Daily Lectionary Biblog

Lk 1:46-55 / Mk 1

On this last day of the month, we revisit the seasonal canticle for December, Luke 1:46-55, so the post on those verses is duplicated below, and we begin the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark.

Luke 1:46-55

For December, Luke 1:46-55 is the seasonal canticle, a liturgical song without a fixed meter.

Overview

Luke 1:46-55 is the first of four great canticles recorded in St. Luke’s Gospel account. We know it as “Mary's Song” or The Magnificat (for its first word in its Latin version, which we would translate as “it magnifies”). Mary sings the song when she visits Elizabeth and John the Baptizer leaps in his mother’s womb at the presence of the Lord in Mary’s womb.

Comments

Reading verse 48, we can think of God’s regard for us in our low estate of sin and of His mercy promised to Abraham and his descendants, which we are, spiritually. We also certainly join all generations in calling Mary, the Mother of our Lord, the God-bearer, "Blessed". Note how in verses 51-52 the Blessed Virgin sings of the great reversal that God brings about: scattering the proud and putting down the mighty, but exalting the humble ("them of low degree", KJV). God truly helps His spiritual Israel (the Church today), as He has promised (v.54), showing His mercy from generation to generation of those that "fear" (understand also "love and trust in") Him.

We can reflect on our fixation on material things, worrying about food, shelter, and transportation. Perhaps our occasional lack in these regards can keep us humble before God, recognizing that not only does He provide all that we truly “need”, but also that as we are at least spiritually humble and hungry we are lifted up and filled. Not only in December with its Advent coloring but always, as we wait for our Lord's promised second-coming in glory to judge the living and the dead, we do well to remember His promises and how He fulfills them for us, even as He fulfilled them for Mary and all the past faithful believers.

Q&A

• Lk 1:39-56 John and Jesus as children

Please feel free to ask a question of your own.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• Lk 1:39-56 – The Visitation (July 2)

Hymn References

• Lk 1:46-55 -- #275 (sorry there’s no link, but the lyrics are apparently still copywritten)

The Magnificat is also one of the canticle options for Vespers. You can find the tune for the hymn by following this link.

Mark 1

If you have been plugging along with our Daily Lectionary reading through Revelation and Isaiah, you are about to be rewarded by reading one of the four Gospel accounts! With the reading of Mark 1, today our main reading shifts back to the New Testament for about two weeks before returning to the Old Testament.

Introduction to Mark

Let’s start with some details about John Mark (see Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; etc.) and his Gospel account, a theological life of Jesus. Likely from a family known to Christians in Jerusalem (if not also to our Lord), St. Mark was apparently a coworker of both Paul and Peter. (The image with this post is of St. Mark as depicted in a 12th-century Byzantine Greek manuscript of the Gospel accounts now in the special collections of the University of Glasgow; to see a larger version of the image with this post, either click it or see from where we got it.) The New Testament gives evidence of Mark’s working with Paul and of a relationship with Peter, and the early church fathers tell us that the Gospel account bearing his name was the content of Peter’s preaching. Mark’s account of the Gospel was likely recorded in Rome in the days before Peter was martyred there, probably in the 50s or 60s. Although many modern-scholars might think otherwise, the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark may well have been the last of the synoptic Gospel accounts to have been written (note its placement third in New Testament canon). Perhaps occasioned by Roman persecution of Christians, the account holds up our Lord’s suffering for the mostly-Gentile believers so they could follow Him in their own suffering. This Gospel account is unashamedly teaching or doctrine that fills out the basic preaching about Jesus the hearers of the Gospel would have already known. Special themes include the cross, discipleship, and Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. While reading, note especially the identification of Jesus the God-Man with the Good News (what the word “Gospel” means) that St. Mark reports. Moreover, St. Mark’s account makes it clear that Jesus is both Christ and Son of God (note well the converted Centurion’s confession in Mark 15:39). The role of Christ is further elaborated as one both of the glorious Son of Man and of the Suffering Servant (about whom we read in Isaiah 53, for example). Events are linked in quick succession, and St. Mark seems to focus more on Jesus’ deeds than words (even as we today focus on God’s Word combined with His sacramental actions). You can find a summary of the basics on Mark here.

Overview of Mark 1

Today we read Mark 1, which covers the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and some of His early ministry in Galilee.

Comments

Mark by Divine inspiration omits any detail about John's and Jesus’ conceptions and births and goes right to John’s fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy by preaching in the desert. Mark’s account then moves to the Baptism and temptation of Jesus and Jesus’ calling of the first disciples. Therein note the careful return to a major theme of the account Jesus as the Son of God (1:1 and 1:11). In the exorcism and healings that follow, be especially sure to recognize Jesus’s Word and "Sacrament" model of ministry: teaching and effecting what He has taught (John the Baptizer had taught and then effected forgiveness, too). Note how in going to the synagogue and preaching (1:21), Jesus in His day did not do away with the existing order of worship (anymore than we should do away with that order of worship today). Mark highlights well the people’s reaction to Jesus’ teaching: they recognized His as authority different from that of their regular teachers (1:22, 27). Jesus’ touching the people (as in 1:31) also shows the living out of that teaching. Despite the miracles, Jesus still tried to keep some aspects of His Messiahship a secret (for example, 1:34, 44), so that He would be able to complete His mission of suffering, dying, and rising again to save us from our sins.

Q&A

• 1:1 how the opening verse sets the theme for the whole account
• 1:1-13 what we know of John’s and Jesus’s relationship
• 1:8 John’s baptism and the Holy Spirit
• 1:12-13 different uses of the same Bible passages
• 1:14 why John was imprisoned
• 1:21-28 evil spirits and exorcisms, then and now
• 1:24 Jesus as the “saint” above all saints

Please feel free to ask a question of your own.

Sunday Lectionary Use

The historic 1-year lectionary from The Lutheran Liturgy, which we use at Grace for Sunday and festival services, does not tap Mark 1 for any Gospel readings.

Hymn References

• 1:32-34 -- #557 Translated in a number of other languages, this hymn was written in English and, at least at one time, was said to be “one of the most popular evening hymns in the English-speaking Church”. However, the hymn did not make it into the Lutheran Service Book, and, while one might only guess as to why, the text of the hymn still does seem to have some edifying sentiments.

You can find the tune for the hymn by following this link.

God bless you today and all through 2008! (Remember we have a worship service at Grace at 10:00 a.m. on New Year’s Day, celebrating the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus.)

Ps 29 / Is 64-66

We find worship of false gods indirectly and directly addressed in both of our readings today.

Psalm 29

In Psalm 29 the Lord’s power is especially contrasted with that of Baal, a false pagan divinity thought to be present in thunderstorms.

Overview

According to one commentary, Psalm 29 is composed of a two-verse introduction, a seven-verse stanza, and a two-verse conclusion. The Lord’s name is mentioned four times in both the introduction and conclusion (once in each half verse). In the main body of the psalm, the Lord is mentioned ten times by name, and His voice is mentioned seven times. (The numbers four, ten, and seven signify completeness.)

Comments

Can you and I give glory and strength to the Lord? In Psalm 29:1 we hear a call to do so (KJV). How can we who are inglorious and powerless give glory and strength to the Lord Who is all-glorious and all-powerful? Looking at other translations is helpful, as the ASV, NIV, and NASB translate “Ascribe to the Lord”, and we notice in the second half of verse 2, in all the translations, the parallel use of “worship the Lord”. When we come before the Lord to receive the forgiveness of sins by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we confess Who God is and who we are in relationship to Him. We ascribe glory and strength to Him and admit that we are inglorious and powerless. In so doing, we are His people who receive His blessing of peace (v.11).

The Hebrew phrase used in the second half of verse 2 is difficult, and translators usually either take it to describe God as holy or to describe how worshipers are to approach God. As an example of the first, the New International Version translates, “worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness” (the KJV is a little more ambiguous). As an example of the second, the New American Standard Bible translates, “Worship the Lord in holy array” (so, too, the ASV). Both of the more modern translations give the alternate reading in their text notes. In either case, however, those addressed seem to be the heavenly worshipers and not those of us here on earth (see the address in verse 1). Nevertheless, people today frequently want to experience the glory of heaven and think that they can worship God in His majesty. In fact, we sinners by nature cannot even enter into His holy presence, let alone stay there and worship Him. We need to draw near to confess our sins and be forgiven so that we can enter into His presence and worship Him there. Yet, in this life even forgiven we do not approach the Almighty and Glorious God, but we come to a baby in a rude manger or a beaten man hanging on a rough-hewn cross. In this life there are hints of glorious worship, but we find the Presence of our Lord contradictorily hidden in simple water, words of life, the mouth of a sinful man, and in bread and wine. Thereby clothed now in the white robe of Christ’s righteousness, we know we will one day answer the call to glorious heavenly worship in that holy array.

When we have to make significant or maybe even less-significant decisions in life, we may long for a direct revelation from God. More than ten years ago I would have said all I needed was a message on my answering machine, but now I suppose I would be content with an email. How different such desires are from the reverential fear the psalmist put into words for the people of Israel in Psalm 29. “The voice of the Lord” (v.3) is not something that is therein described as bringing comfort and peace. In reading Psalm 29 today, I was reminded of the people of Israel pleading with Moses to speak to them on God’s behalf and for God not to speak to them directly (Exodus 20:18-19). Such appearances of God as at Sinai and as the king of creation are quite different from our Lord’s speaking words of comfort and peace through His Word, whether in Scripture, sermons, or sacraments. There is also guidance and direction for our significant and less-significant decisions in life, but, as with His words of comfort and peace, we content ourselves with it being spoken through others God uses to guide and direct us.

Psalm 29:11 praises the Lord’s all-mighty power and drives home its impact for us: “The Lord will bless His people with peace” (KJV). The peace that matters is the peace between God and repentant human beings, made possible by the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, Who died on the cross for your sins and mine.

Q&A

• 29:6 what to make of the "unicorn"

Please feel free to ask a question of your own.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
• The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Hymn References

No hymns from The Lutheran Hymnal are said to refer to Psalm 29.

Isaiah 64-66

With the reading of Isaiah 64-66 this prophetic Old Testament book is finished.

Overview

Isaiah 64 finishes the prayer for the Lord’s deliverance begun yesterday; chapter 65 gives the Lord’s answer to that prayer, and chapter 66 reiterates the judgment for the unrepentant and eternal glory for the forgiven. These final chapters repeat several themes and figures of speech used earlier in the book to communicate them.

Comments

Let’s begin with chapter 64. In 64:6 note the indictment of all of us, and realize that the “filthy rags” are those a woman uses during her period! In 64:8 our relationship of creature to Creator is again emphasized. I very much suspect that even though Adelaide A. Pollard’s 1907 hymn is not in any LCMS-approved hymnal (at least not that I am aware of) we all still know her text that draws on that verse from Isaiah 64. Already elsewhere in Isaiah we have read of potters and clay, but such imagery does not always apply to God and to humankind as it does in Isaiah 64:8 (to see a slightly larger version of the picture of an unidentified potter taken by an unidentified photographer included with this post, either click the image or see from where we got it). God had formed the first man out of the dust of the earth, and in a similar way He forms and shapes us today—not at our initiating the action but at His. And, we do well to remember our place as His creation and not question the way He shapes us or what He shapes us into (see, for example, Isaiah 45:9).

The remaining two chapters warrant a few specific comments. In chapter 65 the Lord’s wrath against unfaithful Israel is expressed, but so is His preservation of the remnant (65:8-10). Isaiah 65:17-25 describes not so much the exiles returned to Israel but more so God’s believers of all times and places in the final and full consummation of Christ’s kingdom (the verses may be familiar to you from those read near the end of the church year in the Divine Service). Isaiah 66:2-4 again attacks those whose hearts are not right with the Lord but hypocritically worship Him. Those attacks are harsh, but the condemnation for the unrepentant that ends the book is harsher: everlasting torment illustrated by the worm that does not die (66:24). There is a bit of law motivation for us to “fear” God, but the greater motivation is that brought by the Gospel: a God Who loved us so much “that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV).

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God
• 64:6 worship apart from faith is a filthy rag
• 66:3 what kind of blood
• 66:21 believers are priests toward God

Please feel free to ask a question of your own.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• 65:1-2 -- The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
• 65:17-19 -- The Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Hymn References

No hymns in The Lutheran Hymnal are said to refer to verses from Isaiah 64-66.

God bless you, and may you let Him make today holy for you by rightly using His Word and Sacraments!

Ps 28 / Is 61-63 / Folo

A prayer for immediate deliverance from enemies and prophecy of our long-term deliverance are the content of our reading today.

Psalm 28

We find in Psalm 28 references to some of the same themes we have been finding in the psalms since Psalm 23.

Overview

The psalmist starts by calling on God to hear him; note that the lifting up of the hands is in worship and prayer (as the uplifted hands are used in worship today as a gesture of prayer). Then the psalmist calls on God to deliver him and judge his and God’s enemies. Next the psalmist, confident of being heard, offers praise to God, and, finally, the psalmist ends his prayer with a call for God to daily bless and ultimately save His people—a prayer answered most completely in the service of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Comments

“The pit” of verse 1 is often linked with “the depths” and “the grave”, along with the person’s “silence” (not to be confused with God’s silence in this psalm), “darkness”, “destruction” or “corruption”, “dust”, “mire”, “slime”, and “mud”. In the context of this psalm, we notice that the psalmist fears being “like those who have gone down to the pit”, that is, he fears going down to the pit himself, which he says will come about if the Lord does not hear (is deaf to) or answer (remains silent in response to) the psalmist’s cries. Literally, a pit was often cut out of rock and sometimes plastered over as a place to collect water during the dry season for use in the rainy season. The steep smooth-sided pits or cisterns sometimes served as prisons (remember how Joseph’s brothers used it in Genesis 37:20-29), and sometimes even as a place to dump corpses (Jeremiah 41:7, 9). So, there’s little surprise that figuratively speaking, being cast alive into “the pit” can refer to experiencing great danger but allow that the person can still cry to the Lord and be delivered. On the other hand, going into the pit dead can be more final in the sense that death is thought to be final. Of course, if Christ does not return first our bodies will be cast into the pit of the grave at least figuratively, if not also literally. Yet, the pit is not final, for believers in Christ have the sure promise of deliverance from the pit, the resurrection of the body, and everlasting life of body and soul together with Christ.

Television’s so-called “reality shows” (don’t get me started on whether that name fits) often put a person or team in competition with other people or teams. Judges or viewers at home often compare and contrast what each person or team did in order to decide which did the best. Today in Psalm 28 there’s sharp contrast between at least two different works: what the hands of the wicked have done (v.4) and what the hands of the Lord have done (v.5). You may notice that the psalmist does not contrast what the wicked have done with what he, the psalmist, has done. Perhaps we could say that implicit between the verses is that whereas the human psalmist may also have done some wicked things at least He has regard for the works of the Lord, especially His redemption of Israel. In much the same way, we have all sinned and what determines our eternal state is not what we have done but what we do with what God has done for us in the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Those who disregard salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ will be eternally punished for their own works, as will those who claim to believe but “treat as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him” (Hebrews 10:29, and understand a reference to the Sacrament of the Altar). On the other hand, we who in sorrow confess our sins and trust God to forgive us for Jesus’ sake will receive eternal salvation because of what God has done.

Note that the first part of verse 9 is part of the Te Deum Laudamus we use in Matins, although we sing “govern them” where the KJV translates “feed them” and the ASV, NIV, and NASV translate “be their shepherd”. Apparently alternate readings of the Hebrew text are behind the differences.

There’s a story that’s often told, with some variation, about Palestinian shepherds breaking the legs of straying sheep and carrying them over their shoulders while the leg heals so that the sheep better learn the shepherd’s voice and not stray in the future. One published version of the story is in Herman William Gockel’s My Hand in His: Ancient Truths in Modern Parables (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1961 revised and republished in 1999), and he doesn’t give a source for the claim. That a shepherd would hurt his sheep, however, seems unlikely. According to one of my “cast of thousands”, Weldon Phillip Keller’s A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (for example, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, republished in 1997) is quite critical of those who neglected or mistreated their animals. A shepherd who also lived with shepherds, Keller also tells how lost sheep would be carried back because they were too exhausted to walk and how a shepherd would keep straying sheep close by with a staff. (Keller did admit, however, that when there was a sheep that could not be trained it was turned into mutton!) There are places in Holy Scripture, such as Psalm 28:9 that we read today, that at least describe a shepherd carrying sheep (v.9). Other Old Testament passages describing the Lord carrying His people are Deuteronomy 1:31; Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11; Isaiah 63:9. Especially note in Isaiah 63:9 the carrying of the weak, the lifting up of the helpless to remove them from danger. Like Psalm 28:9, Isaiah 40:11 speaks of the Shepherd feeding His flock, gathering the lambs and carrying them, and gently leading those with young. Ezekiel 34:11-16 describes the Lord as the Shepherd seeking His sheep, delivering them, feeding them, and healing them. In the New Testament, Luke 15:5 similarly speaks of a shepherd picking up a lost sheep that had strayed and was helpless in fear. Whether or not we think the story of the broken leg to learn the voice is true, we can draw comfort from the Good Shepherd’s calling us by name and leading us out and His laying down and taking up His life for us.

Q&A

There are no previous readers’ questions about Psalm 28, but anyone is welcome to ask one.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
• The Sixth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Hymn References

• 28:2 -- #6 in (See your hymnal for the text.) Interestingly, the German original of this hymn that dates back to the 16th-century was itself a paraphrase of a 9th-century Latin sequence hymn. The Latin hymn, its German paraphrase, and our English translation all preserve the Greek expression: Kyrie, eleison!, that is, “Lord, mercy!” You might also note the three-fold repetition of the petition, once for each of the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity.

You can find the tune for the hymn by following this link.

Isaiah 61-63

Today from Isaiah 61-63 we hear wonderful words about the Messiah and His deliverance.

Overview

Reading Isaiah 61-63 today continues the last section of Isaiah, which speaks of eternal deliverance and eternal judgment. Today we read of the Messiah prophetically describing the Lord’s favor (chapter 61), of the Lord’s promised bliss for forgiven sinners (62:1-63:6), and the beginning of a prayer for God’s deliverance (63:7-19).

Comments

For me, hearing the opening verses of Isaiah 61 immediately brings to mind our Lord’s application of those verses to Himself when He “preached” on the text in a synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth, as recorded in Luke 4:18-19. (Jesus made only a partial use of the quote, ending in the middle of verse 2, which stopping point one commentator suggests was because the “day of vengeance” does not fully occur until His final coming.) The image with this post, a watercolor by the French artist James Tissot (1836-1902), depicts that event (to see a larger version of the image, either click the image or see from where we got it). Although the term “Servant” is not used, the Spirit’s commission and empowerment on the speaker to bring about the new era makes a clear connection with the earlier Servant Songs. Also related is the Jubilee year described by Leviticus 25. You might notice how Isaiah 61:3 turns emblems of mourning into emblems of joy; you won’t notice in English, however, a clever play on words in the Hebrew. The emblems are like all positive things in the Bible: gifts of God! In 61:5 aliens shepherding the flocks of Israel and working in fields and vineyards are positive things; those foreigners have become the people of God and entered into His congregation. Regarding the double portion of 61:7, see here.

In chapter 62 note the great reversal God brings about for those who trust in Him. Note how the significant meaning of the names in 62:4 are immediately explained: Hephzibah means “My delight is in you” and Beulah “married”. One commentator says, “We need to recall that Biblical names usually are not just IDs, but partake of and help establish the circumstances they describe.” Isaiah 62:6-7 seems to suggest that the Lord’s ordained watchmen are to call the people to ceaseless prayer, in order, as it were, to “harass” God. (The watchmen are prophets, as whose duties are described in such places as Ezekiel 33.) Regarding the highway of 62:10, see here.

In chapter 63 note how the speaker recounts God’s salvation history. Regarding 63:1-6, see TLH #209, although it doesn’t show up in the index I am using for the entries below. This hymn from the “Easter” section, originally written for Ascension, seems to be directly based on these verses. (Appreciate the hymn in TLH, because it isn’t in Lutheran Worship or Lutheran Service Book.) This dialogue, as it were, between Isaiah and the Lord makes it clear there is no victory without defeat nor salvation without damnation. A previous post applying Isaiah 63:4 to a “contemporary” issue is here. Finally, in 63:17 the people apparently thought the Lord had hardened their hearts. While he may have done that to some, if He had actually done that to all, then they would not have been turning to Him in prayer (there is more hardening of hearts and the example of Pharaoh here).

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God
• 61:1-3 others who were anointed and serve as types of the Messiah

Please feel free to ask a question of your own.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• 61:1-3 -- The First Sunday after Epiphany
• 61:10-11 -- The Transfiguration
• 63:7-18 -- New Year’s Eve

Hymn References

• 61:1, 2 -- #66 (an Advent hymn drawing on what the Anointed One will do), #482 (a "ministry" hymn that draws a parallel between the Lord's anointing and ordination; see your hymnal for the text)
• 61:3 -- #48 (a "close of service" hymn that rightly sees the comfort in God's Word--if you look at only one today, maybe make it this one)

You can find the tunes for the hymns by following this link.

Biblog folo

The Biblog folo today is more on the translation of the opening verse of Psalm 23. I indicated in this post that I thought I knew a translation "I shall lack nothing" but couldn't find it. A reader emailed the "I lack nothing" from Today's New International Version and the "I will never be in need" of the Contemporary English Version. Those are truly close!

God bless you, and may you let Him make tomorrow holy for you by rightly using His Word and Sacraments!

Ps 27 / Is 58-60

As days are thankfully getting longer now, the Light of the Lord shining out on the world also happens to be a theme common to our reading today of Psalm 27 and Isaiah 58-60.

Psalm 27

Psalm 27 is one of my favorite psalms, partly because of a great musical version of it I have heard but mostly because of its great message of trusting in the Lord for deliverance, both deliverance now by receiving His gift of forgiveness at His Temple and also the ultimate deliverance of heaven.

Overview

Psalm 27 is another prayer of David to God for deliverance from his enemies. The psalm begins with two stanzas of faith’s confidence in the Lord (vv.1-3 and 4-6), and the main prayer comes next (vv.7-12) and is followed by a conclusion (vv.13-14) that echoes the opening verses’ confidence.

Comments

Verse 1, in which we confess the Lord as the source of all blessings but most of all salvation, especially keeps our modern problems in perspective (much like Romans 8:31-39).

If I tell you that at graduation I wore a cap and a gown, but I tell someone else that I wore graduation regalia, is there a contradiction? I think we probably all recognize that “regalia” is a broader term that includes the cap and the gown, but that the cap and the gown are individual items is also fairly obvious. (For example, I have at least one picture where I’m wearing the hat but not the gown.) I’ve often reflected on our Small Catechism confession both that Baptism “works forgiveness of sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation” and that in the Sacrament of the Altar “forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us”. Does each sacrament give us three separate things? Do these two sacraments give us different things? In Psalm 27:1 we hear that the Lord is our “light and salvation”. My study Bible makes some distinctions between “light” and “salvation”, but one could argue that they are distinctions without a difference. In much the same way, we might say that each sacrament does not really give us three separate things and that the two sacraments do not give us different things, at least not as expressed in those two statements from the Small Catechism, which is therefore not to say that there are no differences between what the two sacraments give us. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; Baptism is usually the way of receiving that faith and coming into the family of the Church, while the Sacrament of the Altar is one of the ways of sustaining that faith. Both Sacraments give us life, but we might say that the one begins it and the other sustains it, and we could make an analogy to our human lives and their birth and daily sustenance.

People who spend a lot of time involved in serving their church or congregation may feel like they “live” at Church, and others measure the health of a congregation by how often during the week the lights are on with cars in the parking lot. The dwelling in the house of the Lord mentioned in Psalm 27:4 is not really along either of these lines. As I previously noted regarding Psalm 15 (see here and its related links), priests temporarily lived in the Temple complex during their time of service, but the psalmist desires much more—the dwelling in the House of the Lord forever, as also in Psalm 23:6 and 61:4. The dwelling is also more than just being in the Temple complex; the dwelling is an “intimate spiritual intercourse” with God. In the case of such eternal dwelling (made possible only by grace through faith in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ), the only work being done is praise of God, and that’s hardly “work” as we think of work. In this life there is certainly work in the more traditional sense to be done, and congregations certainly need volunteers to carry out various tasks and responsibilities, but the measure of congregation’s health is hardly people spending so much time at their church building that they are neglecting their vocations as parents, children, and the like. The Lutheran Reformation did not free us from a false understanding of monasticism so that we could enslave ourselves to a new monasticism that says everyone must be “doing something” in service to the congregation or to be out spreading the Gospel. When the average person comes in to Grace Lutheran Church his or her primary purpose for being there is to receive God’s gift of forgiveness through Word and Sacrament. So forgiven and fed, he or she can go out to live in his or her calling and, as the Holy Spirit gives opportunity, give answer for the hope that lies in him or her. We might like to make the church building our place of refuge now and stay there constantly, away from the madness of the world, much like Peter wanted to stay on top of the mountain with Moses and Elijah when Jesus was transfigured. But, in this life we are called to go out of the church building, down from the mountain, and to live our life during the week, coming back in and up the next Sunday or feast day until we come back in and up for eternity. (See the sequence in Psalm 121:8 and the similar statement in our Baptismal rite!)

Remember that the beauty of the Lord (v.4) and the Lord’s face (vv.8-9) refer to His gracious favor, blessing, and deliverance.

Verse 10 speaks of parents forsaking the psalmist, David, but the Lord receiving him. Like David, those of us brought up in faithful Christian families are truly blessed. There is no evidence that David’s parents actually did forsake him (see, in fact, 1 Samuel 22:3), and so some take the first part of this verse as hypothetical: “Though my father and mother might forsake me”. In faithful Christian families forsaking on account of the faith is not too likely, although those who convert to Christianity from other religions have always risked being abandoned by their family, especially converts from Islam. If things continue the way they are in the Missouri Synod, we may find applications we never anticipated to such passages as Matthew 10:32-39 and Luke 12:51-53 and 14:26-27, which sound harsh, but we also remember the promise of Matthew 19:29 and parallel passages (Mark 10:29 and Luke 18:29).

Of verse 14 it is well said that faith is therein encouraging faith, the patient waiting and confident trusting in the Lord to deliver in His way and time.

Q&A

There are no previous readers’ questions about Psalm 27, but you should feel free to ask one.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• The Fourth Sunday in Advent
• The First Sunday after Epiphany
• The Fifth Sunday after Trinity
• The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
• The Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity

Hymn References

• 27:8 -- #18

You can find the tune for the hymn by following this link.

Isaiah 58-60

Part of our reading of Isaiah today helps us look from the Christmas season more towards Epiphany.

Overview

As we read Isaiah 58-60, we begin a final section of Isaiah’s so-called Book of Comfort. This section speaks of eternal deliverance and eternal judgment. Today we read the contrast between false worship and true worship (chapter 58), Zion’s confession and redemption (chapter 59), and Zion’s peace and prosperity with the promise of deliverance from sin (chapter 60).

Comments

The essential difference between false worship and true worship (Isaiah 58) is in the attitude of the heart: true faith will produce genuine good works, while hypocrites will go through the motions of repentance without being genuinely sorry for their sins and without trusting in God to forgive them for Jesus’ sake.

Note how in Zion’s confession and redemption (Isaiah 59) Isaiah by Divine inspiration goes from 3rd person plural “they” to the 2nd person plural “we”; he uses three different but common words for sins in 59:12; he introduces the Lord’s plan of salvation after removing any hope of human beings saving themselves; and he uses a description of God’s armor that seems to be at least in the background of a New Testament description of spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:13-17). There is a mention of Isaiah 59:17 here, in connection with “St. Patrick’s Breastplate”. Be sure to also note that in 59:20 the true Zion consists of those who repent of their sins, which repentance includes faith in Jesus Christ, “Who for us … and for our salvation came down from heaven And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary And was made man”.

Every week in the Nunc dimittis of the communion liturgy we sing about Christ as “a Light to lighten the Gentiles” (the nations of non-Jews), although we may not think much of the rich Old Testament background to that Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29:32), such as Isaiah 60, which also seems to be background for Revelation 21-22. Chapter 60 tells of the glory of Israel as people from nations that once opposed her come to the light she radiates from her Redeemer (these verses are familiar from Advent but also help us begin to look toward Epiphany, which begins with the visit of the magi traditionally observed on January 6th). Jesus truly is the Light of the World (John 8:12), whether or not everyone confesses that reality, such as British-American Alan Falk (1945-), the Jewish artist who painted the watercolor image with this post (to see a larger version of the image, either click the image or see from where we got it). The Hebrew words on the hand in the image are l’owr goyim “for a light to nations”. I expect the artist thought of the hand as the Father’s hand that also first created light, but we can also think of the hand of our Lord, which is inscribed with the marks of His crucifixion for us that also revealed His glory to the world.

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God

You are welcome to ask a question more-specifically about Isaiah 58-60, if you wish.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• 58:6-12 -- The Fourth Sunday after Trinity

I expected some Epiphany readings, but maybe I’m thinking of a different lectionary series.

Hymn References

• 59:20 -- #62 (apparently picking up on the Advent theme of “coming” in verse 20)
• 60:1 -- #498 (a nice “missions” hymn that confesses Jesus as the Light of Nations)
• 60:1 ff. -- #503 (a familiar tune to a relatively unfamiliar hymn, although I especially like stanza 4’s statement about the permanence of God’s Word)
• 60:1-6 -- #126 (a more-familiar Epiphany hymn; if you are going use only one in your devotion today I would recommend this be the one)
• 60:3 -- #642 (again a familiar tune for a less-familiar hymn in the “foreign missions” category)
• 60:13 -- #633 (also a familiar tune for I would think a seldom-used hymn)

You can find the tunes for the hymns by following this link.

God bless you!

Ps 26 / Is 55-57

With Isaiah’s and John the Baptizer’s call for a leveling-out to prepare the way for the Lord still fresh in our minds, look for that common ground in both of our readings today.

Psalm 26

Like the psalm before it, Psalm 26 expresses trust in the Lord and cries for the Lord to show mercy and deliver the psalmist, although in Psalm 26 the psalmist does not confess his sin as in the one before it.

Overview

In Psalm 26 the psalmist prays for the Lord’s merciful vindication and redemption (the request is especially clear in verses 1 and 12, which serve as bookends, as it were, for the psalm).

Comments

Psalm 26’s superscription says only that it is “Of David”, but some speculate that the particular opponents are those who joined David’s son Absalom in his attempt to take over the kingdom. In that case, you might see 2 Samuel 15:6, 25 for thoughts that may be behind those in this psalm.

Again in verse 1 and throughout the psalm, it seems that the psalmist is claiming to be righteous, but the immediate context makes it clear that is not the case—for if it were, then the psalmist would not be praying for redemption. Yes, he claims not to be as immoral as his enemies and not to be in fellowship with those who are evil, but he does not claim to be altogether free from sin. The psalmist also emphasizes his faith (v.1) and regard for the Lord’s house (v.8).

Parents are often rightly concerned about the people their children hang around with; their friends can be either a positive or negative influence on them. The same is true of Christians of any age, and we probably all can think of people in our own lives who have been positive influences on us and of others who have been negative influences on us. In Psalm 26:4-5 we hear the psalmist speak of how he avoids associating with those likely to be a bad influence. One can certainly take such an avoidance to an extreme, as have certain monastic or hermetic groups over the years, who avoid any and all contact with the world for fear of its corruption. (For more on just what monks and hermits avoid, see this folo.) The world can corrupt us Christians, but we know that we are to shine Christ’s light to the world and be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16). We are to be in the world, but we are not to be of the world (see John 17). We are not to be conformed to the world but are to be transformed by the Holy Spirit working through Word and Sacrament (Romans 12:2). We can and must interact with people of the world in order to live in our various vocations, and we are thankful for the opportunities the Holy Spirit presents to us to give an answer for the sure and certain hope that we have by the forgiveness of sins by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:15). We can teach, as it were, in the Temple Courts, but we retreat to the Lord’s House for the Divine Service (Acts 2:46-47), not participating in the assembly of evildoers or partaking of their “sacred” meals (Psalm 26:5-6).

In verse 6, the psalmist uses a figure of speech to make his claim of relative innocence; the figure of speech refers to a symbolic act we may know from elsewhere in Holy Scripture (see Deuteronomy 21:6 and Matthew 27:24). You might also note how by the end of the psalm the psalmist is confident of God’s deliverance and his restoration to the worshipping community.

Note in verse 8 the connection between the Lord’s presence and His glory, and read John 1:14 in light of that connection. Where the Lord is present He is present to bless, as in the Divine Service when really, physically present on the altar He gives the forgiveness of sins with His Body and Blood.

Q&A

So far there aren’t any readers’ questions on Psalm 26, but you are free to ask a question.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• The feast of St. Stephen (yesterday)
• The Presentation of Christ and the Purification of Mary
• Rogate (the Fifth Sunday after Easter)
• The Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
• The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
• The Day of St. James the Elder

Hymn References

• 26:12 -- #568 is a free rendition of a sixteenth-century Dutch prayer of thanksgiving for a victory with England’s help over a Spanish oppressor

You can find the tune for the hymn by following this link.

Isaiah 55-57

One of the highlights of our reading of Isaiah 55-57 is a great promise God makes regarding the use of His Word!

Overview

As we continue to read of the Suffering Servant’s work in Isaiah 55-57, we read of the call to salvation to Jews and non Jews alike (55:1-56:8) and of the judgment on the wicked (56:9-57:21).

Comments

The invitation in 55:1-7, especially in verses 1-2 and 6, comes in some of my favorite verses in the Bible (yes, you can note that again food and beverage is in view). The invitation is similar to that spoken by Wisdom in Proverbs 9:5 and thus also by Jesus in John 4:14 and 7:37. Notice also the emphasis on hearing leading to living (as in Romans 10:14-18). Isaiah 55:7’s call to repentance is clear, and verse 8 emphasizes how people and God are on different wavelengths (a verse we often turn to in times of disasters). Isaiah 55:9-11 is a great promise to us as we read and proclaim God’s Word. Isaiah 56:7 and the “house of prayer for all people" (KJV, nations NIV) refers to salvation being for more than the Jews (Jesus may be referring to this verse in Mark 11:17).

I like some of the religious paintings by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali (1904-1989), although the one with this post that is associated with Isaiah 55:6 was new to me (to see a larger version of the image, either click the image or see from where we got it). To me, the image could be taken as Isaiah prophesying to those going by, or it could be taken as suggesting some sort of journey is needed to find the Lord. (For more on the image, see this folo.) In fact, no pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Mecca, or Rome is needed to find the Lord. Quoting Deuteronomy 30:14, St. Paul in Romans 10:8 says the Word of faith is near you. I’m certainly not saying that reading your Bible online is all that is needed, for those who believe will make a pilgrimage of a sort to receive, with the community of believers, God’s gift of forgiveness from His called and ordained servants through the purely preached Word and rightly administered Sacraments (Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and the Sacrament of the Altar). Those who truly believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins will want to seek His gift in those ways.

As I, a single man trying to live a chaste and decent life, read Isaiah 56:1-8, my curiosity was piqued about what the verses said regarding the eunuchs (the Hebrew word is saris), and I would think others, especially other "single" individuals, would also be interested. When you first hear the English word “eunuch” you may think of a boy or man who has been castrated or for some reason cannot produce sperm. While such people are certainly “eunuchs” in one sense of the word, eunuchs in Bible times could also be court officials or harem attendants, for which latter task those who had been castrated or could not produce sperm were perhaps ideally suited. (You might be interested to know that the word “eunuch” comes from Greek and more-literally translates as “keeper of the bed”.) Not all court officials called “eunuchs” were necessarily castrated, however, and the modern informal use of “eunuch” for an ineffectual or powerless man is in contrast to the older idea of uncastrated people called “eunuchs” being important officials of a king’s court. What does all of this have to do with our reading today? Well, the context of the Hebrew word saris helps one know whether a court official or castrated man is in view. Isaiah 56:3 certainly seems to reflect an inability to procreate, which would lead us to think a castrated or otherwise impotent man is in view, perhaps especially Israelite men mutilated against their will in order to serve foreign officials. Verses 4-5 are addressed to them (verses 6-8 are addressed to the “foreigner” mentioned first in verse 3). Where the old covenant apparently excluded physical eunuchs from the worshipping assembly (Leviticus 22:24 [clearer in translations other than the KJV] and Deuteronomy 23:1), God through Isaiah is saying such is not the case under the New Testament (for an example of fulfillment, see Acts 8:27, 38-40). Where the eunuchs may have been worried about not having descendants, Isaiah’s prophecy says that in a sense such believers will not be excluded from the community and will be more blessed than those who have sons and daughters. The words of our Lord in Matthew 19 and of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 7 are also relevant in this regard. In Matthew 19:10-12, our Lord says the demands of the kingdom may mean that some people must live celibate, eunuch-like lives, such as a divorced couple that is unable to reconcile (see 1 Corinthians 7:10-11; St. Paul also can be seen as suggesting widows and widowers, like him, might do best not to marry a second time). (While we may think of celibacy primarily in connection with the Roman Catholic abstaining from marriage by a vow, it can also mean a state of being unmarried or in voluntary singleness and virginity.) Living such a life is not an impossibility, Jesus says, for with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), and, to be sure, there is forgiveness for when we fail to live such a life. God gives us grace sufficient for each day to be content in all circumstances. In 1 Corinthians 7:26-38, Paul, like Isaiah, seems to say that those who do not marry and have children are in some ways more blessed. With the Corinthians, Paul was dealing both with those who thought sexual issues did not matter and with those who made too much of them. Our Lutheran Confessions (Apology XXIII:38 is just one example) similarly are careful both to recognize that the celibate state is more praised in Holy Scripture and to make it clear that no one is saved by being celibate (in contrast to the Roman Catholic teaching of that day, which suggested becoming a monk or nun was necessary for the “perfection” of justification). Although in no way am I denigrating the holy estate of marriage instituted by God Himself, like Isaiah’s prophecy, I do not think that marriage and children are necessary for people to be fulfilled. In Christ we have brothers, sisters, and other family members through the waters of Holy Baptism and our common bond in Christ’s blood, for the receiving of which—not the usual familial ties but—the common confession of the faith unites those around the Lord’s Table.

Isaiah 56:9-12 is a sad comment on Israel’s spiritual leaders (and some spiritual leaders today, too). The evildoers commit spiritual adultery and prostitution (57:3 and verses following, note the extended adultery image in v.8), doing such things as sacrificing their children to the idol Molech (57:5 and the specific reference to Molech in v.9). The Lord is not an absent God removed from His creatures, but He abides with those who repent (57:15), promising healing and restoration (57:18). Isaiah 57:21 is a good verse to answer those who claim “their” God would not judge, and it is also a good verse to have in mind in this Christmas season when we hear “Peace on earth” and forget that that peace is only for those of the Lord’s “good will” or pleasure (that is, those who are saved through faith).

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God

You are welcome to ask a question specifically about Isaiah 55-57, if you like.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• 55:1-13 -- The Circumcision and Name of Jesus
• 55:10-13 -- Sexagesima Sunday (the Sunday in the sixth period of ten days before Easter)
• 57:15 -- Ascension Day

Hymn References

No hymns in The Lutheran Hymnal are said to make use of Isaiah 55-57.

God bless you!

Ps 25 / Is 52-54

Today we read both a prayer for pardon and a wonderful prophecy of the Messiah and how He makes our pardon possible.

Psalm 25

Psalm 25 that we read today is closely linked to Psalm 24 that we read yesterday, by way of Psalm 24:4 and the lifting up of the soul referred to in 25:1.

Overview

One commentary breaks Psalm 25 down into four unequal stanzas, with the first stanza (apparently vv.1-3) and fourth stanza (apparently vv.16-21/22) related by the theme of prayer for relief from distress or illness and the attacks of the psalmist’s enemies and with the second stanza (apparently vv.4-7) and third stanza (apparently vv.8-15) also related but by the confident prayer for guidance and pardon.

Comments

One commentary notes that David prays for deliverance, guidance, forgiveness, and relief; the commentary then suggests that they are all related, that God’s forgiveness will lead to His removing the affliction and thus the occasion for his enemies to slander him. Would that it were that simple! God’s forgiveness does not remove temporal consequences of our sin, and even the removal of affliction does not completely end false accusations by enemies. For us I think the prayer for forgiveness can be a major theme of the Psalm, and the confident hope and trust in the Lord are also worth noting. As redeemed children of God we know that our final deliverance from trouble (v.22) will come at our moment of death in this world and the beginning of life eternal in the next.

There’s much talk in some church circles about “lifting up” someone in prayer, Psalm 25 arguably could be said to support such a notion, although that phrase means to worship or trust in, as made clear in the parallel phrase in 25:1. In verse 1, the psalmist calls his own soul to look to God in faith, especially for the two petitions named in verse 2. The Hebrew verb nasa’ is significant for a number of reasons. In 25:1 some sort of confident trust seems to be in mind, although elsewhere the verb can be used for people sinning. Perhaps more importantly the same verb is used for Christ bearing our sin and then for our sin being removed or forgiven. Only because the Holy and Innocent Son of God carries our sin can it be forgiven and can we lift up or direct ourselves to confidently trust in the Lord’s ultimate deliverance in Christ.

Modern moralists sometimes wonder where “shame” has gone in contemporary society. The “shame” they are wondering about is not quite the same as the biblical concept of “shame” that we find in Psalm 25:3. Our normal idea of shame has to do with an inner attitude or state of mind, while the biblical idea stresses the sense of public disgrace or physical state. Most of the Bible’s references to shame come in the prophets and Psalms, and parallels are often “to be humiliated” or “to be shattered, dismayed”. A common usage refers to the result of defeat at the hands of an enemy, disgrace of being paraded as a captive. The idea is part of the threat made to encourage people to repent, the promise of no shame made to those who do repent. The psalmist reminds God of that promise today in Psalm 25, and we do well to remember that by nature we deserve to be paraded as a captive to hell but that by grace through faith in Jesus Christ we are freed from that captivity. In the short term believers in Christ may have public disgrace, but in the end God is faithful to His promise and we are vindicated. The final disgrace and shame are with those who refuse to believe in Jesus.

I was struck by verse 10: “All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant” (NIV). Many people today would like to stop half-way through that verse: “All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful”. So often we hear, “My God wouldn’t do such and such” or “A loving God wouldn’t do so and so”. In the case of “My God”, people generally want to create God in their own image and want to have nothing to do with the God of the Bible. In the case of “A loving God”, we hear in this verse that all God’s ways are loving “for those who keep the demands of his covenant”. Although there is no one who perfectly keeps the demands of his covenant, we should not read that second part of the verse in such a way as to exclude everyone. Rather, we should understand that as we believe in Christ God sees us with Christ’s righteousness of having kept the covenant demands. We fear the Lord (verse 14) and pray for forgiveness as the psalmist does (verses 1-7, 16-22), and we know that He mercifully hears our prayers and that His answer to those prayers are loving and faithful.

Q&A

No readers have asked questions about Psalm 25 yet, but you are welcome to ask one.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• The First Sunday in Advent
• Reminiscere (the Second Sunday in Lent)
• Oculi (the Third Sunday in Lent)
• The Third Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Hymn References

• 25:5 -- #532

You can find the tune for the hymn by following this link.

Isaiah 52-54

The Church in its wisdom put feast days for martyrs on two of the three days after Christmas Day—St. Stephen on December 26 and The Holy Innocents on December 28—in part to temper the syrupy sentimentality that surrounds the annual celebration of our Lord’s birth. Our timely reading of Isaiah 52-54 in some ways serves the same purpose for us, reminding us that Christmas is more than a cute Baby in a manger, although to be sure Christmas is a major step towards victory in a cosmic struggle that has life or death consequences for each person on earth.

Overview

Isaiah 52-54 continues a section and subsection begun yesterday. We finish reading the subsection dealing with the comfort of the Redeemed (52:1-12); then we read of the Suffering Servant Who atones for our sin (52:13-53:12), and finally we read of the Servant’s offsprings’ future glory (chapter 54).

Comments

As you finish the section dealing with the comfort of the Redeemed, especially 52:3, think of Dr. Luther’s explanation to the Second Article of the Creed: “Who has redeemed me … not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death”.

Perhaps nowhere else in the Old Testament is our redemption by way of the Messiah’s suffering and resurrection (note 53:11) spelled out so clearly than in the Song of the Suffering Servant (52:13-53:12). This Servant Song is likely familiar if you are in church during Lent and Holy Week, and you will note references to it and quotations from it as we eventually make our way through the Gospel accounts of the Passion. While there may be some biographical experience that enters into description of the Suffering Servant, at its core it is to be understood as pointing prophetically and typologically to Jesus, the Christ. Jesus, as is sometimes said, is “Israel reduced to one”, Who both in a sense repeated and fulfilled the nation’s history and prophecy. By faith we through Holy Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper become and stay a part of the body of which Christ is the Head and so in a sense experience what He experienced but more importantly benefit from what He has done for us. Note well the description of us as wandering sheep (v.6) and Jesus’s dutiful Lamb-like slaughter on our behalf (v.7). Again kudos to Handel for the way the music of "The Messiah" has the sheep all running off in their own directions. This Suffering Servant Song is rich Gospel, emphasizing how our Lord’s passion was for us! Don’t let 53:12 make you think of limited atonement—Jesus died for all; the expression “many” can either be understood with the sense of “all” and thus as Jesus’ objective justification or with the sense of the “many” who believe in Him and thus as subjective justification. (The image of the Suffering Servant with this post is, from the style, by a relatively recent, though unidentified, artist; to see a larger version of the image, either click the image or see from where we got it.)

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God
• 53:6 Who bears the iniquity of sin

Please feel free to ask a question of your own.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• 52:13-15 -- Easter Sunday
• 52:13-53:12 -- Good Friday

Hymn References

• 52:7-10 -- #487
• 52:8 -- #609
• 53:3-5 -- #153
• 53:4-7 -- #142
• 54:2 -- #510
• 54:2, 3 -- #640 (check the hymnal for the text of this hymn)
• 54:10 -- #337

You can find the tunes for the hymns by following this link.

God bless you!

Ps 24 / Is 49-51

Psalm 24 is an appropriate psalm for us to read on the Nativity of our Lord, Christmas Day, as the Infant Lord born today was born to triumph over His and our enemy, the devil, on the cross and for us to welcome Him into our hearts and bodies as His temples. Our reading from Isaiah 49-51 drives home some of those same points.

Psalm 24

The psalm may have been used in a procession celebrating the Lord entering Jerusalem via His ark. The Christian church has used the psalm in connection with Jesus’ ascension to the heavenly Jerusalem, but its words anticipating the Lord’s coming to His Temple and calling us to prepare His way are also connected with Advent (see the hymn linked below) and thus with Christmas (see below for its inclusion among those appointed for use in church on Christmas Day). From the Ark’s arriving at the Jerusalem Temple, to the Lord’s tabernacling in the Temple of His flesh, to His dwelling among us in His Church by way of Word and Sacrament, we in the New Testament Church always anticipate His final coming in glory, even as we annually celebrate the anniversary of His birth.

Overview

Verses 1-2 recognize the Lord is the King of Glory, for He created, sustains, and preserves the whole world (which founding is referred to figuratively as if it were the Temple itself). Verses 3-6 call to mind Psalm 15 and the moral standards for those eligible to enter the temple, but notice that God blesses and vindicates His faithful children. Notice in verse 4 that “lifting up the soul” is to worship or trust in, and recall the communion liturgy “Lift up your hearts. We lift them up unto the Lord.” Verses 7-10 welcome the King, Who has triumphed over all His enemies, to enter the city and its Temple.

Comments

In verse 6 we see how those whom God has prepared to dwell with Him (by their receiving His blessings) are those who seek and believe in Him; they are the Church, the true Israel. Even if they cannot trace their family line to Jacob according to the flesh, they are Israel after the spirit.

Verses 7 and 9 make it seem as if the gateways or doorways dating back to the beginning need to expand in order to accommodate the Lord’s entering, as if their “heads”, essentially their lintels, need to be lifted up.

When we think of a “host”, most likely we think of someone who has a party or TV show of some sort to entertain guests, although the noun can also mean such things as an organism infected by a parasite or the main computer in a network. When we find the noun in the King James and other Bibles, however, the meaning intended by the word is usually that of “a very large group of people or things” or the archaic military meaning of “an army”. In Psalm 24:10 we find God referred to as “the Lord of Hosts” (KJV, ASV, NASB; “Lord Almighty” NIV). In such cases, the “hosts” can be the multitude of His heavenly angels or the sun, moon, and stars, or the “hosts” can be the armies of Israel. Remember that often when Israel’s armies won a battle the heavenly forces were explicitly mentioned as being a part of the victory and that unless the Lord went to battle with Israel the effort would end in failure. You may know the Hebrew word sebaot used here by way of the Latin Sabaoth, since the Sanctus of the Divine Service liturgy uses the Latin word in the title “Lord God of Sabaoth”. (When I sang Latin works before I learned Latin, I was taught to put a hard “t” at the end, despite the “h”, but Lutheran Service Book rightly notes the pronunciation for the Sanctus as “SAH-bay-oath”.) The title “Lord of Hosts” is an exalted title associated with the Lord’s glorious kingship, as we see in Psalm 24. Even if we do not see the glory of that kingship now, the day is coming when we will. The final victory was already won on the inglorious cross, but when Christ ultimately makes all opponents subject to Himself then His reign from Mt. Zion will truly be glorious. As we are graciously forgiven by faith in Him we know we will one day share in that glory. (By the way, while “host” as we have been discussing it comes from the Latin word hostem, meaning “stranger” or “army”, in Communion the “host” in reference to a wafer of bread that is the body of Christ comes from a different Latin word, hostia, meaning “victim”, or “sacrifice”.)

The Lord’s coming to Jerusalem in the form of His Ark surely was glorious, and more so will be His final coming. His birth into the flesh was humble and lowly, of course, as is His coming to us now with the forgiveness of sins in bread that is His body and wine that is His blood. Thanks to the window above the altar and the Sacrament below on the altar, we at Grace can easily picture the Lord gloriously enthroned between the Cherubim and humbly and really, physically present for us. (For more on Psalm 24 and the Lord’s coming for us, you can also see this Memorial Moment.)

Q&A

No readers’ questions about Psalm 24 have been submitted to date, but you are free to ask one.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• The First Sunday of Advent
• Christmas (the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord)
• Ascension

Hymn References

• Ps 24 -- #73

You can find the tune for the hymn by following this link.

Isaiah 49-51

Today we begin a new section of Isaiah that deals with the Servant’s work of atoning for sin.

Overview

As we read Isaiah 49-51, we read of the Servant’s call in the second so-called “Servant Song” (49:1-13), Israel’s spiritual repopulation (49:14-26), Israel’s sin and the Servant’s obedience (chapter 50, including the third “Servant Song”), and the redeemed’s comfort (chapter 51:1-52:12, though today we just read through the end of 51).

Comments

The Servant’s call in 49:1-3, 5 is similar to that of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) and the apostle Paul (Galatians 1:15). Note the mouth-sword connection we have seen before (Revelation 1:16; 2:12, 16; and see Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). Even the Messiah’s labor seems to be a failure (49:4), though faithful Jews and Gentiles are His reward. For, restoring Israel is not enough (for example, 49:6-7). Verse 8 is quoted by St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:2, and we can say that today also is the day of salvation. Water is frequently used in Holy Scripture to illustrate God’s provision, as we see in verse 10. (The image with this post is of an unidentified spring by an unidentified photographer; to see a larger version of the image, either click it or from where we got it.) Note in 49:10 how the shepherd imagery that we saw yesterday in Psalm 23 is in play, as is the apocalyptic image of heaven that we read in Revelation 7:16-17. The best water of all, of course, is that living water or water of life which flows over us in the Baptismal Font, working forgiveness of sins for us, rescuing us from death and the devil, and giving us eternal salvation.

Israel is not abandoned (49:14-15), though consider how the Jews of Jesus’s day and since have refused to turn to Jesus to be saved!

Despite Israel’s unfaithfulness, not even a certificate of divorce (which she was never given) could separate her from the Lord (50:1). Note the Servant’s willingness to suffer (50:6) and determination to complete His mission (50:7, carried with Luke 9:51). Isaiah 50:9 seems to anticipate Romans 8:1, 34. The Light that saves comes from the Lord and not from fires of our own lighting (Isaiah 50:11).

The Lord gives us a portion of suffering (for example, the cup of 51:17 and verses following), but He does not make us face more than we can endure with His help (note how he delivers Israel in 51:22).

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God
• 49:8 Pharaoh missed his day of salvation

Please feel free to ask a question of your own.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• 49:1-7 -- Epiphany
• 49:8-13 -- Laetare (the Fourth Sunday in Lent—the more joyous one, like Advent’s Gaudete)
• 50:6-9 -- Good Friday
• 51:9-16 -- The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Hymn References

• 49:14-17 -- #268 (which seems unfamiliar to me but appears to have a nice text)
• 50:6 -- #172 (what can be a timely reminder that Christmas is about more than a cute baby in a manger)

You can find the tunes for the hymns by following this link.

God bless you!

Ps 23 / Is 46-48

One reading today anticipates the Christmas shepherds, while another is fitting as Advent draws to a close.

Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is perhaps the best-known of all the Psalms, and its six verses speak volumes of comfort to believers.

Overview

Psalm 23 can be broken down into two equal stanzas, each of four couplets (one line in Hebrew poetry), with a triplet in the middle that transitions between the two stanzas.

Comments

Used so often for funerals, I think Psalm 23 must be familiar even to unbelievers, although I often wonder what they think the psalm’s opening verse means. Do not let the King James Version and other versions mislead you: we “want” the shepherd, for with the Lord as our shepherd, we shall “lack nothing”. While the “I shall not want” of the KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV, and ESV can make it sound as if the believer does “not want” the Good Shepherd, when what it means is that with the Lord as our Good Shepherd we “shall not be in want” (NIV; “I shall want nothing” NEB; “I have everything I need” Beck’s AAT; I thought someone else translated “I shall lack nothing”, but I can’t seem to find it—you can find more on the translation here and here).

Lying down in green pastures beside quiet waters (v.2) are indicators of a secure and flourishing, refreshed life, of the outcome indicated in verse 3: the restored soul. The righteous path we follow (v.3) brings honor to the Lord’s Name. The rod of the law and the staff of the Gospel ultimately comfort us even as we pass through death, the portal to life eternal (v.4). We eat the meal of the New Testament and are blessed now and for eternity (vv.5-6). A song I sang with the seminary Kantorei said of the dwelling in verse 6: “No more a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home.” Amen.

I frequently highlight shepherding imagery in our daily readings, and I hope that does not sour you on the theme! Psalm 23 is one of the more obvious examples, if not the Old Testament example par excellence (the best or truest of its kind, the quintessential example). At least indirectly, Psalm 23 also figures prominently in the New Testament. The Psalm certainly is behind Jesus’s declaration of Himself being our Good Shepherd in John 10. In Old Testament literature a “shepherd” was widely used as a figure of speech for kings or other leaders, and King David calling the Lord his “shepherd” is significant. In giving the account of our Lord walking this earth in His public ministry, the evangelists by Divine inspiration make deliberate allusions to Psalm 23. Mark 6:32-44’s account of the feeding of the 5,000 is one example: note verses 34, 39, 41 and 43. We find Psalm 23 and the feeding narratives like Mark 6 pointing to the heavenly food our Good Shepherd gives us in the Sacrament of the Altar. In this life we do pass through the valley of the shadow of death, but we do not fear any evil, for the Lord is with us; as we remain faithful to Him, His goodness and mercy (KJV; “lovingkindness” ASV, NASB; “love” NIV) in Word and Sacrament stay with us all the days of our lives.

Our English word “pastor” ultimately is traced back to the Latin word for “shepherd”. That statement prompted this exchange, which lead me to spend some time and effort trying to track down the sources behind the claim that at the time of the Reformation the term “pastor” (German Pastor) was not used but came into Lutheranism later from pietism, supposedly emphasizing “edification” (perhaps from Ephesians 4:12). I was able to trace the claim back through the writings of the now-sainted Rev. Prof Kurt Marquart and James H. Pragman to that of Wilhelm Pauck, who makes the claim but offers neither a citation for it nor evidence of how he came to that conclusion. Other evidence I found suggested four terms were more or less in use at the time of the Reformation: Pastor, Prediger, Pfarrer (or Pfarrherr), or Priester (“pastor”, “preacher”, “master of the parish”, and “priest”, respectively)—and that’s not to mention Seel-sorger or Seel-hirten (“soul-carer” or “soul-shepherd”, respectively), which also may have come into use later under the influence of Pietism. Distinctions may be made between how the spiritual leader was spoken of and how he was addressed, of course, as well as between different people with different primary responsibilities. The Rev. Dr. David P. Scaer, with his usual accurate acerbity, wrote in an email to me last February, “Since so many clergy persons are addressed with their first name ‘Joe,’ the issue is moot.” At Grace usually I am addressed as “Pastor”, for which I am thankful, as it is a reminder of what my relationships are both to the people who call me that and to the Good Shepherd (in Latin Pastor Bonus), Whose under-shepherd I am.

After I finished my Ph.D., people often asked me when people should call me “Dr. Galler”. I usually tell people in congregations that “Pastor” is the title that matters to me most. I appreciate people appreciating the degree and wanting to show me respect for achieving it, but, unless I am in an academic setting and with people with whom I do not have a pastoral relationship, I hardly want people to call me “Dr. Galler”. (As I also point out, that is my father’s title; formally mine is “Rev. Dr. Galler”.) Thinking also of Luke 15:1-10, we remember that the Lord Jesus is for all of us Pastor Bonus (Latin for “Good Shepherd”), Who not only seeks out and finds us wandering sheep, laying us on His shoulders rejoicing, but Who also lays down His life for us sheep and takes up His life again. “What wondrous love is this, O my soul!”

Q&A

So far there are no readers’ questions on Psalm 23, but you are welcome to ask one.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• Misericordias Domini (the Second Sunday after Easter, also called Good Shepherd Sunday)
• The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Hymn References

• Ps 23 -- #312 (a beautiful Lord's Supper hymn that makes the psalm's Sacramental connection), #368, #426, #431, and #436 (probably the best known and most loved of the bunch)

You can find the tunes for the hymns by following this link.

Isaiah 46-48

Our reading of Isaiah today fits well our Advent emphasis of repentance.

Overview

With Isaiah 46-48 we finish up the section we began with chapter 40, today reading of the Lord as superior to the gods of Babylon (chapter 46), the fall of Babylon (chapter 47), and the Lord exhorting His people (chapter 48).

Comments

Babylon’s gods are named in 46:1, powerless to stop the captivity of those that worship them (v.2). The fact that the idols of Babylon are powerless prompts the Lord to call His remnant to return to Him (vv.3-13). But, the Lord speaks to Babylon of the suffering it will endure for its arrogance (for example, almost claiming a god-like status for itself, as in v.8). Israel’s affliction, meanwhile, was to refine and purify her faith (48:10). The people are free to leave Babylon to escape its coming judgment at the hands of the Medes and Persians, and Israel’s deliverance from its Babylonian captivity is likened unto Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt (48:20-21). Similarly, God delivers us from our captivity and slavery to sin by redeeming us with the blood of Jesus.

To most people today, especially around Central Texas, the purification of water may be better known than the purification of metals such as silver or iron. But, it is that latter type of purification that we find today in our reading of Isaiah 48:10, timely, too, as our season of Advent draws to a close today. (The image with this post is of the pouring of silver refined from lead ores extracted from Mt. Isa and George Fisher in Queensland, Australia; to see a larger version of the image click it or from where we got it.) Refining by fire and testing in the furnace in some ways relate to judgment, although in this case not necessarily to judgment’s final verdict (compare Jeremiah 9:7 and Ezekiel 22:18-22). (Compare “choosing” in the KJV and ASV, either based on a different reading of the Hebrew or taking a broader sense of the word.) Israel’s time of affliction in Egypt was regarded as a furnace (Deuteronomy 4:20; 1 Kings 8:51; Jeremiah 11:4), and so was the exile in Babylon. Our own afflictions can also be regarded as the furnace that helps burn off the dross (or waste product) of our sinful natures so that we can be pure and thus stand in the presence of our Holy God. If the metal ores could feel, I am sure they would not find the refinement pleasurable, just as we seldom enjoy the afflictions we experience. But, rather than destroying, the Lord in mercy refines us, and He also provides the grace we need to endure what He allows us to experience (2 Corinthians 12:9) until we experience full and final deliverance (Psalm 66:6-12).

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God

You are welcome to ask a question specifically about Isaiah 46-48.

Sunday Lectionary Use

The historic 1-year lectionary we use at Grace for Sunday and festival services does not tap Isaiah 46-48 for any Old Testament readings.

Hymn References

No hymns from The Lutheran Hymnal are said to refer or allude to verses from Isaiah 46-48.

God bless you!

Ps 22 / Is 43-45

Even when it seems the Lord is not answering our prayers, as in Psalm 22, we know that He is the only God, as in Isaiah 43-45.

Psalm 22

Psalm 22 is the most-frequently-quoted Psalm in the New Testament, which says David’s anguished prayer as a godly sufferer victimized by enemies he has not provoked is fulfilled in the passion of our righteous Lord Jesus Christ for all of our sins (see, for examples, Matthew 27:35, 39, 43; John 19:23-24, 28).

Overview

By one analysis, the psalm is broken down into three roughly symmetrical parts: verses 1-11, “the disconsolate cry of anguish”; verses 12-21, a description of the psalmist’s outward and inward life (including the main petition of the prayer in vv.19-21); and verses 22-31, “thanksgiving and hope”.

Comments

Jesus spoke half of Psalm 22:1 while hanging on the cross, and we struggle to understand how Jesus could be forsaken by the Father with Whom He shared the same substance. (See more on that topic here.) Do you ever feel as if God has forsaken you and does not hear your cries for help? In that way perhaps all of us can relate to the opening verses of Psalm 22, even if the rest of the psalm does not apply to us as much as to King David and to our Lord.

The recollection of the Lord’s faithfulness and deliverance for Israel (expressed in verses 3-5) is said in hope and with confidence that He will be faithful and deliver again; note how in verses 9-10 the Lord’s work is brought down to a very personal level. Verses 6-10 and 12-18 describe the mocking and affliction the psalmist suffers (on v.18 see especially Matthew 27:35). Verses 19-21 calls for the Lord to be faithful and deliver, and verses 22-31 include a vow to praise and a description of the praise the psalmist will lead in the growing worshiping community; the description is said to be the grandest of all the Psalms. Even in our Lord Jesus Christ’s deepest and darkest anguish on the cross He did not fully despair of God the Father’s mercy and deliverance, and neither should we in our moments of deep and dark anguish. Note the change from verse 21 to 22, where the petitions of the psalm give way to the vows to praise the Father, vows made in confident assurance that the petitions would be granted. How often are our prayers for deliverance from our troubles made with such sure and certain faith?

The “people yet unborn” (v.31 NIV) also reminds us to take special note of verses 9-10 and that, while it might be taken as suggesting the psalmist knew God from birth, there are other passages in the Bible (such as Jeremiah 1:5 and Luke 1:41, 44) that make it clear infants in the womb are complete people and can have faith. In view of the reference to the Messiah’s mother in verses 9-10 we can note that the Old Testament reportedly never refers to a human father or begetter of the Messiah, thereby indirectly—but nevertheless clearly—teaching the virgin birth. We do well to think of how the psalmist from birth would have been cast upon the Lord sacramentally by way of circumcision, as we are by way of Holy Baptism today. Furthermore, we similarly can see in verse 26 a reference to the Holy Supper that we share with the Church and that satisfies our every need.

Q&A

• 22:1 an accusation of unfaithfulness?
• 22:21 what to make of the "unicorn"
• 22:30 what the verse means

Please feel free to ask a question of your own.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• Palmarum (Palm Sunday)
• Good Friday

Hymn References

• 22:5 -- #269

You can find the tune for the hymn by following this link.

Isaiah 43-45

The great comfort of our Lord, to literal exiles in Babylon and to figurative exiles in sin, continues in our reading today.

Overview

Continuing the Book of Comfort, the second major part of Isaiah, chapters 43-45 also continue its first major section, the Deliverance of Israel, by way of the next two subsections. First, Isaiah 43:1-44:5 deals with the regathering and renewal of Israel, and, second, Isaiah 44:6-45:25 is about His being the one and only God in comparison to idols.

Comments

God had judged His unfaithful people but, as Isaiah prophesies, would restore them. Israel witnesses the Lord’s new Exodus and new creation. Israel/Jacob is again God’s servant. In a sense, Cyrus, the leader of Persia, is the Lord’s anointed servant, too, for the Lord works through Cyrus to bring devastation to Babylon, send the exiles back to Judah, and order the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. God does truly have a plan of salvation and works through history to accomplish it, but not everything is revealed to us (see especially Isaiah 45:15 for a key passage on the notion of a hidden God—the Latin term is Deus absconditus).

There are several things worthy of mention in the first subsection. Note the references to Holy Baptism in 43:1-2 and how there we are not set “ablaze” (NIV). (The picture is of the Baptismal Font at our Grace Lutheran Church; click the image to see a larger version; this image is ours, taken by Pastor Sullivan’s fine secretary, Betty Gaskamp.) In Holy Baptism we “pass through waters” (Isaiah 43:2), although in a positive sense, and at the font God calls us by name and makes us His own (Isaiah 43:1, confer John 10:3). Also note the court scene described in 43:9-13. Despite all the saving wonders of the past, the Lord does something new with the exile and return (43:14-28), as also with Jesus’ death and resurrection (43:25 and 44:22 have special significance). The giving of the Holy Spirit is foretold in 44:1-5. We also can see application to Baptism with the living water imagery in Isiaah 43:19-21 and 44:3-4, forgiveness in 43:25, and the “branding” with the Lord’s sign of the cross in 44:5. Unless we turn away from God, we who are made holy by God certainly persevere (see the hymn reference below), for no one can remove us from God’s hand (Isaiah 43:13, quoting Deuteronomy 32:39).

In the second subsection, Isaiah 44:9-20 somewhat interrupts the flow of thought between the preceding and following verses, although the section can be said to fit in that the other “gods” are nothing and that only the Lord is the Rock (see Isaiah 44:8-9). We are the creatures and cannot argue with the Creator (45:9-12). How can we not have as our God the great and wonderful God Isaiah describes? We answer the Savior’s call to turn to Him and be saved (43:3, 45:22).

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God

You are welcome to ask a question specifically about Isaiah 43-45.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• 43:1-3 -- The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
• 44:21-23 -- The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
• 45:20-25 -- Reminiscere (the Second Sunday in Lent)

Hymn References

• 43:1-7 -- #427

You can find the tune for the hymn by following this link.

God bless you, and may you let Him make today holy for you by the right use of His Word and Sacraments!

Ps 21 / Is 40-42

God is praised for giving the king victory in Psalm 21, and God Himself comforts His people in Isaiah 40-42.

Psalm 21

Psalm 21, praise to God for granting the king victories, is in many ways paired with yesterday’s Psalm 20, prayer for the king before he went out to battle.

Overview

The people in this case praise the Lord for His blessings on the king (vv.1-6). In the center of the psalm, another participant in the liturgy, possibly a priest or Levite, announces the reason the king is secure (v.7). Then, the people seem to address the king and speak of future victories (vv.8-12), and the psalm concludes with a verse again addressing the Lord and declaring their commitment to sing to and praise Him (v.13).

Comments

Have you ever rejoiced in the Lord and praised Him when He doesn’t answer your prayers the way you want Him to answer them? Praising Him when He does not give us the desire of our hearts and the requests of our lips is certainly more difficult from a human perspective than when He gives us what we want. In Psalm 21:2, of course, what the king wanted and what the Lord wanted were the same thing. When what we want is not what God wants is when we run into problems. We do not really ever know what physical or material blessings God wants for us to have, but we do always know what spiritual blessings He wants to give us. So, we can more easily pray according to His will for spiritual blessings, blessings such as the forgiveness of sins by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

In verse 4, the psalmist speaks of the king not just having “length of days” but also of the king living “for ever and ever”. We might be inclined to think of that as a figure of speech in David’s case or apply it only to Jesus, but there are other clues in the psalm that the psalmist is taking a view larger than this life: verse 6’s “eternal blessings” (NIV; “blessed forever” KJV, ASV, NASB), verse 6’s “joy of (or in) Your presence” (KJV “countenance”), and verse 9’s “time of your appearing” (NIV; “time of Thine anger” KJV, ASV, NASB). “O king, live forever” is an expression found frequently in the Old Testament, as is “God save the king” (which lives on in our time as “God save the queen”). The mix of temporal and eternal times should not surprise us. We already have all the blessings of God, even though we do not yet fully experience them.

Note especially how faith in the Lord (v.7) brings eternal blessings (v.6), and remember that the situation is the same for us.

Verse 12 raises a bit of a question. The verse seems to mean that the king (or the Lord?) will intimidate his attacking enemies by standing firm and taking aim at them with the result that they will turn around and flee (not that he shoots or stabs them in the back as some cowardly or dastardly act). One commentator, however, says, “The arrows hit the front of the enemy, as the pursuer overtakes them.” I’m not expert in warfare, but that interpretation doesn’t seem right. As for the psalm as a whole, most assuredly in its original writing it applied to an earthly king such as David, but such an application did not then—nor does it now—rule out an application to the Messiah. The Jews understood the psalm to be Messianic, and so do we. One commentator says, “David’s cause … in its course towards a triumphant issue – a course leading through suffering – is certainly figuratively the cause of Christ”. To the extent that our way to glory is also the way of the cross, the psalm speaks of us, too.

Q&A

No one has asked any questions about Psalm 21 yet, but if you have one please ask it.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• The Fourth Sunday in Advent
• Misericordias Domini (the Second Sunday after Easter)
• Ascension
• The Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
• The Dedication of a Church

Hymn References

No hymns from The Lutheran Hymnal are said to refer or allude to verses from Psalm 21.

Isaiah 40-42

I especially enjoy the reading when it takes us through more-familiar passages so we get to hear them in their original Biblical context.

Overview

With Isaiah 40-42 we begin reading the second major part of Isaiah, the so-called Book of Comfort addressed to exiles—sharp contrast to the preceding 39 chapters’ prophecy of judgment. Chapters 40-48 deal with God’s delivering His people from their slavery to sin, and today we read sections dealing with the coming of God’s Victor (40:1-26), strength for the exiles (40:27-31), the Almighty Lord in control of all (41:1-42:9), and praise and exhortation (42:10-25). Notice especially how even though the exile has not yet happened Isaiah will speak as if it is almost over.

Comments

Isaiah 40 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, and it is a favorite for lots of reasons. Isaiah 40:1-12 can all be seen in light of John the Baptizer, though verse 3 is especially noted in the Gospel accounts (Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, and John 1:23; though compare Luke 3:4-6). Of course, we want to be sure to note this connection between our reading of Isaiah 40 and our season of Advent and John the Baptizer, who pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world (40:1-9, and see the use of Isaiah 42:1 as conflated with Psalm 2:7 in connection with Jesus’ baptism by John). Also, 40:6 and 8 are quoted by 1 Peter 1:24-25, and what a great reminder is verse 8 for us as we read the Bible daily! The “good tidings” of 40:9 are the Gospel, the “good news” of redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. Isaiah 40:11 should be read as background for such New Testament statements as John 10 and for most images of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The unsurpassable greatness of God is brought out with rhetorical questions in 40:12-14 (and see vv.25-26), some quoted in Romans 11:34 and 1 Corinthians 2:16 (remember that the Lord Himself is the "Wonderful Counselor" in Isaiah 9:6). More rhetorical questions come in 40:21 and following, and I have sung songs based on this text that will forever bring these verses to life. Anyone who thinks they are neglected by God can take comfort from 40:27-31, a beautiful figure of speech that pictures the majestic eagles soaring to heights in the mountains. (We’ve reproduced the image with this post the size it was from where we got it). Those beautiful and comforting verses (40:27-31) come amid complaints from God’s people that He is ignoring their needs. (Note well in v.31 that the KJV's “wait upon” means the same as the NIV's “hope in”.) The renewing of strength in 40:31 forms a link with the Lord’s speech that follows. (There’s a brief folo related to the eagle imagery here.)

When we do something wrong, we expect to be punished, or at least we should expect to be punished. When it comes to Isaiah 40:2, there’s apparently some debate as to of what God’s people receive a “double” portion. Is it of the chastisement they deserve? Or, is it of good things given despite what they deserve? Isaiah 51:19 would seem to suggest double chastisement, although comfort is not as ruled out as that verse suggests (see 51:3). Jeremiah 16:18 seems to be quite similar to Isaiah 40:2, and chastisement also seems to be in view there (see also Jeremiah 17:18). Isaiah 61:7 seems to suggest that Israel received double chastisement but also received double blessings, as was due the firstborn. Double restoration is promised in Zechariah 9:12, which literally may mean twice as much or figuratively may mean full or complete restoration. I might suggest that the context of 40:2 still makes it seem that double chastisement is in view there (with the emphasis, perhaps, on the completion of the verb). I thought I had read or heard somewhere that Babylon had “over-punished” Israel, so that the “double” chastisement may have resulted in that fashion (and perhaps thus also the “double” blessing), but I cannot seem to find any claims of that correspondence in connection with Isaiah 40:2. (Perhaps related is Revelation 18:6-7, where the apocalyptic Babylon is given double, although that seems to correspond there to a 1:1 ratio of her own glory and luxury.) One commentator seems to think such an “over-punishment” would be unlikely, writing of Isaiah 40:2 as follows.

It is not to be taken, however, in a judicial sense; in which case God would appear over-rigid, and therefore unjust. Jerusalem had not suffered more than its sins had deserved; but the compassion of God regarded what His justice had been obliged to inflict upon Jerusalem as superabundant. This compassion also expresses itself in the words “for all” ...: there is nothing left for further punishment. The turning-point from wrath to love has arrived. The wrath has gone forth in double measure. With what intensity, therefore, will the love break forth, which has been so long restrained!

I italicized the clause that really made me stop and ponder God’s love, although we have to be careful not to make God out to be schizophrenic. The bottom line for us, of course, is that, on account of our sin, we justly deserve death and eternal damnation (“temporal and eternal punishment”, as the liturgy has us say), but by God’s grace and mercy we instead receive life and eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, Who died that we need not. We do not deserve that grace and mercy, of course, nor do we deserve life and salvation. I’m not sure whether life and salvation are “double”, but they are full, complete, and “superabundant”.

In the Lord’s speech of chapters 41-42, there are a number of things to note. The one “stirred up” in 41:2 and in 41:25 is the same one: Cyrus of Persia who conquered Babylon and then came into Palestine, like other invaders, from the north. Jesus Christ is the Servant (“right-hand man” or “minister”) mentioned in 41:8, Who resolves the cause of the exile (40:2) and of our problems today, that is, sin. (Note that in 42:19 Israel is sarcastically called the “servant”.) In 41:14 the Lord is, most importantly, the Redeemer. The Lord mocks the idols in 41:22-23 and, keeping to that theme, in 41:26-27 highlights His own fore-telling through the prophets. In Isaiah 42:1 and the following verses we have the first of the so-called “Servant songs” telling of the Messiah; notice how this one is quoted in Matthew 12:18-21 regarding Christ. The “new song” of 42:10 (and Psalm 96:1) is because there are new things to tell (not that in our day “old songs” need to be replaced with “new songs”). Notice how in 42:16 the Lord Himself does the things the voice of 40:4 called to be done—likewise for us the Lord calls us to repentance and then produces faith when and where He pleases in those who hear the Gospel. These themes of sin and redemption are treated throughout the Book of Comfort, climaxing in Isaiah 53, but chapter 40 is said to be an “overture” of a sort.

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God

You are welcome to ask a question specifically about Isaiah 40-42.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• 40:1-8 -- The Fourth Sunday of Advent
• 40:9-11 -- The Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Trinity (confer above regarding Psalm 21 that we read today)
• 42:1-9 -- The Sunday after New Year (perhaps more properly the Second Sunday after Christmas)

Hymn References

• 40:1-8 -- #61 (Written originally in German for the festival of St. John the Baptist and first published in 1671.)
• 40:3 -- #63 (Written originally in Latin and first published in 1736.)
• 40:6 -- #601 (A “death and burial” hymn that also beautifully recalls Isaiah 6 and Revealtion.)
• 40:11 -- #628 (Said to be a “rather free translation … of one of our oldest Christian hymns, attributed to Clement of Alexandria”, who lived about 150-215 and composed his hymn in Greek.)

You can find the tunes for the hymns by following this link.

God bless you, and may you let Him make tomorrow holy for you by the right use of His Word and Sacraments!

Ps 20 / Is 37-39

In a providential pairing of readings, today we hear a psalm primarily directed toward one of Israel’s kings, and we hear of an historical narrative regarding the leadership of one of those kings.

Psalm 20

We hear a great deal about faith in the Lord as we pray Psalm 20 today.

Overview

Psalm 20 is thought to be a psalm or liturgy of prayer for the king as he leaves for a battle. Verses 1-5 are addressed to the king, perhaps by the army or the assembled people of Israel. (Note the location from where the help comes!) Verse 6 changes voice, perhaps spoken by a Levite, and assures the king the prayer will be heard. Verses 7-8 return to the first voice, again possibly the army. Verse 9 is the concluding petition to the prayer; really, it is the only verse actually addressed to the Lord. We, too, can have full confidence in prayer as we pray according to God's will.

Comments

When we hear someone’s name, we might think of what they look like and what we know about them, things such as their character, reputation, and family line. While such thoughts associated with a name are not far from the Old Testament idea of a “name”, they also are not quite all the way there, either. In Psalm 20:1, for example, the psalmist says, “May the Name of the God of Jacob protect you” (NIV). The Name of the Lord generally is inextricably bound up with God’s being and how He reveals Himself, as well as things such as His power and grace. Thus, in Psalm 20:1 the “Name” essentially stands in for God Himself. Being protected by the Name is to be protected by God. When He calls His Name over something or someone it signifies “ownership” and protection. We who have been baptized have had God’s Name called over us not only signifying but also effecting God’s adoption of us as children and His promise to protect us. The faith in God that He creates in Baptism (see Psalm 20:7) also leads us to confess His Name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—which is Who He is and how He has revealed Himself to us. This Triune God has created, has redeemed, and is sanctifying us, for which we praise Him (an alternate translation of v.7 has “praise” for “trust”).

No fat. Low fat. What about a lot of fat? Maybe if it is good fat? Is there such a thing as good fat? For us in our anti-fat culture, fat’s generally being a good thing in the Bible probably comes as a shock. Fat animals were considered the healthiest of the animals (we should think not of obese animals but of “fatter” animals in comparison to those that were emaciated). And, the fat parts of the animals were regarded as the best parts of animals that were sacrificed. So, today where Psalm 20:3 literally refers to God “making fat” all the king’s burnt offerings, translations rightly refer to God “accepting” the offerings, or finding them “acceptable”. The idea is that God would find them to be fat, or a sweet-smelling savor. We might imagine the choir, or whoever was chanting these opening words of the psalm, doing so precisely as the king made such a sacrifice on the altar before going off to battle. Verse 3 may well be the highpoint of the psalm, with the Selah indicating the musical crescendo. You and I can reflect on how our own sacrifices and offerings, our goodness and works, such as praise and thanksgiving, are nothing except that that are “made” something inasmuch as God regards them favorably by virtue of their being produced by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the sacrifice and offering that God remembers and accepts, and we are remembered and accepted on account of our faith in Him. For the same reason God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and offering and not Cain’s (Genesis 4:3-5), not because the animal sacrifice by itself was more pleasing to God than the fruits of the land but because of the faith that motivated Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s.

Q&A

So far there are no readers’ questions on Psalm 21, but you are welcome to ask one.

Sunday Lectionary Use

• The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
• The day of St. Simon and St. Jude

Hymn References

There are no hymns in The Lutheran Hymnal that are said to refer or allude to verses from Psalm 21.

Isaiah 37-39

More historical narrative is part of our reading of Isaiah.

Overview

Today in Isaiah 37-39 we finish the first major part of Isaiah, the so-called Book of Judgment and Promise, by finishing the section we started yesterday. Chapter 37 tells of the Lord’s delivering Jerusalem. Chapter 38 tells of the addition to the length of Hezekiah’s life (something that actually happened before Sennacherib invaded), and chapter 39 predicts the exile in Babylon.

Comments

King Hezekiah is a central character in today’s reading of Isaiah 37-39, including God’s delivering Judah from the Assyrians during his reign, God’s delivering him from an illness likely before that Assyrian threat, and Hezekiah’s hospitality to Babylonian envoys that likely contributed to their later attacks. (The image with this post is of Hezekiah’s illness as depicted between 1625-1630 by Matthaeus Merian the Elder (1593-1650), a Swiss copperplate engraver; to see a larger version of the image, either click the image or see from where we got it.) Note especially the work of the Lord Himself in convincing Sennacherib to withdraw from Jerusalem (for example, 37:36, and remember the plague upon Egypt in Exodus 12:12). The change of direction of the shadow on the sundial Ahaz constructed may have been an extension of the day or a miraculous refraction (38:7-8). Hezekiah’s “writing” was essentially a hymn or psalm of thanksgiving (38:10-20), and it expresses well the purposes of God permitting suffering in his life (and our lives!). Hezekiah’s joy over his healing seems to have turned to pride, and his showing of the treasures of Jerusalem to the envoys from Babylon would, as it were, come back to haunt the kingdom (39:5-7).

Q&A

• Isaiah how Isaiah fits with our usual perception of God

You are welcome to ask a question specifically about Isaiah 37-39.

Sunday Lectionary Use

Perhaps in part due to fact that today’s reading is mostly historical narrative, the historic 1-year lectionary we use at Grace does not tap Isaiah 37-39 for any Old Testament readings.

Hymn References

Apparently no hymns in The Lutheran Hymnal make use of verses from Isaiah 37-39.

God bless you!

Ps 19 / Is 34-36

Benefits of being in God’s Word, among other things, are clear in today’s readings.

Psalm 19

Like so many psalms, Psalm 19 seems to keep on speaking no matter how many times one might read it!

Overview

Psalm 19 extols the glory of God as revealed in creation (vv.1-6) and in His Word (vv.7-13) and ends with a prayer offering the psalm itself as a praise offering (v.14).

Comments

The heavens or skies certainly do declare the glory and handiwork of God, as we hear today in Psalm 19:1, but the heavens or skies do not tell us what kind of a God He is or how He has saved us from our sin through the God-man Jesus Christ. That contrast helps us understand the difference between “natural knowledge of God” (that He exists) and “revealed knowledge of God” (what He has done for us in Jesus Christ). The beginning of Psalm 19, like Romans 1:19-20, shows how we can gather “natural knowledge” of God from creation itself, in contrast to “revealed knowledge” of God, which only the Bible gives. We discussed these two different types of knowledge of God in the Sunday morning Adul