The Utterance of the Man Whose Eyes Are Opened: Numbers 24:1-13

Numbers 24:1-13: "1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 Then he took up his oracle and said: 'The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened, 4 the utterance of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open: 5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! 6 Like valleys that stretch out, like gardens by the riverside, like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters. 7 He shall pour water from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brings him out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox; He shall consume the nations, His enemies; He shall break their bones and pierce them with his arrows. 9 "He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?" Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.' 10 Then Balak's anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, 'I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! 11 Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the LORD has kept you back from honor.' 12 So Balaam said to Balak, 'Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13 "If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD, to do good or bad of my own will. What the LORD says, that I must speak?"'"

We learn a little more about Balaam the son of Beor from this pericope. For we learn that in times past that he sought the means of sorcery in order to prophecy, and did not seek the Lord God. But here Balaam has his eyes opened, after he realizes that his blessing of Israel pleased the Lord. Or to say it another way, the Lord was pleased with Balaam because he finally prophesied the way he was meant to prophesy and not seek the ways of the world and tools of the devil. This point is further driven home when we observe that with the first two blessings of Israel by Balaam the son of Beor, he only spoke what the Lord God told him to say. But here, in the third blessing, we are told that "the Spirit of God came upon him."

What this means that is that he not only spoke what the Lord wanted him to speak, but also believed the Word that he spoke. What was that Word? It is a blessing that regards the entire future of Israel. But more than that it is a prophecy about the promised land, and the promised people. Or, to say that in a spiritual sense, it deals with the eternal paradise of Heaven, and the people who will inherit and dwell in that eternal paradise. All those who believe on the Lord God, all those whom He calls His people, will inherit this eternal paradise of Heaven.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then the LORD Put a Word in Balaam's Mouth: Numbers 23:1-40

Numbers 23:1-40: "1 Then Balaam said to Balak, 'Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.' 2 And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, 'Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.' So he went to a desolate height. 4 And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, 'I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.' 5 Then the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, 'Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.' 6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his oracle and said: 'Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. "Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!" 8 How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!' 11 Then Balak said to Balaam, 'What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!' 12 So he answered and said, 'Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD has put in my mouth?' 13 Then Balak said to him, 'Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.' 14 So he brought him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 And he said to Balak, 'Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the Lord over there.' 16 Then the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, 'Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.' 17 So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, 'What has the LORD spoken?' 18 Then he took up his oracle and said: 'Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor! 19 God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. 21 He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them. 22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox. 23 For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, "Oh, what God has done!" 24 Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.' 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, 'Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!' 26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, 'Did I not tell you, saying, "All that the LORD speaks, that I must do?"' 27 Then Balak said to Balaam, 'Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.' 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland. 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, 'Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.' 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar."

The persistence of Balak to curse the Israelites, it must be remembered, is on account of the fear of the Moabites toward the Israelites, seeing what they did to the mighty kings of the Amorites. And the Moabites feared them also, because they thought they were next. It must also be remembered that the Lord God has forbidden the Israelites to harm the Moabites (not that they knew this). So this gives us the motivation of Balak son of Zippor to curse the Israelites. For in cursing them, he had hoped that he could either attack them himself, before they attacked him, or if they attacked first, that he might overcome them. But all this is really fruitless, since God has not given the Moabites over to destruction, at this time.

Three times does Balak beseech Balaam to curse Israel, taking him to a different region to look upon the Israelites each time. This is the same number of times that Balaam is prevented by his donkey to go further on his journey to Balak. And each time Balak builds seven altars and sacrifices a bull and a ram on each one, each time. Make note that these burnt sacrifices are offered to the Lord God. That is, Balak is in reality requesting the Lord God, Jehovah, to curse His own people. This shows us the futility of those who desire the demise of the people of God, and the futility of those who pray for evil in general. The prayer may be made to the Lord God, but the pray is flatly rejected. One, because the prayer is not prayed in faith, and God does not answer the prayers of the faithless. Two, they are not answered because God does not grant the evil petitions of those who seek to beset the righteous.

Even though Balak desired the cursing of the sons of Jacob, Balaam could only speak the words that the Lord God gave to him. And Balaam could only bless the people of Israel. Such it is with all those who preach the word of God, they can only proclaim that which the Lord God has given them to preach. They cannot preach false doctrine. They cannot say that which is a sin, is not a sin, or vice versa. They cannot worship in a manner that the Lord God has not given them to worship. They cannot practice and administer the Sacraments in a way that God has not given them to do. Or to teach that such practices and worship are okay in God's sight. They can only preach what the Lord God has put into their mouths to preach.

This is, of course, how one determines a true preacher from a false preacher, for a false preacher does not speak what God speaks in His holy Scripture. This is tested by the teaching of the historic Church on holy Scripture, that is, if the Church has taught something to be true throughout her history, than those who teach differently should be avoided. The Book of Concord, is a correct and true exhibition of holy Scripture, and teaches the historic teachings of the Church, correcting the false teachings that raised their ugly heads throughout the middle ages. These teachings are also always checked against the whole of holy Scripture, for Scripture interprets Scripture, that is, when the teachings of all of holy Scripture are understood, it fills in the blanks and questions that particular verses may raise. The Early Fathers recognized this and passed on to us, their posterity, the teachings of holy Scripture that were passed onto them from the Apostles, which were given to them by our Lord Jesus.

Thus, through the voice of many witnesses both past and present, our Lord God preserves His Church, not permitting those who would seek her destruction to be allowed to harm her. He does this through the mouth of His preachers, who proclaim the words of His which He placed into their mouth, which bless His Holy Church, and curse His enemies.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Look to Me, and Be Saved, All You Ends of the Earth!: Isaiah 45:20-25

Isaiah 45:20-25: "1 Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, who carry the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save. 21 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. 22 Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. 24 He shall say, 'Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him. 25 In the LORD all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory.'"

This text reflects the Gospel of the day for Reminiscere, where the Canaanite woman begs our Lord Jesus to heal her severely demon-possessed daughter. For the Prophet Isaiah reports the Lord's Words about His salvation. And His salvation is for the "ends of the Earth." That means that the promised salvation of long ago for the Israelites, will also be for the whole world. This Canaanite woman, although a Gentile, still receives the salvation that was reserved for the Israelites.

Through her pleading, our Lord shows us her great faith. He puts her through the various stages in order that He might show all those around, and us who are hear the narrative through Holy Scripture, that woman indeed has great faith. For she ignores all the obvious signs that would put up a roadblock to faith, and the more our Lord pushes her away, the more she clings to Him. "O Woman, great is your faith!"

She has forsaken her false idols, and come to the One True God, Who is a just God and Savior. This is what the Prophet Isaiah relates to us from the lips of our Lord God. Only He is God, only He is worthy of worship, only He is the Savior of all mankind. Therefore it is to Him whom we should look and find our comfort. And we shall say, "Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him. In the LORD all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory."

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

And They Gave the Children of Israel a Bad Report of the Land Which They Had Spied Out: Numbers 13:26-33

Numbers 13:26-33: "26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: 'We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.' 30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, 'Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.' 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.' 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, 'The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.'"

The report of the spies, when they returned to the camp of the Israelites, we are told, is a "bad report." In the reading we are told of only one who contradicted the others, and that is Caleb. Caleb was a descendant of Judah, the son of Jacob. Caleb would also become the ancestor of David, and the whole line of kings. Which means this man Caleb is the ancestor of our Lord Jesus. Even though we are told here that only Caleb (whose name means "dog") stood against the other spies, we know from the next chapter (Num. 14:6) that Joshua, too, stood with Caleb. The reason Joshua's name is left out is probably due to the fact that Caleb was the one who calmed the crowd after the other ten spies drew them into a frenzy on account of their bad report, and because he is the one here speaking to the crowd.

This pericope, exemplifies the unbelief of the Israelites. This is compounded by the exaggeration of the spies who were afraid to into the land and take it. What is most shocking is that they have spent all this time in the wilderness, and they are shown how abundant the fruits of the land are in the land that is promised to them by the Lord God, yet, they would prefer to stay in the wilderness, and eat nothing but manna.

Furthermore, they had witnessed the great deeds of the Lord God over the Egyptians through the ten plagues. They had seen the Lord God destroy the Egyptian army, without them having to lift up an arm unto battle. They had seen how the Lord provided for them, with food and drink everyday. They had seen how He had dwelt among them in the Tabernacle of Meeting, and that He had gone before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. In short, they had seen what the Lord God was capable of, and that He desired greatly for them to be His chosen people. But none of this mattered to them.

This is one more example of the Israelites breaking the first commandment. For they did not fear, love and trust in God above all things. But instead they trusted in themselves, and in examining themselves, they fell short of the requirements that they perceived they had. If they had but placed their trust in the Lord God, as Caleb did, they would have had no fear of the Canaanites, and the spies would have gladly followed the Lord God into the promised land of Canaan. However, we know from history that that did not happen.

But in this Law heavy text. We do have some Gospel, and that is given to us by Caleb. He shows us what true faith is, and what trust in the Lord God really means, for he had also seen the stature of the people of Canaan, and that the descendants of Anak, the race of giants or nephilim, lived there. But what is his advice? To go immediately and take possession of it. What faith! To believe in the Lord God and His deliverance and salvation, even when one's eyes tell a different story. That, of course, is what faith is, to believe something to be true, even when one cannot see it to be true with one's own eyes.

We too have a Promised Land promised to us. It is the Promised Land of Heaven, however, we have not seen it with our eyes, although we have been told about and have heard about it with our ears. But we know that it exists, and that our Lord has already battled and conquered that enemy, the devil. And He has opened up the gates of our Promised Land, so that we might enter in. And even though we have not seen it, we know it to be real, for we see with the eyes of faith. And our eyes tell us that we will enter into the Promised Land of Heaven, and live with our Lord God forever and ever.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Please Do Not Lay This Sin On Us: Numbers 12:1-15

Numbers 12:1-15: "1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?' And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!' So the three came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, 'Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?' 9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, 'Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother's womb!' 13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, 'Please heal her, O God, I pray!' 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.' 15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again."

In this pericope, we again see discontentment and jealousy. But this time it is not from the Israelite people, but from Moses' very own flesh and blood. We can see from the fact that Miriam's name is listed before Aaron's and the fact that she is the one plagued with leprosy, that she was in deed the instigator of the rebellion against Moses, the man of God. She, having convinced her brother Aaron, complain to Moses that they should be the ones in charge, since they too, have the Spirit of God, Miriam being a prophetess, and Aaron being the high priest. They also were the elder siblings of Moses. There is perhaps therefore, a hint of sibling rivalry.

This raises the whole question of why are some people chosen to serve our Lord God in the role of minister, and why others are not?

We learn from Holy Scripture that only men can serve in the office of holy ministry. We see that from the writings of the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, in his epistle to the Church at Corinth. We see it in the selection of the Apostles (all men) by our Lord Jesus. We see in the selection of those elected as Deacons (all men) in Jerusalem. And also in the selection of Bishops in the Early Church, such as St. Titus and St. Timothy. We also see it in the Old Testament where not only was the priests, and the high priest, to be men, but from the tribe of Levi. No one else from another tribe could serve in this capacity. We can also see this in the selection of the Kings and prophets of the Old Testament who were all men.

But not even all men are chosen for the role of minister. This can be seen in the fact that only one tribe out of the twelve of Israel, were to serve as priests. This is also true, because not every man was a prophet. There were only twelve Apostles chosen by our Lord Jesus. There were only seventy (or seventy-two) men sent out by our Lord to preach His Word in certain cities. (Their names are recorded by St. Hippolytus). Only certain men were chosen as Bishops, and only certain men served as companions of the Apostles, or presbyters (sometimes referred to as elders), or deacons. Therefore, even though our Lord God chooses only men to serve as ministers, even then, not all men are to serve in this role.

There are even those, who may have certain spiritual gifts, who are gifted in their knowledge of holy Scripture, and in their ability to explain the Word of God to other people, who are not allowed to hold this office. It is also certain that those who are manifest sinners are not to serve in this role, such as homosexuals, and other people who continue to go on sinning, showing no signs of repentance, and obeying God's commands. Someone who cannot obey God, is a poor example to those to whom he has been charged to teach the command and will of God. In short, God chooses who will serve in this role. We should not usurp His authority on this, no matter how gifted the individual may seem.

In this reading, Moses has been chosen by God to lead the people. Miriam and Aaron, although gifted with the Holy Spirit of God, are not chosen into this office of leading the people. Miriam and Aaron are even given the reason for why Moses is chosen before and above them. For He communicates with Moses in a way that He does not communicate with them. With them, He communicates through dreams and visions, but with Moses, He communicates face to face, like a familiar friend.

Then our Lord God, shows us how seriously He takes the office into which He places men to lead. And how serious He is that no one should usurp the office for their own ends, and for their own desires. Even if these desires are good ones. For He causes Miriam to be leprous. When this happens, we see something very interesting. Aaron, does not petition the Lord God himself, no longer presuming to speak to the Lord in the same way that Moses does, but instead petitions Moses to plead on his behalf. Which he does.

Another interesting thing, is that our Lord God does not heal Miriam instantly, but instead makes her to suffer outside the camp by herself for seven days. This is the same requirement that is listed in the Book of Moses, commonly called Leviticus, for the treatment of lepers.

Therefore, in this pericope, we see that our Lord, not only again takes covetousness very serious, but He also shows that those He has placed into the office of holy ministry, should be held in honor, for He has placed them into this office. We are told of Moses, that He was humble. It was this humility that made him perfect for the holy office which he was given. For true men of God, when they are placed into positions of authority, reveal their humility, and serve the Lord God with their whole heart and mind. Desiring to do His will, and not their own. Those who try to usurp the office of holy ministry by ignoring God's Word, or worse, changing it to fit their own selfish and sinful desires, already show they lack the one quality that makes them fit for the holy office, and that is humility. For a truly humble person, will submit to God's will, even, and especially, when it is contrary to his own will.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

So the Fire of the LORD Burned Among Them: Numbers 11:1-35

Numbers 11:1-35: "1 Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched. 3 So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them. 4 Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: 'Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!' 7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil. 9 And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it. 10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. 11 So Moses said to the LORD, 'Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, "Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child," to the land which You swore to their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, "Give us meat, that we may eat." 14 I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now--if I have found favor in Your sight--and do not let me see my wretchedness!' 16 So the LORD said to Moses: 'Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 Then you shall say to the people, "Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, 'Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.' Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, 'Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?'"' 21 And Moses said, 'The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, "I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.' 22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?' 23 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Has the LORD's arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.' 24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again. 26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, 'Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.' 28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, 'Moses my lord, forbid them!' 29 Then Moses said to him, 'Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!' 30 And Moses returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel. 31 Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day's journey on this side and about a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. 32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. 34 So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving. 35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth."

This reading has to do with the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house." The Israelites, coveting the things that they miss from their time in Egypt, complain against the Lord in their hearts. For this our Lord God's anger burned against them so much so that it was manifested in fire, which burned some of the people on the outskirts of the camp to death. What saves the Israelites, is the intercession of Moses. Moses pleads on behalf of the people, so that God's anger would cease. In this we see a picture of our Lord Jesus who intercedes for us to our Heavenly Father. Who subsides the anger of our Father against our sinful rebellion, and complaining.

But the Israelites' complaints, their covetousness for the things back in Egypt, gives us an opportunity to review the ninth commandment. The ninth commandment deals with contentment in our earthly possessions. We learn from the Blessed Dr. Martin Luther that the ninth commandment can be explained in this manner: "We should fear and love God that we may not craftily seek to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, nor obtain it by a show of right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it."*

As we mentioned in an earlier post, each commandment as something that is required and something that is forbidden. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? "God forbids us to be dissatisfied with what He has given us, and with what He expects of us. He also forbids us to covet that, which does not belong to us according to His will, and which we cannot get without acting against it."* The Israelites were doing just that, they were dissatisfied with what they had been given. One may think this is no big deal, afterall, people are dissatisfied all the time with what they have. Desiring to acquire more things, and their hearts desires. We are even told by our society that this is a good thing. "Afterall, we are a consumer society, and we need to buy things in order for our society to flourish."

The problem with the Israelites being dissatisfied with what has been given them, and the same is true for us, is that what was given them, was given to them by the Lord God. When they complained, they were complaining against God's grace and benevolence. He had given them the manna, He provided them with water, and now they were complaining about it. We can picture this for ourselves, when we consider some of the gifts we have given to loved ones, that were either not well received, or were eventually ignored. This did not sit well with us, for we gave those gifts out of love, expecting them to be well received.

Everything that we have has been given to us by our Lord God, and He gives us exactly what we need to sustain this body and life. He does not want us to complain about what we don't have, or covet them, that is, "desiring, longing and hoping for anything that God in His Word has forbiddend us to have."* He wants us to be content with what He has given us. This, of course, is why we fast during Lent, to learn to be content with little, so that in learning to be content in little, we might learn to be generous in abundance.

For those tempted to think that this commandment is a minor thing, that there are "worse sins one could commit," one only need point out the reaction of our Lord God against the complaints of the Jews. His anger burned so hot, that those on the outskirts were consumed with fire. If not a worse reaction than when the Israelites made the golden calf (breaking the first commandment), then this is at least the same sort of reaction from our Lord God. This means that our Lord considers breaking the ninth (and tenth) commandment to be as wrong as breaking the first commandment. Therefore, we should take these commandments seriously, for our Lord God does.

But we see in Moses, a picture of our Lord Jesus, who intercedes for us to our Heavenly Father. And after Moses' pleading on behalf of the people, we see the grace of our Lord, and we see His anger subsided. For He gives them what they want, and provides for them quail, just like the night before the manna first appeared. Again, we see in this a foreshadowing of the Heavenly meal which we enjoy every Lord's Day, and every festival, that is, our Lord's Supper. In this meal, our Lord God shows us His grace, providing us our desire for forgiveness, life and salvation. And our Lord Jesus, Whose Body and Blood which we eat and drink in bread and wine, intercedes for us to the Heavenly Father, showing Him His wounds which He received on the cross, in exchange for us, and our Heavenly Father, on account of His Son, bestows on us His grace. His anger having been appeased by the pleading of His Son.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

* Taken from Martin Luther Small Catechism and An Explanation of Christian Doctrine, edited by Marrku Sarela, published by The Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland, 1999.

So They Started Out For the First Time According to the Command of the LORD By the Hand of Moses: Numbers 10:11-36

Numbers 10:11-36: "11 Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. 12 And the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran. 13 So they started out for the first time according to the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 14 The standard of the camp of the children of Judah set out first according to their armies; over their army was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. 17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their armies; over their army was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. (The tabernacle would be prepared for their arrival.) 22 And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set out according to their armies; over their army was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25 Then the standard of the camp of the children of Dan (the rear guard of all the camps) set out according to their armies; over their army was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. 27 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 Thus was the order of march of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they began their journey. 29 Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, 'We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, "I will give it to you." Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.' 30 And he said to him, 'I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my relatives.' 31 So Moses said, 'Please do not leave, inasmuch as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. 32 And it shall be, if you go with us--indeed it shall be--that whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same we will do to you.' 33 So they departed from the mountain of the LORD on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them for the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the LORD was above them by day when they went out from the camp. 35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: 'Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.' 36 And when it rested, he said: 'Return, O LORD, to the many thousands of Israel.'"

In today's reading from the Old Testament we see the order and structure with which the Lord has arranged the marching of the tribes of Israel. Notice the time that they have sojourned in the wilderness so far, after leaving Egypt. A year, two months, and twenty days have passed since they left Egypt. It has taken them this long to make all the preparations necessary that our Lord God wanted accomplished in order for Him to be their God, and lead them into the promised land of Canaan. This lectionary doesn't go into all minutia of the Law, and all the details that were required by our Lord God in the building and preparation of the Tabernacle, and other holy things. But from the time line we can see that it took some time for these things to be ordered and completed. And now that all those preparations have been completed, the Israelites begin their march toward Canaan.

We are told that the Israelites left the Wilderness of Sinai and went to the Wilderness of Paran. This is just a summary of the entire journey, for we learn in a later chapter that they stopped at one other place along the way, i.e., Hazeroth. But the entire journey is summed up by Moses, because the Wilderness of Paran is where the twelve spies were sent out into the land of Canaan. So that where they made preparations, and the land where they were told that they would spend the remainder of forty years wandering in the wilderness because of their unbelief are mentioned by Moses.

Another interesting thing about this pericope is the order of the march of the Israelites. The sons of Judah, being the rightful heir, lead the procession. Being flanked by Zebulun and Issachar's children on the left and the right. Then the Gershonites and Merarites of the tribe of the Levites, charged with the task of carrying the Tabernacle of Meeting. These would go before the Israelites to find a suitable place to camp, and would be able to set up the Tabernacle of Meeting, before the Holy Things arrived.

Next came the tribe of Reuben, flanked by Gad and Simeon. Following them, would come the Kohathites of the tribe of Levi, who had been charged with the task of carrying the Holy Things, the instruments for use in the Tabernacle of Meeting. When they arrived at the camp, the Gershonites and Merarities having already set up the Tabernacle, the Kohathites could place these sacred items directly into the Tent of Meeting.

The next group was the tribe of Ephraim, flanked by Manasseh and Benjamin. All these were the sons born to Rachel. Ephraim and Manasseh being sons of Joseph. Finally, in the rear, was Dan, flanked by Asher and Naphtali. The tribe of Dan was in charge of keeping the entire host of Israel together. That is, so that none got left behind.

Therefore, twelve tribes marched in four groups of three, with the Levites, carrying the Tabernacle of Meeting, and the Sacred Things for the Tabernacle between Judah and Reuben, respectively.

In front of them all, was the Ark of the Covenant. And above the Ark was the pillar of cloud that first led them out of Egypt. When the Israelites had left Egypt, they were led by a pillar of cloud by day and by a pillar of fire at night. These pillars were the embodiment of our Lord God, now, He would lead them by the carrying of His throne, the Ark of the Covenant. And the pillar of cloud, being above the Ark, would lead and direct the Ark-bearers where to go. He would go before them, and find them a suitable place to rest and camp. Therefore, our Lord God leads His people, just as He leads us today by His holy Word and Sacraments, showing us the way of salvation, and giving us a place of rest and comfort from the wilderness of the sin-parched life.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then the Eyes of Both of Them Were Opened: Genesis 3:1-24

Genesis 3:1-24: "1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" 12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." 13 And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." 16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." 17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" -- 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."

We also begin the season of Lent, on the first Sunday, by hearing about the fall of Adam into sin. And notice that even though Eve is the one that is deceived by the serpent, it is Adam who is charged with the sin. He did not have to eat of the tree, when his wife offered it to him. Moreover, we learn from this pericope that Adam was there with Eve, during the conversation with the serpent, and he did not speak up, and correct his wife, nor rebuke the serpent for his cunning and wiles. No, Adam was a willing participant in his own downfall, and the fall of mankind into sin.

The serpent told them that they would have knowledge. But having eaten the fruit, what did they learn? They learned they were naked. They realized their loss of innocence, they realized they had sinned. And having fashioned fig leaves to cover themselves, our Lord God came to them. But the bond that existed between Creator and the created was already severed, and because of their unholiness, they could not bear to be in the presence the Lord God, therefore, they hid themselves.

They chose the darkness, over the light. They chose the secret places, instead of the freedom and openness of our Lord. And this has been the condition of mankind, ever since.

This is our condition. A condition of separation from the Lord God. But here at the advent of Lent, we see the beginnings of our Lord's plan of deliverance and rescue from this condition of lostness through His battle with the serpent. But no longer does it take place in a Garden, but it takes place in the desert. Our Lord Jesus, enters into the place where the devil's and sins power has grown strongest, and battles that serpent the devil, for us. And unlike Adam and Eve, and unlike us, He conquers temptation, He conquers the devil.

Our Lord begins His journey to the cross in a desert, but He ends His journey in a garden, and in that garden is a tomb, freshly cut, never used. It is the tomb that Adam created on account of distrust and disobedience to our Lord. However, our Lord occupies that tomb that was set apart for Adam and his sons, and breaks the bonds of death, once and for all, by His resurrection.

Therefore, let us lay our sins, at the foot of the cross of our Lord Jesus, and let Him bury those sins in that tomb forever, so that with Him, we may have eternal life.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

And the Glory of the Lord Filled the Tabernacle: Exodus 40:1-38

Exodus 40:1-38: "1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 'On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 You shall put in it the ark of the Testimony, and partition off the ark with the veil. 4 You shall bring in the table and arrange the things that are to be set in order on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and light its lamps. 5 You shall also set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the Testimony, and put up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 6 Then you shall set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7 And you shall set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8 You shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen at the court gate. 9 And you shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it; and you shall hallow it and all its utensils, and it shall be holy. 10 You shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar. The altar shall be most holy. 11 And you shall anoint the laver and its base, and consecrate it. 12 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of meeting and wash them with water. 13 You shall put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. 14 And you shall bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. 15 You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to Me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.' 16 Thus Moses did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did. 17 And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up. 18 So Moses raised up the tabernacle, fastened its sockets, set up its boards, put in its bars, and raised up its pillars. 19 And he spread out the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 20 He took the Testimony and put it into the ark, inserted the poles through the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the ark of the Testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the tabernacle of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil; 23 and he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 24 He put the lampstand in the tabernacle of meeting, across from the table, on the south side of the tabernacle; 25 and he lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 26 He put the gold altar in the tabernacle of meeting in front of the veil; 27 and he burned sweet incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 28 He hung up the screen at the door of the tabernacle. 29 And he put the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 30 He set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water there for washing; 31 and Moses, Aaron, and his sons would wash their hands and their feet with water from it. 32 Whenever they went into the tabernacle of meeting, and when they came near the altar, they washed, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 33 And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys."

Today we wrap up our reading from the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus. Starting Monday, we will begin to read the Book of Moses, commonly called Numbers. We will read through that book for the next two and a half weeks, and then read from the Book of Moses, commonly called Deuteronomy until Passiontide begins. The Book of Moses, commonly called Leviticus, is not read in this Lectionary, not even in part, which follows the ancient practice. But today, we wrap up the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus, and in it we are shown the final preparations of the Tabernacle of Meeting, and our Lord God, taking up His dwelling place within the Tabernacle.

The first thing to point out about this pericope is the time. The Lord God tells Moses to set up the Tabernacle on the first day of the the first month. You may remember that this was the day when the Israelites left Egypt. This means it was the one year anniversary of their leaving Egypt. Therefore, if we view this reading chronologically. One year ago, the Angel of the Lord, came down, and through His presence killed all the firsborn sons of Egypt. Now, our Lord shows His presence among His people once more, this time dwelling among them in peace.

The second thing to be noted is the care with which the Tabernacle and all the instruments and furniture of the Tabernacle were prepared, and set in their proper places. Only Moses is allowed to do this (although, we can be sure that he probably enlisted help for some of the heavier objects, such as the Altar made out of gold). Moses is the one to do this, for he is the prophet of God. He has been appointed by God to do this task. It is also part of his calling to consecrate Aaron, the high priest, and all the sons of Aaron.

The next thing is that our Lord God, takes His dwelling among the people. Whenever the cloud was over the Tabernacle of Meeting, the Israelites remained where they were at, and whenever it was removed, then they would march on. But here we see the great benefit that the Israelites are granted. For, for forty years, while they sojourned in the wilderness, they had the benefit of seeing the presence of the Lord before them. Even though they were in the wilderness, and life was hard, they got to see the Lord dwelling among them.

We too have this benefit, as we dwell in the wilderness of this life fill with sorrow and woe, and trial and tribulation, for our Lord comes to us, and dwells with us, through the Blessed Sacrament. There on the Altar, our Lord dwells in His Body and Blood. We receive Him on our lips, and are granted forgiveness, life, and salvation. This holy meal, is our visible proof that our Lord is here among us until the Last Day, when He appears to us, and the whole world, as He appeared to His disciples on the day of His ascension.

Therefore, we can rejoice at the presence of our Lord Jesus, who gives us constant proof that He cares for us, and provides for us, just like the Israelites had opportunity to joy in the presence of the Lord God in the Tabernacle of Meeting for those forty years.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Behold, I Make A Covenant: Exodus 34:1-10

Exodus 34:1-10: "1 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. 2 So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain. 3 And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.' 4 So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5 Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.' 8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. 9 Then he said, 'If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.' 10 And He said: 'Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.'"

Our Lord God tells Moses to hewn out of stone two tablets, and bring them to Him, so that He might once again write the Law on them with His own finger. There is a difference in this second set of stone tablets, in that Moses is the one providing the materials. In the first set, the ones that Moses broke in his anger, the Lord provided both the materials and the writing on them. Why the difference? We are not told. Perhaps it was because Moses was the one who broke them, therefore he must replace them. Perhaps our Lord God now required some action on behalf of the Israelites, who would perform it through Moses, whereas in the first case, He was willing to give the Law freely to the Israelites without any action on their part, other than to stay away from the mountain. What the reason is we do not know, but we do notice this difference.

Another intriguing thing about this pericope, is the manifestation of God's glory to Moses that is shown to us in verse 5. This is the fulfillment of God, which He made to Moses in chapter 33, when He told Moses that He would put him in the cleft of the rock, and pass by showing him His back, but not His face. We are only revealed two things about this, first, that Moses fell to his face and worshipped God. The second, is that we are not told what Moses saw, only that as He passed by, the Lord spoke, as Martin Luther called it, the great "sermon on the Name of the Lord."

"The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." This is very similar to the introduction to the Commandments, which in Martin Luther's Small Catechism, is placed as the Close of the Commandments, wherein our Lord God, declared that He would both punish sin, and would forgive sin. Hear what Keil and Delitzsch have to say regarding this passage regarding the Lord's Name:

"It proclaimed that God is love, but that kind of love in which mercy, grace, long-suffering, goodness, and truth are united with holiness and justice. As the merciful One, who is great in goodness and truth, Jehovah shows mercy to the thousandth, forgiving sin and iniquity in long-suffering and grace; but He does not leave sin altogether unpunished, and in His justice visits the sin of the fathers upon the children and the children's children even unto the fourth generation. The Lord had already revealed Himself to the whole nation from Mount Sinai as visiting sin and showing mercy (Exo 20:5.). But whereas on that occasion the burning zeal of Jehovah which visits sin stood in the foreground, and mercy only followed afterwards, here grace, mercy, and goodness are placed in the front. And accordingly all the words which the language contained to express the idea of grace in its varied manifestations to the sinner, are crowded together here, to reveal the fact that in His inmost being God is love. But in order that grace may not be perverted by sinners into a ground of wantonness, justice is not wanting even here with its solemn threatenings, although it only follows mercy, to show that mercy is mightier than wrath, and that holy love does not punish till sinners despise the riches of the goodness, patience, and long-suffering of God. As Jehovah here proclaimed His name, so did He continue to bear witness of it to the Israelites, from their departure from Sinai till their entrance into Canaan, and from that time forward till their dispersion among the heathen, and even now in their exile showing mercy to the thousandth, when they turn to the Redeemer who has come out of Zion."

Thus far Keil and Delitzsch.

The whole purpose of this scene we have to remember, is because Moses what some proof from God that He indeed desired the Israelites to be His people. Now having seen the glory of God, Moses once again intercedes on behalf of the Israelites. Or to say it another way, now that the proof has been given, and that Moses has been shown that God desires to have the people of Israel as His people, he immediately reminds the Lord of His promise to lead them into the promised land of Canaan Himself, and not through and His Angel.

Therefore, Moses confesses his sin, and the sin of the Israelites, proclaiming himself and the Israelites to be "stiff-necked people." What Moses is doing here is pleading on behalf of our Lord God's grace and mercy, which He just proclaimed Himself to be, in proclaiming His Name to Moses. On account of Moses' intercession, the Lord proclaims that He will make a covenant with the people of Israel, that only they will see the signs and wonders that He will do for them, and the rest of the nations will not get to see these.

Hence, from the people of Israel, our Lord God would reveal Himself in the flesh. This would be His greatest sign and wonder that He would do, that He would take on our flesh, and suffer and die for not just the Jews, but for all nations.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

You Shall Be a Special Treasure to Me Above All People: Exodus 19:1-25

Exodus 19:1-25: "1 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. 3 And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.' 7 So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. 8 Then all the people answered together and said, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do.' So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. 9 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.' So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. 10 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, "Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live." When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.' 14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, 'Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.' 16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. 20 Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them.' 23 But Moses said to the LORD, 'The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, "Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it."' 24 Then the LORD said to him, 'Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them.' 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them."

Our Lord God prepares to meet His people. This preparation is necessary because of the uncleanness and sinfulness of the Israelites, and on account of the holiness and righteousness of our Lord God. For that which is unclean, cannot come in contact with that which is clean. Therefore the Israelites must prepare to meet the Lord. This is done through washing. They must wash their bodies, wash their clothes, and they must not have sexual intercourse for the three days prior to the meeting with God. In addition to this, they must set boundaries around the mountain so that no one would on purpose, or accidently, touch the mountain, and be killed.

This is in a sense a baptismal rite for the Israelites, for they are washing themselves. That is, of course, what Holy Baptism is, a washing of regeneration, and a renewal of the Holy Ghost. We'll see this over and over again throughout the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus, where the people are being cleansed in some way. Even when they are being cleansed by blood.

The most significant thing to observe from this pericope, however, is the barrier that is set up between the Israelites and the Lord God. This is the barrier that exists between God and man since the fall of Adam into sin. This barrier, prevents that which is holy from coming in contact with that which is unholy. That is, we cannot approach God, who is holy, on account of our sin, which makes us unholy. The other aspect of this, is the context of this pericope, for this reading comes directly before the receiving of the Ten Commandments by Moses. Therefore, we see that even though the Law has not been officially given, we can still see that the penalty for disobedience to God still exists.

This Law will serve to create an even deeper rift between God and man. Not because the fault lies within the Law, but because the fault lies within man who constantly breaks that Law. This brings up another point, for the Law of God was only officially given to the people of Israel. Therefore, according to reason, it would only apply to them, right? It does not. This Law given to the people of Israel, applies to all mankind, therefore, no one is excused from it. There may be those who ignore it, or think it doesn't apply to them, or even those who try to change the tenets of the Law, saying that somethings are not a transgression against the Law. But the Law still applies to them too. And the breaking of the Law, and its penalty, eternal death, still applies to them as well.

Therefore, the command has been put out by our Lord God in this pericope, that no one should approach or touch the mountain, or they will die. We are not told if any one tried, and one would think that we would be as an eternal example of our Lord's righteousness, but this rule was a test to the people of Israel to see if they would obey the command.

Unfortunately, we know the history of the Israelites, for even though they have consecrated themselves to the Lord, and washed themselves in order to appear in God's presence clean, they would break His commandments before they were even given, by worshipping a golden calf, which was made by the chief priest, Aaron.

Through the Law, there would be no salvation for the Israelites, nor is there salvation through the keeping of the Law for us. Therefore, from before the foundation of the world, the Lord planned our salvation, knowing full well, that Adam would sin, that the Israelites would turn their back on Him time and again, and knowing that even us today, would sin greatly and much, breaking His commandments often. His plan was to send to Earth in our flesh, His One and Only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He would fulfill the Law perfectly, and He would satisfy the penalty of breaking the commandments of God for us by suffering and dying on the cross of Calvary. Having done so, He consecrates and purifies all those who believe, by washing us with Holy Baptism, wherein we are crucified with Him, so that just as He rose from the dead, we too, may forever live free from sin, and in holiness before Him. And because of this we are a special treasure to the Lord, above all people.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

The LORD Is My Banner: Exodus 17:1-16

Exodus 17:1-16: "1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, 'Give us water, that we may drink.' And Moses said to them, 'Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?' 3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, 'Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?' 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, 'What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!' 5 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.' And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, 'Is the LORD among us or not?' 8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.' 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, 'The-LORD-Is-My-Banner;' 16 for he said, 'Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.'"

The-LORD-Is-My-Banner in Hebrew is Jehovahnissi, which in the King James Version is left untranslated. This altar that Moses built would stand as a memorial to the people of what happened there that day. And it would serve as a marker of knowledge for all those who would pass by this memorial. In our society, we are quite familiar with memorials. They are all over the place. As one drives down the road, one often sees a sign that states, "historical marker ___ miles." This historical marker probably contains a sign or plaque that states what took place on that spot of historical significance. Sometimes one sees crosses, or flowers, or other markers along the road as memorials to some event taking place on that spot. There are even memorials that are sponsored by civil government to mark important things happening. Therefore, the concept of a memorial is not uncommon to us.

This memorial however, is different, for it states something about Who the Lord God is, and who His people are. This altar would proclaim that Jehovah was the God of the people of Israel, and they were His people whom He fights for, and anybody that messed with them, would be messing with their God. Hence the name, Jehovahnissi, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner. This brings us to a discussion on banners.

In most parishes there are banners that hang in the nave, or other parts of the church, and they either have symbolic pictures or words from Scripture, or both. These banners add color to the church, and provide some instruction. But these banners, although pictures and figures of the true banners of God, are not the type of banner that is being spoken about here. For a banner is an instrument of war. It would serve as a rallying point for the army if the battle became to fierce. The troops would be able to rally back to the banner, or ensign, and they would find strength to continue on in the battle. In the Greek language of the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament and Apocrypha, the word for banner is "katarefuge." In that Greek word we can see our English word "refuge." A refuge is a place where we go to "recharge our batteries" so to speak. It is a place where we retreat from the troubles of this life, to find some relaxation, and respite.

For the Istraelites, this is where they were shown by God that He fights for them, and protects them, and will be their God. For us, our refuge is the Word of God. And the enemy that we fight, is not Amalek, who was destroyed by the Israelite army, but it is sin, death, and the devil. Our banner, our rallying point is the Word of God, wherein we hear over and over again, that our Lord Jesus fought and won the battle for us, and now gives us forgiveness, and through that promise of forgiveness we have hope and comfort in eternal life and salvation. Our Lord Jesus, even as He fought the war for us, and won the victory, just like for the Israelites against Amalek, and gave them an altar as a memorial for all generations, has also given us a memorial of His victory over sin and death in the Sacrament of the Altar.

In this Sacrament of the Altar, our Lord Jesus gives us His very Body and Blood as a memorial of His victory in bread and wine. And this meal is not just a memorial, that is, we don't just remember the cross and what our Lord did for us, but it actually grants forgiveness of sin, eternal life, and salvation, through the working of the Holy Ghost in this meal.

So, here we have again, another reminder of our sin, and our Lord's cross in the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus. And these reminders are leading us into the Lenten season with Ash Wednesday coming just next Wednesday. This coming Sunday, Quinquagesima, is sometimes called, the Sunday before Lent. Therefore, this penitential season fast approaches (pun intended). Therefore in this Lectionary we can see how our eyes are slowly being directed from the Incarnation and Revelation of our Lord Jesus in the flesh, to His purpose and work, that is, His cross for our forgiveness.

Let us give thanks this day, that our Lord has fought the battle with sin, death, and the devil, and has given us the victory, so that we need not fear these enemies of God. And let us give thanks for the grace that He bestows upon us every day.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

What Is It?: Exodus 15:22-16:36

Exodus 15:22-16:36: "15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?' 25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. And there He tested them, 26 and said, 'If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.' 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.

"16:1 And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. 2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, 'Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.' 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. 5 And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.' 6 Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, 'At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?' 8 Also Moses said, 'This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.' 9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, 'Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, "Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints."' 10 Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 'I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, "At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God."' 13 So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 'This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: "Let every man gather it according to each one's need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent."' 17 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18 So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need. 19 And Moses said, 'Let no one leave any of it till morning.' 20 Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted. 22 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 Then he said to them, 'This is what the LORD has said: "Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning."' 24 So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. 25 Then Moses said, 'Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.' 27 Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. 28 And the LORD said to Moses, 'How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? 29 See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.' 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Then Moses said, 'This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: "Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt."' 33 And Moses said to Aaron, 'Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.' 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah."

What is it? It is manna. Of course this is what "manna" means, "what is it?" We learn from this pericope that for forty years this is what the Israelites ate. There was not much variety in their diet. This text comes to us as we prepare for the fast. It is a reminder to us who may complain about having to fast, or give up certain food items, that for forty years the Israelites ate nothing but something that tasted like bread made with honey. It probably tasted good, but even after forty days it would seem boring, not to mention forty years. Of course, for us, the fast is something regulated by Christian freedom, that is, one can fast has ascetic as one wants, or not at all. However, this text serves as an encouragement to those who desire to fast. For consider what the Israelites ate for forty years, but also consider the amount. They were allowed an omer a day of manna. Now, we are told an omer is 1/10 of an ephah. An ephah is equal to a bath. A bath was about 6 gallons or, more precisely, 22 liters. That means that an omer, being 1/10 of an ephah, would be 2.2 liters, or about 2 quarts. If one considers there are three meals in a day, that would work out to about a little over 21 ounces of manna per meal. That works out to about 1 2/3 lb. of food per meal. Not knowing how many ounces the average American meal is, that seems like a pretty substantial amount. So, they were not going hungry, but they could only eat one thing for forty years.

In the Early Christian Church, during the time of Lent, the time leading up to Easter, Christians were encouraged to go without food or drink, except water, for forty days. These forty days represented two things, one, the sojourn of the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness, in which they fasted by necessity. And, two, the fasting of our Lord Jesus for forty days in the wilderness, in which He neither ate nor drank anything, but water, for forty days and nights, being tempted by the devil. This fasting of our Lord, also represented the fasting of the Israelites for forty years. Therefore, our Lord Jesus placed Himself into the condition of His people, taking on their burdens.

In this gift of manna from our Lord God, we also see our Lord God providing another meal for His people. Before the manna, He sent quail, and so in the evening before the manna was given, they got to eat the meat of quail. The quail and the bread is a picture of the Lord's Supper, for in that meal there is both flesh and bread. And in the flesh is blood, therefore, we have prefigured the meal that our Lord Jesus instituted for us Christians to eat and drink. This of course, also directs our eyes to the cross, where our Lord won for us forgiveness, life and salvation. The gifts that He bestows through this Blessed Sacrament.

This is why the book of Exodus is read during this time of Pre-Lent, for it prepares us for the fast, and directs our eyes to the meal that was given to us, on account of our Lord's death and burial, which gives us forgiveness of sins. And as we fast, as a spiritual exercise of our humility over our sin, which we reflect upon during Lent, we are prepared to hear of the cross of our Lord, for it is in the cross where our sins are destroyed, and it is in the cross where our fasting ends, for on the third day after His cross He rose again to eternal life, and we too, are granted this eternal life by Him. Therefore during Easter, there has never been fasting until after Pentecost, in the whole of the history of the Church. This is a witness to our resurrection from the dead, which our Lord won for us by His resurrection.

Therefore, during this coming Lenten season, as we fast and reflect upon our sins, humbling ourselves before our Lord God, let us also remember the sojourn of the Israelites in the wilderness, and of our Lord Jesus who also sojourned in the wilderness after His Holy Baptism. For all Christians are only sojourning in this life, heading towards the promised land. Therefore, in the fast we learn to shed the props of this life, and look to, and hope in the eternal life that waits us.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Let Us Go and Sacrifice to Our God: Exodus 5:1-23

Exodus 5:1-23: "1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness."' 2 And Pharaoh said, 'Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.' 3 So they said, 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.' 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, 'Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.' 5 And Pharaoh said, 'Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!' 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 'You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, "Let us go and sacrifice to our God." 9 Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.' 10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, 'Thus says Pharaoh: "I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced."' 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, 'Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.' 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, 'Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?' 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, 'Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, "Make brick!" And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.' 17 But he said, 'You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, "Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD." 18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.' 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, 'You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.' 20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, 'Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.' 22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, 'Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.'"

In this pericope we see a glimpse of the oppression of the Israelite nation put upon them by Pharaoh, and the taskmasters placed over them. We also see that Moses' task is not going to be an easy one. As the saying goes, "Things are going to get a lot worse, before they get better." This is certainly the case with regard to the people of Israel. After the request of Moses and Aaron to go three days journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord God, Pharaoh becomes belligerent, and forces the Israelites to now not only make the same amount of bricks as before, but also to now gather the straw, which was before provided for them. Our Lord does this so that He might remove any desire of the Israelite nation to stay in Egypt, and so He makes their labor so harsh, that they will want to leave.

We see the reason for the Pharaoh's treatment of the Jews, and we can really see what is in his heart from the statement, "I do not know the Lord." It was not uncommon during this time period for people to offer sacrifices to their gods, and for people to do what their gods commanded them. So this was quite a reasonable request of Moses and Aaron. We see how faithless Pharaoh is, for even if there was a shred of the fear of God in him, he would have let them go. But we see here just how much of an enemy of God Pharaoh is. In a sense, he represents the devil himself, the great oppressor and accuser of the children of God. From this we can see how when our Lord desires to draw us closer to him, the devil, and the world and our sinful flesh, drive us into further and greater oppression, so that we might lose faith in our God.

This seems to be the case with the Israelites, for after learning of why they are being treated this way by Pharaoh, who do they blame? Moses and Aaron. But in reality they are really blaming God. So it would seem that our Lord's plan to use Pharaoh's oppression to drive them closer to Himself, is not working. However, our Lord God bears the reproach patiently, for He knows that in the end, He will win the battle.

In this we see a picture of our Lord's suffering and death. For He bears the suffering and pain and shame of the beating, and mockery and the crucifixion, because He knows that He will win the victory over sin and death by doing so. In this our Lord God shows that His ways are not the ways of the world. For the world would desire to do everything the easy way, and the quickest way, with the least amount of suffering. But our Lord God suffers reproach on our behalf, in order that He might draw us to Himself.

And this is just as true for us as is was for the Israelites, for when we suffer the onslaughts of the devil, the world and our flesh, we cry out to our God, and He hears us and delivers us, by preaching His holy Word into our ears, so that we are comforted in His Word of forgiveness, and through His constant preaching to us, and by the working of the Holy Ghost through the means of grace, and our participation in them, He strengthens our faith in Him, so that we learn to bear the reproaches of the world, and the devil, and our flesh, even as He did for us.

This of course is what we mean when we talk about faith tried and tested in fire. Holy Scripture uses this illustration of fire purging the impurities out of gold. Fire purifies. It burns away all that makes us impure. But being burned is not a pleasant experience. It certainly must not be for the gold which undergoes a metamorphasis. We through this purification by the fire of the Holy Ghost, undergo a transformation as well. We are made into stronger Christians. Our faith is strengthened, our resolve is increased, so that we learn to withstand greater and greater reproaches, for we know the reward that awaits us. And it is this reward which gives us great hope to endure trouble and trial in this life.

However, the question is always raised when one reads through this part of Exodus about Pharaoh. How come God "causes his heart to be hardened?" Is God sacrificing someone for the good of mankind? It is the same question asked about Judas. How come God couldn't save him, or Pharaoh? The simple answer is, they hardened their own hearts against God. We see this today often, there are those in the Church, who through hardship, are driven from the Church. Their faith is tried and tested, and it fails. What of these people? It is a difficult thing to say, but they have shut their ears to the Word of God, they have hardened their hearts against God.

Instead of rejoicing that their Lord and God is purifying them, that He loves them so much that He cares to make them pure and holy in His sight, they respond like Pharaoh, like Judas, and like the Israelites in this pericope. They blame God, and get angry at Him. Perhaps this makes our Lord God out to be a sadistic god, playing with us like a child plays with his toy action figures, treating them harshly for his own sick pleasures. This, however, is not the case at all. Instead, He desires to strengthen our faith, and draw us closer to Him.

Sadly, there are some people who will never see this. They will always consider our Lord God to be cruel and unforgiving. It is these who in actuality do not have shred of the fear of God in their hearts, just like Pharaoh. And although our Lord God continuously is correcting them, and trying desparately to drive them down the right path, they will only continue to harden their hearts.

However, there are those whose hard hearts, will be softened, and they will listen, and they will heed the Word of God, and learn to rejoice in the reproaches that come our way. The people of Israel, did just this. Not all of them listened, and some of them we left to die in the wilderness, but a whole generation of the people of Israel, did learn to love and trust in the Lord God as their only Lord and Savior, and they were brought into the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey.

This is the eternal reward that awaits you and I as we suffer the trials and tribulations of this life. And we have to confess, that our lives are not all that bad. Our Lord gives us of His very self, every Sunday and feast day, in His very Body and Blood given in bread and wine. He even shares with us His holy Gospel, whenever we gather together to worship Him, and hear His holy Word. This is why the Church traditionally has worshipped every day, morning and evening, so that as we are purified by the fire of trial and tribulation in this life, we might find comfort and hope in our Lord Jesus' holy Gospel.

Our Lord Jesus, our Savior, suffered the all the reproaches that the devil, the world, and sin could throw at Him. And He did it all for us, out of His great love for us. And although, He allows the devil to trouble us in this life, He does not allow him to trouble us beyond our capability, nor does He allow him to completely destroy us. Even and especially when we think we are completely ruined, our Lord has us in His holy arms. The arms that He extends to all of us on the holy cross of His tormenting and death. In His crucifixion we see how our Lord saves us, for even when He seems to be completely destroyed, that the battle has been lost, He is in reality the victor. And to prove it to us, He raises Himself from the dead. In this we see how when we face adversity, and even though it may seem like we are completely destroyed, in reality, we have really gained the victory, for our Lord Jesus reveals His love and grace and mercy for us, and strengthens and renews our faith, so that we trust Him completely unto life everlasting.

May the Lord God grant you grace, even in tribulation, to see His loving gracious hand, and may He hold and protect you in His loving arms.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas