Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 601 to 625 of 3099 results

Jeremiah 22:1-30, Jeremiah 23:1-8

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... that Jeremiah utters concludes with the statement that Jehoiakim’s death will not be met with mourning. Typically when a person dies, they have those who survive whose grief leads them to say alas (hoy). Both relatives (my brother, my sister) as well as subjects (my master) would express their grief at his death. However, Jeremiah envisions that his death will be greeted with indifference at best and joy at worst. Also he will have a contemptible funeral like that of a donkey. Verse 21 reminds the king ...

602. The Charge Against Israel

Hosea 4:1-19

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... have clear indications of the beginnings of oracles. No phrase such as “says the LORD” marks their endings. The speaking of the prophet alternates abruptly with that of the Lord. And the original units seem to be strung together loosely by means of catchwords and subjects. As a result, scholars differ among themselves as to how to divide chapter 4, and yet that division is crucial for the interpretation of the prophet’s message. Should we say that verses 1–3, 4–6, 7–10, 11–14, 15, and 16–19 ...

603. Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Micah 3:1-12

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... war against such inquirers by their words, verse 5. Words were considered powerful forces in Israel; they brought about that of which they spoke. Thus, to falsely prophesy evil against a person was to subject the person to dread and fear of the most ravaging kind, and the false prophets were subjecting the poor to such injury simply out of their own greed and callousness toward their compatriots. Not a word did they say against those leaders and wealthy persons who were dispossessing and oppressing the ...

604. A Man With a Measuring Line

Zechariah 2:1-13

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... . 2:4 The noun translated a city without walls is plural, perhaps because unwalled villages were typically small, comprising only a few acres. Jerusalem would be of a size equivalent to many of these unfortified settlements. 2:5 I myself will be is emphatic, with the subject pronoun preceding the verb: “I, I will be.” The second word (MT 2:9), ʾehyeh, “I will be,” is part of the divine name in Exod. 3:14, “ʾehyeh sent me to you.” This verb occurs again in the second half of this verse, I will ...

605. A Crown for Joshua

Zechariah 6:9-15

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... depicts the church, including believers from all nations, as a temple, “a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph. 2:19–22; 1 Cor. 3:16–17). Additional Notes 6:11 The Heb. word for crown (ʿateret) is plural, but in v. 14 it is the subject of a singular verb. A plural noun in Heb. may refer to a single object that is composed of two or more parts. Panim, “face,” is a common example. Silver and gold cannot be forged together, so the crown may have consisted of two circlets—one of silver ...

606. Jacob Loved, Esau Hated

Malachi 1:1-5

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... love you,” but rather, “I have loved you and I still do.” The Lord’s love for Israel was the first subject in the Minor Prophets. Hosea was commanded, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness” as a sign-act to ... and Esau are other names for Edom), it appears in the OT only as a threat to Jacob’s descendants (Num. 20:14–21) or as a subject people (2 Sam. 8:13–14; 1 Kgs. 22:47). David conquered Edom (2 Sam. 8:14–15) and Amaziah captured the city of Sela (2 Kgs ...

607. The Word Became Flesh

John 1:1-18

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... John the Baptist’s ministry, even though John was at first unaware of it (cf. 1:31, 33). If Jesus in the prologue is the personification of the Word, he is no less the personification of the light that the Word produces. The question whether the implied subject of verses 10–12 is the Word or the light is secondary to the observation that in either case it is Jesus. Whatever distinction can be made between the Word and the light has been transcended in him. He (not “it”) was in the world; the world ...

608. Jesus, Peter, and the Beloved Disciple

John 21:15-25

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... my life for you”), yet without any specific awareness of responsibilities to his fellow disciples. Now Jesus returns to the subject of Peter’s death in its proper context and against the appropriate background of his ministry as faithful shepherd to Jesus ... lit., “girded”) is being used again. The contrast is between acting on one’s own initiative in v. 18a, and being entirely subject to the initiative of others in v. 18b. Contrast Jesus’ death on his own initiative according to 10:17–18 and 19: ...

609. Imitating Christ's Humility

Philippians 2:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... can be maintained only by the exercise of the veto; it is that sincere unanimity of purpose in which no one would wish to impose a veto on others. This is not a matter of making everyone see eye-to-eye or have the same opinion on every subject. Life would be very flat and dull without the give-and-take practiced when variety of opinion and viewpoint provides scope for friendly discussion and debate. 2:3 But discussion and debate cease to be friendly when each one aims at scoring points off the others and ...

610. The Word of Life

1 John 1:1-4

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... s Son, come in the flesh (1 John 2:18–19, 22–23; 4:1–2; 2 John 7; cf. John 1:14). 1:1 The exact subject of the prologue is not clear. The author speaks about it in several ways. He uses the neuter pronoun ho (which the NIV translates as that which ... to the Gospel of John but were familiar with the author’s vocabulary and style, would have had no difficulty in identifying the subject as God’s Son, Jesus Christ (v. 3), the Word who “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14), who is ...

611. Love One Another

1 John 3:11-24

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... up in the twofold command: have faith in Jesus and love for one’s brothers and sisters. This is the first use of the verb believe (pisteuō) in the letters of John. From now on it occurs frequently (4:1, 16; 5:1, 5, 10, 13), as the subject of the epistle shifts more to issues of faith (and love) in the last two chapters. The tense of believe is aorist, signifying an initial, decisive act of commitment to Jesus Christ, though there can be no doubt that the Elder also understands the necessity of ongoing ...

612. God’s Love and Ours

1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... with assurance not only “in this world” (4:17) but in the world to come. Additional Notes 4:13 The author feels the need to return to the subject of assurance frequently: 2:3–6; 2:12–14; 3:1–2; 3:19–24; 4:4–6; 4:13–18; 5:13–15; 5:18–20. It ... Scriptures (v. 39), and Moses (vv. 45–46) are all witnesses to his identity and authority. 5:10 Verse 10 continues the subject of God’s testimony begun in v. 9 and focuses on the human response to it. The passage contains three comparisons. First ...

613. The Flood

Genesis 6:1-8:22

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... based on Arab. dun) and “be strong, powerful” (based on Akk. dananu). Most translators follow the LXX and Vg. rendering “remain,” but the basis for this meaning is unknown. 6:6 “Grieve” (nkhm) is very difficult to translate, especially when God is the subject. One of its meanings is to take a different course of action as a result of one’s compassion being either warmed (Hos. 11:8–9) or grieved (here). Translating it “grieve” captures the emotion behind the action but fails to convey the ...

614. God’s Covenant with Abram

Genesis 15:1-18

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... dynamic in Israel’s relationship with God (Ps. 106:12). In other instances this phrase occurs with a negative particle in reference to Israel’s display of unbelief (e.g., Num. 14:11; 20:12; Ps. 78:22, 32; 106:24). Another issue is that the subject of the verb “credit” is not clear in the Hb. Traditionally it has been taken as God, but in the ordinary flow of the sentence one assumes that the antecedent is Abram. According to that reading, Abram accepted God’s promises as evidence that God was ...

615. Do Not Forget the Lord

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... of human sin and rebellion and as having a divine purpose. To humble (vv. 2, 3, 16) is a verb, ʾānāh (in Piel), that is often used in the sense of “to afflict” by abuse or humiliation (e.g., Gen. 16:6; Exod. 22:21). When God is the subject, it can mean to punish in discipline (1 Kgs. 11:39; Isa. 64:12) or for educational purposes, as here (cf. Ps. 119:71, 75). As a response to their rebellion at Kadesh Barnea, the wilderness was indeed punishment. But as a place of learning, it was an ideal classroom ...

616. Exclusion From the Assembly

Deuteronomy 23:1-8

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... slave legislation in other ancient Near Eastern law codes, and indeed in the legislation governing slavery in more modern times. The normal, common rule in such legislation is that (a) any slave who runs away is subject to extreme penalties (sometimes death), and (b) anyone who harbors a runaway slave is also subject to heavy penalty (see, for example, the death penalty in the Code of Hammurabi, 15–20, Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts, pp. 166f.). The simple do not hand him over in the middle of ...

617. Solomon Asks for Wisdom

1 Kings 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... implication of all this is that Solomon has recognized and God is confirming that the “wisdom” of chapter 2 was of a highly unenlightened, self-serving sort, which must now be replaced with a higher sort, in order that the king may rule justly and well over his subjects (3:9, 11). An important theme of the OT is brought to mind by such a reading: it is the fear of the LORD that is truly the beginning of wisdom (Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 15:33). Solomon has apparently only just learned this. Because ...

618. Preparations for Building the Temple

1 Kings 5:1-18

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... something of a difficulty for the reader of 5:1–18. Undoubtedly Hiram acknowledges, as all other people have acknowledged (4:34), that Solomon is wise (5:7). Goods arrive in Israel from Tyre (5:8–18) in the same way that they have arrived from places that are subject to Solomon (4:21–22). Yet at first it appears that Hiram is more an equal of Solomon than his vassal and that his goods flow into Solomon’s kingdom more as a matter of trade than of tribute. What is the truth of the matter? Does Solomon ...

619. Isaiah’s Commission

Isaiah 6:1-13

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... , perhaps having gone there to seek God, or present for a “routine” occasion of worship, or for a great festival when Judah celebrated the kingship of the holy God over its own life and over the whole world, and recommitted itself to being Yahweh’s subjects (see, e.g., Ps. 98; 99). In the temple, the symbolism of worship with the incense swirling becomes a vision of the reality the symbolism pointed to. Yahweh is the human king writ large, sitting in his palace (the secular meaning of the word temple ...

620. A Prophecy Against Babylon

Isaiah 21:1-10

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... exiled Israelites (11:11). Its neighbor Media we know as attacker of Babylon (13:17). So we are back in the far northeast. These two are Yahweh’s agents in bringing to an end all the groaning she caused. But who is “she”? If Babylon was the subject in chapter 13, perhaps it is here as well, but for a moment we (and the prophet?) are left to inference. Indeed, the words are more open than that, for the phrase is literally “all her groaning,” which might just as easily (more easily?) mean “all the ...

621. Woe to Ephraim

Isaiah 28:1-29

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... this beginning, describing the fall of drunken Ephraim, does not in itself require that. Ephraim had featured in that material (see 17:1–8) and so had prophecies beginning “Oh” (see 17:12; 18:1). Indeed, we have seen that Ephraim may have been the subject of 27:7–11. Once again, Isaiah is declaring that the Assyrian storm is about to break out. The warning begins by describing the impressiveness of the Ephraimite capital, the city of Samaria. It sits on a hill that rises gently but firmly from the ...

622. Woe to the Obstinate Nation

Isaiah 30:1-33

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... –32, we have separate reference to alliance with Egypt in the context of the similar events of 705–701 B.C. during the reign of Sennacherib (see the stories in chs. 36–37). Sennacherib has set out with his army to put his rebellious subjects in their place, and Hezekiah is involved in a flurry of diplomatic activity. 30:1–7 There is nothing inherently wrong with relying on the help of other nations: Scripture can portray Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome as agents to achieve God’s purpose ...

623. Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

Isaiah 36:1-22

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... parallel works the other way around; a prophet speaks the way a king’s representative speaks, because that is what a prophet is. Now the movement is reversed. His subject is confidence: literally, “What is this confidence with which you are confident?” The word recurs five more times in verses 5–9. It is Isaiah’s own subject. Hezekiah has no doubt been attempting to build up morale in Jerusalem by encouraging his people to believe that resistance is a realistic policy. Sennacherib will not risk ...

624. Comfort for God's People

Isaiah 40:1-31

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... service. Job used it for his experience of affliction and pain. It is like a prison sentence. Unlike Job’s, it is a sentence that was deserved, as Lamentations grants. But now, secondly, her sin has been paid for. The city’s desolation, its subjection to Babylon, and its abandonment by its God have gone on long enough. From the viewpoint of Judeans in Babylon, more importantly, Ms Jerusalem has been deprived of her children for long enough. Indeed, she has received from Yahweh’s hand double for all ...

625. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... of Abar-Nahara comes from the Greek historian Herodotus: From the city of Posideium—established by Amphilochus, the son of Amphiaraus, on the border between the Cilicians and Syrians—as far as Egypt (and always omitting the Arabians, who were not subject to tax), there was a tax assessment of 350 talents. In this province was all of Phoenicia, Palestinian Syria, and Cyprus. This was the fifth province. (Herodotus, Hist. 3.91, in Herodotus [trans. D. Grene; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987 ...

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