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 1151 to 1175 of 4340 results

1151. Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:4-25

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... conveys her importance. For this operation God caused . . . a deep sleep to fall on the man. God sometimes used such a deep sleep when he communicated directly with a human (15:12). Being asleep, the man did not contribute anything to the woman’s structure or character. In order that the helper might fully correspond to the man, God made her from a part of the man’s side rather than of the dust from which he had created both the man and the animals. “Side” is a better rendering for tsela’ (so NIV ...

1152. Hagar and Ishmael

Genesis 16:1-16

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... come to full term and the number of deaths at childbirth in ancient times, this promise of bearing a healthy boy was an assuring word to Hagar. The messenger then spoke about the character of the child. Hagar was to name the child Ishmael, meaning “God has heard,” for indeed Yahweh had heard of her misery. Ishmael’s character would be comparable to that of a wild donkey or an onager. The onager, a sturdy animal of the desert, is impossible to domesticate. In exchange for its fierce love of freedom, it ...

1153. Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessing

Genesis 27:1-40

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... given her during her troubled pregnancy (25:23). Each son obediently carries out his parent’s instructions. The key figure is Rebekah, whose plans direct the drama. In hearing this story we should not classify the characters as good versus bad. All the characters have both admirable and deplorable traits. Esau is cast as genuine, simple, and accepting. Carefree, he does not protect himself from unforeseen obstacles. Thus he receives sympathy for his naive vulnerability. Jacob, dominated by his mother ...

1154. Atonement for an Unsolved Murder

Deuteronomy 21:1-9

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... for an unsolved murder. Chapter 19 deals with procedures where a killer (intentional or accidental) is known to the community. But if the killer is not known, it is not enough just to “leave the case open.” Bloodshed defiles the land (the land whose special character is emphasized in verse 1 and repeated in verse 23), and brings guilt on the whole people (cf. v. 8), thus exposing them to Yahweh’s anger. So this law provides a ritual to deal with that guilt and pollution and to exonerate the community ...

1155. Moab Revolts

2 Kings 3:1-27

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... again knows nothing of what is happening, v. 12), but four lepers. It is consistent with this general picture that it should be a servant of the king who in 2 Kgs. 3 is able to direct the king to the required prophet. See further U. Simon, “Minor Characters in Biblical Narrative,” JSOT 46 (1990), pp. 11–19. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah: What this means is not clear. The NIV’s guess that it has something to do with Elisha’s role as Elijah’s servant is plausible. The context in ...

1156. Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

Isaiah 36:1-22

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... with their implicit critique of Hezekiah as the king responsible for the policies that Isaiah attacks in those chapters. There is an ambiguity about the OT’s account of Hezekiah’s character and about his achievements. Perhaps that reflects an ambiguity about Hezekiah’s actual character and achievements. Different accounts, therefore, can be illuminating in their selectivity for different audiences in different situations with different needs. 36:1–3 Sennacherib begins his campaign by achieving the ...

1157. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... verses 12–13 and 15, showing that the images of unfaithfulness in this chapter are intended to build to a climax. Bad as the presence of an idol at the north gate of the temple might be, there is worse to come. 8:7–13 At this point, the dreamlike character of the vision comes to the fore. Rather than going through the north gate into the temple court, God shows Ezekiel a hole in the wall of the gate complex and tells him to burrow into it. He does so and finds a doorway that opens into a chamber in ...

1158. Two Adulterous Sisters

Ezekiel 23:1-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... first, which tells us their identity at the outset: Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem (v. 4; for Samaria and Jerusalem as sisters, see 16:46 and Jer. 3:6–10). After the typical opening formula (v. 1) and the introduction of the characters (vv. 2–4), the allegory tells of each sister in turn. Verses 5–8 describe the deeds of Oholah, together with her fate (vv. 9–10). Then the narrative describes Oholibah’s actions. Rather than learning from her sister’s example, Oholibah exceeds Oholah ...

1159. Jerusalem’s Siege, in Parable and Sign

Ezekiel 24:1-14, Ezekiel 24:15-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... know only of the prophet’s obedience—what Ezekiel does, not what he thinks or how he feels. The reader might think of the grim account of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22, which is likewise spare and laconic. Western literature usually tells us what characters in a story are thinking and feeling. But Hebrew narrative rarely gives us access behind people’s eyes. Perhaps this is in large measure why we find the Old Testament so difficult to read. We have to work, reading carefully to infer or deduce why ...

1160. Prologue to the Law of the Temple: The Lord Comes Home

Ezekiel 40:1--43:12

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... 48, p. 508; Rudnig, Heilig und Profan, p. 412; Konkel, Architektonik, p. 366; and Odell, Ezekiel, p. 493), the court is in the middle of the complex, so that the altar . . . in front of the temple (v. 47) is at its very center. Consistent with the bare-bones character of this vision, there is no description of the altar (but see 43:14–17). Conspicuous by its absence from Ezekiel’s vision is the bronze sea (2 Chr. 4:2–5//1 Kgs. 7:23–26), a huge basin of fresh water placed in the forecourt of Solomon ...

1161. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... reading. Most likely, faced with an unfamiliar word, the Gk. translators simply transliterated the term into Greek characters and left it untranslated (see 40:13, where the LXX reads thee for the unfamiliar architectural term taʾ [“chamber”] in the MT; compare the ... rendering of Aramaic words in Gk. characters in Mark 5:41; 7:34; 14:36; 15:22, 34). That the transliteration makes sense in Gk. is an unintended ...

1162. Jesus the Messiah from Joseph’s Family Line

Matthew 1:1-17

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... important theological themes in our preaching or teaching of Matthew. On the other hand, we might be tempted to miss the forest for the trees. Matthew’s desire is not that we choose our favorite Old Testament characters who show up in the genealogy and make multiple connections between that character and Jesus (a kind of allegorizing). Instead, we should keep the big picture in view, since Matthew guides us to focus on major junctures of the genealogy. By attending to the broad strokes of the genealogy ...

1163. Jesus Adopted by Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... which the couple was married, and the wife lived with the husband’s family.1 1:19 a righteous man. Matthew identifies Joseph as “a righteous man” (dikaios) and connects this character trait to Joseph’s intention to divorce Mary quietly. Matthew might intend to connect Joseph’s righteous character to his intention to be merciful to Mary (he meant to divorce her quietly, without public disgrace). It is also possible, given Matthew’s frequent connection between righteousness and Torah obedience ...

1164. Jesus as True King of Israel

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:1-12

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... s decision making. As he has already done at 1:22–23, Matthew uses fulfillment quotations to connect Jesus’ story to the Old Testament story of Israel (2:5–6, 15, 17–18, 23). In addition, the theme of Gentile inclusion reappears through the characters of the non-Jewish magi, who seek Jesus and worship him as king. Interpretive Insights 2:1 born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is located about six miles east of Jerusalem. The reason for Mary and Joseph’s presence in Bethlehem is not explained by Matthew ...

1165. Jesus’ Compassion and Authority to Feed and Heal

Matthew 15:21-28, Matthew 15:29-39

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... Matthew narrates that Jesus gives no response to her.[3] Commentators and other readers are prone to rescue Jesus at this point by attributing altruistic intentions (e.g., he is testing the woman to draw out her faith). Yet unless we provide motives for the characters, the story reads as if Jesus expresses hesitation in granting healing to a Gentile (15:24, 26), as in 8:5–7 (see comments there). The problem with importing such motives is that the text gives no particular clues for doing so. This fits the ...

1166. The Disciples Confess Jesus as the Messiah

Matthew 16:1-4, Matthew 16:5-12, Matthew 16:13-20

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... is certainly the case in teaching the Bible to children, where we tend to minimize the faults of biblical figures, especially those we have difficulty explaining to children (e.g., sexual sins of Judah, of David, etc.). Yet by idealizing and moralizing these characters, we not only do a disservice to the authors’ intentions; we also run the risk of downplaying the theological themes of these narratives, in which God is the focus (and hero). Illustrating the Text To confess Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son ...

1167. Jesus Demonstrates Status Inversion in the Kingdom

Matthew 19:1-12, Matthew 19:13-15, Matthew 19:16-30

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... disciples’ concern for status categories is conspicuous in their treatment of children (19:13–15; cf. 18:1–5) and their assumptions about marriage (19:10) and about the status of the wealthy before God (19:16–26). Although the disciples and Jesus have been focal characters in the narrative since 16:21, in 19:3 a group of Pharisees makes an appearance in the story (last seen at 16:1–4), testing Jesus on his teaching about divorce (19:3–12; see also 12:1–14; 15:1–20). Interpretive Insights 19 ...

1168. Mary’s Song—the Magnificat

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... pregnancy (1:26, 36), Mary’s stay with her relative lasts until close to the time when John is due to be born; if she stayed for the birth, Luke does not tell us so. Theological Insights Mary’s song reveals two complementary aspects of the character of God well known from the Old Testament. He is the mighty warrior who overthrows those who oppose him, but he is also the God of the covenant whose love and faithfulness ensure the ultimate blessing of his chosen people. So the theme of God’s fulfillment ...

1169. The Birth of John

Luke 1:67-80, Luke 1:57-66

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... of John, suggesting an answer to the people’s question “What then is this child going to be?” but it does not relate closely to the actual circumstances of his birth and naming narrated in 1:57–66. See the previous section for the character of the three canticles. Zechariah’s song, the Benedictus, falls into two parts, the first (1:68–75) speaking in more general terms of God’s fulfillment of his promise of salvation for his people, the second (1:76–79) focusing more specifically on John ...

1170. The Baby Messiah Recognized

Luke 2:21-40

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... properly take Simeon’s words as looking forward especially to her experience of bereavement. Less serious instances of the pain of being the mother of the Messiah will appear in 2:48; 8:19–21. 2:36 Anna. Luke likes to place a male character and a female character side by side. Here the presence of Anna ensures the validity of the testimony of two witnesses (see Deut. 19:15) to the coming of the Messiah. Although Luke will record no actual words of this woman, he accords her a surprisingly full and ...

1171. The Boy Jesus in the Temple

Luke 2:41-52

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... have been. It was natural for Jesus to be with his friends from the village, and his parents would not consider it odd for him to be elsewhere in the traveling group rather than staying close to them. Even though this story will reveal the special character of the boy, Luke knows nothing of the docetic tendency that in later Christian legends made Jesus more like an alien than a normal, sociable village boy. 2:46 in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers. Jesus would not have been the only person ...

1172. Table Talk

Luke 14:1-14

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... cultural context. Illustrating the Text Jesus put human need above religious rules. Literature: Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo. Written in 1862, this novel by the French author Hugo (1802–85) is considered one of the greatest of that century. Few characters in great literature stand out so memorably as the dark, almost maniacal police inspector Javert, who relentlessly, legalistically pursues Jean Valjean through the years. All that Valjean has done is steal a loaf of bread to feed his family. He spends ...

1173. Two Testing Questions

Luke 20:27-40, Luke 20:20-26

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... be living (or will be raised). Underlying this assertion is God’s covenant with the patriarchs. If God has committed himself to them in a covenant, he cannot allow that relationship to be simply terminated by death. It is an argument from the character of God, not simply from the way that text is expressed. 20:39 Well said, teacher! Scribes, who were mostly of the Pharisaic school and so believed in an afterlife, were pleased to see their ideological opponents silenced. Theological Insights The issue ...

1174. The Story of Israel Now and Later

Romans 2:1-16

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... president of the United States and presides over the ensuing episodes. During this season, her daughter, who has been one of her chiefs of staff, later takes the law into her own hands against her mother’s wishes and engineers the murder of another character (Jonas) to avenge her brother’s death. Although she loves her daughter, the president will not make allowances for her and proceeds to uphold the law and have her arrested. The president’s husband, reeling from grief over the loss of both children ...

1175. The New-Covenant Blessings: Peace and Hope

Romans 5:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... the believer a new legal standing before God as well as a restored relationship with him. Both aspects are needed. The former without the latter would provide a correct but cold relationship, while the latter without the former would fail to satisfy the holy character of God. Thankfully, we do not have to choose between the two, as they are different sides of the same coin. The second message is “Romans 5:2b–4: Hope in God—No Pain, No Gain.” Two points emerge from these verses: suffering proves ...

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