Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4901 to 4925 of 4958 results

4901. David’s Song

2 Samuel 22:1-51

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... was brought “into a spacious place” (22:20) and given freedom from danger and oppression. Grateful for God’s intervention, David reflects on God’s goodness to those who serve him and live righteously (22:21–30). His assertion of innocence does not mean that he is claiming to be sinless but that he is seeking to live in accord with God’s word (22:23). Since David is the king, he has an obligation to set an example for the rest of the nation and lead a godly life. His realization that God brings ...

4902. Accession of a Younger Son

1 Kings 1:1-53

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... about the feasting of Adonijah. While she is concluding her story, as if on cue, Nathan arrives (1:22–27) and asks a set of questions of his own about the succession. Whether or not David ever did swear an oath about Solomon now becomes immaterial: he claims that he did and gives orders that Solomon is to be crowned in his stead (1:28–31). The anointing ceremony (1:32–40) is supervised by the trio of Nathan, Benaiah, and Zadok, with Zadok deploying the horn of oil in the midst of considerable pomp ...

4903. Preparations for Building the Temple

1 Kings 5:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s first explicit mention of the temple, and it is spoken to a foreign king. Solomon asserts that David was unable to build a temple because of besetting wars, and we have to refer back to 2 Samuel 7 to figure out if this is a valid claim. Regardless, Solomon is interested in the cedars of Lebanon and skilled workers. The cedars of Lebanon will shortly become a prophetic metaphor of towering pride (e.g., Isa. 2:13; Zech. 11:1). Hiram’s initial response (5:7–12) is an outburst of praise, surprising in ...

4904. The Temple's Furnishings

1 Kings 7:13-51

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

After the palatial digression, the interior design of the temple becomes the focus (7:13–40). A signal moment is the arrival of Huram, expressly summoned by Solomon. Huram lays claim to an international pedigree: his mother is a “widow” from the northern tribe of Naphtali, while his father was a skilled artisan from Tyre—thus Huram can boast of having both Israelite and Phoenician roots. Huram may have had a hybrid genealogy, but there is no doubting his considerable talents, ...

4905. Israel Rebels Against Reheboam

1 Kings 12:1-33

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a delegation, which lodges its principal complaint: the long hours and harsh working conditions under Solomon are making it difficult to happily dwell under fig and vine. The advice of the elders to Rehoboam indicates that the northerners’ claim is not unreasonable, and the elders’ advocacy of servant leadership—surely not something Solomon ever embodied—reveals their wisdom. That Rehoboam rejects their counsel and secures a second opinion from his cronies (described as “young men,” in contrast ...

4906. Ahab Becomes King of Israel

1 Kings 16:29-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The first of Omri’s descendants is Ahab (16:29–34), whose initial claim to fame is that he exceeds in evil all who precede him—quite an accomplishment, given Jeroboam’s range of heterodoxies. The narrative cannot resist a piece of sarcasm: as though it were trivial to commit such atrocities, Ahab plunges even further by marrying Jezebel, the Sidonian princess. Under the ...

4907. Elijah Flees to Horeb

1 Kings 19:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of Israel’s history. As a spatial setting, the mountain of Horeb was a site of revelation, evoking memories of God’s consuming presence. We are unsure how to understand Elijah’s complaint (“I am the only one left”) in light of Obadiah’s claim of hiding one hundred prophets in caves, but God now proposes to pass by the prophet in the cave at Horeb. Like Moses, Elijah experiences dramatic signs and a thunderous display. In Elijah’s case, however, they are followed by a “sound of sheer silence ...

4908. Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

1 Kings 20:1-43

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... same prophet alerts Ahab that Ben-Hadad will soon attack again. As it turns out, the sequel has its own set of surprises (20:23–34), beginning with a snippet of a theological and strategic debate inside the Aramean camp, as the officials claim that Israel has “gods of the hills” and those drunken kings need to be replaced with some serious soldiers. Even though there is a narrative description of Israel’s army resembling “two small flocks of goats” (20:27) compared to the massive Aramean host ...

4909. Jehu’s Ascendancy

2 Kings 9:1-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is above censure (as he hits the royal target “between the shoulders,” 9:24), but it is Jehu’s remarks after killing Joram that merit attention. Turning to Bidkar, he outlines justification for his actions in light of Elijah’s oracle—one that Jehu claims to have heard. This is not reported in 1 Kings 21, but due to the relative accuracy of the words, Jehu should probably be given the benefit of the doubt. Despite Joram’s warning (he shouts “Treachery!” in 9:23), Ahaziah is also killed ...

4910. Ministers of Baal Killed

2 Kings 10:18-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

If Jehu seemed deceptive in his letters, such inclinations are exponentially increased in the next scene (10:18–27). To be sure, there is no lack of drama in the episode: Jehu’s devious claim to worship Baal with great fervor, his threat that anyone who misses the event will be killed, everyone jammed into the temple literally “mouth to mouth” (10:21; NIV “until it was full from one end to the other”), and the end result of Baal’s temple becoming a public ...

4911. Hezekiah King of Judah

2 Kings 18:1-37

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... confrontation with the field commander happens at the “aqueduct,” a poignant spatial setting that strongly suggests a possible siege. With a long speech, he lampoons Hezekiah’s strategic initiatives with Egypt and the recent religious reforms. The Assyrian ambassador claims, boldly, to speak for the Lord! After Hezekiah’s representatives request Aramaic (18:26–37), the orator calls the bluff: not only does he respond in Hebrew, but he ups the rhetoric a notch, talking about the gloomy realities ...

4912. God’s Chosen People Among the Nations

1 Chronicles 1:1-54

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of conveying the pedigree, hierarchy, and status of a specific group or nation. Anthropological studies show that these genealogies do not normally have a historical intention, but rather serve social, judicial, or religious purposes, legitimating certain claims concerning these spheres of society. Anyone reading the genealogies of Chronicles against the background of other Hebrew scriptures would notice that these lists are strongly selective in their portrayals. We find both segmented and linear forms ...

4913. Opposition to the Work

Ezra 4:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in by the Assyrians (cf. 2 Kings 17:24–25). Some are Jews in Judah or nearby lands whose faith has become diluted with local religious beliefs. But the author calls the peoples enemies. At first glance it appears that they want to help. They even claim that they worship the same God. But the rest of Ezra-Nehemiah shows their deep hatred of the Jews. The returned exiles reject their help. Are they too separatist? Should they have accepted help from these neighbors? This is a dilemma similar to that which ...

4914. The Work Begun

Nehemiah 2:11-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . Their mocking and ridicule are designed to discourage the Jews from cooperating with Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s brief but meaningful answer puts the emphasis on God’s sovereignty and power; he reminds the neighbors that they do not share the same convictions, legal claims, or historical legacy as the returned Jews. The roster of builders reveals a lot about the disposition of the people to work together and about Nehemiah’s abilities to organize the work (3:1–32). Although it is in the third person ...

4915. Prologue

Job 1:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in parallel (Lam. 4:21), and, in the often eponymous nature of the Genesis narrative, one of the sons of Dishan, an Edomite chieftain, is Uz (Gen. 36:28). (2) Other texts support a location northeast of Israel. Genesis 10:23 and 1 Chronicles 1:17 claim Uz as a son of Aram, thus associating Uz with the Arameans. In Genesis 22:21, Uz is the firstborn of Abraham’s brother Nahor and is thus affiliated with Upper Mesopotamia (“Nahor” appears as a geographical entity in the Mari letters of the early second ...

4916. Job's First Test

Job 1:6-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the Lord be praised,” Job has contradicted the Adversary. Yet, in somewhat teasingly ironic rhetoric, Job has also fulfilled the Adversary’s prediction. The Hebrew root brk (translated as “be praised”; see comments on 1:1–5) is once again at play here. In Job 1:11, the Adversary claimed that Job would brk God—“curse” God. Here Job does brk God, but in light of the narrator’s assessment of Job’s actions in verse 22, Job clearly has “blessed” him.

4917. Job's Second Test

Job 2:1-10

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the soon-to-arrive friends, his wife may be setting a theme similar to that of the friends: “Why are you holding on to your own, self-centered integrity that has you falsely clinging to the notion that you are pious? Calamity undermines your claims of piety! Curse [Hebrew root brk] God, and then you will die!” Her motivation is also unclear. Her words could be callous indifference (as they are widely understood to be)—just die! Or she could be offering loving compassion—death would have to be a ...

4918. Job's Second Reply to Zophar

Job 21:1-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... now. Even if the doctrine of retribution were true, it would be irrelevant, for death is the great equalizer (21:22–26). In death everyone experiences the same fate. Everywhere it is common that evil prospers in life and enjoys reputation in death (21:27–34). This is universally true, claims Job. One simply needs to ask the traveler.

4919. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of his speech. After painting the canvas with cosmic battle and victory, Bildad turns his attention to Job. Does Job really plan to confront God, this being who defeated chaos and who established world order? Will Job really declare his innocence? The very claim itself, coming from a mortal, is an affront to order and proper understanding. Unthinkable. 26:5–14 · Bildad continues to expound on God’s awe and his dominion, particularly over forces of chaos. Bildad first looks down to the netherworld (26:5 ...

4920. Elihu's Words

Job 32:1--37:24

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... caused by sin, argues Elihu against the theology of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Rather, through two means—dreams and illness—God can speak to humanity to guide them along a better path. Turning slightly to Job, Elihu does not accept the former’s claim that God is unjust. And turning in the opposite direction to face what is about to come, Elihu speaks of God’s mystery, unknowable motives, and ways in creation and nature. In comparison, Job is powerless and ignorant. Elihu’s final description of ...

4921. Epilogue

Job 42:7-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... not a completed meal. A Final Word · When Job finishes his last word, the storyteller moves to the epilogue (see commentary on prologue), and, as mentioned before, we encounter dissonance. Both Job and friends have spoken from half-full perspectives, and Job has earlier claimed that God is derelict about injustice (Job 24). Yet the friends are rebuked, and Job is exonerated. Why this is so is not crystal clear. The bookends alone give us a story arguably more simple. The bookends with the poetic core throw ...

4922. Psalm 73

Psalm 73:1-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In a moment of earthly realism and spiritual insanity, Asaph believes that the wicked always succeed; the righteous never get ahead—Psalm 1 turned upside down. The wicked have wealth, health, and no worries (73:2–7). Claiming divine and human authority, they debase others (73:8–9) and live the good life (73:10). Having no fear of God, they believe that he has no idea what they are doing (73:11). Regretting living a godly life because it brings him only misery, Asaph encapsulates the lives ...

4923. Psalm 82

Psalm 82:1-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 6, God refers to his people as “gods” (cf. John 10:22–39). He uses that term metaphorically to describe those who are in a position to receive God’s word and to live it out before others (particularly, before the helpless). No true believing Israelite would ever claim to be a “god” to be worshiped and obeyed (as is the sole right of the Lord; Deut. 6:4). Most certainly, in Psalm 82 God does mean that his people are “gods” as he is God, unless, God forbid, he is declaring that he himself can ...

4924. Further Benefits of Wisdom

Proverbs 3:1-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 2:9; 3:22, 24; Rev. 2:7), which is truly worth hugging! (2) The very same treasures that a person can “find” or “gain” according to 3:13 were foundational when God created the cosmos (3:19–20; Proverbs 8 expands on this claim). Divine knowledge is reflected in God’s superintendence of nature in both catastrophic (Gen. 7:11) and everyday (Job 36:28) circumstances. If wisdom and understanding were essential even for God in carrying out his creational and providential tasks, how much more should we ...

4925. Wisdom is Supreme

Proverbs 4:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Verse 1 uses “my sons” rather than “my son” for the first time in the book (cf. Prov. 5:7; 7:24; 8:32), which, along with the reference to the mother in Proverbs 1:8 and 6:20, suggests that a parent rather than a professional teacher (as some claim) is speaking here. The call to heed is grounded not in consequences but rather in an awareness of one’s family heritage. The grandfather’s words are quoted in 4:4b–9. Obedience brings life (4:4b = 7:2a)—this is a promise not of eternal life but of ...

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