses his decision to remove his presence (33:12–17). He promises ...

3258. The Sin Offering

Lev 4:1–5:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... when the cause of a sense of guilt is not known (5:17–19); and deliberately misusing God’s name in a false oath to defraud another person (6:1–7). The burnt offering already functioned as an expiatory sacrifice, so we can assume that it continued to remedy all the other expiable (nondefiant) cases that were not taken over by the purification and reparation offerings. In the New Testament, there is only one sacrifice for all kinds of sin: Christ’s sacrifice (John 1:29; Heb. 9:28). Even sins for which ...

3259. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of knowledge, which includes the spirits of the dead. It is forbidden to pay attention to the dead (including ancestors) in that way, but elderly living persons should be treated respectfully (19:32, as in 19:14 regarding the handicapped). Concern for other people continues with loving the resident alien (19:33–34; cf. 19:9–10) and practicing honesty in business (19:35–36; cf. 19:11). Much of the legislation in chapter 19 reiterates or is related to principles of the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:3–17 ...

3260. The Nazarite and Priestly Blessing

Num 6:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... person who loses the breath of life and dies is no longer a living soul or being (nepesh) but a dead nepesh, that is, a corpse. So a person is a nepesh, whether alive or dead, rather than having a “soul” that continues conscious existence after death (cf. Ps. 115:17; Eccles. 9:5). Nazirites, then, avoid corpse contamination, but people could suddenly die near them. Although this prohibited defilement would be incurred inadvertently, it would abruptly abort the period of Naziriteship. Therefore, the (now ...

3261. Passover and Final Organization

Num 9:1–10:10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... census (chap. 1). But the book’s placement of the second Passover just before a second exodus, this time from the Sinai wilderness (chap. 10), gives the festival an impact of resumptive repetition: In the continuation of God’s deliverance from Egypt, his people are picking up where they left off and continuing to the promised land. Some are not able to participate in Passover because they are ritually impure through corpse contamination (9:5–6; cf. Lev. 7:20–21; Num. 5:1–4). So God graciously ...

3262. Focusing on the Core of God’s Guidance

Deut 4:44–5:33

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... nine actions. This command seeks a state of contentment for God’s men and women, for “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). God announced these commandments, Moses says, in a “loud voice” (5:22) as the mountain was ablaze (5:23). Instead of continuing to hear God’s voice directly, the people urged Moses to go up to God on their behalf and tell them what God had said (5:26). However, all that God would say, they promised, “We will listen [to it] and [we will] obey” (5:27 ...

3263. Towns for the Levites

Joshua 21:1-45

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s work is far from done, as evidenced by the land still to be possessed (cf. Josh. 13:1–7; 18:1–3), the Lord nonetheless has given Israel the land he swore to their forefathers, which they have now begun taking possession of and settling in. And should Israel continue to remain faithful and obedient to the Lord as they have thus far demonstrated, there is no reason why they should not ...

3264. Jephthah

Jud 10:6–11:40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s hands when they attacked Israel (11:19–22). Third, Jephthah asserts that since Israel’s God has given that land to his people, and since that land has been in their possession for three hundred years without Ammon ever having challenged that right, Israel will continue to keep that land just as Ammon will keep what their god has given them (11:23–26). Notice that in so saying, Jephthah is not affirming the reality or authority of the Ammonite god. After all, he is involved in a dispute with war ...

3265. Samson's Vengeance of the Philistines

Judges 15:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... they are even ready to side with their oppressors, as they inform Samson that they will tie him up and hand him over to the Philistines. In this, the theme of Israelites refusing to stand with their judges, which first emerged with Deborah and Barak (Judges 5) and continued with Gideon (Judg. 8:4–17) and Jephthah (Judg. 12:1–7), has reached its nadir. Having made them promise not to kill him, Samson allows himself to be tied up. But as he is about to be handed over to the Philistines, the Spirit of the ...

3266. Samuel's Farewell Speech

1 Samuel 12:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... :19–25). Like the generation at Mount Sinai, they are afraid they might die. Samuel assures them that the Lord will not reject them, but he urges them to “serve the Lord with all your heart” (12:20). God has done “great things” for them (12:24), and he will continue to work wonders on their behalf (cf. Ps. 126:2). And Samuel promises to keep praying for them and teaching them how to live. Although he is retiring as the military and judicial leader, he will ...

3267. Abner Goes Over to David

2 Samuel 3:6-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... might become the ruler of the entire nation (3:12–21). David is willing to work out an agreement, but only if Saul’s daughter Michal is returned to him. During David’s years as a fugitive, Saul forced Michal to divorce David, but David has continued to regard her as his wife. His marriage to Saul’s daughter would have measurably strengthened his claim to succeed Saul as king, particularly in the eyes of the northern ten tribes. In the decision-making process, the role of the elders is an important ...

3268. God's Promise to David

2 Samuel 7:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... has to balance the direction of patronage with the fact that a temple is eventually built for God. Thus, it is assigned to David’s successor (7:13). While God does not allow David to build his temple, he does reveal through Nathan that he will continue to bless David and the entire nation (7:8–17). God promises to make David’s name great, just as he promised to do for Abraham (Gen. 12:2). Powerful leaders will no longer oppress Israel the way the Egyptians or other neighboring peoples did during ...

3269. Nathan Rebukes David

2 Samuel 12:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... with the hope that in his grace, God might also spare this little one. But the child dies, and David tastes the first bitter fruit of his sins. In spite of his pain, David accepts the death of the child as the Lord’s will and does not continue to lament (12:20–25). Encouraged by the knowledge that his own sin is forgiven, David goes into the house of the Lord and worships. Some time later Bathsheba has another son, whom they name Solomon, which is formed from shalom, the Hebrew word for “peace” or ...

3270. Sheba Rebels against David

2 Samuel 20:1-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a legitimate reason for war in the ancient world, and earlier David himself was forced to leave a walled city to avoid being handed over to Saul (1 Sam. 23:7–13). Without a leader the revolt collapses, and the northern tribes acknowledge David as their king. They continue to serve David and his son Solomon for more than forty years, until they revolt successfully under Jeroboam I about 930 BC. Each of the major divisions of 1 and 2 Samuel ends with a list of the officials of Saul or David (1 Sam. 14:49 ...

3271. The Shunammite's Land Restored

2 Kings 8:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Gehazi’s cameo is almost as astonishing, since he was last seen at the end of chapter 5 “white as snow”—it is not clear why he is in the king’s presence, but his animated testimony aids the restoration of her property. The prophet’s reputation continues to be a major theme (8:7–15), as Ben-Hadad consults him about his illness. The ensuing interaction between Elisha and Hazael of Damascus is significant for two reasons. First, it brings us back to the very outset of Elisha’s career in 1 Kings ...

3272. Cyrus’s Proclamation and Preparation to Return

Ezra 1:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is called the governor of Judah, and he is also mentioned in Zechariah 4:6; Ezra 2:2; and Nehemiah 7:7. In this first chapter several themes emphasized throughout Ezra-Nehemiah stand out: (1) the people of God—the restoration community is the continuation of God’s people from Abraham until the present (Ezra-Nehemiah tends to put the emphasis on the “people” rather than on outstanding leaders, shown by the fact that the author mentions the heads of families. It is true that Ezra and Nehemiah stand ...

3273. Opposition to the Work

Ezra 4:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... has received the Bible and God’s glorious message of salvation. Ezra 4:4–5 is a résumé of the opposition during the reigns of the Persian kings Cyrus (550–530 BC), Cambyses II (530–522 BC), and Darius I (522–486 BC). As we continue to see, there are enemies on every side of this small community. Part of the enmity must have been the enemies’ envy of the Jews; also they feared that a rebuilt Jerusalem would take away from their own authority in the region. The word translated “hired” (4 ...

3274. Completion and Dedication of the Temple

Ezra 6:13-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , but this is a small group of people in comparison. These are fellowship offerings, in which only small portions were burned in sacrifice; the meat is eaten by the people in a joyous feast together before the Lord. There is a conscious emphasis on the continuity of the people of God, not only in the parallels to the dedication of the first temple, but also in other details. The sin offering consists of twelve male goats, “one for each of the tribes of Israel,” even though most of the returned exiles ...

3275. The Passover

Ezra 6:19-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the author of Ezra-Nehemiah gives very accurate details throughout the work. He must have a special purpose in calling Darius the king of Assyria. A glimpse at the history of that time indicates that, at least in the minds of many, there was continuity in the empires of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, the times of Gentile domination. Herodotus once calls Babylon the capital of Assyria (Histories 1.178). Nehemiah, in his prayer, speaks of the hardships the Jews have had “from the days of the kings of Assyria ...

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