Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4826 to 4850 of 4963 results

4826. The Burning of a Scroll

Jeremiah 36:1-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... three times: at the temple to the people, in the secretaries’ room to the scribes, and at the royal winter apartment to the king and his officials (36:8–26). The reverence with which the scribes treat the message shows that some spiritual sensitivity remains in Judah (36:11–18). It also indicates the credibility of Jeremiah. The officials, however, show contempt. The hiding of Jeremiah and Baruch is well advised in view of 26:20–23. To tear their clothes (36:24) would be a sign of self-humiliation ...

4827. The Fall of Jerusalem

Jeremiah 39:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... :4–16). Babylonian officials are named, as are Judah’s officials (38:1). The king’s fate accords with Jeremiah’s announcements. The city is burned, as Jeremiah so often predicted, and its citizenry is exiled, also as foretold. The poorer class remains. Jewish defectors or his own intelligence sources inform Nebuchadnezzar about Jeremiah. Gedaliah will shortly be appointed governor (40:7). For his deed of kindness to Jeremiah, Ebed-Melek escapes with his life. The Lord honors those who trust in him.

4828. An Angry God and an Awful Tragedy

Lamentations 2:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... raised shouts of praise to God. God directs the destruction of the city’s fortifications. Finally, the leadership stratum—king, lawgiver, prophet—is annihilated. Tragedy occurs where there is no word from the Lord. 2:10–17 · Widespread ruin:The remaining verses of the poem (2:10–22) depict the human reaction to God’s destructive wrath, adding further details about the ruin. Dust and sackcloth were cultural expressions of grief, as was bowing to the ground, which denoted mourning and repentance ...

4829. Lost and Saved

Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of chapter 11 is different than the Jaazaniah of chapter 8, for they have different fathers. This group of men is not only lost but leading others astray with ill-conceived counsel (11:2). The misleading counsel the group is giving is that the ones who remained in Jerusalem after the deportation of 598/7 BC are the favored ones. Jerusalem is the cooking pot and they are the choice morsels. In verse 15 these people make a similarly false claim: “This land was given to us as our possession.” Both of these ...

4830. A Lament for Pharaoh

Ezekiel 32:1-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 2 describe the Pharaoh. He is compared to a lion and to a sea monster. God himself throws his net over the beast, rendering him immobile. Then he hurls him on the land and leaves him as food for the birds and animals. The blood and the remains of the carcass are so great that they fill the land. This is not just hyperbole, but a way of indicating the international stature and esteem of the fallen Pharaoh. The demise of the Pharaoh is such that it sends shock waves into creation and the surrounding nations ...

4831. Daniel’s Interpretation and Nebuchadnezzar’s Response

Daniel 2:24-49

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... rock (2:34). This rock struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, smashing them, and made it appear as if the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were little more than “chaff on a threshing floor” (2:35). Nothing remained of the statue. The rock became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. Through the dream of the colossal statue consisting of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and feet of iron mingled with clay, the Lord reveals how one empire will succeed another empire: Babylonia ...

4832. The Lions’ Den

Daniel 6:1-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... for wounds or scratches; he discovers that the lions have been kept from devouring this servant of God. He has the schemers and their families thrown into the lions’ den, and they are quickly destroyed. Further, the king decrees public recognition of Daniel’s God as the God whose kingdom remains forever and whose power manifests itself in deliverance.

4833. The Lord’s Call for Judah’s Repentance

Joel 2:12-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... version of the formula in Exodus 34:6–7 describing divine attributes (originally recited by the Lord to Moses, who desired to see the presence of God). The formula reveals the inherent character of God, who forgives covenant misconduct and remains faithful to his commitments to Israel. The Lord not only demonstrates forbearance and patience in light of his people’s continual transgression but also demonstrates his covenant love (Hebrew hesed) in his willingness to abide by the covenant despite Israel ...

4834. Vision and Exhortation about the End

Amos 8:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... under the surface, and things on the surface will be destroyed, causing people to mourn and fear for their lives (cf. Isa. 24:1–6, 19–21). God’s judgment will turn the present optimistic songs of joy in Israel into words of mourning. The few remaining people will lament in sackcloth and ashes. The severity of their bitter agony is expressed by comparing their mourning to the wailing of a family that has lost its only son (8:10). The final paragraph (8:11–14) indicates that during this period of ...

4835. The Lord Protects and Rescues Jonah

Jonah 2:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:17–2:1 · The Lord’s provision of the fish:The Lord provides (literally “appoints”) a “huge fish” or sea creature to swallow Jonah, in which Jonah remains alive for three days and nights (1:17). In the New Testament, Matthew (12:39–40) draws an analogy between the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the imprisonment of Jonah. Matthew identifies Jonah’s salvation by a providentially provided creature as a miraculous sign that typifies God’s ...

4836. Judah’s Idolatry

Zephaniah 1:4-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and private forms of worship, double-mindedness, or apathy toward Yahweh. In Zephaniah’s day idolatry was practiced even in the temple (“this place,” 1:4). God’s judgment is on the foreign cults that had flourished during the days of Manasseh. Baalism remained even after Hezekiah’s reforms (2 Chron. 33:3). The prediction that Baalism together with all other forms of idolatry would be destroyed was to some extent fulfilled during the reforms of Josiah (2 Kings 22:3–23:25; 2 Chron. 33:1–20 ...

4837. Moab and Ammon

Zephaniah 2:8-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... preservation and their offensive relations with Judah are the subject of the prophetic oracle of judgment. Yahweh has “heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites” (2:8). Even when God’s people fall short of what he expects, he remains loyal to his covenant. The taunting, laughing, reviling, threats, and insults directed against his children affect Yahweh as a Father. The oracle against Moab and Ammon assures the remnant of God’s care. The oracle becomes a source of hope and comfort to ...

4838. Third Vision - Exiles to Leave Babylon for Jerusalem

Zechariah 2:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Babylon, indicates that these Old Testament admonitions point forward particularly to the latter days. There is a threefold message implicit in these words in the light of the context: (1) It is Israel’s privilege to leave Babylon. They do not have to remain. Therefore, they should return and participate in that which God is doing in Jerusalem. (2) They are no longer to be identified with Babylon and its ways but with God and Jerusalem. (3) Babylon is doomed to terrible destruction (2:8–9; see ...

4839. The First Coming and Rejection

Zechariah 9:1-8, Zechariah 9:9-13, Zechariah 9:14-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , when once again Jerusalem stands in contrast to other cities. It is clear that Jerusalem will later suffer defeat—Zechariah knows this (14:1–3). But when the final battle is over, when the smoke has cleared and city after city lies in ruins, Jerusalem will remain and will never again be overrun by an oppressor. No longer can Jerusalem say that God has forsaken her. Rather, his eyes are on her, to protect and provide for her. The word “now” signals a change to come through the advent of the Messiah ...

4840. Cleansing from Sin

Zechariah 13:1-6, Zechariah 13:7-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... term “little ones” emphasizes their helpless condition. A great catastrophe is to come on Israel. The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was but a foretaste of the tribulation to come. God will refine and purify as silver and gold the third of the flock that remains. As terrible as the coming tribulation will be, its purpose is to cleanse and prepare Israel to receive her Messiah. This is not punitive judgment but rather a means of drawing Israel back to God. As a result they will call on God’s name in ...

4841. The Lord Comes and Reigns

Zechariah 14:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... verse 4, the land around Jerusalem will become like the Arabah, the broad depression of the Jordan Valley, while Jerusalem will be raised up as a large mesa dominating the whole area. It will be inhabited, never to be destroyed again. It will be secure and remain so. The manner in which the Lord deals with the attackers is briefly described (14:12–15). The Hebrew word for “plague” means literally “a striking [by God]” and is used in Exodus 9:14 to describe the way God strikes Egypt. The method God ...

4842. God’s Love for His People

Malachi 1:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the day of the Lord? It is in this context that we must understand God’s response to Judah. He declares that he will so execrate and destroy evil that not a trace will be left. During the time of the postexilic restoration, the Jews remained subject to a foreign nation, the Persians. In the coming centuries they would be subject to the Greeks, the Ptolemies, the Seleucids, and the Romans. The Lord here affirms that he will judge all nations that oppress his people, thus purging all wickedness from his ...

4843. The Honor of God

Malachi 1:6-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the great king. These three grounds for honoring Yahweh (as Father, master, and king) provide the structure of the second disputation. Malachi’s argument focuses on the priests’ utter disregard for the God of Israel. They of all people should be expected to remain faithful. The job of the priests as cultic functionaries was to please God by presenting offerings and sacrifices and in teaching the law of God. They may not have been aware of their attitudes and hidden motives. This section is a warning for ...

4844. The Tithe

Malachi 3:6-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... section to the third disputation (3:10–16). In both sections, God is expecting a renewal of fidelity: in marriage (2:10–16) and in worship (3:7–12). The former is representative of our love for others and the latter of our love for God. God remains faithful to his promise that he will return to those who seek him with all their heart. Israel’s history is the story of a lack of responsiveness to God and his commandments. Even after the exile they were slow to respond. They were satisfied with their ...

4845. Jesus’s Birth

Matthew 1:18-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Joseph does indeed name Jesus as instructed (1:25). The importance of this act becomes clear in light of ancient Jewish adoptive practices. For legal adoption to occur, all that Joseph needed to do was acknowledge Jesus as his own, which Joseph does by remaining with Mary and naming the child (Davies and Allison, 1:220). Joseph adopts Jesus into his family and so into his lineage (1:1–17). Matthew reemphasizes the importance of naming, since he also names Jesus. The author’s first of many “fulfillment ...

4846. Jesus and Beelzebub

Matthew 12:22-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of final judgment (cf. 16:27). Jewish theology was quite able to hold together the notion of God’s gracious salvation and a final accounting based on works (and words), since God’s salvation preceded and provided the basis for God’s covenant with Israel and Israel was called to remain faithful to that covenant to the end.

4847. Whose Son is the Christ

Matthew 22:41-46

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

While the Pharisees remain assembled, Jesus turns the tables to ask his own question (22:41–46), which silences the entire Jewish leadership after their litany of questions (21:23–27; 22:15–40). His query answers their questions of his authority by addressing the issue of his messianic identity. When he asks them ...

4848. Jesus’s Crucifixion, Death, and Burial

Matthew 27:27-31, Matthew 27:32-44, Matthew 27:45-56, Matthew 27:57-61, Matthew 27:62-66

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... as affirming Jesus as God’s Messiah and Israel’s representative, as well as the favored Son in intimate relationship with the Father (see “Theological Themes” in the introduction). Matthew concludes the crucifixion scene by portraying the many Galilean women who remain with Jesus, even as his twelve disciples have deserted him (27:55–56; cf. 26:56, 75). Some women continue attending Jesus after his death, holding vigil at the tomb (27:61; 28:1). The reader of Matthew’s passion narrative ...

4849. Jesus and Beelzebub

Mark 3:20-30, Mark 3:31-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... brothers stand outside seeking him (3:32); that is, they intend to assert a claim on him. Ironically, those who would be expected to be on the inside (his own family and the Jewish religious establishment represented in the scribes) misjudge Jesus and remain outsiders. For Mark, there are only two positions in relation to Jesus: those who stand on the outside with false assumptions, or those unnamed and unexpected disciples “seated in a circle around [Jesus] . . . [who do] God’s will” (3:34–35), who ...

4850. A Prophet without Honor

Mark 6:1-6

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... custom, Jesus’s sisters are unnamed and unnumbered probably because they have married into other family units. Of Jesus’s four named brothers, only James and Jude are mentioned again in the New Testament. Catholic and Orthodox traditions teach that Mary remained “ever virgin” and that Jesus’s siblings were half brothers and sisters. The plain sense of verse 3, and of the New Testament in general, however, is that Jesus was the eldest sibling of five brothers and at least two sisters. Surprisingly ...

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