Sermon and Worship Resources

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1. “The Lord Looks Down . . . to See If There Are Any Who Understand”

Psalm 14:1-7

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

... of Israel, and the story of humanity in general, as Paul declares in Romans 3:9: “Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.” The apostle quotes part of Psalm 14:1–3 (13:1–3 LXX), plus a catena of other Old Testament texts,7and understands well the principle that sin calls forth God’s grace (Rom. 3:5–20), and that is precisely the reaction we see in Psalm 14 (and Gen. 3:15). The God who has been denied his rightful place in the universe by those people who think and act like there ...

2. “God Looks Down from Heaven . . . to See If There Are Any Who Understand”

Psalm 53:1-6

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: History repeats itself in periodic unbelief, and God’s judgment falls upon humankind, as it did in the generation of the flood. Understanding the Text Psalm 53, an adaptive version of Psalm 14, is considered by some to be an individual lament, even though it is one of those genre-defying psalms that enjoy a noble company in the Psalter. Psalm 52:1 addresses the “mighty hero,” who, in his arrogant boasts, is ...

3. Elihu

Job 32:1--37:24

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... spreading out the skies like a mass of molten bronze, poured out onto a flat surface to be burnished into a highly polished mirror. The image takes the relatively common human task of mirror making to an impossible scale to emphasize the futility of Job in trying to understand the wondrous works of God. 37:19 Tell us what we should say to him. Elihu ridicules Job’s determination to bring God to court to hear his case. If Job is unable to match God in the realm of nature, how can he hope to stand against ...

4. Elihu Makes His Appearance

Job 32:1--37:24

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... God. 36:27–30 He draws up the drops of water. In 36:26–37:5, Elihu graphically describes God’s power in a thunderstorm (esp. 36:32–33). This storm, as also in Psalm 29, is a visible indication of the greatness of God, which exceeds human understanding (36:26, 29). With this illustration, Elihu begins a transition to Yahweh’s speech out of a storm, which commences in 38:1. 36:31 This is the way he governs the nations. Elihu draws a parallel between how God directs the natural world and how he ...

5. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... the “ends of his ways,” so the idea is rather like spying on God from afar with a telescope or trying to know him from third-hand reports. Our knowledge of God is like a whisper that is faint, difficult to hear and even more difficult to understand. Note the interplay in the last half of this verse between the “whisper” of what we truly know about God and the thunder (Heb. raʿam) that the display of his power produces. Surely Job has in mind here trying to discern the “whisper” of God’s just ...

6. The Lord Speaks

Job 38:1--41:34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... a description of the gates to the netherworld in Mesopotamian myth, see “The Descent of Ishtar to the Netherworld,” ANET, pp. 106–9. 38:18 Hartley, Job, pp. 498–99, takes earth to be a reference to the vast underground world of Sheol. He also understands the “gates” of Sheol to stand at the “springs of the sea,” so that there would be a progression downward in these verses: the seas and their springs, the gates of Sheol, and then the expanses of Sheol. Above the Earth 38:19–21 The inquiry ...

7. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... the lament psalms move from pain to praise as the psalmist takes the problem to the Lord, so Job 30 must be read in the context of the whole book. At this moment in the story, Job is hurting and confused, but at the end he will have a better understanding of God and his ways. Thus, Job’s experience of pain in this chapter is an accurate snapshot of what he feels at this point in time, but it must be viewed in the context of the whole story of his experience of trusting God. Illustrating the Text At times ...

8. Yahweh Speaks as the Master Teacher

Job 38:1--41:34

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Daniel J. Estes

... but he does not take it back either. Job is starting to feel the cumulative effect of Yahweh’s questions, which he cannot answer, and this is moving him toward humility. Job is beginning to realize that there are many aspects of Yahweh’s world that he does not understand, and it is likely dawning on him that his own experience lies in this area of mystery as well. Job’s response at this point does not yet resolve the issue, but it is a step in that direction. 40:7 Brace yourself like a man; I will ...

9. Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues

1 Corinthians 14:1-25

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... : Speech in other tongues produces no hearing or comprehension! The sign is the failure to hear—an odd notion, but no odder than Jesus’ words in Mark 4:12, also citing Isaiah, “… so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven” (Mark 4:12 from Isa. 6:9–10). The conclusion is that in the context, Paul means for “sign” to name a clear indication of God’s power at work through the failure to comprehend what is spoken ...

10. The Law and the Promise

Galatians 3:15-25, Galatians 3:1-14

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... twice (3:2, 5), both times in opposition to “observe [observing] the law.” The ability to hear means the Christian stands in the tradition of the OT figures who heard the word or the revelation of the Lord. Hearing means more than noting that something has been spoken; it means understanding and responding to what is heard (cf. Rom. 10:16; 1 Thess. 2:13). It bears the same meaning in Paul and in the rest of the NT (e.g., Mark 4:23; 1 John 1:1; Heb. 2:3) as in our modern context when a person might say ...

11. Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... divine passive as a way of thinking and talking about God and God’s acts. 7:19 Cf. Gal. 5:6; 6:15; Rom. 2:25–26; 3:1–2. 7:21 The second portion of this verse is notoriously ambiguous. The NIV renders the line according to the understanding of the vast majority of scholars: although if you can gain your freedom, do so. Yet as the translation in the NRSV indicates, the words may also be read, “Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever.” Literally the ...

12. Job’s Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... negligible. Another verb with the same root consonants would give the meaning “become fat; have success.” Those who suggest this latter verb take this verse to say that God should look away so that the person would be able to enjoy and experience success in life. This latter understanding has some connection with the views of Eccl. (Eccl. 2:24; 3:13; 5:18; 8:15; 9:7). The same Gk. word for hired man (Gk. misthotos) appears in the LXX version of Job 14:6 and in Luke 15:19. Metaphors from Nature 14:7 The ...

13. Faith or Observance of the Law

Galatians 3:1-14, Galatians 3:15-25

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

14. Job Presents Evidence against the Retribution Principle

Job 12:1--14:22

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... knowing himself. Job Turns to Speak to God Big Idea: Dismissing the insights of his friends, Job takes his case directly to God. Understanding the Text Job 13 is a continuation of Job’s long speech that began in 12:1 and continues through 14:22. In ... the grave is a place of no return. Job does not have the doctrine of resurrection to appeal to, for he is limited in his understanding to what God has revealed at this time in history. Because of his limited knowledge, his only hope is for God to intervene for ...

15. Job's Third Reply to Eliphaz

Job 23:1--24:25

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... —hypothetical—and may tell us as much about the assumptions of the constructor(s) as they do about the purposes and meanings of the book of Job. For this reason, I prefer to read these verses as they currently stand in the Hebrew text and seek to understand any tensions these verses raise in terms of their implications for the meaning of the book in its canonical form. This is not an easy task, and we must exercise humility in our attempts to bring clarity to this difficult text. 24:1 On the question of ...

16. Paul Opposes Peter

Galatians 2:11-21

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... at Esth. 8:17, where it speaks of acting in a Jewish manner in a context where such behavior is motivated by fear. On becoming full proselytes through circumcision, see K. G. Kuhn, “prosēlytos,” TDNT 6:727–44, esp. p. 731. 2:15–16 Many commentators understand 2:15 to be part of Paul’s address to Peter (see W. Schmithals, Paul and James [trans. D. M. Barton; London: SCM, 1965], pp. 72–73). An alternative reading of 2:15–16a is: “we who are born Jews and not Gentile sinners know that a person ...

17. The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... that the examination to which one is to submit oneself is to be done in terms of the standards of approval that God sets for life. God’s will, not human opinion, is to be the measure of one’s attitude and behavior. 11:30 Another way that one might understand Paul’s point in this verse is that since the body of Christ in Corinth is sick with controversy, the people who are members of the body are sick as a symptom of the body’s condition. 11:31 The verbs that speak of judgment in this passage are ...

18. Daniel’s Training in Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... to the method of the author. He was writing the book of Daniel with various books as his sources, such as Kings, Chronicles, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. We have already seen how he used Kings, Chronicles, and possibly Jeremiah to reconstruct the events of the exile. His understanding of a Median empire coming between the Babylonians and the Persians, which figures later in the book (chs. 2 and 7), was perhaps based on his reading of Isaiah and Jeremiah (Dan. 5:30–31; see Isa. 13:17; 21:2; Jer. 51:11, 28). Later ...

19. Daniel’s Vision of a Man

Daniel 10:1--11:1

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... Ophir” is used three times with the word ketem (Job 28:16; Ps. 45:9; Isa. 13:12). Ophir was a place in Arabia or Africa with which the Israelites traded and from which they brought back gold (1 Kgs. 9:28; 10:11; 22:48). We might wish to understand the phrase “gold of Uphaz” along the same lines, that is, that Uphaz is a place, except that there is only one other such reference in the Bible, in Jer. 10:9. Otherwise, we know of no place by this name. In contrast, “Ophir” occurs at least twelve times ...

20. Freedom In Christ

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

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... is freedom. The command to be slaves to each other is, however, a strikingly dramatic way of expressing the nature of the love believers are freed to demonstrate. Paul may refer to slaves as a contrasting metaphor to freedom, but the concept also resonates with his self-understanding (1:10; 2 Cor. 4:5), in which he imitates his Lord, who took the form of a slave (Phil. 2:7). The life of believers is focused on emulating the life of Christ—the one who, as Paul puts it earlier in the letter, “loved me ...

21. Orderly Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... address such a specific problem, then his advice applies only to this situation and is not meant to be followed elsewhere. There are other statements in Paul’s correspondences that assume first-hand knowledge of a situation and require later readers to infer and even to speculate to understand (see 5:1–5, 9–11; 15:29 in this letter, or 2 Cor. 2:5–11; 11:12–15; 12:7–8; Gal. 5:11–12; Phil. 3:2; Phlm. 18). The lack of specific information about the situation(s) Paul faced in Corinth may make it ...

22. Encouragement to Be Faithful

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... suffering for the gospel has for Paul always been a part of the ongoing proclamation of the gospel (cf., e.g., 1 Thess. 1:6; 2:14; 3:4; 2 Cor. 4:7–15; Rom. 8:17; Col. 1:24; Phil. 1:12, 29). In Paul’s understanding this suffering is closely tied to Christ’s own suffering, both the physical pain of torture and the humiliation of the shamefulness of crucifixion. Only in this context can one accurately hear the two imperatives, which are actually the two sides of a single reality. Determining a precise ...

23. Spiritual Blindness and the Way to Overcome It

Mark 8:22-26, Mark 8:14-21

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

... , this is tempered throughout by discipleship failure. 8:22 They came to Bethsaida. This story is tightly connected to 7:31–8:21 in an A-B-A pattern, with Jesus’s healing of a deaf person and a blind person framing the disciples’ failure to understand. At the same time, this begins a new section, a travel narrative on Jesus’s final journey to Jerusalem (8:22–10:52), moving from the north side of the lake (Bethsaida) south to Jerusalem. In this latter case, the section is framed by the healing ...

24. The Seventy “Sevens”

Daniel 9:20-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... a new interpretation. He already thought he understood the meaning of the seventy years (9:2). Instead of looking for a new revelation, he was acting on his belief that repentance and confession would bring about the deliverance of his people. This was the common understanding of the exiles in Babylon; if the author of Daniel was from the second century, in taking on the guise of a sixth-century Daniel he was being careful to represent the seer in a way that was appropriate to the exilic period. Then, there ...

25. The Disciples Confess Jesus as the Messiah

Matthew 16:1-4, Matthew 16:5-12, Matthew 16:13-20

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... of authority for Peter and the Twelve (16:18–20; see 18:18; 28:18–20). Yet the placement of this confession immediately before Jesus’ first passion prediction (16:21) and Peter’s subsequent rebuke (16:22) indicates that Peter and the other disciples do not understand the kind of Messiah Jesus has come to be. In 16:21–28:20 Matthew will make clear the nature and destiny of Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. Interpretive Insights 16:1 tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. Similar to ...

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