Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: responsibility, obligation, commitment, obedience, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity, respect, deference, reverence, homage, job, task, chore, assignment, commission, mission, function, charge, part, place, role, concern, requirement, tax, levy, tariff, excise, toll, fee, imposition, impost, exaction, tithe, payment, rate

Showing 1 to 25 of 190 results

1. The Calling of Levi

Luke 5:27-32

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... many of his friends; among them, of course, would be a large crowd of tax collectors and others. It is likely that he wishes to introduce Jesus to his guests and to make known to all his decision to follow the man from Nazareth. The call of Levi and the giving of the banquet furnish the occasion for the critical question of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (see note below). They want to know why Jesus eats with tax collectors and “sinners” (v. 30). To eat with someone, usually referred to as ...

2. The Calling of Levi

Mark 2:13-17

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... of a tax collector and Jesus’ social association with such people. There are two incidents mentioned here, the call of Levi (vv. 13–14) and the eating with “sinners” (or outcasts; vv. 15–16), and the connection between them is that ... . It is obvious that Mark had more interest in telling his story of Jesus than in dealing with such matters. In church tradition, however, this Levi and the Matthew of 3:18 are regarded as the same man (there being others in the NT known by more than one name, e.g ...

3. Levi

1 Chronicles 6:1-30

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... and in a more specific sense referring to a particular part of the priesthood should, therefore, be kept in mind here. First Chronicles 6:16 functions as an introduction to this genealogy, with 6:17–19 as a segmented version of the descendants of each of Levi’s sons. A next, smaller subsection opens with the remark (6:19b) that these are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers. In 6:20–21 a linear presentation of the Gershonites is offered, followed by a section on the Kohathites (6 ...

4. Levi

1 Chron 6:1-81

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

At the center of the genealogies in Chronicles is the tribe of Levi, those responsible for the temple and its worship, which will become the dominant theme of the narrative of 1–2 Chronicles. The Chronicler traces first the Aaronide priestly ... they provided spiritual service for the tribes throughout the land. The worship of Yahweh is the core calling of the people of Israel, and so the tribe of Levi is placed at the center of this genealogical review. It is Jesus who will assume and transcend the role of ...

5. The Calling of Levi

Mark 2:13-17

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... occurs some fifteen times in Mark, indicates the essential role that instruction plays in Jesus’s ministry, and the large crowds that attend it indicate the public nature of the gospel. The Roman tax system functioned, in part, by renegade Jews like Levi (2:14–17) receiving a franchise to collect taxes in set regions. Whatever amount a tax collector obtained in addition to the contracted sum with Rome was his to keep. The Roman system of taxation thus attracted unscrupulous individuals and virtually ...

6. Blemished Sacrifices and Admonition for the Priests

Malachi 1:6-14, Malachi 2:1-9

Understanding Series

Pamela J. Scalise

... would lose God’s life-giving blessing (as in Gen. 1:28; Deut. 28:1–6). 2:4–5 As a result of this punishment the priests would know that God had sent this admonition (see also v. 1) with a purpose—that the Lord’s covenant with Levi, which the priests had “violated” (v. 8), might continue. God was not ready to abolish the priesthood but intended, by means of judgment and the prophetic word, to reform the priests. The ministry of Malachi, the prophet and the book, was to call the priests back to ...

7. Jesus Calling and Accepting the Outcasts

Mark 2:13-17

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... same time that the leaders begin to oppose him more and more. This will culminate in 3:6, where the power brokers in Israel start to plot Jesus’s death. The crowds do not turn against Jesus until the trial in 15:1–15. 2:14 he saw Levi son of Alphaeus. This scene consists of two parts, a return to the theme of 1:16–20, where Jesus is building up his discipleship band (2:13–14), and a controversy section where Jesus answers the criticism of his opponents (2:15–17). Capernaum is on the northwest ...

8. Offerings for Priests and Levites

Deuteronomy 18:1-8

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... in Israel: Priests and Prophets: After the two sections on “secular” leadership (the judge and the king 16:18–17:20), we now have two sections on the “spiritual” leadership provided by the priest and the prophet. Priests and Levites The responsibilities of the tribe of Levi were broadly twofold: the service of the sanctuary, especially the role of the priests at the altar; and the preservation and teaching of the law (cf. Lev. 10:11; Deut. 10:8; 33:10; 2 Chron. 15:3; 17:8f.; 35:3; Neh. 8:7–9 ...

9. Feasting and Fasting

Luke 5:33-39, Luke 5:27-32

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... only were his professional and social associates invited, but also Jesus’s disciples along with Jesus himself (5:30 is Luke’s first use of the term “disciple”; he will introduce the disciples more formally in 6:13–16). This looks like a deliberate attempt by Levi to introduce Jesus and his circle to a particular sector of society, with Jesus as the guest of honor. This is the first of several scenes in Luke’s Gospel set at meals. 5:30 Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners ...

10. Melchizedek the Priest

Hebrews 7:1-10, Hebrews 7:11-28

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... argument about Christ’s high priesthood as convincing as it can be, the author begins by establishing the great importance of Melchizedek, who resembles the Son of God in many respects and hence serves as a type of Christ. His superiority to Abraham and Levi is then made plain. This in turn leads to a discussion of the significance of his priestly order, which in recent history had found a new and definitive representative in fulfillment of the expectation in Psalm 110:4. Again the discussion is midrashic ...

11. The Legitimacy and Superiority of Christ’s Priesthood

Hebrews 7:11-28, Hebrews 7:1-10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

12. Family Record of Moses and Aaron

Exodus 6:13-27

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... is to explain the importance of the clans of Levites and especially Aaron and his descendents. The motivations behind the shaping of the text in this way are obvious. First, it mentions only the first three of the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. The fourth son, Judah, will be very important as the family of the Davidic kingship, but he is conspicuous by his absence here. Reuben and Simeon were the first-and second-born of Jacob and Leah. The text mentions them and their sons simply to ...

13. The Temple Musicians

1 Chronicles 6:31-81

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... The Levitical genealogy is closely related in the literary structure to the genealogies of Judah and Benjamin. The community identity that the Chronicler fosters rests solidly upon these three pillars. This long chapter covers different aspects related to the lineage of Levi. Levi, being one of the twelve sons of Israel mentioned in 2:1–2, is credited with being the ancestor who delivered to Israel its priestly lineage. The very extensive genealogy therefore starts with the family list of the high priests ...

14. David Numbers the Fighting Men

1 Chronicles 21:1-22:1

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... of David’s census should be interpreted as another example of human hubris. After the military successes in which Yahweh delivered victory to David and his men, David wanted to give an account again of his own sphere of influence. Neither the omission of Levi and Benjamin from the census nor the census in itself is sinful. The census is rather an expression again (analogous to Uzzah’s touching the ark en route to Jerusalem) of David’s own attempt to establish his “house.” But David realizes his ...

15. Jacob Blesses His Sons

Genesis 49:1-28

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... First, the order of the sons of Jacob is in accord with the order of their births in Genesis 29:31–30:24 and the list in 35:22b–26. Second, Jacob curses Reuben for lying with Bilhah, his concubine (35:22). Third, Jacob curses Simeon and Levi for their brutal sack of Shechem (ch. 34). Jacob’s curses against the three oldest sons can be accounted for only in light of their blunders as reported in Genesis. Fourth, Judah’s exaltation as leader harmonizes both with his leadership role in dealing with the ...

16. The Birth of Moses

Exodus 2:1-10

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... salvation story—a son who would be the savior of the world is born, laid in a rough bassinet by a lowly mother, and survives the senseless murder of children by a violent king. Exodus 2:1 tells us that a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman. At this point God has not yet established the Levites as a “religious” tribe. Exodus 6:14–27 again emphasizes Moses’ Levitical lineage. The narrative moves directly to the announcement that the Levite woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son ...

17. The Census of the Twelve Tribes

Num 1:1–2:54

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... would have been impossible for Moses to meet in the desert with a population of sixty thousand, much less six hundred thousand. 1:46 603,550. This number is used in Exodus 38:26 to estimate the total of the half shekel of silver temple tax levied on Israel. Such a tax is demanded whenever Israel takes a census (Exod. 30:12–16). 1:47–54 The ancestral tribe of the Levites . . . was not counted along with the others. Levites are to serve the tabernacle. Being a soldier is incompatible with the duties ...

18. Priesthood Confirmed and Its Mediation Duties Specified

Num 17:1–8:7

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... ) has not been chosen by God to serve the tabernacle as priests. 17:10 as a sign to the rebellious. Aaron’s rod in the tabernacle, like the censers of the 250 used to overlay the altar (Num. 16:38), symbolizes that only Aaronites of the tribe of Levi can serve as priests. 17:12 We will die! . . . we are all lost! The destruction of the 250 and the camps of Dathan and Abiram lead the Israelites to realize that they lack sufficient holiness to serve in the tabernacle, so they panic and swing to the ...

19. God Promises Deliverance

Exodus 5:22--6:12

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... ’s son Merari and his clans were responsible for the tent frames, bases, ropes, and pegs. They camped on the north side. Aaron and his sons and Moses (Kohath’s grandsons) camped on the east. A few of Levi’s descendants are memorable for their arrogance before the Lord. Aaron’s cousin Korah and others rose against Aaron’s privilege as high priest and were swallowed by the earth with 250 men and their families (Num. 16). Two of Aaron’s four sons with Elisheba, Nadab and Abihu, offered ...

20. Division of the Land East of the Jordan

Joshua 13:8-33

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... Bashan. Ammon is the eastern border. An interesting note here is that the tribal forces “did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day” (13:13). A footnote about the tribe of Levi interrupts the narrative about dividing the eastern territory. Moses did not parcel out land to the Levites, for they received “offerings made by fire to the LORD, . . . as he promised them” (13:14). Priests must work as impartial worship leaders, and they can ...

21. Dinah and the Shechemites

Genesis 34:1-31

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... to Jacob’s sons (vv. 11–12), and Jacob’s sons offer a detailed counterproposal (vv. 13–17). Hamor and Shechem move the local assembly to enter into agreement with Jacob’s family (vv. 20–23). A sharp exchange between Jacob and his sons Simeon and Levi over the devastation of Shechem brings the narrative to a close (vv. 30–31). The is passage recounts Shechem's rape of Dinah (34:1–7); Hamor and Jacob negotiate (34:8–17); the citizens of Shechem decide to make a covenant with Jacob’s family ...

22. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... people. It may at first seem that the provision for two portions for Joseph (v. 13) violates this principle of equity. However, Joseph was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:1–22), the two major northern tribes. Since there is no inheritance for Levi (the priests and the Levites being housed in the sacred preserve surrounding the temple), the two Joseph tribes fill out the twelve. Ezekiel 48:4 describes the inheritance of Manasseh, and 48:5 that of Ephraim. In all of this, the text affirms, the ...

23. A Blind Beggar and a Rich Scoundrel

Luke 19:1-10, Luke 18:35-43

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... tree of the maple family for which “sycamore” is normally used. 19:5 I must stay at your house today. For Jesus to invite himself to stay in the house of such a man was an even more blatant social outrage than his acceptance of Levi’s hospitality in 5:29–30 and also a slight to the more worthy citizens who might have welcomed him. For Jesus, the work of “salvation” took precedence over social protocol, and he recognized in this powerful but despised man someone “lost” needing to be found ...

24. The Twelve Apostles

Luke 6:12-16

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... Acts 1:13 (6) Bartholomew: Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13 (7) Matthew: Matt. 10:3; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13 (8) Levi: Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27 (9) Thomas: Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; John 11:16; Acts 1:13 (10) James, son of Alphaeus: ... , the betrayer: Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16; John 12:6; Acts 1:16 (16) Nathanael: John 1:45 Since it is likely that “Levi” and “Matthew” are one and the same (cf. Matt. 9:9 and Mark 2:14 and see commentary on 5:27–32 above) and that “Simon the ...

25. The Appointing of the Twelve Apostles

Mark 3:13-19

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... in Mark or Matthew. Of course, there are speculations about these being the same man, but we cannot be sure. The Matthew of 3:18 is described in Matt. 10:3 as a tax collector and seems to be presented there as the Matthew of Matt. 9:9, called Levi in Mark 2:14! Is this again a case of a man with two names? Some of the other names are interesting for what they mean. Bartholomew means “son of Talmai” in Aramaic (cf. Mark 10:46, “Bartimaeus son of Timaeus”). Many have identified him with the Nathaniel ...

Showing results