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Showing 2376 to 2400 of 5000 results

2376. War against Midian

Num 31:1-54

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God condemns the wicked but rewards his people. Understanding the Text Numbers 31 resumes the story of Numbers 25 in which a Midianite princess, Kozbi, and an Israelite man, Zimri, commit a flagrant act of disobedience (Num. 25:6–9, 14–15). Theirs is one of many acts of immorality and idolatry (Num. 25:1) that have brought God’s wrath on Israel in the form of a plague. As a result, God tells Moses to treat the Midianites as an enemy and kill them (Num. 25:16–18). Numbers 31 fulfills God’s command ...

2377. The Lord Decides to Build David a House

2 Samuel 7:18-29, 2 Samuel 7:1-17

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord’s irrevocable promise to David is reliable and guarantees the realization of his purposes for his covenant community. Understanding the Text David has transported the ark, the symbol of God’s presence, to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5). Knowing that the Lord is the true King of Israel (2 Sam. 6:2), who has defeated his enemies (5:17–25; 7:1), David naturally desires to build a “house” (a temple, or palace) for this victorious King.1The Lord will eventually allow a temple to be built (1 Kings 5–6 ...

2378. “Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave”: Power Poisons the Conscience

2 Samuel 11:1-27

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord’s chosen servants cannot hide their sins from him. Understanding the Text Empowered by the Lord, David has experienced great success militarily and made Israel more secure than it has ever been. He obeyed the Deuteronomic regulations pertaining to the accumulation of chariot horses and wealth, promoted justice for all, and tried to model God’s faithfulness in his relationships. But suddenly the story takes a shocking downward turn as David’s blatant violation of God’s law brings chaos ...

2379. You Reap What You Sow

2 Sam 13:1-39

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord ensures that justice is satisfied, sometimes by allowing one’s children to repeat the parent’s sins. Understanding the Text The Lord confronted David with his sin and announced that he would severely punish him. Through Nathan’s entrapment technique, he even maneuvered David into imposing his own penalty. David must pay fourfold for his theft of Uriah’s wife (2 Sam. 12:6). The first installment of this payment came almost immediately, as the first baby born to Bathsheba and David died. ...

2380. Saul Dilutes a Victory

1 Sam 14:24-52

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: A preoccupation with one’s own honor can dilute divine blessing. Understanding the Text The preceding account ended with the Lord’s giving Israel a great victory, despite Saul’s hesitant actions. In this next story we see Saul continue to retard the action rather than advance it. This account highlights one of Saul’s major weaknesses and leadership flaws—one that has already emerged in earlier accounts and will prove fatal in the next chapter. Saul is preoccupied, perhaps even obsessed, with ...

2381. Yahweh Speaks as the Master Teacher

Job 38:1--41:34

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Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Yahweh poses questions about the physical world to demonstrate that Job’s knowledge is too limited to explain how God works in his world. Understanding the Text Throughout the speeches in chapters 3–37, the various human speakers claim to know what Yahweh thinks about Job’s situation, but in chapter 38 Yahweh finally breaks his silence and speaks for himself. Yahweh addresses Job in 38:1–40:2, focusing on his design for the world (38:2), and then Job replies briefly in 40:3–5. Yahweh resumes ...

2382. “The Lord Watches over the Way of the Righteous”

Psalm 1:1-6

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: We begin the spiritual story of Israel, and ours as well, with the psalmist’s search for and delight in God’s Word. Understanding the Text Psalm 1 is often viewed as a wisdom psalm because it puts forth the merits of the moral life as two “ways,” the “way of the righteous” and the “way of the wicked” (1:6), which is characteristic of wisdom thought. For the psalmist the matter was very simple: one must choose between the two ways. When the final edition of the book of Psalms was forming, Psalm 1 ...

2383. “Have Mercy on Me, Lord, for I Am Faint”

Psalm 6:1-10

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Either an illness or the psalmist’s enemies, or both, have driven him to pray for God’s mercy, out of which a robust faith bursts forth. Understanding the Text Generally Psalm 6 is considered an individual lament, and it is the first of the penitential psalms of the ancient Christian church (6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). While the element of penitence seems elusive, this psalm certainly is a prayer for divine mercy one place removed from confession of sin. The suppliant laments either (1) the ...

2384. “The Lord . . . Rules the World in Righteousness”

Psalm 10:1-18, Psalm 9:1-20

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Acknowledging our humanity is prerequisite to a faith that allows and even expects God to act on our behalf as he has acted for the saints of history. Understanding the Text Psalm 7 closes with a vow of thanksgiving (7:17), and Psalm 8 is in effect the fulfillment of that vow. Then follows Psalm 9 with a continuation of thanksgiving, followed by the lament of Psalm 10. This order is a reversal of the usual order of lament and thanksgiving. There are certainly psalms that contain mixed types,[1] ...

2385. “In the Lord I Take Refuge”

Psalm 11:1-7

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: When our theological foundations are threatened, our fears are disabled by remembering God’s just and majestic character. Understanding the Text Psalm 11 is an individual lament. The lament is quite brief (11:1b) and obviously grows out of the immediate threat of danger that David faced (11:2), which itself grows out of the nature of the wicked “who love violence” (11:5). It is that bigger problem that shakes the foundations of faith and life (11:3), until Yahweh’s vision from his heavenly throne ...

2386. “The Lord Looks Down . . . to See If There Are Any Who Understand”

Psalm 14:1-7

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: The world’s God-deniers will find, maybe to their surprise, that the God they deny is found “in the company of the righteous.” Understanding the Text The form of Psalm 14 is sometimes considered to be an individual lament, and in tone, it is, because the psalmist grieves over the vacuum of faith that he perceives in his world. But it does not follow the form of the lament. Others have suggested it is a wisdom psalm, in view of its use of wisdom language. In wisdom terms, the word “fool” stands ...

2387. “Lord, Who May Dwell in Your Sacred Tent?”

Psalm 15:1-5

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Our worship and life in God are grounded more in ethical behavior than in liturgical correctness, though this does not suggest that the latter is unimportant. Understanding the Text Form critics often identify this psalm as an entrance liturgy (also Ps. 24), spoken perhaps to the temple gatekeepers (2 Chron. 23:19) before the worshiper entered the sanctuary.[1] Mays moves the discussion in another direction by pointing out that both Psalms 15 and 24, as well as Isaiah 33:14–17 (which is a similar ...

2388. “You Will Fill Me with Joy in Your Presence”

Psalm 16:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: The unity of our life in God involves both the journey and the destination. Understanding the Text In literary form, Psalm 16 is an individual psalm of trust.1 Nowhere in the psalm does God speak, nor do we hear other voices in the psalm—no enemies, no oppressed cries, no accusers. The psalmist is alone with God, and the intimacy of his relationship permeates the poem. Psalm 16 represents a plateau in progression from the dismissive fool of Psalm 14, who says there is no God, to the searching ...

2389. “The Heavens Declare the Glory of God”

Psalm 19:1-14

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: We see God’s ubiquitous revelation in the world he created and his unique revelation in the Torah. Understanding the Text Mays has made a convincing case for the pairing of the Torah psalms (Pss. 1 and 2; 18 and 19; 118 and 119)[1] in order to present the eschatological kingdom of God, which will come in the context and through the instrumentality of Torah piety.[2] In the case of Psalm 18, David’s deliverance from Saul is a foreshadowing of future salvation. Psalms 18 and 19 both give a picture ...

2390. “Show Me Your Ways, Lord”

Psalm 25:1-22

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: As students in the school of faith, we have the Lord as our Teacher, and his ways (and will) are our curriculum. Understanding the Text This psalm is another example of reflective prayer (see Ps. 16), in which the suppliant talks to God and then reflects on the subject of the prayer (see “Outline/Structure” below), either alone or in company with others. Goldingay proposes that it has an instructional purpose, to teach people to pray.[1] Generically, Psalm 25 is generally typed as an individual ...

2391. “Taste and See That the Lord Is Good”

Psalm 34:1-22

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C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Having experienced God’s goodness, we invite others to “taste and see that the Lord is good” and thus experience the assuagement of their fears. Understanding the Text In addition to being an alphabetic acrostic,[1] Psalm 34 shares at least three other features with Psalm 25, another acrostic: (1) the waw (the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet) is missing from both poems; (2) each closes with a supernumerary verse beginning with the Hebrew letter pe; and (3) the same verb begins each of these ...

2392. “If I Were Hungry I Would Not Tell You, for the World Is Mine, and All That Is in It”

Psalm 50:1-23

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: One of the great dissimilarities between humanity and God is that we are needy people, but God needs nothing. Understanding the Text Psalm 50 is a perfect example of the kind of liturgical piece that might be recited in the seventh year when the Torah was read at the Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. 31:9–13).1Yet when the Book of the Covenant was discovered in the temple during Josiah’s reign (622–609 BC), it seems that this practice had not been observed for some time (2 Kings 23:1–3). In form- ...

2393. “Truly My Soul Finds Rest in God”

Psalm 62:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: God is our “all in all,” and that truth prompts us to invite others into our faith. Understanding the Text Psalm 62 is an individual psalm of trust.1 (See sidebar “Psalms of Trust” in the unit on Ps. 16.) The crisis that has called forth this marvelous expression of faith is not clear. However, we can be confident of this much: David has been assaulted by the unscrupulous attacks of his enemies, who flattered him with their words but cursed him in their hearts (62:3–4). Their erroneous assessment ...

2394. “When We Were Overwhelmed by Our Sins, You Forgave Our Transgressions”

Psalm 65:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Nature’s wonders and God’s forgiveness come together as dual witnesses of grace. Understanding the Text Psalm 65 is a community psalm of thanksgiving,1 grammatically indicated by the plural pronouns (“we” and “our”) in verses 1–5. (See the sidebar “Psalms of Thanksgiving” in the unit on Pss. 9–10.) The psalm of thanksgiving includes two essential elements: a report of the crisis that generated the thanksgiving (“we were overwhelmed by sins,” 65:3a) and the acknowledgment of deliverance (“you ...

2395. Nebuchadnezzar’s Testimony and Tree Dream

Daniel 4:1-18

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Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: In contrast to this world’s belief systems, God communicates his sovereignty to powerful leaders through his Spirit in faithful servants. Understanding the Text Daniel 4:1–37 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of Babylon to Darius the Mede (chaps. 5–6). Second, it ...

2396. Daniel Interprets the Dream and Confronts Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 4:19-27

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Ronald W. Pierce

Big Idea: The Most High God blesses and judges even the most powerful rulers of this world regarding their belief in him and their treatment of those they govern. Understanding the Text See the unit on 4:1–18 for a discussion of the larger context, structure, and comparisons of this literary unit. Against this backdrop, 4:19–27 forms the center of this narrative, shifting the story line from the telling of the dream to its interpretation and at the same time changing from first person to third when ...

2397. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

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Ronald W. Pierce

The Handwriting on the Wall (5:1-9): Big Idea: Sacrilege against God can lead to a divine confrontation that worldly wealth, power, and wisdom cannot adequately address. Understanding the Text Daniel 5:1–31 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of Babylon to Darius the Mede ( ...

2398. Serendipity

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

My wife is a clown! Wait now—let me explain that. I mean that literally, not figuratively. I don’t mean she’s a clown in terms of being a cutup, an always-clowning-around type of person. I mean she is literally a clown, and she has been involved for about ten years in a clown ministry. Her name is “Serendipity,” given to her by a longtime preacher friend. One thing that name means is “unexpected” and “unsuspected.” The fellow suggested the name because God’s grace comes at unexpected times from unexpected ...

2399. Departure from Sinai Wilderness

Numbers 10:11-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

10:11–25:18 starts a new section and covers the Israelites wilderness journey with God: At last, on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt, the divine cloud lifts from “the tabernacle of the Testimony” (10:11 NIV 1984). This is only twenty days after the Lord has commanded Moses to carry out the military census (1:1), and a week after the alternative Passover, on the fourteenth day of the second month (9:11). When the Israelites set out from the wilderness ...

2400. Ehud

Judges 3:12-30

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

After the death of Othniel, Israel once again does evil in the eyes of the Lord (3:12). The Lord then empowers Eglon, king of Moab, who, with the Ammonites and Amalekites, oppresses Israel for eighteen years (3:13–14). Israel then cries out to the Lord, who responds by raising up Ehud as deliverer. Ehud is first introduced in 3:15–16 as a “left-handed man,” which in Hebrew is literally “a man restricted in his right hand.” Considering that Ehud is from the tribe of Benjamin, which literally means “son of ...

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