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 1301 to 1325 of 1668 results

1301. A Message About Elam

Jeremiah 49:34-39

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... to think that the prophecy has a Babylonian conquest in mind. There is some evidence, though not determinative, that Nebuchadnezzar attacked Elam in 596/5 B.C. (Lundbom, Jeremiah 37–52, p. 362). God says he will break the bow of Elam, a country known for its skilled archers (Isa. 22:6). The bow stands for Elam’s military might. He then says that he will bring the four winds against Elam and scatter them to the four winds. This metaphor is a way of saying that God will use overwhelming force to produce a ...

1302. A Message About Babylon

Jeremiah 50:1--51:64

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... Babylon should best be understood as directed toward them. They are to be like the goats that lead the flock, in other words they should be at the vanguard of the exodus from Babylon. The enemy that God will bring against Babylon will be large and skilled. They will be successful. So, again, it is of the utmost urgency for the people of God to remove themselves from the future battlefield. 50:11–13 As Babylon pillaged God’s inheritance, Judah, they enjoyed it like a heifer that frolicked as it threshed ...

1303. How Deserted Lies the City

Lamentations 1:1-22

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... I cannot withstand). 1:15 Samek. Judah had an army, but its effectiveness did not depend on its size or the quality of its troops but rather on the disposition of God toward it. Israel won tremendous victories with insufficient troops and/or fighting skill (Jericho; Gideon) and they lost battles with superior strength (Ai). Thus, the fact that God has rejected Judah’s warriors is all that is needed to assure defeat. Against Judah’s rejected army, God raised an army (Babylonian) to defeat them. The third ...

1304. Weeping and Mourning

Micah 1:8-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... attack that lies behind Micah 1:10–16. Here we have a vivid portrayal of Judah’s settlements being plucked up one by one by a foreign conqueror. The prophet’s eyes dart, as it were, first to one city and then to another. And by the use of skillful wordplays on the cities’ names, Micah portrays their ruin. The somber tone of the poem is immediately sounded by the quotation in verse 10a from David’s lament in 2 Samuel 1:20a. In the latter passage, Gath is a Philistine city (cf. 1 Sam. 27:1–4), but ...

1305. Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Micah 3:1-12

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... Here not just the judicial leaders are addressed, but all leaders of the community. If we inquire who those might be, Isa. 3:2–3 gives a list: mighty man and soldier, judge and prophet, diviner and elder, captain of fifty and man of rank, counselor and skillful magician and expert in charms—all those who in any way guided the life of the community or had authority over it. Verse 11 repeats the indictment of the judicial leaders which we saw in 3:1–4. (See the comment there.) But their abhorrence of mi ...

1306. The Mountain of the Lord

Micah 4:1-5

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... comes to the fore. And the eschatological note of the passage, sounded by in the last days, verse 1a, has already been heard in 2:4 (“in that day”) and 3:4 (“then”). Certainly the passage, if borrowed, has nevertheless been skillfully woven into its present position. The oracle announces what will happen “in the latter days” (Hb.; RSV), verse 1a. As with all such introductions to eschatological announcements, the time announced is indeterminate—a time in the future that lies beyond all human ...

1307. Israel's Misery

Micah 7:1-7

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... God will hear me (cf. Ps. 4:3; Mal. 3:16). God is a listening God (cf. Jer. 8:6a) who hears when the faithful ask for help (cf. Ps. 10:17; 31:22; 55:17, etc.) and who acts to rescue them. Additional Notes 7:3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil: The MT is corrupt, reading, “For evil are their hands diligently.” The NIV probably conveys the intended meaning. Gifts is not in the MT and must be supplied. 7:4 The NIV has freely interpreted the line, which reads, “the day of your watchmen, your punishment ...

1308. Judah Unfaithful

Malachi 2:10-16

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... worship, so religious rites associated with the marriage ceremony are probably not the issue here. By marrying and bringing into his household a woman who did not worship the Lord alone, an Israelite man violated the covenant (Deut. 7:3–4). Malachi skillfully uses the particular language of verse 11 to point to the spiritual reason for the prohibition against intermarriage. The verb, “break faith” (bgd), is also the key word in Jeremiah 3:6–18, which portrays Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah ...

1309. Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

John 13:1-17, John 13:18-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... explicit until v. 30. Jesus told him: The untranslated Greek particle oun allows the possibility that Jesus said this as he offered the morsel of bread to Judas (v. 26). The intervening statement that “after the morsel, Satan entered him” despite being woven skillfully into the narrative as if seen by an eyewitness, is essentially a theological judgment, whether made on the spot by the beloved disciple or (more likely) in retrospect as the story was told and written down. 13:29 To buy what was needed ...

1310. Jesus Prays for His Disciples

John 17:1-5, John 17:6-19, John 17:20-26

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... to all those you have given him (v. 2b). The Son will give glory to the Father after his death on the cross, and this glorification is defined as the giving of eternal life. Eternal life, in turn, is defined as the knowledge of God, and the definition is skillfully woven into the petition itself. Eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (v. 3). The Son will give glory to the Father, then, by making him known in the world. He will be able to do this because the ...

1311. The Beginning

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... in the image of God. In addition, the ability to handle words raises human acts above biological necessity as it enables a person to conceptualize, plan, evaluate, and anticipate. Being cognizant of what they are doing, humans bear responsibility for their deeds. Skill with words also opens the pursuit of wisdom to humans. Words then become an avenue for humans to exercise their creative instincts. 1:28–31 God empowered humans with a special blessing in which he commanded them to be fruitful and increase ...

1312. The Flood

Genesis 6:1-8:22

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... Enlil’s wrath, threatened against any of the gods who would forewarn any human of the coming deluge (11:170–73). No reason is given for Ea’s favoring Utnapishtim. After building a boat in seven days, Utnapishtim took on board a variety of skilled workers, seemingly with no regard for their character (11:84–85). Utnapishtim, however, duped the people of his city by telling them that he had to leave their city because Enlil had turned hostile to him, while Enlil was going to make them prosper (11 ...

1313. The Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-9

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... , human achievement, and the pursuit of pleasure. It is also known for its ziggurat, named Etemenanki, a temple with a terraced tower of three to seven successively receding stories. Mesopotamians thought that the earth met heaven at the top of the tower. The author makes skillful use of alliteration and wordplays (see Cassuto, From Noah to Abraham, pp. 232–36). The consonants l, b, and n are stressed; in verse 3 there are five ls, four bs, and five ns. The inversion of the letters of a key word in the ...

1314. Abram Rescues Lot

Genesis 14:1-24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... issue held him back from immediately dealing with the rebellion in the west. In the fourteenth year Kedorlaomer and his allies marched westward to put down the rebellion. His troops would not have been numerous; they probably were highly trained soldiers, skilled at handling small city-states. The narrative recounts the itinerary of this force through the Transjordan. There they traveled down the King’s Highway, the north-south route through the plateau of Transjordan (Num. 20:17). Along the way they ...

1315. The Birth of Isaac

Genesis 21:1-7

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... God opened her eyes so that Hagar saw a well of water nearby. She took the skin and filled it with water. Likely she dampened a cloth, wiped the boy’s face, and gave him some to drink. Growing up in the steppe, Ishmael became a skilled archer with God watching over him. Eventually he settled in the Desert of Paran, and his mother arranged his marriage with an Egyptian woman. Additional Note 21:21 Paran is the desert or wilderness between Canaan and Sinai. Israel passed through this region on their journey ...

1316. The Death of Sarah

Genesis 23:1-20

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... stature to a level recognized by the inhabitants of the land. The Hittites signaled also that they were open to dealing with him by using the pronoun us. They responded first with a general offer of the choicest of their tombs for burying his deceased. Skillfully, they spoke to his major concern while at the same time avoiding his request to acquire his own property. They did not yet indicate whether they would permit Abraham to take full ownership of the land. 23:7–9 Abraham stood up. Since negotiations ...

1317. Jacob’s Flocks Increase

Genesis 30:25-43

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... or colored. His methods appear to be close to magic, but there is not sufficient information to understand precisely what Jacob was doing. Apparently he was practicing a type of breeding that allowed the recessive genes to emerge in the healthiest animals. His skill at inducing the strongest females to bear streaked or speckled or spotted young caused his own flock to grow much more rapidly than did Laban’s. He let the weaker animals that were part of Laban’s fold breed naturally. Contrary to what ...

1318. Jacob Flees from Laban

Genesis 31:1-21

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... double offense had been committed against Laban: Rachel had stolen his gods, and Jacob had stolen his heart by taking his daughters. The narrator captures the irony of Jacob’s clandestine departure. The deceiver by name must escape the heavy hand of a skilled deceiver in a deceptive way. Additional Notes 31:15 The reference to consuming money occurs in texts from Nuzu that describe a father’s holding back part of the dowry (Selman, “Comparative Customs,” pp. 122–23). Because Jacob did not pay any ...

1319. Jacob Apprehension in Meeting Esau

Genesis 32:1-32

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... with God, not with his brother. 32:29 Gaining confidence, Jacob asked his opponent to tell him what his name was, desiring to match his opponent verbally as he had physically. To learn a person’s name provides access to that person. Skillfully the wrestler avoided giving his name by asking why Jacob wanted to know it. With this question the heavenly being refused to make himself accessible to Jacob. Despite denying Jacob’s request, he blessed him and departed. Brueggemann offers significant insight into ...

1320. The Cupbearer and the Baker

Genesis 40:1-23

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... prison is uncertain. God nevertheless continues to direct events from behind the scenes. Two things happen in prison that will prove to be crucial for Joseph’s future rise to power. He makes contact with Pharaoh’s personal servants, and he displays his skill at interpreting dreams. During his time in prison Joseph meets Pharaoh’s servants (vv. 1–4), Joseph interprets their dreams (vv. 5–19), and the dreams are fulfilled (vv. 20–23). At the center stands Joseph’s plea for someone to ask Pharaoh ...

1321. Jacob Goes to Egypt

Gen 46:1–47:12

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... to Joseph, Pharaoh welcomed his family and graciously said that they could dwell in the best part of Egypt, specifically Goshen. Pharaoh granted these Semites official permission to become resident aliens in Egypt. He also authorized Joseph to appoint those especially skilled among them to oversee the royal flocks. The crown often employed foreigners to take care of its livestock. 47:7–10 Joseph then introduced his father to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh; that is, he greeted him with a word that promoted ...

1322. Joseph and the Famine

Genesis 47:13-31

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Joseph’s Administration of the Famine: Joseph is pictured as a wise, shrewd, and compassionate administrator, loyal to Pharaoh as well as concerned for the people. During the harsh famine he displays great administrative skill in distributing the stored food in a way that meets the needs of the people and strengthens the crown. He prudently prepares for the land to return to production at the end of the famine. 47:13–17 The Egyptians and the inhabitants of Canaan groaned beneath the unending famine. ...

1323. The Appointment of Leaders

Deuteronomy 1:9-18

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... officers here, but the term is also used of civil officers entrusted with supervision of work forces. Later it describes princes and court officials. Officials: similarly, šōt e rîm (the term used in 16:18) are civil officials, probably with secretarial skills, who assist judges and other higher ranks of officialdom. Judges: the šōp e tîm are those responsible for the administration of justice throughout Israel; this is one of the most important roles in the whole society and comes under constant ...

1324. Love the Lord Your God

Deuteronomy 6:1-25

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... ultimately remains) a full life, enjoying the gifts of creation. But equally there is no illusion regarding the likely behavior of the people; in the enjoyment of the gift they might forget the giver. So these verses build up to that danger with rhetorical skill. First, there comes the reminder that the land itself is a promise-gift of God’s grace (10a). Next, there is a description of the land, full of material bonuses that had a traditional prestige (10b–11; cf. Josh. 24:13; Neh. 9:25), climaxing ...

1325. Miscellaneous Laws

Deut 23:15–25:19

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... . Whereas the latter two groups probably tended to be fairly permanent residential employees (similar in practice, though not in status, to slaves), the hired workers had no such security and survived only by finding short-term employment for their labor or skills. For surveys of the economic and social details of Israel’s working population, cf. Sulzberger, “Status of Labor,” Lang, “Social Organization,” and C. J. H. Wright, God’s Land, pp. 99–103, 159f. 24:16 This law may seemat variance ...

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