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 4251 to 4275 of 4971 results

4251. Jesus at a Pharisee's House

Luke 14:1-14

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... the Sanhedrin (see 22:66), then the story’s setting would have to be close to Jerusalem where the Sanhedrin convened and where (or nearby) its members lived. The direction the story will take is hinted at in the last part of v. 1: he was being carefully watched. Jesus was being observed closely to see if he would do anything unlawful, such as heal someone on the Sabbath. In view of this it has been suggested that the man suffering from dropsy (see note below) was a “plant,” a person asked to the house ...

4252. The Triumphal Entry

Luke 19:28-44

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... the idea that what has arrived is not the “kingdom,” but the “king.” Saying that the kingdom is coming could leave the impression that the kingdom of God should have been inaugurated with Jesus’ arrival at Jerusalem (or shortly thereafter). This idea Luke is careful to avoid. This may explain why Luke omits mention of the palm branches (see Mark 11:8), which signify political ideas (see 2 Macc. 10:7; Talbert, p. 179). As the man of noble birth in the parable above (19:11–27), Jesus arrives in ...

4253. God's Sovereign Choice

Romans 9:1-29

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... . What role, if any, Ishmael, for example, played in God’s broader economy we do not know, although we are told that God blessed and cared for him (Gen. 16:10–14; 17:20; 21:13–21). The salvific line as the line of promise, however, remained with Isaac. 9:10 ... If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?’ ” A careful reading of verses 19ff. erects a roadblock, or perhaps a detour, to an understanding of the prevailing thought here as a ...

4254. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... . 11:23–29. There too the apostle lists his tribulations in an attempt to confront the Corinthians for their behavior in relation to him. Lists of tribulation are found in Greco-Roman writings and function there in a variety of ways. For a careful study of Paul’s remarks in the larger context of Greco-Roman literature, see J. T. Fitzgerald, Cracks in an Earthen Vessel: An Examination of the Catalogues of Hardships in the Corinthian Correspondence (SBLDS 99; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988). The matter of ...

4255. Expel the Immoral Brother!

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... Notes Points of continuity between chs. 4 and 5 were noted in my introduction to ch. 5. Nevertheless, not all interpreters see the points of connection. M. C. De Boer (“The Composition of 1 Corinthians,” NTS 40 [1994], pp. 229–45) makes a careful study of the relationship of chs. 1–4 to chs. 5–16 and concludes that there were two phases to the composition of the letter, so that effectively 1 Corinthians is a combination of two practically independent letters. Most important, De Boer argues that ...

4256. Sexual Immorality

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... were bought and sold, and in the purchase they came under the absolute authority of the one who paid the price for them. Paul’s statement can be literally rendered, “You were bought for cash!” He does not state, and he may not care, to whom the purchase price was paid; his concern is to underscore the initiative and the rightful authority of God in the relationship between the believers and God. Therefore, Paul utters his final words of instruction, Therefore honor God with your body. The address ...

4257. Food Sacrificed to Idols

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... the assertion that idols are nothing in the world, it may be that his own thinking and teaching are not being presented in the statements recorded in verse 4. 8:5 Paul starts to analyze and even to dissect the Corinthians’ position. He does so carefully, taking phrases and offering his own commentary on them. First, he makes a general and uncommitted observation (For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth) that recognizes that people speak of and revere what they consider to be ...

4258. The Believer's Freedom

1 Corinthians 10:23--11:1

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... 30 in objecting to the directions he had offered, now Paul takes a genuinely personal angle on his instructions. Paul’s carefully crafted declaration tells the Corinthians that he lives according to the advice he is giving—he always puts others before himself ... . 14:16. M. E. Thrall (“The Pauline Use of Synedēsis,” NTS 14 [1967], pp. 118–25) makes careful observations concerning how Paul’s understanding of conscience fit and modified typical Hellenistic patterns of thinking; she demonstrates how ...

4259. To the Church in Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... what the Spirit says to the churches. John employs an OT (LXX) idiom for faithfulness, He who has an ear, let him hear, echoing the demand of the Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4), which also means to “be careful to obey so that it may go well with you” (Deut. 6:3; cf. James 1:22–25). Indeed, this is said to be the measure of the community’s “first love” (cf. Deut. 6:5). Likewise, to overcome the drift from its theological fundamental that God is love ...

4260. The Rider on the White Horse

Revelation 19:11-21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... is apparent even before it is waged. The reader knows the rider’s identity by looking into his eyes which are like blazing fire. He is the coming Son of Man (cf. 1:13–14; 2:18; Matt. 24:26–31, par.), whose justice derives from his vigilant care of his people (cf. Caird, Revelation, p. 241) and from his ability to penetrate the pretense and deceptions of the Evil One (cf. 19:20; 20:8; cf. Beasley-Murray, Revelation, p. 279). Further, he has the status as God’s anointed Messiah and appointed Lord over ...

4261. The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons

Leviticus 8:1-36

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... and are prepared to take up their priestly role. The placing of the wave offering in the hands of the priests indicates that they are now fit for their task. The chapter concludes with notice that Moses and the Aaronic priests have taken great care with this rite, in obedience to divine command. This conclusion emphasizes the holiness of the priests and the tabernacle precincts, as well as the danger its inappropriate use will cause. The seven days reflect the notion of completeness, and the length of the ...

4262. Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord

Leviticus 24:1-9

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... Moses to instruct the people. These verses then specify the oil to be used in the lamps in the sanctuary and the care to be taken with them. Apparently some kind of lighting in sanctuaries was a quite ancient practice. While providing visibility in dark ... , as there are twelve tribes in Israel. Each loaf is to be made with two-tenths of an ephah. As with everything else in the holy precincts, care is to be taken in the arrangement of the bread. It is to be placed on a table of pure gold in two rows of six each ...

4263. Offerings at the Dedication of the Tabernacle

Numbers 7:1-89

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... of the tabernacle on the first day of the first month; Numbers 1:1 is set on the first day of the second month. We now move back a month in time. The effect of this lengthy flashback is to slow the reader down in order to consider carefully the meticulous preparations made in the tabernacle and in worship life. The divine presence at the center of the camp becomes the focus of attention. 7:1–3 These verses recount the gifts given by tribal leaders at the dedication of the tabernacle. The leaders are those ...

4264. Exploring Canaan

Numbers 13:1-25

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... analysis of this narrative are clear, and such investigations can help describe the development of the text. The attempt to identify two different stories, however, tends to atomize the text and give the modern reader little help in understanding the whole narrative. We will carefully plot the moves of the story at hand. 13:1 Deut. 1 also recounts this expedition. Josh. 2; 7 and Judg. 18 also contain spy stories. Num. 13–14 is typical of these accounts; see Davies, Numbers, p. 131. 13:17 Negev comes from ...

4265. Vengeance on the Midianites

Numbers 31:1-24

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... go to the Levites. So the clergy is supported, but so is the broader community. Moses and Eleazar carry out these instructions and verses 32–35 list the inventory: 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys and 32,000 women. The carefully described distribution of these resources prefigures the distribution of land to come. The instructions for purification and for distribution of the booty reveal the limits on the war conducted here. The soldiers have been rendered unclean and must be cleansed (vv. 19 ...

4266. The Transjordan Tribes

Numbers 32:1-42

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... their pledge. If the tribes fail to complete their commitment, your sin will find you out. Their sin will redound on their own heads. The tribes accept the agreement (vv. 25–27). All parties take great care to repeat the elements of the agreement as the procedure moves forward. The two tribes are careful to articulate their obligation: But your servants, every man armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the LORD, just as our lord says. The speakers defer to Moses in royal language. Moses will ...

4267. Sheba Rebels Against David

2 Samuel 20:1-26

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... protection or to prevent them forming any relationship with another man that might have been seen as a further insult to David. Any public appearance would be likely to bring to mind David’s vulnerability, and therefore they were kept safely locked away. The care taken to describe their position suggests that the writers were aware of what this must have meant for the women. For Absalom his conduct was a political move, an attack on David but not meant as a personal offense against the women. For David ...

4268. Introducing Job

Job 1:1-5

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... . Job’s sons and daughters engage in a continuing round of feasting, to which Job responds with concern and religious care. The word for feasts, mishte, comes from the root shatah, “drink.” Together with the emphasis on the sisters being invited ... same chapter: will a suffering Job curse God to his face as the Satan suggests (1:11; 2:5)? Here Job takes great care to respond with effective sacrificial precautions to even a hint of a possible curse (in their hearts). Verse 5 concludes with the assurance ...

4269. Job's First Test

Job 1:6-22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... to be inciting David to take a census of fighting men (an action for which God punishes Israel later in the chapter). 1:10 Based on the agrarian function of the literal thorny hedge, it is probably no coincidence that the rabbis came to call such careful distancing of oneself from any possibility of error, as Job demonstrates in v. 5, “putting a hedge around the law” (seyag lattorah; see Mishnah Pirke Avot 1:1; 3:14; Bavli Yebamoth 90b = Sanhedrin 46a). 1:15 Because of the great distance between Uz/Edom ...

4270. Bildad

Job 8:1-22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... spreading weed that draws water intended for the garden plants to feed the rapid growth of its tendrils. The description of the plant looking for a place among the stones (lit., “a house of stones”) seems more appropriate for a weed than a carefully tended plant. Also, the fact that it is torn from its spot supports the idea that this is a destructive weed rather than a productive plant. Such an identification makes the parallel between weed and godless even more striking. The weed—whose rapid spread ...

4271. Eliphaz's Second Speech to Job

Job 15:1-35

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... 31 with a warning to the wicked not to be misled into believing their own deceptions now concludes with a last description of the wicked as one whose womb fashions deceit. Elsewhere the picture of the careful formation of a child in the mother’s womb during the long months of gestation emphasizes divine care and protection (e.g., Pss. 22:9–10; 139:13). However, for Job (3:3–12)—and now for Eliphaz—the development of a child can be a tricky episode, with possibly negative results. Here the growth ...

4272. Epilogue

Job 42:7-17

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... : each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. 42:12–13 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. God’s blessing of Job is abundant and free. There is no causal link here other than the gracious care of God for his servant. We have learned that the servants of God may suffer horrendously (as Job has) without giving up their claim to righteousness. Job does not earn this final blessing but receives it freely—and it is freely given. A quick comparison of the numbers ...

4273. Murder

Matthew 5:21-26

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... a brother who has a just claim against you, go immediately and be reconciled. Then you can return and worship God. Settling a grievance with a fellow Christian takes precedence over ritual activity. The Mishnah taught that, unless an offense against a neighbor is taken care of, not even the Day of Atonement will avail (m. Yoma 8.9). Breaches within the fellowship are serious. 5:25–26 Verses 25–26 continue the theme of reconciliation. The scene is of a person being taken to court. It is better to settle ...

4274. Jesus and Beelzebub

Matthew 12:22-37

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... “produce nothing” (ergon, “a deed,” and a, an alpha privitive). A careless word is one that would have been better left unspoken. Offhand remarks serve the purpose of judgment in that they are better indicators of character than carefully designed statements. Plummer notes that carefully spoken words may be a “calculated hypocrisy” (p. 181). Rabbinic tradition held that not only a person’s deeds but also his or her words were recorded in a heavenly record (Str.-B., vol. 1, pp. 639–40). Out ...

4275. The Incomparable God of Condescension and Exaltation

Psalm 113:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... the heavens (vv. 4, 6). In other psalms Yahweh looks down from heaven to examine humanity (11:4; 14:2), but here he does so to care for the helpless in society. 113:7–9 By using terms that echo those in verses 4–6, verses 7–9 show that the qualities inherent ... him aloof from human affairs; on the contrary, it makes him involved. What is also noteworthy is that Yahweh’s care is here extended not to corporate Israel but to individuals, and particularly to society’s helpless and rejected—the poor ...

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