Monday of Trinity 11

 Saving Righteousness

Luke 18:9-14 (ESV) Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In the Gospel reading for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, Jesus tells us that the Pharisee went to the Temple to pray. However, the Pharisee didn’t really go up to pray, but to be seen and heard, to compare himself to others, and to boast. The Pharisee stood by himself in a very noticeable way, set apart from everyone else so that people would look at him and be impressed. Then the Pharisee prayed, if you can call it a prayer: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.”

But the problem with the Pharisee’s “prayer” is that he wasn’t really giving thanks; he considered that he possessed all the things he was talking about by his own efforts, so his prayer wasn’t thanking God for gifts received; rather, he was using that speech as an opportunity to compare himself to others, look down on them with contempt, and declare himself righteous before God and man. And there is some of that Pharisaical attitude in all of us. So we need to learn from this parable to seek out, find, and attack the Pharisee inside our sinful hearts.

Even if you can fool yourself and other people into thinking you’re righteous, here is the kicker: you can’t hide your sins from God, and that is what damned the Pharisee: he thought either that he had no sins or that he could cover them up with his good deeds. The Pharisee’s kind of outward righteousness, and our righteous deeds, aren’t the kind of righteousness that can get us right with God and save us. So repent.

Instead, we need a righteousness that covers all of our sins and truly fulfills all of God’s righteous Laws, and that is not something we can achieve or even find on our own. So if we want to be right with God, we can’t be like the Pharisee in his self-righteousness, but instead like the tax collector in his humility, repentance, and trust in God. Jesus tells us that he didn’t go up to the front of the Temple to be seen by all; he was embarrassed even to be seen, so he stayed far in the back. The tax collector didn’t shout up to God his virtues like the Pharisee, but he wouldn’t even look up to heaven out of guilt and shame. And he didn’t raise his hands in the air, presenting his good works to God, but he beat his breast out of grief over his sins. And as he continued to beat his breast, he prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

And God has been merciful to all of us sinners in Jesus Christ! When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple tore from top to bottom, signaling that ever since Christ’s sacrificial death, the Jerusalem temple is not the location of God’s merciful sacrifice for us, nor are we to offer our prayers there, but now the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ is the Temple of God and the location of the sacrifice that has saved us. In Him alone is the righteousness of God that saves; in Christ alone are we are declared righteous and acceptable in God’s presence. And so we poor, miserable sinners, like the humble tax collector, do not come before God with our own righteousness, but with the humble prayer, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

And God is merciful toward you, because He has achieved atonement for all your sins in Jesus Christ and He promises to be merciful to all who trust in Christ’s atonement. Because of Jesus, you can be assured that the answer to your prayer for forgiveness is always going to be met with the Lord’s grace and mercy: “Yes! Yes!” He says to you: “You are my righteous child because I have given you regeneration and renewal in Holy Baptism. Every time you confess your sins, in Absolution I declare you righteous and holy for the sake of Jesus. And now come, my righteous child, to My table, and eat of the sacrificial Lamb, the true body and blood of Jesus given and shed for all of your sins.” And in Christ and His righteousness you have the righteousness that saves you, that puts you at peace with God and grants you everlasting resurrected life in heaven.

Prayer: O Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath, rescue us from our hypocrisy, which keeps us from seeing You as the center of all Scripture and acknowledging the present time as the time of salvation. Call us to repent of our self-righteousness so that we might look to You alone as the source of our life; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Saturday of Trinity 9

 Live Like You Have Died

Galatians 6:14-18 (ESV) But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

The country music singer Tim McGraw had a chart-topping song in 2004 called, “Live like You Were Dying”. The song is about a man who receives a diagnosis of a life-ending illness and his response to it. In the song, the man’s life-threatening illness leads to profound moral changes in him.

Some elements of the man’s change are undoubtedly good and worthy of imitation: he begins speaking more kindly to others; loving more generously; being a better husband; reading the Bible; forgiving where previously he had withheld forgiveness. Other elements are rather trivial and even risky, perhaps even tempting God: skydiving, mountain climbing, bull riding. This has the air of “well I’m going to die soon anyway, so I might as well live dangerously.” In contrast with the better elements, this leaves the listener with a rather worldy message of carpe diem, “YOLO,” do what makes you happy.

But my main beef with the song is in its chorus: “Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.” This “were” is the helping verb you employ when you want to use the subjunctive mood, which communicates a hypothetical situation, such as, “If I were a rich man,” but clearly I’m not. So when the song says “live like you were dying,” this means, “I’m going to make it a point today to live as if I just received six months to live, but I can be confident that I will have that time, and I’m going to make the best of it.”

But what’s the reality? None of us is promised tomorrow, much less our next heartbeat. Consider the rich fool in Jesus’ parable, who had big plans for the future, yet God comes to him and says, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you” (Luke 12:13-21). Or as St. James says, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13–15). Which is why God teaches us to pray, “Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

In other words, God tells you to live like you are dying. It’s just a matter of time, so you’d better be ready at all times, since you have to answer for your way of life as soon as the Lord calls you. This is a terrifying thought, that we will have to answer for our every sinful thought, word, and deed.

But the Good News is that Jesus Christ has redeemed you, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won you from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. Why has He done this? That you may be His own and live under Him in His Kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.

But how do you know for certain that you belong to Christ Jesus and that His life, death, and resurrection has benefitted you? How has He claimed you as His own? By Holy Baptism! St. Paul writes, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Rom 6:3). That means we have already died with Jesus! In Galatians 2, St. Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ.” That means Christ’s death for sin is your death for sin!

So the Christian motto really should be, “Live like you have died.” Yes, the baptismal reality for you is that you have died with Christ and you live under grace, not under law and condemnation. In Colossians 3:1-4, St. Paul says to the baptized: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Prayer:

God, our Father in heaven, look with mercy on us, Your needy children on earth, and grant us grace that Your holy name be hallowed by us and all the world through the pure and true teaching of Your Word and the fervent love shown forth in our lives. Graciously turn from us all false doctrine and evil living whereby Your precious name is blasphemed and profaned. Strengthen us by Your Spirit according to Your will, both in life and in death, in the midst of both good and evil things, that our own wills may be crucified daily and sacrificed to Your good and gracious will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday of Trinity 9

 Pardon and Power

Titus 2:11-14 (ESV) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Sometimes Lutherans are accused of promoting laziness and aversion to good works, perhaps justifiably so. We correctly shout, “Salvation is by God’s grace alone, received through faith alone, for the sake of Christ alone, without works of the law!” But the part about good works, let’s just whisper that, or leave it out.

However, Martin Luther himself observed that while faith in Christ alone saves, true faith is never alone; it is always accompanied by good works, by crucifying our sinful flesh and rising up to newness of life. And his explanations of the Ten Commandments in the Small Catechism tell us not only which sins to renounce and avoid, but also the good works called for in each commandment.

St. Paul, in Titus 2, also makes it clear that Jesus came to save us not only from sin, death, and hell, but also for something. The grace of God is more than just a “get out of hell free card” that I keep in my pocket to use when I die, and between now and then I can just pretty much live as I please.

The Son of God did not come down from heaven to live a life of poverty so that you can indulge in luxury and laziness. He did not sweat blood in Gethsemane so you can fill your blood with alcohol and sweat it out hung-over. He did not close His eyes in agony so you could fill yours with pornography and lust. He did not stretch out His arms on the cross so yours could embrace a forbidden lover. He did not have nails driven through His hands so you could fill yours with dishonest gain. His feet were not pierced so you could walk alongside evildoers. His tongue did not thirst so you could use yours for gossip and slander. He did not suffer the torments of the cross just so you can be free of the eternal consequences of your sins but in the meantime hang on to your favorite pet sins and live a selfish life devoted to worldly pleasure.

Instead, Jesus gave Himself up for you to ransom you from slavery to the lawlessness of sin; He purified you of your guilt in the waters of Holy Baptism, so that He could make you His own possession, people who are zealous for good works, eager to do excellent deeds, saying “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts, living self-disciplined, respectable, and God-pleasing lives as you eagerly await the return of Jesus Christ to judge the living and the dead and take you into His eternal Kingdom.

The good works we are called to be zealous for aren’t necessarily flashy or spectacular, but are very down to earth, just as our Savior is. Our Lord calls us to do whatever is at hand to do with all our might. In our vocations we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, doing humble good works like Mary and Joseph, caring for Jesus and bringing Him up in the Church. Humble good works like those taught in the Ten Commandments, such as praise of God, prayer, worship, honoring parents, disciplining children, helping a neighbor in need, contributing time, talent, and treasure to the Church, sharing the Gospel with others.

What’s a bit surprising is that the St. Paul says “The grace of God [is]…training us to renounce ungodliness...and to live godly lives.” We might have expected the text to say, “The Law of God has been given, training us to say “No!” to sin.” No doubt, God’s Law does say “No!” to all unrighteousness, and it has a degree of coercive power that helps keep our sinful flesh in check, but it certainly can’t save us or inspire a willing spirit that is eager to lead a godly life. Most of us have a pretty good understanding of the difference between right and wrong, so our problem is less about knowledge of what to do and more about needing the power to do it.

Elsewhere St. Paul says that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Paul says that the saving grace of God in Christ trains and empowers us to renounce ungodliness and embrace a life of good works. Christ’s grace is not only what justifies us but also what sanctifies us. And He attaches that saving and sanctifying grace to His Word and Sacraments, His Means of Grace given out in the Christian Church.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus your Savior and on the good work He has done of saving you. Don’t cut yourself off from the source of your pardon for sins and power for service by neglecting to read the Scriptures and use the Means of Grace, but make zealous use of them, confident that God will continue to work good things through you each day.

Prayer (LSB 824):

 

1. May God bestow on us His grace,

    With blessings rich provide us;

And may the brightness of His face

    To life eternal guide us,

That we His saving health may know,

    His gracious will and pleasure,

And also to the nations show

    Christ’s riches without measure

And unto God convert them.

 

2. Thine over all shall be the praise

    And thanks of ev’ry nation;

And all the world with joy shall raise

    The voice of exultation.

For Thou shalt judge the earth, O Lord,

    Nor suffer sin to flourish;

Thy people’s pasture is Thy Word

    Their souls to feed and nourish,

In righteous paths to keep them.

 

3. O let the people praise Thy worth,

    In all good works increasing;

The land shall plenteous fruit bring forth,

    Thy Word is rich in blessing.

May God the Father, God the Son,

    And God the Spirit bless us!

Let all the world praise Him alone,

    Let solemn awe possess us.

Now let our hearts say, “Amen!”

Thursday of Trinity 9

 Forgiven Much, Loving Much

Luke 7:36-50 (ESV) One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

We’re like the Pharisees in that we don’t understand the depth of our sin. In truth, we are so sinful that we need forgiveness everyway we can get it. But Simon and the other Pharisees didn’t get that. Luke tells us three times that Simon is a Pharisee, so it has to be significant. It means that Simon had the typical self-righteous, prideful attitude of Pharisees throughout Luke’s Gospel. In chapter 7, we hear that the Pharisees rejected God’s purposes for themselves because they refused the baptism of repentance of John the Baptist. In chapter 11, when the Pharisees noticed that Jesus did not ceremonially wash before the meal, Jesus said, “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness” (Lk 11:39).  In chapter 15, they complained about Jesus welcoming and eating with sinners. In chapter 18, Jesus tells the story of the Pharisee who went to the temple to pray, saying, “God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of these sinners.”

Since Simon was a Pharisee, it’s not surprising that he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." Simon could only see external sins, sins between one person and another. He couldn’t see the deadly sin that was festering inside himself, the sins of self-righteousness and pride. He didn’t realize that he was sinning against God through these things, basically saying, “God, I only occasionally mess up, and even then, it’s not so big. I’m not really a sinner!” That’s why Jesus told Simon the parable about the two debtors and the creditor. And that is why today, we too need that condemning word of Law to be placed in our ears so we recognize that sins of self-righteousness and pride might not be apparent to the world, but they are sins against God and you need forgiveness for them.

The Law condemns you with continual accusation, but Jesus is the Man who is always ready and waiting to forgive your sins. Jesus had forgiven the sinful woman at some earlier time before the dinner table scene. But because the Law again had made her aware of her great sins, she wanted to hear Absolution from Jesus again. We learn from this woman that the Christian life is one of continual repentance and returning to the Lord for forgiveness. That’s why Jesus has given the Church the Office of the Keys, to give you the Absolution that you need to hear. Anytime your conscience is plaguing you, you can come to your pastor to confess your sins and receive Absolution with the same certainty as if Jesus were the Man speaking the words Himself.

Because Jesus forgave the sinful woman, she showed her love for Him through her actions. The forgiveness of your sins also frees you for works of love. These don’t include weeping at Jesus’ feet and wiping them with your hair; that’s not where Jesus directs you. Jesus points you to love Him by loving your neighbor. This is an impossibly large task, and you will take notice of your great failures to fulfill it, but you will also love your neighbor without even knowing it through your vocations. Changing diapers, feeding and clothing your children, helping out a friend in need, or taking care of your aging parents are all works of love. Works of love toward your neighbor are those that are done in faith, for the life you live in the body, you live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave Himself for you (Gal 2:20).  

The last words Jesus said to the sinful woman were “Your sins have been forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Those are his words for you, too. St. Paul wrote, “since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). Jesus told His disciples before His death, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (Jn 14:27). Through the Means of Grace, He delivers that peace to you today, the peace of sins forgiven, the peace of a clear conscience, the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Prayer (LSB 659):

 

1. Lord of our life and God of our salvation,

Star of our night and hope of ev’ry nation:

Hear and receive Your Church’s supplication,

    Lord God Almighty.

 

2. See round Your ark the hungry billows curling;

See how Your foes their banners are unfurling

And with great spite their fiery darts are hurling,

    O Lord, preserve us.

 

3. Lord, be our light when worldly darkness veils us;

Lord, be our shield when earthly armor fails us;

And in the day when hell itself assails us,

    Grant us Your peace, Lord:

 

4. Peace in our hearts, where sinful thoughts are raging,

Peace in Your Church, our troubled souls assuaging,

Peace when the world its endless war is waging,

    Peace in your heaven. Amen.

Wednesday of Trinity 9

 The Gift of Friendship

1 Samuel 18:1-9 (ESV) As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” And Saul eyed David from that day on. [Additional readings under consideration: 1 Samuel 19:1–7, 20:1–42; 2 Samuel 1:17–27]

Yesterday I wrote about 2 Samuel 22 (cf. Psalm 18), a Psalm in which David praises the Lord for preserving David through difficult times and giving him victory over his enemies, including King Saul. 1 Samuel 18-31 recounts the drama of Saul’s efforts to secure his throne by killing David. Though David was anointed king by the Lord in 1025 BC, he did not become king of Judah (the southern kingdom) until 1010 (2 Sam 2), after Saul and his son Jonathan died (1 Sam 31). David became king of Israel (the northern kingdom) in 1003 (2 Sam 5).

One of the aids that God gave to David was his friendship with Jonathan. The Lord had chosen David to replace disobedient King Saul (1 Sam 13:1-14; 15:23; 16:12). After David was anointed king, “The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him” (1 Sam 16:14). David was called to play the lyre for Saul, which relieved his spiritual torment. Saul became even more dependent on David after he killed Goliath (1 Sam 17) and was set over Israel’s army (1 Sam 18:5).

Almost immediately, Saul became extremely jealous of David’s successes, began to view David as a threat to his throne, and attempted to kill David (1 Sam 18:5-27). Saul realized that the Lord was with David and became even more afraid of him; thus, “Saul was David’s enemy continually” (1 Sam 18:28-29).

While Saul had become jealous of David, Saul’s son Jonathan befriended him and grew to love him unselfishly (1 Sam 18:1-4). No hint of sexual love between Jonathan and David is implied in any of these texts. Jonathan’s stripping of his garments and weapons and giving of them to David reflected his covenant of self-giving friendship, and possibly indicated that Jonathan viewed David as the heir to Saul’s throne, which would have been Jonathan’s by right. Jonathan’s behavior toward David throughout their friendship is a remarkable example of him loving his neighbor as himself (Lev 19:18).

Saul instructed his servants and Jonathan to kill David, but Jonathan warned David and interceded with Saul to temporarily appease Saul’s murderous intentions (1 Sam 19:1-7). Saul’s further attempts to kill David sent him on the run (1 Sam 19:8-24). Jonathan still trusted Saul, though David did not, so they concocted a deceitful scheme to determine if Saul really was intent on killing David; he was! (1 Sam 20:1-42)

Jonathan finally realized that Saul would stop at nothing to kill David and swore always to watch out for David’s best interests (1 Sam 20:41-42). Jonathan eventually fell on the battlefield alongside his father and two brothers (1 Sam 31:2, 8). David’s hymn of lament over Saul and Jonathan expresses his wonder at Jonathan’s unwavering friendship and love for him (2 Sam 1:17-27). May the Lord grant to us the experience of such friendship in our lives!

Jesus, the Son of David, said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus actually went further, dying for sinners who are God’s enemies (Romans 5:8, 10). Jesus was known as a “friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19). Jesus stretches the bounds of our ideas of friendship to include our enemies: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). Only He truly has accomplished such a love. The most loving thing we can do for our friends is to bring them to Jesus, who is our friend in the church in His Word and Sacraments.

Prayer (LSB 722):

1. Lord, take my hand and lead me

    Upon life’s way;

Direct, protect, and feed me

    From day to day.

Without Your grace and favor

    I go astray;

So take my hand, O Savior,

    And lead the way.

 

2. Lord, when the tempest rages,

    I need not fear,

For You, the Rock of Ages,

    Are always near.

Close by Your side abiding,

    I fear no foe,

For when Your hand is guiding,

    In peace I go. 

 

3. Lord, when the shadows lengthen

    And night has come,

I know that You will strengthen

    My steps toward home.

Then nothing can impede me,

    O blessèd Friend;

So take my hand and lead me

    Unto the end. Amen.

Tuesday of Trinity 9

 David's Righteousness

2 Samuel 22:1-4, 26-34 (ESV) And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies… With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.”

The Old Testament reading for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity (2 Samuel 22:26-34) is a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord from King David, after the Lord has given him deliverance from his enemies. It is a variant of Psalm 18, also ascribed to King David.

Looked at from a historical perspective, this Psalm seems like pure fiction, since David says, “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight” (2 Samuel 22:25). What a howler! Just ten chapters earlier, we had seen the sorry story of David and Bathsheba, when his unclean, lustful heart led him first to commit adultery and then to the unrighteous murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah. This event led not to reward for David but for a curse on his household. In addition, David comes across as a weak, pathetic father and ruler on numerous subsequent occasions.

However, the Old Testament is more than just a historical text, while remaining no less than that. God’s Word is about theology, about who God is and how He deals with His people. After the Lord had sent the prophet Nathan to confront David over his sin, David confessed, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Then Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Samuel 12:13). In other words, David’s righteousness is not of works but from the Lord’s forgiveness.

Psalm 51 is the appointed Psalm for Trinity 9, the prayer for forgiveness David prayed after his plunge into sin. Psalm 32 is another penitential Psalm of David, which St. Paul quotes in Romans 4:5-8 in order to teach the doctrine of justification by faith apart from works of the Law: “To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.’”

This is the righteousness and cleanness David—and all believers—possess: not a righteousness and cleanness of works, but one received by grace through faith, for the sake of Jesus Christ.

In his commentary on Psalm 51, Dr. Luther says, “The proper subject of theology is man guilty of sin and condemned, and God the Justifier and Savior of man the sinner. Whatever is asked or discussed in theology outside this subject, is error and poison” (Luther’s Works 12: 311). While historical study involves the evaluation of people’s works, theological study involves the acknowledgment that all men are sinners but that God has sent Christ to justify and save us through His blood and righteousness.

Indeed, 2 Samuel 22 (and Psalm 18) aren’t primarily about King David but about the Son of David, Jesus Christ: “For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever” (2 Samuel 22:50–51). The word translated “anointed” here is mashiyach, the Hebrew word from which we get “Messiah” in English. This Psalm—like all the Scriptures—is only completely fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah (aka Christ, from the Greek christos, the equivalent of mashiyach).

Prayer: God of majesty, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven, we give You thanks for David who, through the Psalter, gave Your people hymns to sing with joy in our worship on earth so that we may glimpse Your beauty. Bring us to the fulfillment of that hope of perfection that will be ours as we stand before Your unveiled glory; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday of Trinity 9

 The Way of Escape

1 Corinthians 1:1-17 (ESV) For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

The Epistle for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity (1 Corinthians 10:6-13) highlights major pitfalls on the Christian journey through life that can disqualify us, destroy us in the wilderness before we reach the Promised Land. St. Paul lists four of them as examples.

The first pitfall is idolatry: that is, placing anyone or anything before the Lord—for example, the Israelites put partying, playing, and leisure ahead of God; they valued the pleasures of this life above disciplined service to the Lord.

The second pitfall is sexual immorality; notice how thousands of Israelites died for their sexual sins. This is reinforced in the New Testament, which says, “God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” (Hebrews 13:4). That is a grave threat against all sexual sin.

The third pitfall is putting Christ to the test, which is, according to Exodus 17:7, being faithless and asking, “Is the LORD among us or not?”, that is, doubting His gracious care over your life.

And the fourth pitfall is grumbling, being discontent with the life that God has given you. “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16).

Examine your life, and repent of all the ensnaring sins that keep dragging you down. But as you think about these sins, remember that St. Paul isn’t saying that these are unforgivable sins—if you have committed them or are caught up in them right now, it is not too late to repent.

Yet Paul is warning that these are deadly sins because they can destroy faith in Christ. But take heart! St. Paul goes on to say, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

In spite of the popularity of the expression, “God will never give you more than you can handle,” His Word never actually says that! What He does promise, however, is much better: The “way of escape” from temptation is in your Lord and Savior. He is your only hope in this life and for the next.

When you are tempted to self-righteousness and sins of the flesh, pray to the Lord for His help to overcome the temptation, as Dr. Luther says in the Large Catechism, “Take hold of the Lord’s Prayer, and speak to God from the heart like this: ‘Dear Father, You have asked me to pray. Don’t let me fall because of temptations.’ Then you will see that the temptations must stop and finally confess themselves conquered” (Large Catechism III, Sixth Petition).

But when you have given in to any temptation and have sinned against your gracious Lord, turn in repentance to the Gospel, turn to your Baptism into Christ, turn to Confession and Absolution, turn to the Sacrament of the Altar where Christ gives you His true body and true blood under the bread and wine, given and shed for the forgiveness of all of your sins.

In one of the catechisms produced at the time of the Reformation in the 1500s, this question is posed: “How is our faith strengthened in adversity and comforted in temptation? Answer: by the Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Lord’s altar is a place we can flee in times of affliction and temptation. Our Lord is there for us with forgiveness, healing, and comfort. The real presence of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in our mouths is the greatest weapon we can wield against the real presence of Satan in this world to tempt us.

Come to think of it, why do you suppose St. Paul promises that God will give a way of escape in the face of temptation and then immediately proceeds to talk about the Lord’s Supper? Don’t neglect this life-giving gift!

Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, through Your Son You have promised us forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. Govern our hearts by Your Holy Spirit that in our daily need, and especially in all time of temptation, we may seek Your help and, by a true and lively faith in Your Word, obtain all that You have promised; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.