Sermon and Worship Resources

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 1051 to 1075 of 1249 results

1051. Victory and Serpents

Num 21:1-9

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... priests (Num. 18:14). Historical and Cultural Background A snake on a stick (Num. 21:9) was a symbol of healing elsewhere in the ancient world. Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, carried a rod with a snake on it, a symbol adopted in modern times by the American Medical Association. The cobra on Pharaoh’s headdress (the Uraeus, symbol of the goddess Wadjet) symbolized that Pharaoh was protected from his enemies. Moses’s snake similarly may have symbolized God’s protection. Some Canaanites worshiped ...

1052. David Runs for His Life—Again

2 Samuel 15:13-37

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... submits his destiny to the Lord’s sovereign will, recognizing that apart from the Lord’s favor, he will not be delivered and vindicated (vv. 25–26). To his credit, he refuses to try to manipulate God. But this does not mean that he adopts a fatalistic, do-nothing attitude. On the contrary, he prays specifically that the Lord will thwart the advice of Ahithophel, who has shifted his allegiance to Absalom (v. 31). Furthermore, he does everything in his power to set up a system of spies and counteragents ...

1053. Elihu Makes His Appearance

Job 32:1--37:24

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... God Always Acts Justly Big Idea: Elihu reasons that because God is always just, Job must necessarily be wicked. Understanding the Text In his second speech, in chapter 34, Elihu takes a tone that is more rigid than in his first speech (Job 33). Adopting the retribution theology of the three friends, Elihu argues deductively from the premise of the justice of God to the necessary conclusion that Job is a sinner. Because God is absolutely powerful and just, humans must not question his ways. By objecting to ...

1054. “You Will Fill Me with Joy in Your Presence”

Psalm 16:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... land . . . “They are the noble ones.” These very difficult verses are generally viewed in one of two ways. The first approach views verse 3 as an affirmation of the loyal devotion of the psalmist expressed in verses 1 and 2. The NIV adopts this approach, adding “I say” in verse 3, assuming that the “I say” that begins verse 2 still applies to verse 3. That means that the “holy ones” of verse 3 (NIV: “holy people,” qedoshim) would be the faithful Israelite believers (“saints”), thus ...

1055. “May the Net They Hid Entangle Them”

Psalm 35:1-28

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... contend,” and “fight against those who fight.” Human actions and God’s response have a direct connection. On the other hand, Psalm 18:25–26 depicts both sides of the formula, exhibiting “the device of repeated reciprocity to encourage the faithful to adopt a fruitful relation to Yahweh.”[13] It is in effect an expression of the covenant relationship stated in Psalm 18:24: “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.” God’s ...

1056. “You Have Given Me the Heritage of Those Who Fear Your Name”

Psalm 61:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... see “Historical and Cultural Background”).7 Theological Insights The verb “to dwell” (gur) in verse 4 carries the nuance of dwelling as a “resident alien” (or “sojourner”). In the ancient world this class of residents included those who had been settled in their adopted country for some time and as a result received certain privileges,8even though they were not full citizens. Abraham was a resident alien in Hebron (Gen. 23:4), Moses in Midian (Exod. 2:22), and Elimelek in Moab (Ruth 1:1), as ...

1057. “Your Love Is Better Than Life”

Psalm 63:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... things in life that he realized he was missing, and just to be out with a fishing rod in his hand and the quiet peace of nature all around was something he was newly discovering. Without judging people like these, we can admit that many of us need to adopt and learn to live by the motto “my whole being longs for you” (v. 1). When we live under that banner, and only then, will we come to confess that “your love is better than life” (v. 3). An expectation for worship Science: Many people have a very ...

1058. “When You Ascended on High, You Took Many Captives”

Psalm 68:1-35

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... the tribes in their appointed places. While the picture out of the suppliants’ social world may be the triumphal procession, the psalm is a review of Israel’s salvation history, which the Christian church has, on the witness of Jesus and the apostles, adopted as its own. The readers have the sense of being carried along on this journey of grace, or, in another sense, of being grandstand observers of the redemptive events, and of taking a front-row-seat position in Zion’s sanctuary. And the ultimate ...

1059. Daniel's Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... 29:1–14 that the exile is to end with Babylon’s fall, one would expect praise, thanksgiving, and festive celebration. Instead, Daniel’s pleading, prayer, petition, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes suggest that he is concerned, rather than relieved, by this knowledge.11 His adoption of these habits of crisis and mourning sets the tone for his prayer in 9:4–19. 9:4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed. The reader is also surprised by Daniel’s passionate confession, begging the question of the ...

1060. Closing

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... the divine throne-chariot, so that they work together or even interchangeably on the merkabah (see on 2:14; 5:10). By the same token, there is an intimate relationship, or perhaps even identity, between Christ and the Spirit (cf. 3:17). On the interpretation of 2 Cor. 13:14 adopted here, see Martin Hengel, “Das Bekenntnis zum dreieinigen Gott (2. Kor 13, 11–13),” TBei 16 (1985) 195–200.

1061. God’s Covenant with Abram

Genesis 15:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Abram has a major concern. He is still childless, and apparently resigned to that fact. For he is prepared to designate his servant Eliezer as the heir to his estate (15:2). This procedure reflects a law from Nuzi in ancient Mesopotamia that says a childless father might adopt a servant and name him as heir. God’s first word to Abram is about himself. His second word (15:4–6) is about Abram. First, there is the promise of a natural heir (15:4), and then there is the promise of legions of descendants (15 ...

1062. Manasseh and Ephraim

Genesis 48:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ’s earlier workings in his own life (48:3–4; cf. 35:11–12). Jacob refers to Ephraim, then Manasseh (48:5), reversing the order of verse 1. This anticipates the reversal of order that will be spelled out later in the chapter. Jacob will adopt these two sons, which explains why Manasseh and Ephraim are reckoned as sons of Jacob. Jacob’s eyes may be failing, but his spiritual insight is not. Joseph lines up Manasseh, the firstborn, opposite Jacob’s right hand, and Ephraim, the younger son, opposite ...

1063. Birth, Preservation, and Preparation of Moses

Ex 2:1-15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... channel of the Nile, knowing that was where Pharaoh’s daughter would be bathing. Even though the boy is recognized as a Hebrew child, Pharaoh’s daughter defies the decree, accepts Miriam’s bold offer to find a nurse for him, and adopts him as her son. There is evidence from the eighteenth dynasty of bringing foreign princes to be trained in Pharaoh’s court. Nevertheless, in the context of the official policy toward the Israelites, these actions are extraordinary. The name that Pharaoh’s daughter ...

1064. Infections and Mildew

Lev 13:1-59

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... skin texture. Diagnosis of mold in garments of fabric or leather, worn over the skin, is analogous to that of skin disease (13:47–59). The ritual impurity of surface disease was contagious, severe, and associated with death (Num. 12:12). So persons diagnosed with this condition are required to adopt the appearance of mourners, warn others of their presence (13:45), and dwell outside the Israelite camp in order not to defile it, because the holy God is in residence there (13:46; cf. Num. 5:2–3).

1065. The Arrangement of Tribal Camps

Numbers 2:1-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to 1212 BC) pictured in his temple at Abu Simbel in southern Egypt (see photo). Including the Levites, there are thirteen tribes descended from the twelve sons of Israel (formerly Jacob). There are thirteen because Jacob granted Joseph a double inheritance by adopting his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who each became a tribe (see Genesis 48). The Levite tribe is to camp inside the hollow square, around the sanctuary, in order to guard its sanctity and thereby protect the Israelites from an outbreak of ...

1066. Israelites Fight the Benjamites

Judges 20:1-48

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that whatever remorse they have shown is soon forgotten after they receive the Lord’s promise of victory, for they go out and do exactly what they have planned to do all along, almost annihilating the entire tribe of Benjamin. The battle strategy Israel adopted was likely inspired by memory of their victory against Ai in Joshua 8. The two bear remarkable resemblances in that both involve a fake defeat to lure the enemy out, an ambushing unit to take the largely defenseless city, and the setting of the ...

1067. The Third Feast—Esther Becomes Queen

Esther 2:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the watchful eye of a eunuch named Hegai. Once in the harem, the young women seemingly have very little contact with the outside world (2:11). Mordecai the Jew (2:5; 5:13), of the tribe of Benjamin, appears on the scene as Esther’s older cousin who has adopted her after the death of her parents and who has raised her in his own household. Mordecai is a second- or third-generation exiled Jew who is well entrenched in the culture of Persia and who has risen through the ranks in the courts of the king. His ...

1068. Proverbs of Solomon

Proberbs 10:1--22:16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... significant and therefore to be taken into consideration when interpreting each verse? Or should one view each proverb as an independent literary unit and interpret it as such? The second approach has dominated commentaries in the past and is adopted in the recent commentary by Tremper Longman III (see Longman 2006). For more than two decades, however, the first approach has been explored in numerous learned monographs and briefer studies and employed by most contemporary commentators, most fully by ...

1069. Hermeneutical Reflections

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... as a proper means for guiding the people. Verse 12 is difficult to translate. The NJPS prefers “A further word” (as in 12:9, similarly NKJV), while the NIV translates the Hebrew phrase as “in addition to” (as in Esther 6:6). Here the editor adopts the typical wisdom form of address, “my son,” which does not occur elsewhere in Ecclesiastes but is prevalent in Proverbs 1–9 and 23–24. He warns the “son” against devoting equal attention to the countless other books that are not of similar ...

1070. A Prayer for God’s People

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Isaiah publicly proclaims the acts of the Lord’s love (Hebrew hesed) for his people, whom he adopted as his sons and daughters (63:7–14). He redeemed them in the expectation that they would be loyal to him. However, they were unfaithful and opposed his will (“grieved his Holy Spirit,” 63:10). The past era of grace and compassion is over. The godly look back over the ...

1071. Failure to Learn from History

Jeremiah 44:1-30, Jeremiah 45:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... settled in Egypt. Their religion is anything but a pure Yahweh religion. Burning incense and worshiping other gods are violations of the first commandment. God’s fierce anger is unleashed only after his repeated calls for repentance have been spurned. By adopting the gods of Egypt, the remnant Jews jeopardize their own welfare and that of future descendants. The accusation part of the judgment speech focuses first on sins committed (44:8–9) and then on things left undone: self-humiliation, reverence for ...

1072. Punishment of War and Captivity

Hosea 8:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... at the one true temple in Jerusalem, the Israelites have multiplied altars for giving sacrifices throughout the country. Most of these are pagan altars, so instead of appearing more devoted to God, the people actually have become more sinful. Since they have adopted the Canaanites’ rituals and their theological concepts of morality, many of the Israelites totally ignore God’s laws (8:12; cf. 4:6). In fact, God’s laws about sacrificing (Leviticus 1–5) seem very strange to them. When the people do ...

1073. Judah’s Idolatry

Zephaniah 1:4-13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a prophetic metaphor of the day of Yahweh. The guests have been consecrated to participate as priests in the sacrifice. The sacrifice consists of the leaders of Judah: the princes, the royal household, and the courtiers. The aristocracy of Judah has adopted a pagan way of life and idolatrous practices, symbolized by their being clothed in “foreign clothes” (1:8). The courtiers are those who “avoid stepping on the threshold” (1:9). Several interpretations of this phrase have been proposed: (1) they ...

1074. Birth and Infancy

Matthew 1:1-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... 16). 1:1–2:23 Review · Matthew begins the infancy narrative of Jesus by emphasizing Jesus’s lineage from Joseph (1:1–17) and Mary’s conception of Jesus from the Holy Spirit. He resolves the tension between these two by narrating Joseph’s adoption of Jesus (1:18–25). He highlights Jesus’s Jewish and Davidic ancestry, the surprising presence of Gentiles in his lineage, and the themes of exile and restoration now enacted in Jesus the Messiah of Israel, who is Immanuel, “God with us.” Matthew ...

1075. The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Luke 1:26-38

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... superiority of Jesus’s birth are heightened because he will be born of a virgin (not just barren parents) and will sit on David’s throne (unlike John, who will prepare the way of the Lord). The emphasis on Davidic sonship is first implied in verse 27, for by adoption Jesus becomes Joseph’s son. Verses 32–33 plainly show that Jesus will be the promised Messiah from the line of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:9–16). The text, of course, goes a step further: Jesus is not just the Son of David but also the Son of ...

Showing results