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 2101 to 2125 of 2699 results

2101. Issachar

1 Chronicles 7:1-5

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... descendants of Issachar, tracing his lineage through Tola, Uzzi, and Izrahiah. The Chronicler probably obtained his information from texts such as Genesis 46:13 and Numbers 26:23–25. The specific statistics in 1 Chronicles 7:2, 4, 5 leave the impression of a military census list, which the Chronicler projected to a time during the reign of David. 7:6–12 Benjamin receives separate treatment in the next genealogical section (8:1–40), but this subsection also deals with his descendants. (Interestingly ...

2102. The People in Jerusalem

1 Chronicles 9:1-34

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... offerings (9:29). Still others, some of the priests, were responsible for mixing the spices (9:30), and others for baking the offering bread (9:31) and preparing for every Sabbath the bread set out on the table (9:32). This description creates the impression of a well-organized cultic service in the postexilic sanctuary in Jerusalem. Although commentators are not unanimous in their opinions on which section is in fact concluded by the last verse (9:34), it is likely that it closes the section starting in 9 ...

2103. Saul Takes His Life

1 Chronicles 10:1-14

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... the exile. We read in 2 Kings 25:22–26 that the Babylonians appointed Gedaliah as governor over those who remained behind in Judah. Gedaliah had his seat in Mizpah, a Benjaminite town. We know from archeological records (such as seal impressions) that Mizpah remained the administrative center during the exile until Jerusalem was reestablished sometime in the fifth century B.C. Furthermore, the earlier history of Benjamin might also be significant here. When the united kingdom divided into the kingdoms of ...

2104. David’s Victories

1 Chronicles 18:1-13

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... into the Chronicler’s construction of showing how Yahweh prepared the way for the full establishment of David’s kingdom under Solomon, but also into his theological concept of Yahweh taking the initiative in these battles. The reader gets the impression from these battle accounts that they are probably programmatic in the sense that they reflect something of Israel’s self-understanding in the Chronicler’s time, rather than being historical accounts of real events. The point the Chronicler wants to ...

2105. Preparations for the Temple

1 Chronicles 22:2-19

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... Nathan oracle (see 1 Chron. 17), the Chronicler certainly intended them as a report of Yahweh’s response. The reference to he will be my son, and I will be his father, in which Yahweh (also in first-person direct speech) adopts the king, confirms this impression. In Yahweh’s direct speech reported in 22:8–10 we come to one of the central themes in the Chronicler’s theology, namely, peace and rest. We have already seen how this theme functioned in the account of David’s reign. Here, the transition ...

2106. David's Plans for the Temple

1 Chronicles 28:1-21

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the brave warriors. This impressive list reminds one of all the divisions of cultic and secular officials in 1 Chronicles so far, particularly those in 1 Chronicles 23–27. 28:2–10 The speech reported in these verses is very similar to David’s speech to Solomon reported in ...

2107. Opposition to the Rebuilding

Ezra 4:1-5

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... in common was descent from colonists from various eastern regions of the empire. They had been deported by the next-to-last Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, who reigned in the middle of the seventh century. The epithets great and honorable give the impression that they supported the imperial cause and so acted in good faith in reporting the prospect of sedition in the neighboring province. They paint an alarmist picture, quite devoid of historical probability, in lurid hues from the palette of ethnic prejudice ...

2108. Ezra Comes to Jerusalem

Ezra 7:1-10

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... 8; 5:2 that Jehozadak was the father of Jeshua, the first high priest after the exile. By starting with Seraiah, this genealogy associates Ezra with a collateral line through another, unnamed son of Seraiah. So Ezra is invested with impressive priestly credentials, as a cousin of the contemporary high priestly family. Knowledge of this relationship presumably came from an oral tradition. The genealogy functions as an editorial commentary on the simple designation of Ezra as priest in Artaxerxes’ letter in ...

2109. List of the Family Heads Returning With Ezra

Ezra 8:1-14

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... been bad enough. Ezra’s determination to recruit some Levites would delay the starting time by nearly two weeks, according to 7:9 and 8:31. They were needed for temple duties: this is the explanation given in verse 17. In verse 16, Ezra sent an impressive delegation to find Levites—leaders and men of learning. The latter seem to have been priestly instructors in the Torah. It is significant that in Nehemiah 8:7, 9, which belong to the Ezra memoirs, this term appears twice as a verbal form (“instructed ...

2110. Nehemiah Helps the Poor

Nehemiah 5:1-19

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... debts were unpaid (v. 10). Nor did he permit his family or staff to do so. Instead, he served their interests by devoting his energies and those of his retinue to rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, as 4:16 had stated. The reference to 4:16 gives the impression that verses 14–19 were meant as a generalizing conclusion to 4:10–5:13, while verses 14 and 16 repeat the denial of 4:23 in other areas. In verse 16, Nehemiah claimed that his specific lack of exploitation in the case of land was consistent with ...

2111. Esther Made Queen

Esther 2:1-18

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... Jewish plight be overlooked. Like the Jews without king and land, Esther is without parents, living in a foreign land and hiding under a foreign name. There is another contrast in these biographies. Within the context of the Jewish community, Mordecai’s genealogy is impressive while Esther’s is marginal. The exiled Jews in 597 B.C., with Jehoiachin (v. 6), were from the upper classes. Mordecai had an inherited status in his own culture that was, perhaps, the basis for a measure of status in the Diaspora ...

2112. Haman's Plot to Destroy the Jews

Esther 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... Jewish actions later as self-defense, although they will resist taking plunder (9:10, 15–16). As already noted, Haman is ironically writing the prescription for his own demise (Prov. 26:27; Ps. 7:15–16). It is also ironic that the impressive mechanism in place for establishing edicts bespeaks an effective pluralism in the Persian empire that should be protecting the various ethnic groups: They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people . . . (v. 12). Unfortunately, Cyrus ...

2113. I Am a Rose of Sharon

Song of Songs 2:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

... auditory images. Because she is not directly addressing anyone in these verses, it is not certain whether other characters are present or whether we are eavesdropping on her solitary musing. Leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills (2:8) gives the impression of an animal seen from the distance. Like a gazelle or a young stag in the following verse reinforces this picture. The Hebrew words for these animals are the masculine equivalents of the words for the creatures mentioned in feminine form ...

2114. Sin and Punishment

Jeremiah 8:4--9:26

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... , the nations listed in v. 26 are said to be circumcised in the flesh, but in v. 26, they are described as uncircumcised. The NIV tries to solve the tension by adding “only” in v. 25 and “really” in v. 26, giving the impression that all these nations practiced the same form of physical circumcision, but were also united in not having that circumcision affect their relationship with the true God. In an interesting article, however, R. C. Steiner (“Incomplete Circumcision in Egypt and Edom: Jeremiah ...

2115. Flight to Egypt

Jeremiah 41:16--43:13

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... also curiously accuse him of being a puppet of Baruch (Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you), whom they imply is a toady of the Babylonians. We know Baruch as Jeremiah’s scribe (Jer. 36, see also ch. 45), but something has given these people the impression that Baruch is calling the shots. Their reaction is desperate, and since the accusation of Jeremiah as false prophet is wrong, so is their statement that he was put up to it by Baruch. Neither do we know why the Judeans have moved from their position ...

2116. Jonah Flees from the Lord

Jonah 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... is revealed gradually as the narrative proceeds. The NIV has also omitted one use of the word “Tarshish” in verse 3b, which reads, “and he found a ship going to Tarshish.” Three times the name of that destination occurs in verse 3. The author is impressing the direction of Jonah’s flight upon us. Similarly, the phrase, “before the face (or presence) of Yahweh” or “before my face” occurs three times in verses 2 and 3. Nineveh’s sin has risen up before Yahweh’s face, verse 2, but Jonah ...

2117. Warnings and Exhortations for Jerusalem and Judah

Zephaniah 2:4-7, Zephaniah 2:8-11, Zephaniah 2:12, Zephaniah 2:13-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... mere pasturage for sheep. But the prophet goes on to envisage it as simply the abode of wild creatures, like Babylon in Isaiah 13:21–22. As was the case in that picture, the prophecy then makes explicit what this implies about the impressive buildings of this great capital. At least as significant is the contrast between Assyria’s self-understanding and what its destruction signifies (v. 15). The description uses expressions that recur elsewhere to describe a great city or world power taken from the ...

2118. The Flying Scroll

Zechariah 5:1-4

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... flying scroll! He does not mention any winged bearers (as he does in the following vision), nor is the scroll itself said to have wings—he does not specify the means of locomotion. The image calls to mind flying carpets, undulating through the air. As impressive as the Persian road system was, a flying scroll could move more quickly than any mounted messenger. And this scroll came from the Lord. 5:2 The interpreting angel/messenger is still present, and he asks Zechariah to say out loud what he sees. The ...

2119. God Loves an Underdog

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A picture of a bird Good morning, boys and girls. God is never impressed by size. A tiny diamond is worth more than a giant rock. A tiny baby is just as important as a grown man. Have you ever noticed that the most beautiful sounds come from the smallest birds? Think about it. An eagle can screech; a turkey can gobble; an ostrich ...

2120. Jesus' First Disciples

John 1:35-42, John 1:43-51

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... King, paradoxically, in his death (cf. 12:13, 15; 19:14, 19). Nathanael has prophesied the end from the beginning, yet his confession is not quite adequate. The words are right, but they rest on an insufficient foundation. Nathanael believed because he was impressed with Jesus’ supernatural knowledge. Jesus promises him, and the other disciples, greater things than that (v. 50). They will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (v. 51). The promised vision is like ...

2121. Jesus Clears the Temple

John 2:12-25

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... 2 is followed by an account of the temple cleansing, an event associated in the other Gospels with the Passion week, it appears that this first Passover is indeed the last and that the events of Jesus’ Passion are about to start. The impression has been created because the Gospel writer has transferred the temple cleansing almost to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. This is more likely than supposing that Jesus actually cleansed the temple twice. John’s Gospel has taken the symbolic acts with which ...

2122. Jesus Talks with a Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-26, John 4:27-38, John 4:39-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... case, however, the knowledge is gained through normal channels. When Jesus received word that the Pharisees were beginning to perceive him and John as rivals, he decided to leave the area (v. 3). The writer takes a moment in passing to correct a possible false impression given by 3:22 and 4:1 (as well as 3:26). Jesus was not personally baptizing anyone. Baptisms were taking place in Judea as a result of his ministry and under his jurisdiction, but the actual baptizers were his disciples. The intent is to ...

2123. Jesus Teaches at the Feast

John 7:14-24

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... (v. 14). He begins immediately to teach in the temple, and immediately his teaching attracts the attention of the religious authorities. How, they ask, can a person without formal rabbinic training speak so ably and wisely? The content of the teaching that impressed them is not given as a part of the narrative. The narrator probably has in mind expositions of the Hebrew Scriptures, but the center of interest lies rather in Jesus’ reply to the authorities’ question. But just as their question had been ...

2124. The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

John 9:13-34

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation” (11:48). To confess Jesus as Messiah was politically dangerous; the religious authorities wanted to isolate those who made such a confession so as to avoid giving the Romans the impression that the synagogue was in any way a base for revolutionary activities. The silence of the man’s parents leads to a final confrontation between him and the Pharisees (vv. 24–34). As the exchange goes on, he becomes surer and surer of his ground ...

2125. The Death of Lazarus

John 11:1-16, John 11:17-37

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

... not even clear that he is speaking to them. His words are reassuring, yet have a note of mystery about them. Is he promising another miracle or merely stating in general terms that God will make everything turn out for the best? If he is promising a miracle, the impression given is of a healing like the other healings that he has performed (e.g., 4:46–54; 5:1–9). There is no hint of resurrection, because the apparent meaning of verse 4 is that Lazarus will not die of his illness. Verse 12 makes it clear ...

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