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 2201 to 2225 of 2699 results

2201. Immorality and Apostasy

Numbers 25:1-18

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... of Numbers: its idolatry with Baal of Peor. At first glance, this story seems unrelated to Numbers 22–24, simply picking up where Numbers 21 left off with Israel camped on the plains of Moab after defeating Sihon and Og. But that initial impression is wrong. First, this unit provides a contrast: Balaam and Balak cannot curse Israel externally, but Israel can bring on a self-inflicted curse. Second, Balaam in fact has orchestrated this whole affair in a partially successful attempt to get Yahweh to curse ...

2202. The Daughters of Zelophehad (Part 1)

Numbers 27:1-11

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... . The list has continued to expand to include billionaires from around the globe, and it has opened up to people of all incomes. A list of signatories is published online, allowing people to view profiles for each of the generous donors. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? But such wealth and generosity cannot compare to the God we worship. His resources are infinite, and his willingness to bless is unquestionable.5 Christianity has played a major role in raising the status of women. Church History: The ...

2203. “Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave”: Power Poisons the Conscience

2 Samuel 11:1-27

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... ’s sons take bribes), 11–16 (the king will take sons, daughters, crops, servants, and livestock); 15:21 (the people take the items devoted to destruction); 2 Samuel 4:7 (the assassins take Ish-bosheth’s head in order to impress David). David has suddenly joined a club of miscreants and resembles the hypothetical foreign-looking king described by Samuel.1 Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness. The grammatical structure (subject followed by predicate) indicates that this statement ...

2204. The Ark Does Some Damage

1 Samuel 5:1-12

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... the Lord himself, as events in Ashdod and the other Philistine cities clearly demonstrate. But the Lord does accommodate himself to the Philistine mind-set. They identify the ark with Israel’s “gods” (4:8), so the Lord works in conjunction with the ark to impress upon the Philistines his incomparability and power. The Lord will not allow the ark to sit beside Dagon’s image in Dagon’s temple. When Dagon falls before the ark, the Philistines do not seem to get the point. But when Dagon then ends up ...

2205. Be Careful What You Ask For

1 Samuel 10:9-27

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... lips (Judg. 16:30; 1 Sam. 31:5–6) and are humiliated by the Philistines, Samson before his death and Saul afterward (Judg. 16:21, 25; 1 Sam. 31:9–10).1The parallels cast Saul in the role of a second Samson. Both are physically impressive and seemingly possess great promise, but both die tragic deaths after disobeying the Lord. As commented earlier (on 1:1), the narrator contrasts Samuel and Samson. In contrast to Samson’s unnamed barren mother, whose son failed to recognize his role as the Lord’s ...

2206. Samuel Confronts the People

1 Samuel 12:1-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... s earlier statement, when he spoke of the “king” whom the people chose (8:18). There is something foreboding about this. While the Lord intended to place limitations on kingship (10:25; cf. Deut. 17:14–20), in Saul he gives them the impressive-looking king who fits their criteria. Furthermore, despite the Lord’s restraints, kingship will eventually evolve into something much like Samuel’s description in 8:11–18. 12:14 If you fear the Lord and serve. The combination of the verbs “fear” and ...

2207. The Lord Is with David

1 Samuel 18:1-30

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... and superior to Saul (13:14; 15:28), but he was not named. In chapters 16 and 17 he appears and quickly demonstrates his qualifications by bringing the king relief from his distress and then leading Israel to a great victory. All seems to be well. Impressed by David’s prowess and success, Saul made him a full-time member of the royal court and gave him a promotion within the army. Divine providence has moved David even closer to the throne he is destined to possess. However, the narrator quickly informs ...

2208. Adversity of a Righteous Man

Job 1:1-22

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Daniel J. Estes

... Job lives up to the Lord’s confidence in his character. Job’s good character is evidenced by his righteous patterns of life. Both the narrator (1:1) and Yahweh (1:8) describe Job in glowing terms. Even though Job’s wealth is impressive, that is not the focus. Rather, his résumé highlights his character more than his possessions, a stark difference from how our contemporary culture measures success and value. In his patterns of life Job demonstrates integrity, commitment to God’s moral standards ...

2209. Job Feels under Attack by God

Job 16:1-17:16

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Daniel J. Estes

... If anyone denounces their friends for reward. Perhaps employing a familiar proverb of his day, the precise meaning of which is now difficult to understand, Job uses harsh language to criticize his friends. Apparently, Job perceives that they are trying to impress God by upholding the retribution formula as they condemn Job. For his part, Job regards their allegations against him as perjury, and he says that if they have wrongly denounced him as foolish, then their children will have to bear the consequences ...

2210. Eliphaz Condemns and Counsels Job

Job 22:1-30

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Daniel J. Estes

... clearly, Eliphaz also has misconceptions about God. As he tries to defend the retribution principle, his reasoning leads him to the conclusion that retribution works so consistently that even God is unaffected by the good or evil that humans do. Eliphaz wants to impress on Job that God is not arbitrary but that he acts by fixed moral laws. However, Eliphaz ends up depicting God as so exalted that what humans do is of no particular concern to him. Instead of maintaining the theological balance that holds ...

2211. Yahweh Speaks as the Master Teacher

Job 38:1--41:34

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Daniel J. Estes

... In some respects, Leviathan appears like the crocodile, but other details suggest a more fantastic animal, like the fire-breathing dragons of myths. This vivid portrayal in verses 12–32 produces shock and awe in Job, and even readers today cannot fail to be impressed by the grandeur and power of this amazing creature. No other animal can match it. 41:15–17 they cling together and cannot be parted. In verses 15–17, the scales of Leviathan are described as impenetrable, like a row of shields that are ...

2212. “You Are Not a God Who Is Pleased with Wickedness”

Psalm 5:1-12

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C. Hassell Bullock

... verb in the last sense, supplying the missing object “my requests.” The ESV chooses the first meaning, “prepare a sacrifice.” Coupled with the imagery of the morning (sacrifice), this meaning seems preferable, although the ambiguity here is quite impressive (see “Historical and Cultural Background”). The verb “wait” has the same meaning in Habakkuk 2:1, where the prophet stations himself in the tower to “watch” (NIV: “look”) for the oncoming messenger. 5:4 with you, evil people ...

2213. “Have Mercy on Me, Lord, for I Am Faint”

Psalm 6:1-10

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C. Hassell Bullock

... psalm we have met the three categories of enemies that are the object of so many of the psalms: international, domestic, and common. Some interpreters have pointed to the psalm’s verbal similarities to Jeremiah (Ps. 6:1 with Jer. 10:24 is the most impressive), but these are for the most part echoes, not quotations. Still, the terms shared with other psalms are significant.1 Outline/Structure On the basis of content we can divide the psalm into three parts: 1. The psalmist cries out to God from his anguish ...

2214. “In the Lord I Take Refuge”

Psalm 11:1-7

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C. Hassell Bullock

... has been stilled, is trust. Looking at the text, Psalm 13 exhibits a lexical outline. 1. The lament (13:1–2) frames the “house of mourning” by four columns of the agonizing question “how long” (‘ad-’anah). The fourfold repetition gives the impression of the protracted suffering David endured[3]—it was painfully drawn out—and covers a wide span of the psalmist’s relationships, the first two regarding the Lord (“How long will you forget me?” “How long will you hide your face from ...

2215. “The Lord Looks Down . . . to See If There Are Any Who Understand”

Psalm 14:1-7

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C. Hassell Bullock

... (14:1) 2. God’s perspective (14:2–4) 3. God’s presence among the righteous (14:5–6) 4. Hope for Israel’s salvation (14:7) Historical and Cultural Background In view of the adaptation of Psalm 14 to fit the context of Psalm 53, the impression is that Psalm 14 is probably the original form. It belongs to the first Davidic collection (Pss. 2–41) and could, in my opinion, have been written by David. Some commentators take the clause “When the Lord restores his people” (14:7) to be a hint of ...

2216. “The King Rejoices in Your Strength, Lord”

Psalm 21:1-13

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C. Hassell Bullock

... Christians it has a special significance because Christ uttered these words from the cross (Matt. 27:46/Mark 15:34—quoted in Aramaic rather than Hebrew), turning human despair into divine despair, if such a term has any validity. This psalm, not surprisingly, has stamped its impression on the Gospel writers. The dividing of his garments and casting lots for them (22:18) is alluded to by all the Gospel writers (Matt. 27:35/Mark 15:24/Luke 23:34/John 19:24). The hurling of insults (22:7) is alluded to by ...

2217. “I Confess My Iniquity; I Am Troubled by My Sin”

Psalm 38:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

... :19), especially since the psalmist’s sin does not seem to have been directed toward them, for he has sought “only to do what is good” (38:20). We may assume that the overreaction stems from the intensity of the psalmist’s suffering, leaving the impression that his sin is of such gravity that they can ignore the kindness he has paid them. The psalmist’s sickness is not merely a psychosomatic disorder resulting from his sin, but there is a theological link between the two (38:3b). Our understanding ...

2218. “As the Deer Pants for Streams of Water, So My Soul Pants for You, My God”

Psalm 42:1-11, Psalm 43:1-5

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C. Hassell Bullock

... as well. Even with the stamp of the Davidic seal on Book 2 (“This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse,” Ps. 72:20),4the Elohistic collection of psalms in Books 2 and 3 still, with the positioning of the Korah and Asaph psalms,5gives the impression of the unmistakable Levitical seal. We might suggest that, by the time Books 2 and 3 were edited, it was quite obvious that the psalmic material belonged to the sanctuary and thus to the Levites who composed its musical staff, and such an editing as we ...

2219. “Within Your Temple, O God, We Meditate on Your Unfailing Love”

Psalm 48:1-14

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C. Hassell Bullock

... In this minicollection of Zion songs (Pss. 46–48) the preferred name of the city is Zion, or Mount Zion, since that is the religious name of the city. The name Jerusalem conjured up political thoughts, while the name Zion invoked religious and spiritual impressions. In fact, the name Jerusalem does not appear in any of the Korah psalms, and only here in Psalm 48 does Zion, the religious designation of the city, appear in the Korah collection. In scope, these three psalms exhibit an advancing pattern. Even ...

2220. “If I Were Hungry I Would Not Tell You, for the World Is Mine, and All That Is in It”

Psalm 50:1-23

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C. Hassell Bullock

... , in her innocence and growing faith, made up her mind that I was God. But what if I stumbled or misstepped and did or said something that gave her a distorted picture of God? With time, of course, she might outgrow it, but who knows what a lasting impression that could make on her, and how long it would take to convince her that God is not like that? So from that point, my prayer and my actions were intentionally to the effect that through me she would come to know truly who God is. The Ten Commandments ...

2221. “In God I Trust and Am Not Afraid. What Can Mere Mortals Do to Me?”

Psalm 56:1-13

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C. Hassell Bullock

... his attention to keeping a record of human misery. We may compare Jesus’s words that our heavenly Father is aware of every sparrow that falls to the ground and that “the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matt. 10:29–30). The impression that the refrain and other details leave with the reader is that the opposition is relentless (“all day long,” 56:1c, 5a), and while the psalmist’s faith is generally firm and strong, it sometimes relapses into a need for confirmation. The repeated ...

2222. “You Laugh at Them, Lord; You Scoff at All Those Nations”

Psalm 59:1-17

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C. Hassell Bullock

... Ps. 2). But here is a good place to point out, as does Kidner,4that God’s laughter has to be balanced over against his grief. God’s laughter stems from his sovereign rule over the world, for which there are no credible competitors, regardless of the impression the pretenders might try to foist on their world. On the other hand, his grief grows out of his love (hesed) for his creation. In fact, the Genesis narrative informs us of God’s primordial grief at the sin of humanity: “And the Lord was sorry ...

2223. “Endow the King with Your Justice, O God”

Psalm 72:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

... far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life” (1 Kings 4:21). 72:12–13 he will deliver the needy . . . He will take pity on the weak and the needy.The worldwide reign of the king is not impressive if the day-to-day and person-to-person nature of his rule is not charged with compassion, which is a reflection of God’s own compassion. The king was God’s representative in the world, and this verse contains an expression of God’s compassion ...

2224. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

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Ronald W. Pierce

... an even more challenging world than ours (Deut. 6:4–9). 2. God allows the faithful to be tested. Situations can change quickly in life. The king honors these three, and then jealous colleagues drag them before the king, who is no longer impressed with them. God still allows unexpected challenges in the lives of believers today and still expects us to remain faithful, despite the consequences. The mention of the vast array of “officials” from across the empire, along with the repeated emphasis on the ...

2225. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

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Ronald W. Pierce

... depicts a heroic accomplishment of the king under the protection of Ahura Mazda. In the unusual case in Daniel of the sealing of a lion’s pit for execution, a rock is rolled over the opening, after which a clay seal is affixed with the impression of the royal signet ring, as well as those of the high administrators, so that it cannot be removed without being noticed.4 Interpretive Insights 6:10–11 Daniel learned that the decree had been published. This statement links the reader to the narrative of ...

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