Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 2101 to 2125 of 2273 results

2101. Arad Destroyed

Numbers 21:1-3

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

Of Snakes and Victories: Chapter 21 begins a new movement in the book of Numbers. The deaths of Miriam and Aaron and the sin of Moses in chapter 20 mark milestones, and the camp is again on the move. In the final chapters of the book, the action moves to the Transjordan plateau and the journey to the land of Canaan. Chapters 11–20 have been dominated by rebellion, death, and defeat. In chapter 21 are the first signs of military success. Although another rebellion story follows the first victory (vv. 1–3), ...

2102. Balak Summons Balaam

Numbers 22:1-20

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

Balak and Balaam: The next three chapters (22-24) comprise the extended narrative with the prophet Balaam, a delightful and complicated story with recurring themes centered around seeing and not seeing. Balaam is not an Israelite but joins in God’s blessing of the people before Israel enters the land. The story derives from earlier narratives that have been included in the Priestly accounts. Because the story is composite, it reveals some tensions. Olson has described the four main characters in the story ...

2103. Zelophehad's Daughters

Numbers 27:1-11

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

The New Generation: Inheritance and Leadership 27:1–7: The census in chapter 26 prepares for the distribution of the land. The custom in ancient Israel was that land stayed with the tribe and was passed from father to son. The question now arises as to what happens when there are no sons but only daughters. The daughters of Zelophehad . . . belonged to the clans of Manasseh. The five of them—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah—approach the community’s judicial body in an effort to inherit their father’ ...

2104. The Transjordan Tribes

Numbers 32:1-42

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

Reuben and Gad: In the final chapters of Numbers, Israel is on the verge of entering Canaan. This chapter actually begins some of the distribution of the land. Questions of settled life become more pressing. 32:1–5 The chapter opens with a request that generates something of a crisis on the edge of the land. The tribes of Reuben and Gad seek to settle in the Transjordan and not to continue on across the Jordan River into Canaan. Verse 1 describes the Reubenites and Gadites as having very large herds and ...

2105. Samuel Anoints David

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Introducing David: The focus again moves, this time from Saul to David. Saul remains in the picture up to 2 Samuel 1, and his influence is felt after that in the ongoing tensions between the north and the south in Israel. But from this point Saul is a secondary character. Samuel, who had resigned his commission as national leader (ch. 12), is recalled to anoint David. Samuel’s return underlines the portrayal of Saul’s reign as being a pause before the genuine new age arose in Israel with David’s ...

2106. David Anointed King over Judah

2 Samuel 2:1-7

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

David’s Rise to Power Begins: Chronicles, which is primarily concerned with the history of the house of David, gives little detail about the reign of Saul. First Chronicles 10 records Saul’s death in the same form as 1 Samuel 31 but with the addition of a negative summary of Saul’s reign. Chapter 11 of 1 Chronicles then moves to the meeting of the whole nation with David at Hebron that is described in 2 Samuel 5:1. The pains and struggles that accompanied the birth of David’s reign and the role of Ish- ...

2107. Elihu

Job 32:1--37:24

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

The Friends Conclude and Elihu Begins Excurses: Had the third cycle of dialogue between Job and his three friends been complete, we would expect to find Zophar’s concluding speech in response to Job at this point. However, at least in the canonical form of the book, Bildad’s truncated final speech (25:1–6), Job’s expanded concluding speech (chs. 26–31), the complete absence of any final speech by Zophar, and the opening comments in the following Elihu section, press the reader to understand this collapse ...

2108. The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13-17

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

John the Baptist: At the close of chapter 2, Joseph, Mary, and the child Jesus returned from Egypt and took up residence in the Galilean town of Nazareth. The time would have been shortly after the death of Herod in 4 B.C. Chapter 3 begins with the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist some twenty-five to thirty years later. What had been going on in the life of Jesus during this time? Except for one incident, the Gospels remain silent. They were never intended to be taken as biographies. The only thing ...

2109. A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

Matthew 9:18-26

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

9:18–19 As Jesus continues to teach, a Jewish ruler comes to him in behalf of his daughter who has just died. Kneeling before Jesus, he declares that if Jesus will but come and touch her she will be restored to life. This ruler of the synagogue (as Mark and Luke both identify him) was an important person in the Jewish community. To seek the help of one who would be considered a dangerous heretic by the orthodox indicated how desperate he was. His faith in the power of Jesus to perform such an act suggests ...

2110. Defeat in Battle with Edom

Psalm 60:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

This psalm concerns an impending attack against Edom (v. 9) and comes out of the background of a recent, devastating battle defeat (vv. 1–4, 10). The divine oracle (vv. 6–8), which is either a citation of an earlier prophecy or a newly delivered one, presupposes a united monarchy, where Ephraim and Judah are part of the same kingdom. Though not apparent initially, the historical superscription can be fitted with the OT’s historical narratives. David did defeat Philistia (v. 8; cf. 2 Sam. 8:1), Moab (v. 8; ...

2111. Jesus Arrested

Matthew 26:47-56

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

The Final Evening: The Passion narrative is the account of the suffering and death of Jesus. It normally includes all the events beginning with the garden scene in Gethsemane and finishing with the burial. The centrality of the cross in early Christian preaching is reflected in the major emphasis given to it in each of the four Gospels. Matthew 26 records the events of Wednesday and Thursday of the final week of Jesus’ life. 26:47–56 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas arrived accompanied by a large ...

2112. Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts

Daniel 7:1-14

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Four Beastly Kingdoms and God’s Kingdom: Daniel 7 is centrally located in the book; it is also of central importance. It functions as a transitional unit, providing a hinge that connects the two halves of the work. Chapter 7 is tied to what precedes by its language: it is part of the Aramaic section, which runs from Daniel 2:4b through 7:28. It is also part of the chiastic structure of chapters 2–7 (see “Stage Three” under “Language Problem and Literary Development” in the Introduction), which have ...

2113. Daniel’s Vision of a Man

Daniel 10:1--11:1

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Final Revelation: Prologue: Chapters 10 through 12 form one long unit containing the last apocalypse of the book. This unit can be subdivided into three smaller sections: the prologue (10:1–11:1), the body (11:2–12:4), and the epilogue (12:5–13). The proper divisions do not line up with the chapter breaks in our modern Bibles because those chapter breaks are not original; they were inserted long after the Bible was completed and not always in the most helpful places. The prologue sets the stage for the ...

2114. The Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:2-35

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Final Revelation--The Body: We enter now into the body of the last main revelation of the book of Daniel. There has been some progression in the visions of the book from a more general scope, encompassing larger blocks of history, to a more narrow focus on shorter periods of time. So, for example, Daniel 2 spans four and a half centuries by outlining the four human empires of Babylonia, Media, Persia, and Greece, which are swept away by the fifth—the eternal kingdom of God. Aside from the fact that the ...

2115. The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

Mark 8:14-21

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

8:14–21 This is one of the more difficult passages in Mark, and yet it is also plainly an important one, given its relationship to other passages (the feeding miracles) and given the solemn statements of Jesus about understanding in verses 17–21. The parallels in Matthew 16:5–12 and Luke 12:1 show that the saying of Jesus was remembered in varying ways, which means that it must have been important and somewhat ambiguous in meaning (on the parallels, see the notes). Indeed, in order to see what Mark ...

2116. Defeat of Sihon and Og

Numbers 21:21-35

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

2117. Joshua to Succeed Moses

Numbers 27:12-23

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

2118. David In Saul's Service

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

2119. War Between the Houses of David and Saul

2 Samuel 2:8-3:5

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

2120. The Death of Jesus

John 19:28-37, John 19:17-27, John 19:38-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The mention of the soldiers by the NIV in verse 16b makes the natural and probably correct assumption that it was the Roman soldiers of verse 23 who took charge of Jesus. Though the verb took charge is, strictly speaking, used impersonally (i.e., “they” took charge of Jesus, or Jesus “was taken into custody”; see the first note on 18:28), its close link with verse 16a suggests the continuing involvement of the chief priests (and their officials) in all that happened. Clearly, they are present, as is Pilate ...

2121. The Burial of Jesus

John 19:38-42, John 19:17-27, John 19:28-37

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

2122. Praise to God for a Living Hope

1 Peter 1:1-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Greetings to Readers 1:1 The writer introduces himself in a brief and modest manner. The Gospels all agree on the prominence of Peter, a born leader, impulsive, yet burning with love and enthusiasm. It was to him that Jesus said both the toughest and the choicest things. Whatever Peter’s faults, a cold heart was not one of them. His warm pastoral concern for others glows in his letters. Peter succinctly states his credentials by describing himself simply as an apostle, an accredited messenger, of Jesus ...

2123. Faith in the Son of God

1 John 5:1-12, 1 John 4:7-21

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

God’s Love and Our Love There is little agreement among those who have made a serious study of 1 John as to how to divide 1 John 4:7–5:4, but most have understood 4:7–12 to center around God’s love for us and, in response, our love for one another. It is likely that the opponents of the Elder had stressed their love for God (cf. 4:10, 20), their devotion, piety, and mystical spirituality (cf. 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6, 9; 3:18; 4:1). But the Elder thinks that it is God’s love for human beings which is ...

2124. The Plague of Blood

Exodus 7:14-24

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

7:14–25 First Blood. The account of the first plague begins with the notice that Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding. The Hebrew word here is kabed, meaning a “fat” heart or “heavy and sluggish” heart. In this context it could be paraphrased “self-fulfilled” or “self-satisfied.” The word describes Pharaoh’s “hard heart” in 7:14; 8:14, 28; 9:7, 34; 10:1; 14:4, 17. The synonym used elsewhere for “hard heart” is khazaq, which means “tough” or “strong.” Pharaoh will not change much in the conflict that follows. He ...

2125. Shamgar

Judges 3:31

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Judge Shamgar: 3:31 The chapter closes with a very brief notice about a judge named Shamgar. It does not begin or end with the usual phrases; neither are any of the other stereotypic elements such as geographical or genealogical details in the core of the story. In fact, it is not a story. The summarizing phrase seems like no more than an afterthought or a comment added to bring the story into conformity with those of the other judges. Moreover, Shamgar is not even a Hebrew name, and Anath is the name of a ...

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