Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2401 to 2425 of 2962 results

Numbers 27:12-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... promised land and then die, as Aaron has (27:12–14; cf. 20:23–29; Deut. 32:49). Since Moses’s end is near, he petitions God to appoint his successor so there will be a smooth transition of leadership and Israel will not be vulnerable. The Lord designates Joshua, “a man in whom is the Spirit” (27:15–18 NASB, ESV; see NIV note). Joshua has the right experience as Moses’s assistant (cf. Exod. 24:13; 33:11; Num. 11:28), Israel’s military leader (Exod. 17:8–13), and a faithful scout (Numbers 13 ...

2402. Instructions for Conquest and Settlement of Canaan

Num 34:1–36:13

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... forty-eight towns surrounded by pastures (35:1–8). An unstated benefit would be unification of the Israelites under God by distributing his special servants among them. 35:6-34 · Six of the Levite towns, three on each side of the Jordan, are designated as cities of refuge. Accidental manslayers can flee to these from avengers of blood, kinsmen of those who died, in order to survive and receive fair trials by the community. If the examination of circumstances surrounding a death shows that the defendant ...

2403. Achan's Sin

Joshua 7:1-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... him. He then tells Joshua that the real problem has to do with sin. Disclosing the nature of the sin, the Lord further threatens to withdraw his presence unless the devoted things among them are destroyed. This is followed by a series of instructions designed to rectify the problem. Joshua is to tell the people to consecrate themselves and inform them of the real reason behind their defeat. The need to consecrate is most likely in preparation for the Lord’s presence as he undertakes to personally identify ...

2404. Military Failures

Jud 1:1–2:5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... (Josh. 19:40–46). Unable to take possession of that land, the tribe eventually moved to the far north (cf. Josh. 19:47; Judg. 18:1–31), so that it ends up last on the list. Taken as a whole, this tribal conquest report seems designed to highlight a pattern of progressive deterioration. Four stages of deterioration can be discerned: (1) Judah and Simeon are able to dispossess some of the Canaanites, such that there is no mention of the Canaanites having to live among them. (2) Benjamin to Zebulun are ...

2405. The Song of Deborah

Judges 5:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... also participated. That the nonparticipating tribes are also listed suggests again that the main concern of the song is not just to celebrate a victory but also to present a polemic against nonparticipation. Among the list of participating and nonparticipating tribes are two designations that are nontribal: Makir in 5:14, and Gilead in 5:17. Since the geographic area known as Gilead, covering the mountainous area east of the Jordan, was occupied by Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, the reference in 5:17 ...

2406. Gideon Defeats the Midianites

Judges 7:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... purposely pitched an army of three hundred against a coalition innumerable and like swarms of locusts (cf. 7:12). Curiously, however, Gideon includes his own name in the battle cry, as he instructs his troops to shout “For the Lord and for Gideon” at the designated moment (7:18). Considering that after Midian is defeated the Israelites invite Gideon and his descendants to “rule over” them because they see him as the one who has saved them out of the hands of Midian (8:22), one has to wonder if the ...

2407. Samson's Marriage

Judges 14:1-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... have fulfilled his mission to begin delivering Israel from the Philistines. Finally, the fact that the narrator needs to supply this extra information is proof itself that the readers are expected to agree with the parents’ perspective. The comment is therefore designed not so much to exonerate Samson but to further clarify why Samson is allowed to continue this undesirable course of action. At Samson’s insistence, the parents give in. As Samson goes down to Timnah again, presumably to seek the woman ...

2408. Widows and Their Worries: Back to Bethlehem

Ruth 1:1-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... underscores the influence of Naomi’s faith on her while in Moab. The oath demonstrates her full assimilation to Elimelek’s family and culture. But it also shows Ruth is “swearing by the true God (rather than some other being who might be designated as ‘god’) . . . reflecting the strength of her emotion and commitment” (Revell, 203). The fact that Ruth willfully becomes an Israelite and embraces the Lord by moving to Judah is somewhat typical of one in the ancient world adopting the god of the ...

2409. Boaz’s Acceptance

Ruth 4:1-12

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... : perpetuating the name of the dead. But it also shows how the legislation is contextualized given Naomi’s age. Rather than marry widowed Naomi as prescribed in the law, Boaz agrees to marry “Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow.” This designation, different from the previous one, is uniquely suited to the legal proceedings. Out of necessity, it emphasizes Ruth’s legal social status as a widow. Together with the sandal exchange it represents a formal declaration of what Boaz gains. Finally, the ...

2410. The Genealogy of David

Ruth 4:13-22

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... renowned reputation. As mother of Obed and wife of Boaz, Ruth (already famous for her acts of kindness) will receive greater renown as an ancestor of David. Thus for the first time in the book the author discards Ruth’s Moabite designation. It is no longer necessary because her marriage to Boaz formalizes her assimilation into Israel. Although once empty, Naomi has now received fullness from the Lord’s sovereign and merciful hand in her old age. Thus the “naturalization” process that Ruth undergoes ...

2411. Samuel Anoints Saul

1 Sam 9:1–10:8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... . While the band of prophets is prophesying, Saul will join with them and the Spirit of the Lord will come upon him in power, just as it came upon Othniel (Judg. 3:10), Gideon (Judg. 6:34), and Jephthah (Judg. 11:29). Each of these judges was designated as God’s chosen leader in this fashion, and the same is true for both Saul and David. When God gives an individual an assignment, he also supplies divine power to perform that assignment. In Saul’s case Samuel indicates that he will be “changed into a ...

2412. David’s Fame

1 Sam 16:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... he too is handsome and fit, but as the youngest he is the unlikeliest choice; even so, the Lord chooses him to shepherd the people of Israel (cf. 2 Sam. 5:2). On the spot and with his family looking on, Samuel anoints David with oil as the new king-designate. “From that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David,” as it has come upon Saul at the earlier anointing (16:13; cf. 10:6–10). Throughout the rest of his life, David will enjoy the empowering of the Spirit on his work and ministry ...

2413. Solomon Builds the Temple

1 Kings 6:1-38

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... a sacred ambiance even during construction. Yet even in this floor-to-ceiling description some scholars are uneasy, as they believe that aspects of the blueprints have been borrowed from architectural models of the surrounding nations, including Canaanite and Phoenician designs. Since Hiram’s workers are involved, this would not be overly surprising. The pivot point of this section comes in the form of an unmediated divine word, an interruption of sorts directly from God to Solomon (6:11–13). In ...

2414. Solomon's Activities

1 Kings 9:10-28

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... , Solomon’s religious observances, and naval activities with Hiram. The foray into shipbuilding is a lucrative one, netting Solomon an enormous quantity of gold to deposit in his burgeoning coffer. Overall, however, one senses that this entire section of the text is designed to imply that the king—who has asked for a “listening heart”—might be acoustically challenged. It has taken twenty years for Solomon to build both temple and palace, but now, at the halfway point of his career, time is running ...

2415. Israel Rebels Against Reheboam

1 Kings 12:1-33

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... that he is paranoid about southern loyalties. He takes counsel (like Rehoboam) and quickly builds alternative cultic objects and sites of worship. Golden calves may not be particularly original (see Exodus 32), but their installation at the extremities of the northern kingdom is designed to divert the populace from participating in temple worship at Jerusalem. For similar reasons, Jeroboam also changes the calendar of religious observance, erects high places, and opens up the priesthood to non-Levites.

2416. Preparing for the Temple Project

2 Chronicles 2:1-18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... s reign is being recognized and legitimated in similar ways to the reign of his father (cf. 1 Chron. 14:1–2) but also grants Solomon his requests for material and human resources. Particular emphasis is placed on the figure Huram-Abi, the description of whom is designed to link him to the craftsman Oholiab, who worked on the earlier tabernacle project in the wilderness (Exod. 35:31–36:1). More details of the enumeration mentioned in 2:2 are provided in 2:17–18, the two forming a bracket around the key ...

2417. The Account of Ahaz

2 Chronicles 28:1-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Canaanite pantheon; child sacrifice, a practice prohibited in Deuteronomy 18:10–11 (cf. 2 Chron. 33:6); and burning incense at sites other than the temple. The Valley of Ben Hinnom bordered the south and west sides of Jerusalem and was not a designated location for worship activities. As is typical throughout 2 Chronicles, such illicit behavior is met with divine discipline, here in the form of military defeat, at the hands of first the Arameans and then Israel, both key threats from the north (see Isaiah ...

2418. Contributions for Worship

2 Chron 31:2–32:23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... of Hezekiah comes to the fore once again in 32:7–8, as he encourages his officers with the theological reality that Yahweh is greater than the Assyrian arm of flesh. This short speech is dwarfed by the long speeches of Sennacherib to Hezekiah and his people (32:10–19), designed to undermine their confidence. In the end the Chronicler simply records the fact that both Hezekiah and Isaiah cry out in prayer to heaven and God answers with his mighty angel, who defeats the Assyrian army.

2419. Opposition to the Work

Ezra 4:1-5

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... “hired” (4:5) also means “bribed.” The “counselors” they hire or bribe probably are Persian officials that have power to obstruct the work. The opposition continues through all the remainder of Cyrus’s reign, through the reign of Cambyses II, to the second year of Darius (520 BC). It is designed to discourage the Jews and prevent them from rebuilding the temple or the city of Jerusalem. The last phrase in verse 5 looks ahead to verse 24, after the parenthetic paragraphs of 4:6–23.

2420. The Return to Jerusalem

Ezra 8:1-36

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... worship in the temple, the need for sufficient temple personnel is urgent. Ezra knows where to search for Levites: he sends helpers to “Kasiphia”—the Hebrew says “Kasiphia, the place” (8:17). That expression, “the place,” in the Old Testament sometimes designates a place of worship (Deut. 12:5; Jer. 7:3, 6–7). It has been suggested there may have been a school for training temple personnel in Kasiphia. The numbers surprise us: only eighteen Levites, but two hundred and twenty temple servants ...

2421. The Work Begun

Nehemiah 2:11-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... together. The author again mentions the neighboring enemies of Judah: Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem (2:19–20). They apparently fear that a revitalized Jerusalem and Judah will reduce their influence and power in the region. Their mocking and ridicule are designed to discourage the Jews from cooperating with Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s brief but meaningful answer puts the emphasis on God’s sovereignty and power; he reminds the neighbors that they do not share the same convictions, legal claims, or historical ...

2422. Priests and Levites

Nehemiah 12:1-26

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... way of dating specific events in their history, reverting to the method used before the monarchy, when successive periods were remembered by the lifetimes of the high priests (Num. 35:28). With the loss of Hebrew kingship, it is important to designate alternative historical markers. Also, by naming the priests and Levites, the author indicates the importance of each individual in God’s work (cf. Ephesians 4), even though throughout Ezra-Nehemiah he is careful to emphasize the whole people rather than one ...

2423. Nehemiah's Final Reforms

Nehemiah 13:1-31

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... some of the important people in Jerusalem. He is married to a Jew (Neh. 6:10). Eliashib certainly has betrayed his responsibility in allowing Tobiah to use a storeroom of the temple court for his own purposes. Since this was the place designated for storing the people’s offerings, it no doubt is one cause for the disruption in the Levites’ ministry (13:10–11). Nehemiah resolves the problem by expelling the Ammonite, purifying the desecrated areas, and putting responsible, trustworthy men in charge of ...

2424. Psalm 122

Psalm 122:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Thankful that people encouraged him to go to Jerusalem (122:1), David again stands within Jerusalem’s walls (122:2), impressed by its design with everything crowded together (as it should be) (122:3), and by the crowds, in obedience to God’s command, streaming in to praise God (122:4). More than merely a destination point, Jerusalem is a place to receive God’s justice and blessing (122:5–6). Those who consider Jerusalem should pray that God would bring his peace and goodness to it (122:6–9).

2425. The Initial Appeals of the Parents and Lady Wisdom

Proverbs 1:8-19

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... being receptive to the guidance of a parent or sage. In conformity to the ancient Near Eastern instructional genre, Proverbs is directed at young sons, preparing them to lead an effective public life of service, perhaps in the royal court (since Solomon is the designated author). The Egyptian texts, however, never refer to a mother’s instruction, as in verse 8, which suggests that the home is the setting for such training. The lessons learned there will adorn the youth like a garland or wreath (1:9; 4:9 ...

Showing results