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 4276 to 4300 of 4770 results

4276. Do Not Worry

Luke 12:22-34

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... is fruitless according to v. 25. What did the Rich Fool gain by his extra labors designed to prolong his life of ease? All of the stored food in the world would not add an extra day to his life (see note below). Verses 29–31 summarize the teaching. In view of these truths, Jesus is saying there is no need to worry about what you will eat or drink, things that are of great concern to those who know no better (like the pagan world). The disciples are to know that God their Father knows that they need them ...

4277. The Narrow Door

Luke 13:22-30

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... . Gundry (p. 145) thinks that Matthew has omitted the phrase. However, because of Luke’s interest in the OT prophets (see Luke 6:23, 26; 13:31–35), who provide a major witness to Jesus as the Messiah (Luke 24:25, 27, 44), I am more inclined to view the phrase as a Lucan addition. 13:29 People will come from east and west and north and south: The expression is borrowed from Ps. 107:2–3, where the Lord gathers the “redeemed” from the east, west, north, and south. and will take their places at the ...

4278. The Parable of the Lost Son

Luke 15:11-32

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... degradation. He ends up working for a Gentile (as implied by the reference to the “distant country”) for whom he feeds the pigs. Not only does he feed swine, he even eats the very pods that the pigs were eating. From a Jewish point of view his disgrace and degradation have reached their lowest level. (Fitzmyer [p. 1088] cites b. Baba Qamma 82b: “Cursed be the man who raises pigs.”) Eventually he came to his senses. As the context suggests, the younger son has finally come to a true understanding of ...

4279. Ten Healed of Leprosy

Luke 17:11-19

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... prayers (loud ones, to be sure). Master: See note on 5:5 above. have pity on us: Is it a request for charity or for healing? From the perspective of the lepers, it is not easy to say (perhaps they hoped for both). But from the point of view of the narrative a miracle is clearly anticipated. Hence, Jesus commands them to go and show themselves to priests in order to confirm their healing. 17:15 Fitzmyer (p. 1155) suggests that the statement, one of them, when he saw that he was healed, should be understood ...

4280. Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

Luke 19:1-10

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... by sin, but because of his occupation. While passing through Jericho, Jesus encounters a chief tax collector (see note below) named Zacchaeus, a man who was wealthy. His desire to see Jesus was such he climbed a nearby sycamore-fig tree (which surely would have been viewed as undignified for a man of means). To the astonishment of all, Jesus picked Zacchaeus out of the crowd as his host for the day. In response to this selection all the people begin to mutter, for in their eyes Jesus has chosen to be the ...

4281. The Last Supper

Luke 22:7-38

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... be replaced; Acts 1:12–26). Whereas Jesus will sit upon the throne of his father David (recall 1:32), his apostles will serve as his vice-regents, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Fitzmyer (p. 1419) suggests that Ps. 122:4–5 may be in view. Gundry (p. 393) suggests that the saying may in part be inspired by Daniel 7. Marshall (p. 818) cites both. Since both OT passages in fact do appear together in Jewish exegesis and in the context of discussion concerned with the “great ones of Israel” and ...

4282. Personal Requests

1 Corinthians 16:5-18

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... a series of admonitions, focusing on the life of the Corinthian congregation as a whole and in relation to particular outstanding figures in the church. In these fairly straightforward statements Paul still registers perceptions and commentary from a theological point of view that gives a deeper significance to the remarks than might at first meet the eye of a reader. 16:13–14 These two verses are a bit of stock paranesis, or plain, direct, and often conventional advice concerning practical issues. Paul ...

4283. To the Church in Thyatira

Revelation 2:18-29

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... the Son of God title (cf. Ps. 2:7; but used only here in Revelation) to draw together the first and last parts (2:27) of the message to this congregation. In doing so, John focuses the reader’s attention on Psalm 2 (esp. v. 8), which NT writers viewed as fulfilled by the divine Messiah Jesus (cf. Mark 1:11; 9:7; Heb. 1:2, 5; 5:5), as the biblical text that interprets the crisis recounted in this message. The Messiah’s exalted status as Son of God confirms him as having received authority from my Father ...

4284. The Two Witnesses

Revelation 11:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... of all the earth” (Zech. 4:14). In the wider context of the prophet’s oracle, Zechariah commends Zerubbabel’s work in completing the temple (Zech. 4:9) and Joshua’s ministry in purifying God’s people (Zech. 3:9). They are both viewed as effective mediators of God’s covenant with Israel. John looks to this wider context of Zechariah’s prophecy to justify his conviction that in some sense the two witnesses represent the renewal and restoration of God’s relationship with God’s people. This ...

4285. The Harvest of the Earth

Revelation 14:14-20

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... the timing of salvation’s history belongs only to God (cf. Acts 1:7). We are not told about the people who are ready for harvesting. On the one hand, the image of a sickle commends the interpretation that John has God’s judgment of unbelievers in view; on the other hand, the image of the harvest is used by Jesus of gathering believers into God’s kingdom (cf. John 4:35–38). Both in the OT and in rabbinical teaching, however, the harvest also refers to the gathering of unbelievers for judgment. We ...

4286. The River of Life

Revelation 22:1-6

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... themselves from God, not vice versa as in Cain’s case (cf. Gen. 3:8–10 with 4:10–14); see F. A. Spina, “The Ground(s) (’adamah) of Cain’s Rejection: Gen. 4 in the Context of the Primeval History,” forthcoming in ZAW. In our view, John is here alluding to the old story of Cain’s curse rather than to the Moses tradition (cf. Exod. 33:20–23; Mounce, Revelation, pp. 387–88; Boring, Revelation, p. 216), a christological tradition (cf. Matt. 5:8; Beasley-Murray, Revelation, pp. 332–33), or ...

4287. Restitution for Wrongs

Numbers 5:5-10

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... sense of the phrase is uncertain (Davies, Numbers, pp. 54–56). That the woman’s fertility is at stake is clear in v. 28. 5:31 My exposition of vv. 11–31 operates on the assumption that one can read the section as a coherent whole. Not everyone shares that view (Davies, Numbers, pp. 48–51). The text is rather awkward to read and may have developed over time. Still, a coherent reading is quite plausible in its context in Numbers.

4288. The Test for an Unfaithful Wife

Numbers 5:11-31

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

4289. The People Rebel

Numbers 14:1-45

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... the land (13:32) then suffer the consequences of their faithlessness and die by way of a plague before the LORD. Only Joshua and Caleb survive. These deaths prefigure what is yet to come. The community mourns, and the people then abruptly change their view. The people now repent and decide to enter the land (v. 40), confirming that they have not understood what has happened. God has already decreed that the current generation will not enter the land. Moses quickly says, Why are you disobeying the LORD’s ...

4290. Offerings for Unintentional Sins

Numbers 15:22-31

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... 11–14 on the one hand and to chapter 16 on the other. Also, in contrast to a number of other commentators, he understands chapter 15 to exhibit an internal coherence (Numbers, pp. 90–101). What follows will in general support Olson’s view. The chapter is clearly from the hands of the Priestly tradents. It provides a temporary halt to the intensifying sequence of narratives of rebellion and brings attention back to God’s instruction of the people. The chapter contains several sections connected by ...

4291. The Journey to Moab

Numbers 21:10-20

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... , nobles, and scepters and staffs could recall the supervision of the digging or the official opening of the well. The movement of the camp continues until the Israelites reach Pisgah. The people are now well into Moabite territory; Pisgah is a high point providing a view of Canaan and the desert area around the Dead Sea. Additional Notes 21:11–12 Oboth and Iye Abarim are of uncertain location. The Zered is a southern tributary of the Dead Sea. 21:19–20 The locations of the place names here are not ...

4292. Balaam's Final Oracle

Numbers 24:20-25

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... meets privately. At the end of chapter 24, God is the Lord of all human history. Balaam, who in the beginning is unable to see what his donkey sees, comes to see God’s blessing for Israel, defeat for Moab, and God’s future, all as he views the people Israel. The imagery Balaam uses for Israel also grows with the blessing of fruitfulness and the victories of a lion. Israel will enter the promised land and become a victorious power over the region. This narrative shows how the nations have begun to fear ...

4293. Joshua to Succeed Moses

Numbers 27:12-23

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... Zelophehad had no such brother, or his wife was dead, and so Levirate marriage was not an option. The customs of Jubilee and redemption (Lev. 25) also are intended to bring property back to its original tribe and family. Behind all these practices is the view that the land finally belongs to God. A further question about the case of the daughters arises in the last chapter of Numbers: If the daughters marry outside the tribe, does the property go to the new tribe? There, as here, the decision affirms the ...

4294. Dividing the Spoils

Numbers 31:25-54

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... removed from the human realm to the divine realm by destruction and in this way is given to God. It is not for human use. These brief comments have not resolved the difficult issues of “holy war”; but we can still learn much from these texts. Simplistic views that use these texts to call upon people to kill, or that dismiss the texts, are to be resisted. Much more fruitful is a genuine struggle with God’s word and the difficult questions it raises. Additional Notes 31:2 The root word for the name of ...

4295. Israel Without Weapons

1 Samuel 13:16-22

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... not a priest. God remained the true king, and absolute obedience to him was essential for any lasting kingdom in Israel. So far, apart from the brief reference to Saul’s family in 9:20, there has been no indication that a dynasty was ever in view. It is possible, even probable, that Saul had pondered such a prospect. But Samuel’s raising the possibility and then taking it away must have disturbed the king, who still had a job to do. The prospect of an appointed though unknown successor would have only ...

4296. Saul's Family

1 Samuel 14:49-52

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... his death. Their will prevails, Jonathan is spared, and there is no immediate effect from all this foolish swearing. This section recalls both Jephthah’s foolish oath and the common-sense attitude of Manoah’s wife when she contradicted her husband’s view that their having seen the angel was bound to lead to death (Judg. 11; 13). Whether or not the authors intended that reminder, this passage challenges readers to consider whether cursing or oath taking are appropriate ways to discover God’s plans ...

4297. David In Saul's Service

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... portrayal of Saul’s reign as being a pause before the genuine new age arose in Israel with David’s enthronement. The writers convey the impression that Saul’s reign could have been the new beginning. But because Saul failed, at least in the view of the Deuteronomic historian, to grasp that kingship in a theocracy meant complete obedience to God, his reign became an intermission. It is interesting to note that Samuel is presented as the primary decision maker in the appointments of both Saul and David ...

4298. Saul's Jealousy of David

1 Samuel 18:1-30

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... during a visit from an evil spirit from God, apparently a reference to the fits of depression that David had earlier been able to alleviate with music (cf. 16:14–23). While Saul’s ecstatic behavior when he joined the prophetic band (10:10) is viewed positively, a sign that God’s spirit was with him, here it is seen negatively, as part of his condition and related to his lack of fellowship with God. However, although there may be a hint that Saul was not thinking logically, the text nevertheless ...

4299. David at Gath

1 Samuel 21:10-15

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... holding his spear because it gave him confidence in his own status and reminded those around him that he was to be taken seriously. 22:22 The fact that David had recognized Doeg at the shrine could be seen as evidence that Doeg was a known troublemaker and supports the view of his detention as some kind of punishment.

4300. David at Adullam and Mizpah

1 Samuel 22:1-5

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

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