Moses Did Not Know That the Skin of His Face Shone While He Talked to Him: Exodus 34:27-35

Exodus 34:27-35: "27 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Write these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.' 28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. 29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him."

Because Moses was in communion with God, and spoke with Him for forty days and nights, his face shone, reflecting back onto his face the glory of the Lord. When the people of Israel, saw this glory reflected upon Moses face, they were afraid.

Now consider this: This was only the reflection of God's glory. But in their sinful state, the people of Israel, seeing only a glimmer and a glimpse of the glory of God, drew back in fear. Even Aaron, Moses own brother, cowered at the veil presence of God that was reflected onto Moses face.

St. Paul talks about this glory of God on Moses' face in his Epistle to the Church at Corinth. But there he remarks about how it faded, when he was no longer in the presence of God. Nowhere in the Old Testament is this revealed, but the Blessed Apostle, speaking through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, fills in the blanks for us, showing us that the glory of Moses' face, was only a precursor, a glimmer of the true glory that comes from the Gospel.

Hear what Keil and Delitzsch have to say on this subject:

"This reflection of the splendour thrown back by the glory of God was henceforth to serve as the most striking proof of the confidential relation in which Moses stood to Jehovah, and to set forth the glory of the office which Moses filled. The Apostle Paul embraces this view in 2 Co 3:7., and lays stress upon the fact that the glory was to be done away, which he was quite justified in doing, although nothing is said in the Old Testament about the glory being transient, from the simple fact that Moses died. The apostle refers to it for the purpose of contrasting the perishable glory of the law with the far higher and imperishable glory of the Gospel. At the same time he regards the veil which covered Moses' face as a symbol of the obscuring of the truth revealed in the Old Testament. But this does not exhaust the significance of this splendour. The office could only confer such glory upon the possessor by virtue of the glory of the blessings which it contained, and conveyed to those for whom it was established. Consequently, the brilliant light on Moses' face also set forth the glory of the Old Covenant, and was intended both for Moses and the people as a foresight and pledge of the glory to which Jehovah had called, and would eventually exalt, the people of His possession."

Thus far Keil and Delitzsch.

This narrative again brings us to the Mount of Transfiguration, where our Lord Jesus was transfigured before the Apostles, St. Peter, St. James the Elder, and St. John, and standing there in His transfigured glory with Him were Elijah and Moses.

This glory of God which Moses reflects, is a picture and image of the glory of our Lord Jesus. For when He reveals on the Mount of Transfiguration His full glory, we can see the picture of the Israelites in the Apostles who fell to their faces in fear.

Of course, all those who sin, when they come into the perfection of our Lord's revealed glory, shudder in fear, for they realize that they are unworthy to behold such an image. This is shown throughout the Holy Scriptures, from Adam, to Isaiah, to Moses at the burning bush, to Aaron and the people of Israel. And the list could go on.

But this is the very reason that our Lord Jesus is born into our flesh, so that he might remove that barrier of sin, which prevents us from beholding the true glory of God. And He accomplished this on the tree of the cross.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Here Is a Place By Me, And You Shall Stand on the Rock: Exodus 33:1-23

Exodus 33:1-23: "1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, "To your descendants I will give it." 2 And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.' 4 And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, 'Say to the children of Israel, "You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you."' 6 So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb. 7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. 9 And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. 10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. 11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. 12 Then Moses said to the LORD, 'See, You say to me, "Bring up this people." But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, "I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight." 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.' 14 And He said, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.' 15 Then he said to Him, 'If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.' 17 So the LORD said to Moses, 'I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.' 18 And he said, 'Please, show me Your glory.' 19 Then He said, 'I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.' 20 But He said, 'You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.' 21 And the LORD said, 'Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.'"

In this pericope we again see Moses being a prefigurement of our Lord Jesus Christ. For our Lord God chooses to reveal His glory to Moses, but Moses must be hid in the cleft of the rock. This is very similar to an episode that the Prophet Elijah had where he too was allowed to see the Lord's glory pass by while he was in the cleft of a rock. In this we have a connection between Moses and Elijah, and this glory that they only got to see from the cleft of the rock, and not even the Lord's full glory, for His face was hidden from them, we see fully revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration. There Moses and Elijah talk with our Lord Jesus, and they are not afraid, however, the Apostles, St. Peter, St. James the Elder, and St. John, are shaking in their sandles, with their faces to the ground, for they had been revealed the full glory of our Lord Jesus.

But Moses and Elijah are not afraid, for they had seen this glory before. This cleft in the rock also holds significance, because it points to the cleft of rock that our Lord Jesus was placed into after His crucifixion. He was placed in a brand new tomb, that had been cut out of rock. Therefore, Moses, and Elijah, being placed into this cleft in the rock is a picture of the tomb of our Lord Jesus. In this tomb, our Lord reveals His true glory, for in the tomb, our Lord Jesus, buries, once and for all, sin, death, and the power of the devil, so that they can no longer harm us.

Having done this, we, unlike Moses, and Elijah, can see the full glory of the Lord face to face. And we behold that glory, whenever we receive His Body and Blood in bread and wine. The bread that we eat, is the Body of Christ, and the wine which we drink, is the Blood of Christ, this is His glory, the giving out of the forgiveness, life and salvation, that He won for us on the tree of the cross.

Therefore, as we enter into Lent, let us stand upon this Rock, and hide ourselves in the cleft of this Rock, and behold our Lord's glory, which we will reveal to us in His holy crucifixion. May our eyes ever be shown our sin, that we may cast them at the foot of the cross.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

He Gave Moses Two Tablets of the Testimony, Tablets of Stone, Written with the Finger of God: Exodus 31:18-32:35

Exodus 31:18-32:35: "31:18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

"32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, 'Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' 2 And Aaron said to them, 'Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.' 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!' 5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, 'Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.' 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 7 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!"' 9 And the LORD said to Moses, 'I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.' 11 Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: 'LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, "He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?" Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever."' 14 So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. 15 And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. 16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. 17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, 'There is a noise of war in the camp.' 18 But he said: 'It is not the noise of the shout of victory, nor the noise of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing I hear.' 19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. 21 And Moses said to Aaron, 'What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?' 22 So Aaron said, 'Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, "Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." 24 And I said to them, "Whoever has any gold, let them break it off." So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.' 25 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, 'Whoever is on the LORD's side--come to me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor."' 28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said, 'Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.' 30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, 'You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.' 31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, 'Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin--but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.' 33 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.' 35 So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made."

As soon as God delivers His Law written by His own finger to Moses, we are shown that the people of God, have broken the Testimony. And it is the very first Commandment, that is, to not have other gods. The narrative of the golden calf is familiar to us. But here are a couple of things that should be drawn to our attention regarding this pericope.

The first is that God writes the Ten Commandments with His own finger. This reveals the love our Lord God has for His people, and how important this Law is to Him. He doesn't pass the task of writing it on to an angel, or to Moses, but He writes it Himself. This means that what He writes, He means to be kept flawlessly.

The second thing to point out is that when the Israelites approach Aaron to make them a false god, he doesn't put up any sort of an argument, at least none that is written about. He basically says, "Ok, give me your gold and silver, and I'll do it." Along these lines, and something that is interesting, is when Aaron is relaying the story to Moses, he states that when he threw the gold and the silver into the fire, the golden calf just appeared out of the flames. This is different the narrative that Moses relates earlier in the chapter, that is, that Aaron fashioned it with an engraving tool. What does that mean? It means that Aaron is lying to Moses, to make it seem like what he did wasn't that bad. Although, Aaron leaves out the part about making an altar to the golden calf, too. We also learn that Aaron was the guy left in charge by Moses, to keep the Israelites from doing just such a thing. What is truly remarkable about all this, is that Aaron is still chosen as the High Priest. This shows how forgiving our Lord can be.

Another thing to point out is that our Lord God, when He discovers what the Israelites are doing, He wants to immediately wipe out the entire nation, however, Moses intercedes for them. We see in this a prefigurement of our Lord Jesus, Who intercedes for us to the Father. But what is interesting is that as soon as Moses comes down the mountain, the same wrath that our Lord God had, now consumes him. And he smashes the stone tablets on the ground, has the calf ground into powder, and makes them drink it. Then he sends the Levites out among the Israelites, and they kill 3,000 of them. What this means, is that Moses is acting on God's behalf. He both intercedes and metes out punishment. Or to say it another way, he both forgives and retains sins, much like the ministers do today. Forgiving the sins of those who repent, but retaining the sin of those who do not repent.

The final thing to point out is that after Moses does all these things to the Israelite people, he is back to interceding to the Lord God for the people. He even makes the great statement, that he would be willing to die in the place of the Israelites for their sin (see verse 32). Moses is showing himself to be a prefigurement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who was willing to suffer and die on behalf of us and the whole world, who are manifest sinners, so that we might have life, and have it abundantly.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

All The Words Which the LORD Has Said We Will Do: Exodus 24:1-25:9

Exodus 24:1-25:9: "24:1 Now He said to Moses, 'Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.' 3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, 'All the words which the LORD has said we will do.' 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, 'All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.' 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, 'This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.' 9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank. 12 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.' 13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, 'Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.' 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain. 16 Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

"25:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 'Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. 3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats' hair; 5 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 6 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.'"

We have in this pericope what happens after our Lord God gave the Ten Commandments and other ceremonial laws that our Lord God had given to the people of Israel. What is their response? They say, "All the Words which the LORD has said we will do." They say this twice. This shows us that they received the Word of God gladly. The Law and the rights attached to the Law, that is, the requirements, did not seem to be that great of a burden to them. It was good news for them.

How often today, when somebody states the rules, are they met with joy? Furthermore, how often today when people are presented the rules do they even agree to do them? We hear it all the time in sayings like, "Rules were meant to be broken." Or, "Nobody's going to tell me what to do." Or, "You're just trying to force your moral will on me." This is not so with the Israelites, they hear the Law, that is, the rules, and gladly receive it, wishing happily to fulfill it. Now, I suppose someone could argue that the Israelites were not going to say no to God, while He was in their very presence, even if His true presence was veiled in a cloud. But the repetition of the phrase by the Israelites negates this theory, for it shows their willingness to obey God.

What is truly amazing about this pericope, is that after the people ascent to God's will, what happens? Moses and Aaron, and Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel sat down to a meal with our Lord God. Here we go again! Another meal that our Lord God has with His people. A meal in which they ate and drank. It is another allusion or prefigurement of the meal that we eat and drink with our Lord, and the whole host of Heaven, every Sunday and feast day. The meal in which He gives us His very own Body and Blood to eat and drink.

On Mount Sinai, this meal signified the unity that the people of Israel enjoyed with the Lord God. In Holy Communion, the same unity that exists between God and all those who eat is also signified. This is why the Church has always practiced closed communion, for those who are outside of the people of God, cannot eat this meal, without damning themselves. We can see this in this pericope, for even though God is claiming the Israelites as His people, and they have ascented to Him being their God, we are told that the Lord did not touch the seventy elders and the rest of the men gathered for the meal, for if He touched them, they would die.

The same thing happens in Holy Communion, for as we learn in Holy Scripture, through the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church at Corinth, those who eat and drink unworthily, are eating damnation unto themselves. To eat and drink unworthily means two things, first, to not believe that our Lord's Body and Blood are truly present in themselves in the bread and wine. The second thing, is to not be in unity and fellowship with those who one is eating and drinking with. This unity and fellowship includes agreement on doctrine and practice on what the Church teaches.

This is another rule of our Lord God, that when revealed to people, it draws ire and reproach from those that hear it. But those that show their disdain for the rules, show their disdain both for the fellowship that is enjoyed by those who eat and drink, and disdain for the Lord God, who gave the rule. How grand it would be if we all were like the Israelites, who when presented with the rules, gladly said, "All the words which the LORD has said we will do." For then there would exist true unity between us, and we could all join together in unity and eat and drink our Lord's meal.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then Moses and the Children of Israel Sang This Song to the Lord: Exodus 15:1-21

Exodus 15:1-21: "1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: 'I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! 2 The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him. 3 The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone. 6 Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. 7 And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. 8 And with the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them." 10 You blew with Your wind, The sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them. 13 You in Your mercy have led forth The people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation. 14 The people will hear and be afraid; Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; The mighty men of Moab, trembling will take hold of them; All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away. 16 Fear and dread will fall on them; By the greatness of Your arm they will be as still as a stone, till Your people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over whom You have purchased. 17 You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. 18 "The LORD shall reign forever and ever." 19 For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.' 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam answered them: 'Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!'"

Parts of this pericope make up what is known as the canticle "Cantemus Domino," which is translated, "I will sing unto the Lord." This canticle is traditionally the canticle that is sung on Thursday at Matins, in place of the "Te Deum," which, strictly speaking, is the canticle for Sunday, except during the penitential seasons. The Cantemus Domino is derived from verses 1-2, 6, 11, 13, and 17-18 of Exodus 15, although it is often listed as being Exodus 15:1-18. Traditionally it is chanted to the eighth Gregorian psalm tone. Shown below:

The two notes before the double barline indicates the intonation. The reciting note is the B flat written as a double whole note. The flex, which is sometimes used on long sections of recitation, or on the "-ning" of beginning in the the Gloria Patri, indicates a drop to that note (in this case G), it is usually either a drop of a whole step or a minor third depending on what the reciting note is.

The mediation comes next. This is where the canticle verse is divided in two, usually by a colon, or semicolon, or by and asterisk. In the example above it is the two notes before the double barline marked with an asterisks above. In the eighth psalm tone, and some others as well (2nd, 4th, and 5th), sometimes the final note of the mediation is dropped. This is the case if the final syllable of a poly-syllable word is accented, or if the word is a mono-syllable. This is what is known anciently as the "monosyllabic mediation." After the mediation, the reciting note is again taken up until the termination.

The termination in the eighth psalm tone is the four quarter notes listed above. In the eighth psalm tone, besides the normal termination, there are two other "differentiae" or "variations." Also, the termination in the example above does not include what are known as "hollow notes." In Gregorian chant, these were notes that were that were not filled in, hence, they were "hollow." These notes indicated the note to be sung when two syllables were to be sung to the same note. The syllables that are sung to hollow notes are typically the "short" syllables that follow an accented syllable. They are, typically, one or two letter syllables. The note they are sung to depends on the following note, whether it is a less than two steps, or a third step or more. If less than two steps, the short syllable is sung on the same note as the accented syllable. If the next note is a third step or more, the short syllable is sung to the following note.

This canticle is the song of the people of God, who having been rescued from the perils of sin and death, praise God for His abundant mercy. Therefore let us sing this canticle and give praise to God.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Do Not Be Afraid. Stand Still, and See the Salvation of the Lord: Exodus 14:1-31

Exodus 14:1-31: "1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 'Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, "They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in." 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.' And they did so. 5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, 'Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?' 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. 10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 Then they said to Moses, 'Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, "Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?" For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.' 13 And Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.' 15 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.' 19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.' 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.' 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses."

This is a rather well known pericope. The narrative of the destruction of Pharaoh and his army in the depths of the Red Sea. In this reading we see the pride of Pharaoh, and we see that the old saying is true, "After pride, cometh a fall." We also begin to see in this reading from the Book of Moses, commonly called Exodus, the trouble that our Lord God is going to have with the Israelites. Pharaoh also is a picture of what the Israelites will be like after they have begun living in Canaan.

Throughout the ten plagues, Pharaoh has moments of remorse; moments where he plans on letting the people of Israel go, however, he eventually reneges on remorse. He is no exception, for after the death of the firstborn has sunk in, Pharaoh, and we are told all of Egypt with him, wonders why he let the Israelites go. His pride gets the best of him, therefore, he gathers his army to chase after the Israelites to either bring them back into Egypt by force, or worse, to slaughter them all in the wilderness, taking vengeance upon them for the death of the firstborn sons.

The same thing is true of the Israelites after they enter the land of Canaan, for they also have moments where they have great faith in the Lord God, and call upon Him, and trust in Him, but then as their lives get easier, and they don't need Him as much, they forget about Him. Therefore, the Lord God sends them oppressors, in the form of other lands enacting some kind of force upon them, until they cry out once more to God. This cycle continues throughout the Old Testament, until at last God finally has enough of them, and leads them into exile.

We can see this already in this pericope, for the Israelites, who were slaves in Egypt, and as much as they object at the present time about being led out into the wilderness to die, they did not like it in Egypt. But yet, they still claim they would have been better off staying in Egypt. Yeah, right! But God has already planned their salvation, and the destruction of Pharaoh. For this is where Pharaoh's pride has led him, to his own destruction.

This whole reading is a picture of Holy Baptism. Pharaoh and his army, represent the devil and world, all those things which lead us away from God, and into sin. The Israelites, represent the Church, that is, the people of God, who have been baptized in the holy waters of Baptism. And the Red Sea represents the waters of Holy Baptism itself. The Israelites pass through the waters of the Red Sea with the waters walled up on their left and their right, and they pass through those waters, through seeming death, to life on the other side. Pharaoh and his army, however, are drowned and killed in the Red Sea, so that they can no longer harm the Israelites forever.

This is precisely what takes place in Holy Baptism, all that is evil and sinful within us that we have inherited from Adam, and have added thereto ourselves is drowned and killed in the waters of Holy Baptism. And we emerge out of the waters alive and cleansed, and the powers of hell and death can no longer bother us forever.

Seeing the result of what the Lord God did through the waters of the Red Sea, the people of Israel believed the Lord, and His servant Moses. In other words, it produced faith. This is just like Holy Baptism, for through it the Holy Ghost creates faith in those who cling to their Holy Baptism. And those in whom faith has been created, believe and trust in God, always seeking after Him, and hearing His Word.

However, like the Israelites who would always stray from God, and would need to be led back through oppression and persecution, we too, when times are easy forget about the great gift that is placed upon us. However, through the trial and tribulation placed upon us by our sinful flesh and the world, we are again led back to the Lord God, we are reminded of our Holy Baptism, and that He has redeemed us by the precious Blood of His Only Son Jesus Christ. And having heard once again the message, we again have faith and trust in Him. Although, if we are kept steadfast in His Word, our faith is never shaken, although it may be tested and tried. For through our constant hearing of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are always reminded of what He has done for us, and continues to do for us.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

It Shall Not Return to Me Void: Isaiah 55:10-13

Isaiah 55:10-13: "10 For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 12 For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Our Lord God through the Prophet Isaiah states that His Word shall not return to Him void, it shall accomplish the purpose for which He sent it. This is good news for us. For this Word is the Gospel, that is, the preaching that our sins have been forgiven on account of our Lord Jesus Christ's perfect fulfilling of the Law, and His sacrifice of death in our stead. This Gospel is for you, for all those who hear and believe.

And this Gospel shall encompass the whole earth. The mountains and hills, the trees of the field, everything will proclaim this good news. The Word of God produces trees, cypress trees and myrtle trees, not thorns and briers. This is the promise of our Lord God.

This is shown us in the Gospel reading for today, which is Sexagesima, or Exsurge, where we hear our Lord Jesus proclaim that the seed that falls on good soil will produce fruit of an hundredfold. Here the Prophet Isaiah also proclaims the same thing will happen. This pericope, appointed for this Sunday in The Lutheran Hymnal, adds to the Gospel reading, by proclaiming the good things that the Gospel does for all those hear.

We are told by the Lord God through the Prophet Isaiah, that this Word which comes down from Heaven, waters the soil, and gives bread to the eater. Here we see the elements for the two Blessed Sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These Sacraments also are the Word of God, they are the Word of God attached to a visible element. And it is through these Sacraments that the Holy Ghost works when and where He pleases to create and sustain faith in life in the believer.

It is our participation in these things, preaching and the Sacraments, where we are not only made into Christians, but the seed of faith that has been planted into us, is nurtured and sustained, so that it grows into a mighty tree, like a cypress or myrtle tree. Again, we have a tree, which draws us back to the cross of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. For those who believe on Him, have been crucified with Him, and all that dwells within them, has been buried in His grave. Therefore, we are made into trees, that is, trees of life. Trees can be seen from far away. Even if there is just one it can be distinguished as a tree. Not so with thorns and briers, the bushes of the enemy. But we are not thorns and briers, we are not under the oppression of sin and the slavery of death.

No, we live as trees of life, forgiven, redeemed, and from us, that is, from the Words of our lips as we share the Gospel in this world, all those who eat of our fruit of the Gospel, have the seed of the Word of God planted within them, and when they come into the holy house of God to hear the preaching and receive the Sacraments, the Holy Ghost creates and sustains faith and life in them, making them Christians, so that the cycle of Life continues onward.

May the fruit of eternal life go forth from our lips, and fill the hills and mountains, and produce fruit of an hundredfold, gathering all those who hear into the holy house of God.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Consecrate to Me All the Firstborn: Exodus 13:1-22

Exodus 13:1-22: "1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 'Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.' 3 And Moses said to the people: 'Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 On this day you are going out, in the month Abib. 5 And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. 8 And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, "This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt." 9 It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD's law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year. 11 And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 that you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD's. 13 But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, "What is this?" that you shall say to him, "By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem." 16 It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.' 17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, 'Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.' 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, 'God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.' 20 So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people."

All the firstborn of Israel are consecrated to the Lord. Having celebrated this past week the Presentation of our Lord and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is sometimes called Candlemas, this reading should be especially poignant. For it is the purification rite that the Blessed Virgin under went that is a result of this consecration of the firstborn. Everyone that opened the womb must be redeemed, that is, they must be bought back from God. This was done through the sacrifices listed in the Old Testament.

But this consecration of the firstborn, really points to our Lord Jesus Christ. For He is consecrated to His Heavenly Father, and because of this, He does His Father's will. For the Christian, our Lord Jesus is called the Firstborn out of all the dead. When the Blessed Apostle St. Paul states this, he is recalling this narrative from Exodus 13. For our Lord Jesus has opened up the womb of the tomb. He is the Firstborn of out the dead, that means that all those who are baptized with the waters of Holy Baptism, also come out of that womb of the tomb. Therefore, just as He was raised from the dead, and arose out of that tomb alive, so to all those who come out of the womb of Holy Baptism, are eternally alive in Christ Jesus.

This is why the Church is often referred to Holy MOTHER Church, for she gives birth to her children through the waters of Holy Baptism. A woman's womb, is like a tomb, for inside the baby grows alive while the outside world is unaware, especially before the baby's life is detected and known. In that time, it is as if the baby does not exist, as if it was dead to the world, however, that baby is alive and growing. So it is to in Holy Baptism, for in the waters of Holy Baptism the baby, or the one being baptized, is spiritually drowned in those waters, and all that is in him from Adam, and all that he has added thereto is drowned and killed in those waters of Holy Baptism.

Having therefore killed off the sin, death, and devil that lived in that child, he is now able to arise again to a new life in Christ. On the cross, our Lord Jesus took upon Him all of our sin, death, and the marks of the devil, and crucified it with Himself, so that He could place them eternally in the grave, and leave them their dead and rotting, so that they could no longer harm us or have an eternal effect on us. Having accomplished this task He rose alive again from the tomb, and opened the womb of eternal life.

However, He did not stop there. He did not only become the Firstborn out of all the dead, who are now living. But He gave that gift to all those who believe. He made us co-heirs of His triumph. So that now we also are considered in the Father's eyes as firstborn out of the dead, and His children. Therefore, we rightly call Him Father, for He is our eternal Father. Having then been consecrated to the Lord our Heavenly Father, through the waters of Holy Baptism, we do His will, trusting in His mercy and grace, and living according to His commandments, and listening to and hearing His holy Word, which is preached into our ears to keep reminding us that we are His children, and He provides us with all that we need to support this body and life. Especially has He gifted us with forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation.

May the Lord God Heavenly Father keep you in your baptismal grace, and bring you to His home in Heaven, when your Holy Baptism is consummated at your death.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

That You May Know That the Lord Does Make a Difference Between the Egyptians and Israel: Exodus 11:1-10

Exodus 11:1-10: "1 And the LORD said to Moses, 'I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.' 3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people. 4 Then Moses said, 'Thus says the LORD: "About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. 6 Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. 7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel." 8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, "Get out, and all the people who follow you!" After that I will go out.' Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger. 9 But the LORD said to Moses, 'Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.' 10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land."

Unfortunately, in this lectionary all of the plagues are skipped, except this last one, the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt. This death did not just apply to the Egyptian people alone, but to all their livestock and animals as well. This is done, as the Lord God tells us in this pericope, so that Pharaoh, and all Egypt with him, would know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites.

Pharaoh did not believe that the Israelites were special, that they had been chosen by God. He believed they were just looking for an excuse to get out of their work. And perhaps he believed that if he let them go, they would not return. Of course, this appears to be the Lord's intention from all that He tells Moses. But on account of the hardness of Pharaoh's heart, that is, his unbelief, even after nine plagues that revealed that God not only existed, but that He was more powerful than any of the false gods of the Egyptians, he still refused to acknowledge that the Lord God was the true God. It seems from the reading, since the Egyptians are said to hold Moses and the Israelites in high favor on account of the plagues, that Pharaoh is pretty much alone in his hard-heartedness.

The Egyptian people seem to get it. The Lord God is the true God, and He has chosen Israel to be His people. This is perhaps why they give their silver and gold objects so readily to the Israelites, as a form of worship, or offering, to the Lord God, by proxy of the Israelite nation. That the Israelites receive the spoils of Egypt shows the return of the favor upon the Egyptians, who through hard labor and oppression, and slavery spoil the Israelites. Through this slavery the Egyptians had taken from the people of Israel. Mystically speaking this is a picture of the end times. For the Egyptians represent the harsh oppression and slavery of sin, death and the devil, and the Israelites are the people of God. This spoiling of the Egyptians is the Israelites' victory over them, and this represents the final victory that the people of God will enjoy on the last day, when we obtain our eternal victory, and our right to leave this oppressive world, and we will obtain the spoils of victory, the crown of life.

This crown of life is the crown that our dear Lord Jesus, the Firstborn of God, won for us by His death on the cross. Our Lord bore a crown of thorns, but we are given a crown of garland, which represents our eternal victory. In the same way that the firstborn sons of Egypt are killed because of the sin and unbelief of Pharaoh, so too, is the Firstborn Son of God killed for the sin and unbelief of the world. He stands in proxy for us, taking on the punishment that we deserve. We should have been left weeping and wailing, just like the Egyptian people, but our Lord Jesus takes our place, and our punishment.

We see in this two things, one, the refusal of Pharaoh to act as a proxy for his people, and two, judgment of God. For in this plague alone, God comes down from His throne to enact the punishment on the people, in all the other ones, Moses acted on God's behalf, but in this plague He enacts the punishment Himself. We see in this the picture of the cross, where our Lord Jesus acts as both the High Priest, offering the Lamb up as a sacrifice for us, and the Lamb who is sacrificed. Our Heavenly Father enacts the punishment on His own Son, for us. He also accepts the sacrifice, and frees us from the penalty of sin, having received one for all, the one sacrifice for atonement that saves all mankind from sin.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

The Angel of the LORD Appeared to Him in a Flame of Fire from the Midst of a Bush: Exodus 3:1-22

Exodus 3:1-22: "1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, 'I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.' 4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' 5 Then He said, 'Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.' 6 Moreover He said, ;I am the God of your father--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the LORD said: 'I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.' 11 But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?' 12 So He said, 'I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.' 13 Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they say to me, "What is His name?" what shall I say to them?' 14 And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."' 15 Moreover God said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: "The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations." 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, "The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, 'I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.'" 18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, "The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God." 19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.'"

Here we have the calling of Moses by our Lord God to bring His people out of Egypt. When our Lord calls to Moses from the fiery bush, He calls Him twice, "Moses, Moses." This reminds us of when Abraham was to sacrifice his son, and our Lord called his name twice, "Abraham, Abraham." Moses' response is the same as Abraham's response, "Here I am." We hear this response, or something similar, from various persons in the holy Scriptures: Isaiah, Samuel, the mother of our Lord, to name a few. This response is the response of faith. It is the response of the willing listener, who hears the voice of the Lord and heeds it; blocking out everything else to give the voice of our Lord God full attention.

Moses, too, is a willing listener. In fact even before this, he shows his faith by turning aside from the path that he was on to see the fiery bush. Upon doing so, our Lord instructs him to take off his shoes, and to come closer, but not too close. Here we see the grace of our Lord. For He invites Moses into His presence. However, on account of the uncleanness and sinfulness of Moses, he is only allowed to come so close. But there is a communal oneness that is shown in this invitation of our Lord to Moses. Our Lord invites Moses to be with Him and join with Him. And this relationship will last for the rest of Moses' earthly days.

There is symbolism also in the fiery bush itself, for bushes are different than trees. And trees show up in figurative language a lot in holy Scripture. Trees represent strength, and fortitude. The bush however, represents humility. This bush is a symbol of the oppression of the Israelites, who live lives of heavy toil. So, in a sense they are being burned up. But, just like the fire does not consume the bush, our Lord God preserves the Israelites in Egypt, so that they are not completely burned up by the oppression in Egypt. We can see in all this, that our Lord allows the oppression, so that they might be prepared for the rigors of life in the desert, which they will endure for forty years. The oppression also prompts them to cry out to the Lord God for salvation.

This is common still today, we cry out and pray to our God the most when we face oppression. Whether that oppression by because of our sin, our some sickness or illness, or because of some physical disability, or loneliness, or the oppression that comes from living in a world that either ignores God, or actively seeks to root Him out of the world, our prayers are greatest when we have struggle and turmoil. The same is true of the Israelites, their labor was hard, they were enslaved, and so they cry out to the Lord God. Here He gives us good news. He hears our cries. Just like He heard the cries of the Israelites. And after they have been prepared to meet Him, and see His wonders, and hear His Word, so that they would follow Him wherever He willed them to go, He comes to call His servant Moses to lead them out of misery and pain.

Our Lord sends us a Moses as well, to lead us out of the oppression that is caused by the slavery of sin, death and the devil. He sends us His ministers to bring us out of oppression through preaching and the Sacraments. Through these things, He purifies us, just as fire purifies, and opens our blind eyes of faith so that we might see Him through this dark world, just like fire produces light so that people can see.

We also see in this pericope the willingness of Moses to serve our Lord God. Moses, for certain, as we see in other parts of holy Scripture, will show his timidity and, one could argue, cowardess. But not here, we see the willing servant of the Lord, willing to do what He wants Him to do. Even when Moses questions our Lord by saying, "Who am I?", this is not meant as doubt. It is really no different than the Blessed Virgin Mary saying, "How shall this be?" Moses does not see what our Lord sees. Moses sees his sinfulness, and unworthyness, but our Lord sees the prophet who was born just for this purpose. Moses reveals his humility. And that is what truly makes a good servant of our Lord, is a humble servant of the Lord.

The humble servant will do what the Lord wills, because he believes Him to be his Lord and Savior. But, this is humility is not to be confused with timidity, or cowardness, for these are the signs of weakness and doubt, not the signs of strength and faith in our Lord. Moses certainly shows during his lifetime that he can be both humble, pleading the cause of the people of Israel to the Lord God who would wipe them off the face of the earth for their disobedience and faithlessness, and bold, defending the will of God, to a people who would rather go back to Egypt, than live in a desert.

Therefore, in the calling of Moses, we learn something about the men who the Lord God calls today to fill Moses' position. He calls those who, in the eyes of the world, are insignificant, just like Moses was an insignificant shepherd. He calls those who are humble, caring more for other people above themselves, desiring, like a shepherd, to lead the sheep beside quiet waters, so that our Lord might feed them with the pure milk of His holy Word. He also calls the bold, those who serve Him willing in the midst of trial and tribulation and persecution, because they fully believe that He is their God and Savior, and will do anything for Him.

May our Lord God grant and send you men of God like Moses who will defend you from the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh, and boldly preach to you all that our Lord God does for you, even when you may not want to hear the truth of His Word.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

God Has Made Me Laugh, And All Who Hear Will Laugh With Me: Genesis 21:1-8

Genesis 21:1-8: "1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him--whom Sarah bore to him--Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.' 7 She also said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.' 8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned."

Sarah conceives and bears Abraham a son in their old age. Abraham is 100 years old, and Sarah is 90 years old. One certainly does not hear of people in that age group having children. Therefore, this child brings much joy to his parents. He is even named Isaac, which means "he laughs." And so, God gives Sarah a cause to laugh, and all those who hear of it, will laugh with her.

One can't help but notice the similarities between Sarah and the Blessed Virgin. Both have miracle births. Both proclaim the good things that will happen to them on account of their baby boy. In Sarah's words, we can see the foundation of the Blessed Virgin Mary's words recorded in the Magnificat. There are also similarities between Sarah and the Virgin's relative Elizabeth. Both give birth in their old age, when they are barren.

Comparisons can also be made between Isaac and the baby Jesus. They are both the firstborn son. They both have the birthright from their fathers. They are both circumcised on the eighth day and then weaned by their mothers. But most importantly they are both the children of the promise. Their births fulfill prophecy and promise. Isaac is therefore, a prefigurement of our Lord Jesus. We can especially see this in Genesis 22, the next chapter, where Abraham in obeying our Lord's command offers up his son, his only son as a sacrifice. Unfortunately this lectionary omits this reading from Genesis 22. But in it, we see the crucifixion and our atonement. We see the faith of Abraham in the resurrection, for this is why he does not hesitate to offer up his son, even though he is stopped before going through with it. We also see in the Genesis 22 narrative, the obedience of the son, Isaac, to his father. Isaac is silent in all of this, only asking where the sacrifice is.

Our Lord also goes to the cross silently, in obedience to the Father's will, and out of His love for us, in order that He might deliver us from our sins and trespasses.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then the Lord Rained Brimstone and Fire on Sodom and Gomorrah: Genesis 19:1-29

Genesis 19:1-29: "1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, 'Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.' And they said, 'No, but we will spend the night in the open square.' 3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.' 6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, 'Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.' 9 And they said, 'Stand back!' Then they said, 'This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.' So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. 12 Then the men said to Lot, 'Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city--take them out of this place! 13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.' 14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, 'Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!' But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking. 15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, 'Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.' 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, 'Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.' 18 Then Lot said to them, 'Please, no, my lords! 19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.' 21 And he said to him, 'See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.' Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt."

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a direct result of the unrighteousness of those cities, as we learned in the previous chapter. The unrighteousness of these two cities was so great that everyone is destroyed, the only people saved were Lot, his wife, and two of his daughters. We are told that Lot tries to save his other daughters by pleading with his son-in-laws, but they think he is joking, and they end up perishing. Even Lot's wife, who was initially saved, looked back on the destruction, which she wasn't supposed to do, and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Let's consider this from Lot's perspective. He comes out of this destruction with nothing but his two daughters. He had to leave everything else behind. He was left without any possessions. Remember that this is the land that he chose when his herdsman and Abraham's herdsmen were fighting over the good pastures. Lot chose the valley, which was lush and green. It is no longer that way, even unto today it is a barren wasteland, where not much lives, if anything lives. So, it would appear that Lot has lost practically everything, with the exception of his two daughters, and his own life.

However, Lot has something more than these things, he has righteousness. This is in the end what saved him. We learn from the reading that the reason Abraham pleaded with our Lord God in chapter eighteen was on account of Lot. Abraham pleaded with God for Lot's life. Lot shows his righteousness in protecting the two men sent to destroy Sodom and Gommorah from the men of those cities, who desired to know them carnally. God shows his distaste for such behavior in the manner of the destruction of these two cities. It should also be pointed out, that Zoar, the place where Lot was supposed to escape to, was also meant to be destroyed because of its proximity to Sodom and Gomorrah, but because Lot pleaded to escape there, since it was too far to make it to the hills, it was saved.

We are told in the verses following this pericope that Lot was scared to live in Zoar, on account of what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, that he ended up living in a cave with his two daughters. It would appear that even though Lot was considered a righteous man, for some reason he desired to live with unrighteous men. That is, until the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, then he refused to dwell where unrighteous men lived. In a way, this is a picture of our Lord, who eats with sinners, and takes his dwelling place among the unrighteous, in order that he might save them, and heal them of their unrighteousness.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah also leads to the birth of two nations, which would come to always be at war with Israel. This narrative is relayed in the verse at the end of chapter nineteen. Lot's two daughters, having reasoned in their mind that Lot will have no offspring, because they are living in a cave, and there are no other people around, that they should each get their father drunk, and sleep with him; an event of which, holy Scripture tells us Lot was unaware. One wonders what he thought when his two virgin daughters each became pregnant.

The two daughters each gave birth to baby boys. Their names were Moab and Ben-ammi, which mean "from the father" and "son of my people," respectively. These two became the fathers of the Moabites and the Ammonites. These followed in the footsteps of their mothers, who learned how to live one's life from the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the nations that grew out of these two boys' loins, became the wicked cousins of the Israelites. And, they were the ones who caused the Israelites to turn away from their God, and worship false gods.

This is the true purpose of the narrative of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, to reveal where the people of Moab and Ammon came from. It also reveals where the wickedness of these two nations came from, that is, from Sodom and Gomorrah. We see from this that even though the evil is punished, it is not destroyed. And this sinfulness and evil eventually becomes a stumbling block to the Israelites, continuing to plague them.

This is why our Lord Jesus comes to dwell among us unrighteous sinners, so that He could on the cross destroy once and for all sin. We see the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as a prefigurement of the cross of our Lord. Brimstone and fire, mystically speaking, are rained down upon sin, death, and the devil on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they are utterly destroyed. Their power is barren and they are a desolation. Such is our Lord's mercy toward us. He saves us, as He saved Lot, and He frees us from our sins.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

I Will Raise Up For Them a Prophet Like You From Among Their Brethren: Deuteronomy 18:15-19

Deuteronomy 18:15-19: "15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' 17 And the LORD said to me: 'What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.'"

Unlike this morning's reading from the Epistle for today, which did not appear to have anything in common with the Gospel reading. This evening's reading, appointed as the Old Testament reading for the Second Sunday after Epiphany, shows the theme of the Gospel rather clearly. This reading from the Book of Moses, commonly called Deuteronomy, relates the prophecy given through Moses to the people of Israel, that our Lord God would raise up from among their brethren a Prophet.

In the Gospel for today we heard of our Lord Jesus manifesting Himself as God by working His first miracle. In this He shows that He is the Propet that our Lord God promised to the Israelites. We are told that His disciples believed on Him, on account of the miracle at Cana.

Our Lord God tells us that this Prophet would speak all the Words that He gave to Him. And whoever does not listen to them, or heed them, payment will be required. This is a clear statement that only our Lord Christ is the True Messiah, and that salvation is found only in Him. Those who do not hear His Words, that is, believe on Him as did the disciples in today's Gospel, cannot have salvation. There is only one way to heaven, and that is through the True Prophet, our Lord and Savior Jesus.

The Old Testament prophets were called and sent to preach glad tidings. The glad tidings of our Lord God, specifically the glad tidings of the coming Messiah. Our Lord Jesus as Prophet does the same thing, He proclaims Himself and His work of salvation. In the Gospel from St. John 2, our Lord doesn't speak to proclaim Himself, but He does a work, a miracle to proclaim Himself as the Messiah.

In our Lord Jesus this prophecy recorded in the Book of Moses called Deuteronomy is fulfilled. He manifests Himself as this Prophet by performing a miracle. This is really just the first step in His work of salvation for mankind. From Cana He began to preach and teach about what He was to do, and who He was. His disciples who were with Him in Cana got to spend the next three years with Him hearing His Word, which was the Father's Word. They in turn carried that Word to the whole world, until it reached our ears. We have been given the proclamation of the True Prophet. We have been told about our Lord Jesus and the great things that He did for us.

And through the mouths of the prophets of today, who proclaim our Savior, we continue to hear what He has done, that He fulfilled the Law perfectly for us, and suffered and died in our place. We hear of how our Lord Jesus sent us the Holy Ghost to work through means to give us faith and eternal life, so that we might have peace and joy in Him. And we hear of all the good things that our Lord Jesus continues to do for us through His Word and Sacraments, and that on the Last Day, He will raise us up, along with all the dead, and we who believe on Him; who have heard and listened to His Word, will live with Him forever in heaven.

May God keep you in His holy Word, and strengthen you richly and daily with His Holy Spirit.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

I Am Your Shield, Your Exceedingly Great Reward: Genesis 15:1-21

Genesis 15:1-21: "1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.' 2 But Abram said, 'Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?' 3 Then Abram said, 'Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!' 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 'This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.' 5 Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.' 6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. 7 Then He said to him, 'I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.' 8 And he said, 'Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?' 9 So He said to him, 'Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.' 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.' 17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates--19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.'"

Abram shows a moment of doubt towards God's promise. He hears the promise, but doesn't see the results. There are times we can certainly relate. God has promised in His Word that His Word will not return to Him void, yet, from our perspective we often don't see this happening. We see congregations disdaining the Word of God, exchanging it for man-made platitudes. We see discord among brother ministers of the Word, where we should see unity. We see strife between clergy and lay people, where there should be peace. We see Church bodies forsaking the Word of God by teaching things that God does not teach. We would think that this world would hear God's Word more attentively than it does.

Of course this is really our own sinful desire to place demands upon God. We expect to see results, just like Abram did. However, as God in the pericope points out to Abram, just because there are no visible results, does not mean that the promise won't come true.

The same is true of our Lord's second coming. This promise was given almost 2,000 years ago, and yet we still wait for His return. There are some who are so antsy for His return that they start making up dates. Again, this is our sinful desire to place demands upon God, instead of trusting that His promises will come true in His own time, and on His own terms.

However, our Lord God doesn't just tell Abram to trust in Him, of which Abram would have been content, for his faith is strenghtened simply by the repetition of the promise, and we are told that this is counted as righteousness, but God actually makes a covenant with Abram, through the sacrifices of the animals that Abram offers. The same is true for us as well, God doesn't simply just remind us of His promises through the spoken, preached Word, but He actually gives us signs that testify to His promises. These signs are His holy Sacraments, and means of grace, that is, Baptism, Absolution, the Lord's Supper, and the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren, in addition to preaching.

Through Baptism and the Lord's Supper we have actual physical signs we can point to that not only proclaim our Lord God's promises, but actually impart forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation, which was won for us by our Lord Jesus's death on the cross. These simple signs of water, bread and wine, when connected to the Word of God, remind us of the promise, and place us once again into His covenant that He made with Abram. Even a case could be made for preaching and absolution, for the sign would be the man of God who was sent by Him to impart forgiveness, and proclaim the good things that our Lord has done for us. This minister is a visible sign that God fulfills His promises, for he represents the mouth of God Himself, when He preaches the Word of God in its truth and purity, and administers the Sacraments according to Christ's institution.

The same can be said about the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren, for wherever two or three are gathered together in the Name of our Lord Jesus, He is there amongst them. When we are surrounded by fellow believers in Christ, we have a visible example that God keeps His promises, for we are shown by the gathering of the saints, that God's Word is not fruitless, but has fulfilled its purpose.

Now granted, the men of God, and the gathering together of the saints, aren't as sure signs as the water, bread and wine, since these elements never fail, unless one would use elements unfit for these Sacraments. On account of sin, however, mankind does fail from time to time to give a decent witness of the promises of God. This, however, does not render the promises untrue. Rather, it makes them more true, for we see from these simple mundane things our Lord's grace and mercy, working through what we might consider inferior vessels.

Our Lord God tells Abram that He is his Shield, and His exceedingly great reward. This is the same promise that is made to us. How great it would be if we had faith like Abram's and believed and trusted in God simply when He spoke to us, no matter in what form that Word came to us. Our doubts would be assuaged, and we would have joy knowing that our Lord God is fulfilling His promises.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

I Will Make You A Great Nation: Genesis 12:1-20

Genesis 12:1-20: "1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: 'Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' 4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South. 10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, 'Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, "This is his wife"; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.' 14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, 'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, "She is my sister"? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.' 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had."

There are several similarities between the calling of Abram, and the Exodus account. Abram is caused by a famine to go to Egypt. So was Jacob and his sons. The Pharaoh of Abram's time is plagued by plagues. So is the Pharaoh of Moses time, who is the writer of this book. The Pharaoh of Abram's time commands him to leave his country. After the plagues during the time of Moses, Abram is Pharaoh demands Moses and all Israel, the descendants of Abram, to depart from the land.

Given the season of the year, this text hearkens us back to the flight into Egypt of our Lord and Savior Jesus, St. Mary, and St. Joseph. Although our Lord was forced from the land, not because of famine, but because of the rage of an evil king, one cannot help but consider that our Lord like Abram, and the Israelites before Him, had to seek shelter, solace, and succor in the land of Egypt. The question that has to come to mind is "Why Egypt?" After all, Egypt is not looked upon all to well by Scripture. There is an answer, and it is a spiritual one. This is really a picture of our own lives. Egypt represents this world. The world is at odds with the True God. It would rather have a god of its own choosing. The god the world chooses is an amalgamated god, one that embraces all religions as the same, and lumps them all together, as just different ways to the same end result of heavenly bliss. This is not the True God. The True God, is only the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and the true Savior is only the Lord Jesus Christ, Who suffered and died on account of our sins, for our salvation.

However, in this world we must live. In a sense we have been exiled to Egypt, we are forced to live a world, and in a land, that is not our true home and land. Our true home and land, is heaven. Our Lord sends plagues, that is, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, war, bloodshed, and the like. He sends these things not just as a punishment for our sinfulness and wicked lives, but He sends them so that all those in the world, might do as the Pharaoh in the time of Abram did, that is, repent. God desires that we turn from our sinful lives, and live according to His ways. But even more than that, He desires that we trust and rely on Him for everything that we need and desire in this life.

Here is truly the amazing thing about this pericope: God tells Abram to leave his home, his family, the place in which he grew up and in what he was familiar, and go someplace else. If the command was given to us, we would balk at it. Moving is a hassle. The packing boxes, the lifting of heavy objects, making sure that everything is marked so that one is able to find it again and easily once we have reaced our destination, doesn't sound like a very attractive task, even when it is desired and/or necessary. For some of us, even just rearranging the furniture can be a hastle that is best avoided. But the fact that Abram, not only packed up all that he and his wife Sarai owned, and all that he acquired, along with his nephew Lot's things, and did as God commanded him, is a sign of absolute faith.

Abram could not have known what was in store for him, nor did he know where he was going. But he faithfully did as God commanded. Such faith is hard to find these days. To find a person that truly trusts and relies on God is a great and precious thing. There are certainly people who belong to the One True Church who fit this example of faith, who by all appearances trust in God completely, just like Abram did. Such a person is truly blessed.

Abram's leaving of Haran is not unlike a small band of brothers, who either forced out or leaving of their own free will the Synod in which they were raised, left to go into a new Diocese, a land of Canaan, flowing with the milk and honey of the pure teaching of God's holy Word and a blessed fellowship of love and trust. To leave this Synod, and form and join this Diocese, took a leap of faith. A leap of faith not unlike the faith the Abram showed. Abram, as well as this Diocese, desired to do what was right, and desired to do the will of God, and he did it trusting in His Divine grace and mercy.

The desire of Abram to pass his wife off as his sister, in order to save his neck, must also be discussed. This is a weird move on the part of Abram. Afterall he has shown such faith up to this point. Why the doubt? Why the mistrust of God? Why all of a sudden is he trusting in his own abilities, or lack their of, instead of God's? The truth of the matter is that Abram displays that which is inside all of us.

There are always doubts that come to us. We see the world, and what it teaches, and how it behaves, and for some of us we desire to be like the world, and in fact, there are those in the Church, who try to fashion God into the type of god the world wants. This is seen in their preaching, which is nothing more than how to live a good life, or handle a certain situation, and not a true preaching about our Lord Jesus Christ, and what He has done for us. We can also see this attitude in these people's worship. It resembles a rock concert, more than a sacred meeting between God and His people, in order that He might give out His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. These people's worship is focused on themselves, and what they feel, and experience, instead of what God does for them. And they even turn that around, and make their feelings, and emotions, something that God has to effect in them.

For others of us, we are saddened by the abject faithlessness of the world, and wonder why God doesn't do something about it. We secretly desire that God would do something drastic, in order that people would repent, and turn back to Him. Sometimes, there are even people, who do illegal things, like blowing up an abortion clinic, thinking that it is God's will. Abortion is wrong, and it is clearly contrary to God's Commandment, but breaking one commandment to fulfill another doesn't do anybody any good.

Abram had these same doubts, and so he tells his wife to pretend to be his sister. God, however, used the plagues and Pharaoh to get Abram back on track. God sends us these trials and tribulations in this life, so that we might also get back to trusting and relying on Him alone.

There is a true joy that comes, when one trusts in God completely, and is free of doubt. That person hears God more clearly, he trusts in Him more completely, and chases after God wherever He is to be found, desiring and demanding those gifts from Him in all of their grace and purity. That person will also desire to do what is truly God's will, and desire that he receive pure teaching of the Gospel, that the he receive the Sacraments according to Christ's institution, and he will demand that the vehicle in which the Word and the Sacraments are administered be properly adorned like a beautiful Bride set for her wedding, and not a harlot trolling the street for tricks. The historic Liturgy is such a beautiful Bride, and the Liturgy done well, truly adorns the Word and Sacraments in a worthy vehicle.

May all who read this find that True Canaan, where the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are adminstered according to Christ's institution, and delivered in a worthy vehicle.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas