Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: thirstiness, dryness, parched, craving, strong desire, longing, yearning, avidity, hunger, voracity, keenness, eagerness, lust, appetite, passion, love, crave, want, covet, desire, hunger for/after, lust for/after, hanker for/after, have one's heart set on

Antonyms: aversion, distaste, apathy, dislike, hatred, antipathy, disgust, disregard, abhorrence, acrimony, wet, animosity, animus, antagonism, bad feeling, bitterness, be averse to, detestation

Showing 376 to 400 of 1838 results

376. Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessing

Genesis 27:1-40

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... is that they deserve the pain they get for their conniving. The sympathies of the audience gravitate toward Isaac, a weak, aging figure whose fatherly desire to honor a loved son is thwarted. The outcomes of this act of deception are harsh. Esau weeps bitterly for the lost blessing. Jacob has to spend twenty years in exile, where he must deal with a clever father-in-law. Rebekah loses the companionship of her favorite son and never sees him again. Little is known of Isaac’s sorrow. Nevertheless, through ...

377. The Law of the Temple

Ezekiel 43:13-27, Ezekiel 44:1-31, Ezekiel 45:1-12, Ezekiel 45:13--46:24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... in 44:9 that the foreigners were “uncircumcised in heart and flesh” is a deliberate insult, not a literal description; so, too, Cook, “Innerbiblical Interpretation,” p. 200). The conflict that Ezekiel 44:1–12 and Isaiah 56:1–8 express, though bitter and intense, did not last long. The radically exclusive Zadokite priesthood of the Law of the Temple gives way in Torah to the more inclusive Aaronide priesthood. While the line of Zadok was singular, Aaron’s line extended through two sons: Eleazar ...

378. John Called to Prophesy Again

Revelation 10:1-11

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... ’s sovereign control over history and the promise to complete his plan very soon. He will conquer evil once and for all, vindicate his people, and bring forth a new heaven and new earth. That good news is about as sweet as it gets. The bitterness afterward, however, represents the suffering and persecution that God’s people will endure as necessary aspects of finalizing God’s purposes for this world (Rev. 6:9–11; 7:14). 10:11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations ...

379. Impurity, Repentance, and Jealousy

Num 5:1-31

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... . So be it.“So be it” in the Hebrew paraphrases the repeated “amen” (see, e.g., KJV, NASB, ESV). These words denote agreement to the terms of the curse. 5:23–24 write these curses on a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water . . . make the woman drink the bitter water.The curse is dramatized by a ritual symbolizing that the woman internalizes the curse pronounced by the priest, bringing it into the vicinity of her sexual organs. 5:28 she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have ...

380. Barren No More

1 Sam 1:1-20–2:11

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... ’s condition to the point where Hannah weeps and refuses to eat (v. 7). This portrait of Hannah’s torment sets the stage for her desperate plea for relief from her humiliation. 1:10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. The expression “deep anguish” means severe depression and emotional torment (Job 3:20–22; 10:1; Prov. 31:6–7; Ezek. 27:31). Hannah’s own words testify to her intense suffering. She speaks of her “misery” (v. 11) and “great anguish and grief ...

381. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... 12 I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit. Like the psalmists of the imprecatory psalms, who call down divine condemnation on those who afflict them (e.g., Pss. 58:6–8; 59:3–5), Job does not hold back when he expresses his bitter feelings to God. This, however, is a risky move, because the wisdom tradition teaches that the prudent person is restrained in speech (Prov. 10:19; 17:27). Job, however, refuses to be muzzled, as the mythological Yamm and Tannin were (corresponding to the “sea” and ...

382. Job Feels under Attack by God

Job 16:1-17:16

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... 16. In the previous chapter, Job primarily complained about God’s treatment of him. In chapter 17, although he still speaks of God, his emphasis has shifted to how his friends have mistreated him in his time of great need. Job’s language is strong and bitter as he describes how the friends have mocked him (17:1–10). He ends his speech by saying that he cannot see hope in either life or death (17:11–16). Historical and Cultural Background In 17:3, Job uses the language of ancient commercial law ...

383. Weeping and Mourning

Micah 1:8-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the Hebrew verb “to go out,” will not come out, presumably due to fear of the invaders. The significance of the name Beth Ezel (1:11) is not obvious to the modern interpreter. Maroth (1:12) is a name related to the Hebrew word for “bitter.” They waited for something sweet, but the bitter truth was the presence of the enemy at the very gate of the capital. Lachish (1:13) is a well-known city in the Shephelah; it is singled out by the fact that a whole verse is given to it and by the content of that ...

384. Simon the Sorcerer

Acts 8:9-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... “the name of Jesus Christ” is superior to other claims to divinity. After his apparent conversion, Simon continues his attempts to gain possession of the divine power by offering money to the apostles (8:18–19). The expression “full of bitterness” (literally “gall of bitterness,” 8:23) evokes the anti-idol language of Deuteronomy 29:18, and “captive to sin” alludes to Isaiah 58:6, a verse that has already appeared in the narrative (Luke 4:18; cf. Acts 10:38). The contrast between Jesus ...

385. Rules for Christian Households

Colossians 3:18-4:1

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is that the powerful love which unites the church should be used to bind husband and wife. The Colossians might have expected him to say something like, “Husbands should rule their wives wisely and kindly.” Anticipating this, Paul speaks to husbands to resist bitterness. Translations often read, “Do not be harsh,” but that fails to do justice to the passive tense of the verb. It is the husbands who might feel cheated by having to love their wives sacrificially. The society taught that they were owed ...

386. Witness Interlude and the Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 10:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... be no more delay!”), the church has a mission. The angel gives a “little scroll” to John, and he is asked to eat the scroll—that is, completely identify with its contents—and proclaim its message to the world (10:9–10). It tastes as sweet as honey but is bitter in the stomach (10:9; cf. Ezek. 2:8–3:3; 3:14). In the same way that Ezekiel received God’s word with joy but also an impossible mission to proclaim judgment to a hardened people, John and his churches are called to preach a sweet and ...

387. Accept His Peace

John 4:1-26, Romans 5:1-11, Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... elderly gentleman found that peace even though he was confined to a bed for forty years because of a fall that left him with a broken neck. His back was broken but not his cheerful spirit. A friend once asked him if he were not tempted at times to be bitter toward God. The old man answered, “Oh, there are times when I have been tempted. It is difficult to look out my window and see my friends doing things that I will never be able to do. At such times questions have come to me about the goodness of God ...

388. Love without Limits

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... to talk, but, truthfully, I had such disdain for him that I did not want to listen. However, like Jonah and Peter, God had something different in mind for me. So for the next thirty minutes Walter talked about the joy of his life before cancer and the anger and bitterness he felt toward God because of his cancer. After we talked, I asked if I could have a prayer. He said, “I don’t think it will do any good, but if you want to, go ahead.” So I took his fragile hand and began to pray. At the conclusion ...

389. Three Things You Can Count On

Mark 13:24-37

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... fun! They also expect you to give them three foot putts! I got to know a guy in the group who was in sales. He had taken a big hit in the recession and was trying to get his feet back on the ground. He had just gone through a bitter divorce and was going through other person-al struggles. He said, “The older I get the less I find things to believe in.” Then he railed against politics, religion, and anything else he could think of. At the end of the round he asked, “What can you really believe in ...

390. Pop Verses: Lamentations 3:22-23

Lamentations 3:22-23

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. –Lamentations 3:19-20 Ever felt like Jeremiah? Ever felt so much pain that you are bitter inside? Ever felt homeless and homesick, desperate for love and connection? Ever lost something or someone so special that your grief was almost unbearable? That’s where Jeremiah was. Maybe that is where you are today. You see, contrary to how some Christians portray the Bible, it is not an ...

391. Rat Poison

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... take a step back to look for the cause of the problem within myself and see that I am in some way responsible for the situation and do something to change it. When my anger goes on and on then it is not just plain anger anymore. It becomes bitterness or resentment. Someone called it "arthritis of the spirit." There is some real motivation for learning how to deal with this problem. We owe it to God, we owe it to the community, and we owe it to ourselves. Because, you see, resentment deforms us. We use our ...

392. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... no longer in Greek fashion the prospect of what might happen but the prospect of what is already guaranteed” (Romans, p. 134). Hope is also tempered by the fires of adversity, but again only through faith. Apart from faith, hope is the opiate of a false and bitter illusion. But apart from love, hope has no basis. God has poured out his love into our hearts, says Paul (v. 5). The original Greek reads “in our hearts” (not into our hearts), implying that the Holy Spirit is already active in the hearts of ...

393. The Purity of the Camp

Numbers 5:1-4

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... your thigh to waste away and your abdomen to swell. The woman accepts the oath with “Amen. So be it” and drinks the water. The priest offers the grain offering. 5:27–28 The two possible results of the ritual ordeal: If guilty, the woman will have bitter pain from the water, and her abdomen will swell and her thigh waste away. If not guilty, the woman will be cleared and able to have children. 5:29–31 These verses contain a sort of postscript, the law for a husband’s jealousy, which summarizes the ...

394. David Flees

2 Samuel 15:13-37

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... they were natives of Gath who had been exiled, given a welcome by David, and become a loyal part of his army. Ittai’s reply to David suggests that he had become a convert to Yahwism. 15:23 That the whole countryside wept aloud may reflect a bitter mourning at the thought of the onset of civil war. However, the impression is that it reflected deep sorrow at what had happened to David. 15:24 Abiathar, who had been with David since his previous days in exile, probably led the Jerusalem priests until he was ...

395. David Returns to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 19:9-43

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... good relations with the surrounding tribes and confirmed David’s reputation as a worthy ally to have. 19:41–43 The whole of Israel, north and south, wanted David back as king. However, there is no question yet of a happy ending. The bitter rivalry between the tribes continued even as they sought to reassert loyalty to David, and angry words were exchanged. Judah’s having taken the leading role in the ceremonies at the Jordan was a matter for particular resentment. Creating conflict between different ...

396. Job Speaks

Job 3:1-26

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... by pointing to the fact that it is more than an isolated personal event. It is, instead, the common experience of many sufferers. It is remarkable that he makes no mention here of innocent suffering. The implication is that life is inappropriately bitter for all those who live it. So bitter is life that many are seeking release through death, and rejoice when they reach the grave. 3:23 Verse 23 marks an important shift of focus in the second section of the lament. The NIV has taken the opening words of ...

397. Job's Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... complaint forever. The Temptation of Death 7:11 In the press of impending death, Job’s almost frantic words pour out in the anguish of . . . spirit and in the bitterness of . . . soul. He will not keep silent, but must complain while there is still time. Job establishes a negative tone here as he responds in “bitterness” to the hostility he senses from God. 7:12 Calling on creation imagery, Job compares the restriction and limitation he experiences with the boundaries God imposed on the chaotic waters ...

398. Job's Reply to Bildad

Job 9:1–10:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... spiritual angst that motivates Job, but the deepest interest and concern of his living self in all its physical limitation and pain. To speak to one’s nepesh is to deliberate deeply at the very center of oneself. When this deepest self is consumed by bitterness, the person’s whole worldview is affected. 10:2 I will say to God. Like a debater preparing for a match, Job imagines the best way to present his case to God and rehearses his speech, as he shifts to directly address God. Using legal terminology ...

399. The Faith of the Canaanite Woman

Matthew 15:21-28

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... or little puppies. Barclay reminds us that the tone in which something is said and the look that accompanies it make all the difference: “We can be quite sure that the smile on Jesus’ face and the compassion in his eyes robbed the words of all insult and bitterness” (vol. 2, p. 122). The woman’s retort is directly to the point. Yes, Lord, … but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. I am not asking for what belongs to others. I am simply asking to be treated like the ...

400. Restitution for Wrongs

Numbers 5:5-10

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

Showing results