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Showing 201 to 225 of 4963 results

201. Isaac and Rebekah

Genesis 24:1-67

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... long journey with ten camels alone. 24:50 The role taken by Laban, the bride’s brother, in agreeing to the marriage is attested in the Old and Neo-Babylonian period (Selman, “Comparative Customs,” p. 138). 24:55 The length of time requested for Rebekah to remain at home is lit. “days or ten.” Many take “days” to mean a year; if that is correct, “ten” may mean a month. In any case, the family appears to be leaving the exact length of time open. 24:62 It is curious that the servant returned ...

202. Miscellaneous Laws

Deut 23:15–25:19

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... d in the latter), is possibly a euphemism for the genitals, male and female. See Eslinger, “Immodest Lady Wrestler.” 25:15 Accurate and honest: The words in Hb. are š e lēmâ, lit. “whole,” (cf. “shalom”), and ṣedeq, lit. “of righteousness.” 25:17 The Amalekites remained an inveterate enemy of Israel for many years after the settlement (cf. Judg. 3:13; 6:3–5, 33; 7:12; 10:12). Saul failed to eliminate the threat (1 Sam. 15; 28:18), and they were still pillaging in David’s day (1 Sam ...

203. Ahab's Family Killed

2 Kings 10:1-17

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... 12:17–18; 13:3–7, 22–23). Will Israel survive the assault? There has been a pronounced emphasis throughout the chapter, after all, on the thoroughness of Jehu’s campaign. “No one was left” after the sword of Jehu had done its work (cf. the Hb. root šʾr, “to remain,” in vv. 11, 14, 17, 21), no one of the house of Ahab, of the relatives of Ahaziah, of the servants of Baal. No one escaped (Hb. mlṭ, v. 24) to meet Elisha. If Hazael is to be as thorough, what hope can there be for Israel? Yet ...

204. The Glory Departs

Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 9:1-11, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 11:1-15, Ezekiel 11:16-25

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... 9:9 The house of Israel and Judah. The mention of Judah here is unexpected. Nothing in the context has led the reader to assume that “house of Israel” means anything other than it usually does in this book—namely, the entire nation, or all of it that remains. With Walther Zimmerli (“Israel im Buche Ezechiel,” VT 8 [1958], p. 82), it seems best to see “Judah” as a later addition to this text, likely by the same hand that in 4:6 added Judah’s 40 days/years to the sign concerning Israel’s sin ...

205. Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia

Ezekiel 25:1-7, Ezekiel 25:8-11, Ezekiel 25:12-14, Ezekiel 25:15-17

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... we saw in the oracle against Ammon, Ezekiel’s oracles against the nations address long-simmering resentments between Judah and its neighbors. The intense rivalry between Judah and Edom had deep roots; the exact historical event to which Edom’s vengeance refers in verse 12 remains unknown (but see 35:1–15). As with Ammon, the punishment God meted out to Edom is total devastation: “I will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill its men and their animals. I will lay it waste, and from Teman to Dedan ...

206. Consider Others Higher Than Yourself

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... generates love and aims to build up the community. 8:2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. As if to unplug all attempts at pride and superiority, Paul reminds the Christ community that all present knowledge remains partial (13:12). Those who claim to already possess knowledge (as would later become a full-blown claim by the gnostics) must realize that such is “not yet” possible.3 Wisdom comes from humility before God, who alone knows sufficiently (3:18; cf. Gal ...

207. The Priority of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... of others (1 Pet. 4:8) and is prepared to accept the pain this causes to oneself (1 Cor. 9:12). That love “always trusts” expands this idea further. The point is not gullibility but a constant readiness to trust, and renew trust, because hope remains unquenchable, or without limits. Love, therefore, always “perseveres” (hypomen? [Matt. 24:13; Rom. 12:12; 2 Tim. 2:10; Heb. 12:1–3; James 1:12]). 13:8–12 Spiritual gifts are manifestations of God’s presence, evidence that the kingdom of God has ...

208. Resurrection and Transformation (Part 1)

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

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Preben Vang

... Death is the enemy! Christian hope speaks to redemption and re-creation of God’s world and God’s people, not to an escape from present realities. The promise of resurrection does not disconnect the coming age from the present. Death, pain, and suffering remain real and continue to be God’s gruesome enemies, until the day when God through Christ redeems his creation unto himself and raises believers to live in his glory-filled presence. The ancient pagan, as well as the modern, notion that at the point ...

209. Last Encouragement and Final Greeting

1 Corinthians 16:19-24, 1 Corinthians 16:5-18

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

... Corinth and knew they had come to Corinth from a position of Christian leadership in Rome. When now the Corinthians are reminded of the couple’s continued faithfulness in the Ephesian church, this functions as a model for what it means to remain vigilant in Christ’s community. Not only do Aquila and Priscilla serve as an example that Christ’s body is unified across ethnic groups, borders, and continents; they demonstrate how faithful Christians stay engaged at all times. Given the travel this couple ...

210. The Woman, the Son, and the Dragon

Revelation 12:1--13:1a

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... final defeat of Germany. D day is therefore like the first coming of Jesus portrayed in Revelation 12. However, the final surrender of the Axis forces did not occur until almost a year later on [VE-day.] Christ’s second coming—the [VE-day] for the church—remains a future event. Christians now live in this interim period, called by God to overcome the dragon and his forces by putting on the spiritual armor that he has given us (cf. Eph. 6:10–18).6 God’s Word calls us to faithful witness. Theology ...

211. The Bowl Judgments

Revelation 16:1-21

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J. Scott Duvall

... to sleep spiritually. Jesus intrudes to shock us out of our slumber and warn us that his return will be sudden and unexpected. Most interestingly, in this third of seven beatitudes in Revelation, Jesus blesses the individual (“the one”) who stays awake and remains clothed (see the sidebar in 1:1–3). As Resseguie reminds us, “the great eschatological battle turns out to be an individual spiritual battle.”[6] In Jesus’s eschatological discourse, he repeatedly warns his followers to stay alert and ...

212. The Coming Judgment Calls for the Saints to Leave Babylon

Revelation 18:1-24

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... 51:45: “Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the Lord”; see also Isa. 48:20; Jer. 50:8; 2 Cor. 6:14, 17). Although this may involve physical separation, spiritual separation is more likely since believers are called to remain in the world as Jesus’s faithful witnesses, even in the face of suffering (11:3–10; 12:11; 14:12–13; 16:6, 15; 17:6; 18:24). In essence, this is a clarion call to holiness, a separation from the wicked ways of the world and a separation ...

213. The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1-27

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J. Scott Duvall

... letter.”1John uses the language of Isaiah to describe the new creation (e.g., the “new heaven and new earth” in Isa. 65:17; 66:22). The “first” (pr?tos) heaven and earth with its suffering and decay pales in comparison to the qualitatively “new” (kainos) creation, which will remain forever (cf. Rom. 8:19–22). Judaism contained both the idea of a total replacement of the old with the new (e.g., 1 En. 72:1; 83:3–4; 91:16; 2 Bar. 44:12; Sib. Or. 3:75–90), as well as the renovation of the ...

214. The Day of Atonement: Preparation

Leviticus 16:1-34

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... laying two hands upon it; the animal is then driven into the desert. This ritual represents Israel’s sins being completely removed and forgotten by God. God has graciously provided the Israelites a means for their sins to be forgiven and forgotten while remaining holy himself. Or as the psalmist says, perhaps alluding to the Day of Atonement scapegoat, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12). The book of Hebrews sees the atoning sacrifices ...

215. Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Obedience

Num 15:1-41

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... doing so (Lev. 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 16, 18). Forgiving sins of all sorts and degrees is part of the glory of the nature of God (Exod. 34:7). Various Scriptures celebrate how God forgives Israel (Ps. 103:3, 12; Dan. 9:9; Mic. 7:18). Forgiveness remains central to the new covenant (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12). Christians are taught to forgive as God forgives (Matt. 6:12; Luke 11:4) and to pray for the forgiveness of others (Luke 23:34). Jesus’s sacrificial death allows God to forgive (Matt. 26:28). Yet as in ...

216. The Ark Does Some Damage

1 Samuel 5:1-12

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... to give fertility (1 Sam. 2:1–10) in terms that echo the Baal myths. Now chapter 5 tells how the ark of God humiliates Dagon in the latter’s very own temple and then continues to assault him and his people as long as it remains in Philistine territory. The polemic against these foreign gods culminates in 1 Samuel 7, which records how the Lord thunders against the Philistines. In light of the Lord’s absolute superiority, it makes no sense for the Israelites to worship these gods and perfect sense for ...

217. Resurrection and Accountability

Daniel 12:1-13, Daniel 11:36-45

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... in the Gilgamesh Epic from the second millennium BC.1In this Mesopotamian poem, when someone’s sins are sufficient to warrant divine judgment, that person’s name is blotted out of the book, leading to his or her death. Those who remain can expect “continued” life, although “eternal” life is not specified.2 The fundamental aspect of afterlife in the ancient Near East was a continuing existence in a grave-like netherworld with no differentiation between the righteous and the wicked. In Canaan ...

218. Towns for the Levites

Joshua 21:1-45

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... fact, 21:11–12 suggests that these towns are not even exclusively reserved for the Levites, but must be shared with inhabitants of the tribes to which these towns belong. Thus, while Hebron is among the towns given to the Levites, the surrounding fields and villages remain the possession of Caleb and his descendants, who presumably live there as well. The total number of towns thus assigned to the Levites is forty-eight (21:41; Num. 35:6); these include the six cities of refuge (21:13, 21, 27, 32, 36, 38 ...

219. Propriety in Worship

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... and women as he did the issues of circumcision and slavery in chapter 7. “In the Lord” one recognizes the eschatological abrogation of sexual distinctions, but as Christians await the Day of the Lord they are not to act as if the Day has already come. One remains in the state that one was called as the only valid demonstration of freedom. God stands over all, and in the Lord women and men are interdependent, even equal; but they are still as God made them in creation, men and women. They have not and ...

220. Orderly Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... The peculiarity of the statement in verse 33b complicates decisions about the origin and purpose of both these particular words and other statements made in connection with this phrase. No ready solution for the full range of problems is at hand, so verse 33b remains a problem in its own right. 14:34–35 These two verses are distinct sentences in Greek, but for a number of reasons it proves expedient to treat the statements in the verses together in commentary. Above all, the coherent command to silence in ...

221. The Sin Offering

Leviticus 4:1--5:13

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... the fellowship offering, and the fat portion is burned on the sacrificial altar. The holy place is thereby cleansed of the pollution caused by the unintentional sin(s) of the high priest. 4:11–12 In purification offerings for the high priest (or community), the remains are to be burned outside the camp. Because the priest might be involved in the sin, the priest could not appropriately consume the offering. The enumeration of the parts of the animal (the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the ...

222. The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons

Leviticus 8:1-36

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... are important in the Priestly tradents’ scheme of things. Exodus 29 indicates that the work of atonement continues in these days with various sacrifices, especially purification offerings for the altar. Presumably Moses still officiates, while Aaron and his sons remain in the tabernacle precincts. On the eighth day they begin their ministry in a powerful and dangerous state of holiness along with the sanctuary precincts and objects. Two NT references are especially relevant. In John 17:19, Jesus describes ...

223. David at Nob

1 Samuel 21:1-9

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... also fallen afoul of Saul’s intemperate nature, but they formed into a disciplined force. David, perhaps winning the support of the king of Moab by presenting himself as an opponent of the Israelite king, was able to leave his parents in safe custody. He remained for a while at a fortified base until a prophetic instruction sent him into Judean territory. 22:6–10 Saul reacted predictably when he learned that David had surfaced and that a group had gathered around him. He took for granted that David’s ...

224. Abner Goes Over to David

2 Samuel 3:6-21

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... –11 Although Ish-Bosheth was titular head of the northern tribes and Abner seemingly made no attempt to change that, real power centered around Abner. The fate of the country lay in his hands, and verse 6 implies that he took action to ensure that this remained the case. It is not surprising that Ish-Bosheth, who seems to have left all the decision making to his general (3:8–17), felt threatened by Abner (v. 11). Whether or not Abner had a relationship with Saul’s concubine Rizpah, the phrasing of Ish ...

225. Job's Second Test

Job 2:1-10

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... irreversible commitment. 2:10b The second test concludes in much the same way as the first with a positive evaluation of Job’s response. In all this—a reference to the test of suffering and to Job’s verbal responses—Job did not sin. His integrity remains intact following the most severe test—the threat of social rejection and death. One ought not to make too much of the specificity of the evaluation that Job did not sin in what he said (bispatayw, “with his lips”). This does not imply that Job ...

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