Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1776 to 1800 of 2404 results

1776. Love and Obey the Lord

Deuteronomy 11:1-32

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... verses 13–17. Egypt, a land of scarce rainfall, is dependent on the humanly devised and humanly operated schemes of irrigation from the waters of the Nile (v. 10). Such irrigation projects, from ancient to modern times, are indeed a testimony to human achievement, but the Israelites know all about the hard work involved in them. In marked contrast, the land of Canaan has a precipitation climate and, apart from some streams and limited storage of rain water in cisterns, is almost totally dependent for its ...

1777. Clean and Unclean Foods

Deuteronomy 14:1-21

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... nature, still less the gift of any fertility god of Canaan. Deuteronomy’s constant educational passion surfaces again at the end of the verse (so that you may learn . . . ), but with typical Deuteronomic human warmth. Inculcating the fear of God could be achieved during a family party just as much as during family prayers. The allowance made for long-distance commuters (vv. 24–26) only serves to reinforce the intention that the tithe should not be a solemn burden but a joyful celebration (v. 26b). And ...

1778. Atonement for an Unsolved Murder

Deuteronomy 21:1-9

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... substitute for the murderer. Killing it, therefore, is not a sacrifice (there is no altar and probably no shedding of blood since the neck was broken instead), but an “execution.” Nevertheless, it has some of the effect of a sacrifice by achieving atonement (a “covering” or “wiping away”) for the guilt. This view, however, does not readily explain the unusual location of the ritual (in an uncultivated valley with a flowing stream). One might have expected such a symbolic execution to have taken ...

1779. The Altar on Mount Ebal

Deuteronomy 27:1-8

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... place. But then, if it was not, we have an exception to the alleged “rule” that no other sanctuaries were to be allowed—an exception that, in view of its significant position in the book, raises questions about the assumption that Deut. in its origins was so fundamentally intended to achieve centralization. 27:15–26 On the relation of these curses to Israel’s earliest law, and especially the “prohibitives,” cf. Bellefontaine, “The Curses of Deuteronomy 27.”

1780. A Wise Ruling

1 Kings 3:16-28

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... end of the story complete. His old “wisdom” had led to the use of the sword for executions whose justice is questionable. His new wisdom leads him in more constructive paths. He still uses the sword, but in a more positive way, threatening execution only to achieve justice. The sword is functioning in the service, not of the ruthless self, but of the kingdom as a whole. Solomon’s sword has become what it is elsewhere in the hands of God (e.g., Ps. 17:13): the instrument of right judgment, of kingly ...

1781. Solomon's Prayer of Dedication

1 Kings 8:22-61

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... first occasion upon which God appeared to Solomon (1 Kgs. 3:4–15) marked the beginning of Solomon’s rise to greatness; he was endowed with the heavenly wisdom that enabled him to govern his empire well, to build the temple and the palace, and to achieve everything he desired to do (9:1)—probably a reference to other building work, as in 10:19. This second appearance of God marks the endpoint of Solomon’s upward mobility and points us ahead to disaster. The place of the temple as a focal point for ...

1782. Nadab King of Israel

1 Kings 15:25-32

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... . For he, too, walks in the ways of Jeroboam and in his sin, with predictable consequences. A prophet appears—Jehu son of Hanani—to announce that the fate of his house will be the same as Jeroboam’s (16:3–4). Baasha no doubt had many other achievements (16:5) of which to boast. They are, however, unimportant in comparison to his failure to remove idolatry in Israel. That is why the authors allow only one more verse to the description of his reign of twenty-four years (15:33) than they do to the ...

1783. Elijah Flees to Horeb

1 Kings 19:1-8

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... good as dead already.” But it is consistent with the fairly pronounced egocentricity that Elijah displays throughout the story that he should have thought himself much better than his ancestors up until this point, only now to be reduced to the self-loathing of the high achiever who thinks he has failed. 19:5 An angel touched him: Hb. malʾāk is an ambiguous term. It can mean simply a human messenger, as in 19:2. Frequently, however, it refers to beings who are clearly not of this world (e.g., Gen. 21:8 ...

1784. Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

1 Kings 20:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... odds, it seems unlikely that Hb. naʿar here is meant to refer to trained military personnel, especially the elite soldiers of whom some commentators speak. The involvement of such men would introduce exactly that element of doubt about who had achieved the victory that in other narratives of this sort is so deliberately avoided (cf., for example, the complete helplessness of Israel in the exodus story, and esp. Exod. 14:14; and the requirement that Gideon should divest himself of warriors before ...

1785. Jehoshaphat King of Judah

1 Kings 22:41-50

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... than real unity within the Solomonic empire: Solomon took foreigners on board his ships (1 Kgs. 9:27), but Jehoshaphat refused to have even Israelites along (22:49). He is like the early Solomon then, but this is not the Solomonic empire, whatever the achievements (and pretensions) of the Judean kings who are Solomon’s successors. 22:51–53 Nothing in this summary of Ahaziah’s reign is surprising. Its length is exactly what we expect of the son of an oracle-receiving Israelite king: two years (v. 51 ...

1786. Joash Repairs the Temple

2 Kings 12:1-21

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... to think about the temple (cf. the twenty-third year of v. 6), or an incredibly long time to “discover” that nothing is being done about his instructions for its repair. This, too, speaks of no great zeal for the LORD nor of great wisdom; his achievements are, indeed, somewhat mediocre. Although Joash resembles Solomon in reigning for forty years (1 Kgs. 11:42) and in (re)building the temple (compare vv. 11–12 and 1 Kgs. 5:15–18), his temple is but a poor reflection of its former glory (contrast v ...

1787. Amaziah King of Judah

2 Kings 14:1-22

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... “Solomon” will fall even more spectacularly than the son of the first. 15:1–7 The reign of Azariah (also called Uzziah; cf. 15:13, 30, 32, 34) is now picked up in more detail, though the information offered is sparse. The silence about his achievements is striking when we consider how much information is given about Jeroboam within a similar space. He did what was right; but at some point he was afflicted . . . with leprosy, and became unable to govern. Is there a suggestion (as in the case of Asa ...

1788. Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

2 Kings 18:17-37

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... indications about the consequences of Sennacherib’s blasphemy and pride in terms of his future downfall, when he will be despised and mocked by Jerusalem as he flees (vv. 21–22). His mistake has been to imagine that his military accomplishments have been achieved in his own strength (vv. 23–24). In reality, however, the LORD ordained and planned it all (vv. 25–26). Assyria was merely the rod of his anger (to use another Isaianic phrase; cf. Isa. 10:5–11), something already implied, unwittingly, in ...

1789. A Rebellious Nation

Isaiah 1:1-31

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... first instance to the time of Judah’s four kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (see 6:1; 7:1, 3, 10, 12; 14:28; 36:1–39:8), from about 740 to 700 B.C. (see Introduction). It was the end of a period of prosperity and achievement and associated social inequality, the beginning of a period of foreign domination, and a time that saw both religious apostasy and religious reform (see 2 Kgs. 15–20; 2 Chron. 26–32; as well as Isaiah and Micah). 1:2–4 Isaiah’s unsurprising introductory Listen turns ...

1790. God’s Judgment on Assyria

Isaiah 10:5-19

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... their religion to its own (cf. 37:10–13). On the other hand, it is to be noted that (as in Amos 1–2) disaster does not come to the foreign power merely because of its ill-treatment of Yahweh’s people (vv. 10–11). It assumes that its achievements stem from its own strength and wisdom rather than from something God-given, as if human hands, wisdom, and understanding could produce anything that could stand before Yahweh: contrast 3:3, 11; 5:21 (v. 13a). It behaves as if it is a law unto itself in its ...

1791. Woe to those Who Rely on Egypt

Isaiah 31:1-9

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... behave as if Egyptian cavalry had any significance independently of divine spirit. 31:4–5 Isaiah continues to recapitulate the message, this time recalling 29:1–8 with its address to “God’s lion” (but here Yahweh has become the lion) and its subtly-achieved move from threat to encouragement, from Yahweh’s attacking Jerusalem (it is the lion’s prey!) to Yahweh’s defending it. The expression do battle on Mount Zion is the one that meant “fight against Mount Zion” in 29:8. As well as being ...

1792. Distress and Help

Isaiah 33:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... what they see and experience in the streets (5:25; 10:6; 24:11), like Moab (15:3). The envoys (30:6) who had worked so hard for peace now only weep, and weep bitterly—though that was what Judah had chosen (5:20). But we know that Yahweh will achieve peace (32:18) and bring an end to weeping (30:19). The highways that Yahweh had promised (11:16; 19:23) but that had been the scene of a significant confrontation (7:3) are deserted, as the whole land was destined to be (1:7; 6:11—both times the ...

1793. The Servant of the Lord

Isaiah 49:1-7

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... that the prophet is integral to bringing this about. It can hardly be that the task of being light to the world is taken away from Jacob-Israel. That would go against the often-reasserted commitment of chapters 43–44. But the prophet is integral to the achievement of that aim. The point is now explicit, thereby raising the stakes on the success of the prophet’s ministry. This helps to clarify how the two tasks in verses 5–6 relate to one another. The word “also” in verse 6 is an interpretation on ...

1794. The Glory of Zion

Isaiah 60:1-22

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... 2 (2:16), which spoke of Yahweh’s cutting down to size such expressions of human majesty. It transpires that, like the judgment in 1:21–31, this was a purging rather than a mere destruction. Chapter 60 as a whole suggests that the world’s achievements, wealth, and power are destined not for destruction but for transformation, in keeping with the opening verses of chapter 2 (see R. J. Mouw, When the Kings Come Marching In: Isaiah and the New Jerusalem [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983], pp. 5–9). This is ...

1795. Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia

Ezekiel 25:1-7, Ezekiel 25:8-11, Ezekiel 25:12-14, Ezekiel 25:15-17

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... of the recognition formula, the Lord declares that “they will know my vengeance” (v. 14). Edom was indeed devastated (see Mal. 1:2–5)—but by the Arabs, not the Israelites. The Nabatean kingdom of Idumea, which displaced the former kingdom of Edom, achieved tremendous wealth and prominence through its control of the incense trade (Herod the Great, king in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ birth, was Idumean). Petra, the Nabatean capital, was literally carved into the red rock of the desert cliffs; it ...

1796. Spiritual Blindness and the Way to Overcome It

Mark 8:22-26, Mark 8:14-21

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... same coin. Matthew centers on their growing faith and understanding, Mark focuses on their failure to come to full faith. The emphasis is on “still” or, better, “not yet.” The disciples had been with Jesus more than enough time to gain understanding but had failed to achieve it. Still, in the “not yet” there is a hint of better days to come. This will be the process in the rest of Mark, from the partial understanding shown by Peter in his confession of 8:29b to the full vision of Jesus’s glory ...

1797. Realizing the True Nature of Jesus the Christ

Mark 8:27-30

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... in 10:45; 14:24, as we will see. First, Jesus again calls himself “Son of Man” (see the sidebar “Son of Man” in the unit on 2:1–12) in the Danielic sense (Dan. 7:13–14), for the Messiah as Son of Man will achieve universal dominion through suffering. Second, the emphasis is also on the divine imperative dei (“must”), for Jesus’s messianic destiny is one of suffering. This is also reminiscent of the suffering figure whose suffering brings victory. Third, the idea of “suffer many things ...

1798. The Resurrection of Jesus and the Promise of Victory

Mark 16:1-20

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... the other disciples, but there is future hope. Failure can be overcome only by the presence and power of the risen Lord, but he has indeed risen, and his power is available. Theological Insights The two major themes of Mark (Christology and discipleship) achieve their climax here. Multiple insights flow. (1) Disciples can overcome spiritual failure only by meeting their risen Lord and gaining strength from him. (2) Jesus is sovereign and has power over life and death. (3) The angels and all of heaven attest ...

1799. The Birth of God’s Son Announced

Luke 1:26-38

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... 1:35 The Holy Spirit will come on you. Luke often speaks of people being “filled with the Holy Spirit” (cf. already 1:15), but this rather different expression speaks not of Mary’s spiritual condition but of the means by which her pregnancy will be achieved. Compare the creative action of the Spirit of God in Genesis 1:2. The delicacy of expression here avoids the crude pagan idea of a god coupling with a human woman; this is a divine mystery. A child so conceived will be a “holy one,” outside ...

1800. The Birth of Jesus

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... by Jesus (e.g., 4:18, 43; 8:1) but also for any communication that comes to people from God, whether through angels or humans (1:19; 3:18; 9:6). This Christian “good news” is thus on a different level from the “good news” of the achievements and honors of the emperor, for which similar terminology was used. for all the people. “The people” is a term specially used for Israel, God’s chosen people. The focus remains firmly on Jesus’s mission as the Jewish Messiah (note “born to you” in 2 ...

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