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 2401 to 2425 of 4943 results

2401. The Purity of the Camp

Numbers 5:1-4

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... Camp: Chapter 5 returns to the twelve tribes in the camp. The common thread throughout the chapter is a concern with purity. 5:1–4 These verses report divine instruction to ensure that the camp is clear of those who ... auspices to deal with what is perceived to be an issue in this community, the suspicion of adultery when there is no public evidence. The concern is to protect the community from hidden impurity and strife in relationships. In this section, the wife is clearly subject to the husband and priest ...

2402. Setting Up the Lamps

Num 8:1-26

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... Holy Place leads to a comment on the lamps in the sanctuary. 8:1–4 Further revelation comes through Moses to Aaron concerning the lamps and lampstand. These verses refer to the instructions in Exodus 25:31–40 and 37:17–24. The seven lamps are to ... be set up so they will light the area in front of the lampstand. Apparently the concern, working from Exodus 40:22–25, is that the lamps illumine the table holding the bread of the presence. Verse 3 provides the ...

2403. Daily Offerings

Numbers 28:1-8

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... offering as a pleasant smell for God in hope of divine acceptance of the offering. These chapters discuss only the burnt and sin offerings, and their accompaniments. The text here does not mention the shared offering, and the guilt offering is more occasional. The concern is to be sure the people know their responsibilities for these offerings, which are entirely for God. The total dedication and purification of the community are the priority. 28:4 Twilight is the time between dusk and dark. 28:5 A tenth of ...

2404. Vows

Numbers 30:1-16

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... in force and is to be fulfilled. If the father objects when he hears about it, the vow is null and void. The LORD will release her from the vow. The father’s objection must come upon his hearing of the promise. The second scene (vv. 6–8) concerns a vow a woman made before marriage but that goes with her into her husband’s house. The principle is the same here. When her husband hears about it, he must register any objection then or the vow/pledge will stand and is to be fulfilled. Presumably the ...

2405. Stages in Israel's Journey

Numbers 33:1-56

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... molded images. They would have been used at the Canaanite high places, the hill shrines where the idolatrous worship took place. God has promised the land to the people, and so they are now to take possession of the land and settle in it. The concern is that they remain faithful to God. The goal of the destruction of Canaanite religion is to remove it as a temptation to faithlessness. The Priestly tradents understand all too well that such idolatry brings death. Life is found in the loyal worship of Israel ...

2406. Inheritance of Zelophehad's Daughters

Numbers 36:1-13

Understanding Series

W.H. Bellinger, Jr.

... leaders appear to be anticipating a possible suggestion from the court to which they are appealing. 36:5–12 Moses declares a decision in this case at the LORD’s command, presumably after consulting with God in the sanctuary. The decision accepts the concern of the Manassites, here described as the tribe of the descendants of Joseph. The daughters of Zelophehad are to marry anyone they please among members of the tribal clan of their father. That practice would ensure that the property inherited by the ...

2407. The Birth of Samuel

1 Samuel 1:1-20

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... , including 1 and 2 Samuel, are more than mere records of events. They contain teaching that could be described as prophetic. In recent years the close relationship between the historical books and the book of Deuteronomy has come into focus; connections identified include common concerns for the development of the community, a common understanding of required ritual, and sometimes common phraseology (cf. 1 Sam. 1:3–4 // Deut. 12:5–7, 17–18; 1 Sam. 8:1, 5, 11 // Deut. 16:18–19; 17:14–20; 1 Sam. 17 ...

2408. David and Jonathan

1 Samuel 20:1-42

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... necessary (v. 4) is an implicit statement that his loyalty would go to David rather than to Saul. 20:5–7 David’s concern about his attendance at the New Moon festival shows that he had not yet decided to remove himself permanently from the court. If ... sexuality, described in Australia as mateship, that can take place between soldiers living in difficult conditions in wartime. The unselfish concern for the welfare of the other, involving at times great personal cost, and the request to care for a family ...

2409. David Spares Saul's Life

1 Samuel 24:1-22

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... judged to reach through to the complex character that he knew so well, the appeal was successful. Saul was once again able to see David not as his enemy but as my son, perhaps responding to David’s “my father” (v. 11). He regained his perspective concerning both God’s activity and David’s activity. He was convinced that an enemy would not have allowed him to escape so freely. His assessment of David—You are more righteous than I, echoing Judah’s comment about his daughter-in-law (Gen. 38:26 ...

2410. David Again Spares Saul's Life

1 Samuel 26:1-25

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... kill Saul and thus could in no way be seen as acting against the LORD’s anointed. This strong sense of the importance of not taking action against the one whom God had put in place probably stemmed from David’s genuine concern not to go against God’s will. However, the concern of the writers, and maybe of David, to protect his future interests, could be coming into play. If the people could be imbued with the awesome nature of being anointed by God, they would be less likely to turn against David when ...

2411. David Destroys the Amalekites

1 Samuel 30:1-31

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... Israel in spite of his present abode in Philistia. Probably it was a combination of all of these, but it was a shrewd move on David’s part. Additional Notes 30:6 David’s attitude could indicate either his concern for himself rather than his family or that his concern for his men’s problems took precedence over his personal worries. In spite of his friendship with Jonathan, personal relationships, particularly within his family, were not David’s strong point. But the stress here is on the community ...

2412. David Anointed King over Judah

2 Samuel 2:1-7

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... been dangerous for them to have done anything other than acknowledge as king the skilled warrior chieftain now living among them. However, there is no suggestion other than that they did so freely and gladly. David was the choice of the people as far as Judah was concerned. 2:4b–7 Having returned to Judah, David was able to obtain full details of what had happened to Saul and his army. The message sent to Jabesh Gilead reflects the two aspects of David’s character that made him such a good king. On the ...

2413. David Flees

2 Samuel 15:13-37

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... , Zadok seems to have had special responsibility for the ark of God and therefore took the lead in this instance. The two men worked closely together over a long period of time. The mention of the covenant in relation to the ark reinforces David’s words concerning God’s control over the affairs of king and people. 15:32 There was apparently a recognized shrine at the top of the Mount of Olives. It was common for such worship centers to be set up at high places, providing panoramic views of surrounding ...

2414. Eliphaz

Job 4:1-5:27

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... s seniority see Pope, Job, p. 35). He speaks first in all three rotations and is allowed twice as much space as each of the other two friends. Eliphaz, whose name means something like “my God (is) pure gold,” begins a bit hesitantly, as if concerned how Job will respond, but he builds rather quickly to an assured presentation of his views. His major assertion in this chapter seems to be that because all humans are less than righteous before God (4:17), Job ought to trust that God will respond mercifully ...

2415. Bildad's Second Speech to Job

Job 18:1-21

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... : “The world does not revolve around you!” or “You are not the center of the universe!” In Bildad’s opinion, Job thinks far too highly of himself, that God and the world should respond to his every word and thought. But Bildad places the world’s concern with Job’s plight at a much lower level. The order of the world will not be rearranged to accommodate him. Nor must the rocks be moved from their place. Additional Notes 18:2 When: the phrase (like the much more frequent ʿad matay, “How long ...

2416. Job's Second Reply to Zophar

Job 21:1-34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... concludes his plea for direct punishment of the wicked (which is another way of criticizing the current lack of punishment being meted out) by pointing out how their callous self-concern renders any deflection of punishment onto their descendants an ineffective form of judgment. In Job’s estimation, the hard-hearted wicked have no concern for what happens even to their own children, as long as their own lives remain trouble (and judgment) free! They will be unmoved by anything less than direct, personal ...

2417. Job's Third Reply to Eliphaz

Job 23:1--24:25

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... get up early to pursue their evil plans and they continue their ways into the darkness of night. There is no time—day or night—that is free from their oppression. The eye of the adulterer. It is unlikely that Job is primarily concerned with adultery here, but—building on the atmosphere of devious stealth associated with the “thief” in the preceding line—he adds the image of a wayward husband slipping through the darkened alleyways to avoid detection as an apt analogy for the sneaky actions ...

2418. The True God of Agricultural Blessing

Psalm 4:1-8

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... good” with his “righteousness”). The psalm’s answer to this question is clear: Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. This request echoes the Aaronic benediction (Num. 6:22–27) and may imply the speaker is a priest (also note the concern for right sacrifices). The Aaronic benediction also closes with the bestowal of “peace,” which is precisely the note on which Psalm 4 closes: I will lie down and sleep in peace. This is in direct contrast to the opponents who are to tremble “when ...

2419. Acquittal for the Falsely Accused (Ps. 7)

Psalm 7:1-17

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... -ark. This same imperative introduces the song of the ark in Numbers 10:35 (cf. Ps. 132:8). If the cherubim-ark tradition is echoed here, it can help us make sense of several features in the psalm that otherwise appear to be incongruous. One concerns the puzzling references in verse 7 (see the Additional Notes below). Another is the combination of both legal (vv. 6–9) and military (vv. 10–13) language applied to God. In the OT, the cherubim symbolized both Yahweh’s throne of judgment and his war ...

2420. The Lord on His Heavenly Throne

Psalm 11:1-7

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... hunting continues into the second image, but here the prey are humans. Other psalms also depict social conditions where the wicked stalk the innocent (e.g., 10:2, 8–10). The third image of shaky foundations also appears in 82:5, a psalm similarly concerned with rampant injustice where the wicked are shown partiality in the courts over against the poor and oppressed. 11:4–7 The question closing the psalm’s first half, “What can the righteous do?,” is answered, not by an act they should perform but ...

2421. Holding to the Lord’s Paths Amidst Threatening Stalkers

Psalm 17:1-15

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... :5; 4:8; Lam. 3:23). 17:6–12 This next section echoes the psalm’s opening: give ear to me and hear my prayer. Why does the liturgy repeat what has already been asked? This repetition may mark a distinct stage in the liturgy, perhaps even introducing a separate concern. Once the speaker has established his loyalty to Yahweh, he now confesses, I call on you, O God, for you will answer me, and turns to seek the privilege of refuge in Yahweh. It is only in the psalm’s second half that we learn he is under ...

2422. Walking in Integrity and Loving the Lord’s House

Psalm 26:1-12

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... , that is, the exclusion of the wicked from Yahweh’s holy place (5:4–6, 10; see also 36:1–4, 7–12; 52:1–6, 8). The petition, “Do not take away my soul along with sinners,” is very similar to the one found in 28:3. Thus, the concern for the wicked evident in Psalm 26 stems not from the supposed circumstances of the liturgist but from the entry liturgy itself. In light of the above, it seems to have been composed not for lone individuals who happen to be accused falsely but for any pilgrim as a ...

2423. To Be Spared from the Lord’s Judgment on the Wicked

Psalm 28:1-9

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

... 7); and a priest, the corporate praise and intercession (vv. 8–9). Now what is the occasion for this liturgy? The opening verse may be suggestive of sickness, but this hypothesis does not account for the contents of the psalm, whose central section (vv. 3–5) concerns the destiny of the wicked. And the closing interest in the salvation of God’s anointed one and his people would seem out of place in a psalm focused on an individual’s restoration. Is the psalm to be used on those special occasions when ...

2424. Love for Enemies

Matthew 5:43-48

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... social in the inclusive sense. Within the realm of everyday relationships, there is no category that can be labeled “enemy.” Everyone we meet (even the one who would abuse us) is a friend and therefore one whom we are to love. Note that love is active concern: we are to pray for those who persecute us (v. 44). Followers of Jesus are to love their enemies as well as their friends. In this way they show themselves to be children of their heavenly Father. Without partiality, he causes his sun to rise (v ...

2425. Ask, Seek, Knock

Matthew 7:7-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... . The positive form moves us to action on behalf of others; it calls us to do for others all those things that we would appreciate being done for us. Now we have moved from justice to active benevolence. This kind of outgoing and dynamic concern for others sums up the Law and the Prophets (cf. Weymouth). It is “the essence of all true religion” (Phillips). The Golden Rule brings into focus the ethical intent that lay behind all the Old Testament legislation on matters of interpersonal relationships. The ...

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