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Showing 3851 to 3875 of 4681 results

3851. Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

1 Kings 20:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... must obey) and the same punishment pronounced (a lion will kill you). As there, the implication is clear: if disobedient prophets cannot escape God’s judgment, then disobedient kings certainly will not. The politeness of the prophetic request has, of course, no bearing on the matter, although the NIV invites misunderstanding on this point by representing the request as being phrased differently on the two occasions it was made (vv. 35, 37). 20:39 A talent of silver: The intriguing thing about the silver ...

3852. Amaziah King of Judah

2 Kings 14:1-22

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... after the passing of Jehoash—the real power in the land—that Azariah is able to consolidate Amaziah’s gains in Edom by claiming the port of Elath (cf. 1 Kgs. 9:26). The fact that he is called simply “the king,” with no further indentification made, bears out our interpretation of the whole passage. The “humbling” of the house of David thus continues (cf. 1 Kgs. 11:39; 15:16–22; 22:48–49; 2 Kgs. 11–12). There is limited success of the kind enjoyed in the old days of empire (cf. the defeat ...

3853. Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

2 Kings 18:17-37

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... in other words, should not be a reason for despair. This is not a people under God’s judgment, like those in verse 26—grass sprouting on the roof, withering in the sun for lack of deep roots. This is a people under God’s providential care, guaranteed to bear fruit (cf. Matt. 13:1–30, 36–43; Mark 4:1–20; Luke 8:1–15). The third part of the prophecy makes explicit the circumstances in which Sennacherib will return home by the way that he came (vv. 28, 33). He will do so before the army encamped ...

3854. Manasseh King of Judah

2 Kings 21:1-18

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... in 2 Kings 16–20, the deliverance of Jerusalem under Hezekiah notwithstanding. With Manasseh, God’s patience breaks, and hints of disaster give way to explicit prophetic announcements. Fifty-five years of the worst apostasy Judah has seen are just too much to bear. 21:1–9 Manasseh is the very worst of the Judean kings, indulging in and adding to all that has been most reprehensible in the religion of Israel in the preceding chapters. His father’s reforms are reversed; the high places are rebuilt ...

3855. Distress and Help

Isaiah 33:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... 1:5–6). Those who dwell there (literally “the people that dwells there,” cf. 30:19; 32:18 “live”) commit sins (e.g., 1:4, where the word people also comes; 5:18; 6:7; 27:9; 30:13). But these will be forgiven. Contrast 1:14 (NIV “bear”) and the terrible plea “do not forgive them” in 2:9, which is now reversed, and see on verse 10 above (where “lifted up” is the same verb). So the chapter closes by bringing together reminders of what God has promised for Zion through the book, which will ...

3856. Jerusalem to Be Inhabited

Isaiah 44:24--45:25

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... God (Rom. 9:20–21). In Isaiah God is the potter, whereas you and Cyrus are only the pots God is making, even bits of broken pot among other bits (Isa. 45:9). God is father or mother, whereas you and Cyrus are only the children God is begetting or bearing (vv. 10–11). God is creator of the whole cosmos and is applying the creator’s sovereign energy, through Cyrus, to the restoring of Jerusalem and the freeing of the exiles in Babylon so that they can go home (v. 13). Would they not be wise to let God ...

3857. Signs, Sayings, and Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 12:1-28, Ezekiel 13:1-23, Ezekiel 14:1-11, Ezekiel 14:12-23

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... false prophets of Jerusalem in Ezekiel 13, however, reveal that not all prophets are as scrupulous as Ezekiel. Some may provide an answer to idolatrous inquirers—indeed, back in Jerusalem, many have done so. Such prophets, the Lord states, will be destroyed: “They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him” (v. 10). It is likely, then, that the statement “if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the LORD have enticed that prophet” (v. 9) will disturb ...

3858. Two Adulterous Sisters

Ezekiel 23:1-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... , and graphic. Jerusalem cannot expunge its sin, even by the most extreme of penalties (compare Mic. 6:6–8). Verse 35 succinctly summarizes the character of Jerusalem’s sin: “Since you have forgotten me and thrust me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.” Just as God judges the princes of Jerusalem in 22:12 for forgetting the Lord, so now, Ezekiel declares, the entire city has turned its back on God. Such radical faithlessness has radical consequences ...

3859. Egypt

Ezekiel 29:1-21, Ezekiel 30:1-26, Ezekiel 31:1-18, Ezekiel 32:1-32

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... ”) continually repeat, as the dirge goes through the roll of nations that have descended to Sheol. The passage introduces other stereotypical phrases as well: in particular, these nations had spread terror in the land of the living (vv. 23–26, 30, 32), and now bear their shame (vv. 24–25, 30). It is difficult to say why these particular nations have been chosen. The World Tree allegory, of course, prepared us for Assyria (vv. 22–23), and it, like Egypt, was an imperial power. But we cannot say the ...

3860. Ezekiel a Watchman

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

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... not appear again until this chapter (vv. 2, 12, 17, 30; see also 37:18). The address to “your countrymen,” then, is another feature tying chapter 33 to the beginning of the book and unifying chapters 1–33. The message Ezekiel is to bear to his fellow exiles is a summary of his message throughout the first, major section of this book. Significantly, this summary focuses on two earlier units: Ezekiel’s commission to be a sentinel (3:16–21); and Ezekiel’s sermon on accountability and repentance ...

3861. Prologue to the Law of the Temple: The Lord Comes Home

Ezekiel 40:1--43:12

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... Neiman (“PGR: A Canaanite Cult-Object in the Old Testament,” JBL 67 [1948], pp. 55–60) identified the term pgr in two Ugaritic memorial inscriptions. In the context, the word must mean “stele”—that is, a stone slab, usually bearing an inscription. Neiman suggested therefore that Ezek. 40:7 refers to the erection of royal funerary stelae (“PGR,” pp. 58–59). Further, twenty Heb. manuscripts have not bamotam (“in their high places”) but bemotam (“in their deaths”), which Theodotian ...

3862. 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

... based on covenantal loyalty to God (see also 10:34–39). Teaching the Text 1. Jesus brings God’s kingdom to this world by the power of the Holy Spirit. This passage clearly shows Jesus to be God’s agent in bringing God’s reign to bear in this world. A clash of cosmic powers is front and center in this passage. Although the Pharisees have accused Jesus of casting out a demon because he himself takes his power from the demonic realm, Matthew has been communicating across his Gospel that Jesus derives ...

3863. Jesus, Not Jewish Leaders, Interprets the Torah Rightly

Matthew 15:1-20

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... 35). Thus, Gentile believers were not required to be circumcised or to follow Jewish food laws from the Torah. Although this part of the formation of the Christian faith falls outside of Matthew’s story line, it is appropriate to bring this truth to bear when teaching about this passage.3But it would be important to do so without disparaging Jewish food laws in the process. 2. Jesus teaches about how evil thoughts and actions defile a person. Jesus points to the source of evil thoughts and actions—the ...

3864. Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a Peaceable and Humble King

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

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... came before. In a similar way, not all facets of Jesus as the Messiah fit Jewish expectations. Jesus’ peaceable way of being king is one such facet; he lives out a countercultural kingship that gives up rather than garners power. Scripture: In the book that bears her name, Esther, along with her uncle Mordecai and all the Jews in the Persian Empire, appears to be at the mercy of King Xerxes. This ruler exercises his power by commanding the affairs of a kingdom. He demonstrates his might by holding the ...

3865. Three Parables about the Unfaithfulness of the Jewish Leaders

Matthew 22:1-14, Matthew 21:33-46, Matthew 21:28-32, Matthew 21:23-27

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... ’ interpretation of the first parable (the parable of the two sons) identifies people’s response to John’s message as repenting and believing, the final two parables indicate that the center point of proper response is to Jesus himself (21:37; 22:2). Covenant loyalty—bearing fruit (21:43; 22:11)—is framed in terms of proper response to Jesus and his teachings (see 7:24–27; 28:20). The Jewish leaders fail in their task of leading the people because they reject Jesus as the Messiah and refuse his ...

3866. Jesus’s Identity as Messiah and Son of God Established

Mark 1:1-8

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... a “new exodus”2is taking place in his arrival. From Malachi 3:1 comes the prophecy that God will send this messenger to “prepare the way before me” as he arrives to bring judgment to a recalcitrant nation. Again this forerunner is John, who comes bearing a message of deliverance through repentance and of judgment. But the primary figure is Jesus, who is the presence of God arriving in justice and judgment, bringing with him a new exodus from sin. 1:3 a voice of one calling in the wilderness. The ...

3867. Jesus Inaugurates the Disciple Band and Conquers the Unclean Spirits

Mark 1:14-20, Mark 1:21-28

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... everything” to follow him (10:28–31). 3. The kingdom teaching of Jesus provides the only basis for discovering final truth. Many great insights for life are to be found in a variety of sources, but only in Jesus can one discover what bears on eternal reality. Old Testament truth pointed to Jesus (Christ “fulfilling” [Matt. 5:17–18] or “culminating” [Rom. 10:4] the law), and New Testament truth stems from Christ. No wonder the crowds were “amazed” at his teaching. Nothing like it had ever ...

3868. The Rejection of Jesus in His Own Hometown

Mark 6:1-6

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... and sisters. Two brothers (the four names in Hebrew are of Old Testament patriarchs, Jacob and three of his sons [Gen. 29–30]) are well known: James, a key leader in the Jerusalem church (Acts 15) and author of an epistle, and Jude, who wrote the epistle bearing his name. The other two brothers are not known. During Jesus’s life his brothers had not been believers (John 7:5), but we know that James became a follower through a resurrection appearance (1 Cor. 15:7), and Acts 1:14 (with the 120) and 1 ...

3869. Gentiles Exemplify True Discipleship

Mark 7:31-37, Mark 7:24-30

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... Jesus spitting on him (probably on the tongue but perhaps his ears) would be well accepted. (4) The “deep sigh” as Jesus looked toward heaven connotes both his dependence on God (also in 6:41) and his deep emotions as he brings the power of heaven to bear on the man’s plight.6(5) Mark once again (as in 5:41) gives Jesus’s command in Aramaic to heighten the drama of the scene, involving the reader in the original event.7Jesus is the authoritative voice that unlocks heaven, calling the ears to “open ...

3870. The Exorcism of a Child Develops a Humble Model for Faith

Mark 9:14-32

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... in him. (2) The disciples are easily defeated due to their tendency to live and think only for themselves. Like the father of the demon-possessed child, they need to surrender entirely to Christ. (3) Prayer has incredible power to bring the might of God to bear on a situation and produce healing and the subjugation of the cosmic powers. Teaching the Text 1. Unbelief carries great danger. At the heart of all sin is a refusal to believe the truths of God. All humans know in their hearts the truth and reality ...

3871. A Call to Servanthood and Suffering

Mark 10:46-52, Mark 10:35-45, Mark 10:32-34

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... Matt. 19:28), but not the two seats of power. 10:42–44 rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them . . . Not so with you. The rest of the disciples undoubtedly are jealous of the request for power and become angry (“They would rather bear a grudge than a cross”),6so Jesus repeats the warning against selfish ambition from 9:35–37; 10:14–15, 31. They are acting like the despised Gentiles (especially the Romans), who in a patron-client society identified importance and status with absolute authority ...

3872. Praying in Faith

Mark 11:20-25 (26)

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... way” (Heb. 8:1; 9:11; 10:20) in our access to God. Prayer changes things, and it channels the presence of God into situations, with the result that incredible things are accomplished (see “Teaching the Text” on 5:21–43; 9:14–29). 2. Prayer bears authority. We just noted that prayer has the power to change things. Yet this is highly debated today, and we must ask how this connects to the ultimate power of the sovereign God. A great deal depends on one’s basic theological perspective. A robust ...

3873. Jesus Proclaims Judgment on the Temple and the Nation

Mark 13:1-31

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... as “watch out” (v. 5), “be on guard” (vv. 9, 23, 33), “do not be alarmed” (v. 7), “do not worry” (v. 11), and “keep watch” (34, 35, 37).4William Lane says that the primary emphasis is “obedience to Jesus’s call to cross-bearing and evangelism in the confidence that this is the will of God which must be fulfilled before the parousia.”5 The Antichrist: The meaning of the “antichrist” is disputed, since many amillennialists, who believe there will not be a period after Christ’s ...

3874. The Messianic Anointing of Jesus

Mark 14:1-11

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... statement reflects the heart of God for the poor and for justice: “World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.”4Our lives should reflect the values and heart of God. This would be a good opportunity to share ways the congregation can help the poor in the community and around the world.

3875. Jesus Is Crucified

Mark 15:21-32

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... –37). Mark centers on the horror of putting to death the royal Messiah, and negative elements predominate (compare the prayers in Luke 23 and the personal touches in John 19). Structure There are three parts to this scene: (1) Jesus is taken to Golgotha, with Simon bearing the cross (vv. 20b–22); (2) Jesus is nailed to the cross, and the soldiers offer him a pain-numbing drink and gamble for his garments (vv. 23–25); (3) the charge is placed on the cross, and Jesus is crucified between two bandits (vv ...

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