Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 526 to 550 of 656 results

Job 23:1--24:25

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... to mean “successful,” with the sense that Job is expecting to win his court contest. The judge is, of course, God himself. The consonantal text of this phrase (mishopti) could also be read as “my case” (mishpati). Additional Notes 23:3 All of the Heb. imperfect forms in vv. 2–7 represent subjunctive expressions of possible future events that are less than likely to occur. All depend on God being found and cornered into a meeting. There is only one mi yitten at the beginning of this verse, but it ...

527. Elihu

Job 32:1--37:24

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... rush: my heart pounds and leaps from its place. God’s appearance provokes a strong reaction. 37:2–3 Listen! Listen! The imperative is a plural form. Elihu is calling his larger audience, including Job and the friends, to attention. The Hebrew construction (imperfect followed by an infinitive construct of the same root and stem) is emphatic, demanding close attention to what is to come. Here it is the roar of God’s voice to which they are to attend. The parallel rumbling in the next line confirms ...

528. The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13-17

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... , p. 68). When Jesus stepped forward to be baptized, John immediately recognized the other’s moral superiority, so he attempted to get him to change his mind (the Greek verb translated in the AV as “forbade” is taken as an “imperfect of attempted action” and rendered in other versions as “sought to dissuade” [Rieu], “protested strenuously” [Amplified]). Schweizer’s view that “John cannot have spoken the words given to him here” (p. 57) is based on the assumption that had John ...

529. Instruction for Temple Entry

Psalm 15:1-5

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... matched by three negative actions related primarily to speech (all Hb. perfects, v. 3). The positive descriptions focus on integrity and the negative statements on not abusing people verbally. There follow two qualifications (each with a Niphal verb and an imperfect verb, v. 4) which refer to the company one keeps and to keeping promises (oaths). The final two are negative statements (both Hb. perfects, v. 5a) referring to not abusing one’s resources and position. The number ten invites comparison with ...

530. Holding to the Lord’s Paths Amidst Threatening Stalkers

Psalm 17:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... stored up” (Hos. 13:12 uses this verb with Israel’s sin). Instead of their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children, we should translate, “may their sons be sated and deposit the remainder to their children,” rendering the Hb. imperfect/jussive verb as a wish in keeping with the petition of the preceding verse. Thus, we may translate this verse: “putting them to death by your hand, Yahweh, putting them to death; make an end of their portion in life; may you fill their belly ...

531. My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Psalm 22:1-31

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 25 may be a second vow of future praise (will I fulfill my vows) or simply part of the thanksgiving where the speaker announces his intention now to perform his vows (i.e., “I [now] fulfill my vows”). (See further on 116:12–19. The Hb. imperfect verb can denote present or future action.) The reference to eating may seem strange (v. 26) until we recognize that thanksgiving in the OT often included a thanksgiving sacrifice, which was to be shared, as it were, as a communal meal with Yahweh, the priests ...

532. Cultivating Faithfulness Until the Flourishing Wicked Wither

Psalm 37:1-40

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 22 is that Yahweh’s blessing or cursing does not necessarily exhibit itself in the current state of one’s welfare. His blessing will result in inheriting the land; his cursing will result in being cut off. (The context of the psalm indicates that the Hb. imperfect should be interpreted as a future action.) Verses 23–24 offer promise through the image of a child whose feet may slip out but whose hand is grasped by the parent (cf. 73:2, 23). Again, the righteous are not spared from stumbling but they ...

533. The Narrow and Wide Gates

Matthew 7:13-14

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... path of least resistance, or join the few who accept the limiting demands of loyalty. The easy way will turn out hard (it ends in destruction), whereas the hard way will lead to eternal joy (life). Amazed: ekplēssō means (lit.) “to be struck out of one’s senses.” The imperfect tense pictures Jesus’ hearers as spellbound as he finishes his address.

534. The Wise and Foolish Builders

Matthew 7:24-29

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... builds haphazardly (WSNT, vol. 1, p. 51). 7:28 Kai egeneto occurs frequently in the LXX as a literal rendering of the Hebrew wayhî, translated in the AV by the familiar “and it came to pass.” Amazed: ekplēssō means (lit.) “to be struck out of one’s senses.” The imperfect tense pictures Jesus’ hearers as spellbound as he finishes his address.

535. Jesus Heals Many

Matthew 8:14-17

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... there is a request of some sort. To touch a person with a fever was prohibited by Jewish law, but in Jesus the kingdom of God was actively invading the realm of Satan’s control. The woman rose and began ministering (diēkonei is an inceptive imperfect) to Jesus (and the others as well, according to Mark 1:31). When evening came (v. 16) the people brought to Jesus a great number of those who were possessed by demons and were suffering from various diseases. He healed them all. The sequence of events ...

536. Jesus Calms the Storm

Matthew 8:23-27

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... to the disciples, but, in correspondence with Matthew 28:2, it was a sign of Jesus’ majesty (p. 155). Interpretations of this sort have made the prior decision that the evangelist is a literary artist rather than a reliable narrator. The imperfect ekatheuden (was sleeping) and the emphatic pronoun autos contrast Jesus with the terrified disciples. They wake him up with the cry, Lord, save us! “We are going down” (Williams). Jesus first chides them for their lack of faith (deilos means “cowardly ...

537. A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

Matthew 9:18-26

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... four corners of the outer garment. The tassels would remind the people of the commandments of God. The woman’s flow of blood made her ritually unclean (Lev. 15:19–33), which accounts for her coming to Jesus from behind. She kept saying (elegen is imperfect) to herself that if she were able to touch his robe she would be healed. Jesus turns and says, “Cheer up; your confidence in me has brought you healing.” The perfect tense (sesōken) suggests that the woman was healed even before Jesus spoke. Yet ...

538. The Pilgrim’s Thirst for God in a Dry and Weary Land

Psalm 63:1-11

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 63 promotes a special intimacy with God. It consists primarily of confessions of trust and vows of praise (vv. 3–4, 11) and so is most akin to the prayer psalms, but it has no formal petition (though conceivably some of the Hb. imperfects could be rendered as wishes). Its primary function apparently is confessing to God the worshiper’s intentions of “seeking” and “staying close to” God, and affirming that God will in turn sustain and protect him. The psalm confesses what has drawn the worshiper ...

539. Jesus and Beelzebub

Matthew 12:22-37

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... around to see the miracle were dumbfounded at what Jesus had done (existamai means “to be beside oneself”; in Mark 3:21 the same word is used of Jesus by his family: “He is out of his mind”). They kept saying (elegon in v. 23 is imperfect), “This man could not possibly be the Son of David, could he?” The Greek construction expects a negative response but allows for the possibility that the answer could be yes. Matthew uses Son of David eight times as a title for Jesus. It has solid roots in ...

540. Intercession for the King to Bring Prosperity to the Land and Justice to the Needy

Psalm 72:1-20

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... of the king and his dynasty and the extent of his kingdom are results following from these actions. The only petition in the imperative mode appears in the opening line: Endow the king with your justice. In keeping with this petition, the Hebrew imperfect verbs of the psalm should probably be read as jussives: thus not as he will . . . , but as “may he . . .” (see the NIV marginal note). The entire psalm, therefore, consists of petitions addressed to God, even though he is mentioned only in the first ...

541. A Prophet Without Honor

Matthew 13:53-58

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... is fatherland (the place of one’s patēr), but as Luke indicates, it refers to the town of Nazareth (Luke 4:16) rather than the country in which Jesus was born (see above on Matt. 2:3–6). There he began to teach (edidasken is imperfect) the people in their synagogue. It is sometimes noted that the Greek autōn (their) reflects the attitude of the church at the time of Matthew’s writing. However, the account itself discloses an antagonistic setting that is more than adequate to account for referring to ...

542. The Faith of the Canaanite Woman

Matthew 15:21-28

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... , a Syrophoenician by birth” (Phillips, Mark 7:26). Matthew’s use of Canaanite emphasizes that the woman to whom Jesus talks is of a distinctly different ethnic background. “Crying at the top of her voice” (Phillips), she keeps calling out (Gk. ekrazen is imperfect) for mercy. Her daughter is harassed by a demon and is in a terrible state. By addressing Jesus as Son of David she shows an awareness of his messianic role. Although the Canaanite woman keeps calling out for mercy, Jesus does not respond ...

543. Trembling at the Appearance of the God of the Exodus

Psalm 114:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... trembled” [19:18], as did the inhabitants of Canaan [15:14–16].) Verses 5–6 of our psalm are not a mere repetition; they are phrased as questions posed to the now fully personified waters and mountains. (These two verses, using the Hb. imperfect verb, should probably be translated in the present tense, thus making us—the audience—dramatically present.) In effect, they are asked to testify to the “land” (NIV “earth,” v. 7) that there is good reason to respond to God’s appearing as they ...

544. The Maker of Heaven and Earth Praised and Invoked to Bless Israel

Psalm 115:1-18

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... . 115:12–15 On the basis of the witness of Israel’s history, verse 12a announces on behalf of the present congregation (here speaking in first person, us) that they now stand at a turning point: “Yahweh has remembered (Hb. perfect) us and will bless (Hb. imperfect).” At key moments in their history, especially during a period of distress, Yahweh had “remembered” his people (Exod. 2:24; Pss. 9:12; 98:3; 105:8, 42; 106:45; 111:5; 136:23; also 74:2; 106:4). The three groups found within verses 9 ...

545. A Thank Offering for Deliverance from Death

Psalm 116:1-19

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... closing verses elaborate on this “walking before the LORD” by raising the question, How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? The verses that follow should probably be rendered in the present tense, not in the past as found in the NIV (the Hb. imperfect verb does not denote a tense as such): “I lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I fulfill my vows to the LORD” (vv. 13–14), and “I sacrifice a thank offering to you,” etc. (vv. 17–18). Thus, thanksgiving ...

546. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Matthew 18:21-35

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... than the total annual revenue of a wealthy province), the king ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold and the money be applied toward the debt. The servant fell on his knees and began to beg (prosekynei is inceptive imperfect) for an extension of time. Note the optimism of the servant: “Give me time, and I will pay you every cent of it” (Williams). Taking pity on the agent, the king canceled the entire debt (the Greek has daneion, “loan”) and let him go free. 18:28 ...

547. The Divine King and His Universal Kingdom

Psalm 145:1-21

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... structure of Psalm 145 is intricate. It alternates between “you” sections, addressing Yahweh directly, and “he” sections, referring to him in the third person. For the most part, the “you” sections describe the act of praising (or may call for praise if the imperfects are rendered as jussives, “Let me exalt you,” vv. 1–2, 4–7, 10–12). The “he” verses unpack the substance of that praising, describing Yahweh primarily by adjectives (vv. 3, 8–9, 13b, 17–18) or by verbs (vv. 14, 19 ...

548. The Helper of Those Who Cannot Help Themselves

Psalm 146:1-10

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... , who helps you” (49:25). 146:10 The closing verse addresses Zion directly with a summary statement: The LORD reigns forever, your God . . . for all generations. (Unlike the acclamation familiar from the psalms of Yahweh’s kingship, “reigns” is a Hb. imperfect verb.) The character of his kingship is to care for the powerless in society, a responsibility that human authorities generally fail to deliver. The same issue of trusting in God or humans underlies 33:16–19. This psalm also acclaims Yahweh ...

549. Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Matthew 26:14-16

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... contrast to the generous outpouring of the ointment in the previous pericope. The chief priests carefully weighed out (estēsan means “placed [on the scales]”) the required amount and gave it to Judas. From that point on Judas kept looking (ezētei is imperfect) for an opportunity to betray Jesus. Additional Notes 26:14 Iscariot: Gk. Iskariōtēs, a surname of Judas, is often taken geographically as a reference to his place of origin; i.e., from Kerioth, a town in southern Israel (see the textual ...

550. The Lord's Supper

Matthew 26:17-30

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... . The disciples did as they were instructed and prepared the Passover meal. In addition to the lamb, it would be necessary to secure saltwater, bitter herbs, harosheth (a broth of mashed nuts and fruit), and wine. When evening came Jesus was reclining (anekeito, imperfect) with his disciples at table. In earlier days the Passover was eaten standing up (cf. Exod. 12:11), but by New Testament times it was served like other meals on low tables around which those who took part reclined on cushions. During the ...

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