Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2451 to 2475 of 3099 results

Numbers 6:1-21

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... . 104:15; Eccles. 10:19). Woman Wisdom serves wine at her table (Prov. 9:2), and Jesus both drank and served wine (Matt. 11:19; John 2:1–12). All this is a reminder that we must allow all of Scripture to contribute to our theology on a given subject, and not just latch on to ideas that support our predilections. Teaching the Text Nazirite vows are no longer taken, but still, like Nazirites, we can dedicate ourselves to God in special ways. And if we do that because of some act of grace in our lives by God ...

2452. Ingratitude and Judgment

Num 11:1-35

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... ” (v. 20). Many Israelites no longer believe that God has a better life in store for them in Canaan. Therefore, they wail, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” (v. 20). It is their doubts about God that fuel their complaints. Even the great Moses is subject to doubts (vv. 21–23), as are we. Third, ingratitude can lead to forfeiture of blessings (vv. 1–2, 20, 33–34). Israel’s unbelief brings down God’s judgment. At Taberah “fire from the Lord . . . consumed some of the outskirts of the camp” (v ...

2453. Failure to Enter the Land

Num 13:1–14:9

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... the flood.3 To the scouts, the Anakite warriors seem of the same powerful and violent character as the legendary Nephilim of Genesis. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. In comparison with these tall and mighty warriors, the scouts feel puny and subject to being squashed. 14:1–4 the community . . . wept . . . grumbled. The majority report brings despair and discontent, and it results in a call to return to Egypt. Grumbling against Moses is a recurring theme (Exod. 15:24; 16:2; 17:3; Num. 16:2 ...

2454. Portions for the Priests and the Levites

Numbers 18:8-32

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... of the tithe that they themselves have received (v. 25). Indeed, they are to give the “best and holiest” part of their holy tithe to the priests (vv. 29–30). Interestingly, the Levites are threatened with death if they fail to do this. Laypersons are subject to death if they encroach on the holy things (v. 22), but Levites are threatened with death if they refuse to give the best of the tithes to Yahweh (v. 32). Are ministers today obligated to tithe? Although the analogy is imperfect—ministers are ...

2455. The Red Heifer

Numbers 19:1-22

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... purification.” 19:11–13 seven days. Uncleanness from a corpse lasts seven days. Purification using the ashes (mixed with water) takes place on the third and seventh days (v. 12). Failure to do this invalidates the process, defiles the tabernacle, and makes the person subject to being cut off from Israel (v. 13). On “cut off,” see “Additional Insights” following the unit on Leviticus 6:8–7:38. 19:14–16 in a tent . . . out in the open. Not only is a person who touches a corpse unclean ...

2456. The Daughters of Zelophehad (Part 2)

Numbers 36:1-13

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Joe M. Sprinkle

... of Zelophehad is as “the Lord commanded” (Num. 36:2), and the daughters of Zelophehad “did as the Lord commanded Moses” (Num. 36:10). The true lawgiver is not Moses but God (Isa. 33:22; James 4:12). God as lawgiver and ruler requires humans as his subjects to obey his laws. In the New Testament sin can be defined as “lawlessness” (1 John 3:4)—that is, rebellion against God’s laws and correspondingly against God himself. It is true that we are not under the law but under grace (Rom. 6:14 ...

2457. The Road to the Throne Is Covered with Blood

2 Sam 1:1–5:5

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... this. David’s message to Jabesh Gilead is important for several reasons. Saul is dead, but not due to David’s actions in any way. David, the loyal follower of Saul, is Saul’s rightful successor, and he welcomes the allegiance of Saul’s loyal subjects. 3:9 what the Lord promised him on oath. Abner’s confession is another piece of crucial evidence in the narrator’s apology for David. Even Saul’s loyal general (v. 8) acknowledges David’s right to the throne.3 3:18 For the Lord promised ...

2458. The Ark Finds a Resting Place

2 Samuel 6:1-23

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... which style of music to use and ask instead what will help us keep God at the center. The truth leads to many questions that we who plan worship and the worship space must ask. Does the order of worship clearly reflect that God is the Subject? Is there too much focus on the pastor or musicians that would detract from participants’ awareness that God is the inviter? Does the worship space reveal God’s special presence? . . . God is . . . also the Object of our worship, so indeed we do properly ask “For ...

2459. Fighting Wars and Keeping a Promise: David Establishes an Ideal of Kingship

2 Sam 8:1–10:19

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... hand,” reading the verb natsab, “set up,” rather than shub, “return.” In this case “hand” would refer to a monument (see 1 Sam. 15:12, where the same expression occurs). As the text stands, it is not clear who is the subject of the verb “went” (or “set up”), David or Hadadezer. One option is that David invades Hadadezer’s territory while Hadadezer is conducting a campaign to Mesopotamia.1 Another option is that David, while conducting a campaign to the Euphrates, defeats Hadadezer ...

2460. The Lord Thwarts a Curse

2 Sam 16:1-14

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... face of Shimei’s physical violence, insults, and false accusations, David does not strike back in anger or vengeance, but submits to the Lord’s discipline. In the aftermath of his crimes and Nathan’s prophecy, he recognizes that he is subject to divine discipline, and he understands that God sometimes sends unjust suffering for disciplinary reasons. He is content to place his destiny in the Lord’s hands, knowing that the Lord is capable of vindicating and delivering him (16:12). David articulates ...

2461. The Return of the King Brings Turmoil in the Kingdom

2 Sam 19:9–20:26

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... Johnny Cash’s Song of Redemption,” by Ted Olson. In this piece Ted Olson talks about Johnny Cash’s (1932–2003) long journey to God. His was a hard-lived life; he was often drug addicted; he left his wife and family for June Carter; he was subject to the temptations of his lifestyle. Cash never denied the pleasures of sin, but he also showed their persistent consequences. Finally, as Olson puts it, he found his way out of the cave, determined to get clean and sober. He made a good start, and he’s ...

2462. David Brings a Plague upon Israel

2 Samuel 24:1-25

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... accompanied by a “ransom” payment given as a precautionary measure in the event that purity laws are violated (Exod. 30:12). Failure to make such payment could result in an outbreak of plague.1A military census activates the warriors who are counted and makes them subject to certain ritual purity laws governing military service (see, e.g., 1 Sam. 21:4–5; 2 Sam. 11:8, 11).2There is no indication in 2 Samuel 24 that David offers ransom payments to the Lord or that he is even aware of this legislation ...

2463. Disrespect Can Be Deadly

1 Sam 2:12-36

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... give the recipients a license to act as they wish, these promises should motivate continued obedience. This is not a text about parenting. One could use Eli’s example to illustrate poor parenting if one were preaching from another passage that deals directly with the subject of parenting, such as a proverb. (The NT frequently uses OT characters and events for illustrative purposes, even when the OT text is not directly addressing the theme of the NT passage.) But if 1 Samuel 2:12–36 is one’s base text ...

2464. Saul Dilutes a Victory

1 Sam 14:24-52

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath. As translated by the NIV, “distress” refers to the army’s fatigue due to the fact that Saul’s oath deprives them of the nourishment and strength they need. However, the subject-fronted disjunctive clause at the beginning of verse 24 may signal a flashback to events before the battle. In this case Israel’s distress is its fear of the Philistines (see 13:6). One could then translate verse 24b, “so Saul bound” (there is ...

2465. Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

1 Samuel 15:1-35

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... , bronze, and iron are also devoted to the Lord by being placed in his treasury (Josh. 6:17–19; the related herem [thing/person devoted] appears in Lev. 27:21, 28; Num. 18:14; Ezek. 44:29). When Achan takes some of the devoted items, he makes the whole camp subject to the ban (Josh. 7:12; cf. 6:18; 22:20) and must be executed to avert the divine anger. The ban thus fulfills God’s command and also has a sacrificial nature: people and/or objects are offered up to the Lord as a token of gratitude and/or ...

2466. The Lord Is with David

1 Samuel 18:1-30

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... love between a man and woman or that Jonathan’s loyalty means more to him than even the romantic love he experiences from women. 18:7 and David his tens of thousands. The second poetic line makes an advance on and intensifies the first,4 and the shift in subject from Saul to David expresses a contrast between them.5 This prompts suspicious (paranoid?) Saul to keep a close eye on David (v. 9). It is likely that Samuel’s words (see 1 Sam. 15:28) are echoing loudly in Saul’s mind at this point. 18:8 ...

2467. The “Nine Lives” of David

1 Samuel 19:1-24

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... taught the nationals how to do medical work. She remained in the Congo even as the political situation was becoming very threatening in the 1960s. Taken prisoner by hostile forces, she remained in their custody for a number of months, during which she was subject to cruel beatings and raped repeatedly. After being released from prison, she returned to England for a short time but then went back to the Congo to found a medical school and hospital facility. Her legacy of aiding the peoples of many different ...

2468. Escaping a Tangled Web

1 Samuel 30:1-31, 1 Samuel 29:1-11

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Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... in all our lives! [Everyone was] waiting for the doom that was settling upon us! No one dared sleep. . . . I was passing through a new experience.” Moody continues, “I had thought myself superior to the fear of death. I had often preached on the subject and urged Christians to realize this victory of faith. During the Civil War I had been under fire without fear. I was in Chicago during the great Cholera epidemic, and went around with the doctors visiting the sick and dying. . . . But on the sinking ...

2469. Turning Up the Pressure

Job 2:1-13

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Daniel J. Estes

... . The Hebrew verb sut that Yahweh uses here for “incited” has the nuance of prompting someone to act in a way that is different from what that person would have chosen to do without the provocation. In 2 Kings 18:32 and Jeremiah 43:3, humans are the subject of the verb, but in 1 Samuel 26:19 and 2 Samuel 24:1 Yahweh is presented as inciting people to do what is wrong. The parallel in 1 Chronicles 21:1 is instructive, because it indicates that although Yahweh does permit evil actions within his overall ...

2470. Job Shatters the Silence

Job 3:1-26

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Daniel J. Estes

... enigma of human existence and the universe. As a result, what becomes important is what an individual feels, does, and thinks and what he or she takes responsibility for. While there are substantial differences between existentialists, their emphasis is subjective rather than objective. Such subjectivism can lead one to a feeling of absurdity and purposelessness. In contrast to such pervasive thinking, the Christian understands that he or she can find mooring in the unchanging character of God. One example ...

2471. Eliphaz Turns Up His Criticism of Job

Job 15:1-35

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Daniel J. Estes

... others we misconstrue what is happening in their lives and thus point them in the wrong direction. Illustrating the Text Human beings often grossly misjudge others, a reality Job must come to terms with. History: During the American Civil War, President Lincoln was subjected to intense criticism and accusations that must have caused him sometimes to waver. However, he persisted in holding to what he was convinced was right, just as Job does in the face of the speeches made by his friends. In fact, Lincoln ...

2472. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

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Daniel J. Estes

... their pursuit of precious metals and gems, miners devised all sorts of creative and risky procedures. Their technology enabled them to probe deeply into the earth, far beyond where even the birds and animals go. If the narrator were to write on this subject today, he could detail the extensive research done in labs, with high-speed computers, and by space missions. In every age there is no shortage of human effort and ingenuity expended in the search for what people want to discover. Nevertheless, even the ...

2473. “You Are My Son; Today I Have Become Your Father”

Psalm 2:1-12

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C. Hassell Bullock

... over the nations in the most general sense of the word (as Ps. 18), with the “nations,” “peoples,” and “kings” (2:1–2) being general references to David’s enemies, or Israel’s, for that matter, who are frequently the subject of Book 1. Interpretive Insights 2:1 the nations conspire and the peoples plot. The idea behind the verb “conspire” is “roar,” or “be restless.” The revolutionaries form a conspiracy described by four verbs: “conspire,” “plot,” “rise up,” and ...

2474. “In the Lord I Take Refuge”

Psalm 11:1-7

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C. Hassell Bullock

... 22:3; 99:2; 123:1). Reference to God’s “eyelids” or “eyes” also appears in Jeremiah 9:18. The verb “examine” (bhn) implies testing the quality of an object, as one tests metals (Ps. 66:10; Job 23:10). Here and in 11:5 it means “to subject to close scrutiny.”2 11:5 he hates. The Hebrews thought in terms of opposites, as in Malachi 1:2–3. When the Old Testament speaks of God in this manner, it suggests divine revulsion to evil and evildoers, not hate in the sense of absolute rejection ...

2475. “Ascribe to the Lord the Glory Due His Name”

Psalm 29:1-11

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C. Hassell Bullock

... in righteousness (Isa. 11:3–5) is the perfect King. Moreover, a King who is love and who can dispense his love because he is all-powerful is King of kings. The kingdom of God is thus a theocracy, and we have nothing to fear as subjects in that realm. So the psalmist declares: “The Lord is enthroned as King forever” (29:10b). On the other hand, a human-centered government brings with it the sinful inclinations of its citizens. Calvin’s experiment in Geneva sought to move this human community in the ...

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