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 201 to 225 of 326 results

201. David Becomes King over Israel

1 Chronicles 11:1-3

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... ), which indicates that Yahweh was responsible for turning over the kingdom from Saul to David. The names listed here represent more or less the same tribal communities listed in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 2–9: men of Judah (12:24), men of Simeon (12:25), men of Levi (12:26–28), men of Benjamin (12:29), men of Ephraim (12:30), men of half the tribe of Manasseh (12:31), men of Issachar (12:32), men of Zebulun (12:33), men of Naphtali (12:34), men of Dan (12:35), men of Asher (12:36), and from ...

202. Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return

Ezra 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... who responded to divine prompting. All was of God. God was the prime mover behind the restoration of the postexilic community. Second, God’s people, or Israel, in verse 3 is now defined as Judean exiles from the three tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, to which priests and Levites belonged. Contemporary members of the tribes that had made up the preexilic southern kingdom of Judah constituted the new people of God, as heirs of the earlier community of faith. Third, there is a typological reference to a ...

203. The Decree of Darius

Ezra 6:1-12

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... 21–22. In verse 16, Israel stands for all the returned exiles in their religious and lay groupings. As in 2:1–2, continuity with preexilic Israel had taken an exilic detour. Historically the returnees comprised only three tribes—Judah, Benjamin, and Levi—but for the narrator they were the essential representatives of the traditional twelve tribes, as verse 17 maintains. Later the editor of Chronicles was to qualify this narrow definition, and verse 21 seems to make a move in that direction. The ...

204. Threat of Captivity

Jeremiah 13:15-27

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... apex of the people’s sin (see 10:1–16; 11:1–17). Thus, verses 26–27 again describe the punishment that God will bring on the people. By their idolatry, they have committed spiritual adultery, so their punishment is described like that levied on a prostitute, namely public humiliation. The section ends with a “woe”-saying, connecting the oracle with mourning rituals (see 10:19–22). In ancient Israel, mourners would follow a body to burial crying, “woe.” It is a way of saying that Jerusalem ...

205. How the Gold Has Lost Its Luster

Lamentations 4:1-22

One Volume

Tremper Longman III

... , showing the signs of the deprivation of food and water and perhaps the appearance of disease. 4:9 Tet. The form of the first parallelism of the verse is a better-than parallelism, which gives relative values. In a siege like that which the Babylonians levied against Jerusalem, death came in many forms. In such a situation, some types of death were better than others. It is a sorry state, though, when death by a sword is considered a mercy. Famine, however, is a slow type of death that prolongs suffering ...

206. The Lord Comes and Reigns

Zechariah 14:1-21

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... long as the earth endures, / seedtime and harvest, / cold and heat, / summer and winter, / day and night / will never cease” (Gen. 8:22). The constancy of day and night, maintained by covenant with God, serves as a guarantee of the durability of the Lord’s covenants with David and Levi (Jer. 33:20–21): the era of counting days and years will come to an end. 14:8 The Psalms and prophecy picture the temple as the source of a river (e.g., Ps. 46:4; Ezek. 47:1–12; Joel 3:18). The four rivers flowing out ...

207. Judah Unfaithful

Malachi 2:10-16

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... marriage itself is a covenant between the husband and the wife, who is called the wife of your marriage covenant. Proverbs 2:17 also portrays marriage as a covenant. There is no OT narrative or ritual of a covenant marriage ceremony, but, like the covenant with Levi (see above on 2:4–6), the concept of a marriage covenant between a wife and a husband has its roots in older traditions: (1) Laws regarding the conduct of wives and husbands were part of Israel’s covenant obligations (e.g., Exod. 20:14; 21 ...

208. The Day of Judgment

Malachi 2:17--3:5

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... will survive, however, to carry out a purified ministry (v. 3b) so that the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD. The situation that 1:6–14 and 2:9 describe will be set right. The ministry of priests like “Levi” in 2:5–7 characterized the days gone by, or former years. Purification of priests and the process of worship will prepare for the Lord’s sudden coming “to his temple” (3:1). Similarly, priests were installed and the tabernacle was constructed in the ...

209. God’s Covenant with Abram

Genesis 15:1-18

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... twenty to twenty-five years. Talmon (“ ‘400 Jahre’ oder ‘vier Generation,’ ” p. 20) found a tradition in Egyptian literature that takes a generation to be a hundred years (Isa. 65:20). The genealogy of Moses attests that there were four generations: Levi-Kohath-Amram-Moses (Exod. 6:16–20; Num. 3:17–19; 26:57–59). Another way to understand generation (dor) is “lifetime” (Hamilton, Genesis: Chapters 1–17, p. 436). The symbol for an epoch is significant, teaching that God works with his ...

210. Jacob’s Children

Genesis 29:31--30:24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... him Simeon, “one who hears,” meaning that God had heard that she was not loved. The verb “heard” implies that she had been lamenting to God about Jacob’s attitude toward her. Leah again conceived and bore a third son. She named him Levi (lewi, from the root lawah, “be joined to”) as an expression of her longing that her husband . . . become attached to (lawah) her. Again she conceived and bore a son. This child she named Judah, meaning “praise.” She looked beyond the distress caused by ...

211. Obedience Commanded

Deuteronomy 4:1-14

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... 26) E′ When you disobey, you will perish (8:1–20) D′ “Hear, Ο Israel, you are about to cross the Jordan” (9:1–29) C′ At that time, Yahweh spoke the Ten Words (10:1–7) B′ ‘At that time, Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi” (10:8–11) A′ ‘And now, Ο Israel, what does Yahweh ask of you?” (10:12–11:25) The careful structure of ch. 4, and especially the balance of its opening and closing sections, has led some scholars (particularly Lohfink and Braulik) to argue for its authorial ...

212. The Law of the Temple

Ezekiel 43:13-27, Ezekiel 44:1-31, Ezekiel 45:1-12, Ezekiel 45:13--46:24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... to make atonement for the house of Israel.” The necessary items for these sacrifices come both from the prince’s own holdings and from the terumah (the NIV has “special gift”) of the people. In other words, the prince has the authority to levy taxes. To be sure, the text doesn’t call this contribution a tax. Since, from the viewpoint of the priestly establishment, the function of this authority is the support of the sacrificial liturgy, the editors call it a terumah (a sacred offering) rather than ...

213. The Disciples’ Insufficient Faith to Heal as Jesus Heals

Matthew 17:14-23, Matthew 17:24-27

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... 23; 20:21–22). 17:24 the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax. These Jewish collectors of the temple tax are not the same group working on behalf of Rome to collect its taxes (e.g., those in 9:9–12). The temple tax, traditionally levied on all adult Jewish men annually, amounted to two drachmas (essentially equivalent to the half shekel in Exod. 30:11–16). 17:27 But so that we might not cause offense. Although Jesus has exempted the children of the kingdom from the requirement of payment (17 ...

214. The Path of Discipleship

Mark 8:31--9:1

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. “Follow” (akolouthe?, twice in v. 34 [NIV: “be my disciple” the first time]) has been the main verb for discipleship since the four “followed” Jesus in 1:18 and Jesus called Levi by commanding “Follow me” in 2:14. There are three aspects. (1) “Denying self” is not just an ascetic self-denial of certain material or earthly things; rather, it is the rejection of the ascendancy of self, a refusal to allow self-interest ...

215. The Birth of John

Luke 1:67-80, Luke 1:57-66

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... has begun. 1:69 a horn of salvation. The phrase, drawn from Psalm 18:2, denotes God’s saving power, as an ox’s horns symbolize its physical strength. in the house of his servant David. Zechariah and Elizabeth belonged to the priestly tribe of Levi, but God’s salvation is to come not through their son John, but through Jesus, whose Davidic descent is repeatedly emphasized in these opening chapters (1:27, 32; 2:4, 11), since Old Testament prophecy had declared that the messianic king was to be a ...

216. The First Disciples

Luke 5:1-11

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... him, so Simon in turn will bring others to share in the blessings of salvation. Catching fish is a skill requiring training, experience, and patience, and so is evangelism. 5:11 they . . . left everything and followed him. The same will be said of Levi, the only other disciple whose calling Luke specifically records (5:28). In this they are model disciples. In 14:33 we are told that an essential requisite for discipleship is to “give up everything you have,” and in 18:29–30 disciples are those ...

217. Jesus and Women

Luke 7:36--8:3

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... 8:1–3) was potentially scandalous. Here, as always, Jesus seems unconcerned by what conventional society might think. Interpretive Insights 7:36 he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. Jesus was as much at home in “polite” society as in Levi’s house; he did not “belong” to one side of the social divide. For other such invitations by Pharisees, see 11:37; 14:1. At a more formal dinner guests reclined in the Roman style on couches around a central table, so that their feet ...

218. Discipleship and Mission

Luke 10:1-24, Luke 9:57-62

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... his earthly lifestyle. What even the nonhuman creation can take for granted is denied him, and those who choose to follow him must expect no better. 9:59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” The potential disciples in 9:57, 61 are volunteers, but this man, like Levi (5:27), is personally selected. Lord, first let me go and bury my father. If the father had just died, it is unlikely that the son would have been free to be away from home listening to Jesus. More likely he means that he needs to stay at ...

219. Table Talk

Luke 14:1-14

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... Jesus’s willingness to eat with and to accept invitations from both the respectable and the disreputable, the influential and the marginalized, was one of his most striking traits. Compare with these Pharisaic meals Jesus’s meal in the house of Levi (5:29–30). It was this generous inclusiveness that aroused the disapproval of the more conventionally religious (cf. 15:1–2). For scribal rules on Sabbath healing, see “Historical and Cultural Background” on 6:1–16. Interpretive Insights 14:1 to ...

220. Lost and Found

Luke 15:1-7, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... the Text After the scene at a Pharisee’s table in 14:1–24 (cf. 7:36–50; 11:37–54), the focus turns to the much less conventional meals that Jesus enjoyed with social and religious outsiders. This theme was earlier raised by the meal in Levi’s house (5:27–39) and by the “sinful woman” who disrupted another more conventional meal (7:36–50), and it has been reflected in Jesus’s subversive ideas about who should be at the messianic banquet (13:28–29; 14:15–24). The issue for Jesus ...

221. Paul Reinterprets the Story of Israel

Romans 2:17-29

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... so, Paul would then be saying that such a practice contradicted Jewish abhorrence of idolatry. Second, Paul could be pointing out the hypocrisy of some Jews who failed to pay the annual Jerusalem temple tax (see Pss. Sol. 8.11–13; T. Levi 14.5). Third, “robbing temples” could be a symbolic way to refer to the sacrilege of turning the law itself into an idolatrous practice. As Don Garlington says, “[temple robbing] is Israel’s idolatrous attachment to the law itself . . . its tenacious insistence ...

222. Adam, the Law, and the Curse of the Covenant

Romans 5:12-21

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C. Marvin Pate

... at the battle of Ai) and in the way that Achan’s whole family was punished with him. Here Achan, like Adam, committed actions considered to be the actions of those whom he represented.1Hebrews 7:10 seems to tap into the same concept when it speaks of Levi being in the loins of Abraham when he gave a tithe to Melchizedek. That Paul has something similar in mind in Romans 5:12–21 is suggested by his usage of “the one” (12x) and “the many” (9x), common terms in ancient Judaism to designate the ...

223. Paul, Phoebe, Patronage, and Spain

Romans 16:1-27

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. Two comments are in order here. First, this promise of Genesis 3:15 becomes in Judaism and Christianity apocalyptic in orientation: the Messiah will come and crush Satan in the end time (see, e.g., T. Levi 18.12 for Judaism; Rev. 12:17 for Christianity). For Paul, Jesus is the Messiah, and he will soon crush Satan at the parousia. Second, Genesis 3:15 is Deuteronomic in perspective. Thus, the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28:15–68 inform Genesis 3:15. Just ...

224. The Protective Sealing of God’s People on Earth

Revelation 7:1-8

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... tribes were unidentifiable. We also notice that Judah heads the list because this is the tribe to which Jesus belonged. The tribe of Dan is missing, likely due to its association with idolatry and apostasy, as is Ephraim, perhaps due to its opposition to Judah. Levi is included, maybe because the people of God are portrayed in Revelation as priests. Finally, the term “tribe” (phulē) is used throughout Revelation in a universal sense (e.g., 1:7; 5:9; 14:6; 21:12).3 Theological Insights As in other parts ...

225. Preparations for Worship (Part 1)

Numbers 7:1-89

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... the sanctuary fully by applying fragrant oil as part of a celebratory occasion of receiving gifts for the sanctuary. 7:2 the tribal leaders. See Numbers 1:4–16. 7:7–9 Gershonites . . . Merarites . . . Kohathites. These are the three subtribes of the tribe of Levi. On their duties, see Numbers 4. Only two of these tribes receive the six carts with twelve oxen to pull them for the service of moving the tabernacle items when the camp moves. The Kohathites do not need this gift, since the most sacred ...

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