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 1226 to 1250 of 1400 results

1226. The Day of Atonement

Leviticus 16:1-34

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... ; hence this translation in the NIV. “Mercy seat” as an alternative comes from the same derivation plus the image of Yahweh invisibly enthroned above the ark. The connection with atonement may suggest some connection with purification, especially if atonement does relate to the notion of “covering.” 16:3 A young bull is specified as the purification offering for a priest in Lev. 4:3, and for the congregation in Lev. 4:13–14. The animal is simply called a “bull” in ch. 8 and a “bull calf ...

1227. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... this chapter. 19:19–25 These verses relate in one way or another to agricultural life. They begin with the call to keep divine decrees, judgments handed down. The first verse contains a series of prohibitions that develop from the Priestly notion of boundaries. Leviticus resists the mixing of categories as bringing confusion; things have their proper place. The mixing prohibited here includes mating different breeds of domestic animals and planting two kinds of seed in the field. The third prohibition is ...

1228. Punishments for Sin

Leviticus 20:1-27

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... most unusual word in the verse is the one I have translated “disgrace”; the word is hesed. The usual meaning is something like “steadfast love.” The term is used in Proverbs 14:34 as “disgrace” or “reproach,” and the meaning here is probably something like “public disgrace.” Perhaps some underlying notion of passion or desire is behind such a use of the word.

1229. Rules for Priests

Leviticus 21:1--22:16

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... These chapters apply the holiness perspective to the priesthood as an institution and to various offerings. Chapter 21 addresses priests and their families and then delineates the physical requirements for entering the priesthood. 21:1–9 The chapter begins with the notion that death causes uncleanness. In the Nazirite vow, the promise is also made to avoid dead things. Presumably death is understood to be an enemy of God, and so the priests are to avoid contact with what is dead, which brings uncleanness ...

1230. The Arrangement of Tribal Camps

Numbers 2:1-34

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... ; the Levites are a good example. They are responsible for the Tent of Meeting at the center of the camp. These emphases anticipate what is to come in Numbers 3–4. The tribal lists show that positions of prominence can change. The notion that God can modify the hierarchy pervades Numbers and provides a valuable perspective for a people reviewing its history. The central divine presence is an ambiguous presence; it can bless, and it can threaten. That ambiguity will surface throughout the book of ...

1231. Boundaries of Canaan

Numbers 34:1-29

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... points in the narrative: the organization and inauguration of the march (Num. 1), the decisive rebellion in the spy narrative (Num. 13–14), and the allocation of the promised land for the new generation here. In the day of the Priestly tradents, the notion of a place for Israel carried much significance because of the Babylonian exile. Numbers affirms that the promised land is a real and extensive gift from God. There is nothing ephemeral here. God has brought the people to this point and gives them ...

1232. Towns for the Levites

Numbers 35:1-5

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... is to extend out fifteen hundred feet, while verse 5 designates that the area is to be a square three thousand feet on each side. These numbers seem to assume that the size of the town is but a single point, perhaps not an uncommon notion in Jewish tradition. Joshua 21 also recounts the assigning of the towns for the Levites. These settlements are distributed widely in the land, so that those who care for the sanctuary and guard the holiness of the divine presence will also be distributed throughout the ...

1233. Job's Reply to Bildad

Job 9:1–10:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... a hearing, or at least be freed from suffering by divine judgment. “Complaint” would be better rendered “concern” or “consuming interest.” What drives Job at this point is not so much a complaint as the desire to be publicly declared righteous by God. The notion of complaint tends to focus on Job’s suffering and the injustice of it. The narrative (as revealed through the test motif in the prologue) is not so concerned with suffering as it is with whether the faithful should endure even if they ...

1234. Eliphaz's Third Speech to Job

Job 22:1-30

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... to “teach knowledge to God.” Eliphaz’s words—“Yet you say”—echo Job’s own words describing the rejection by the wicked of any divine authority over their lives (“Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!’ ” 21:14). Eliphaz attributes to Job the notion that God is so withdrawn into darkness and thick clouds that he does not see the evil that humans do so that he is unable to judge through such darkness. For Job, however, darkness represents not divine ignorance, but judgment. Early on Job ...

1235. The Lord’s King and Rebellious Peoples

Psalm 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... their social status to that of refugees under his appointed messiah. This is a stumbling block for all human beings, to surrender position and power voluntarily. There is no avoiding the fact that Psalm 2 threatens the use of force, which may not be a popular notion today. But we must be clear that Yahweh uses force only when provoked in the face of defiance. And we must be clear what is at stake: not merely the status of one ethnic nation but the rule of “the One enthroned in heaven” expressed through ...

1236. The True God of Agricultural Blessing

Psalm 4:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... and new wine abound,” that is, at fertility celebrations (esp. for Baal). (On the fundamental connections between agriculture, ritual sacrifice, and Yahweh’s righteousness, see Ps. 65.) Psalm 50 may reflect a similar situation: here the people have been infected with the pagan notion that sacrifice is meant to feed God (vv. 8–13) and their primary sins have to do with their speech (vv. 19–20; cf. 4:4). As a result, this psalm similarly gives them reason to fear God (vv. 21–22) and advises them ...

1237. Entering the Lord’s House

Psalm 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... :14; 130:6) and was thus considered the most opportune time for God to hear the petitioner’s voice. The confession, I . . . wait, shows that worshipers cannot presume on God’s favorable hearing (cf. 130:5; Mic. 7:7; Hab. 2:1). No ritual conveys the notions of respect for and dependence on God more strongly than that of waiting. 5:4–6 Next we hear described the addressee of these opening cries for a hearing. Yahweh is characterized, even praised, through a description of the kind of company he does not ...

1238. The Lord on His Heavenly Throne

Psalm 11:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... as groundless, not because of the speaker’s prowess but because of his position: in the LORD I take refuge. The image of a bird is particularly suited here because refuge in Yahweh is often under his “wings” (36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 91:4). The notion of hunting continues into the second image, but here the prey are humans. Other psalms also depict social conditions where the wicked stalk the innocent (e.g., 10:2, 8–10). The third image of shaky foundations also appears in 82:5, a psalm similarly concerned ...

1239. My Shepherd and My Host

Psalm 23:1-6

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... Psalm 23 shares several terms and motifs with Psalm 65: flocks of sheep in their pastures (Hb. neʾôt, 23:1–2; “grasslands” in 65:12–13), Yahweh’s waters (23:2; 65:9) and paths (Hb. maʿgāl, 23:3; paraphrased as “carts” in 65:11), the notion of abundance depicted by images of fat (Hb. dšn, anoint in 23:5; “abundance” in 65:11) and saturation (Hb. rwh, overflows in 23:5; “drench” in 65:10), and dwelling at Yahweh’s house, where one is satisfied with his goodness (23:5–6; 65:4 ...

1240. A Victory Procession and Instruction for Temple Entry

Psalm 24:1-10

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... of other assertions that no one can “see” God’s face and live (Exod. 33:20) and especially in light of its possible ambiguity regarding worshiping with an image of the deity. Its survival can probably be traced to its powerful presentation of this notion of personal encounter with God. 24:7–10 Verses 7–10 make sense only in light of a procession. The picture of gates’ being required to open so Yahweh may enter requires some physical symbol of his presence. The most likely possibility is the ...

1241. My God as Refuge from Social Alienation

Psalm 31:1-24

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... of these claims lies on the object he has chosen for refuge. His choice in Yahweh is made more explicit in verse 6, where the alternatives to Yahweh are obliquely mentioned (worthless idols is lit., “the nothings of emptiness”). Underscored here is the notion of loyalty. To strengthen his appeal, the speaker appeals to Yahweh’s attributes of fidelity: your righteousness, your name, and the God of truth. The vow of praise is characterized by joy: I will be glad and rejoice in your love. From this ...

1242. The Trustworthy Lord Over Nature, Nations, and Armies

Psalm 33:1-22

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... shows that the Israelites could not presume on their national security as we might today. But even if this psalm originated out of such circumstances, its application extends beyond them. The psalms frequently use imagery, especially military imagery, to convey the notion that the most foreboding powers that humans can wield pale before Yahweh. They often speak of the extremes of the human condition, such as death, to show that Yahweh’s providence embraces all of life. This psalm concerns various topics ...

1243. The Would-Be Pilgrim Who Thirsts for God: Part I

Psalm 42:1-11

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... geographical references of verse 6 are literal (which would locate the speaker at the headwaters of the Jordan River near Mount Hermon, far to the north of Jerusalem) or figurative (for a region remote from the temple) is not clear either way, but the notion of alienation is clear. This region is especially appropriate for this psalm not only because of its remoteness but because it is the source of the headwaters of the Jordan. Hence, the psalm employs the image of the roar of your waterfalls. Now instead ...

1244. The Pilgrim’s Thirst for God in a Dry and Weary Land

Psalm 63:1-11

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... on the physical trappings of agricultural produce and religious feasts. There are a few other psalms that betray a similar intimacy with God and that place such value on relationship with him (Pss. 16; 23; 27; 42–43; 73), some of which also reflect the notion of pilgrimage. The praise of God is not merely vocal; it also postures the body in adoration: I will lift up my hands. The feelings of longing and of dissatisfaction, as expressed in the opening verse, are not to be disdained, for they compel God ...

1245. Praise to the God of Zion as Creator and God of Agricultural Fertility

Psalm 65:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... dawn and sunset.” Creation itself, not merely its human inhabitants, responds with joy. 65:9 You care for (lit. “visit”) the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly: This verse balances—poetically and conceptually—Yahweh’s direct intervention in the sustaining of creation. It also hints at the notion of natural law: “The divine stream is full of water; you prepare its grain, for thus you establish it (i.e., the land)” (lit.). The land yields grain because Yahweh established it to do so.

1246. The God Who Blesses Israel’s Harvests and His International Praise

Psalm 67:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... (“May God be gracious,” so NIV) or as confident assertions (“God is gracious to us”)? The familiar echo of the Aaronic blessing (Num. 6:24–26) in the opening verse immediately implies that the NIV’s rendering in verses 1, 3–5 is correct. The notion of the peoples praising God repeated in verses 3 and 5 is thus correctly translated as a wish or request. In the Psalms, this motif is usually expressed as a command or wish, rather than as a prophetic declaration. Reading Psalm 67 as a psalm of ...

1247. In Celebration of the Ritual Procession of the Cherubim-Ark

Psalm 68:1-35

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... at magical manipulation but an appeal that is expressed in both word and ritual action. Similarly in the New Testament, the ritual of the Lord’s Supper brings the church into a special realization of God’s presence and power. Christian readers may not feel comfortable with the notion of sacred space, but it is just as present in the New Testament, though reidentified. Paul in no uncertain terms identifies the people of the church as God’s “sacred temple” (1 Cor. 3:16–17; Eph. 2:19–22).

1248. God’s Goodness Redefined: The Nearness of God

Psalm 73:1-28

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... Genesis 5 a belief that one’s relationship with God is indissoluble. If verse 24 does point to some kind of resurrection, it is interesting to note how the writer arrived at this conclusion. He did so not by virtue of a supposed immortality of the soul (a notion foreign to the OT, where life is ever contingent on God, not an inherent property of humans; note esp. the tree of life in Gen. 3) but by virtue of God himself and the kind of relationship he establishes. Because “God is the strength of my heart ...

1249. The God of Zion Breaks the Weapons of War

Psalm 76:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... ; cf. 2 Sam. 11:11). His dwelling place (Hb. meʿônâ) is also used of “the Tent of Meeting” (1 Sam. 2:22) in Shiloh (vv. 29, 32). These well-chosen words may also convey other meanings. “Salem” (Hb. šālēm) also points to “peace” (Hb. šālôm), a notion exemplified in the next verse. The terms for “tent” (Ps. 10:9; esp. Jer. 25:38) and “dwelling place” (Ps. 104:21–22; Nah. 2:11–12) are also used in the OT for a lion’s den. Implicit here is the image of Yahweh emerging from his ...

1250. God’s Reputation and the Destruction of Jerusalem

Psalm 79:1-13

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 34:5–7). Second, God is implored to act on behalf of his servants (Hb. ʿabādîm). Their relationship with God is twofold: they are servants of the king, who resides in his “palace,” and they “serve,” that is, worship (Hb. ʿbd denotes both notions), him as their God (cf. Exod. 7:16, etc.). Third, God is petitioned to make known among the nations (i.e., to reveal publicly) that you avenge . . . outpoured blood (cf. v. 3). Old Testament law was clear that “avenging blood” (i.e., murder) was to ...

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