Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 751 to 775 of 972 results

751. “When We Were Overwhelmed by Our Sins, You Forgave Our Transgressions”

Psalm 65:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... with confidence”). Isaiah foresees the day when even the gentiles will be able to approach God’s sanctuary and offer their sacrifices, and his house “will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isa. 56:7). Quite clearly, God is not the exclusive deity of Israel, but his wonders attract the attention of “the whole earth” (lit., “the inhabitants of the ends” [of the earth]; 65:8). Nor do his wonders end with the marvels of creation, but they extend to the meadows “covered with flocks ...

752. “May All the Peoples Praise You”

Psalm 67:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... and save others. Some, still believing in the original purpose, go down the coast to build another lifesaving station. The parable ends with these words: “History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.”13Based on Psalm 67, it is hard to know to what extent Israel had developed a practical witness to the world of nations, but it is quite obvious ...

753. Daniel Interprets the Dream and Confronts Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 4:19-27

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... ’s central theme—appears clearly in every literary unit in the book. 4:26 leave the stump . . . your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. By omitting the phrase “bound with iron and bronze,” Daniel focuses exclusively on the idea of preservation for restoration.7 The use of the Aramaic term for “heaven” recalls the tree “reaching the heavens” (4:11, 20; NIV: “touching the sky”), the holy messengers from heaven (4:13), and the “dew of heaven” (4 ...

754. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... when they ascribe to him the honor that belongs to him alone.”14 God is a jealous God (Exod. 20:5; 34:14) who demands that he receive all glory and disdains all irreverence for his holiness. In the same way that God is jealous for his exclusive glory, we must also be jealous for his glory and consequently abhor the profaning of his holiness in all its forms. Boastful arrogance by mere mortals is foolishness before God. History: On its maiden voyage from the United Kingdom to New York in 1912, the luxury ...

755. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... governed by satraps (“administrators”). Herodotus mentions only twenty to thirty satrapies (“provinces”) at most, although the Greek equivalent of the Aramaic term for “satrap” suggests smaller provinces are included (Hist. 3.89).3 Worship was reserved exclusively for the gods in ancient Persia—not for kings.4There was a struggle at this time, however, between adherents to monotheistic worship of Ahura Mazda (associated with Zoroastrianism) and the Magi enticed by an encroaching syncretism of ...

756. Isaac and Abimelek

Genesis 26:1-35

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

This is the one chapter in Genesis devoted exclusively to Isaac. And it does not show him at his best. He imitates his father in the wife-as-sister deception. The one difference is how Abimelek is informed about the woman’s identity. Abimelek sees Isaac caressing Rebekah. This can only be sexual fondling, and Abimelek is able to ...

757. Jacob Flees to Harran

Gn 27:41–29:14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . It is God’s presence and a safe return to the land from which he has fled that concerns Jacob. The climax of the vow is that Jacob will commit himself to tithing (28:22). This moves the Bethel encounter out of the realm of emotion exclusively and into the realm of self-denial and stewardship. “Eastern peoples” (29:1) is used as a general designation for anybody living east of Canaan. Jacob meets a number of shepherds milling around the well, which is covered by a large stone. Happily these shepherds ...

758. Ten Commandments and the People’s Response

Exodus 20:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 41–44 is echoed in Romans 1. Colossians 3:5 indicates that greed is idolatry. God, who has bound his people to himself with covenant love, is jealous and will punish those who abuse his covenant love and refuse to be devoted exclusively to him (Exod. 20:5a). The Hebrew adjective translated “jealous” is used only of God; it is the divine response to apostasy. Successive generations suffer the consequences of their forefathers’ choices to live in rebellion against God. Often children are the tragic ...

759. The Fellowship Offering

Leviticus 3:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... which only a priest can eat as his “agent’s commission”; chap. 2; cf. Lev. 7:9–10) to the well-being offering (which is eaten by the offerer[s] as well as a priest; chap. 3; cf. 7:15–16, 31–36). The order is away from exclusive utilization by the Lord toward sharing with human beings. A shared meal expresses mutual goodwill and trust (cf. Gen. 31:54). Leviticus 3:16–17 adds the general rule that all suet belongs to the Lord, and therefore the Israelites are never to eat it. Neither are they ...

760. Separating Defilement from Sanctuary and Community

Leviticus 16:1-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the sanctuary so that the purpose of purification offerings throughout the year was to purge the sanctuary from these evils on behalf of the sinners. However, this kind of automatic defilement and sacrificial expiation to benefit the sinners were mutually exclusive: One who automatically defiled the sanctuary was terminally condemned, which meant that such a person had no opportunity to receive forgiveness through sacrifice (cf. Num. 15:30–31). The high priest purges the sanctuary by applying the blood of ...

761. Laws and Blessing for Purity and Holiness

Num 5:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... stay outside the camp so that they will not defile its sphere of holiness that surrounds the sanctuary (5:1–4). This is no ordinary public health quarantine. Leviticus 13:46 already commanded that individuals afflicted by skin disease are to dwell apart. But exclusion of persons contaminated by genital discharges and corpses (5:2) goes beyond the rules in Leviticus 15 and Numbers 19 because life in the sacred war camp demands a standard that is higher than usual. 5:5-10 · Numbers 5:5–10 continues the ...

762. Rebellion of Korah and Aftermath

Numbers 16:1-50

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... until the adult generation will die. The attack against the Lord’s appointed leaders is two-pronged. Korah, a Kohathite Levite closely related to Moses and Aaron (cf. Exod. 6:18; Num. 3:19, 27), leads a group of Levites in challenging the exclusive right of Aaron and sons to the exercise of religious leadership through the priesthood. Dathan, Abiram, and On, from the tribe of Reuben, more specifically target the role of Moses. The basic argument of the rebels is that Moses and Aaron have wrongly ...

763. Water from the Rock

Numbers 20:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is in Numbers 12, where she is punished with skin disease for undermining Moses. Also at Kadesh, the reaction of Moses and Aaron to an uprising of the older generation (“brothers” of Korah and company who left Egypt) against them due to lack of water results in their exclusion from Canaan (20:2–13). God tells Moses to take his rod, but he and Aaron are to call water from a rock by speaking to it (20:8), rather than striking it, as Moses has done at Rephidim (cf. Exod. 17:1–7). This would have been ...

764. Apostasy with the Baal of Peor

Numbers 25:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... wrongdoers, but expiation in the basic sense of purging them from the community (cf. Lev. 16:10; 2 Sam. 21:3–6). The Lord rewards the loyal zeal of Phinehas—which saves the Israelites from the Lord’s zeal in holding them accountable for an exclusive covenant connection with him—by giving him a covenant promise of a priestly dynasty (25:10–13). Compare the Lord’s reward for the Levite executioners at the time of the golden calf apostasy (Exod. 32:25–29; Deut. 10:8). Before Phinehas’s vigorous ...

765. Witnessing First Fruits of the Coming Campaign

Deut 2:24–3:11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 7:2; 13:16; 20:17). This concept of herem, except for its single occurrence outside the Bible on the Mesha Stone, is found only in the Bible. As the act of dedicating the cities and peoples of Canaan to God for destruction demonstrated, Canaan belonged exclusively to the Lord. Therefore, what was not killed or burned, such as silver, gold, or iron, was to be placed in the sanctuary of the Lord. This is not the ordinary ethic of the Bible with respect to the treatment of people groups, but an extraordinary ...

766. Honoring God in Our Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... law,” where Moses applies the law he gave forty years earlier. However, this division must not be made too sharply, for all the laws in 12:12–26 are given in response to the principles laid down in 12:1–5. Chapter 12 calls for honoring God exclusively in our worship, which fills out what is meant by the second commandment and its prohibition “no other gods.” The warning in 12:4 (cf. 12:30–31), “You must not worship the Lord your God in [your own] way” (emphasis mine), repeats the concern of ...

767. Towns for the Levites

Joshua 21:1-45

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... on permanently to their descendants (Num. 18:23–24; Deut. 18:1–2). The Levitical towns are therefore merely towns for them to live in where their pasturing rights are guaranteed. In fact, 21:11–12 suggests that these towns are not even exclusively reserved for the Levites, but must be shared with inhabitants of the tribes to which these towns belong. Thus, while Hebron is among the towns given to the Levites, the surrounding fields and villages remain the possession of Caleb and his descendants, who ...

768. Widows and Their Worries: Back to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in this regard, at numerous and even awkward times in the story the author reminds the reader of Ruth’s Moabite ethnicity (1:22; 2:2, 21; 4:5, 10). Ruth the Moabitess is a model Israelite in that she embraces Yahweh fully and exclusively. But she is also a model Israelite in showing kindness according to Mosaic law. Furthermore, Ruth’s naturalization process is crucial for the story line and the upcoming betrothal narrative (3:7–15). It legitimizes her marriage to an Israelite man, unlike her first ...

769. A Worthy Woman Meets a Worthy Man

Ruth 2:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a great reputation. He understands that Ruth’s change of ethnic identity is religious in nature. Ruth has put her trust in the Lord rather than in her familiar Moabite deities. The Hebrew term translated here as “refuge” appears mainly, although not exclusively, in the Psalms and reflects one’s personal and private association with the Lord rather than the national or territorial association (e.g., Ps. 7:1; 11:1; 16:1). Furthermore, the compound designation Boaz uses here, “the Lord, the God of ...

770. Ascending the Throne

2 Chronicles 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2 Chron. 1:1–9:31 Review · The Account of Solomon: A substantial portion of the account of David (1 Chronicles 22–29) is devoted to a description of David’s preparations for the succession of his son. These preparations are focused almost exclusively on Solomon’s function as temple builder and patron. The Solomon who emerges after the death of David at the end of 1 Chronicles 29 is a Solomon without tarnish. While two failures of David are incorporated into his account, both events key to the ...

771. The Account of Manasseh

2 Chronicles 33:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... blesses him with success in building projects and military fortifications (33:13–14). Manasseh’s repentance is depicted as more than just words. He removes his illicit innovations from the temple and city (33:15) and restores proper worship of Yahweh (33:16), even though the people fall short of exclusive central worship in Jerusalem (33:17). The closing summary in 33:18–20 balances the two sides of Manasseh’s reign, both his prayer and his sins.

772. The Benefits of Wisdom

Proverbs 2:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... successful, one first must develop true piety, understanding what it means to fear the Lord. The quest for true wisdom inevitably leads first to God, since, according to verse 6, he is its ultimate source, and it is his exclusive prerogative to grant wisdom to every earnest seeker. Wisdom’s primary benefit according to this instruction is protection during one’s journey through life. Remarkably, the quester has been transformed in the process, becoming “upright,” “blameless,” “just,” and one ...

773. Warnings Against Folly, Especially Sexual Infidelity

Proverbs 5:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a vivid but tasteful water metaphor (reminiscent of Song 4:12, 15), developed positively in verse 15 and negatively in verse 16 (cf. 7:18; 9:17; Song 5:1). The repeated use of “your” in 5:15–18 emphasizes the exclusivity, not the possessiveness, of the relationship between husband and wife. Verse 15 describes an intentional, private, refreshing “drink,” verse 16 a promiscuous, public, and polluted “overflow” or “spill” (NLT). Thus the initial warning not to yield to the woman’s allure ...

774. Proverbs of Solomon

Proberbs 10:1--22:16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... framed by synthetic proverbs rather than antithetical, as in verses 23–25. The foolish/wicked and the wise/righteous find pleasure in different things (10:23) and with contrasting results (10:24–25). The final subunit (10:27–32) consists exclusively of positive-negative verses. Following the introductory thematic reference to the “fear of the Lord” in verse 27a, reinforced by the “way of the Lord” in verse 29a, the first half of each verse mentions the “righteous” (or “blameless,” in ...

775. Everything is Ephemeral

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the word in verse 2 is emphatic, similar to “Song of Songs” and “holy of holies”; that is, everything is utterly temporary. 1:3–11 · Goal of the investigation:How should one then live in such a world? The phrase “under the sun” is used exclusively in Ecclesiastes (twenty-nine times, with the variant expressions “see the sun” [6:5; 7:11; 11:7] and “under the heavens” [1:13; 2:3; 3:1]). It designates the earthly realm of existence and activity as humans experience and view it apart from ...

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