Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 1076 to 1100 of 1306 results

1076. Abram and Lot Separate

Genesis 13:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... north of Jerusalem in the area of Benjamin. From here the lush Jordan Valley can be seen (13:10). Lot chooses the plain of the Jordan, which is comparable to Eden and Egypt. A person is known by his choices. Lot’s choice puts him in contact with Sodomites, people whose lives are contrary to God’s way (13:13). Only after the difference is settled does God get involved. He has been watching two of his children hammering out their differences, allowing each to live with the consequences of his choice. God ...

1077. Joseph Makes Himself Known

Genesis 45:1-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... northeast delta region. Unlike many immigrants who are consigned to desolate places, Jacob and his sons will move into lush land where harvests will be bountiful. Goshen is the perfect place for Jacob to settle his family. Here they can live without close contact with the native Egyptian people. As the brothers head back to Canaan they do so with Egyptian carts, new clothes, food, and provisions, with something extra for Benjamin (45:21–23). Joseph’s injunction that they not quarrel on the way (45:24 ...

1078. Preparations to Receive the Covenant

Exodus 19:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... warning against mingling religious observance and sexual practice (19:15) is likely due to sacred prostitution characteristic of the surrounding nations. Whoever touches the mountain will be either shot with arrows or stoned, so that symbolically the people avoid direct contact with one guilty of presumptuous sin (19:13). The descent of God on the third day is preceded by thunder, lightning, a thick cloud, and a loud trumpet blast (19:17). He arrives amid billowing smoke, raging fire, and violent trembling ...

1079. The Burnt, Grain, and Sin Offering

Lev 6:8-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... eat it if he also benefits from the same sacrifice as offerer (as when the blood is brought inside the tabernacle; Lev. 4:3–21). Purification offerings are most holy, but their blood and meat are paradoxically treated as though they are contaminated: what they contact is to be washed or destroyed (6:27–28; cf. 11:32–33, 35; Num. 31:20–23). This contamination can come only from the offerer, from whom it is removed, and it conveys to the altar residual pollution from sin or physical ritual impurity ...

1080. Separating Physical Impurities from Persons

Leviticus 11:1-47

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . God’s people are to obey his instructions simply because they trust him. Some kinds of animal carcasses convey temporary impurity to persons who merely touch them (11:24–40). Of these, carcasses of some rodents and reptiles additionally defile any object that they contact. But there is a striking exception: They do not contaminate a water spring or cistern (11:36). This principle that a source of purity would not be defiled explains how Jesus is not defiled when he touches lepers or is touched by a ...

1081. Cleansing From Infectious Skin Diseases

Leviticus 14:1-32

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... person (14:25–29) and use of oil and blood in the consecration of the priests (Lev. 8:12, 23–24, 30). The formerly skin-diseased person did not become holy as would a priest, but purification restored status among the holy people (broadly understood), who were eligible for limited contact with the holy sphere. This powerful enactment of return to purity and life would reassure those who had suffered not only physically but also from fear regarding their relationship with God.

1082. Separating Defilement from Sanctuary and Community

Leviticus 16:1-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... accumulated there throughout the year. These evils consist of severe physical ritual impurities, expiable “sins,” and rebellious “transgressions” (16:16). The impurities and expiable sins affect the entire sanctuary when purification offerings that remove these evils from their offerers contact parts of the sanctuary. (See Lev. 6:27 and commentary on 6:8–7:38.) Notice the “part for all” principle here, which also explains how blood on one part of an altar can affect the whole altar (cf. Lev ...

1083. Law of Purification from Corpse Impurity

Numbers 19:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... ritual is its effect on those who participate in burning the cow and storing its ashes: they incur minor ritual impurity that requires laundering clothes, bathing in water, and waiting until evening (19:7–10). Similarly, a pure person who later contacts water of purification containing some of the ashes in order to sprinkle them on a corpse-contaminated person or thing also becomes impure (19:21). Paradoxically, the ashes make pure persons impure but cleanse contaminated persons. This has puzzled scholars ...

1084. Living as People of the Name

Deut 14:1-29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... are called to bear the image and character of the living God in their persons and in their lifestyles (Exod. 19:6; see Harman, 155–63). For example, in the face of death, they are not to lacerate or mutilate their bodies, as if that would keep them in contact with the dead, or to cut off locks of their hair (14:1–2; v. 2 is a verbal repetition of 7:6). Ugaritic tablets from Ras Shamra, Syria, suggest such practices were part of the cult of the dead and fertility rituals. The creatures listed in verses 4 ...

1085. Detestable Practices

Deut 18:9-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... : (4) interpreting omens, (5) engaging in witchcraft, and (6) casting spells. The third class of false prophecy pretends to communicate with the dead or spirits: (7) serving as a medium, (8) consulting with familiar spirits, and (9) working as a necromancer, which means contacting the dead. There are three reasons why God’s people are not to try to get supernatural information or divine revelation by going any of these nine routes: (1) it is an abomination to the Lord (18:12); (2) God’s people should ...

1086. The Birth of Samson

Judges 13:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Samson will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until his death. In addition, while one of the stipulations the angel specifies involves prohibition against unclean food, such a prohibition is not found in Numbers 6. Instead, Numbers 6 emphasizes avoiding contact with the dead. But as different as these two stipulations seem to be, both essentially concern ceremonial cleanliness (cf. Num. 6:7). Since Samson’s mission as a deliverer who will most likely kill in combat effectively renders it impractical for ...

1087. David and Jonathan

1 Samuel 20:1-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... intentions. He asks Jonathan to give Saul a false excuse for his absence and to note Saul’s response: if Saul accepts the excuse, David is safe, but if Saul is angered, his desire to kill David remains. Sensing that Saul’s jealousy might make future contact with David impossible, Jonathan takes David outside for a long talk (20:11–23). He promises to carry out David’s wishes at the festival and to let David know if he should stay or flee. But beyond that, Jonathan wants to reaffirm his covenant with ...

1088. Saul’s Final Battle

1 Samuel 28:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... their troops at Shunem, in the Valley of Jezreel near the Sea of Galilee, and the Israelites gather at Mount Gilboa, toward the eastern end of the valley. Saul is terrified and turns to inquire of the Lord, but the Lord has long since broken off contact with Saul. Revelation from God normally came through dreams, prophets, or priests, but Saul has massacred the priests himself (22:18), and Samuel is dead. Apparently, Saul is not in touch with any other prophet. Saul goes to Endor, a few miles north of Mount ...

1089. Further Opposition to the Rebuilding

Nehemiah 6:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... if this is a prophetic message from God or a false message? He discerns that it is not from God because (1) a leader should not fear, and (2) Nehemiah, a layman, is prohibited from entering the temple (6:11–13). He realizes that Sanballat and Tobiah are using their contacts within the community to either intimidate or kill him. There are also apparently other prophets who do not support the wall-building project.

1090. The Third Feast—Esther Becomes Queen

Esther 2:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... The young virgins who have been chosen for the royal pageant are confined inside the palace and triply secure in the citadel of Susa, in the royal harem, under 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 ...

1091. Crisis in Perspective

Isaiah 7:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... the Messiah as the Immanuel, the Savior sent by the Father. Ahaz may have looked for a fulfillment and witnessed the desolation of Aram, but he did not understand the fullness of the prophetic witness. Ahaz’s policy pushes him into direct contact with Assyria (7:18–25). He appeals to Tiglath-Pileser (the “razor hired”). Others have looked to Egypt. The clash for power in the Mediterranean Basin will result in great devastation. Assyria is God’s appointed means and will “shave” Judah; that ...

1092. Not One is Upright

Jeremiah 5:1-31, Jeremiah 6:1-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God’s severe judgment. Were there even only one who would seek after truth, God would pardon the city! “Doing justice” (NIV “who deals honestly,” 5:1) refers to honorable and upright relationships, not only in the law court, but in every social contact or transaction. Justice is a prime requirement of God’s people. Some merely mouth the words of an oath (“As the Lord lives”). Taking the oath, however, is not proof that people mean it. Jeremiah participates in the research. The poor are not ...

1093. Jeremiah Thrown into a Cistern

Jeremiah 38:1-13, Jeremiah 38:14-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Jeremiah’s pacifist position enrages the officials (38:1–13). Their information may have come from Pashhur, a member of an earlier delegation (Jer. 21:1–10), or Jehukal (37:3–9), or through personal contact. Religious leaders earlier demanded a death sentence for Jeremiah (26:1–15). The officials are wrong in holding that Jeremiah is not seeking the good of the people. Zedekiah, like Pilate centuries later (Matt. 27:24–26), hands the prophet over to his accusers. Dissension among leaders bodes ...

1094. Trouble from Within

Jeremiah 40:1-6, Jeremiah 40:7--41:15

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of the Jordan, earlier were allies with Judah against Babylon. The murder of the Babylonian-appointed governor, along with the Babylonian soldiers, would be interpreted as insubordination. Babylon could be expected to bring quick reprisals. The motley group, having decided to head for Egypt, stops near Bethlehem. From there Johanan contacts Jeremiah for advice.

1095. Love for the Unlovely

Hosea 3:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... as a slave. Hosea does set down some restrictions on Gomer’s activities in order for them to restore their relationship. There is no reference to any punishment on Gomer or any comments about how their reunion goes, but Hosea does require that she stop all contact with her past sinful ways, thus restricting her from seeing other men. Hosea’s action is in some ways parallel to God’s dealings with Israel (3:4–5). Israel will be in exile for some time without a king or the ability to offer sacrifices ...

1096. The Man With Leprosy

Matthew 8:1-4

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... hearing the leper’s trust in Jesus’s healing ability (8:2–3). Matthew emphasizes Jesus’s authority and compassion as well as the importance of faith. Jesus touches the leper to heal him, a profound gesture to one who presumably rarely had physical contact during his illness (cf. Lev. 5:3 with Lev. 13:1–59). After healing him, Jesus commands him (1) to fulfill the requirements of the law for ritual cleansing with sacrifices, bodily washings, and purification rites (cf. Lev. 14:2–32); and (2) to ...

1097. A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

Matthew 9:18-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... approaches Jesus, asking him to come to his daughter who has just died and expressing his faith in Jesus’s ability to raise her (9:18). On his way to their home, a woman who has been subject to bleeding for twelve years approaches Jesus. Believing that contact with Jesus will heal her, she touches his cloak (9:20–21). Jesus declares that her faith has brought about her healing. The story ends with the raising of the ruler’s daughter as Jesus takes her by the hand. Matthew ties the two stories into one ...

1098. Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... on the Sea of Galilee, the fury of which threatens to sink the boat in which Jesus and the disciples are sailing. The following story, in 5:1–20, describes a demon-possessed man who wreaks havoc on himself and on all who come into contact with him. Both stories display Jesus’s power to rescue lives from cataclysms and from the chaos of both nature and human nature. The first account is replete with details reminiscent of eyewitness experience and is recounted in a way that recalls the storms of Jonah ...

1099. Jesus' Burial

Mark 15:42-47

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... God (15:39); now a member of the Jewish council that condemned Jesus gives him an honorable burial. Mark certifies the death of Jesus on the basis of three witnesses: Joseph (15:43), Pilate (15:44), and the centurion (15:45), two of whom have physical contact with the corpse. This grim fact is necessary and conclusive evidence that chapter 16 is about resurrection, not resuscitation. The body of Jesus was placed on a shelf cut into the side of a limestone cave, the mouth of which was sealed by a large, disk ...

1100. The Woman Caught in Adultry

John 7:45--8:11

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... needed to be in hand. No execution was possible without a solid case. Hence Sanhedrin records indicate judges who would even demand to know the color of the sheets on the bed. The law even distinguished intercourse from preliminary sexual contact. This extensive demand for evidence made adultery charges rare in Judaism since couples would naturally take precautionary measures to conceal themselves. However, the law was aware of men who, rather than divorce their wives for an illicit affair, chose to ...

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