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Showing 1951 to 1975 of 2332 results

1951. The Choice: Obedience or Punishment

Lev 26:1-46

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah each confess the sins of their ancestors (Dan. 9:7–14; Ezra 9:6–7; Neh. 1:6–7). 26:42 I will remember the land. That is, God will remember the patriarchal land promise (e.g., Gen. 12:7). Though the land will be deserted so as to enjoy its Sabbath Years and Israel will be exiled to enemy lands, God will preserve a remnant through whom he can keep his covenant promises made to the ancestors (vv. 43–45). 26:46 These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the ...

1952. Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Obedience

Num 15:1-41

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... KJV, ESV). Unbelief has delayed entrance into the land (Num. 14:20–38), but God’s promise to give Israel the land remains sure. home. “Home” (lit., “dwelling places” [KJV]) refers to permanent houses in contrast with tents in the desert.1 15:3 food offerings. See comments at Leviticus 1:9. burnt offerings. See Leviticus 1. sacrifices. This refers to “fellowship offerings” (Lev. 3) as in verse 8. special vows . . . freewill offerings . . . festival offerings. These are fellowship offerings ...

1953. Korah’s Rebellion

Numbers 16:1-50

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Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: Envy and pride lead to rebellion and destruction. Understanding the Text Israel’s record in the desert since leaving Sinai had been abysmal. The people had complained about hardships, the lack of meat, and the monotony of manna (Num. 11:1–6). Moses’s own sister and brother had challenged his leadership role (Num. 12:1–2). And worst of all, Israel had been condemned by its ...

1954. Balaam’s Final Prophecies: The Star and the Scepter

Num 24:15-25

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... ” (qen, which sounds like qayin [“Kain”]), they will be “destroyed” (lit., “burned”). Ashur. “Ashur” normally refers to Assyria, but Assyria did not invade and control the region until the eighth century. This probably refers instead to the Ashurites, a desert tribe descended from Abraham through his wife Keturah (Gen. 25:3), though there is no record of when or how the Ashurites conquered the Kenites. 24:23 Alas! Who can live when God does this? Compare ESV, NKJV, NRSV. Alternatively ...

1955. The Second Census

Numbers 26:1-65

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... . 61; see Lev. 10). The 23,000 represents a 3.3 percent increase from the first census. 26:65 the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die. As God had warned (Num. 14:29–32), all the Israelites have died since the first census in the Desert of Sinai (v. 64), except for Caleb and Joshua. Moses soon will die, so he is not counted with Caleb and Joshua as a survivor. Eleazar is alive, but he had been younger than twenty at the first census. Theological Insights Walter Kaiser maintains that the ...

1956. The Daughters of Zelophehad (Part 1)

Numbers 27:1-11

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... a bad man, these girls do not pretend that he had been perfect. He had in fact “died for his own sin” (Num. 27:3b). They clearly agree with God’s justice in letting their father and others of the earlier generation die in the desert. Ultimately, they are obedient to God’s word. They obey the court’s injunctions and God’s own command by marrying their cousins to keep the property within the clan. These young women are unwilling to submit passively to injustice in a male-dominated society. They ...

1957. Making a Successful Future

Numbers 34:1-29

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... Noah’s grandson (Gen. 10:6, 15–18) who fathered the Canaanite tribes. The borders of the nine and a half tribes extend from Lebanon to the edge of the Sinai Peninsula, from the Rift Valley to the Mediterranean. 34:3–5 southern side. The Desert of Zin is in the northern Sinai Peninsula running against Edom’s western border and then on north to the Dead (lit., “Salt”) Sea. The Scorpion Pass, or “the ascent of Akrabbim” (Hebrew for “Scorpions”), is at the southern end of the Dead Sea ...

1958. The Ark Finds a Resting Place

2 Samuel 6:1-23

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... ’s holiness is an inseparable part of genuine worship. Quote: The Knowledge of the Holy, by A. W. Tozer. Neither the writer nor the reader of these words is qualified to appreciate the holiness of God. Quite literally a new channel must be cut through the desert of our minds to allow the sweet waters of truth that will heal our great sickness to flow in. We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree ...

1959. The Return of the King Brings Turmoil in the Kingdom

2 Sam 19:9–20:26

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... (1 Sam. 25:25), and Shimei falsely accused David of being such a person (2 Sam. 16:7). Similar phrases are used of Eli’s sons (1 Sam. 2:12), Saul’s critics (10:27), and Nabal (25:17). 20:2 all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba. Sheba, a Benjamite, exploits the hostility between Israel and Judah (cf. 19:41–43). This incident foreshadows the eventual division of the kingdom after Solomon’s death. In fact, Sheba’s words are repeated by the Israelites on that later occasion when ...

1960. The Ark Does Some Damage

1 Samuel 5:1-12

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... . All the people and animals, including those who previously died, gather outside the barn and are judged by Aslan. Those loyal to Aslan or the code upheld by the Narnians join Aslan in Aslan’s Country. Those who have opposed or deserted him become ordinary animals and vanish to an unmentioned place. There is a distinction between God’s essence and the mere symbols of his presence. Human Experience: We all understand the difference between photographs and the person or place they represent. Almost ...

1961. Samuel Confronts the People

1 Samuel 12:1-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... (7:3). He also quoted the Lord as saying that he had “delivered” Israel from Egypt and their other enemies (10:18). Now he reminds the people that useless idols cannot save them. The word translated “useless” (tohu) is used elsewhere of an empty wasteland or desert. It refers to that which is nonfunctional and nonproductive; as such it is an appropriate term to describe idols. 12:23 far be it from me that I should sin. Again the narrator casts Samuel in a positive light as one who fulfills his ...

1962. Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

Job 6:1–7:21

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Daniel J. Estes

... 6:15–20 are streambeds that were dry during most of the year, but after storms they could become raging torrents. These wadis were like Job’s friends, because they could not be counted on as a reliable source of support. Caravans crossing the Arabian Desert from Tema in the northwest or Sheba in the southwest too often were disappointed by potential water sources they glimpsed at a distance that turned out to be dry wadis. Interpretive Insights 6:2–3 If only my anguish could be weighed. The Hebrew ...

1963. Eliphaz Turns Up His Criticism of Job

Job 15:1-35

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Daniel J. Estes

... will reach its final end. Now Eliphaz uses the same sarcastic tone toward Job, saying in effect that Job is just full of hot air. According to Eliphaz, Job’s words are like the scorching and destructive “hot east wind” that blows off the Arabian desert. In Hosea 12:1 the same image is used to speak of Israel’s deceit and lies. Apparently, Eliphaz thinks that genuine wisdom should be cool, analytical, and objective, in contrast to Job’s passionate intensity. 15:4 But you even undermine piety and ...

1964. Job Feels Both Confidence and Terror

Job 23:1--24:25

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Daniel J. Estes

... In many cases, injustice seems to triumph in this world. Literature: Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. In this well-known novel, British novelist, poet, and playwright Golding tells the story of a group of British schoolboys who are stranded on a desert island after what seems to be a nuclear war. Left alone and without the restraint of adult supervision, they vie for leadership, form cliques, and proceed to be corrupted by power and hurt one another terribly, the most sensible and sensitive of them ...

1965. “When I Awake, I Will Be Satisfied with Seeing Your Likeness”

Psalm 17:1-15

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C. Hassell Bullock

... is in the temple (17:3) awaiting his answer.[3] However, the psalmist’s location is not clear, and it is hard to find substantive reasons for denying the psalm to David. Delitzsch suggests that David wrote the psalm out of his experience in the Desert of Maon when he barely escaped Saul’s pursuit (1 Sam. 23:24–28).[4] On that occasion Saul’s troops surrounded David, paralleling the psalmist’s description of his enemies (17:9). The imagery of the eagle protecting her young (17:8b) is a frequent ...

1966. “I Confess My Iniquity; I Am Troubled by My Sin”

Psalm 38:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

... honesty, however, God’s heavy-handed reaction to his sin and the guilt the psalmist experiences as a result seem to violate the principle of divine mercy, as Calvin observes: “God has promised that he will chastise his servants, not according to their deserts, but as they are able to bear.”17 Moreover, the social ostracism by friends, companions, and relatives is the human overlay of God’s heavy-handed response. They too have overreacted (38:19), especially since the psalmist’s sin does not seem ...

1967. “Endow the King with Your Justice, O God”

Psalm 72:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... 2.3The word “River” normally refers to the Euphrates River and is one of the farthest borders of David’s kingdom (see comments on 72:9–11). 72:9–11 The description of the king’s global rule is broken down into (1) “the desert tribes” (72:9a), likely those nomadic groups east of the Jordan River in present-day Jordan; (2) “his enemies” (72:9b), a general term for his international enemies; (3) “the kings of Tarshish” (72:10a), perhaps in Spain or North Africa (Jon. 1); (4) “kings ...

1968. Claiming Hope

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

James L. Killen

... Romans. The Pharisees were trying to find stability in their religious faith, but they were going to such extremes with it that the demands they made upon the people were oppressive. The Essenes, the monastic group, were trying to withdraw from Jewish society into desert enclaves where they lived by an order so radical that they thought it would be a sin to go to the bathroom on the Sabbath. Certainly many people were restless and eager to discover a new possibility. John came promising a new possibility ...

1969. Abram and Lot Separate

Genesis 13:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The Negev is the desert region south of Palestine. It is through this region that Abram, his wife, and Lot (he also goes to Egypt) travel on their way back to Canaan. Abram is a wealthy man (13:2), but his wealth is not necessarily an evidence of divine blessing for obedience. Back in his ...

1970. Hagar and Ishmael

Genesis 16:1-16

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... place Beer Lahai Roi, “well of the Living One who sees me.” Hagar ran away from Sarai and ran into God. These names stress not the gift she has received (a child) but the Giver of that gift. A distraught, frightened, pregnant, non-Israelite slave girl encounters God in a desert and is never the same again.

1971. Friction Inside and Outside the Family

Genesis 21:1-7, Genesis 21:8-21, Genesis 21:22-34

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... than he was in the earlier situation involving Hagar and Sarah. He protests (21:11) and makes sure that Hagar and Ishmael leave with provisions (21:14), but how long will a bottle of water and a couple of sandwiches last for a mother and her son in the desert? This story has often been read as standing in bold contrast to that in chapter 16. For instance, it is maintained that the Ishmael of chapter 16 is a lad of sixteen years or so, while the Ishmael of chapter 21 is but an infant whom Hagar carries on ...

1972. God of Israel Versus the Gods of Egypt: The Initial Request

Exodus 5:1-21

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... to turn the Israelites against Moses. In brick-making the requisite straw is a binding agent; when it decays, the released acid makes the material more plastic and prevents shrinking and cracking. The Israelites’ situation deteriorates, but there is a purpose: Instead of sanctioning a temporary journey into the desert, Pharaoh will drive the Israelites out, and the mighty hand of God will accomplish the task. Notably, however, the purposes of God are accomplished through difficult and bitter experiences.

1973. The Plagues of Hail, Locust, and Darkness

Ex 9:13–10:29

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... declares his intent to keep women and children as hostages. The ninth plague (10:21–29) attacks the sun god, Amun-Re. It is a darkness “that can be felt” (10:21), possibly the sharav, a dry heat wave in which winds from the Arabian desert raise fine dust in the air, often obscuring the sun. Furthermore, in the ancient world, darkness was terrifying and dangerous, palpably “felt” in that sense. Amun was the god most closely linked with Pharaoh as a divine figure. In fear, Pharaoh orders Moses to ...

1974. Deliverance at the Sea

Ex 13:17–14:31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... fleeing west. As the Israelites exit Egypt their path is not the well-fortified international trade and military route heading toward Philistine country, because they are not ready for major battle. In addition God’s design is to make them appear confused in the desert so that Pharaoh will pursue them, resulting in Egypt’s catastrophic defeat and final victory for the Lord. God’s presence in the pillar of cloud and fire guides Israel as they travel both day and night. This is an urgent journey. The ...

1975. Bitter Waters

Exodus 15:22-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... and “pray for them which despitefully use you” (Matt. 5:44 KJV). Paul declares that these events occurred as examples so that God’s people through the centuries would learn not to set their hearts on evil things (1 Cor. 10:1–13). 15:22-27 · In the desert, three days without water is a crisis. The bitter water the Israelites find fits well with the salinity of the swampy area north of the Gulf of Suez. God’s response is to show Moses a tree (NIV “piece of wood”) to cast into the waters in ...

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