Synonyms: renounce, relinquish, dispense with, forswear, disclaim, disown, disavow, discard, wash one's hands of, give up, stop, cease, drop, forgo, desist from, have done with, abjure, abstain from, discontinue, break off, refrain from, set/lay aside, desert, leave, leave high and dry, turn one's back on, cast aside, break (up) with, vacate, quit, evacuate, withdraw from, surrender, cede, yield, indulge in, give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in, uninhibitedness, recklessness, lack of restraint, lack of inhibition, unruliness, wildness, impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness
Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on
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One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Having reviewed the construction of the building structure in chapter 3, the Chronicler now focuses attention on the creation of the various furnishings and utensils to be placed within the temple to facilitate worship. Second Chronicles 4:1–8 provides an account of the fashioning process. The bronze altar, which has sixteen times the surface area of the former altar in the tabernacle (Exod. 27:1–8), replaces David’s temporary altar at this site (1 Chron. 21:26). It is positioned in the inner court of the ...
1952. The Passover
Ezra 6:19-22
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Soon after the dedication of the temple the people celebrate the Passover. Beginning in 6:19 the text is again written in Hebrew; the portion in Aramaic ends in verse 18. It is calculated, according to our calendar, that the temple was completed on March 12, 515 BC, and the Passover would have begun on April 21. So, only a few weeks after the dedication of the temple the Jews had another important celebration. Celebrations were important in the life of the Jews. These gatherings gave them opportunity to ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The story now shifts from marital language to military language. In his capacity as a watchman, Jeremiah sees a God-appointed nation from the north about to invade Palestine. In earlier prophets a judgment speech classically included an accusation followed by an announcement. In Jeremiah both elements appear, but not in the usual order. In broad strokes, however, one can identify the sequence: announcement (4:5–31); accusation (5:1–13); threat and further accusation (5:14–31); warning (6:1–9); further ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
8:1–9:38 Review · Jesus’s enactment of the kingdom:After expressing Jesus’s kingdom ministry in teaching (5:1–7:29), Matthew narrates Jesus’s kingdom ministry in action (8:1–9:38). Matthew demonstrates Jesus’s authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, forgive sins, and calm a storm. Other themes include Jesus’s compassion in his role as Isaiah’s servant of the Lord and the qualities of full allegiance and faith for those who would follow Jesus. Matthew 8–9 is structured by three sets of three miracle ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
In Jesus’s hearing before Pilate, the charge against him has undergone a cultural translation: Jesus’s acknowledgment of his identity as the Messiah becomes a charge that he claims to be “the king of the Jews” (27:11). Yet what the Sanhedrin expects of the Messiah is essentially the same as what Pilate understands by “king of the Jews.” Both claims are religious and political, although Pilate is presumably less versed in the religious nature of Jewish messianic hopes. So both charges imply sedition. They ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
5:3–16 · Widows and female benefactors: The first part of this section (5:3–8) treats widows whose poverty qualifies them to come under the care of the church. Even though the church is to think of itself as a family (see 3:15, “God’s household”), the church is not a substitute for families. If there are “children or grandchildren” of a widow, these family members show their godliness (“put their religion into practice” [5:4a]; this is also the sense of 5:8) and their sense of justice (“repaying their ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The city of Sardis had a reputation for wealth that exceeded its reality. According to an early Greek legend, King Midas washed off the cursed touch that turned everything into gold by bathing in the Pactolus River, which ran through Sardis. Sardis in its early history prospered through gold deposits discovered in the river. During the Roman era, however, Sardis became prosperous through its textile industry, its important trade routes, and its fertile plains. It had at least two temples on site, one to ...
Understanding Series
Robert H. Mounce
15:1–2 Knowledge of Jesus and his ministry had by this time spread throughout Palestine. Scribes and Pharisees came all the way from Jerusalem to question him about his activities. The scribes were Jewish scholars who copied the sacred Scriptures of the Old Testament and consequently became the professional interpreters of Scripture. The Pharisees were a religious order, primarily laymen, who devoted themselves to strict adherence to the law. Most scribes were Pharisees, but not all Pharisees were scribes ...
1959. The Temple's Furnishing
2 Chronicles 4:1-5:1
Understanding Series
Louis C. Jonker
Solomon Builds the Temple: It is clear that 2 Chronicles 3:1–2 serves as introduction to this episode in the Solomon narrative, with 5:1 concluding the account. The structure of the description between the introduction and the conclusion, however, is difficult to unravel. The description starts with a basic overview of the ground plan of the temple (3:3), then moves to a description of the portico in front of the temple (3:4–7), and then provides a detailed account of the Most Holy Place, its contents, and ...
1960. Believing in the Unseen
Humor Illustration
Editor James S. Hewett
It seems the pastor's small son was told by his mother that he should wash his hands because there were germs living in all that dirt. He refused and complained: "Germs and Jesus! Germs and Jesus! That's all I ever hear around this house and I've never seen either one."
Sermon
King Duncan
I’ve got a question for you this morning, a quick opinion poll. How many of you believe that current technology makes certain tasks easier? For example, how many of you prefer a washing machine to a washboard when doing laundry? How many of you like keeping in touch with family and friends on Facebook or Instagram? But how many of you also believe that we can misuse technology in ways that the inventors of these various technologies did not even think about when they invented them? For example, there was ...
Sermon
Lori Wagner
This year, Easter Sunday falls during the COVID-19 pandemic. A time when we are secluded in our homes and told to wrap our faces in cloth if we dare to go out for groceries or supplies. Walk into the grocery store, and you’ll see people wandering quietly through the aisles with gloved hands and masked faces. Get too close, and you’ll register a wide-eyed look of alarm on the face of that passerby. We are in hiding from an invisible beast. “The Beast” is what people are naming the virus. It attacks ...
The boy and girl going hand in hand through a meadow; the mother washing her baby; the sweet simple things in life. We have almost lost track of them. On the one side, we over-intellectualize everything; on the other hand, we are over-mechanized. We can understand the danger of the atomic bomb, but the danger of our misunderstanding the meaning of life is much more serious.
Edward Steichen
Humor
"I'm really worried," said one teenager to another. "Dad slaves away at his job so I'll never want for anything and so I can go to college. Mom spends every day washing and ironing and cleaning up after me, and she takes care of me when I'm sick." "So, what are you worried about?" "I'm afraid they might try to escape!
Humor
Another little boy found something unique to give thanks for. As his parents listened, he prayed, "And God bless Mommy and Daddy . . . and thank you for sending Jesus to wash away our sins . . . So, that we can have new ones."
1967. Uncommonly Good
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Sermon
Lori Wagner
What makes you special? What makes you unique? What makes you different and sets you apart from others? While obviously we all look different –we have different features, different noses, eyes, hands, body shapes, coloring, or hair texture –we also have a unique personality, a character all our own, our own motives, dreams, and aspirations, our own fears, inclinations, likes, and preferences. In scripture, the word meaning different or “set apart” from others is “holy.” To be holy for Jews and later for ...
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