Sermon and Worship Resources

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Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... the “tenants” who farm the land on his behalf. He depicts the land itself as able to cry out in objection to abuses perpetrated by the overlord against the “land” and the farmers. In the end (v. 40) the consequence envisioned for proof of abuse is a sort of retributive tit-for-tat—the destruction of the productive capacity of the land. He who abuses the land will lose all profit from it. 31:38–39 In if my land cries out against me the imperfect verb for “cries out” (tizʿaq) might better be ...

2. Elihu

Job 32:1--37:24

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... declares mishpat in Job’s case. Elihu’s claim rings hollow to me, as does his earlier demand that Job speak up in refutation. If God declared Job righteous, that would nullify entirely the case Elihu has developed to this point. Elihu does not expect anything of the sort to be possible, and so he feels safe to invite Job’s response. 33:33 But if not. Elihu clearly expects no response from Job. There is more to come in Elihu’s attack: then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom. Elihu ...

3. The Lord Speaks

Job 38:1--41:34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... . Job has been presumptuous, it seems, and now needs to be put in his place. God’s appearance to Job is therefore a sort of rebuke of Job and of his position throughout the book—a position from which he must ultimately withdraw. I am less than ... over us. The first few verses of chapter 40 are a similar kind of lull in the storm of divine interrogation. They constitute a sort of intermezzo pause in the midst of the torrent of divine words. The pause allows Job, and the reader, an opportunity to catch their ...

4. Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

Mark 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... , 231), a town on the western shore of Lake Galilee associated with Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2–3). (On the site, “Magdala,” see IDBSup, p. 561.) 8:11 Began to question: The term used here means that the Pharisees were disputing with Jesus, no doubt about the sort of issues that have already been mentioned as points of conflict between them (cf., e.g., 2:6–12, 16–17, 18–22, 23–28; 7:1–23). The demand for a sign therefore arises in the context of a strong disagreement about the will of God. In ...

5. Blood: Right and Wrong Uses

Leviticus 17:1-16

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

... has also made a proposal. Here is a survey of these views. 1. The Kaufmann view: Leviticus 17 allows sacrifice on Exodus 20–type altars. Yehezkel Kaufmann argues that Leviticus 17 does not preclude the use of lesser but official earthen/stone altars of the sort described in Exodus 20:24–26. It merely limits slaughter to legitimate altars of Yahweh. The expression “the altar of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting” (Lev. 17:6) could be synecdoche (a part representing a whole) in which the ...

6. Zophar

Job 11:1-20

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... ’s speech. His volume of words is suspect, and one wonders whether he is just a glib talker. His speech is idle talk (Heb. bad, “empty/idle talk; chatter”) not worthy of a hearing. Even more negatively, Zophar accuses Job of mockery (Heb. lʿg, a sort of stammering ridicule of others; Job employed this verb himself in 9:23 when he claimed that God “mocks the despair of the innocent”). Zophar fears that, without a firm rebuke, Job’s many words will reduce men to silence, and it will seem like he ...

7. Job’s Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... one among many sages: I have a mind as well as you. Job stands firmly on the ground of his own wisdom. Job’s “mind” (again, a reference in Heb. to the “heart” as the source of reflection and decision-making) is as adept at sorting out the observational and experiential data of wisdom as his friends. He is not inferior to them. In fact, Job says almost maliciously, who does not know all these things? Zophar’s exalted insights are not so unique or elevated, but represent the common understanding ...

8. John 15:9-17

John 15:9-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... this after-dinner "table talk" with his disciples that Jesus has spoken of keeping his commandments. The same phrase is found in 14:15, 21 and 23-24. "Loving Jesus" therefore is not simply a reference to an emotional response, but implies some sort of decisive, continued action on the part of the disciples. The disciples must demonstrate that they love Jesus by keeping his commandments in order to remain recipients of Jesus' love. There is both respect and freedom for the disciples' chosen actions implicit ...

9. True and False Discipleship

Luke 6:46-49, Luke 6:43-45, Luke 6:37-42

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... this is not strictly true: there may be rotten or malformed apples among a good crop, and good people sometimes do bad things. But the focus is on the crop as a whole, and thus on a person’s whole lifestyle. The way one lives testifies to what sort of a person one is. Disciples should stand out as different by the way they live. Christian profession must be validated by Christian living. For the metaphor of “fruit,” see John the Baptist’s message in 3:8–9 and its practical elaboration in 3:10–14 ...

10. “Unless You Repent . . .”

Luke 13:10-17, Luke 13:1-9

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... 15 untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water. “Tying” and “loosening” were among the acts forbidden on the Sabbath (see the sidebar “Rules for the Sabbath” at 6:1–16), but there was debate about what sort of knots were intended (m. Shabb. 15:1–2). There was, however, specific provision for cattle to “go out” on the Sabbath (m. Shabb. 5:1–4) and therefore presumably to be untied. Rabbis later formulated the principle that the necessities of looking after ...

11. Signs of the End of the Age

Mark 13:1-31

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... and famines (vv. 5–8), and then with persecutions of Jesus’ followers (vv. 9–13). The events mentioned in verses 5–8 are very much the sort of troubles that seem to have been expected in the final stages of the world (cf., e.g., Rev. 6:1–8; 2 Tim. 3: ... that something important is coming, but do not indicate how long the painful wait will be. In short, Jesus confirms that the sort of events described here are part of God’s plan and do not indicate its interruption but its advance; at the same ...

12. Before the Sanhedrin

Mark 14:53-65

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... and the denial by Peter was done for purposes of contrasting them, and not to give a chronological description of the events. It is possible that there was some interrogation of Jesus at the house of the high priest and that the actual trial or some sort of quasi-formal hearing took place early the next morning, as Luke’s account suggests. The chief priests, elders and teachers of the law: Again, we note the same figures mentioned in the passion prediction in 8:31 (cf. 14:43). These groups made up the ...

13. Job's Reply to Bildad

Job 9:1–10:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... message of Job. 9:3–4 What Job desires more than anything else is for God to publicly declare him righteous. However, as convinced as he is of his own innocence in this matter, he is pessimistic about his chances of gaining public recognition from God. Any sort of dispute with God begins on a decidedly unequal basis. Job fears he would never be able to get a “word in edgewise” with God (he could not answer him one time out of a thousand). God’s understanding is so profound, and his words so divinely ...

14. Job's Third Reply to Eliphaz

Job 23:1--24:25

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... v. 4, along with the orphan and widow in v. 3). In their eager exploitation of the poor and defenseless, the wicked—like murderers—bring their victims’ lives to an end with callous disregard. The first phrase of in the night . . . like a thief forms a sort of merismus, in which the whole of a matter is suggested by the listing of its parts, with the initial reference to “daylight” at the beginning of verse 14. The wicked get up early to pursue their evil plans and they continue their ways into the ...

15. Judgment and Hope

Isaiah 66:1-24

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... down by God creates a division between two types of people—those who recognize it, and those who do not. People who enthuse about the temple (v. 1a) and offer all the right sacrifices can be no different in God’s eyes from people involved in all sorts of worship abominations. Verse 4b then takes up 65:12b when it says for when I called, no one answered and implies that the reason for this is that they are indeed involved in traditional religion as well as temple worship, and this is probably also the ...

16. Matthew 14:22-33

Matthew 14:22-36

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ). With the disciples setting off to sea, Jesus departs for the “mountain” for his prayer retreat. There is no record in Matthew’s gospel about the content of Jesus’ prayers. Some scholars contend that the feeding of the five thousand indicates some sort of grass-roots appeal for Jesus to be a more “militantly appropriate” messianic figure. If this is true, it helps us understand Jesus’ urgent need to get away and reconnect via prayer with God the Father. Leaving the crowds behind, sending his ...

17. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... surface in their own Christian community, the Corinthians were both pleased and confused. Were all those who experienced an ecstatic experience of any kind to be believed and accepted? Beginning in chapter 12, Paul offers specific criteria to help Christians sort out the spiritualist environment in which they found themselves. Paul begins by offering a very basic rule of thumb that immediately distinguishes the Spirit of God from an evil or demonic spirit. If any supposedly spirit-filled individual declares ...

18. Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... jewels to buy this one great pearl. Jesus' third illustration (vv.47-50) describes a typical fishing practice in the Sea of Galilee - using suspended, weighted nets that were then pulled toward shore. The mixed catch, as described, then had to be sorted to cull the inedible and ritually unclean fish from the catch. Jesus immediately provides a literal translation of this image in vv.49-50 - leaving no chance for disciples to misinterpret his intent. God's invitation to gather all people together, Jesus ...

19. Freedom In Christ

Galatians 5:1-15, Galatians 5:16-26

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... ). Paul may be tarring his opponents with the same brush with which they tarred him, that of lacking integrity and agitating for some sort of political advantage. Additional Notes 5:7 See V. C. Pfitzner, Paul and the Agon Motif (NovTSup 16; Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1967), ... those with philosophical or religious sensibilities, then as now, Paul’s statement is a truism. Self-indulgence is slavery of a sort, and the capacity and opportunity to love is freedom. The command to be slaves to each other is, however, a ...

20. The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... , is frequently used in a political sense in LXX (e.g., Josh. 22:22; 2 Chron. 29:19; Jer. 2:19; cf. also Josephus, Life 43); but in Acts 21:21, the only other occurrence of the word in the NT, it indicates rebellion of a different sort: apostasy from God. In the light of verse 4, this is certainly Paul’s meaning here, but the apostasy may have a political expression, so that the other meaning should not be ruled out altogether (since the “governing authorities” are divinely appointed, Rom. 13:1, there ...

21. To Elders and Young Men

1 Peter 5:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... “the lots.” One implication of the choice of such a term could be that the care of a group of believers in the Christian community was allocated to each elder—though it must be added that there is no evidence from other sources that this sort of organization existed. More profoundly, the Greek word for “lot” is applied in the OT to God’s choice of Israel: it is as if God assigned Israel to himself as his special responsibility (Deut. 9:29). Now in the Christian dispensation, God is handing on ...

22. False Teachers and Their Destruction

2 Peter 2:1-22

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... false teachers are financially making a good living out of their dupes (cf. Jude 11, 12, 16). The effect of the false teaching is to lure others into similar paths of immorality and so to bring discredit upon Christ. Many will follow, for the attraction of this sort of conduct will be hard to resist, appealing as it does to the worst side of human nature. It issues in shameful ways, in acts of unbridled lust and brazen excess, which will bring the way of truth, Christ’s program for the believer’s manner ...

23. The Sin and Doom of Godless Men

Jude 1:1-16

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves, lit. “shepherding themselves.” Evidently these men were making sure that they looked after their own greedy self-interests at the gatherings (1 Cor. 11:20–22), not unlike the scene painted in Ezek. 34:2, 8, 10. The sort of thing that could go on is indicated by Didache 11.9, which declares that no prophet who (supposedly “in the spirit”) orders a meal is to eat of it, or else he is not a true prophet. Such men are like clouds without rain ...

24. Jephthah

Jud 10:6–11:40

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

... promise, even before Jephthah fulfilled his part (v. 11). It appears that the elders installed Jephthah as head and commander in a ceremony at the sanctuary at Mizpah; there is a vague reference that Jephthah repeated all his words there (v. 11), which sounds like some sort of oath of office. This is the second time in as many verses that the author has referred in Hebrew to Jephthah’s “word(s)” (Hb. dabar), and he will develop it into a major Leitmotif in Jephthah’s story (vv. 28, 37). Jephthah was ...

25. Ruth and Boaz on the Threshing Floor

Ruth 3:1-18

Understanding Series

Michael S. Moore

... most pivotal scenes of the book takes place on a threshing floor (goren), one might imagine it to be a very private encounter. Yet Israelite threshing floors are very public places. People stream through them constantly, buying and selling goods of all sorts, not just threshed grain. In fact, so central are they to Israelite commerce, the idiomatic way to ask “Where can I find that?” in Modern Hebrew is still “. . . from the threshing floor or the wine press?” Festivals are celebrated there (Deut ...

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