Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 3451 to 3475 of 4340 results

3451. Solomon's Adversaries

1 Kings 11:14-25

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... to Jesus. Once this is seen, it is impossible to read the Solomon story without echoes of the Jesus story constantly sounding in our ears (e.g., in the “coronation” scene of 1 Kgs. 1:38–40; cf. Matt. 21:1–11). All the OT characters who prefigure Jesus are, of course, less than the ideal towards whom they point. Even David had deficiencies, as Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus somewhat brutally reminds us (Matt. 1:6) in referring to Bathsheba, not by name, but as “Uriah’s wife.” We have ...

3452. The Man of God from Judah

1 Kings 13:1-34

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... that we discover the man of God himself to be under the strictest of divine commands. He must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way he came (v. 9). The reason for the prohibition, and for the seemingly related desire of the other characters to offer their hospitality, is never explicitly given. Elsewhere in the OT, however, we do find texts that characterize true prophets of the LORD as free from obligation to other mortals and thus able to speak God’s word without fear or favor (e.g., Amos 7 ...

3453. Abijah King of Judah

1 Kings 15:1-8

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... eschewed idolatry. He took action against the shrine prostitutes mentioned in 14:24 (v. 12), “removed” the idols made in previous reigns, and deposed his own idolatrous mother (cf. the additional note on 15:10) who had made a repulsive object of uncertain character for Asherah (v. 13) He did not remove (Hb. swr) the high places and focus his reformed worship only on the temple in Jerusalem, but otherwise he was exemplary in his religious policy. He reminds us of Solomon in his earlier period, unwisely ...

3454. Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

1 Kings 20:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... northern monarchy. He knows that the LORD is God, but he acts in ways that belie this. The Jericho-like victory at Aphek (cf. Josh. 6) leads on to an aftermath of Achan-like (and Saul-like) actions that bring prophetic judgment. The threat to Ahab, as a character of this sort, was in chapter 18 only implicit. In chapter 20 it becomes explicit, and we are thus prepared for the king’s death in chapter 22. 20:1–12 Asa, king of Judah, had first involved Aram in the affairs of Israel, inviting a previous Ben ...

3455. Jehoshaphat King of Judah

1 Kings 22:41-50

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah: Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah, already characters in Ahab’s story (1 Kgs. 22:2 etc.; 22:40), now find a place of their own. Our expectations differ with respect to each. Jehoshaphat is a Davidic king, so we anticipate no major disasters in his reign (cf. 1 Kgs. 11:36), particularly since he is evidently pious ( ...

3456. Naaman Healed of Leprosy

2 Kings 5:1-27

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... be such common knowledge (v. 3): that Elisha is well able to deal with this crisis? Perhaps not. Second Kings 8:1–6 suggests that the king is only belatedly enlightened about what has been happening outside the political sphere. 5:9–12 Like so many other characters in Kings, Naaman seems to think that prophets are very much in control of their prophetic gift, able to say and do as they choose, and having a responsibility to please their superiors (e.g., 1 Kgs. 22:13). He has come to see someone who, he ...

3457. An Axhead Floats

2 Kings 6:1-7

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Miracles, Trivial and Significant: Elisha’s prophetic activity thus far has been of a relatively private character (2 Kgs. 2:19–25; 4:1–44). Prior to chapter 5, there was just that single excursion into the wider world in chapter 3. We know, however, that it is his destiny to be a pivotal figure in the drama of international politics between Israel and Aram (1 Kgs. ...

3458. Jehu Anointed King of Israel

2 Kings 9:1-13

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... ; 4:12; 5:4) and derived from the root znh found in 1 Kgs. 22:38 (cf. also 1 Kgs. 3:16). All cannot truly be well in Israel while the worship of Baal continues, for all is not well between Israel and the LORD. Jehoram is thus the first character in Kings to receive a negative answer (mâ haššālôm) to this question (hašālôm); for it is his father’s house that must be removed if there truly to be “well-being” in Israel (cf. the word play in v. 26, Hb. šillamtî leḵā, “I will make ...

3459. Hoshea Last King of Israel

2 Kings 17:1-6

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

The End of Israel: The “uprooting” and “scattering” of Israel (1 Kgs. 14:15) has long been delayed because of God’s promises and character (2 Kgs. 10:30; 13; 14:23–29). God has continually saved (Hb. yšʿ) it from its enemies: through Elisha, through Jeroboam (2 Kgs. 14:27), through other unnamed saviors (2 Kgs. 13:5). There have been signs in the preceding chapters, however, that deliverance is now at an end, ...

3460. The Lord's Devastation of the Earth

Isaiah 24:1-23

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... :1–19. Because of their visionary portrayal of world judgment, heavenly conflict, and a radically new day, the chapters have been described as a “Little Apocalypse.” “Apocalypse” is another word for a vision or a revelation with an “eschatological” character. The words “eschatological” and “apocalyptic” are used in such varying and often ill-defined ways that they are best avoided. As a form of writing, apocalypses flourished in Israel much later than Isaiah’s day. Many come from the ...

3461. Woe to Ephraim

Isaiah 28:1-29

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... verse 14 sets the warning in a context that relates to the end of the eighth century. Since the warning has thus now come true, so Judah had better take notice of Isaiah’s simplistic words. “Samaria is a mirror in which they may read their own character and their own doom” (Skinner, Isaiah, 1:222). Therefore on the lips of a prophet is usually a word to cause a shudder. It heralds the move from accusation to sentencing. Here the pattern is more subtle but the shudder-quotient is as real. The scoffers ...

3462. Israel Blind and Deaf

Isaiah 42:18-25

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... ). After this fourth unit Yahweh returns to confronting Jacob-Israel. At this point a sequence parallel to 42:18–43:21 begins and develops these points further. These chapters unfold themes gradually, somewhat like a novel or a film in which character and plot unfold gradually so that only later do you see the significance of hints that appeared near the beginning. For centuries, commentators have commonly assumed that the prophecies that begin in chapter 40 were intended for the deportee Judean community ...

3463. Ezekiel's Call

Ezekiel 1:1-28, Ezekiel 2:1-3:15, Ezekiel 3:16-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... Ezekiel already as a text” (E. Davis, Swallowing the Scroll: Textuality and the Dynamics of Discourse in Ezekiel’s Prophecy [JSOTSup 78; Sheffield: Almond Press, 1989], pp. 65–66; emphasis hers). Scholars have often remarked on the explicitly literary character of the book of Ezekiel. For example, Robert Wilson argues that “Ezekiel was a written composition from the beginning” (“Ezekiel,” in HBC [ed. J. L. Mays et al.; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988], p. 657). Earlier prophetic works, such ...

3464. Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia

Ezekiel 25:1-7, Ezekiel 25:8-11, Ezekiel 25:12-14, Ezekiel 25:15-17

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... . 25:15–17 The Philistines were a major group of the Aegean raiders called the Sea Peoples. They settled along the southern coast of Palestine early in the twelfth century and built a chain of five city-states. Despite their warlike character, it is a mistake to think of the Philistines as uncultured brutes. Archaeological investigations at Gaza, Ashdod, and Ashkelon show the Philistines to have been an artistically accomplished, highly sophisticated people (Ekron may perhaps be located at Tel Miqne; the ...

3465. Ezekiel a Watchman

Ezekiel 33:1-20, Ezekiel 33:21-33

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... sentinel and the citizenry point to the responsibilities of the prophet and his community: the prophet must warn, the people must heed. Implicitly, Ezekiel has done his job; it remained to be seen whether the people would do theirs (see vv. 30–33). The literary character of Ezekiel is particularly evident in verses 10–20, which allude to and quote directly from 18:1–32. So, in verse 11, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD” comes from 18:3 (though God’s swearing by God’s own life ...

3466. Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... be the true and faithful Son of God, who serves the one true God only and will not bow before any other. 4:3, 6 If you are the Son of God. From a narrative perspective, the reader should not trust everything spoken by a character, especially an untrustworthy one (e.g., the devil can be assumed to speak falsely when it serves a purpose) (see the sidebar “Characterization and Narrative Authorization”). Yet the identification of Jesus as God’s son has already been authorized by Matthew as true: Jesus ...

3467. Sermon on the Mount: Allegiance and Trust

Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:25-34

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... be also. The reference to a person’s treasure and heart being in the same location reflects the understanding of the heart as the seat of allegiance and affection. It is “a term for what is of central importance in a person, what constitutes their true character” (e.g., 15:18–19).1 6:22–23 The eye is the lamp of the body. This saying is difficult to decipher unless we address ancient views of human physiology and eyesight in particular. The eye is considered a channel for light as it leaves ...

3468. Jesus, Isaiah’s Servant of the Lord, Heals Many

Matthew 8:14-17, Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 8:1-4

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... with such great faith. This affirmation of a Gentile’s faith is quite startling in the context of Matthew’s story, since the focus of Jesus’ messianic ministry has been on Israel (4:17; 15:24). It is not coincidental that the two characters in Matthew’s story who are described (by Jesus) as having “great faith” are precisely the two clearly identified Gentiles in the story (here and 15:21–28). Prior to his death and resurrection, Jesus is portrayed as staying within the missional parameters ...

3469. Pharisees Reject the Divine Origin of Jesus’ Power

Matthew 12:22-37, Matthew 12:38-45, Matthew 12:46-50

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... the words that people speak. 12:38 Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. Pharisees and teachers of the law refer to Jesus as “teacher” here and elsewhere in Matthew (9:11; 22:16, 36). Matthew places “Lord” on the lips of characters who respond positively to Jesus, while “teacher” is used for those who are antagonistic to him (see the sidebar “Who Calls Jesus ‘Lord’ in Matthew?” in the unit on 7:13–29). Pharisees ask Jesus for a “sign,” seemingly to prove the authenticity of ...

3470. Parables Discourse: The “Already and Not Yet” of the Kingdom

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... is whether Matthew communicates that the disciples actually do understand, not whether they claim to do so. The fact that Jesus questions their level of understanding in 15:16 and 16:9 cautions against attributing understanding to the disciples as a general character trait. Although they are privy to Jesus’ interpretation of parables in chapter 13, the disciples continue to struggle to understand what Jesus teaches about the kingdom and about their role in its mission.1 13:52 every teacher of the law ...

3471. Jesus Announces His Impending Suffering and Death

Matthew 16:21-28

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... Christ,” it is the crucified Messiah we are talking about. His death was not simply the messy bit that enables our sins to be forgiven but that can then be forgotten. The cross is the surest, truest and deepest window on the very heart and character of the living and loving God.2 2. The nature of Jesus’ role as Messiah necessarily and profoundly shapes Christian discipleship as cruciform. The shape of Jesus’ story is to be the shape of our own. As we discover in 16:21–20:28, discipleship is ...

3472. The Disciples’ Insufficient Faith to Heal as Jesus Heals

Matthew 17:14-23, Matthew 17:24-27

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... with the crowds (17:14) to a conversation “in private” between Jesus and his twelve disciples provides one of many “debriefing moments” in the road to Jerusalem narrative (16:21–20:28).1Throughout this section the disciples are the most prominent character group that interacts with Jesus. And even passages that initially focus on Jesus in his interaction with non-disciples typically end with such debriefing moments with the Twelve, as in 17:19–20. The upshot of this arrangement is that Matthew ...

3473. Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a Peaceable and Humble King

Matthew 20:29-34, Matthew 21:1-11

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... Jerusalem as a peaceable king (21:10). The Galilean crowds answer that it is Jesus, the Galilean prophet (for their messianic acclamations, see 21:9). Although the “crowds” (ochlos; sometimes laos [“people”]) have been portrayed so far as a single character group, here Matthew makes it clear that the people of Jerusalem are not identical to the many Jewish people from Galilee who have followed Jesus in his ministry and to Jerusalem. This distinction will be important when it comes to understanding ...

3474. Jesus Is Tried before Pilate and Sentenced to Death

Matthew 27:1-10, Matthew 27:11-26

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... the full power of Rome in this decision, and that he is the one who sends Jesus to be crucified (27:26), we can legitimately question Pilate’s perspective. In fact, Matthew emphasizes only Jesus’ innocence in the Passion Narrative, not that of other characters or groups (see 27:4, 19; cf. 23:35). 27:25 His blood is on us and on our children! These words, if extracted from context, indict the Jewish people for Jesus’ death. However, attention to immediate context and the narrative contours of the ...

3475. Through His Faithful Death, Jesus as Messiah Redefined Brings Life

Matthew 27:27-31, Matthew 27:32-44, Matthew 27:45-56, Matthew 27:57-61, Matthew 27:62-66

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... . For the kind of self-giving that characterizes Jesus’ actions as he reveals who God is has no parallel. As Susan Eastman expresses it, Jesus’ incarnation and way of life “culminating in self-humbling and crucifixion render visible and accessible God’s character and relationship to humanity.” She calls this “Christ’s downward mobility.”6Matthew has most clearly expressed this downward mobility in Jesus’ words in 20:28: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give ...

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