Listen here.
Welcome to Devotions for Worship where we meditate on the
appointed Scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday. Thank you for being with
me today.
I am Pastor Eric Tritten from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in
Hudson, OH.
This coming Sunday is the 20th Sunday after
Pentecost. Yesterday we read about Jesus being tested in regard to taxes and he
responded that we should give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and to God the
things that are God’s. We talked about two realms of authority, over which God
is supreme, but in each he functions differently. In the earthly realm he acts
through governments, force, and coercion. In the spiritual realm he acts
through the Church, with grace, mercy, and forgiveness. In our reading today,
God speaks to an earthly ruler – an earthly ruler who was not even born yet! –
of how He will use this ruler’s life, reign, and authority for the benefit of
his people.
The Reading: Isaiah 45:1-7 ESV
Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right
hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him and to
loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:
2 "I will go before you and level the
exalted places,
I will break in pieces the doors of
bronze and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and
the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the
LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my
chosen,
I call you by your name,
I name you, though you do not know me.
5 I am the LORD, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
6 that people may know, from the rising of the
sun
and from the west, that there is
none besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create
calamity;
I am the LORD, who does all these things.
(Isa. 45:1-7 ESV)
Comments
God works through means. In general he does not just show up
in all his glory to do his work. He speak through pastors and other Christians.
He works through the Word and the Sacraments to deliver forgiveness, life and
salvation to those who believe. And in the civil realm he works through
government – even through governments that do not recognize or honor him.
Throughout the book of Isaiah the Lord confronts his people
with their idolatry and wickedness. They will be taken into captivity –
expelled from the land that God had given to their forefathers – but one day
God will bring them back. And how will he do all this? He will do it through the
rise and fall of empires, by appointing kings and nations who do not even know
him to lead history to the point of accomplishing his will.
This is something that is hard to see sometimes. We look at our
own day and we may wonder why God allowed this president or that president to
be elected. How could such policies fall into the will of God? But this is part
of the mystery of God’s reign, he even rules through kings and leaders who oppose
him to accomplish his greater will – the salvation of his people, resurrection,
and recreation of this world through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Because we do not see the whole picture – we do not
understand the mind of God, nor are we his counselors – we do not always
perceive God’s hand at work in our world. There are moments – when Cyrus
returned Israel to the Promised Land, when Rome made the world safe for travel
and the spread of the Gospel, when an Islamic empire invaded Europe at just the
time when there was a new European emperor and a monk named Luther
re-discovered the Gospel – moments when we look back and say, “Ah! God did
this!” But more often we struggle to see God at work in the world. But, by
faith, we trust that God does reign, but it’s not as simple as thinking God is
in control when good things happen and his will is being resisted with bad
things happen. God uses both good and bad – he makes well-being and creates
disaster – for his own purpose – and sometimes we do not see or understand that
purpose – but we do have his Spirit with us and we trust that his will is for
our ultimate good. Why else would he save his people from captivity through
Cyrus? Why else would he save us through his Son?
Prayers
O Lord, life in this world can be so confusing.
Nevertheless, you reign and rule over all things. We struggle when governments
are corrupt, when weather is destructive, and when wickedness prevails. Help
us! We believe that you are working out your will and that your will is good. We
believe, but we must ask that you help our unbelief. Bless us and protect us,
Lord, and provide us with good and just government and leaders, and, in the
end, bring us to that place and time when you have made all things new and
there will be no need for government for you will rule from your everlasting
throne, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thank you so much for using Devotions for Worship, I pray
that our time together has blessed you and given you something to meditate on –
some reminder of God’s grace to rattle around in your brain – for the rest of
the day.
One of the things we can do to help us meditate on God’s
word is to memorize it. Psalm 119:11.
Memory Verse: [Jesus] said to them, "Therefore render
to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are
God's." (Matt. 22:21 ESV)
Would you do me a favor? If you got something out of this
devotional time, would you like and/or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or
wherever you do social media? That would help me get the word out, and
hopefully help these devotions be a blessing to others.
God bless you!
Comments