Isaiah 49,1 4922
17. Sn. n. Trinitatis 64
Abraham, Patriarch
Dionysius the Areopagite, Martyr, Acts 17,34
Leif Eriksen, ✠ 1020
9. Oktobber 2022
1. ℣ Righteous art Thou, O Yahweh:
℟ And upright are Thy judgements (Psalm 119,137)
O steadfast God, empower us to live by faith when persecution, fear and suffering surround us in the world, so that living and dying You take us in Your hands with the promise of inheriting eternal life, and at the end we receive the blessedness of the soul that is ours by faith. Amen. (Ich weiß, an wen ich glaube elkg 549,3 2021 Erdmann Neumeister 1718)
2. »Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name. And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand hath He hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver hath He hid me; And said unto me: Thou art My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Then I said: I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob again to Him: Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And He said: It is a light thing that thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth.« (kjv)
3. There are several themes and images brought together in Isaiah 49. There is Israel, the Servant of Yahweh and the Messiah. Each of these 3 interact and merge together as the dialogue unfolds in the chapter. There is Israel the nation, and also Israel who is an individual person. This person is not Isaiah but someone else.
4. We soon discover that the person identified as Israel is the Servant of Yahweh. This is the 2. of 4 times where Isaiah writes about this Servant (42,1-7; 49,1-13; 50,4-11; 52,13-53,12). Isaiah is clear that the Servant of Yahweh is the Messiah. He is Israel as a whole. Dr. Horace Hummel famously coined the phrase: Jesus is Israel reduced to 1 (Hummel 17). Jesus represents the entire nation of Israel. He stands in the place of Israel. This is why the Gospel according to Matthew points out several times how an event in Jesus’ life connects back to an event in the nation of Israel: Jesus is reliving Israel’s history and He is fulfilling Israel’s destiny. Why is this necessary?
5. Israel was intended to be Yahweh’s servant, but as a nation it failed to do this. Israel was plagued with rebellion, wickedness and idolatry throughout its history. Instead of being a light to the pagan nations to show them the true God, Israel embraced the darkness of the pagan nations. Israel was often as lost and confused as the Gentiles.
6. But from this corrupt Israel would come someone who would be all that Yahweh intended for Israel: that person was the Servant of Yahweh known as the Messiah. The king was to be a servant to the people (1. Kings 12,7). For 70 years God gave the world a premiere example of what this looks like in Queen Elizabeth II. The Servant King of Israel is chosen by Yahweh, brings justice to the nations, is righteous and is a covenant for Israel and a light to the nations (Isaiah 42,1-7). This Servant King is to enlighten the Gentiles.
7. This is what Jesus did in the Gospels, and we sorely need it today in the 21. century. Like Israel, we are tempted to run after whatever god or goddess tickles our ears. We are hard pressed to remain faithful to the Triune God alone. Our culture likes the smorgasbord approach to religion: take a little bit of everything from the buffet and stuff our souls with all manner of spiritual ideas that are antithetical to the Scriptures. Like the Gentiles, we are tempted to become enamored by every passing fad or philosophy without truly pausing to understand what the consequences of such ideals will be. We think embracing such ideals make us enlightened but in reality many ideals popular today are full of crass indecency; morality and virtue are often ridiculed.
8. The Messiah arrived to restore Israel to the true worship of Yahweh. Righteousness is not merited by keeping the many laws and commandments; righteousness is a free gift given by the Holy Spirit that is received by faith. Abraham believed and his faith was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15,6; Romans 4,3). The Christ arrived to enlighten the Gentiles who the one and true God is. Righteousness is not found in other religions, gods and philosophies; righteousness is found only in Jesus who is the Christ. He is the salvation unto all the earth: He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Jesus (John 14,6). All of us, Jews and Gentiles, are righteous on account of our faith in Jesus who is the Servant of Yahweh.
9. Where do we find this righteousness and salvation? Jesus merited our righteousness and salvation by His vicarious sacrifice on the cross and through His glorious resurrection from the dead. This forgiveness is given to us in the preached Word and in the Sacraments of Holy Baptism, the Lord’s Supper and Holy Absolution. Jesus promises that our sins are forgiven through these means of grace. Believe it and receive it, for it is yours through Christ Jesus.
10. The gospel bears to all the tidings glad
And bids their hearts no more be sad;
The weary, burdened souls it cheers
And banishes their guilty fears (The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace tlh 580,5 Matthias Loy 1828-1915).
This is most certainly true.
12. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.
13. Let us pray. O almighty God, who after the creation of the world didst rest from all Thy works and as an image of Thine own didst sanctity a day of rest for Thy creatures, grant us that, putting away all earthly cares and anxieties, we may be duly prepared for the services of Thy sanctuary and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal Sabbath promised to Thy people in heaven. Amen. (The Week of Trinity 17, Vespers Collect 2. The Daily Office. Copyright © 1965 Concordia Publishing House.)
To God alone be the Glory
Soli Deo Gloria
✠
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.
Evangelisch-Lutherisches Kirchengesangbuch. Copyright © 2021 Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, Hannover.
Horace D. Hummel. The Word Became Flesh. Copyright © 1979 Concordia Publishing House.
No comments:
Post a Comment