Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4001 to 4025 of 4884 results

Judges 4:1-24

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... in to her effusive invitations and entered her tent. The next events unfolded quickly: She put a covering over him, he asked for some water, and she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him up again. All of this extra care was perfectly in keeping with the protocols of Semitic hospitality (cf. Gen. 18:1–8), but more so carefully calculated to give Sisera a false sense of security. He peacefully went off to sleep, like a baby on his mother’s lap, but not before he gave Jael final ...

4002. The Song of Deborah

Judges 5:1-31

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... ), all of which have the same root. The juxtaposing of the two verses by this wordplay underscores the importance of Jael’s role in Israel’s victory, thus highlighting the miraculous, surprising way God acted on Israel’s behalf. Strength made perfect in weakness! Such an affirmation would encourage not only early Israelites in difficult or seemingly impossible circumstances but also Israelites and Judahites in exile—and God’s people at any time and any place. 5:28–30 As the spotlight fades from ...

4003. A Levite and His Concubine

Judges 19:1-30

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... same category as the servant, the donkeys, and the baggage (vv. 9–10). The scenes at the father’s house are all about hospitality. The father’s generosity may appear exaggerated or overbearing to a western audience, but his actions are perfectly consistent with the experience of people from most of the two-thirds world, especially Middle Eastern countries. Hospitality was and still is a most important cultural value, and any deficiency in fulfilling one’s obligations was/is looked upon as grossly ...

4004. Naomi and Ruth

Ruth 1:1-22

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... suffers innocently, unjustly, and unfairly. Unlike Job, however, Ruth does not become bitter (see Job 17:6–9). Augustine would agree that human determination can be powerful but would also insist that it pales in comparison with God’s grace (Treatise on Perfection in Righteousness, 10). 1:19 When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred. The Hebrew root for “stirred” (hom/hamam) denotes significant social upheaval (1 Sam. 4:5; 1 Kgs. 1:45). Some lexicographers think that the Hebrew word ...

4005. Opposition to the Rebuilding

Ezra 4:1-5

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... versions rightly took the Aramaic qiraʾ as plural, “cities” (NRSV; Rosenthal, Biblical Aramaic, p. 35), so that Samaria refers to the province. 4:12 Restoring . . . repairing: The Aramaic verbs, of which the meaning of the second is uncertain, are strangely perfect. In light of v. 13, possibly an exaggerated claim was made that the work was already done (Barthélemy, Critique textuelle, vol. 1, p. 533). 4:13 Revenues, for which compare BDB, p. 1082, is an uncertain rendering. Rosenthal, Biblical ...

4006. Haman's Plot to Destroy the Jews

Esther 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... ” (7:4). This may be a way of referring to money used for the operation, in the worst (and most realistic) terms, as a bribe to get rid of the Jews. One way or the other, the whole proposal has an economic appeal. The king seems perfectly taken in by official counsel (as he was in chapter 1) and, without further questioning, offers his signet ring to his overly trusted premier (v. 10; compare Gen. 41:42). The narrator highlights that the king is blind to this personal vendetta of Haman . . . the Agagite ...

4007. Mordecai Honored

Esther 6:1-14

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... as noted above, Haman’s royal ambitions for himself are at the expense of true loyalty to the king. In contrast, Mordecai and Joseph (and Daniel) are presented as paragons of loyalty to their sovereigns. Their other loyalties (to God, kin, and custom) are perfectly complementary to their loyalties to the foreign king. 6:8 Have them bring a royal robe: Haman’s answer shares the sentiments of an exiled Spartan king: “When Demaratus was commanded to choose a gift for himself, he asked to be permitted to ...

4008. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 15:1-33

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... own gaze and judgment? 15:4 Antithetic; juxtaposition of subjects and predicates. Another saying about speech (cf. vv. 1–2). For the healing effect, cf. 16:24, and for the tree of life, cf. 3:18. See Additional Notes. 15:5 Antithetic. The parallelism is not perfect (no mention of the mother; cf. 10:1), but the point is clear: the wise person is teachable, docile. 15:6 Antithetic. The translation of the NIV is guided by the contrast between the just and the wicked. See the Additional Notes. 15:7 Antithetic ...

4009. All Night Long

Song of Songs 3:1-11

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... you’ve seen him?”) to heighten the urgency of the woman’s search (Song, p. 158). 3:4 I held him and would not let him go / till I had brought him: Fox argues that the tenses are ambiguous here. Most of the verbs in this section are perfect forms (indicating completed action), but “let him go” is imperfect (suggesting incomplete action). Fox believes that the form signals a change in time: “she took hold of him in the recent past and is now holding on to him, but she has not yet brought him home ...

4010. A Message About Babylon

Jeremiah 50:1--51:64

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... present tense of the verb is a possible translation of the unit, it is better to take the tense as past (you were my war club). There is no verb in verse 20a, but in verses 20b–23 it is possible to understand the form as simple perfect rather than a waw consecutive. This makes more sense (and the NJB takes this approach) since verses 24–26 clearly address Babylon and not their enemy in the second person. Therefore, this section is better understood as a reflection on the fact that God had used Babylon ...

4011. How the Lord has Covered the Daughter of Zion

Lamentations 2:1-22

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... Zeph. 2:15) at the ruined city. Shaking one’s head connotes disapproval as well as wonderment at the extent of the destruction. They remember the song of Zion that was sung, which suggested the inviolability of the city. Psalm 48:2 extols Jerusalem as the perfection of beauty and joy of the whole earth, but now it is an ash heap. In verse 15 those who pass by are more precisely identified as Jerusalem’s enemies. They contemptuously hiss (scorn) the city and gnash their teeth, a sign of hatred. They also ...

4012. Hosea's Wife and Children

Hosea 1:1-2:1

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... came to Hosea (italics added). The fact that not much is told us about Hosea—who is not called a prophet here—shows that it is not the man but the message that is important. The name Hosea means “he has helped” or “he has saved,” from the hiphil perfect of the Hebrew verb yāšaʿ. The name, which may take the form “Hoshea,” is found elsewhere in the OT, as the earlier name given to Joshua (Num. 13:8), as the name of the last king of Israel (2 Kgs. 15:30, etc.), and as the appellation of ...

4013. Judgment Against Israel

Hosea 5:1-15

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... dug deep at Shittim,” reading wešaḥat haššiṭṭîm. This latter translation has the advantage of continuing the metaphor of hunting, which begins in verse 1 with the mention of the fowler’s snare and the hunter’s net. It also yields a perfectly formed divine saying in verse 1–2, consisting of a threefold call to listen, a threefold hunting image, and a line occurring after each of the triads. On the basis of the proposed emendation to 5:2a, some commentators have maintained that verses 1–2 ...

4014. The Lord's Anger Against Israel

Hosea 13:1-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... are destroyed), since it is obvious that Yahweh continues to speak in verses 9–11. The Hebrew of verse 9b literally reads, “Against me,” but it can also have the meaning of “who.” Thus, the two lines read: I will destroy you, Israel, (or, reading perfects, I destroy you), Who is your helper? In addition, in verse 10, in all your towns should be emended to read “with all your princes.” The verse is then read, Where is your king now, to save you, with all your princes, to defend you (following ...

4015. Israel’s Ill-Placed Confidence

Amos 5:18-27

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... of what is right and equitable. Focusing exclusively on the latter hinders the correct understanding of justice in the biblical sense. The source of justice is God himself. It flows from his essential character as one who is both just and righteous, whose actions are flawless, perfect, upright, and just (Deut. 32:4; 1 Sam. 12:7; 2 Sam. 22:31; Job 37:23; Ps. 89:14). God is the righteous lawgiver, hence the one who establishes the norm for right conduct (Deut. 4:4 8; Ps. 19:7–9). He requires justice ...

4016. Clean Garments for the High Priest

Zechariah 3:1-10

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... this difficulty by changing the identity of the speaker to “the angel/messenger of the Lord.” The grammatical conflict resulting from God speaking about God in the third person is still present, but less acute, if the verb is read as an indicative, “The Lord will rebuke you.” An instantaneous perfect would be expected, “I hereby rebuke you.”

4017. Timeout at Tiberias

John 21:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... and their Indian allies. They were outnumbered more than two-to-one. Washington and his troops were driven back to Fort Necessity. Unfortunately the location of the fort made it impossible to defend because it was surrounded by hills that were the perfect hiding place from which the French and Indian fighters could attack. To make it worse, many of Washington’s men got drunk. In nine short hours, with thirty dead, seventy wounded, and many more deserting, the battle was over. Defeated, Washington gave ...

4018. Staying Close to Christ

John 13:31-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... lesson for today. We are not simply to love other people as we love ourselves. We are to love them as Christ loves us. Now this is moving the goalpost a whole lot farther. The standard for love is moved from ourselves to Christ. Christ’s love is perfect and unconditional. He extends it even to loving the “undeserving.” Christian love, like Christ’s love is unconditional and sacrificial. That’s the kind of love we are to have for our neighbor. Let me give you an example of that kind of love. In her ...

4019. A Woman Burdened with Guilt

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... who was taking his choir and orchestra through their final rehearsal of Handel’s beautiful and inspiring “Messiah.” When the soprano soloist came in with the refrain, “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” she sang it with flawless technique, perfect breathing, and clear enunciation. After she completed her part, everyone looked at the conductor expecting to see his response of approval. With a motion from his baton for silence, he walked over to the soloist and said, almost sorrowfully, “My ...

4020. Lesson From a Blind Man

Mark 10:46-52

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... . That is all the cat was interested in, so a mouse is all it saw. That's true in life. We see what we are looking for. If we look for good things. We see good things. Everyone is blind in some fashion or another even if their eyes have perfect vision. We choose what we see. Let's look only for the best in other people. And let's look for the love that God has placed in our world.

4021. Understanding the Trinity

John 16:12-15

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... of rain. In the same way Christians think of God as Creator or Father, we think of Him coming in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, and we feel Him at work in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. It's not a perfect way to understand God. God's too big for human minds. But the Trinity at least helps us understand a little bit better, how God is working to show His love for each of us.

4022. A Mystifying Question

Luke 6:39-49

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... . Why do people say they love Jesus and then tell things that aren't true? Why do people say they love Jesus and try to hurt other people? If we love Jesus, we always try to do the right thing, don't we? Sometimes we goof. None of us is perfect, but if we love Jesus we try to be the kind of person he would want us to be, don't we? I hope we all do. I hope that we always try to do what we know we ought to do. I hope we always try to love other ...

4023. Jesus' First Disciples

John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... the Son of Man is just as much a reality as Jesus seated at God’s right hand and coming to earth again. It is the same reality witnessed by John the Baptist, the reality that Jesus Christ even in his humanity is united to heaven and enjoys perfect communion with God his Father (cf. 8:29; 11:41–42). The disciples will see this reality not in a particular vision of angels, but in Jesus’ ministry as a whole, beginning with the wedding at Cana. Additional Notes 1:39 The tenth hour. The Jews reckoned the ...

4024. Jesus Heals the Official’s Son

John 4:43-54

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... in common a direct connection between a miracle and a decisive act of faith. When Jesus “revealed his glory” by turning a great amount of water into wine, “his disciples put their faith in him” (2:11). After his resurrection, their faith was deepened and perfected as “they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken” (2:22). In the case of the government official, the two stages merge into one. As soon as Jesus told him his son would live, he took Jesus at his word and departed ...

4025. The Healing at the Pool

John 5:1-15, John 5:16-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... ministry in general (e.g., 8:42, 49; 12:37, 43, 48) and of this confrontation in particular (5:37–44). Additional Notes 5:22 The Father judges no one. It should be noticed that the parallel between life-giving and judgment in vv. 21–22 is not perfect. The Father raises the dead and so does the Son, but the Father does not judge, having delegated all judgment to the Son. This distinction, however, is perhaps more apparent than real. Elsewhere Jesus denies that he came to judge the world (3:17) or that he ...

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