The Lord Scattered Them Abroad Over the Face of All the Earth: Genesis 11:1-9

Genesis 11:1-9: "1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.' 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.' 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."

The narrative of the tower of Babel tells us the history of the development of the many languages that are in use in the world. Before the tower of Babel, which means confusion, everyone spoke the same language. There was a unity and bond, everyone worked together, because they understood each other. The question has to be raised, "Why is that such a bad thing, that our Lord has to put an end to it?" There are many people who believe that everyone was united there would be peace. Surely this cannot be a bad thing. There are at least two reasons the Lord causes the confusion of languages at Babel.

One is stated in the pericope, that now mankind will be able to anything it puts its mind to. We hear this, and think, surely this can't be a bad thing. Think of all the technological advances that could be made. We could cure poverty, world hunger, bring about world peace, etc., etc. The problem with such a view is that it fails to take into account that man is corrupt from his birth to the core. This is the stain of Adam, whose sin caused all mankind to become sinful from generation to generation. Such unity of purpose from a corrupt race, would only lead to the propagation of evil, and then the evil would grow and increase. I suppose there are those who would say, "That would never happen." But history itself bears this fact to be true. Just think of all the countries throughout history, which have been united in an evil purpose. Nazi Germany certainly comes to mind. And if you're thinking that is an extreme example, just think of the slave trades, or prostitution rings, or drug cartels. All these things come about because the evilness that is innate in all mankind, has bubbled to the surface, and become prevalent. The truth of the matter is that corruption, greed, envy, strife, murder, and so on, could be easily found even the so-called good governments.

And so, in His Divine providence, the Lord, causes confusion in language, so that they might not trust in themselves, but rather search after Him, and trust in Him to provide all necessary and good things for this life.

The second reason is that the people at Babel were not fulfilling the commandment of God, which was to be fruitful and multiply, in order that they might fill the whole Earth. Here they planned to stay for generation after generation. However, the Lord, in His divine mercy, causes them to be confused, so that they might leave that place and go and enjoy the whole of His creation. The Lord God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, has given us His creation to enjoy. These people at Babel were missing out on all the good things that God created for us to use. It would seem silly for someone to make us a birthday cake, and then only eat one slice of it, and then throw the rest away. And so, the Lord God, gives them a push in the right direction to use His wonderful gifts.

The Lord God continues today to be abundant with His gifts. The city of Babel was a poor representation of the City that God had planned for us. He brings us into that holy city by baptism. In this City the stain of sin and corruption is washed away, and since it is done away with, the Lord God, unites us together with one language, that is the language of salvation and grace. It is the language of His holy Word, wherein He tells us what He promises to give to us. In this City, which is the Church, He gives us His holy gifts, of forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. This City is perfect and holy, and it is built by Him. This is a City which we can rejoice over, and desire. This City is scattered abroad over the face of the whole Earth. Come to this City, and see what great things it has to offer.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Come and See: St. John 1:35-42

St. John 1:35-42: "35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, 'Behold the Lamb of God!' 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, 'What do you seek?' They said to Him, 'Rabbi' (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), 'where are You staying?' 39 He said to them, 'Come and see.' They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, 'You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas' (which is translated, A Stone)."

After His baptism our dear Lord Jesus calls His disciples. Notice that this is the next day after His baptism. St. John the Baptist proclaimed yesterday, "Behold the Lamb of God." But it appears that nobody listened. And so, St. John the Baptist repeats the proclamation again today, "Behold the Lamb of God." Two of his disciples, we are told, actually hear and listen to those words, and follow our dear Lord Jesus. We should also take note that our Savior Jesus is there again a second day. And in both St. John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus there is a difference noted by the Evangelist. St. John the Baptist "stood" with his disciples; our Lord Jesus "walked" by the River Jordan. St. John the Baptist's position is fixed, he is to remain at the Jordan and preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Our Lord Jesus, however, is mobile, He is to go from place to place preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins, after St. John the Baptist's imprisonment.

This is also meant in a mystical sense, St. John the Baptist represents the Law, and our dear Lord Jesus is a picture of the Gospel. The Law's punishment ceases with our Lord's coming, and the Gospel's grace begins to "walk about" into all the world.

This grace of the Gospel, begins with our Lord's disciples. We are told that there are two disciples of St. John the Baptist there that day who leave St. John the Baptist, and follow our dear Lord Jesus. The name of one is given here, and that is St. Andrew. Of course his feast day begins the Church Year, this is the honor bestowed upon him as the first to follow our Lord Jesus Christ. We are also told of these two disciples that they remained with our Lord Jesus, and did not return again to St. John the Baptist.

There are couple of things that should be pointed out. One, time of day is given. It is the tenth hour. St. Augustine states that this represents the decalogue, the Ten Commandments. Here in the tenth hour, the disciples call our Lord Jesus, "Rabbi," that is, teacher. The only True teacher of the Law, is the One Who gave the Law. And so, in this tenth hour, the the time had come for the Ten Commandments to be fulfilled by love, that is, the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Chrysostom, the Golden-tongued, tells us that the tenth hour makes note of the lateness of this scene. The tenth hour is 4 p.m. For some people that is quitting time, it's the time for the work to be over. For others, it is the time to eat, or at least start getting dinner ready. This time of year in the northern part of the country it is even beginning to get dark. However, our Lord doesn't say, "It's getting late, why don't you come back tomorrow." Instead, He invites them with the Gospel invitation of "come and see," that is, come by believing, and see by understanding. What a great evening that must have been for St. Andrew, and the other disciple not named! They had heard the preaching of St. John the Baptist about the Messiah to come, but now they were hearing Him with their own ears. That must have been totally awe-full! For St. Andrew, in fact, it was so full of awe, that he runs and tells his brother St. Peter, who in turn comes and meets our Lord Jesus, and receives a new name, that is, Cephas, or A Stone (his previous name being Simon).

The second thing to make note of is that, as mentioned above, the second disciple is not named. It is believed that this second disciple was the writer of the Gospel, the Evangelist St. John, the beloved of our Lord. If this be true, we can assume that just like St. Andrew, went and told St. Peter, that St. John the Evangelist, went and told his brother, St. James the Elder. This would hold significance, because whenever our Lord Jesus takes disciples off with Himself to a private place, St. Peter, St. James, and St. John are always the ones being listed. It makes one wonder, why the first disciple, St. Andrew, is not included in this, but we are not told, nor does it seem to bother St. Andrew, for he indeed walked far and wide with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaiming him the Messiah. He didn't stop with his brother St. Peter, but according to legend ended up in Scotland and the surrounding areas, and brought the Gospel to them, and became their patron saint.

St. Andrew serves as an example to us. Upon hearing the words of our Lord, he is filled with joy. The words that our dear Lord Jesus spoke revealed that He was the Messiah. When we hear the preaching that our Lord and Savior is indeed the Messiah, that is, the Christ, the Anointed One, Who was sent to fulfill the Law perfectly for us, and to suffer and die for us, we too are filled with joy. And like St. Andrew, who spread that message abroad, just like the rest of the Apostles, we too, should run to all who would listen, and say to them, "Come and see, we have found the Messiah." We find the Messiah today in the Church, where the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution. To these parishes, must all those who are lost, all those who would listen, and like St. Peter, come willing without a question of doubt, be brought by our invitation. Come and see! Come and hear of the Messiah, our Savior, and learn of joy and love.

God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then God Remembered Noah: Genesis 8:1-22

Genesis 8:1-22: "1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. 15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 'Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.' 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.'"

Then God remembered Noah. These are the words of glad tidings after all of the words of destruction that were spoken of by God. God had shut Noah and his family up into the ark. There they remained throught the 40 days and nights of flooding, and throughout the entire time it took for the waters to recede from the Earth. I am sure that after being boxed up in the ark, with no place else to go, that Noah and his family were ready for it to all be over with. They were probably even tempted to think that God had forgotten about them. Perhaps, they even felt they were going to live out the rest of their lives in the ark. But Moses in his first book, commonly called Genesis, tells us that God remembered Noah. This is a proclamation of God's grace and mercy.

And in reality this was God's plan all along, to save Noah and his family, and thereby save the whole human race. God destroys that which is evil and corrupt, so that that which is righteous and pure may have free course and abound. Here again, in this narrative of Noah and his family, is a picture of our Lord Jesus. Our Lord and Savior takes the corruption and the evilness of mankind, all of his sinfulness, both original and actual, and destroys it on the tree of the cross. Then he places his holy family, that is all of Christendom, His lovely Bride, into the holy Ark of Christendom. There He doles out the gifts that He won by His death, that is, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation, through the means of grace, that is, those means by which He imparts those gifts. Those means include preaching, absolution, baptism, communion, and the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren. Through these gifts the Holy Ghost, creates and sustains faith and life in all those who use them and trust that God actually works through them.

In this way, God remembers us. He remembers our lost and fallen condition, and having shut us up into the holy Ark of Christendom, through baptism, and the other means of grace, brings us out of the Ark and onto the dry land of our heavenly home. By these gifts He shows His grace, that is, He freely gives these gifts, without any merit or worthiness on our part. He also shows us His mercy by these gifts, that is, He doesn't treat us the way we deserved to be treated, which is with punishment and eternal death, but rather gives us the reward that belongs to Him, which is life and salvation.

This evenings reading ends with another proclamation of good tidings. That is that God will never again destroy the Earth. The One True God declares:

"I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease."

That means that God will not only not destroy the Earth, nor will He let it be destroyed. Until the Last Day, God will keep things going; both "seedtime and harvest, cold and heeat, winter and summer, and day night." This passage is a declaration against all the global warming fanatics. God, in His divine providence, that is, in His watching over all creation, all the time, will not let anything happen to it. Even on the Last Day, God will not destroy the Earth, but rather, replace it with a new one, as our dear Lord Jesus relates through the Blessed Evangelist St. John in His Revelation.

These cries of the end of the world, and utter destruction of the world, are really no different from the cries and sorrows that could have arose from being cramped up on the ark. They are the cries of the faithless, who only trust in themselves their abilities. True faithfulness never trusts in itself. It's absurd if you think about it. "Have faith in yourself." That's like saying, "Have faith in your faith." Faith needs an object to grasp onto, to believe in, it never believes in itself. That is why for Noah, his faith grasped onto to his Savior and God, and he believe that He would save him. Noah truly believed that God would not forget him, that God would not destroy him, nor keep him cooped up in the ark for the rest of his days.

Such faith is what is lacking these days. We need to stop trusting in ourselves, there is no salvation there anyway. You cannot trust in what is corrupt, to bring about purity. Instead we should rely on God, trust in Him that He will deliver us from all harm and danger, that He will guard and protect from every danger. Even the dangers of "global warming," nuclear holocaust, meteors crashing into the Earth, the poles reversing polarity, or whatever other danger the faithless ones want to put in front of us, in order to lead us away from our reliance on the One True God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

He has promised that He would not leave us nor forsake us, that He would always guard and protect us. Noah stands as an example of God's grace and mercy. He did not forget Noah, He will not forget you.

May God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas