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 1354 results

1051. Lamps, Cakes, and the Blasphemer

Lev 24:1-23

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... offensive. It is still more appropriate to say that when the offender is a professing Christian. A collective expression of Christian moral outrage can be fitting at times. We should still be jealous for the name and reputation of our God and defend it where appropriate. Illustrating the Text Stoning was and is a particularly gruesome punishment. Informational: Stoning was a punishment for blasphemy in the Bible. It endured as a punishment in postbiblical times and has been revived as a form of execution by ...

1052. The Choice: Obedience or Punishment

Lev 26:1-46

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... . 2:20; Ezek. 5:10; cf. Lev. 26:29), as had previously happened in Israel (2 Kings 6:25–30). Jerusalem is eventually burned and plundered (2 Chron. 36:18), including the holy temple (2 Kings 25:9; cf. Lev. 26:31). Many are slaughtered; some die while defending or hiding in the temple precincts (2 Chron. 36:17; cf. Lev. 26:30b). Thousands are deported to Babylon (2 Kings 25:11–12; Jer. 52:27–31), where no doubt they cower in fear and suffer further atrocities (cf. Lev. 26:36–39). Those who remain in ...

1053. Following God’s Leading

Num 9:15–10:10

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... wilderness. Jumping past the censuses taken in the first month (Num. 1–4), the text goes on to describe the silver trumpets made to direct the Israelites to their formations during the march, or to worship at the tent of meeting, or to defend themselves against enemies in war (Num. 10:1–10). At that point, everything has been prepared for the journey, and six days after celebrating the Passover to commemorate the event that had led to their deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites depart from Mount Sinai ...

1054. Korah’s Rebellion

Numbers 16:1-50

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... salvation on the basis of Christ’s intercession and sacrifice for us (Heb. 7:25; 9:26) Illustrating the Text False teachers twist Scripture to suit their own needs. Cults: As James Sire points out in his book Scripture Twisting,5religious cults often defend their heretical views by distorting the teaching of Scripture. Such twisting of the Bible can take the form of misquotation or quoting words out of context. Sometimes it takes figuratively a text that is meant to be taken literally, or vice versa. But ...

1055. Balaam’s Donkey

Numbers 22:21-41

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... can cause people to destroy the world’s beauty and mysteries and lead them to abuse other people, especially if we think of them as mere savages. Cameron is right that we should be stewards of God’s creation and not destroy it. But the theology that Cameron uses to defend nature is, in the end, anti-Christian. Eywa is not the God of the Bible. Cameron is more like Balaam than Moses.

1056. Balaam’s First Three Oracles

Num 23:1–24:14

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... power to manipulate God to thwart God’s protection (Num. 23:21–23). “How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?” (Num. 23:8). God still protects those who put their trust in him. Christ defends and lays down his life for us, his sheep (John 10:11–18; cf. Ps. 23:1). Nothing, including angels, demons, and the powers of the occult, can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:38–39). We should look to God for protection. 3. God blesses ...

1057. Balaam’s Final Prophecies: The Star and the Scepter

Num 24:15-25

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... 1–14). This verse was taken as messianic, however, by the rabbis (e.g., Targum Onqelos), by the Jews at ancient Qumran, and by early Christians such as Justin Martyr (see “Additional Insights” following this unit), and this view still has defenders in modern times.1Its possible allusion to Genesis 49:10 lends the messianic view some support. “Foreheads” (pe’ah) is literally, “the corners [of their heads].” This may indicate foreheads or temples (NIV, ESV, NASB, NKJV). Compare Leviticus 19:27 ...

1058. Reviewing the Past

Numbers 33:1-56

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... the Amalekites attack Israel, though they are defeated by Israel as Moses lifts his arms in prayer (Exod. 17:6–15). It was perhaps in the vicinity of Wadi Feiran, the only oasis in the Sinai Peninsula significant enough to lead the Amalekites to fight to defend it.14 33:15 The Desert of Sinai. Here Israel receives instructions for the tabernacle. Israel camps at Sinai (Horeb) for nearly a year (see Exod. 19:1; Num. 10:11). Although some have sought the location of Mount Sinai in the northern Sinai, the ...

1059. David the Conqueror

2 Sam 5:6-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... statement.3(2) If one follows the reading of the Hebrew text, then the lame and blind are described as hating David. The terms “lame” and “blind” are figurative, playing on the boastful claim of the Jebusites that even the blind and lame can defend the city (v. 6). If one follows the marginal reading, then the lame and blind are the objects of David’s disdain. But this does not mean that David dislikes those with handicaps (cf. his kind treatment of Mephibosheth); it refers instead to his attitude ...

1060. “Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave”: Power Poisons the Conscience

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... , who “stabbed” (nakah) innocent Abner so that he “died” (mut; 2 Sam. 3:27), and of the assassins who “stabbed” (nakah) and “killed” (mut) innocent Ish-bosheth (2 Sam. 4:7). 11:16 he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. Joab recognizes the folly of David’s plan, but this loyal general also realizes he must carry out the spirit of his master’s command.3There is no way Uriah can “safely” die without sacrificing some others as well. 11:25 Don’t let ...

1061. A Prodigal Son Comes Home in Body, but Not in Spirit

2 Sam 14:1–15:12

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... , and see themselves as more interesting and gifted than they really are. “We have prepared you for a world that does not exist,” says Neusner. “Outside, quitters are not heroes.” They will be “ill-advised” if they continue to do that in the outside world. There they had “best not defend errors but learn from them.”

1062. Saul’s Finest Hour

1 Sam 11:1-15

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... have questioned his ability to “save” Israel (10:27), but Saul’s statement is an appropriate response because it reminds them, and everyone, that the Lord, not a human leader (no matter how impressive or unimpressive his appearance), is Israel’s defender.7 11:14 renew the kingship. Contrary to what some source critics have assumed, this is not an alternate Gilgal tradition of Saul’s anointing that contradicts the Mizpah tradition recorded in chapter 10. Here Samuel refers to reaffirming, or ...

1063. David on the Run

1 Sam 21:1–22:5

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... the Lord’s direct intervention (19:23–24). Apparently unaware of Saul’s latest attempts to kill David (19:9–24), Jonathan was confident that his father would not harm David (cf. 19:6–7). But when Saul rejected Jonathan’s latest attempt to defend his friend, and Jonathan had to dodge one of his father’s spears (20:30–33), Jonathan realized the truth and warned David. The situation looked bleak for David, but he still had a devoted friend and protector in Jonathan. The narrator keeps David ...

1064. Saul on the Rampage

1 Samuel 22:6-23

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... he views as the greatest threat to his throne and undoubtedly suspects is the successor the Lord has characterized as “better” than he is (15:28). Saul’s hostility toward David reached a new low when he tried to kill his own son Jonathan for defending David’s honor and loyalty (20:32–33). But it reaches an even deeper level when he slaughters the Lord’s priests and an entire town, including women, children, and livestock. By opposing David, the Lord’s chosen servant, Saul is opposing God and ...

1065. The Lord Guides, Encourages, and Protects David

1 Samuel 23:1-29

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... molested young women and men, often using religious language and, in some cases, their belief system, to abet their crime. Court cases have been fought and are pending in many denominations and faith persuasions in which the perpetrator appears unrepentant and even defends his or her own behavior. Stories abound on the web. There are local fundamentalist groups and individuals who believe God has spoken to them and who abuse power in their families, their churches, or the institutions they lead in the name ...

1066. David Spares Saul’s Life—Again

1 Samuel 26:1-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... , The eyes of God to watch over me, The ear of God to hear me, The Word of God to speak for me, The hand of God to protect me, The way of God to lie before me, The shield of God to shelter me, The host of God to defend me, Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks ...

1067. Eliphaz

Job 4:1-5:27

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... as a tent held up by frail cords, or perhaps, by tent pegs. As soon as adversity blows on them, humans are prone to collapse, before they acquire wisdom. Theological Insights The book of Job is often regarded as an example of theodicy, which is the attempt to defend or explain the ways of a good God in light of the existence of evil. At the end of the book, Job is not given an explanation about his adversity, but he does come to the realization that Yahweh is all-wise and all-powerful, and above all ...

1068. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... speech in Job 4–5, Job responds in chapters 6 and 7. In chapter 6, Job indirectly refers in a few places to what Eliphaz has said, but he does not actually refute him point by point. Job’s speech, rather, is an emotional outburst in which he defends himself and attacks his friends. Job is clearly frustrated with his painful situation (6:1–13) and with what he sees as the disloyalty of his friends (6:14–23). He demands that they speak honestly and kindly to him (6:24–30). Like the friends, Job ...

1069. Eliphaz Condemns and Counsels Job

Job 22:1-30

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... the comfort that Job has hoped to receive from him. Eliphaz evidences that simple answers may not accurately resolve the complex questions in life. In addition to not seeing Job’s situation clearly, Eliphaz also has misconceptions about God. As he tries to defend the retribution principle, his reasoning leads him to the conclusion that retribution works so consistently that even God is unaffected by the good or evil that humans do. Eliphaz wants to impress on Job that God is not arbitrary but that he acts ...

1070. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... for those who are poor and needy. As Exodus 2:23–25 demonstrates, God’s compassion for the Israelites who are crying out to him in their Egyptian bondage prompts him to intervene powerfully to deliver them from their oppression. The Lord is the defender of those who are most vulnerable in society, such as the orphans and the widows (Pss. 113:5–9; 146:8–9). Set against this theological backdrop, Job’s argument in this chapter takes on even greater significance. The same God who sides with the ...

1071. “In Peace I Will Lie Down and Sleep”

Psalm 4:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... was to be recited or sung to the accompaniment of stringed instruments.3 4:1 my righteous God. Give me relief. The phrase “my righteous God” means that God is the standard of righteousness, the supporter of the righteous, and their defender. (On the name “God,” see the sidebar “The Divine Names.”) The Hebrew word behind “give relief” means “to make wide,” and the noun derivative means “plaza” (Ezra 10:9, “plaza of [NIV: “square before”] the house of God”). Spatially, the ...

1072. “The Lord . . . Rules the World in Righteousness”

Psalm 10:1-18, Psalm 9:1-20

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... ; 29:10; 47:2; 95:3) and as a verb (the Lord reigns, 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; 146:10). The force of this description is that the Lord, who is King over the nations (10:16), listens to the cry of the oppressed and defends the “fatherless” (10:14), to obviate the repressive power of earth’s rulers. Being a just God, he will act for the cause of justice. 10:18 mere earthly mortals. Merely human as compared to divine (see “Theological Insights”). Theological Insights In one respect, the ontological ...

1073. “When I Awake, I Will Be Satisfied with Seeing Your Likeness”

Psalm 17:1-15

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... In those legal cases that were too difficult for the courts, individuals could go to the temple and appear before the priest or the judge and receive his decision (Deut. 17:8–13). Some scholars propose that Psalm 17 reflects such an instance, and the defendant stayed overnight to receive the decision the next morning (17:3, 15).2 The form critics are inclined to date this psalm in the late preexilic or early postexilic era, assuming that the psalmist is in the temple (17:3) awaiting his answer.[3] However ...

1074. “The King Rejoices in Your Strength, Lord”

Psalm 21:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... Insights When one reads through the Old Testament, one is struck by the frequency and the assumed normality of war. And, of course, those who accept the teachings of Jesus find this feature of history extremely troubling. How do we explain, not to mention defend, the endorsement of war? One explanation is to say that Israel lived in a warmongering world, and they merely reacted to threat and conflict in the same way their neighbors did. In fact, if they had not, they would have been extinguished by their ...

1075. “I Confess My Iniquity; I Am Troubled by My Sin”

Psalm 38:1-22

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... will do nothing to help him, while his enemies vigorously make their sinister plans.16 38:13 I am like the deaf, who cannot hear. As the suppliant watches his world disintegrate, the physical torment and social alienation immobilize him so much that he cannot defend himself against his enemies. 38:15 Lord, I wait for you. Given his inability to react, the psalmist appeals to the Lord. The verb “wait” (yhl) carries the nuance of “hope” (see Ps. 31:24). 38:17 For I am about to fall. The word ...

Showing results