Sermon and Worship Resources

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Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... consistent with his response to the loss of his family and possessions at the end of chapter 1: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (1: ... what he said (2:10), remains tam, “blameless,” in all that he has said to the end of chapter 31. This also anticipates God’s final affirmation of Job before the three friends in the epilogue: “you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has ...

2. God’s Love and Ours

1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... the letters of John; it occurs frequently in the Fourth Gospel (e.g., 6:51, 57–58; 11:25–26). Here its aorist tense (zēsōmen) connotes “come to life,” the start of a lifelong process (Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John, p. 242). Through him means “by means of ... love one another (2:10; 3:11, 14, 16, 18, 23; 4:7, 11–12, 21; 5:1), and he has made love for one’s brothers and sisters a criterion for distinguishing between his own faithful community and the misbelieving secessionists (2:9, 11; 3:10, 15, 17; 4: ...

3. Nabuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel's Interpretation

Daniel 2:1-23, Daniel 2:24-49

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... this kingdom, in which Persia is dominant. Its inferiority (2:39) may relate to its government, culture, or morality—since silver is less valuable than gold (2:32). Greece (331–146 BC) is the third kingdom, ruling with authority (2:39; 7:6) from Egypt to India. Alexander’s conquests were swift like a winged leopard, and his empire was divided among his four generals after his death (7:6; 11:3–4). The fact that Greece plays a major role in chapters 8 and 11, but only a minor role in chapters 2 and 7 ...

4. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... to him must be attributed to God, even though it seems out of character for God to act this way. This is what makes Job’s situation so painful and perplexing to him. Because Job feels rejected by both humans and God, he can see no hope for the future. If ... 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 ...

5. Daniel's Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... is concerned, rather than relieved, by this knowledge.11 His adoption of these habits of crisis and mourning sets the tone for his prayer in 9:4–19. 9:4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed. The reader is also surprised by Daniel’s passionate confession, begging the question of the nature of his remorse. Even though he is a “mere mortal” (8:17; NIV: “son of man”) with shortcomings like anyone else, none of these appear in his book. Lord . . . who keeps his covenant of love with those who ...

6. The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... the congregation, Paul turns to the members as believing persons. The issue he discusses here is so serious that he writes to gain every person’s attention. In the context of this letter and in the light of the discussion he has offered the Corinthians up to this point, one ... to the congregation, lends its hue to the color of this mysterious line. To discern the body in the context of the Lord’s Supper is to see the reality of Christ in each and every other member of the “body” (ch. 12) and to value ...

7. Job’s Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... that without them wisdom will die and cease to exist. This is certainly an extreme way of saying that any viewpoint besides one’s own has no validity. 12:3 But Job demands that the three friends assume the humility of the true sage, who acknowledges that ... consider me your enemy? God is not just absent; he has taken up a position of hostility against Job. As we have seen, Job’s name (Heb. ʾiyyob) is based on the Hebrew root ʾyb, meaning “be an enemy to” (see the discussion on 1:1 in §1). Some have ...

8. Job's Reply to Bildad

Job 9:1–10:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... “a new heaven and a new earth” (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1). 9:19–20 These verses offer an effective summary of Job’s reply up to this point. As far as strength goes, God is too mighty to be coerced into a courtroom dispute by a human plaintiff ... again, as in 3:13–15, Job anticipates the approach of death: Are not my few days almost over?, and he desires a moment’s joy before passing into the inalterable darkness and oblivion that is death. The words he uses to describe Sheol, the abode of the dead, ...

9. God's Sovereign Choice

Romans 9:1-29

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... 2:28–29 / 9:6), the advantage of Israel (3:1ff. / 9:4–5), salvation for all (3:21–26 / 10:5–13), God’s faithfulness (8:31–39 / 11:25–32), and doxologies (8:38–39 / 11:33–36). These chapters are therefore an excursus not in the ... promised land (Josh. 8:30f.), and finally with David (2 Sam. 7:21ff.)? What people could boast of receiving … the law, the Torah, Israel’s crown and eternal instruction? Was not temple worship ordained and pleasing to God (2 Chron. 7:11ff.; Ps. 11:1)? Did not God ...

10. Ezekiel's Call

Ezekiel 1:1-28, Ezekiel 2:1-3:15, Ezekiel 3:16-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... presence in sacred spaces. First on Mount Sinai (Exod. 24:16, 17; 29:43; 40:34, 35; Lev. 9:6, 23), and later in the tabernacle (Num. 14:10, 21, 22; 16:19, 42; 20:6), the Glory communicates the divine presence. Not surprisingly, the same language describes God’s presence in the Jerusalem temple (1 Kgs. 8:11; Pss. 24:7, 10; 26:8; 29:3; Isa. 6:3). After all, priests from the same lineage were responsible both for the priestly material in the Torah and for priestly service in the temple. The Glory of the Lord ...

11. Daniel’s Training in Babylon

Daniel 1:1-21

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... outside the Bible, a Babylonian invasion of Judah that early is unlikely (see the Additional Note on 1:1). To summarize the evidence, the author of Kings seems to know about a military campaign by Nebuchadnezzar to Philistia in 604 B.C. He tells us that Jehoiakim became Nebuchadnezzar’s vassal for three years and then rebelled (in 601 B.C. or so; 2 Kgs. 24:1). He also knows about the invasion and siege of Jerusalem in 597 B.C., but he does not show awareness of a siege of Jerusalem in 606 or 605 B.C., as ...

12. The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh

Nahum 1:1-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... .g., Isa. 17:10; Hab. 1:12). Verse 7 will go on to refer to Yahweh as a refuge, and this invites us to reckon that this is part of the point here in verse 6. With irony, Isaiah urged people to take refuge in the rock from Yahweh’s wrath (Isa. 2:10, 19, 21). Nahum makes explicit that this will be futile. The very crags will shatter before Yahweh rather than collude with attempts to turn them into refuges from Yahweh. Most of the finite verbs through verses 3b–6 are in the qatal (“perfect”); one might ...

13. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... , “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (v. 6). Paul’s life was a commentary on this verse. He considered himself the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21; Gal. 2:9), and he aspired to ... cultured and the uncultured.” One thing is for certain: to preach the gospel to Greeks and non-Greeks was the center and sum of Paul’s apostolic calling. Additional Notes 1:9–10 On Pauline oaths, see 9:1; 2 Cor. 1:23; 2:17; 11:31; 12:19; Gal. 1:20 ...

14. God's Wrath Against Mankind

Romans 1:18-32

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... letter to any of us (but then again, it may), but it is an open letter to the human race of which we all are part. Additional Notes 1:18 For the influence of Gen. 3 on 1:18ff., see Dunn, Romans 1–8, pp. 53ff. Adolf Schlatter’s discussion of God’s wrath is particularly insightful. “It is precisely because Romans was written to testify to the grace of God (5:12–21) that it belongs to those parts of the NT which witness powerfully to the wrath of God. We understand nothing of grace if we do not sense ...

15. David Spares Saul’s Life—Again

1 Samuel 26:1-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... justice, rather than trying to force the issue through their own efforts. 2. When enduring oppression as one waits for God’s promise to materialize, one must look to God for vindication. As we noted with regard to the earlier incident, David refuses ... Patrick asks to be protected in the hour of need, and it was written in the first year of his missionary life. It echoes David’s dependence on God as he refuses to take vengeance. One version of the prayer is as follows: I bind myself today, To the power of ...

16. Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

Habakkuk 2:2-20, Habakkuk 1:12--2:1

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... be so, though we might guess that it witnesses to the fact that Yahweh does respond but also to the fact of Yahweh’s freedom. We cannot expect Yahweh to answer us; we cannot compel Yahweh to do so, certainly not to our time frame. So Habakkuk ... of this is that writing it down will make it possible to vindicate the claim that Yahweh has said this and that Habakkuk is Yahweh’s prophet. The commission to write it down then implies that Yahweh indeed intends to act, but in a while, not now. Yet Yahweh has a ...

17. Israel’s Ill-Placed Confidence

Amos 5:18-27

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... two other aspects of the day of the Lord that became traditional; namely, with the facts that wealth cannot save and is useless before God’s wrath (6:4–7; cf. Isa. 2:20; 13:17; Ezek. 7:11; Zeph. 1:18), and that human pride is destroyed (6:1–3, ... a coregent in a restored theocracy, the kingdom of God (2 Sam. 7:1–29; Pss. 89:3; 132:11). In contrast to David’s more immediate descendants, this coming king would return to Jerusalem humble and mounted on a donkey (Zech. 9:9; cf. Isa. 62:11). The Gospels ...

18. The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath

Revelation 16:1-21

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... well-known caveat, Behold! I come like a thief! (cf. 1 Thess. 5:2–5; 2 Pet. 3:10; Matt. 24:43–44; Acts 1:6–7; Rev. 3:3), is an exhortation to repent in order to receive divine blessing. The following beatitude envisions the promise of God’s faithfulness to those who are themselves faithful to God: Blessed is he who stays awake … so that he may not … be shamefully exposed (cf. 1 Thess. 5:6–7; 2 Cor. 5:2). The place of the “battle on the great day” is identified as Armageddon. Attempts to ...

19. Paul's Vision and His Thorn

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... ), referred to himself in the third person as the “Son of Man” (cf. Mark 2:10, 28; 8:31, 38, etc.). In any case, Paul’s evasiveness in 12:2–4 is not to be explained as shyness or humility; the apostle is being modestly decorous with his addressees when he ... 3d ed.; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988), pp. 256–59 (here p. 259). This clear allusion to Ps. 68:18 provides evidence that Paul’s ascent to heaven in 2 Cor. 12:2–4 was interpreted in light of Ps. 68:18 from an early period, even though the ...

20. God's Righteous Judgment

Romans 2:1-16

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... Jews cannot be mistaken as indifference to their sin. In handing over Gentiles to the consequences of their sins and in reserving judgment on Jews until the end of time, God has but one intent in mind, and that is to lead both to repentance (v. 4). God’s judgment is equal and impartial. Paul will later say, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (3:10). This includes Gentiles who know their guilt and Jews who do not; both are without excuse (1:20; 2:1). Until this truth is indelibly etched in their ...

21. Eliphaz's Third Speech to Job

Job 22:1-30

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... to the dust. It does seem a bit odd, as Clines notes (Job 21–37, pp. 564–66), that Job, who has lost everything of profit or value, should be exhorted to lay his gold in “dust.” If these are indeed promises, the sense would be that Job’s gold will be as abundant as dust, and as plentiful as rocks in the ravines. 22:25–26 Eliphaz employs an extended wordplay to draw his exhortation along. He encourages Job to give up his hopes in, or reliance on, wealth or gold (NIV“nuggets,” Heb. betser) by ...

22. Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

Acts 7:1-53

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... as the way to life (v. 38; cf. Exod. 19:1–6; 20:1–17). As far as the Sanhedrin was concerned, this was Stephen’s most telling point. Herein lay Moses’ greatness. 7:39–41 And yet, for all his greatness, neither Moses himself nor the law that he had ... years that had followed, through the conquest of Canaan, until the time of David (v. 45), it had proved adequate to the needs of Israel’s worship. But David, uneasy that he lived in a house made of cedar while the ark of God was kept in a tent (2 Sam. ...

23. Job's Third Reply to Eliphaz

Job 23:1--24:25

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... not see . . . I catch no glimpse. One gets the sense of Job frantically scanning the horizon to no avail. Wherever Job looks, God’s work and person remain obscure. 23:10–12 But he knows the way that I take. God may not be visible to Job, but ... with no developed understanding of a life after death memory is the closest thing to eternal life one can hope to achieve. In Job’s estimation, the wicked have no such hope. Perhaps the image broken like a tree is of a once mighty tree shattered by lightning (Ps ...

24. David Spares Saul’s Life

1 Samuel 24:1-22

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... (18:8, 11, 22, 25; 19:22), but then he began calling him simply “the son of Jesse” (20:27, 30–31; 22:7–8, 13 [22:17 is an exception]). But here Saul uses his proper name, followed by “my son.” The latter is a positive response to David’s cry, “my father” (v. 11). And he wept aloud. This expression elsewhere describes a response of extreme sorrow (Gen. 21:16; 27:38; Judg. 2:4; 21:2; Ruth 1:9, 14; 1 Sam. 11:4; 2 Sam. 3:32; 13:36; Job 2:12).4 On at least one ...

25. God’s Judgment of Babylon Calls for Celebration

Revelation 19:1-10, Revelation 18:1-24

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... 19:6–10 is immediately followed by the return of Christ for his bride in 19:11–16 and a series of visions showing God’s final judgment of his enemies in 19:17–20:15. Outline 12. The final victory (19:6–20:15) a. The announcement of the wedding ... Israel as the wife of Yahweh (Isa. 49:18; 54:5–6; 62:5; Jer. 2:2; Ezek. 16:15–63; Hos. 2:14–23). Negatively, Israel’s unfaithfulness is compared to the adultery of an unfaithful wife (Jer. 3:20; Ezek. 16:15–63; Hos. 2:1–13; 4:12, 15). Yet God ...

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