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 4051 to 4075 of 4959 results

4051. Eastern Tribes Return Home

Joshua 22:1-34

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... . Second, the eastern tribes think that building a replica of the western altar will keep their descendants true to the God of Israel as they have a replica visible to the east. Third, a replica will remind the western tribes that those east of the Jordan also desire a share in God. The altar will witness to the unity of the tribes at their east-west border. In the Bible altars are common witnesses. A memorial is erected to keep two enemies apart in the Jacob narratives (Gen. 31:48–52). In their defense ...

4052. Gideon's Ephod

Judges 8:22-27

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... with the true King. Thus the request signaled a serious development that revealed Israel’s growing rejection of the Lord’s sovereignty over them (cf. 1 Sam. 8). The reference to Gideon’s son and grandson gave expression to Israel’s desire for not only a monarchy but a dynastic monarchy, which they would not experience until the reign of David. At the same time, the author hints at later developments involving Gideon’s sons, particularly Abimelech (Judg. 9). Gideon demonstrated his covenant ...

4053. Samson’s Marriage

Judges 14:1-20

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... outfits to their one—not a bad deal. The thirty young men were game to try it. So Samson told them the riddle (v. 14). The theme of knowing/ignorance comes into play here. Samson knew the answer and we know; the focus was on their not knowing and desire to know. They tried to find out for seven days. Finally, in their desperation, they turned to the woman and laid it all upon her. The joke was no longer funny; it was time to get serious. The intensity of the dialogue builds toward the crisis point and ...

4054. Ruth and Boaz on the Threshing Floor

Ruth 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... nightmare experience: “You will lie down, with no one to make you tremble” (kharad, Zophar to Job in 11:19, my translation). Targum poetically speculates that Boaz’s “trembling” (rtt) is the trembling of “tenderness” (rkk) but quickly adds that Boaz feels no “erotic desire” for Ruth (yts ryh, Tg. Ruth 3:8). Perhaps Boaz is startled by Ruth’s elbow in his ribs! 3:9 When Boaz asks Who are you? Ruth does not call herself a “foreign woman” (nokriyyah, 2:10), nor does she call herself a ...

4055. The Death of David

1 Chronicles 29:26-30

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... 1–9, Solomon’s reign, not David’s, is the climactic point toward which the Chronicler is heading. Solomon will be “the man of rest” who will establish “the house of rest.” A clear story line from David to Solomon starts with David’s desire to bring the ark to Jerusalem and continues through his ill-fated census that ultimately leads to the identification of the site for the future temple. When Yahweh confirms the eternal promise to David’s house, David realizes that Yahweh wants his son to ...

4056. Rebuilding the Altar

Ezra 3:1-6

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... 29:12. In fact, the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day at the weeklong festival follows Numbers 29:12–38. Again, there is a focus on the scriptural quality of the celebration (in accordance with what is written). In line with this desire to be faithful to Scripture, the narrator enumerates in verse 5 the gamut of festival sacrifices covered in Numbers 28:1–29:11. His purpose is to emphasize that the event marked the start of the rhythm of worship in conformity with the Torah. The ...

4057. Ezra Comes to Jerusalem

Ezra 7:1-10

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... , up to specified generous limits. The inserted letter corresponds with Ezra’s delivery of the royal instructions as described in 8:36; presumably he was given copies addressed to particular officials. Scrupulous regard for local religious traditions was motivated by a desire to propitiate the Judean God, whose power over the Persian royal family could be demonstrated both positively, via prayer (6:10), and negatively, as seen in the curse invoked in 6:12. Besides direct funding, temple staff were to be ...

4058. The People's Confession of Sin

Ezra 10:1-17

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... be a modification of earlier capital punishment, expressed in terms of being “cut off from the community of Israel” (Exod. 12:19; compare Ezek. 13:9). Literally, the term used here is “be separated,” in a negative sense. The term recurs in the desirable sense, “separate oneself,” in 9:1; 10:11. The penalty for not attending the assembly convened for such separation was to be separated from membership of the community, like the foreign wives and the children of mixed marriages (compare the use of ...

4059. Queen Vashti Deposed

Esther 1:1-22

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... provide just-in-time solutions for his dilemmas, and he is pleased with this advice (v. 21). He proves to be consistently blind to anything beneath the surface in human relations. Xerxes and all of his men set a pattern for Haman, who desperately desires the royal honor to which his detractor, Mordecai, is indifferent. Most commentators find in this chapter a sardonic parody on the Persian monarchy, a satire laced with irony. There is an exaggerated sense of pomp and protocol as the seven eunuchs carry the ...

4060. Haman's Plot to Destroy the Jews

Esther 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... threats to his honor. While the scene at the end of chapter 1 was humorous, this scene is not. Haman is overreacting at the expense of the lives of large numbers of real people. As we shall see, many others were willing to comply with his desire to exterminate the Jews in Persia. On the eve of the Passover, a massacre is authorized in which a new generation of enemies is encouraged to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews (v. 13). The word for “destroy” (shmd) represents the original intention of ...

4061. Mordecai Honored

Esther 6:1-14

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... assumption. Instead, these ambiguities set up Haman for his self-initiated humiliation, one of many examples of the principle of retribution. Haman had to clothe Mordecai with royal garments, fore-shadowing the passing of the mantle of power in 8:2, 15. What Haman desired, Mordecai deserved—by true acts of loyalty to the king. 6:12–14 Mordecai returned to his place at the gate when the parade was over, but Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief (literally, “hurried to his house grieving and ...

4062. Triumph of the Jews

Esther 9:1-19

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... at large throughout the capital city. Haman’s sons were guilty by association, and apparently they were among those actively opposing the Jews. The king’s agreement on both counts provides a legal basis for continued operations. While modern readers may question the desire to “hang” (impale) Haman’s dead sons, it is an attested ancient convention that humiliates enemy leaders (Josh. 8:29; 10:26; 1 Sam. 31:10; Herodotus, Hist. 3.125; 6.30). Esther is relentless in her efforts to root out every ...

4063. Purim Celebrated

Esther 9:20-32

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... their defeat of the Amalekites, their first and prototypical enemy in the conquest (Exod. 17:14). This command included a divine oath to completely annihilate the Amalekites. Although Saul failed to complete the divine mission, Esther and Mordecai achieve the desired results. They put the final chapter of the Amalekite affair into writing. Mordecai also sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces (v. 20) to require (leqayyem ?al) them to observe the new holiday (v. 21). This is an audacious ...

4064. The Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 10:1-32

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... human toil will not be enough for success. 10:23 Antithetic. Wrongdoing is the delight of the foolish, whereas wisdom satisfies the sensible. 10:24–25 These verses deal with retribution. The wicked will receive what they fear, while the righteous achieve their desire (v. 24). However, the fear is not specified; perhaps it is the fear that they inspire or with which they are threatened. In any case, they will be appropriately punished (v. 25), blown away by tempest, whereas the righteous remain unmoved. 10 ...

4065. Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 12:1-28

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... vocalization is ʿōbēd. The “better” saying is an expression typical of the wisdom literary style. See also Sir. 10:27. In v. 9a a change in vocalization yields better sense: “and be self-supporting” (Hb. weʿōbēd lô). 12:12 The LXX reads, “Desires of the wicked are evil, but the roots of the just are in strongholds (i.e., endure?).” The ancient versions and modern conjectures are not much help. The NJPS translation remarks simply that the meaning of the Hb. is uncertain. 12:13 The LXX has ...

4066. More Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 27:1-27

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... reflection of another. 27:20 Adopt the marginal reading of the NIV. Sheol/ Death is personified in the OT as a dynamic power that pursues human beings insatiably (cf. 30:15–16). There is an implicit comparison with human eyes that here represent the manifold human desires (cf. Eccl. 4:8). 27:21 See 17:3, where the Lord does the testing. Here one’s praise does the testing (hapax legomenon), that is, the praise that one receives. Public reputation is a barometer of one’s worthiness. 27:22 The fool is ...

4067. More Proverbs of Solomon

Proverbs 28:1-28

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... Notes. 28:24 Synthetic, participial juxtaposition. The NIV prints in three parts what the MT has in two. This is a condemnation of brazen stealing from parents (not specified in the Law); see also 19:26. 28:25 Antithetic. The greedy (lit. “broad of desire”) encounters strife, in contrast to the prosperous life of the one who trusts in the LORD. 28:26 Antithetic. A contrast between ill-placed trust and true wisdom. The motif of trust continues verse 25b and the security given by wisdom is very similar ...

4068. Sayings of King Lemuel

Proverbs 31:1-9

Understanding Series

Roland E. Murphy

... it fits the parallelism. Hb. lam e ḥôt seems to be revocalized in the NIV to yield “(female) destroyers of kings” (Hb. l e mīḥôt). 31:4 To crave of the NIV interprets ʾw (Kethib; the Qere is ʾy, “where”) as derived from Hb. ʾwh, “to desire.” 31:8 Destitute is an uncertain translation of “vanishing?"—the form is the infinitive construct of Hb. ḥlp (“change,” “disappear”). Many other solutions have been proposed but uncertainty reigns (cf. McKane, Proverbs, pp. 411–12).

4069. Riches Are Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 5:8--6:12

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... Do not all go to the same place? See 3:20. The place implied is the grave; Qohelet again argues against those who would claim an afterlife. 6:7 Appetite: Here and in 6:9, the Hb. uses the multivalent nepeš, which can also mean “life, being.” Although the constant desire for “more” is at issue and the reference to mouth suggests physical appetite, the reader may here understand a general reference to human insatiability.

4070. Bread Upon the Water

Ecclesiastes 9:13--12:8

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... God’s creative role pervades the book), your Creator here and God who gave it in 12:7 form an inclusion for the poem. Thus “Creator” is the preferable meaning. 12:5 The almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire is no longer stirred: There are several translation problems here. It is more likely that the correct reading is “the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper grows fat and the caperberry bears fruit.” Otherwise the blossoming almond tree has no connection with ...

4071. I Have Come Into My Garden

Song of Songs 5:1-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... notes in the Song. In a culture in which male control of female sexuality is the norm, the guards’ response may be seen as a heightened version of the brothers’ angry insistence that the woman be keeper of the vineyards (1:6) and the brothers’ desire to board up the woman’s budding sexuality should she prove to be a “door” (8:9). The problem with understanding the episode as a straightforward narration rather than an anxious dream or fantasy is that there is no aftermath. There is no indication ...

4072. Jerusalem Under Siege

Jeremiah 6:1-30

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... urges them to walk in it. Here, as elsewhere in Scripture (notably Prov. 1–9), the image of the path or way or road represents life. There are multiple roads the journey of life can take, but the ancient/good path is the one that conforms to God’s desire for the nation. Here is where they will find rest. They are at the crossroads and are called upon to make a decision. The people’s response is quick and to the point. They utterly refuse. With that, God says he set up watchmen, an obvious reference to ...

4073. The Valley of Slaughter

Jeremiah 7:30--8:3

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... , will come to an end. Exposed Bones (8:1-3): 8:1–2 This oracle is related to the previous one in its mention of exposed corpses. The exposure of corpses was a great ignominy in ancient Israel. A proper burial was greatly desired, but the oracle envisions the disinterment of the entire population of Jerusalem. The list that is given (kings, officials, priests, prophets, and people of Jerusalem) moves down the hierarchy, and specifies the leadership of the people of God before referring to the common ...

4074. Sin and Punishment

Jeremiah 8:4--9:26

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... in better with verses 3–6 that follow. Another ambiguity has to do with the speaker. Does the oracle begin with Jeremiah’s lament or God’s or are we to understand the prophet and his God sharing the same voice? In any case, the speaker desires to be far from the people because of their sin. Their spiritual unfaithfulness is metaphorically likened, once again (2:20, 23–24; 3:1–5, etc.), to sexual infidelity. They are all adulterers. The expression and the thought is the same as found in Hosea 7 ...

4075. God and Idols

Jeremiah 10:1-16

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... defined as signs in the sky. The latter is a reference to astrology, the use of astral phenomenon to determine the future. This method was used to read the minds of the gods concerning the future and, if that future was not desirable, then proper ritual steps could be taken to ward off danger. Divination of all sorts, including astrology, was practiced by the nations that surrounded Israel and was part of their religious practice against which Jeremiah inveighs. Verse 3 begins a motive clause explaining ...

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