February 27, 2011
Dear friends in Christ.
Back in 1999 Julia Roberts starred in the movie, “Runaway Bride”, a story about a woman who has cold feet when it comes to being married. Though she has been engaged to be married a number of times, each time she leaves the groom standing at the altar, running out of the church and away from the marriage that was to be. During the course of the movie, as she is engaged to fiancée number 4, a reporter who had written an article about her comes to town to learn more about her. Though she cannot stand him at the beginning, slowly she begins to fall in love with this man, and the two of them make plans to be married. Yet, when it comes to their wedding, the same thing happens! She gets scared, she turns and she runs out of the church, fleeing the scene on the back of a Fed Ex truck. However, rather than just standing at the altar shocked and bewildered like the other grooms, this time the groom runs after her. This time the groom chases after her because he is simply not willing to let her go! Interestingly enough, this movie is, in many ways, a portrayal of our lives. We are the bride who keeps getting cold feet and running off, and the Lord is our Bridegroom. The Lord is our Bridegroom, and it is in his great mercy for us that he chases after us, that he leads us back to himself, and that he reconciles us to himself.
Now, as we take a closer look at how the Lord is our Bridegroom, I invite you to open your Bibles to our lesson today in Hosea 2:14-16, and 19-20. Now, as you are looking up Hosea 2, let me give you a little bit of background as to what is going on here. About two hundred years before Hosea was on the scene, King Solomon was ruling the land. He was the wisest and richest king Israel had ever known. He was the one who built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. However, toward the end of his life he began to fall away from, the Lord and worship the false gods of his many wives. Then, after King Solomon died, ten of the tribes of Israel rebelled against his successor, Rehoboam, and founded the Northern Kingdom under the leadership of King Jeroboam. This left only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin who formed the Southern Kingdom under Rehoboam. Once the Northern Kingdom was established, King Jeroboam forbade his people to go to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. Instead, he set up two golden calf idols and commanded those living in the Northern Kingdom to worship these idols as their gods. So, by the time the Lord appointed Hosea as his prophet to the Northern Kingdom, idolatry was firmly established. Though Israel had acted as an unfaithful bride to the Lord her bridegroom, the Lord sent Hosea to her to call Israel back to himself. He says: “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master,’”…I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD,” (Hosea 2:14-16, 19-20, NIV 1984).
Even though Israel had been unfaithful to him, by going off to worship false gods and idols, it was the Lord, Israel’s bridegroom, who in his mercy sent the Prophet Hosea to lead them back to himself so that they might be reconciled to him. Well just as the Lord did this for his people Israel, he does the same thing for you and me. For the truth is, each time we sin, we wander farther and farther away from the Lord. In this way we are so much like sheep grazing out in the pasture. Though we might start off grazing near the shepherd, before we know it we completely focused on the green grass before us. As we much on that grass, we keep our heads down, focused only on the green grass in front of us; following it as we graze. We go from patch to patch following the grass that seems to keep getting greener and greener. Then before we know it, with stomachs full to bursting, we look up and see that we have separated ourselves from the shepherd. The other sheep are nowhere to be found, and we are lost.
Though we may not have gone off to worship false gods and idols, we have all wandered away from the Lord, our Bridegroom. We have all fallen into sins that have led to other sins, that have given us cold feet when it came to spending time with the Lord either in church or personal Bible Study, and like Julia Roberts in “Runaway Bride” we have turned and run away from the Lord as fast as our feet could carry us because we knew our sins. Yet, even though we didn’t deserve it, in his mercy, the Lord, our Bridegroom ran after us. The Lord our Bridegroom called to us with the sweet love song of his Word. The Lord our Bridegroom spoke tenderly to us with the gospel message of salvation that is ours through Jesus Christ. The Lord, our Bridegroom allured us with the wedding gift of salvation that he provided for us through the death and resurrection of his Son in our place, and in doing so the Lord leads us back and reconciled us to him as his dearly loved bride. In fact, take a look at the promise the Lord makes to us in verse 19 and 20 of Chapter 2: “I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD,” (Hosea 2:19-20, NIV 1984).
During Old Testament times, when a couple was betrothed, they were setting themselves aside only for each other. They were promising themselves to each other as husband and wife. In fact, in those days people who were betrothed were recognized as husband and wife in all ways, except for the way that produces children. Everyone recognized that these two who had promised themselves to each other would soon be united as husband and wife in every way as soon as the marriage feast took place. When the Lord made this promise to his people Israel, that he would betroth them to himself forever, he was assuring them that he was the Bridegroom who loved them, who had forgiven them, who had set them apart for him, who had made them his people, and who, as their Bridegroom, loved them as a husband loves his wife.
This is the promise that the Lord, our Bridegroom has also made to us through the blood of our Savior. Though we didn’t deserve it by any means, in his mercy, the Lord our God betrothed himself to us when he reconciled us through the death and the resurrection of his Son, our Savior. In doing this the Lord has demonstrated his great love for us. He has assured us that we belong to him in the same way that wives and husbands belong to each other. He has assured us that we have been forgiven of all our sins. In fact, because we have been betrothed to the Lord our God, we have the joy and certainty of knowing that he is our God. Though here on earth we are living in the joy of engagement, so to speak, when the Lord calls us home, we will live in the joy of marriage, the joy of living with the Lord, our Bridegroom forever in heaven.
This is the, “happily ever after” that closes so many of the fairy tails of childhood, and this is the happily ever after that closed the movie “Runaway Bride”. Though Julia Roberts did run away from her marriage to the reporter, at the end of the movie we see the two of them finally married and beginning their lives as husband and wife. Today, we have seen the same thing in our lives. Though we have run away from the Lord, our Bridegroom, he is the one who chased after us. He is the one who led us back to himself. He is the one who reconciled us to himself. He is the one who has betrothed himself to us. Because of all of this we are looking forward to our happily ever after that we will spend with the Lord our Bridegroom, forever at the marriage feast in heaven.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church --Le Sueur, MN
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Jesus Reveals Himself as our Savior (Mark 1:40-45)
February 20, 2011
Dear friends in Christ.
For centuries magicians have been entertaining people with their tricks, illusions, misdirection and sleight of hand, and for centuries audiences have been clamoring to find out exactly how magicians did what they did. Though most have strictly followed the code that a magician never reveals his secrets, recently there have been some magicians who have come forward and publicly revealed at least some of their secrets. You may have seen some of the TV specials that have aired in the last few years, specials where a magician will perform a certain trick to amaze the audience and then repeat the same trick, revealing to them exactly how it was done. In some ways Jesus was doing a similar thing in our lesson today. It wasn’t that he was doing miracles to entertain the crowds who had gathered to see him and then revealing to them exactly how he had done it. Instead, Jesus was using his miraculous power to reveal himself as the Son of God; the Savior of the world. This, in fact, is the very thing that Mark is revealing to us in our Gospel lesson today!
Now, if you haven’t done so already, I invite you to open your Bibles with me to Mark 1:40-45. There, in Mark chapter 1, Jesus is traveling from village to village, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. As he was traveling, Mark tells us, “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. (Mark 1:40–45, NIV84)
Now, when this man came to Jesus, he was not just someone who had leprosy. Rather, this was a man who was in the last stages of a terrible, flesh eating disease. We know this because as Luke reports this same account he tells us that the man who met Jesus was a man who was “covered with leprosy” (Luke 5:12-14). He came to Jesus hoping with all his heart that Jesus would heal him. He came believing and trusting that if Jesus was willing to make him clean, he would be made clean by the divine power of his Savior, and when Jesus saw him, Mark tells us (Mark 1:41) that Jesus was filled with compassion when he saw the man. Now, we need to pause right there for a second because even though it is absolutely true that Jesus was filled with compassion, this translation pales in comparison to everything that is conveyed by the Greek word. For what the Greek word conveys here is that Jesus was moved in his inner being, his heart ached at the sight of this man suffering from an incurable disease. We could even go so far as to say that Jesus’ stomach was in knots at the sight of the man; even that his bowels, his intestines were in turmoil at the state of this man and his condition. For this state in which Jesus found himself was born, not merely out of sympathy for this man’s pain, but Jesus, our Savior felt this man’s pain, he carried this man’s infirmities, and he wanted to do something for him, which is exactly what Jesus did.
In such a simple and beautiful way, Jesus revealed himself as the Savior by revealing his compassion for this child of Israel, by reaching out and touching this man. Just think about what that must have meant to him! Here was a man who had lived apart from humans for a long time. Here was a man who had been shunned by his fellow Israelites as one who was unclean. Here was a man who had not felt the touch of any one, other than other lepers, in many, many years, and Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man! Can’t you just see Jesus, standing before this man who was kneeling in the dust before Jesus? Can’t you see Jesus’ face, pained at the suffering this man was enduring, as he reached out his hand touching the man and speaking those beautiful words, “I am willing, be clean”? In his compassion, Jesus revealed his almighty power as he healed this man of his leprosy, and through that miraculous display of power, Jesus revealed himself as our Savior!
Well, in the same way that Jesus revealed himself as Savior through the compassion he displayed in the life of this leprous man, so also he reveals himself as our Savior through the compassion he continually shows in our lives. Tough our Savior is now living with his Father in heaven, he is still moved by the troubles and the hardships that we face. Though this world might think that Jesus has turned a blind eye to the things that are going on today, we know that he is with us. Even now as so many of us are struggling through economic hardships, our Savior is with us. Even now was we are still reeling with sorrow from the loss two sons of this congregation, Jesus our Savior is compassionately dispensing his love for us and his comfort to us through the gospel message of salvation that we are hearing today. No matter what situation we might face in our lives, our Savior continually reveals his compassion in our lives. When we face troubles and hardships because of rising prices and falling income, our Savior is there, touching our lives with his love. When we are beaten down by the evil around us and all the troubles that our sins cause us, Jesus wipes our tears with the hand of his grace. When we feel as if the world has turned against us and there is nothing we can do to change it or there is no one we can turn to for help that is when Jesus wraps us up in the blanket of his word. When we feel that all hope is lost, our Savior holds us tight in the arms of his love and assures us that we belong to him; that he is our Savior. Though we may still face troubles, hardships and adversities in our lives, our Savior continually reveals himself in our lives through the great compassion that he continually pours out upon us through the love that he displays in calling us his own.
When that leprous man came to Jesus, trusting that Jesus would heal him, Jesus not only revealed himself as Savior through the compassion he displayed in that man’s life. He also revealed himself as Savior through the love Jesus displayed in warning him not to tell anyone what had happened. Take a look with me at verses 43-45: “43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. (Mark 1:43–45, NIV84)
Now, I don’t know about you, but if I had been that leprous man, I would have been just a little surprised and maybe a little bit scared by what Jesus had just said. After all, here he was, kneeling in the dust, with Jesus’ hand on him, he had just head the tender words, “I am willing, be clean” spoken to him, the leprosy had left him and now Jesus was warning him not to tell anyone what had happened. If it had been me, I wouldn’t have understood why Jesus had warned me with such a stern voice not to tell anyone. I wouldn’t have understood why Jesus was immediately sending me away from him to go and show myself to the priests. After all, it wasn’t that Jesus didn’t want the publicity. For the truth is, we find in the other gospels that large crowds were following after him. Rather, by telling this man not to tell anyone, Jesus was revealing his love for his people; in part, his love for the people who were with him, but more specifically, for the people in Jerusalem. You see it was Jesus’ intention to send this man to the Priests in Jerusalem, who would examine him from head to toe, looking for anything that resembled leprosy. After this, the man would offer two birds as a sacrifice for purification. Then, on the eighth day, he was to bring two lambs as a guilt offering and as a sin offering. IN doing this, the man would be a testimony to the priest not only that Jesus had come to fulfill the law, but also that Jesus was the Messiah; the Savior who had been promised. He was here, and he was revealing himself as the Savior through his acts of loving kindness—a truth that he would ultimately reveal when he went to the cross as Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
When Jesus went to the cross, he revealed himself as our Savior through his willing sacrifice! For in the same way that husbands will give up their lives to save their wives, and parents will do anything to protect their children, Jesus willingly, lovingly gave up his life to free us from our sins. For when Jesus went to that cross, our Savior stretched out his hand and cleansed us from the leprosy of sin. Though our sins had bound us to the railroad track of death, and satan was steaming ever closer with the locomotive of damnation, Jesus swept in at the last minute, freed us from the chains that held us there, helped us off the track, and then allowed satan to run him over, completely destroying satan’s power over us. In such an amazing way, our Lord Jesus revealed himself as our Savior through his love for us; his love that led him to the cross where he freed us from our sins.
How amazing it is to know about our Savior and how he revealed himself to be our Savior through his loving and compassionate actions. How amazing it is to know that Jesus is our Savior who went to the cross in our place so that we could be his own and live under him in his kingdom. Though he may never have taken the time to perform a miracle and then reveal to the people exactly how he did it, through his words and actions he has revealed himself as the Son of God our Savior. He is the one who has freed us from our sins. He is the one who is always with us. He is the one who loves us and cares for us through any and every situation in life.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN
Dear friends in Christ.
For centuries magicians have been entertaining people with their tricks, illusions, misdirection and sleight of hand, and for centuries audiences have been clamoring to find out exactly how magicians did what they did. Though most have strictly followed the code that a magician never reveals his secrets, recently there have been some magicians who have come forward and publicly revealed at least some of their secrets. You may have seen some of the TV specials that have aired in the last few years, specials where a magician will perform a certain trick to amaze the audience and then repeat the same trick, revealing to them exactly how it was done. In some ways Jesus was doing a similar thing in our lesson today. It wasn’t that he was doing miracles to entertain the crowds who had gathered to see him and then revealing to them exactly how he had done it. Instead, Jesus was using his miraculous power to reveal himself as the Son of God; the Savior of the world. This, in fact, is the very thing that Mark is revealing to us in our Gospel lesson today!
Now, if you haven’t done so already, I invite you to open your Bibles with me to Mark 1:40-45. There, in Mark chapter 1, Jesus is traveling from village to village, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. As he was traveling, Mark tells us, “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. (Mark 1:40–45, NIV84)
Now, when this man came to Jesus, he was not just someone who had leprosy. Rather, this was a man who was in the last stages of a terrible, flesh eating disease. We know this because as Luke reports this same account he tells us that the man who met Jesus was a man who was “covered with leprosy” (Luke 5:12-14). He came to Jesus hoping with all his heart that Jesus would heal him. He came believing and trusting that if Jesus was willing to make him clean, he would be made clean by the divine power of his Savior, and when Jesus saw him, Mark tells us (Mark 1:41) that Jesus was filled with compassion when he saw the man. Now, we need to pause right there for a second because even though it is absolutely true that Jesus was filled with compassion, this translation pales in comparison to everything that is conveyed by the Greek word. For what the Greek word conveys here is that Jesus was moved in his inner being, his heart ached at the sight of this man suffering from an incurable disease. We could even go so far as to say that Jesus’ stomach was in knots at the sight of the man; even that his bowels, his intestines were in turmoil at the state of this man and his condition. For this state in which Jesus found himself was born, not merely out of sympathy for this man’s pain, but Jesus, our Savior felt this man’s pain, he carried this man’s infirmities, and he wanted to do something for him, which is exactly what Jesus did.
In such a simple and beautiful way, Jesus revealed himself as the Savior by revealing his compassion for this child of Israel, by reaching out and touching this man. Just think about what that must have meant to him! Here was a man who had lived apart from humans for a long time. Here was a man who had been shunned by his fellow Israelites as one who was unclean. Here was a man who had not felt the touch of any one, other than other lepers, in many, many years, and Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man! Can’t you just see Jesus, standing before this man who was kneeling in the dust before Jesus? Can’t you see Jesus’ face, pained at the suffering this man was enduring, as he reached out his hand touching the man and speaking those beautiful words, “I am willing, be clean”? In his compassion, Jesus revealed his almighty power as he healed this man of his leprosy, and through that miraculous display of power, Jesus revealed himself as our Savior!
Well, in the same way that Jesus revealed himself as Savior through the compassion he displayed in the life of this leprous man, so also he reveals himself as our Savior through the compassion he continually shows in our lives. Tough our Savior is now living with his Father in heaven, he is still moved by the troubles and the hardships that we face. Though this world might think that Jesus has turned a blind eye to the things that are going on today, we know that he is with us. Even now as so many of us are struggling through economic hardships, our Savior is with us. Even now was we are still reeling with sorrow from the loss two sons of this congregation, Jesus our Savior is compassionately dispensing his love for us and his comfort to us through the gospel message of salvation that we are hearing today. No matter what situation we might face in our lives, our Savior continually reveals his compassion in our lives. When we face troubles and hardships because of rising prices and falling income, our Savior is there, touching our lives with his love. When we are beaten down by the evil around us and all the troubles that our sins cause us, Jesus wipes our tears with the hand of his grace. When we feel as if the world has turned against us and there is nothing we can do to change it or there is no one we can turn to for help that is when Jesus wraps us up in the blanket of his word. When we feel that all hope is lost, our Savior holds us tight in the arms of his love and assures us that we belong to him; that he is our Savior. Though we may still face troubles, hardships and adversities in our lives, our Savior continually reveals himself in our lives through the great compassion that he continually pours out upon us through the love that he displays in calling us his own.
When that leprous man came to Jesus, trusting that Jesus would heal him, Jesus not only revealed himself as Savior through the compassion he displayed in that man’s life. He also revealed himself as Savior through the love Jesus displayed in warning him not to tell anyone what had happened. Take a look with me at verses 43-45: “43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. (Mark 1:43–45, NIV84)
Now, I don’t know about you, but if I had been that leprous man, I would have been just a little surprised and maybe a little bit scared by what Jesus had just said. After all, here he was, kneeling in the dust, with Jesus’ hand on him, he had just head the tender words, “I am willing, be clean” spoken to him, the leprosy had left him and now Jesus was warning him not to tell anyone what had happened. If it had been me, I wouldn’t have understood why Jesus had warned me with such a stern voice not to tell anyone. I wouldn’t have understood why Jesus was immediately sending me away from him to go and show myself to the priests. After all, it wasn’t that Jesus didn’t want the publicity. For the truth is, we find in the other gospels that large crowds were following after him. Rather, by telling this man not to tell anyone, Jesus was revealing his love for his people; in part, his love for the people who were with him, but more specifically, for the people in Jerusalem. You see it was Jesus’ intention to send this man to the Priests in Jerusalem, who would examine him from head to toe, looking for anything that resembled leprosy. After this, the man would offer two birds as a sacrifice for purification. Then, on the eighth day, he was to bring two lambs as a guilt offering and as a sin offering. IN doing this, the man would be a testimony to the priest not only that Jesus had come to fulfill the law, but also that Jesus was the Messiah; the Savior who had been promised. He was here, and he was revealing himself as the Savior through his acts of loving kindness—a truth that he would ultimately reveal when he went to the cross as Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
When Jesus went to the cross, he revealed himself as our Savior through his willing sacrifice! For in the same way that husbands will give up their lives to save their wives, and parents will do anything to protect their children, Jesus willingly, lovingly gave up his life to free us from our sins. For when Jesus went to that cross, our Savior stretched out his hand and cleansed us from the leprosy of sin. Though our sins had bound us to the railroad track of death, and satan was steaming ever closer with the locomotive of damnation, Jesus swept in at the last minute, freed us from the chains that held us there, helped us off the track, and then allowed satan to run him over, completely destroying satan’s power over us. In such an amazing way, our Lord Jesus revealed himself as our Savior through his love for us; his love that led him to the cross where he freed us from our sins.
How amazing it is to know about our Savior and how he revealed himself to be our Savior through his loving and compassionate actions. How amazing it is to know that Jesus is our Savior who went to the cross in our place so that we could be his own and live under him in his kingdom. Though he may never have taken the time to perform a miracle and then reveal to the people exactly how he did it, through his words and actions he has revealed himself as the Son of God our Savior. He is the one who has freed us from our sins. He is the one who is always with us. He is the one who loves us and cares for us through any and every situation in life.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The Lord Is Our Warrior (Exodus 7-15)
February 13, 2011
Dear friends in Christ.
I don’t know about you, but ever since I was a little child, the account of Moses, the plagues, and the exodus from Egypt has been one of my most favorite Bible History stories. I can still remember the feeling of excitement that would come over me every year when we studied it in our Bible History lessons. I loved hearing about the amazing miracles that the Lord enabled Moses to do in the presence of Pharaoh. I practically cheered for Moses as he and Aaron stood before Pharaoh demanding that Pharaoh let God’s people go into the wilderness to worship. Though Pharaoh kept trying to change the deal, promising to let them go and not delivering on that promise, I admired Moses and Aaron for how they simply stood their ground on God’s Word and never backed down. But most of all, I remember marveling at the plagues that the Lord sent upon Egypt. I remember being amazed by the mighty displays of God’s power against the Egyptians; mighty displays that revealed God’s judgment against those who didn’t believe in him and that revealed his love for those who did believe in him. Though I didn’t realize it then, I realize now that the reason I so love these chapters so much is simply because they reveal the Lord God as the warrior that he truly is. They reveal the Lord as the God who truly loves his people, who defends his people, and as the God who fights for his people. Though there are many other places in Scripture that the Lord is revealed to us in this way, I truly love how these chapters show the Lord as our Warrior. In fact, these are the very words that Moses, Miriam, and all Israel used to describe the Lord after they had crossed the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s Army had been drown. They stood on the banks and sang, “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his Name!” (Exodus 15:3)
But before I get too far ahead of myself, let’s take a look at exactly how the Lord is our Warrior! After all, the account of the plagues shows the Lord actively fighting to deliver his people from their slavery. Yet, not only do the plagues show the Lord actively fighting to free his people from their slavery to sin, they also foreshadow the Lord our Warrior actively fighting to free his people from their slavery to sin and death. For in the same way same way that a Knight of old would throw down his gauntlet as a challenge or even as a precursor for battle, so also the Lord threw down the gauntlet of a shepherd’s staff to begin his battle with Pharaoh. In fact, it is at the beginning of Exodus 7:1-13 where Moses and Aaron stand before Pharaoh and command him, in the Name of the Lord, to let the Lord’s people go into the desert to worship the Lord their God. But, as we know, Pharaoh did not feel compelled to listen to this Jehovah, who was the God of the slaves. After all Pharaoh had a plethora of gods and goddesses that he served, roughly 80 different gods and goddesses in fact. Not only did Pharaoh have a plethora of his own gods to serve, as Pharaoh, he was believed to be a god in the flesh himself! So why in all the world should he listen to the god of the Hebrews, the very people who had been enslaved to him for so many years.
So, it began! Pharaoh refused to listen to the Lord and demanded a sign. Aaron threw down his staff and it became a snake. Now this would have gotten Pharaoh’s attention straight away as the cobra was a symbol of Pharaoh’s ruling power. But, not to be out done, Pharaoh summoned his magicians and by their secret arts, which means by their satanic means, they too were able to produce snakes by throwing down their staffs. Yet, it was Aaron’s staff that swallowed up all the other snakes. The snake of God had overcome Pharaoh’s snake and his ruling power. But Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the Israelites go. Thus begins the 10 round battle between Pharaoh and God. The battle where the Lord brought judgment on all the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12 and Numbers 33:4) The battle where the Lord used the things of nature, the very things the Egyptians worshiped, to plague the people, to cause them to wonder why their god so and so was unable to protect them and stand up to the Warrior God of the Hebrews, and to destroy the power of Egypt—a blow from which they have never recovered.
Round 1: The Plague of Blood (Exodus 7:14-24). As Pharaoh was on his way to the Nile to worship, Moses and Aaron met him. They gave Pharaoh the Lord’s ultimatum to let his people go but Pharaoh refused. So Aaron struck the Nile with his staff and its waters turned to blood. Blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt. The fish died! Not only the sacred fish that they worshiped, but also the fish that the Egyptians ate and traded, and the river smelled so bad they could not drink the water. In one powerful swoop the Lord God took down some of the most important and most powerful gods of Egypt. He took down Osiris, one of the chief gods of Egypt who was also first of all the gods of the Nile. He took down Hapi, tauret and Nu, gods of life and fertility in the Nile. Though this was a powerful blow against Pharaoh and all of Egypt as the Nile to them was the source of their life, Pharaoh hardened his heart when his own magicians sought help from satan and were able to reproduce the same results, only on a much smaller scale.
Round 2: The Plague of Frogs (Exodus 7:25-8:15). Seven days later the Lord sent Moses back to Pharaoh with the same ultimatum, “Let my people go so that they may worship me.” To which he added, “If you do not let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.” Though Egyptians were used to a great number of frogs filling their lands after the annual flood of the Nile, these frogs were naturally controlled by other predators. This time, however, the Lord brought the frogs up out of the rivers and streams of Egypt when Aaron stretched his staff over them. There were so many frogs that the people could barely move without stepping on one of them. They came up into the houses, the ovens, the kilns, the bedrooms, yes even the beds of the Egyptians. Though frogs pose no real threat to us, frogs were the symbol of the goddess Heket who presided over conception and birth. She was also said to be present at the birth of every Pharaoh of Egypt. Imagine the feeling of the Egyptians as they wondered what had happened to make their god malfunction and bring a curse upon the land. Imagine the favor that this goddess lost as the frogs sat in piles reeking and rotting after the Warrior God of the Hebrews destroyed them. Though the Lord showed Pharaoh that his gods could not control their own frogs, because the magicians were able to use satan’s power to bring up a small number of frogs, Pharaoh hardened his heart.
Round 3: The Plague of Gnats (Exodus 8:16-19). Again the Lord struck at the heart of the false gods of Egypt. This time, however, he went after Geb, the god of the land, the very god the Egyptians believed had created the earth and the great and fertile land of Egypt. Without warning the Lord told Aaron to strike the ground with his staff and throughout Egypt the dust became gnats or as another translation say, lice or perhaps fleas; the people of Egypt who so valued cleanliness were covered with vermin. The priests who served in the temples of the gods of Egypt were not able to do their duties because no one was permitted to enter a temple of a god with parasites upon them. Though Pharaoh may have been confident that his gods would eventually win the day, this time things were different. This time the Lord did not allow satan to intervene. This time the Lord knocked satan out of the battle completely as the priests themselves declared that this was from the finger of God when they could not reproduce the plague. Yet Pharaoh still hardened his heart!
Round 4. The Plague of Flies (Exodus 8:20-32). Now, in the Hebrew, the word flies is not there. Instead the Hebrew tells us that this is the plague of swarms. It may have been swarms of flies or even beetles. In our days we’ve seen both. Not too many years ago we saw swarms of Asian beetles that turned the air orange where they were swarming, and we’ve seen swarms of flies that turned the air black where they were. But regardless of what was swarming these swarms showed that the god Khepera, the god of creation, fertility, and resurrection, as well as all the other gods associated with those tasks were simply not cutting the mustard. They could not fight against the Lord our Warrior. But here’s the even greater thing. From this miracle on, the Lord separated his people. They were not affected by the rest of the plagues. They were spared while Egypt was ravaged. Yet even as Pharaoh saw this, he hardened his heart. He would not bow to the will of the Lord the God of the slaves, even though the God of the slaves was waging war against Pharaoh and all of Egypt’s gods and winning.
Round 5. The Plague of the Livestock (Exodus 9:1-7). This time it was Hathor, the cow goddess who was the great mother supposed to have conceived and brought forth all life, she was not able to stand up against the Lord. The cattle died, the sacred animals who were worshiped at Hathor’s temple. Even the bulls died, bulls where were symbols of Pharaoh himself. This plague affected all the livestock in Egypt and many died because of it. Yet not one of the Israelites animals died or even got sick. This time God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh who had resisted the Lord had resisted to the point that he was no longer able to repent or turn to the Lord. His time of grace was at an end and the Lord hardened him in his unbelief, because Pharaoh had resisted the Lord—the Holy Spirit.
Round 6. The Plague of Boils (Exodus 9:8-12). Isis, the goddess of healing and medicine could not compete or even stand against the Lord God Almighty. One by one the Lord was showing all of Egypt’s gods to be false, useless, and nonexistent. Boils broke out on people and animals throughout Egypt, but not in the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived. In fact, because of this plague the magicians could not stand before Moses. Again Pharaoh did not listen. The Lord hardened his heart
Round 7. The Plague of Hail (Exodus 9:13-33). Now it was Nut’s turn. She was the goddess of the sky and she could not stop the rain, the hail, and the fire that the Lord rained down upon Egypt. With this plague there were some in Egypt who began to fear the Lord. They made sure that their animals and their families were inside when the plague came and they were saved. Those in the field, along with the barely and the flax were destroyed. Thus the Lord crippled the clothing industry, as Flax was what the Egyptians used to make linen. He also destroyed the beer industry as barely was one of the primary ingredients of beer and bread. Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart.
Round 8. The Plague of Locust (Exodus 10:1-20). Though there were times when the Egyptians saw plagues of locust, they had never seen a plague like this, nor would there ever be a plague like this again. When the Locusts came they covered the face of the land and they ate everything that was left after the hail. Though Pharaoh refused to listen to the Lord, some of his officials began to openly question his rule and urge him to listen because Egypt had been ruined by this war that Pharaoh kept fighting against the Lord our Warrior.
Round 9. The Plague of Darkness (Exodus 9:21-29). For three days the eye of Ra, the sun was blotted out. For three days the Lord visited the Egyptians with the same darkness that was seen in Genesis 1:2, for the Hebrew word for darkness is the very same word that the Lord used in Genesis 1 to describe what it was like at the beginning of creation when there was nothing but darkness upon the face of the deep! How it must have terrified the Egyptians to know that one of their greatest and most important gods had been taken away from them. There was no light in the land of Egypt anywhere, but there was plenty of light in the land of Goshen where the Israelites were.
Round 10. The Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 12:29-32) (Exodus 11:1-12:32). We know this plague well. At midnight, the Lord sent the Angel of Death through the land of Egypt to kill all the firstborn from the first born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, even all the first born of the livestock. The only acceptation was for those who followed the Lord’s decree of the Passover. They sacrificed a one year old lamb, painted its blood on the doorposts and the door frames of their homes, and ate the roasted lamb in the house. That night the Lord took down the god Pharaoh and Pharaoh drove the people out of the land. That night the Lord our warrior delivered the people from the land of slavery and foreshadowed the deliverance he would bring through the Lamb of God when the time had fully come. That night the Lord won the victory for his pople.
Epilogue. (Exodus 12:33-15:21) Though Pharaoh had driven the people out, he didn’t like to lose. He sent his army after them and trapped them, or so he thought, at the Red Sea. Yet the Lord fought for his people again. He separated the two camps with a Pillar of Fire. He divided the Red Sea so the people could cross over on dry ground. Then, when Pharaoh’s army tried to follow he drown them in the Red Sea as the walls of water came crashing back down upon them. Thus the Lord delivered his people, demonstrated that the gods of the Egyptians, and all other gods for that matter are nothing but idols and demons, and he showed himself to be the Lord, the Warrior who fights for his people and wins.
Now, why did I spend the last 20 minutes telling you a story you already know? Because, even we need to be reminded that the Lord our God is the Warrior who fights for us! He is the one who delivered the Israelites out of the Land of Slavery when Egypt was the world’s super power. He is the one who fought the battle against satan and triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior! He is the Lord who has our backs! No matter what we might face in this life, the Lord is by our side. He will provide for us. He will lead us through trouble and hardship. Even if we should walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord is with us and we don’t need to fear any trouble, because he will work it out four our good. Though satan, our enemy, is constantly trying to separate us from the Lord, the Lord is our all powerful warrior who cares for us and delivers us. He has promised us that no one can pluck us out of his hand. He is the one who loves us and cares for us because he is God our Savior and our hope is in him all day long.
No matter what satan might throw at us; no matter what hardships might come our way; no matter how hopeless the situations of our lives might seem, from these 8 chapters of Exodus, we are assured that the Lord is our Warrior. The Lord is the one who fights for us. The Lord is the one who loves us and has redeemed us with his own might arm and outstretched hand. So, when you feel down or depressed, remind yourselves of what the Lord did for the Israels, and be assured that the Lord is your Warrior. Just as he fought for his people Israel, he will fight for you, because you too, through faith, are descendants of Abraham, belonging to the house of Israel.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church --Le Sueur, MN
Dear friends in Christ.
I don’t know about you, but ever since I was a little child, the account of Moses, the plagues, and the exodus from Egypt has been one of my most favorite Bible History stories. I can still remember the feeling of excitement that would come over me every year when we studied it in our Bible History lessons. I loved hearing about the amazing miracles that the Lord enabled Moses to do in the presence of Pharaoh. I practically cheered for Moses as he and Aaron stood before Pharaoh demanding that Pharaoh let God’s people go into the wilderness to worship. Though Pharaoh kept trying to change the deal, promising to let them go and not delivering on that promise, I admired Moses and Aaron for how they simply stood their ground on God’s Word and never backed down. But most of all, I remember marveling at the plagues that the Lord sent upon Egypt. I remember being amazed by the mighty displays of God’s power against the Egyptians; mighty displays that revealed God’s judgment against those who didn’t believe in him and that revealed his love for those who did believe in him. Though I didn’t realize it then, I realize now that the reason I so love these chapters so much is simply because they reveal the Lord God as the warrior that he truly is. They reveal the Lord as the God who truly loves his people, who defends his people, and as the God who fights for his people. Though there are many other places in Scripture that the Lord is revealed to us in this way, I truly love how these chapters show the Lord as our Warrior. In fact, these are the very words that Moses, Miriam, and all Israel used to describe the Lord after they had crossed the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s Army had been drown. They stood on the banks and sang, “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his Name!” (Exodus 15:3)
But before I get too far ahead of myself, let’s take a look at exactly how the Lord is our Warrior! After all, the account of the plagues shows the Lord actively fighting to deliver his people from their slavery. Yet, not only do the plagues show the Lord actively fighting to free his people from their slavery to sin, they also foreshadow the Lord our Warrior actively fighting to free his people from their slavery to sin and death. For in the same way same way that a Knight of old would throw down his gauntlet as a challenge or even as a precursor for battle, so also the Lord threw down the gauntlet of a shepherd’s staff to begin his battle with Pharaoh. In fact, it is at the beginning of Exodus 7:1-13 where Moses and Aaron stand before Pharaoh and command him, in the Name of the Lord, to let the Lord’s people go into the desert to worship the Lord their God. But, as we know, Pharaoh did not feel compelled to listen to this Jehovah, who was the God of the slaves. After all Pharaoh had a plethora of gods and goddesses that he served, roughly 80 different gods and goddesses in fact. Not only did Pharaoh have a plethora of his own gods to serve, as Pharaoh, he was believed to be a god in the flesh himself! So why in all the world should he listen to the god of the Hebrews, the very people who had been enslaved to him for so many years.
So, it began! Pharaoh refused to listen to the Lord and demanded a sign. Aaron threw down his staff and it became a snake. Now this would have gotten Pharaoh’s attention straight away as the cobra was a symbol of Pharaoh’s ruling power. But, not to be out done, Pharaoh summoned his magicians and by their secret arts, which means by their satanic means, they too were able to produce snakes by throwing down their staffs. Yet, it was Aaron’s staff that swallowed up all the other snakes. The snake of God had overcome Pharaoh’s snake and his ruling power. But Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the Israelites go. Thus begins the 10 round battle between Pharaoh and God. The battle where the Lord brought judgment on all the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12 and Numbers 33:4) The battle where the Lord used the things of nature, the very things the Egyptians worshiped, to plague the people, to cause them to wonder why their god so and so was unable to protect them and stand up to the Warrior God of the Hebrews, and to destroy the power of Egypt—a blow from which they have never recovered.
Round 1: The Plague of Blood (Exodus 7:14-24). As Pharaoh was on his way to the Nile to worship, Moses and Aaron met him. They gave Pharaoh the Lord’s ultimatum to let his people go but Pharaoh refused. So Aaron struck the Nile with his staff and its waters turned to blood. Blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt. The fish died! Not only the sacred fish that they worshiped, but also the fish that the Egyptians ate and traded, and the river smelled so bad they could not drink the water. In one powerful swoop the Lord God took down some of the most important and most powerful gods of Egypt. He took down Osiris, one of the chief gods of Egypt who was also first of all the gods of the Nile. He took down Hapi, tauret and Nu, gods of life and fertility in the Nile. Though this was a powerful blow against Pharaoh and all of Egypt as the Nile to them was the source of their life, Pharaoh hardened his heart when his own magicians sought help from satan and were able to reproduce the same results, only on a much smaller scale.
Round 2: The Plague of Frogs (Exodus 7:25-8:15). Seven days later the Lord sent Moses back to Pharaoh with the same ultimatum, “Let my people go so that they may worship me.” To which he added, “If you do not let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.” Though Egyptians were used to a great number of frogs filling their lands after the annual flood of the Nile, these frogs were naturally controlled by other predators. This time, however, the Lord brought the frogs up out of the rivers and streams of Egypt when Aaron stretched his staff over them. There were so many frogs that the people could barely move without stepping on one of them. They came up into the houses, the ovens, the kilns, the bedrooms, yes even the beds of the Egyptians. Though frogs pose no real threat to us, frogs were the symbol of the goddess Heket who presided over conception and birth. She was also said to be present at the birth of every Pharaoh of Egypt. Imagine the feeling of the Egyptians as they wondered what had happened to make their god malfunction and bring a curse upon the land. Imagine the favor that this goddess lost as the frogs sat in piles reeking and rotting after the Warrior God of the Hebrews destroyed them. Though the Lord showed Pharaoh that his gods could not control their own frogs, because the magicians were able to use satan’s power to bring up a small number of frogs, Pharaoh hardened his heart.
Round 3: The Plague of Gnats (Exodus 8:16-19). Again the Lord struck at the heart of the false gods of Egypt. This time, however, he went after Geb, the god of the land, the very god the Egyptians believed had created the earth and the great and fertile land of Egypt. Without warning the Lord told Aaron to strike the ground with his staff and throughout Egypt the dust became gnats or as another translation say, lice or perhaps fleas; the people of Egypt who so valued cleanliness were covered with vermin. The priests who served in the temples of the gods of Egypt were not able to do their duties because no one was permitted to enter a temple of a god with parasites upon them. Though Pharaoh may have been confident that his gods would eventually win the day, this time things were different. This time the Lord did not allow satan to intervene. This time the Lord knocked satan out of the battle completely as the priests themselves declared that this was from the finger of God when they could not reproduce the plague. Yet Pharaoh still hardened his heart!
Round 4. The Plague of Flies (Exodus 8:20-32). Now, in the Hebrew, the word flies is not there. Instead the Hebrew tells us that this is the plague of swarms. It may have been swarms of flies or even beetles. In our days we’ve seen both. Not too many years ago we saw swarms of Asian beetles that turned the air orange where they were swarming, and we’ve seen swarms of flies that turned the air black where they were. But regardless of what was swarming these swarms showed that the god Khepera, the god of creation, fertility, and resurrection, as well as all the other gods associated with those tasks were simply not cutting the mustard. They could not fight against the Lord our Warrior. But here’s the even greater thing. From this miracle on, the Lord separated his people. They were not affected by the rest of the plagues. They were spared while Egypt was ravaged. Yet even as Pharaoh saw this, he hardened his heart. He would not bow to the will of the Lord the God of the slaves, even though the God of the slaves was waging war against Pharaoh and all of Egypt’s gods and winning.
Round 5. The Plague of the Livestock (Exodus 9:1-7). This time it was Hathor, the cow goddess who was the great mother supposed to have conceived and brought forth all life, she was not able to stand up against the Lord. The cattle died, the sacred animals who were worshiped at Hathor’s temple. Even the bulls died, bulls where were symbols of Pharaoh himself. This plague affected all the livestock in Egypt and many died because of it. Yet not one of the Israelites animals died or even got sick. This time God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh who had resisted the Lord had resisted to the point that he was no longer able to repent or turn to the Lord. His time of grace was at an end and the Lord hardened him in his unbelief, because Pharaoh had resisted the Lord—the Holy Spirit.
Round 6. The Plague of Boils (Exodus 9:8-12). Isis, the goddess of healing and medicine could not compete or even stand against the Lord God Almighty. One by one the Lord was showing all of Egypt’s gods to be false, useless, and nonexistent. Boils broke out on people and animals throughout Egypt, but not in the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived. In fact, because of this plague the magicians could not stand before Moses. Again Pharaoh did not listen. The Lord hardened his heart
Round 7. The Plague of Hail (Exodus 9:13-33). Now it was Nut’s turn. She was the goddess of the sky and she could not stop the rain, the hail, and the fire that the Lord rained down upon Egypt. With this plague there were some in Egypt who began to fear the Lord. They made sure that their animals and their families were inside when the plague came and they were saved. Those in the field, along with the barely and the flax were destroyed. Thus the Lord crippled the clothing industry, as Flax was what the Egyptians used to make linen. He also destroyed the beer industry as barely was one of the primary ingredients of beer and bread. Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart.
Round 8. The Plague of Locust (Exodus 10:1-20). Though there were times when the Egyptians saw plagues of locust, they had never seen a plague like this, nor would there ever be a plague like this again. When the Locusts came they covered the face of the land and they ate everything that was left after the hail. Though Pharaoh refused to listen to the Lord, some of his officials began to openly question his rule and urge him to listen because Egypt had been ruined by this war that Pharaoh kept fighting against the Lord our Warrior.
Round 9. The Plague of Darkness (Exodus 9:21-29). For three days the eye of Ra, the sun was blotted out. For three days the Lord visited the Egyptians with the same darkness that was seen in Genesis 1:2, for the Hebrew word for darkness is the very same word that the Lord used in Genesis 1 to describe what it was like at the beginning of creation when there was nothing but darkness upon the face of the deep! How it must have terrified the Egyptians to know that one of their greatest and most important gods had been taken away from them. There was no light in the land of Egypt anywhere, but there was plenty of light in the land of Goshen where the Israelites were.
Round 10. The Death of the Firstborn (Exodus 12:29-32) (Exodus 11:1-12:32). We know this plague well. At midnight, the Lord sent the Angel of Death through the land of Egypt to kill all the firstborn from the first born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, even all the first born of the livestock. The only acceptation was for those who followed the Lord’s decree of the Passover. They sacrificed a one year old lamb, painted its blood on the doorposts and the door frames of their homes, and ate the roasted lamb in the house. That night the Lord took down the god Pharaoh and Pharaoh drove the people out of the land. That night the Lord our warrior delivered the people from the land of slavery and foreshadowed the deliverance he would bring through the Lamb of God when the time had fully come. That night the Lord won the victory for his pople.
Epilogue. (Exodus 12:33-15:21) Though Pharaoh had driven the people out, he didn’t like to lose. He sent his army after them and trapped them, or so he thought, at the Red Sea. Yet the Lord fought for his people again. He separated the two camps with a Pillar of Fire. He divided the Red Sea so the people could cross over on dry ground. Then, when Pharaoh’s army tried to follow he drown them in the Red Sea as the walls of water came crashing back down upon them. Thus the Lord delivered his people, demonstrated that the gods of the Egyptians, and all other gods for that matter are nothing but idols and demons, and he showed himself to be the Lord, the Warrior who fights for his people and wins.
Now, why did I spend the last 20 minutes telling you a story you already know? Because, even we need to be reminded that the Lord our God is the Warrior who fights for us! He is the one who delivered the Israelites out of the Land of Slavery when Egypt was the world’s super power. He is the one who fought the battle against satan and triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior! He is the Lord who has our backs! No matter what we might face in this life, the Lord is by our side. He will provide for us. He will lead us through trouble and hardship. Even if we should walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord is with us and we don’t need to fear any trouble, because he will work it out four our good. Though satan, our enemy, is constantly trying to separate us from the Lord, the Lord is our all powerful warrior who cares for us and delivers us. He has promised us that no one can pluck us out of his hand. He is the one who loves us and cares for us because he is God our Savior and our hope is in him all day long.
No matter what satan might throw at us; no matter what hardships might come our way; no matter how hopeless the situations of our lives might seem, from these 8 chapters of Exodus, we are assured that the Lord is our Warrior. The Lord is the one who fights for us. The Lord is the one who loves us and has redeemed us with his own might arm and outstretched hand. So, when you feel down or depressed, remind yourselves of what the Lord did for the Israels, and be assured that the Lord is your Warrior. Just as he fought for his people Israel, he will fight for you, because you too, through faith, are descendants of Abraham, belonging to the house of Israel.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church --Le Sueur, MN
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Let Your Boast be in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
February 6, 2011
Dear friends in Christ.
According to a story in the Grand Rapids Press, the owner of a small foreign car had begun to irritate his friends by bragging incessantly about his gas mileage. So they decided on a way to get some humor out of his tireless boasting, as well as bring it to an end. Every day one of them would sneak into the parking lot where the man kept his car and pour a few gallons of gas into the tank. Soon the braggart was recording absolutely phenomenal mileage. He was boasting of getting as much as 90 miles per gallon, and the pranksters took secret delight in his exasperation as he tried to convince people of the truthfulness of his claims. It was even more fun to watch his reaction when they stopped refilling the tank. The poor fellow couldn't figure out what had happened to his car.
Well, in some ways, this was what was starting to happen to the Corinthians in our lesson for today. In fact, I invite you to open your Bibles and take a look at what the Apostle Paul has to say to the Corinthians in 1:26 and following. Now, as you turn to 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, you will find that the Corinthians weren’t boasting and bragging about the incredible mileage their chariots got. Instead, they were beginning talk pretty loudly about which preacher they liked the best because they had started to misunderstand the message of the Gospel. They had begun to focus their attention on the preacher rather than the message. They had started focusing on the Spiritual gifts rather than on the giver of the Spiritual gifts. They had begun focusing on things that made them look wise rather than on the wisdom of salvation that came through faith in Jesus Christ, and through all of this they were boasting and bragging about how wise they were, what gifts they had, and who they followed. So when Paul wrote these words he called on them to let their boast be in the Lord. Take a look at what Paul writes: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”(1 Corinthians 1:26–31, NIV84)
In such a simple and loving way, Paul reminds them that when they were called to faith, there were not too many in that congregation who could claim great wisdom according to human standards. There were very few of them were influential or of noble birth. Yet, it was the Lord who chose them to be his own and through the teachings of the gospel, he had made them wise for salvation. He had chosen them to be his own. He had called them to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. He had given them every reason to boast in the Lord because it had not been by their power or by their might that they had come to faith, instead they had been called to faith by the working of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God.
The same thing is true for you and me. For if we honestly look at our lives, we must realize that there is no reason why the Lord should have chosen us. Yet, because the Lord did choose us to be his own, how often haven’t we secretly thought to ourselves that the Lord chose us because we were so special? How often haven’t we considered how smart we were that as soon as we heard the Lord’s Word we came to faith. How often haven’t we thought to ourselves that we did the Lord a favor in letting him chose us? Maybe you’ve never had thoughts like this, but I can guarantee that we have all been pretty confident in our own accomplishments at one time or another. I can guarantee this because we have all been confident in our own accomplishments as Christians. Just for example: if I asked you the question, “why are you so confident that you will be in heaven when you die?”, what pops into your head first? Is it the answer, “Because Jesus died for me.”? Or is it the answer, “Because I’ve been a good person.”? Too often, when we try to answer this question, our sinful nature plants that thought in our brains and tries to lead us down the path of trusting in our own accomplishments. But this is not just a onetime battle, this is a battle that rages constantly within us.
For our sinful nature seeks every opportunity to lead us away from the idea that God chose us and tries to make us think that we chose God. It tries to make us think that we are pretty good people on our own who don’t necessarily need God’s salvation. It tries to make us think of our sins as only minor infractions of God’s law and not the soul destroying projectiles that they are. It tries to make us think that God owes us something because we have struggled so hard to keep his law even though it is nearly impossible for us to do. This is when we begin to rely on our own wisdom rather than on God’s wisdom. This is when we begin to rely on our own accomplishments for salvation rather than on what our Savior has done for us. This is when we need to hear those very same words that Paul wrote to the Corinthians nearly 20 centuries ago, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”(1 Corinthians 1:26–31, NIV84)
In such a simple way the Lord assures us that it was not we who chose him, but he chose us. He did not choose us because we were the strongest or the wisest. He didn’t choose us because we were the most influential or the noblest. Instead, he chose us because he loved us, and so that he might display his almighty power through us. He chose us so that he might make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior. Thus our boasting is no longer in ourselves, but our boasting becomes our proclamation of what Jesus did for us and how he saved us by his death and resurrection!
This is where the sinful world has problems. For, in the eyes of the world, any teaching about Jesus Christ is simply foolishness, because the world cannot figure out how Jesus death could possibly have forgiven sins. The world cannot figure out how Jesus Christ, a rather unremarkable character of the Bible could possibly have been the Son of God. The world cannot figure out how Jesus, a lowly child, and a weak human being, could have accomplished all that the Bible says he did. To the world, Jesus is nothing more than an annoying friend with a small foreign car bragging about his incredible gas mileage.
But to us, Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior. Jesus is the one whom Jacob prophesied in Genesis 49. In fact, if you still have your Bibles open, turn with me to Genesis 49:8-12. Now, Genesis 49:8-12 happens to be part of the Bible Reading that is scheduled for today if you are following the Chronological schedule. Not only is Genesis 49 part of that schedule, but it is also where Jacob is blessing his 12 sons shortly before his time on earth comes to an end, and in these particular verse he is passing the promise of the Savior on to his Son, Judah as he says, “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. 9 You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.(Genesis 49:8–12, NIV84)
Though this prophecy would not come true for many, many years, Jacob placed his faith in the promise of the coming Savior. His boast was not in the things he had done, but his boast was in the Lord who had provided for him, cared for him and called him to faith in the coming Savior. This is the boast that you and I carry with us today. It is the boast of all that our Lord has done for us! Though there is nothing special about us, it was the Lord who loved us and called us to be his own. Though we had done nothing to deserve it, it was the Lord who called us to faith by the working of the Holy Spirit in baptism. Though we may not be the wisest, the noblest, or even the most influential, the Lord has called us to be his own, he has given us the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, and his has called us to make that message known throughout the world. Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN
Dear friends in Christ.
According to a story in the Grand Rapids Press, the owner of a small foreign car had begun to irritate his friends by bragging incessantly about his gas mileage. So they decided on a way to get some humor out of his tireless boasting, as well as bring it to an end. Every day one of them would sneak into the parking lot where the man kept his car and pour a few gallons of gas into the tank. Soon the braggart was recording absolutely phenomenal mileage. He was boasting of getting as much as 90 miles per gallon, and the pranksters took secret delight in his exasperation as he tried to convince people of the truthfulness of his claims. It was even more fun to watch his reaction when they stopped refilling the tank. The poor fellow couldn't figure out what had happened to his car.
Well, in some ways, this was what was starting to happen to the Corinthians in our lesson for today. In fact, I invite you to open your Bibles and take a look at what the Apostle Paul has to say to the Corinthians in 1:26 and following. Now, as you turn to 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, you will find that the Corinthians weren’t boasting and bragging about the incredible mileage their chariots got. Instead, they were beginning talk pretty loudly about which preacher they liked the best because they had started to misunderstand the message of the Gospel. They had begun to focus their attention on the preacher rather than the message. They had started focusing on the Spiritual gifts rather than on the giver of the Spiritual gifts. They had begun focusing on things that made them look wise rather than on the wisdom of salvation that came through faith in Jesus Christ, and through all of this they were boasting and bragging about how wise they were, what gifts they had, and who they followed. So when Paul wrote these words he called on them to let their boast be in the Lord. Take a look at what Paul writes: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”(1 Corinthians 1:26–31, NIV84)
In such a simple and loving way, Paul reminds them that when they were called to faith, there were not too many in that congregation who could claim great wisdom according to human standards. There were very few of them were influential or of noble birth. Yet, it was the Lord who chose them to be his own and through the teachings of the gospel, he had made them wise for salvation. He had chosen them to be his own. He had called them to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. He had given them every reason to boast in the Lord because it had not been by their power or by their might that they had come to faith, instead they had been called to faith by the working of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God.
The same thing is true for you and me. For if we honestly look at our lives, we must realize that there is no reason why the Lord should have chosen us. Yet, because the Lord did choose us to be his own, how often haven’t we secretly thought to ourselves that the Lord chose us because we were so special? How often haven’t we considered how smart we were that as soon as we heard the Lord’s Word we came to faith. How often haven’t we thought to ourselves that we did the Lord a favor in letting him chose us? Maybe you’ve never had thoughts like this, but I can guarantee that we have all been pretty confident in our own accomplishments at one time or another. I can guarantee this because we have all been confident in our own accomplishments as Christians. Just for example: if I asked you the question, “why are you so confident that you will be in heaven when you die?”, what pops into your head first? Is it the answer, “Because Jesus died for me.”? Or is it the answer, “Because I’ve been a good person.”? Too often, when we try to answer this question, our sinful nature plants that thought in our brains and tries to lead us down the path of trusting in our own accomplishments. But this is not just a onetime battle, this is a battle that rages constantly within us.
For our sinful nature seeks every opportunity to lead us away from the idea that God chose us and tries to make us think that we chose God. It tries to make us think that we are pretty good people on our own who don’t necessarily need God’s salvation. It tries to make us think of our sins as only minor infractions of God’s law and not the soul destroying projectiles that they are. It tries to make us think that God owes us something because we have struggled so hard to keep his law even though it is nearly impossible for us to do. This is when we begin to rely on our own wisdom rather than on God’s wisdom. This is when we begin to rely on our own accomplishments for salvation rather than on what our Savior has done for us. This is when we need to hear those very same words that Paul wrote to the Corinthians nearly 20 centuries ago, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”(1 Corinthians 1:26–31, NIV84)
In such a simple way the Lord assures us that it was not we who chose him, but he chose us. He did not choose us because we were the strongest or the wisest. He didn’t choose us because we were the most influential or the noblest. Instead, he chose us because he loved us, and so that he might display his almighty power through us. He chose us so that he might make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior. Thus our boasting is no longer in ourselves, but our boasting becomes our proclamation of what Jesus did for us and how he saved us by his death and resurrection!
This is where the sinful world has problems. For, in the eyes of the world, any teaching about Jesus Christ is simply foolishness, because the world cannot figure out how Jesus death could possibly have forgiven sins. The world cannot figure out how Jesus Christ, a rather unremarkable character of the Bible could possibly have been the Son of God. The world cannot figure out how Jesus, a lowly child, and a weak human being, could have accomplished all that the Bible says he did. To the world, Jesus is nothing more than an annoying friend with a small foreign car bragging about his incredible gas mileage.
But to us, Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior. Jesus is the one whom Jacob prophesied in Genesis 49. In fact, if you still have your Bibles open, turn with me to Genesis 49:8-12. Now, Genesis 49:8-12 happens to be part of the Bible Reading that is scheduled for today if you are following the Chronological schedule. Not only is Genesis 49 part of that schedule, but it is also where Jacob is blessing his 12 sons shortly before his time on earth comes to an end, and in these particular verse he is passing the promise of the Savior on to his Son, Judah as he says, “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. 9 You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.(Genesis 49:8–12, NIV84)
Though this prophecy would not come true for many, many years, Jacob placed his faith in the promise of the coming Savior. His boast was not in the things he had done, but his boast was in the Lord who had provided for him, cared for him and called him to faith in the coming Savior. This is the boast that you and I carry with us today. It is the boast of all that our Lord has done for us! Though there is nothing special about us, it was the Lord who loved us and called us to be his own. Though we had done nothing to deserve it, it was the Lord who called us to faith by the working of the Holy Spirit in baptism. Though we may not be the wisest, the noblest, or even the most influential, the Lord has called us to be his own, he has given us the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, and his has called us to make that message known throughout the world. Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN
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