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Showing 826 to 850 of 1185 results

826. False Religions Worthless

Jeremiah 7:1-29

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... the present generation. God forewarns Jeremiah that when the people hear his message at the temple, they will reject it. Once again, God promises to cut off his people because of their rejection of him. Truth has perished. They have rejected Yahweh, the truth, and pursued a lie, false gods, particularly Baal. God tells them to cut off their hair (a sign of mourning and worse, see Additional Notes) and to lament on the barren heights where they sinned (Jer. 3:2, 21). Additional Notes 7:29 The word for hair ...

827. Lying Prophets

Jeremiah 23:9-32, Jeremiah 23:33-40

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... . They are described as adulterers who fill the land. Adultery here is likely meant literally of those who break their marriage vows in pursuit of illegitimate sexual relations, but also metaphorically of those who depart from their exclusive relationship with Yahweh to pursue other gods (see also 3:1–5; 9:2). The NIV clarifies what the Hebrew text leaves unidentified until verse 11 by supplying prophets in verse 10. But whoever specifically are the adulterers the results include a drought that leaves the ...

828. Jeremiah Threatened with Death

Jeremiah 26:1-24

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... to be to inform us just how serious was the situation Jeremiah faced. This prophet who spoke the same message as Jeremiah also aroused Jehoiakim’s anger. Before that king could arrest Uriah in Jerusalem, Uriah escaped to Egypt. However, Jehoiakim had his men pursue him to Eygpt. It should be remembered that Jehoiakim maintained a pro-Egyptian, anti-Babylonian policy, so it was probably not the best place for a political refugee to flee. Uriah was brought back to Judah, where he was executed and given an ...

829. A Message About Edom

Jeremiah 49:7-22

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... exact location, they were likely somewhere in the vicinity of Edom. 49:19–22 In ancient biblical times, lions roamed Palestine. They found a natural habitat in the thickets of the Jordan river. Here God likens himself to a lion coming up from the Jordan and pursuing the Edomites as its prey. The Edomites are like the young of the flock of sheep. Edom has no leader who can function as a shepherd and stave off God the lion. Edom the pastureland will be destroyed. The cry of these mutilated sheep will be ...

830. How the Lord has Covered the Daughter of Zion

Lamentations 2:1-22

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... out in places like Deuteronomy 27–28. God there decreed that if his people betray the covenant, he would punish them. If they had bothered to listen to the law, they would know what was in store for them. All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the LORD your ...

831. Israel Punished and Restored

Hosea 2:2-23

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... of an animal that needs to be fenced in (cf. 4:16; 8:9; Jer. 2:23–25). Israel is like a wanton prostitute, who not only waits for her lovers to come to her (as in Gen. 38:14–18; Jer. 3:2), but who searches them out and pursues them. But her search will be fruitless. No good things—no bread and water, clothing and luxuries, fertility and vitality—will be granted by Baal. Such is the meaning of she will look for them but not find them, verse 7. Israel the wife will therefore decide to return to ...

832. Israel to Reap the Whirlwind

Hosea 8:1-14

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... that Israel has rejected what is good, it means that the people have not only rejected God’s covenant will for their lives, but they have also rejected the good life that is given by God’s presence with them. As a result, an enemy will pursue them. 8:4–7a The following verses then specify how the Israelites have rejected God’s “good” will for their life. First, they have selected their leaders with no thought of whom Yahweh would choose to lead them, verse 4. Those put upon the throne have ...

833. The Lord's Anger Against Israel

Hosea 13:1-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... —that Yahweh will send, verse 15b–c. There is no doubt, then, that the east wind in verse 15 is Assyria, which comes across the eastern desert against Ephraim as the instrument of Yahweh’s wrath against his people (cf. the “east wind” that Ephraim pursues in 12:1). In the metaphor of verse 15d–e, the water of life will fail for Ephraim. It will die as a waterless plant will die. And leaving behind the metaphor, verse 15f–g pictures the troops of Assyria plundering every valuable thing that ...

834. The Indictment and Punishment of Israel Spelled Out

Amos 4:1-13

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... burning stick snatched from the fire (v. 11c), Israel did not absorb the lesson that its life belonged totally to God, who could both destroy and rescue it, just as we modern, scientific Americans do not absorb that lesson when some disaster strikes us. So Israel pursued its own course and did not turn to submit itself to God’s sovereign rule. As a result, though Israel has not returned to God, God will return to it, verse 12a—such is the meaning of this line. The Hebrew reads, “Therefore, thus I will ...

835. Jonah Flees from the Lord

Jonah 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... sleeping a deep sleep (cf. Isa. 29:10; Gen. 2:21) among what were probably bales and jars. In an ironic touch, he awakens Jonah with the same command that Jonah had received from God, “Arise! Call . . .” (cf. MT 1:2). That word of God is pursuing Jonah, try as he may to escape it. The captain summons Jonah to pray to your god and then calls Jonah’s god “the God” (MT; the NIV reads simply “he”). The sailors have already prayed to their various gods with no saving result. Perhaps the unknown ...

836. The Mountain of the Lord

Micah 4:1-5

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... in Micah’s world—and in ours. At the moment, there is no universal worship and obedience of Yahweh on this planet. The nations give their allegiance to many different gods and goddesses. Each of the peoples of the world goes its own way and pursues its own powerstruggles for prosperity and security. But knowing the promised outcome of history, Israel’s faithful respond liturgically with the words of verse 5c–d: we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. God’s kingdom of ...

837. Woe to Nineveh

Nahum 3:1-19

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... not, and on how to counteract signs that suggest calamity is threatened. These are the resources that a Mesopotamian power such as Assyria needs to utilize in order to know when it would be wise to make war in order ultimately to pursue its trading ambitions. The subordination of everything to profit extends far beyond the mere spoiling of community relationships. The city has traded peoples, enslaved nations (lit., has “sold” them). Once again Nahum seems to have been part of the inspiration for Isaiah ...

838. The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem

Zechariah 8:1-23

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... :6; Jer. 26:19). Daniel’s prayer defines the way to entreat the Lord, “by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth” (Dan. 9:13). The second goal will be to seek the LORD Almighty. People who seek the Lord also “pursue righteousness” (Isa. 51:1) and “understand justice” (Prov. 28:5). This is the action of followers of God, not of “seekers” in the contemporary sense. Israel and Judah together will “seek the LORD . . . and bind themselves to the LORD” (Jer. 50:4–5), but ...

839. The Lord Comes and Reigns

Zechariah 14:1-21

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... . God will initiate the action by gathering all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it. There is, however, no mention of wrath or judgment against Zion as the motivation for this battle. Nations that had made war on Israel and Judah in the past had pursued their own ambitions while God used them to bring judgment (e.g., God calls Assyria “the rod of my anger” in Isa. 10:5). Their actions are typical of victorious armies. Then the city will be captured, the houses will be ransacked, and the women ...

840. Jacob Loved, Esau Hated

Malachi 1:1-5

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... the Hebron hills. There are several prophetic indictments that support the judgment “Wicked Land,” but there are no OT or extrabiblical accounts that explain the circumstances in more detail. Amos charges Edom with buying whole communities as slaves (Amos 1:6) and mercilessly pursuing his brother with a sword (1:11). Edom had taken revenge on Judah (Ezek. 25:12–13) and planned to devour Israel (Ezek. 35:1–15). The Edomites had shed innocent blood and done violence to the people of Judah (Joel 3:19 ...

841. Don't Just Stand There!

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... Don’t just stand there; get the ball!” What was he thinking? He could have scored a touchdown. But he didn’t. He just stood there marveling at the fact that he’d blocked the punt. When he finally did what he should have done, and pursued the ball, the punter got to the ball first and recovered it. David Russow notes that the same words that his coach shouted under those Friday Night Lights are framed in a question two angels asked the disciples who were standing there marveling as Jesus ascended ...

842. Shining as Stars

Philippians 2:12-18

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... Corinthian converts, Paul had to warn them seriously against following such a disastrous example and incurring the same judgment: they must “not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel” (1 Cor. 10:10). But, while an admonition to pursue a contented and harmonious way of life can never come amiss, Paul knows that his Philippian friends are in better shape than that. It is not they, but their pagan neighbors, who can be described as a crooked and depraved generation. It is ...

843. Pressing on Toward the Goal

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... , speaking of the hardships endured by him on his way to Rome, says, “I am not hereby justified” (dedikaiōmai), implying that he will at last be justified when he has undergone a martyr’s death (To the Romans 5:1). I press on: Gk. diōkō; “I pursue,” “I follow on.” To take hold of that for which …: Gk. ei kai katalabō, “if indeed I may lay hold of …”; the use of ei (“if”) to introduce a clause of purpose is similar to that in v. 11, “in hope that …” (Gk. ei pōs). The ...

844. Abram Rescues Lot

Genesis 14:1-24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... One night Abram and his men came upon the forces from the East camped at Dan, at the base of Mount Hermon. Taking advantage of the darkness and the element of surprise, Abram immediately divided his troops into two companies. They attacked and routed their enemies, pursuing them as far as Hobah, a town north of Damascus. The enemy fled so quickly that they left the spoil they had taken. As a result Abram was able to recover all the goods, along with Lot and his possessions, the women, and other captives. 14 ...

845. The Three Visitors

Genesis 18:1-15

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... position with God contrasts with the fate of his nephew Lot. Abraham is about to realize God’s promise for an heir through Sarah. Conversely, Lot’s dream of becoming a citizen of Sodom is about to be shattered. Having separated from Abraham to pursue wealth and pleasure, Lot will lose all his possessions. By contrast, Abraham is increasing in wealth and reputation because of God’s blessing in his life. This chapter consists of two major sections. In the first, three visitors come to Abraham and Sarah ...

846. Judah and Tamar

Genesis 38:1-30

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... misfortune, rescue from disaster, and reversal of expectations” (S. Mathewson, “An Exegetical Study of Genesis 38,” BSac 146 [1989], p. 375). Furthermore, this story serves as an apology for the length of the nation of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt. In pursuing accommodation with the Canaanites, Judah threatened his house with loss of identity as a member of Jacob’s family. The implication of Judah’s conduct is that if Jacob’s sons had settled in Canaan, they would have assimilated with the local ...

847. Jacob Blesses His Sons

Genesis 49:1-28

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... word regarding Dan, he felt the need to express his desire that God would deliver the weaker tribes through the obstacles they were to face. 49:19 Gad would have to deal with attacks by a band of raiders. But he would be able to stand them off and then pursue them as they fled. Since this tribe settled in Gilead in the Transjordan, it felt the first brunt of most raids against Israel in the days of the judges. Four of these six words are a play on Gad’s name (gad). The first line reads gad gedud yegudennu ...

848. Offerings for Priests and Levites

Deuteronomy 18:1-8

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... were major landholders. But in Israel, the priesthood of Yahweh the liberator was not to be a tool of religiously sanetioned oppression. In the history of the Christian church, somehow the “clergy” sadly forgot this aspect of its biblical roots and pursued economic wealth and power, while reintroducing sacerdotal aspects of OT priesthood that it was meant to have shed in the light of the sacrifice of Christ. But secondly, the landlessness of Israel’s priestly tribe was not intended to impoverish them ...

849. Cities of Refuge (II)

Deuteronomy 19:1-14

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... deliberate murder of verse 13. The law thus enshrines a legal principle of fundamental magnitude: the innocent should not be punished, and the guilty should not go unpunished. Significantly, it notes that anger and haste are likely causes of injustice being done (pursue him in a rage, v. 6). The most notorious cases in recent British legal history of wrongful arrest and imprisonment of persons later shown to be innocent were the result of public anger at IRA terrorist outrages and the pressure on British ...

850. David’s Charge to Solomon

1 Kings 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... believed that Abner had come to Hebron to spy (2 Sam. 3:25), thus committing an act of war. The circumstances in which Amasa, so recently the commander of the rebel forces (2 Sam. 17:25), mysteriously fails to collect the men of Judah in time to pursue the rebel Sheba (2 Sam. 20:4–5) are even less clear. Is he simply incompetent, or is his delay deliberate? And is Joab really to blame, in view of what he knows of David’s character, if he interprets David’s implicitly critical words as signalling ...

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