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Showing 826 to 850 of 975 results

826. Judgment

Isaiah 5:1-7, Isaiah 5:8-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Isaiah may have sung his parabolic poem about the vineyard (5:1–7) at a wine festival, surprising his listeners with the application. He sings about a “friend” (NIV “loved one”) who gives himself with exacting care to the preparation of a vineyard. The vineyard, however, produces only sour grapes. Isaiah asks what else this “friend” could have done for the vineyard. The rhetorical question must be answered! The prophet then explains that the vineyard represents the people of Israel and Judah and that the ...

827. The Lord’s First Commission to Jonah and Jonah’s Disobedience

Jonah 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

1:1–3 · The Lord’s first commission to Jonah:While we cannot be certain exactly how God conveyed his message to Jonah, the initial phrase, “The word of the Lord came to Jonah,” typically introduces divine communication in the Old Testament. The Lord commands Jonah literally to “rise and go to Nineveh,” two commands that recur in Jonah’s second commissioning from God (3:1). The text characterizes Nineveh as a great city, most notably as the capital of Assyria. Nineveh’s inhabitants were well known for their ...

828. Second Explanation

Habakkuk 2:2-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Having voiced his protest against God’s explanation, Habakkuk assumes the position of a prophetic watchman (cf. Isa. 21:8; Jer. 6:17; Ezek. 3:17; 33:2–3). Habakkuk will wait in earnest anticipation for what God will say in response to his latest complaint (2:1–3). Again the language is figurative. As a watchman stands ready at his post to receive news from afar, so Habakkuk will prepare his soul for God’s message to him. The Lord’s reply is not long in coming. As a preliminary instruction, Habakkuk is told ...

829. The Parable of the Sower & Weeds

Matthew 13:1-23, Matthew 13:24-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

13:1–53 Review · Jesus’s third discourse—the Parables Discourse:Having narrated the rejection of Jesus’s messianic identity by Jewish leaders who represent “this generation” (11:16–24; 12:1–14, 22–45) as well as the wondering response of the Jewish crowds (12:23), Matthew follows up with an extended discourse by Jesus that comments on the varied responses to his kingdom message and also reveals more about the kingdom that Jesus is initiating. Called the Parables Discourse because it includes eight of Jesus ...

830. Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:15-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

In verse 15 Paul restates the question of verse 1, suggesting that some might argue that living under grace gives permission to sin. Paul forcefully rejects such a conclusion and explains its fallacy in 6:16–18, emphasizing that there are only two options: obedience to sin or obedience to righteousness. Believers should know that they are slaves of the master whom they obey, which is either sin or God (6:16). If sin controls people, the result is death, eternal separation from God (Gen. 2:17; 3:24). If ...

831. Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

12:1–15:13 Review · The reality of justification in the Christian community: In the fourth main section of his letter, Paul returns to the reality of the life of the followers of Jesus. He expounds further on the believers’ obedience, based on the power of love, in various areas of everyday life. The life of the believer is a life of self-sacrifice for God (12:1–2), made possible as a result of the ministry of the gifts of grace (12:3–8) and as a result of the reality of love (12:9–21). Christians continue ...

832. Exhortations to Persevere in Christian Faith

Hebrews 10:19-39

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

10:19–31 · The danger of apostasy:The author has completed his demonstration that salvation is to be found in Christ and is based on his sacrifice and not the Levitical rituals. Now he explicitly states and applies the purpose of that lengthy argument to the present crisis of faith in the particular community to which Hebrews is addressed. The exhortation that follows recapitulates the earlier exhortatory sections (2:1–2; 3:7–13; 4:1–11; 6:1–12) and confirms that the author has had a single purpose ...

833. God Disciplines His Sons

Hebrews 12:1-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

12:1–4 · Jesus, the superior example of faith:The author now imagines the ancient heroes of faith as a great company of spectators ready to cheer on his readers in a race the former have already completed but which the latter must yet run (12:1–2). The Christian athlete must divest himself of anything that will hamper him in this spiritual race, which is another way of saying that a chief principle of Christian spirituality is self-denial or self-discipline (cf. Matt. 19:27–29; 1 Cor. 9:24–27). Further, it ...

834. You Shall Be My Witness

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A picture is worth a thousand words. So let me try to paint the picture, with words. Better, you paint the picture in your mind as I tell the story. An 83-year-old grandmother is standing in the checkout line of a K-Mart store. She chats with a young boy who is very proud of his $5.98 watch he has just purchased. Somewhere in their friendly conversation she asks the boy where he goes to Sunday school. He doesn’t go. “Really? I think you’d like it. Could I call your mother and see if I can pick you up. We ...

835. I Wonder if God Exists

Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Recently, the Barna Research Group conducted an important poll to get the pulse of inquiring hearts about religion. They asked a cross section of American adults: “If you could ask God any question about your life, what is the single most important question you would want to ask him?” In addition, USA Today conducted a similar poll by asking readers, “If you could get in contact with God directly, and get an immediate reply, what would you ask?” Not surprisingly, the results of these polls yielded very ...

836. Clean and Unclean

Matthew 15:1-20

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

15:1–2 Knowledge of Jesus and his ministry had by this time spread throughout Palestine. Scribes and Pharisees came all the way from Jerusalem to question him about his activities. The scribes were Jewish scholars who copied the sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament and consequently became the professional interpreters of Scripture. The Pharisees were a religious order, primarily laymen, who devoted themselves to strict adherence to the law. Most scribes were Pharisees, but not all Pharisees were scribes ...

837. The Twelve Apostles

Luke 6:12-16

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

Introduction for the Disciples: Luke’s account of the choosing of the Twelve (6:12–16) is based on Mark 3:13–19, while his summarizing account of Jesus’ healings on the “level place” (6:17–19) is based loosely on Mark 3:7–12. Luke reversed the order of these Marcan units to accommodate the sermon that follows (6:20–49). As it now stands in Luke, Jesus goes up on a mountain (v. 12) to appoint the Twelve, then he descends to a plateau to teach and heal crowds (vv. 17–18), which leads quite naturally into the ...

838. Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two

Luke 10:1-24

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

Luke 9:51–18:14 represents material that Luke has inserted into his Marcan narrative (often called Luke’s “Big Interpolation”). C. F. Evans (see abbreviations) observed that the teaching part of the Central Section (10:1–18:14), beginning with the sending of the Seventy-two (10:1–20), corresponds to the teaching section of Deuteronomy (chaps. 1–26). Several compelling reasons support this observation. (1) In Luke 9:52 and 10:1 Jesus sends messengers “before his face” (the Greek rendered literally) as he ...

839. Jesus Appears to the Disciples

Luke 24:36-49

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

The appearance to the disciples in Jerusalem constitutes Jesus’ third resurrection appearance. Of the first two only one is actually narrated (the appearance to the two on the road to Emmaus, vv. 13–28), while the other is merely reported (the appearance to Simon Peter, v. 34). The appearance to the Eleven disciples will be Luke’s second narrated appearance of the risen Christ and it, like the first one, will culminate in an explanation of the relevance of Scripture for understanding the person and ...

840. All Israel Will Be Saved

Romans 11:25-32

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

So far in chapters 9–11 Paul has advanced his argument with care and deliberation. He has shown that from all peoples on earth God separated one people to receive his promise by faith. When the chosen people refused to believe and held fast to righteousness by law, God extended the promise to the Gentiles who received it by faith. But Israel’s rejection of God did not force God to a countermove of rejecting Israel. “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable,” says Paul (v. 29). From unbelieving Israel God ...

841. Food Sacrificed to Idols

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Contrasting Knowledge and Love At this point in the letter to Corinth Paul enters into the discussion of an issue that will engage him, in one way or another, through 11:1. While the concrete concern that calls for his attention is the issue of “food sacrificed to idols,” at a theological level his focus is Christian rights and responsibilities, especially regarding “knowledge” and “freedom” in lifestyle practices. Interpreters trace the course of Paul’s reflections in slightly different ways, for at one ...

842. The Rights of an Apostle

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

This chapter may appear to be an intrusion into the discussion of idols and eating foods that were sacrificed to an idol, but Paul takes himself and the matter of his rights as an apostle as an illustration of a proper demeanor for Christians. W. Willis (“An Apostolic Apologia? The Form and Function of 1 Corinthians 9,” JSNT 24 [1985], pp. 33–48) is correct in observing that this section of the epistle is not about Paul’s claiming of his rights as an apostle, despite the titles given to this portion of the ...

843. The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Problems in the Assembling These few lines are vitally related to the verses that follow, verses 23–26 and verses 27–34, although the weighty traditional nature of the ensuing verses distinguishes verses 23–34 from verses 17–22 and suggests the separation of the discussion of the Lord’s Supper into smaller, more manageable parts. Paul’s words and his concerns are straightforward, nearly self-evident, although the energy of his argument causes the discussion to shift about in a way that might be difficult ...

844. The Throne in Heaven

Revelation 4:1-11

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

A clear break in John’s book of visions is indicated by the events of 4:1. The seer sees an open door, and he hears the angel’s trumpetlike voice summoning him to enter through heaven’s portal. This passage into the visionary world will lead John to understand what will take place on earth. This is not to say that what follows in this chapter is unrelated to what precedes it; in fact, the various visions of this book are interrelated according to the seer’s own commission (cf. 1:19). In our view, it is ...

845. The Seals

Revelation 6:1-17

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

The judgment of God against a fallen world is one yield of the death and exaltation of Christ. The breaking of the seals, which opens the scroll and declares God’s decree of salvation, occurs as an essential part of Christ’s entrance into the heavenly throneroom. The seal judgments, and the trumpet judgments that follow, do not depict a sequence of future historical events; rather, they symbolize together God’s response to—and are in that sense co-terminus with—chapter five’s exaltation of the risen Lamb. ...

846. The Three Angels

Revelation 14:6-13

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

14:6–7 The function of angels throughout Revelation is to facilitate God’s redemptive program; this is the role, then, of another angel that John saw flying in midair (cf. 8:13; 19:17). In particular, this first of a triad of angels proclaims the eternal gospel … to those who live on the earth. John uses the technical word for gospel only here in Revelation; its use is made more striking since the angel intends it for the lost inhabitants of earth rather than for the saints who have trusted its claims and ...

847. The Fall of Babylon

Revelation 18:1-24

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

In chapter 18, John describes a variety of responses, from heaven (18:1–8, 20) and on earth (18:9–19), to the shocking news of Babylon’s destruction. These responses constitute the climactic scene of the seventh trumpet-plague and the “third woe” that precede the inbreaking of God’s reign on earth. Drawing upon biblical “doom-songs” and laments that were written of other city-states (cf. Beasley-Murray, Revelation, p. 262), John composes a dirge about Babylon’s destruction which deepens the significance of ...

848. The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:1-27

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

John’s final, most detailed and most important vision of Christ’s parousia is of a new heaven and a new earth, the Holy City, and the new Jerusalem where the dwelling of God is with men and the old order of things has passed away. Following the return of the Lamb, after his last battle and millennial reign, after the destruction of Satan, of his evil kingdom, and finally of death itself, the vision of the eschatological city of God “may be viewed as the climax not only of the book of Revelation, but of the ...

849. David Spares Saul's Life

1 Samuel 24:1-22

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Saul’s First Escape: Saul, having returned from an encounter with the Philistines, takes up his preoccupation with destroying David. 24:1–7 He knows that David is located in En Gedi and can be looked for not too far away from the water source. With three battalions of crack soldiers Saul may expect to deal with David’s six hundred scratch troops. It is greatly ironic that the only time that Saul came within reach of David he was unaware of it and utterly vulnerable. The discussion between David and his men ...

850. David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

2 Samuel 1:17-27

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

David’s Lament: David’s grief over the deaths of Saul, who had once been like a father to him, and of his friend Jonathan, was heartfelt. He found an outlet for that grief in writing poetry, and this lament is the result. 1:17–18 The insistence that all the men of Judah learn the lament is likely to have been politically motivated. If the Judeans could be shown as paying proper respect to Saul’s memory, there was a much greater likelihood of the northern tribes transferring their loyalty to David, who was ...

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