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 4126 to 4150 of 4959 results

4126. Worshipping Other Gods

Deuteronomy 13:1-18

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... charge of harboring apostasy. Clearly towns could be as much at risk from such injustice as individuals. First, a heavy stress is laid on the need to inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly (v. 14). Obviously, any “inquisition” can turn nasty, but the law desires truth and justice, not mob witch-hunts. And secondly, if the charge proved true, then the whole town was to be put under the severest level of ḥērem. Because of this ban on acquiring goods during a war, all property and livestock was to ...

4127. Atonement for an Unsolved Murder

Deuteronomy 21:1-9

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... toward her, she is to leave as a free woman. He can take no further advantage over her by selling her as a slave. Thus, the physical and emotional needs of the woman in her utter vulnerability are given moral and legal priority over the desires and claims of the man in his victorious strength. The case could be written up as a matter of human rights. Deuteronomy characteristically prefers to express it as a matter of responsibilities. As such, its relevance is clearly applicable beyond the realm of war to ...

4128. Marriage Violations

Deuteronomy 22:13-30

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... cf. v. 29), and the loss of any right of subsequent divorce. The law is thus a strongly protective measure for a young wife at her most vulnerable. It not only defends her good name (vv. 14, 19) but also provides for her future security against his likely desire to divorce her. The law takes the view that the security and provision of a household—even in the home of such a man—is preferable to the insecurity of a divorced woman that nobody else is likely to marry. Such a law protects women, who in many ...

4129. Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

1 Kings 1:1-27

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... to govern. Here is a very beautiful girl. The David of old had not shown himself to be impervious to such women’s charms (1 Sam. 25, especially v. 3; 2 Sam. 11, especially v. 2). He had been known to take great trouble to possess a woman he desired. Yet now, with Abishag in bed beside him and fully available to him, we are told that the king had no intimate relations with her. The king is, to coin a phrase, “past it”; he is impotent, and Adonijah sees his chance to gain power. That is the significance ...

4130. David’s Charge to Solomon

1 Kings 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... Sheba (2 Sam. 20:4–5) are even less clear. Is he simply incompetent, or is his delay deliberate? And is Joab really to blame, in view of what he knows of David’s character, if he interprets David’s implicitly critical words as signalling his desire that Amasa should disappear? He had, after all, built a career on having people killed for David’s benefit, whether at his express command or not (2 Sam. 18:14–15), and there is certainly no mention of any Davidic concern over Amasa’s death before ...

4131. Solomon's Throne Established

1 Kings 2:13-46

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... rivals. Now he dies by the sword and is immediately replaced by his killer as commander of the army (v. 35). Yet obviously we must take Solomon’s rhetoric in verses 31–33 with a pinch of salt. Joab is not being killed because of Solomon’s overwhelming desire to clear David’s house of the guilt of innocent blood (v. 31, cf. §2 above). He is being killed because he is a threat to Solomon and the united kingdom. And there is something rather repellent about a king born of a union forged in innocent ...

4132. Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam

1 Kings 12:1-24

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... has to be sent for. 12:5–15 As Jeroboam is Moses in this replay of the exodus story, so Rehoboam is Pharaoh. The elders—who had, no doubt, had the benefit of Solomon’s own wisdom (cf. 1 Kgs. 10:8) and had little hope of or desire for further advancement from his son—give Rehoboam wise advice: that effective leadership comes from below and not from above (12:7). But he chooses instead to accept the foolish advice of his younger contemporaries (v. 8). They, of course, owe their position in life to him ...

4133. Moab Revolts

2 Kings 3:1-27

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... —God, too, can behave in ways that defy our expectations. God is not bound by conventions. Additional Notes 3:1 Joram: The NIV’s substitution of Joram for MT’s “Jehoram” here and in 2 Kgs. 1:17; 3:6; 9:15, 17, 21–24 is presumably due to a desire that this Israelite king should not be confused with the Judean whose reign is described in 2 Kgs. 8:16–24 (cf. 1 Kgs. 22:50), and whom the NIV consistently calls “Jehoram” even where the Hb. calls him Joram (2 Kgs. 8:21, 23–24; 11:2). This is ...

4134. Jehoahaz King of Israel

2 Kings 13:1-9

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... that more is not explicitly made in the NT of the Jesus-Elisha connection. Yet it may be that it is precisely because both Joshua and Elisha are successors to more famous men that this kind of thinking was inhibited. There would have been a natural desire within the church to avoid the suggestion that Jesus was John’s successor in any sense that detracted from his pre-eminence—particularly since this was apparently a live issue in some quarters (note the careful way in which John 1:1–42 addresses the ...

4135. Amaziah King of Judah

2 Kings 14:1-22

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... that we find in 2 Kgs. 14:26 (ʿnh, “to suffer”; yrh, “to teach”; cf. Lam. 3:25–39 for the idea that God instructs people through divinely-imposed suffering). Has the choice of mōreh in 2 Kgs. 14:26 perhaps been dictated by a desire to suggest that Israel has benefited from its experience? 14:27 The LORD had not said . . . : To blot out the name of Israel from under heaven would be to destroy it utterly (Deut. 9:14), making forgiveness and restoration impossible (Deut. 29:20). This is something ...

4136. Zechariah King of Israel

2 Kings 15:8-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... into “the land” Pul (another name for the Tiglath-Pileser of v. 29) has come. Comparison with 15:29 might suggest that it is only the reclaimed territories to the north of Israel proper that the first part of verse 19 has in view. Menahem nevertheless desires to have Pul as a friend rather than an enemy, particularly in view of the apparently unstable internal situation in Israel (he needed to strengthen his own hold on the kingdom, v. 19). He pays, therefore, to turn an enemy into a friend, just as Asa ...

4137. The Book of Law Found

2 Kings 22:1-20

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... :18–20). It is not a book that he would want to have in the temple. Nor would the priests have wished to provoke him by leaving it there. Whether Hilkiah really found it, of course, or whether his choice of words is dictated by a desire to remain distanced from it until he discovers how Manasseh’s grandson will react, must remain open to question. The circumstances in which it “comes to light” are entirely veiled in mystery. 22:14–20 The prophet chosen by Josiah’s officials for consultation was ...

4138. Jehoahaz King of Judah

2 Kings 23:31-35

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... fighting men: It is interesting to find the figure seven thousand occurring yet again, since that is the number of “the remnant” in 1 Kgs. 19:18 (cf. also the additional note to 1 Kgs. 20:15). One wonders whether its appearance has to do with a desire on the part of the authors to tell us (2 Kgs. 24:14 notwithstanding) that those days when Israel had a significant remnant are past. “Ten thousand” (24:14) is the number of soldiers left to Jehoahaz in the desperate days described in 13:1–7; there ...

4139. A Rebellious Nation

Isaiah 1:1-31

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... ’s hearers. Here they are being turned against them. Get relief and avenge myself sound very like each other in Hebrew and combine subjective feelings and objective justice. Yahweh will now get the relief of giving expression to a strongly-felt inner desire to express anger. “Avenge myself” adds the notion of fair punishment; it is a less emotional expression than the English one. I will turn my hand against you adds the idea of direct, careful, personal involvement. The hand that was designed to ...

4140. The Song of the Vineyard

Isaiah 5:1-7

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... (tse’aqah; see 1:21 on the pairing of justice and righteousness). The proximity of the words and the similarity of sounds belie the distance between what they refer to and the distance between hope and reality. The men who identified with the man’s desire for vengeance have signed the warrant for vengeance on themselves, like David in his judgment in 2 Samuel 12 (Oswalt, Isaiah 1–39, p. 151). The technique is one Jesus takes up in his parables, as is the vineyard theme. Jesus’ parables will also ...

4141. Hezekiah's Prayer

Isaiah 37:14-20

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... greater length. And we hear of what happens in fulfillment of his word. 37:14–20 In a response parallel to that in verses 1–4, Hezekiah again models how to cope with a crisis. Chapters 28–32 have implied that Hezekiah left a lot to be desired as king, but at least he knows what to do with a threatening message. He understands that prayer involves bringing things to Yahweh’s attention. Arguably this is not merely the beginning of prayer, but the essence of prayer. Showing Yahweh the letter is an act ...

4142. Israel's Sin and the Servant's Obedience

Isaiah 50:1-11

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... “coming” to them (v. 2a) is the evidence that mother has not been finally abandoned and that Yahweh wants to re-establish the family relationship. The question is not whether Yahweh has finally abandoned them but why they are so unresponsive to that desire for reconciliation. Yahweh has the will and the power to take the action that is necessary to restore Ms Zion (vv. 2b–3). 50:4–6 So, morning by morning, Yahweh wakens. Verses 4–9 do not explicitly identify “Yahweh’s servant” as the ...

4143. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... having been made null and void by Israel’s unfaithfulness, a new covenant will be established in the future. That covenant will not depend upon the weak wills of the people, but instead God will guarantee it through a transformation of Israel into a people who will desire to do God’s will: “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts” (Jer. 31:33). One might read these passages in Ezekiel and Jeremiah as a rejection of human freedom. To ensure that God’s will is done, God must ...

4144. An Unholy History

Ezekiel 20:1-29, Ezekiel 20:30-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... a message of deliverance and restoration. However, as we have seen before in Ezekiel (compare 6:8–10; 11:17–21; and esp. 16:59–63), it is a curious sort of salvation. God will accomplish Israel’s deliverance in spite of Israel, despite its desire to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone (v. 32). Further, the restoration of Israel will result not in rejoicing, but in shame (v. 43). In a brief summary of the Unheilsgeschichte (vv. 27–29), Ezekiel declares ...

4145. Two Adulterous Sisters

Ezekiel 23:1-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... 869 B.C.), Samaria had become the capital of the north, just as Jerusalem continued to be the capital of the south (1 Kgs. 16:24). Samaria and Jerusalem alike, then, are daughters of the one mother Israel. Their division was not God’s desire or intention (see 37:15–23). The sisters’ symbolic names speak to their roles, even before verse 4 explicitly identifies them. Oholibah means “my tent is in her,” recalling the tent shrine which was, in priestly tradition, the place of God’s presence during ...

4146. Jerusalem’s Siege, in Parable and Sign

Ezekiel 24:1-14, Ezekiel 24:15-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... ’s reply is grim and to the point: “I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection” (v. 21). This may be a surprise: why should the temple be the delight and desire of Ezekiel’s audience, rather than the city or its king—or, for that matter, rather than the sons and daughters they had left behind, who were also doomed to destruction (v. 21)? However, to the people of Jerusalem, the temple had become more than a ...

4147. Tyre, Sidon—and Israel

Ezekiel 26:1-21, Ezekiel 27:1-36, Ezekiel 28:1-19, Ezekiel 28:20-26

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... to mind the wealth associated with the rivers of Eden in Genesis 2:10–14. There is also a parallel here with the account of the fall in Genesis 3, where God expels the first human from the garden due to pride and the desire for forbidden wisdom (v. 17); also, both stories feature a guardian cherub (vv. 14, 16; compare Gen. 3:24). However, the interpretation of the cherub introduces another difficulty that this passage poses. The MT reads ʾatt-kerub (“you were a cherub”), identifying the protagonist ...

4148. Egypt

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

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... the best reading of the Hebrew is more troubling still: “I strike my terror” (compare Block, Ezekiel 25–48, p. 230, and the NJPS)—that is, it is God, not Pharaoh, who wields terror in the world! Odell writes, “While modern readers might desire a condemnation of terrorism on moral grounds, the phrase is used in a neutral sense to indicate the exercise of sovereignty” (Odell, Ezekiel, p. 405). The descent of Egypt together with the other powers into the underworld reveals the shabbiness of their ...

4149. Ezekiel a Watchman

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

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... foolish builders in Matt. 7:24–27; see also Jas. 1:22). But the power of God’s word through Ezekiel cannot be ignored: “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them” (v. 33). God’s desire for justice is neither set aside nor satisfied by Jerusalem’s fall. The greed of Ezekiel’s community is no less reprehensible than the greed of those in the land. For Ezekiel, the coming of the Lord’s Day will be a vindication: “then they will know ...

4150. Prologue to the Law of the Temple: The Lord Comes Home

Ezekiel 40:1--43:12

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... concerned with regulating access to the Lord, through right priesthood and right liturgy. Greenberg has aptly termed this material “enterings and exitings” (“Design and Themes,” pp. 189–90). However, even apart from that legislation, this vision demonstrates at once a desire to come into the Lord’s presence and the need to guard the sanctity of the Lord from pollution. Priestly concerns, not surprisingly, shape Ezekiel’s vision. 40:38–47 Now the angel directs Ezekiel’s attention to some of ...

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