Synonyms: renounce, relinquish, dispense with, forswear, disclaim, disown, disavow, discard, wash one's hands of, give up, stop, cease, drop, forgo, desist from, have done with, abjure, abstain from, discontinue, break off, refrain from, set/lay aside, desert, leave, leave high and dry, turn one's back on, cast aside, break (up) with, vacate, quit, evacuate, withdraw from, surrender, cede, yield, indulge in, give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in, uninhibitedness, recklessness, lack of restraint, lack of inhibition, unruliness, wildness, impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness
Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on
Showing 2426 to 2450 of 2561 results
Teach the Text
Joe M. Sprinkle
Big Idea: We must avoid and resolve misunderstandings among God’s people. Understanding the Text Many dangers have been circumvented. God has thwarted Balak’s attempt to use Balaam to curse Israel (Num. 22–24). God’s punishment of idolatry and immorality is offset by Phinehas’s bold actions (Num. 25). Balaam and his Midianite allies who have deceived Israel are killed (Num. 31). Now Numbers 32 introduces another potential crisis. The tribes of Reuben and Gad announce their desire to settle in the ...
Teach the Text
Joe M. Sprinkle
Big Idea: Reviewing God’s dealings in the past helps people to keep following God in the present. Understanding the Text All the major events in the book of Numbers are now complete. So this seems an appropriate occasion for the book to review what has gone before by listing campsites from Egypt to Canaan, starting with Rameses in Egypt, where Israel had lived, and ending at the plains of Moab with some forty campsites in between. Verses 1–15 take us to Mount Sinai. Verses 16–36 list camps in the desert. ...
Teach the Text
Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
Big Idea: When faith wavers, the Lord’s chosen servants sometimes compromise their identity and resort to desperate measures that place them in a precarious position. Understanding the Text Convinced that Saul will never really abandon his quest to kill him, David, for the second time in the story, seeks asylum with Achish, the Philistine king of Gath (cf. 1 Sam. 21:9–15). On the first occasion David was alone, got cold feet, and left in fear. But on this second occasion, he has his own private army with ...
2429. Eliphaz
Job 4:1-5:27
Teach the Text
Daniel J. Estes
How Eliphaz Explains Job’s Adversity Big Idea: Eliphaz explains Job’s adversity as a standard case of God’s retribution for sin. Understanding the Text Job’s three friends, who arrived on the scene in 2:11–13, wait until after Job’s opening lament in chapter 3 before they speak. From chapter 4 through chapter 27, the friends and Job speak alternately, as they all try to explain Job’s adversity. Eliphaz is the lead speaker in each of the three cycles of speeches, and his words introduce the key points that ...
Teach the Text
Daniel J. Estes
Big Idea: Job feels exhausted under God’s attack, but he still dares to hope for God’s justice. Understanding the Text In his rebuttal to Eliphaz in Job 16–17, Job begins by countering many of the charges made previously by his friends. He vigorously rejects their claims to possess knowledge that is superior to his, and he dismisses their arguments as irrelevant to his specific case. Job’s strong language indicates that he is indignant and disgusted with them (16:1–6). Job then addresses God directly, ...
Teach the Text
C. Hassell Bullock
Big Idea: Life’s opposition forces are formidable, but God holds powerful sway over the evil forces that assail us. Understanding the Text Psalm 31 is an individual lament.[1] The lament proper is found in 31:10–13, where the psalmist complains about his crisis, which, judging from the anatomical language of 31:9–10, was an illness, interpreted by his enemies as God’s ill favor. In view of the declaration of trust in the Lord (31:6, 14), the attestation of his deliverance (31:7–8, 21–22), and the ...
Teach the Text
C. Hassell Bullock
Big Idea: The story of humanity, from creation to redemption, is tied together with the golden thread of God’s unfailing love. Understanding the Text Psalm 33 is atypical of the psalms in Book 1 in that it has no title, sharing this feature only with Psalm 10 (assuming, of course, that Psalms 1 and 2 are introductory). It is a good example of the hymn, which represents the “purest form” of praise to God, expressing who he is and what he does.[1] The absence of a title has led to the speculation that this ...
2433. 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 ...
Sermon
King Duncan
There is a wonderful story from long ago about a man in Maine named Ike who was exceedingly shy. Ike fell in love with a beautiful young maiden named Anna. Anna seemed to Ike to be too wonderful for him to ever ask her to be his wife. So, he went on loving her in silence for ten years. He remained single, as did she. During this time, he built a fine house, with a barn and outbuildings, and a beautiful rock garden. Still, though he was very much in love with her, he hadn’t yet dared to propose. Finally, ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
While the Hebrew word translated “Passover” (pesah) appears frequently with reference to the sacrificial animal for the festival, the related verb (pasah) is not so common. In Isaiah 31:5 it appears in poetic parallelism and clearly indicates protection. Thus, when the Lord sees the blood on the door frames, he will “protect” the doorway, not permitting the destroyer to enter and strike down the people. This compellingly foreshadows the protective blood of Christ, the Passover lamb, as he bore the ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Whether the events recorded in 12:1–7 happen before or after the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter is uncertain. But in the aftermath of the Ammonite war, the Ephraimites cross over the Jordan to complain to Jephthah, just as they did earlier to Gideon (8:1), about not having been asked to participate in the war. This time, they even threaten to burn down Jephthah’s house in retaliation. But while Gideon answered diplomatically to avert an internal conflict, Jephthah, who has earlier shown a willingness to ...
2437. Death of Eli
1 Samuel 4:12-22
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Eli’s family suffers disaster as well (4:12–22). A messenger with “his clothes torn and dust on his head” brings news of Israel’s defeat to Shiloh (4:12). When Eli hears the commotion, he asks what has happened. According to verse 13, Eli had serious misgivings about taking the ark to battle. Old and feeble at age ninety-eight, Eli falls off his chair and breaks his neck when he hears the extent of the catastrophe, especially the news about the capture of the ark. This is worse than the report that his own ...
2438. More Proverbs of Solomon
Proverbs 26:1-28, Proverbs 25:1-28, Proverbs 27:1-27
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
25:1–29:27 Review · The Later Colomonic: A second “Solomonic” proverbial collection begins in 25:1, extending through 29:27. These were “compiled” or edited two centuries after the reign of Solomon, during the reign of Hezekiah. 25:1–27:27 Review · The first subsection of this collection is on relating wisely to rulers, neighbors, family, and social menaces. In these chapters God is rarely mentioned (only 25:2, 22) and numerous comparisons are used (in the NIV, “like” occurs more frequently in chaps. 25–27 ...
2439. Restoration of Isarel
Jeremiah 30:1--31:40
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
30:1–33:26 Review · The Book of Comfort:As now arranged, the book so far has had several urgent warnings, some earnest pleas, and many dire announcements of coming disaster. By contrast, chapters 30–33 fulfill that part of Jeremiah’s assignment that called for building and planting (1:10). Now come promises of return from exile, of a secure and stable society in the homeland, and of an intimate relationship once again of people with their God. The “book” proper is in poetry (30–31); the prose expansion (32 ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
Covenant Unfaithfulness in God’s and Hosea’s Family (1:1–3:5): The superscription in 1:1 verifies that Hosea received a divine revelation from God in the reign of Jeroboam II and during the reign of several Judean kings, basically from about 755 to 725 BC. Hosea records no dramatic call like Isaiah or Jeremiah (Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1); his ministry simply begins when the Lord speaks to him concerning marrying Gomer (1:1–2). This paragraph can be divided into two parts. In the first part, Hosea marries Gomer ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
In another woe oracle Amos laments at an Israelite funeral banquet (cf. Jer. 16:5–9) because the foremost people of the capital city of Samaria feel so secure and carefree in their present situation. He challenges them to go visit the cities of Kalneh, Gath, and Hamath to see if those kingdoms are bigger than Israel. Are they living with a false sense of security like the people in Samaria? Since these cities are smaller, they have no false sense of security; they are vigilant and try to put off the day of ...
2442. In Remembrance
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Sermon
King Duncan
Albert Einstein, one of the most brilliant men who ever lived, at one time lived in a small frame house in Princeton, New Jersey. One day Einstein was asked for his telephone number. He looked puzzled for a minute, then asked for a phone book (I know. Those of you under 25 are wondering, “What’s a phone book?” Ask one of our older members after the service.) Anyway, I think it is interesting that Albert Einstein, a very smart man, did not even know his own phone number. Was he simply forgetful? Not ...
2443. More Beyond
Acts 16:16-34
Sermon
Charley Reeb
Centuries ago, Portugal adopted a national motto. The motto read: “No More Beyond.” It was an appropriate statement since Portugal, at the time, was the end of the world. But later some adventurous persons sailed beyond Portugal and discovered a whole new world. So the question arose: “What do we do with our national motto?” After much debate, one person simply scratched out a word, and the new motto became: “More Beyond.” Whenever life tumbles in upon us, it is easy to have a “No more beyond” attitude. ...
Sermon
King Duncan
The Rev. Dr. Stephen Hayner was the president of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. Dr. Hayner told a beautiful story about a young teacher he met several years ago in Uganda by the name of Christine Nakalema. Christine grew up in a rural village in Bokeka. When she was five years old and her sister Harriet was seven and her little brother was four, their parents both died within three months of each other of AIDS. The three siblings lived for nearly two years on their own. They had no parents, ...
Sermon
Tom Garrison
In an old poem titled "The Widow in the Bye Street," John Masefield depicts a scene of dramatic agony. A young man is about to be executed for crimes against the state, and in the crowd that is gathered to witness this event stands his widowed mother, who is about to be left all alone in the world. When the trapdoor opens and the rope has finished its work, this pathetic soul crumples to the ground and begins to sob uncontrollably, and those nearby hear her say something about "broken things, too broke to ...
Sermon
Tom Garrison
Nothing in recent years has been more upsetting than the sharp increase in the use of drugs among young. People have become so traumatized by the subject that any reasonable discussion of it has become well-nigh impossible. This is why I was particularly impressed with a speech made not long ago by a public health official at a large university, for he wisely avoided histrionics and went straight to the heart of the problem. He openly acknowledged that "the jury was still out" as to all of the physical ...
2447. Rat Poison
Matthew 18:15-20
Sermon
Kristin Borsgard Wee
When our son started kindergarten, I held my breath. I knew he would be a handful. Things were going along pretty well until the day he pulled the fire alarm, which he did during lunch hour. The whole school was in chaos. I got a vivid description from the principal. I felt awful. I'll always be grateful to the teacher who said that my son was not a bad kid and I shouldn't let the principal convince me any differently. But not so from my son's teacher. She had nothing good to say about him. But then, she ...
2448. Who Cares?
Matthew 25:31-46
Sermon
David G. Rogne
When Vince Lombardi, the eminently successful professional football coach in the 1960s, was asked how he produced winning teams, he declared that any group of naturally endowed athletes could win more games than they lost if they concentrated on the "little things" of the game — the fundamentals. After a close game won by his Green Bay Packers, Lombardi called a special session for Monday morning because he felt his players were losing sight of the small details that guarantee victory. Appearing before his ...
Understanding Series
Larry W. Hurtado
7:1–13 Although the NIV presents 7:1–13 as a separate unit, it is important to note that the discussion about Jewish traditional ideas of “clean” and “unclean,” begun in 7:1–13, continues in 7:14–23. Moreover, this topic sets the stage for the episode in 7:24–30, where Jesus deals with a gentile woman’s request for his ministry. The preceding summary passage (6:53–56) is thus a transitional point, and in chapter 7 we should recognize the beginning of a new section in Mark’s narrative. The Pharisees (last ...
Understanding Series
Larry W. Hurtado
Destruction and Persecutions to Come (13:1-23) 13:1–2 Chapter 13 of Mark is one of the two large sections of teaching material uninterrupted by other things, the other block of material being the parables discourse in chapter 4. The present discourse begins with a prediction by Jesus that the temple of Jerusalem will be destroyed (13:1–2). This leads to a typical Markan scene in which the disciples ask Jesus privately for the meaning of his statement (13:3–4) and Jesus gives an extensive answer to their ...
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