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Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on

Showing 926 to 950 of 3926 results

926. Discipleship and Mission

Luke 10:1-24, Luke 9:57-62

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R.T. France

... It is a surprise to find so many disciples sufficiently committed and available at this stage. After the report of their return in 10:17 they will not be referred to again. two by two. Jesus probably sends them out in pairs for companionship and mutual support, but perhaps also because two witnesses were required for valid legal testimony (cf. Deut. 19:15). 10:2 The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. The following verses make it clear that the harvest is of people, to be won for the kingdom ...

927. Negative Responses to Jesus

Luke 11:33-36, Luke 11:29-32, Luke 11:14-28

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R.T. France

... perhaps also (in the light of 11:19) a warning against exorcisms that do not lead to faith. For the “seven other spirits,” compare 8:2. 11:27–28 Blessed is the mother who gave you birth. This is an impulsive comment by an enthusiastic supporter rather than a thought-out theological declaration about Mary (cf. 1:42, 45, 48). Jesus’s deflating response recalls 8:21 (see comment there). Family pride is subordinated to the demands of true discipleship. 11:29 It asks for a sign. The second of the ...

928. Getting Ready for the Passover

Luke 22:7-38, Luke 22:1-6

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R.T. France

... , the precise form of words to be used (including the title “the Teacher” used without explanation), and the fact that the room was available at this crowded period and already suitably “furnished” suggest that this provision had been agreed in advance with a supporter in Jerusalem. This meal was important to Jesus, and he had not left it to chance. 22:14 When the hour came. The Passover meal was eaten at night (Exod. 12:8). The two disciples have made the necessary preparations during the early ...

929. The Roman Verdict

Luke 22:66--23:25

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R.T. France

... would use for an alleged insurrectionist (as presumably it would have been for Barabbas), but the apparent enthusiasm to see a Jewish religious teacher killed in this barbaric foreign way indicates the extent to which Jesus the Galilean had failed to win the support of the Jerusalem crowd. Luke does not say explicitly that the Jerusalem priests instigated this “popular” demand (so Matt. 27:20; Mark 15:11), but in the flow of his narrative the crowd and the religious leaders seem by now to have merged ...

930. At the Tomb

Luke 24:1-12, Luke 23:50-56

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R.T. France

... :33. The women have been part of the disciple group, not merely hangers-on, but they, like the rest of the disciples, had hitherto failed to take this element of Jesus’s prediction seriously. 24:9 to the Eleven and to all the others. For the wider circle of supporters of Jesus at this time, see on 23:49. 24:10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them. For the first two names, see on 8:2–3. “Mary” was a common name, but comparison with Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15 ...

931. The Risen Jesus Revealed

Luke 24:13-35

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R.T. France

... We know nothing else of this man; it is possible that he is the Clopas of John 19:25, but that is speculation. Nor do we know whether his companion was male or female (Cleopas’s wife?). They are simply two among the group of Judean supporters of Jesus from whom, along with the Galilean disciples, the church in Acts will emerge. Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know? From the disciples’ point of view, the execution of Jesus dominated their recent experience. Others in the crowded city ...

932. The Commissioning of the Disciples

Luke 24:50-53, Luke 24:36-49

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R.T. France

... his hands and feet” (24:40) “and was taken up into heaven” (24:51) “worshiped him and” (24:52) Most interpreters nonetheless now accept these as part of Luke’s text,1but in any case none of them introduce anything that is not supported in the parallel texts. Historical and Cultural Background “Ghost” in 24:37, 39 translates pneuma, “a spirit.” In most cultures there is a popular belief that dead people can reappear in immaterial form and sometimes return after death to the places where ...

933. Paul Reinterprets the Story of Israel

Romans 2:17-29

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C. Marvin Pate

... the nations to bad-mouth God. This is clear indication that the story of Israel—their sin and exile—is front and center in Paul’s argument in Romans 2. But there is also potent irony in 2:24, as there is throughout 2:17–29, which strongly supports my reading of these verses. With that in mind, we look here at six instances of irony in 2:17–29 that combine to give the impression that Paul thought that Israel was still in exile precisely because they tried to keep the Torah: 1. Although Jews boasted ...

934. The Reversal of the Deuteronomic Curses and Blessings: Replacing Law with Faith

Romans 9:30--10:21

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C. Marvin Pate

... backing at the time and only one hundred dollars to begin. Winter said, “We were willing to fail because the goal we sensed was so urgent and strategic.” However, the center did not fail, and it has trained thousands of missionaries and support personnel and worked tirelessly to bring the vision of reaching hidden peoples to the wider church. In 2005 Time magazine included Winter as one of the twenty-five most influential evangelicals. In 2008 the North American Mission Conference gave him the lifetime ...

935. The Kindness and Sternness of God

Romans 11:11-24

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C. Marvin Pate

... to Israel the blessings of the covenant with God (cf. 11:28). In other words, God’s promise to the patriarchs (“the firstfruits”) ensures that Israel (“the whole batch”) will be holy one day. 11:17–18 You do not support the root, but the root supports you. In 11:17–24 Paul warns Christian Gentiles not to look down on Israel because of their present unbelief. The apostle to the Gentiles supplies three reasons for this warning. Verses 17–18 provide the first of these: Christian Gentiles are ...

936. Message to Sardis

Revelation 3:1-6

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J. Scott Duvall

... reality of Jesus’s diagnosis of their spiritual condition. Everyone thinks they are alive and well, yet Jesus pronounces them “dead” or “about to die.” While the entire community appears spiritually dead, there are some individuals who remain on life support, and a few others still in good spiritual health. Wake up! Strengthen what remains . . . Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. Jesus issues five commands to shock them back to life. The first, “Wake ...

937. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

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J. Scott Duvall

... 4 [2x], 8, 11), we again see God’s sovereign control of human history. Interestingly, these first four seals focus on the depravity of humankind as a means of showing that “God simply allows human sin to come full circle, turn in upon itself, and self-destruct.”3Revelation supports the notion that God’s judgments often involve allowing evil to run its course. Outline 5. The seal judgments (6:1–8:1) a. The first six seals (6:1–17) i. The four horsemen (6:1–8) (1) The rider on a white horse (6:1 ...

938. The Coming Judgment Calls for the Saints to Leave Babylon

Revelation 18:1-24

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J. Scott Duvall

... choose whom we will serve; then our God/god determines the outcome: eternal life in the new heaven and new earth, or a funeral where you mourn the sudden death of your god. We shouldn’t trust in earthly treasures because they cannot support us. They are false gods that will eventually collapse under the weight of faith. We also should not invest in earthly treasures because that keeps us from investing in heavenly treasures. This text offers a fitting occasion to discuss the role of material possessions ...

939. The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons

Leviticus 8:1-36

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... an alternative view, that God’s revelation took the form of an appearance of a miraculous glowing of “perfect light” from these gems as a sign confirming that the message was from God.2That priests might be expected to have a revelatory function finds support in the Arabic cognate for Hebrew kohen, “priest,” namely kahin, which means “soothsayer, seer.”3 8:9 the gold plate, the sacred emblem. The gold plate on the turban marks the priest as “Holy to the Lord” (Exod. 28:36). 8:10–11 ...

940. The Census and Duties of Levites

Num 3:1–4:49

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... 22,273. The census figures of Numbers 1–2 seem too large, while the number here seems too small for a population with 603,550 in its army. C. F. Keil speculates that only the firstborn after the exodus are being counted, but this explanation lacks supporting evidence. If the numbers of Numbers 1 are reduced by a factor of ten (see “Additional Insights” following the unit on Num. 1:1–2:34), 22,273 firstborn becomes a more reasonable figure. 4:2–49 Only male Levites thirty to fifty years of age ...

941. The Aaronic Blessing

Numbers 6:22-27

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... eighteen-year-old daughter even though she had left their home. According to reports, the young woman had been unwilling to live under her parents’ rules, yet she expected them to provide the continued rewards of being their child: $664 in weekly child support and college tuition. How very sad! When God allows suffering in our lives, it is for our salvation. Theological Reference: Question 26 in the Heidelberg Catechism, in commenting on what it means to say that God is our Father, states, Q. What do ...

942. Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Obedience

Num 15:1-41

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... ” in The Problem of Pain, describes the damned as successful rebels. He thus illustrates the nature of “defiant” or “high-handed” sinning. [The doctrine of hell, although barbarous to many,] has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of Our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason. If a game is played, it must be possible to lose it. If the happiness of a creature lies in self-surrender, no one can make that surrender but himself . . . and ...

943. Korah’s Rebellion

Numbers 16:1-50

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... 1. On is strangely omitted here. Had On dropped out of the rebellion? We will not come! Dathan and Abiram twice refuse to obey (vv. 12, 14). They may have suspected that Korah would have the fate of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10), so they play it safe and support Korah from a distance.2 16:13 Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out . . . to kill us in the wilderness? Moses says to the Korahites, “Isn’t it enough for you” to serve as Levites (v. 9)? Dathan and Abiram echo these words to mock ...

944. Balaam’s Final Prophecies: The Star and the Scepter

Num 24:15-25

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... name appears to have been “Simon Bar Kosiba,” but it was changed to “Bar Kokhba” (“son of star”) to associate him with the “star” of Numbers 24:17 and to identify him with the messiah.3Some rabbis, including the prominent Rabbi Akiba, supported the revolt and identified Simon as the messiah. Unfortunately, this revolt, like the First Jewish War with Rome (AD 66–73), was crushed by the Roman military machine. Christians have interpreted Numbers 24:17 as messianic since at least as early as ...

945. Joshua Appointed as Moses’s Successor

Numbers 27:12-23

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... leader takes time. Leaders have to grow in their ministry. They have to make some mistakes. But if allowed to grow and develop, and if they are endowed with God’s spirit of leadership, they can do great things. New leaders should be recognized and supported. History: Many of us grew up hearing tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. We may even have played games as children, dubbing a friend with a play stick-sword. In Great Britain, the ancient tradition of conveying knighthood continues ...

946. The Lord Thwarts a Curse

2 Sam 16:1-14

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... . Knowing that Absalom would soon march with his army to Jerusalem, David has hastily left the city and was forced once more to run for his life. In this crisis David has submitted to God’s sovereign will, but he also has prayed and wisely enlisted the support of those who remained loyal to him. In this next section we see his reliance on the Lord vindicated. As Abigail earlier did (1 Sam. 25:18), now Ziba brings provisions for David, and, in the face of hostile opposition from Shimei, a relative of Saul ...

947. The Lord Thwarts a Shrewd Counselor

2 Sam 16:15–17:29

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... is about to happen to his new master, who will also die with his feet dangling in the air (18:9–15). 17:27 When David came to Mahanaim. This literary unit closes as the preceding one began, with David’s receiving provisions (cf. 16:1). His supporters, who are from east of the Jordan, are foils for Absalom, “all the men of Israel,” and David’s nephew Amasa, who are trying to kill their rightful king (vv. 24–25).8 Theological Insights Though it may seem incongruous, in this and the preceding ...

948. Repentance and Victory

1 Samuel 7:2-17

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... exclusive worship of the one true God. e. Repentance does not insulate one from trouble. On the contrary, when the Philistines hear about Israel’s assembly at Mizpah, they attack (1 Sam. 7:10). But repentance and reconciliation to God do bring divine support amid trying circumstances and protection from one’s enemies. 2. The Lord is the one true God and his people’s only genuine source of security. As noted earlier, the Lord’s self-revelation in the storm confirms the wisdom of Israel’s decision ...

949. Israel Demands a King

1 Samuel 8:1-22

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... . This raises at least two problems: 1. From Israel’s perspective, the people do not view the request for a king as a rejection of the Lord. Like other nations, which claim that a god gives victory to their king, Israel wants a king who is supported by God and represents God in battle. So why does the Lord view their request as a rejection of his authority? It is obvious that Israel is dissatisfied with the arrangement under the judges, where God in response to a crisis raises up a leader who summons ...

950. Saul Forfeits a Dynasty

1 Samuel 13:1-15

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... he became king, while some Greek witnesses read “thirty years old,” perhaps on analogy with David (see 2 Sam. 5:4). How long did Saul reign? The NIV has “reigned . . . forty-two years,” appealing for support (see the margin) to Acts 13:21, which says he reigned for forty years (a figure that finds support from Josephus, though he says forty years in one place but twenty in another). The NIV has apparently taken the figure given in Acts as a rounded number and then combined it with the “two” in ...

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