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 1622 results
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J. Scott Duvall
... the Church confirms it. So necessary to the Church is a lofty concept of God that when that concept in any measure declines, the Church with her worship and her moral standards declines along with it. The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God.7
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Joe M. Sprinkle
... on. Biography: The great civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a controversial figure who lived under constant death threats from those who opposed what he was doing. Toward the end of his life, he could see that the tide of public opinion was turning in his direction. The trajectory of history seemed to guarantee that blacks would win the kinds of rights that King had been fighting for, though he had an ominous premonition that he would not live to see this fully achieved. This presentiment ...
1228. The Lord Chooses a New King
1 Samuel 16:14-23, 1 Samuel 16:1-13
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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
... , Oswald Chambers, Andrew Murray, Carl Henry, and John Stott is disappearing. In its place a new evangelicalism is arriving in which therapeutic self-concern overshadows knowing God, [and] spirituality displaces theology, . . . marketing triumphs over mission, . . . opinion polls outweigh reliance on biblical exposition, concerns for power and relevance are more obvious than concern for piety and faithfulness.”6 God opposes those who rebel against him. Literature: Paradise Lost, by John Milton. In this ...
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Daniel J. Estes
... own sin, then Jesus should never have hung on a cross. Stories: Consider sharing a story about someone you know whose suffering was largely misunderstood. Try to stay away from celebrities or notorious persons about whom your listeners may already have an opinion. The main point of this story should be transformation you actually experienced in your understanding of that person and how an initial mistrust or sense of judgment you felt based on his or her suffering gave way to respect and compassion once ...
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Daniel J. Estes
... that he is not just talking about abstract theology but is implying its relevance to Job’s situation. Zophar considers Job so hopeless that he does not even appeal to him to repent, as he did in his first speech (11:13–19). In Zophar’s opinion, Job is too far gone, and he can only anticipate total destruction from God, because God invariably destroys the wicked. God’s rigid moral order guarantees the fate of Job, because Zophar’s tight system leaves no place for an exceptional case or for divine ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
... (14:7) Historical and Cultural Background In view of the adaptation of Psalm 14 to fit the context of Psalm 53, the impression is that Psalm 14 is probably the original form. It belongs to the first Davidic collection (Pss. 2–41) and could, in my opinion, have been written by David. Some commentators take the clause “When the Lord restores his people” (14:7) to be a hint of the exile (so A. A. Anderson),[1] since Psalm 126:1 uses an almost exact phrase as a reference to the return (“restored ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
... is a wisdom psalm[3] that spells out the conditions of the righteous life.[4] Terrien suggests that the psalm may be a request by a suppliant for temporary asylum in one of the side chambers of the temple (1 Kings 6:5).[5] While each of these opinions carries relative weight, perhaps we ought to let Psalms 15 and 24, as the only ones of their type in the Psalter (Ps. 101 has similarities), stand alone as instructional texts. We have already noted in the discussion of Psalm 14 that David hoped for Israel’s ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
... and for the king to pray before going into battle (2 Chron. 20:5–12). It was also common practice for the king, along with the people, to offer sacrifices in those circumstances (1 Sam. 7:9–10; 13:9–23; Ps. 20:3).[5] The general opinion is that Psalm 20, besides its use in David’s day, was used on other occasions prior to battle. Here we are speaking of the original purpose of this psalm, rather than its editorial purpose. They are two different functions (see “The Text in Context”). The words ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
... (“God”). The phrase likely means “heavenly beings” or “angels.” Calvin, however, understands ’elim to mean “mighty” (cf. Job 41:25 NIV) and translates it “mighty rulers,” thus identifying the scene as the earthly court rather than the heavenly. The majority opinion, however, favors the “heavenly” (but not divine) meaning of the term and the heavenly court[8] (see Job 1:6; 2:1). 29:2  worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The primary meaning of the verb for “worship ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
... imprecation spoken against the psalmists themselves, not vice versa. While this interpretation has been applied frequently to Psalm 109 (see the “Additional Insights” following the unit on Ps. 109), it does not apply as well to other imprecatory psalms. In our opinion there is no solution to the problem of the imprecatory psalms as such, even though several of the foregoing explanations might be helpfully employed. The best we can do is to put them in theological perspective and provide several angles ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
... whole world. In Psalm 47:1 the peoples are summoned to acclaim the Lord’s kingship “with cries of joy [rinnah].” “The joy of the whole earth” also occurs in Lamentations 2:15. the heights of Zaphon . . . the city of the Great King.The general opinion is that the “heights of Zaphon” is a reference to a mountain north of Ugarit, near the present border between Syria and Turkey. It was known in Canaanite mythology as the dwelling place of the god Baal (see Exod. 14:2). The word “Zaphon” came ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
... with prayer. He prayed a lot because he expected so much from it. Thus a fact unknown to many also speaks for itself: the longest chapter by far of the Institutes is devoted to prayer. The Bible calls us to pray continually, but in Calvin’s opinion nothing would come of this if you did not establish a regular regimen. Prayer too ought to be done in good order and, as with so many other things, with moderation and directly from the heart. Calvin thus established what was virtually a monastic rule: “We ...
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C. Hassell Bullock
... 12b) Deliverance: “You brought us to a place of abundance” (66:12c) 3. Individual psalm of thanksgiving (66:13–20) Crisis: “When I was in trouble” (66:14b) Deliverance: “But God has surely listened and has heard my prayer” (66:19–20) It is my opinion that the three poems, however, rather than being independent, radiate with blessing from the center of God’s covenant with Israel: to the world (66:1–4, 8), to Israel (66:11–12), and to the psalmist (66:16–20). Not mentioned as such, the ...
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Ronald W. Pierce
... Jesus paid by becoming human to complete God’s kingdom purposes (cf. Phil. 2:5–8). What not to teach. First, a sermon is not the place to debate the identities of the kingdoms. This is not the author’s purpose. Express your opinion briefly, with humility, respect, and charity toward those who differ—then, move on. Second, avoid seeking to construct from this text a systematic eschatology regarding the when and where of the establishment of God’s kingdom. Third, although the messianic reference is ...
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Ronald W. Pierce
... Jewish history fits into the larger picture of God establishing his kingdom, even though we may not understand in detail how this will work. What not to teach. First, do not use a sermon to debate the identity of the kingdoms. Again, share your opinion with respect and move on. Second, avoid speculation about typologies that may link this material to the end of the age. Rather, teach this text in its historical context. Third, the angel’s explanation of the “evenings and mornings” is that the vision ...
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Ronald W. Pierce
... do “what is good,” that is, “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly” with him (Mic. 6:8). These eighth-century BC prophetic words should challenge preachers and teachers of Daniel 9:24–27 today. Opinions vary so widely within the evangelical community that unnecessary polarization and unfair treatment of fellow interpreters often result. In response, imagine how the conflict regarding this text might become more civil—indeed, more Christian—if we “justly” represented the others ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... wordplay intended. The name itself might connect the son to God’s merciful answer to Hannah’s request. The explanation for the name that the historian gives in the text subtly contrasts Samuel with Saul and thus foreshadows God’s (and the historian’s) opinion that a good prophet is always better than a monarch. After the birth of Samuel, Elkanah returns to Shiloh to offer the annual sacrifice in fulfillment of a vow he has made. Hannah does not accompany her husband, but nurses Samuel until he is ...
1243. A Wise Ruling
1 Kings 3:16-28
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... between the two claimants. The ingenious solution of calling for the sword not only resolves the maternal mystery but also marks the first time in Solomon’s career that the sword will have been used for a positive purpose (as opposed to slaying political rivals). The public opinion poll at the end of the chapter is revealing: the people “fear” the king (NIV “held the king in awe”), aware that he has been given wisdom from God; and they no doubt hope that such responsibility will not be abused.
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... vine. The advice of the elders to Rehoboam indicates that the northerners’ claim is not unreasonable, and the elders’ advocacy of servant leadership—surely not something Solomon ever embodied—reveals their wisdom. That Rehoboam rejects their counsel and secures a second opinion from his cronies (described as “young men,” in contrast to the elders) does not speak well of his political acumen. The cronies are also crude, as it is more likely that the NIV’s “little finger” in verse 10 should ...
1245. The Account of Josiah
2 Chron 34:1–36:1
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The Chronicler’s high opinion of Josiah is evident from the opening accession summary note in 34:1–2, where he is compared to his ancestor David, an honor bestowed in 2 Chronicles 10–36 only on Hezekiah (2 Chron. 29:2). Rising to power in the final third of the seventh century BC, a ...
1246. Eliphaz
Job 4:1–5:27
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... citation or sarcastic parroting. Preferring empirical evidence over hypothetical should not easily be pushed aside. But the cumulative weight of the characteristics we rehearsed above about the “post-Eliphaz” material in the third cycle warrants, in our opinion, some reassignment. We go forward with utmost caution and without entrenched conviction, but we think the following represents a helpful direction. • Though sometimes Job 24:18–25 is reassigned to a friend, Job is still speaking here ...
1247. Proclamation of Restoration
Isaiah 48:1-11, Isaiah 48:12-22
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... from beginning to end. He has not spoken or dealt secretly but rather has made it clear that he has planned everything that comes to pass, including the mission of the servant (48:16). The identity of the servant is not made clear, and opinions vary (Cyrus, the prophet himself, the messianic servant). Yahweh is the Redeemer of his people, their covenant God and teacher (48:17–19). The Teacher God instructs his people so that they might succeed. However, Israel has been unresponsive and, as such, has ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... fixed appointment of day and night. The covenant with the Levites (Num. 25:12–13; Mal. 2:5) is similarly guaranteed. The Davidic and Abrahamic covenants (2 Sam. 7:8–16; Gen. 15:1–21; 17:1–27) are the background for verse 26. The popular opinion that “it is all over” would be understandable, even if inaccurate, following the demise of Israel in 721 BC and Judah in 586 BC. The strong guarantees (33:25–26) essentially repeat 31:36–38, except that the continuation of the Davidic monarch is of ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... . First, what is “the most holy” (cf. KJV)? It could be “the most holy one” (see NIV note) or a holy place (such as Jerusalem or the temple; cf. NIV, RSV, NASB). Second, what decree initiates the beginning of the restoration of Jerusalem? Opinions differ on when this took place: 596 BC (Jeremiah’s writing), 538 BC (Cyrus’s decree to restore the temple in Jerusalem), or 445 BC (Nehemiah’s permission to restore the walls of Jerusalem). Third, what is the meaning of “the Anointed One”? While ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... of Herod the Great, ruler of Galilee and Perea from 4 BC until AD 39. Herodias, the wife of Antipas’s half brother Herod Philip (not the tetrarch Philip of Luke 3:1), was actually the granddaughter of Herod the Great and thus a niece of Antipas. The opinion of Antipas that Jesus is Elijah or the Baptizer returned to life or one of the ancient prophets (6:15) is widespread and is later voiced by Jesus’s own disciples (8:28). Josephus, who also recounts the death of the Baptizer at the hands of Antipas ...
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