Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: Exodus 34,4-10. Trinity XIX

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Exodus 34,4-10. Trinity XIX

Exodus 34,4-10 5324

Trinity xix 66

Fides, Virgin of Agen, France and her companions, Martyrs 287

William Tyndale, English Reformer, Bible Translator and Martyr 1536

6. Oktober 2024

1. ℣ Say unto my soul, I am your Salvation:

℟ the righteous cried out, and Yahweh heard (Psalm 34,3b; 33,18a vul lxx mas).

dic animae meae salus tua ego sum: clamaverunt iusti et Dominus exaudivit. lxx

dic animae meae salus tua ego sum: clamaverunt et Dominus exaudivit. mas

O Great God, You see our condition, for nothing is hidden from Your all seeing eyes.… Our only hope is in You, for You are the Lord who heals us. Amen. (Stark 361; English transl. 260).

2. »So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the Name of Yahweh. Yahweh passed before him and proclaimed: „Yahweh, Yahweh, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in merciful steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping merciful steadfast love for thousands,forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.“ And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said: „If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Adona, please let the Adona go in the midst of us, for it is an obstinate (קְשֵׁה, σκληροτραχηλος, halsstarrig) people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your inheritance.“ And He said: „Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are will see the work of Yahweh, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.“«

3. That final statement by Moses sums up the fallen nature of humanity: »Your people, Israel, O Adona, are an obstinate people.« O how Israel grieved Yahweh from Egypt to Sinai! At the Red Sea they wailed: It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness (Exodus 14,12c). They grumbled for bread and meat, accused Moses of leading them into the wilderness to starve (Exodus 16,3). They tested Yahweh and grumbled: why did you lead us here to die of thirst (Exodus 17,2-3). They reach Sinai, receive the entire covenant – the 10 Commandments, how to build the tabernacle, what the sacrifices and declared: all the words Yahweh has spoken we will do (Exodus 24,3b) – and after Moses is gone 40 days to receive the stone tablets, they want Aaron to make an idol for them. Four months of bickering and second-guessing Yahweh and Moses; yes, Yahweh and Moses were very grieved by this.

4. Israel wanted an image of Yahweh, and Aaron made for them a golden calf – that’s Baal, not Yahweh; the covenant was clear: make no image to represent Yahweh. „When the Lord is replaced by an idol, no matter how much you pretend that it is still the Lord, the idol takes over. Here Baal takes over“ (Nagel 255).

5. What idols are in your life? In mine? It’s not difficult to identify our sins (Nagel 256). Just read through the 10 Commandments and Luther’s meanings in the Small Catechism – our sins will show be shown to us and our consciences convicted. God’s law does its work in us efficiently well. „The real job is probing the sins until you identify the idols in whose service you have done them. Who or what did you put in place of the Lord? To break any of the Commandments, you have to first break the 1^st Commandment »You shall have no other gods before Me« (Exodus 20,3) – one Lord, one sin, the root and total of all sins“ (Nagel 256). »O God, against You only have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight« (Psalm 51,4).

6. We cannot fool God, nor can He be mocked. He knows the idols we have, and more importantly He wants us to know the idols we have. He desires to be the one and only God in our lives.

7. Baal had not defended Israel from Egypt – Yahweh did. Baal did not make a covenant with Israel at Sinai – Yahweh did. The Psalms point us to Yahweh who acts for us. In the day of my trouble I call upon You, for You answer me (Psalm 86,7). Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit (Psalm 51,12). Save Your people and bless Your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever (Psalm 28,9). Will any of our idols give all of themselves to us and die for us? No, they will not. There is only one God who will do this – the Triune God: the Father sends His Son as our Savior, the Son laid down His life for us and the Holy Spirit daily points us to the Son of God. Jesus Christ suffered, died and rose for you, out of love for you, to redeem you. You are baptized in the Name of the Triune God. You receive the body and blood of Jesus. Your sins are forgiven; you are absolved.

8. As surely as you eat His body and drink His blood, you are in and are held by His covenant and His testament; you are His forgiven people (Nagel 256). These are the Triune God’s words and His promise to you. Jesus teaches that it is His Father’s will for us to be certain of His merciful steadfast love toward us. God promises us His grace and love. He ground this promise upon Christ. Et haec promissio non habet conditionem meritorum nostrorum, sed gratis offert remissionem peccatorum et iustificationem, sicut Paulus ait: Iustitia Dei iam manifestatur sine lege, id est, gratis offertur remissio peccatorum. Nec pendet reconciliatio ex nostris meritis. And this promise has no condition of our merits, but freely offers the remission of sins and justification, as Paul says: The righteousness of God is already manifested without the law, that is, the remission of sins is freely offered. Nor does reconciliation depend on our merits. (Apologia IV,41). Hear, believe and trust this promise, for it is yours in Christ Jesus.

9. Why let your mind be grim

And grieved each night and day?

Place your worries before Him

Who made you, come what may.

(Ich singe dir mit Herz und Mund elkg 581,15 2021 Paul Gerhardt 1653

This is most certainly true.

11. Et pax Dei, quæ exuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra, et intelligentias vestras in Christo Jesu. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

12. Let us pray. O God, the Giver of every good gift, we pray for our kindred and friends, and for all who are dear to us, that they may be preserved outwardly in their bodies and inwardly in their souls and that, doing Thy will and rejoicing in Thy mercy and love here, they may be partakers of Thy joy hereafter. Amen. (Trinity xix, 2^nd Vespers Collect. The Daily Office.)

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

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.

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Exodus 34,4-10. Trinity XIX

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