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 3901 to 3925 of 4770 results

3901. Repentance and Victory

1 Samuel 7:2-17

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... pray for,” NIV) and Moses (Num. 21:7; Deut. 9:20). Here (1 Sam. 7:6) and in Numbers 21:7 the people confess their sins with the simple statement “We have sinned,” and the leader prays on behalf of the people (intercession for an individual is in view in Gen. 20:7 and Deut. 9:20). A similar account appears in 1 Samuel 12:19, 23 (AT), where the expression “intercede for” is used once more in the context of communal confession of sin. 7:6 they drew water and poured it out. The significance of this ...

3902. Be Careful What You Ask For

1 Samuel 10:9-27

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... chapter 8 the Lord seems ready to give Israel a king like all the other nations, dooming them to oppression and eventual enslavement. By the end of chapter 10, however, it is apparent that he has decided not to give Israel a king like other nations, even though he views their demand for such a king as a rejection of his authority (10:19; cf. 8:7). One senses this is the case in 9:16–17 (see comments above), and then it becomes clear in 10:24–25 (see above). This comes into even sharper focus in chapter ...

3903. Saul Forfeits a Dynasty

1 Samuel 13:1-15

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... meetings in England and America and organized training for men and women, paying special heed to those who had little opportunity to succeed. Finally, he led in the founding of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Deficient faith coupled with a faulty/pagan view of the Lord robs God’s people of his blessing. Quote: A. W. Tozer. “Christianity is so entangled with the world that millions never guess how radically they have missed the New Testament pattern. Compromise is everywhere. The world is whitewashed ...

3904. Jonathan’s Faith Ignites a Victory

1 Sam 13:16–14:23

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... temporarily transported to the battle, the ark is in Kiriath Jearim, located about six miles to the west (see 1 Sam. 7:2), too far away to bring to Saul in time to launch an attack. It is more likely that Ahijah’s ephod, mentioned in verse 3, is in view here, since an ephod is used to consult the divine will. The use of the verb “bring” supports this, for it appears with “ephod” as an object elsewhere (1 Sam. 23:9; 30:7).6 14:23 on that day the Lord saved Israel. The use of the verb “saved ...

3905. The Lord Chooses a New King

1 Samuel 16:14-23, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... previous story (15:13) and his brazen attempt to correct Samuel (15:20). The new king comes from a town where people give the Lord’s prophet the respect he is due. 16:7 People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. The heart is viewed as the seat of the emotions (1 Sam. 1:8; 4:13; 17:32; 25:36; 28:5), will (6:6; 7:3), motives (17:28), reason (21:12), and conscience (25:31; 2 Sam. 24:10). A person’s “heart,” or mind, is relatively inaccessible to human beings, but ...

3906. David Spares Saul’s Life—Again

1 Samuel 26:1-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... ’s appeal and Saul’s blessing are significant to the narrator’s strategy: they remind us that later events must be understood within a legal framework. David’s complete vindication is inevitable. His eventual success and Saul’s demise can be viewed as the outworking of God’s justice in response to David’s appeal and, ironically, as the fulfillment of Saul’s prayer. For the exilic readers of the story, this account reiterates the important theme that God does indeed vindicate his oppressed ...

3907. Séance in Endor: Bad News from Beyond the Grave

1 Samuel 28:1-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... one/s”) never appears in isolation: it is always paired with “medium,” suggesting that the phrase refers to a single person, a medium/spiritist that is “in the know,” as it were. Special knowledge about the future through contact with the dead is in view.2 When called up from Sheol, the underworld residence of the dead, Samuel seems perturbed and asks Saul why he has “disturbed” him (v. 15). This same verb appears in Isaiah 14:9, where it describes how the arrival of the dethroned king of ...

3908. Turning Up the Pressure

Job 2:1-13

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Daniel J. Estes

... Yahweh (cf. 1:11; 2:5). Some construe her question, “Are you still maintaining your integrity?” as a statement (“You are still maintaining your integrity”), but that does not explain Job’s sharp reply to her in 2:10. It may be best to view her words as proceeding from her understandable sympathy for her husband, and as expressing her desire that he not have to suffer longer. Nevertheless, even if this is what has prompted what she says, she is then willing to have Job surrender his commitment to ...

3909. “I Will Not Fear Though Tens of Thousands Assail Me”

Psalm 3:1-8

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C. Hassell Bullock

... Lord sustains me” (3:5). Faith shapes practice. The effect is broader than his lying-down-and-rising-up routine, for it takes away the fear of his enemies who assail him by the tens of thousands (3:6). This absence of fear stems not from an unsophisticated view of a reckless world but from the knowledge and experience that the Lord is his shield and the one who lifts up his head (3:3). Teaching the Text One of the emphases of this commentary is that the sermon or lesson should arise from the text. While ...

3910. “In Peace I Will Lie Down and Sleep”

Psalm 4:1-8

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C. Hassell Bullock

... face shine on us. David knew the priestly benediction (Num. 6:24–26) and the blessing of Moses (Deut. 33), and here he prays with the words of these men of God. Other psalms pray to “see” God’s face (Pss. 17:15; 27:8; etc.). We may view here two stages. Seeing God’s face would be admittance into his presence for an audience, and having God’s face to shine upon one would suggest that God receives one’s petition favorably. David modestly requests that he may see a mere reflection.4 His use of ...

3911. “The Lord . . . Rules the World in Righteousness”

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

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C. Hassell Bullock

... is the kingdom of God’” (Luke 6:20). How shocking those words must have been for the Jews at the time of Jesus! Many in that day believed that to be rich was a sign of God’s pleasure, while poverty was the plight of those who displeased God (views still held by some in our day). And yet, here was Jesus speaking about the blessings of God for the poor. God has a heart for the poor and the oppressed, and we are to share that passion. Consider these truths with regard to just one issue, world hunger ...

3912. “Lord, Who May Dwell in Your Sacred Tent?”

Psalm 15:1-5

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C. Hassell Bullock

... course, those who were not prepared to enter the sanctuary on the Lord’s holy mountain. The portrait as a whole is a positive one compared with the negative picture of that person portrayed in Psalm 10:2–11 (see “Theological Insights” below). The traditional view is that Psalm 15 was composed for the occasion of David’s transfer of the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:12–19; 1 Chron. 15:16), like Psalm 24. Yet references to the “sacred tent” and “holy mountain” (Mt. Zion) have led commentators ...

3913. “When I Awake, I Will Be Satisfied with Seeing Your Likeness”

Psalm 17:1-15

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C. Hassell Bullock

... When we encounter false accusations, through faith we hope to awake in the wonder of God’s likeness, which is true reality. Understanding the Text Some scholars identify Psalm 17 as a prayer of innocence, based particularly on 17:3–5.[1] Others, in view of 17:1–2 and 6–9, consider it an individual lament. While the categories of form criticism are helpful, the psalmists were not working with those categories as such, and they were sometimes inclined to mix genres. Obviously the psalmist is lamenting ...

3914. “The Earth Is the Lord’s, and Everything in It”

Psalm 24:1-10

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C. Hassell Bullock

... by my life.” Here the term “my life” (direct speech) is retained, while the “I swear” (direct speech) has been changed to indirect, “who does not swear to an idol by ‘my life.’” Here also two negative commandments of the Torah are in view, idolatry and false testimony (Exod. 20:3, 16). 24:6 Such is the generation . . . who seek your face, God of Jacob. The Hebrew reads literally, “This is the generation” (see KJV). If the psalm celebrates the new temple of Solomon, the psalmist is ...

3915. “Show Me Your Ways, Lord”

Psalm 25:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

... ) and trust (25:2). 25:2 do not let me be put to shame. This verb occurs here and in 25:3 and 20, framing the psalm. For one to be “put to shame” involved a sense of rejection socially or the experience of being forgotten by God.[5] In view of this, the trifold prayer that God would remember him (25:6, 7) makes all the more sense. 25:3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame. Literally, “Let all who hope in you not be ashamed.” The verb “hope” carries the basic idea of ...

3916. “Trust in the Lord and Do Good”

Psalm 37:1-40

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the psalmist is a personal witness to this care (37:25–26). The wrongdoers will be destroyed (37:28b), and the psalmist is a personal witness to this truth (37:35–36). Historical and Cultural Background As is often the case, Psalm 37 must be viewed against the backdrop of the conquest of the land of Canaan (“inheriting” the land). Perhaps in a historical context in which Israel was still threatened with dispossession, the lesson of the psalm is to trust in the Lord, and “he will do this”—give ...

3917. “Blessed Are Those Who Have Regard for the Weak; the Lord Delivers Them”

Psalm 41:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... 1 (see the comments on 41:13 below). For more on the doxologies, see “Trends in Psalms Studies” in the introduction. Historical and Cultural Background This psalm may arise out of David’s conflict with his son Absalom, at least that general period, especially in view of the betrayal of his close friend who ate bread with him (41:9). Perowne suggests that the friend was Ahithophel, whose sympathies in fact turned to Absalom (2 Sam. 15:12).4 An interesting word picture occurs in 41:3 with the use of ...

3918. “Create in Me a Pure Heart, O God, and Renew a Steadfast Spirit within Me”

Psalm 51:1-19

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... of a snow-covered mountain with the sun highlighting the white snow could complement this illustration well. Also, it would be good to have your listeners sing this song after you explain the meaning and its connection to the text. David the prodigal Bible: David’s view of God is equivalent to the image of the father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). Like the prodigal, David has engaged in “wild living” (Ps. 51 title; Luke 15:13, 30), is obsessed by his sinful condition (51:3; Luke 15:17 ...

3919. “God Looks Down from Heaven . . . to See If There Are Any Who Understand”

Psalm 53:1-6

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... and “turned away” (sag, 53:3) have two different roots; sag (“turn away” in disloyalty) is a clarification of sar (“turn away”), thus making the motive clear. That is, Psalm 53 tries to clarify the evil intent of the wrongdoers. But the Targum, perhaps viewing the change as a misreading, restores the 14:3 reading to sar. 53:4 Do all these evildoers know nothing? . . . they never call on God. Psalm 14:4 has “all,” but 53:4 does not, a negligible difference. The NIV restores “all” in 53 ...

3920. “You Have Given Me the Heritage of Those Who Fear Your Name”

Psalm 61:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ourselves, where God protects his children. It may be an echo of the rock where Moses, having asked to see Yahweh’s glory, took refuge and saw only the deity’s “back” and not his face (Exod. 33:17–34:7). It is particularly vivid when viewed over against the fainting heart that is debilitated and battle fatigued by life’s constraints (61:3). Second, the psalmist calls the Lord his “strong tower against the foe,” which is a word snapshot of the ancient city wall (61:3; see Judg. 9:51), where ...

3921. “When We Were Overwhelmed by Our Sins, You Forgave Our Transgressions”

Psalm 65:1-13

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C. Hassell Bullock

... them, we will have received the answer to the psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” As we peruse the psalm, we will notice that the doctrines of both creation and redemption come into view, but in reverse order. In a sense we could say that all other biblical doctrines fall under these two. Redemption: When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. (65:3) We may make the observation that the doctrine of redemption, seen on its ...

3922. “Come and See What God Has Done”

Psalm 66:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... . 66:19 but God has surely listened.Here is the answer as an accomplished fact, a typical feature of the psalms of thanksgiving. Compare this to the affirmation that in the historical perspective of the Egyptian bondage, God has preserved their lives (66:9). In view of that, God’s attention to the psalmist’s prayer is a repetition of his saving action in Israel’s history. 66:20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!Unanswered prayer was believed to be ...

3923. “Zeal for Your House Consumes Me”

Psalm 69:1-36

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C. Hassell Bullock

... salvation history—that is, Israel’s salvation represented by God’s taking up his dwelling in Zion, taught by Psalm 68—is celebrated again, along with hopes of rebuilding the cities of Judah. Even though very different from Psalm 68, Psalm 69 may be viewed as a complement to that psalm, especially when we recognize that the Lord, after a long march of redemption, has taken up his permanent residence in Zion’s sanctuary. If that does not justify the psalmist’s zeal for God’s house, then nothing ...

3924. Nebuchadnezzar’s Testimony and Tree Dream

Daniel 4:1-18

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Ronald W. Pierce

... Aramaic center section. Comparatively, Daniel 4 and 5 present contrasting Babylonian kings and varying structures, yet they share the same general content and theme: God’s judgment of proud rulers. Read together, they keep Judah’s “seventy-year” exile in view by setting Babylon’s first king opposite its last, recalling the parameters of the prologue (1:1, 21). This chapter is also arranged chiastically: the first pericope (4:1–18) sets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream opposite its fulfillment in ...

3925. Nebuchadnezzar’s Judgment and Repentance

Daniel 4:28-37

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Ronald W. Pierce

... s grace (cf. 2 Pet. 3:8–9), or simply God’s prerogative to act as he pleases (Dan. 4:35).4In context, the duration of time recalls the vague historical marker in 4:4 and prepares us for the statements of immediacy to follow (4:31, 33). The view from the palace roof gives the king an overview of the city and may be the site of the famous Hanging Gardens (see “Historical and Cultural Background” above), although their location has not been identified. 4:30 Is not this the great Babylon I have built ...

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