Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Foolishness" for Tuesday, February 13, 2018
1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and during Lent these Daily Devotions will be replaced by a special and original set of devotions written by Dr. Kari Vo. Entitled Silent Witnesses, they will look at the Gospels with the intent of exploring ordinary, behind the scenes features which speak volumes about God's love and mercy toward us. I am sure you, like me, will enjoy these meditations. By God's grace, regular devotions will resume again on April 2nd. Till then, God bless. Pastor Klaus
The Bible is clear: Solomon was a very smart fellow.To illustrate Solomon's wisdom, the Bible tells of how he found the true mother of a child who was being claimed by two women. No doubt about it, what Solomon showed that day was a powerful understanding of human psychology. (See the story in 1 Kings 3:16-28.)
From what I remember, there are times in the year when most pastors pray to have Solomon's wisdom in how to divide, not a baby, but their time. Need a few examples? Fine.
- What should a minister celebrate: Mother's Day and Father's Day which are not church holidays or the Sunday on which those special days fall?
- Should he remember the Fourth of July, New Year's, Super Bowl Sunday, or leave them unmentioned?
- What should he do with September 11 or Memorial Day or Labor Day or, well, you get the idea.
Well, during the next few weeks we have a similar problem. For example, let me ask you to finish this statement: "Tomorrow we are celebrating _____." (Fill in the blank.) Did you say we are remembering Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, or did you say we are celebrating Valentine's Day?
The two are almost as different as festivals can be. They have different emphases, different purposes, different directions and goals. Now I can tell you the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has said Ash Wednesday is more important than Valentine's Day. They recommend Valentine's Day be celebrated a day earlier on Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Yes, that's what's happening in Chicago. At your church, I don't know. You will just have to go there to find out what your pastor is going to do.
Now, if you noted, the previous paragraph began, "almost as different as two festivals can be ..."
Almost as different. You see, there is another upcoming date which has an even bigger conflict. This year Resurrection Sunday falls on April 1st -- also known as April Fool's Day. Now I can tell you what the unbeliever's of the world are going to do. They will say that the story of Jesus' rising is the biggest April Fool's joke ever played on humanity. They will say anyone who believes in the resurrection is a first-class fool.
As for me, if I were in a pulpit that day I would see and say it differently.
For example, I would probably refer to one of my father's favorite expressions: "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."
From there, I would talk about how the biggest joke which has ever been played upon humankind took place in the Garden of Eden. That was when Satan convinced Adam and Eve to believe him and distrust the Lord who had made them and daily gave them all they needed.
And the second biggest joke ever played? That sad and sorry joke is being played out right now as Satan, once again, tells us to disregard the Lord who has shown His love for us in the life, death, and resurrection of our Redeemer. The question is will we allow Satan to fool us again? If so, as the adage says, "Fool me twice, shame on me."
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that You have not only given Your Son to be my Savior, but You have also opened my heart so He might be welcomed. In Jesus' Name I give thanks. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by. The Catholic News Agency on January 30, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: click here.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 16-18; Matthew 27:1-26
Exodus 16:1 They traveled on from Eilim, and the whole community of the people of Isra’el arrived at the Seen Desert, between Eilim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving the land of Egypt. 2 There in the desert the whole community of the people of Isra’el grumbled against Moshe and Aharon. 3 The people of Isra’el said to them, “We wish Adonai had used his own hand to kill us off in Egypt! There we used to sit around the pots with the meat boiling, and we had as much food as we wanted. But you have taken us out into this desert to let this whole assembly starve to death!”
4 Adonai said to Moshe, “Here, I will cause bread to rain down from heaven for you. The people are to go out and gather a day’s ration every day. By this I will test whether they will observe my Torah or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have brought in, it will turn out to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” 6 Moshe and Aharon said to all the people of Isra’el, “This evening, you will realize that it has been Adonai who brought you out of Egypt; 7 and in the morning, you will see Adonai’s glory. For he has listened to your grumblings against Adonai — what are we that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moshe added, “What I have said will happen when Adonai gives you meat to eat this evening and your fill of bread tomorrow morning. Adonai has listened to your complaints and grumblings against him — what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Adonai.”
9 Moshe said to Aharon, “Say to the whole community of Isra’el, ‘Come close, into the presence of Adonai, for he has heard your grumblings.’” 10 As Aharon spoke to the whole community of the people of Isra’el, they looked toward the desert; and there before them the glory of Adonai appeared in the cloud; (A: vi, S: v) 11 and Adonai said to Moshe, 12 “I have heard the grumblings of the people of Isra’el. Say to them: ‘At dusk you will be eating meat, and in the morning you will have your fill of bread. Then you will realize that I am Adonai your God.’”
13 That evening, quails came up and covered the camp; while in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14 When the dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the desert was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Isra’el saw it, they asked each other, “Man hu? [What is it?]” because they didn’t know what it was. Moshe answered them, “It is the bread which Adonai has given you to eat. 16 Here is what Adonai has ordered: each man is to gather according to his appetite — each is to take an ‘omer [two quarts] per person for everyone in his tent.” 17 The people of Isra’el did this. Some gathered more, some less; 18 but when they put it in an ‘omer-measure, whoever had gathered much had no excess; and whoever had gathered little had no shortage; nevertheless each person had gathered according to his appetite.
19 Moshe told them, “No one is to leave any of it till morning.” 20 But they didn’t pay attention to Moshe, and some kept the leftovers until morning. It bred worms and rotted, which made Moshe angry at them. 21 So they gathered it morning after morning, each person according to his appetite; but as the sun grew hot, it melted.
22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two ‘omers per person; and all the community leaders came and reported to Moshe. 23 He told them, “This is what Adonai has said: ‘Tomorrow is a holy Shabbat for Adonai. Bake what you want to bake; boil what you want to boil; and whatever is left over, set aside and keep for the morning.’” 24 They set it aside till morning, as Moshe had ordered; and it didn’t rot or have worms. 25 Moshe said, “Today, eat that; because today is a Shabbat for Adonai — today you won’t find it in the field. 26 Gather it six days, but the seventh day is the Shabbat — on that day there won’t be any.” 27 However, on the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather and found none.
28 Adonai said to Moshe, “How long will you refuse to observe my mitzvot and teachings? 29 Look, Adonai has given you the Shabbat. This is why he is providing bread for two days on the sixth day. Each of you, stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” (S: vi) 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The people called the food man. It was like coriander seed, white; and it tasted like honey cakes. 32 Moshe said, “Here is what Adonai has ordered: ‘Let two quarts of man be kept through all your generations, so that they will be able to see the bread which I fed you in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.’” 33 Moshe said to Aharon, “Take a jar, put in it two quarts of man, and set it aside before Adonai to be kept through all your generations.” 34 Just as Adonai ordered Moshe, Aharon set it aside before the testimony to be kept. 35 The people of Isra’el ate man for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate man until they arrived at the borders of the land of Kena‘an. 36 (An ‘omer is one-tenth of an eifah [which is a bushel dry-measure].)
17:1 (vii) The whole community of the people of Isra’el left the Seen Desert, traveling in stages, as Adonai had ordered, and camped at Refidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 The people quarreled with Moshe, demanding, “Give us water to drink!” But Moshe replied, “Why pick a fight with me? Why are you testing Adonai?” 3 However, the people were thirsty for water there and grumbled against Moshe, “For what did you bring us up from Egypt? To kill us, our children and our livestock with thirst?”
4 Moshe cried out to Adonai, “What am I to do with these people? They’re ready to stone me!” 5 Adonai answered Moshe, “Go on ahead of the people, and bring with you the leaders of Isra’el. Take your staff in your hand, the one you used to strike the river; and go. 6 I will stand in front of you there on the rock in Horev. You are to strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so the people can drink.” Moshe did this in the sight of the leaders of Isra’el. 7 The place was named Massah [testing] and M’rivah [quarreling] because of the quarreling of the people of Isra’el and because they tested Adonai by asking, “Is Adonai with us or not?”
8 Then ‘Amalek came and fought with Isra’el at Refidim. 9 Moshe said to Y’hoshua, “Choose men for us, go out, and fight with ‘Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with God’s staff in my hand.” 10 Y’hoshua did as Moshe had told him and fought with ‘Amalek. Then Moshe, Aharon and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 When Moshe raised his hand, Isra’el prevailed; but when he let it down, ‘Amalek prevailed. 12 However, Moshe’s hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aharon and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side and the other on the other; so that his hands stayed steady until sunset. 13 Thus Y’hoshua defeated ‘Amalek, putting their people to the sword.
(Maftir) 14 Adonai said to Moshe, “Write this in a book to be remembered, and tell it to Y’hoshua: I will completely blot out any memory of ‘Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moshe built an altar, called it Adonai Nissi [Adonai is my banner/miracle], 16 and said, “Because their hand was against the throne of Yah, Adonai will fight ‘Amalek generation after generation.”
18:1 Now Yitro the priest of Midyan, Moshe’s father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moshe and for Isra’el his people, how Adonai had brought Isra’el out of Egypt. 2 After Moshe had sent away his wife Tzipporah and her two sons, Yitro Moshe’s father-in-law had taken them back. 3 The name of the one son was Gershom, for Moshe had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” 4 The name of the other was Eli‘ezer [my God helps], “because the God of my father helped me by rescuing me from Pharaoh’s sword.” 5 Yitro Moshe’s father-in-law brought Moshe’s sons and wife to him in the desert where he was encamped, at the mountain of God. 6 He sent word to Moshe, “I, your father-in-law Yitro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law, prostrated himself and kissed him. Then, after inquiring of each other’s welfare, they entered the tent. 8 Moshe told his father-in-law all that Adonai had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Isra’el’s sake, all the hardships they had suffered while traveling and how Adonai had rescued them. 9 Yitro rejoiced over all the good that Adonai had done for Isra’el by rescuing them from the Egyptians. 10 Yitro said, “Blessed be Adonai, who has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, who has rescued the people from the harsh hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that Adonai is greater than all other gods, because he rescued those who were treated so arrogantly.” 12 Yitro Moshe’s father-in-law brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aharon came with all the leaders of Isra’el to share the meal before God with Moshe’s father-in-law.
(ii) 13 The following day Moshe sat to settle disputes for the people, while the people stood around Moshe from morning till evening. 14 When Moshe’s father-in-law saw all that he was doing to the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing to the people? Why do you sit there alone, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?” 15 Moshe answered his father-in-law, “It’s because the people come to me seeking God’s guidance. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it comes to me; I judge between one person and another, and I explain to them God’s laws and teachings.”
17 Moshe’s father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing isn’t good. 18 You will certainly wear yourself out — and not only yourself, but these people here with you as well. It’s too much for you — you can’t do it alone, by yourself. 19 So listen now to what I have to say. I will give you some advice, and God will be with you. You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases to God. 20 You should also teach them the laws and the teachings, and show them how to live their lives and what work they should do. 21 But you should choose from among all the people competent men who are God-fearing, honest and incorruptible to be their leaders, in charge of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Normally, they will settle the people’s disputes. They should bring you the difficult cases; but ordinary matters they should decide themselves. In this way, they will make it easier for you and share the load with you. 23 If you do this — and God is directing you to do it — you will be able to endure; and all these people too will arrive at their destination peacefully.”
(iii) 24 Moshe paid attention to his father-in-law’s counsel and did everything he said. 25 Moshe chose competent men from all Isra’el and made them heads over the people, in charge of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 As a general rule, they settled the people’s disputes — the difficult cases they brought to Moshe, but every simple matter they decided themselves.
27 Then Moshe let his father-in-law leave, and he went off to his own country.
Matthew 27:1 Early in the morning, all the head cohanim and elders met to plan how to bring about Yeshua’s death. 2 Then they put him in chains, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3 When Y’hudah, who had betrayed him, saw that Yeshua had been condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the head cohanim and elders, 4 saying, “I sinned in betraying an innocent man to death.” “What is that to us?” they answered. “That’s your problem.” 5 Hurling the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, he left; then he went off and hanged himself.
6 The head cohanim took the silver coins and said, “It is prohibited to put this into the Temple treasury, because it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use it to buy the potter’s field as a cemetery for foreigners. 8 This is how it came to be called the Field of Blood, a name it still bears. 9 Then what Yirmeyahu the prophet spoke was fulfilled, “And they took the thirty silver coins, which was the price the people of Isra’el had agreed to pay for him, 10 and used them to buy the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.”[Matthew 27:10 Zechariah 11:12–13, where Hebrew yotzer means “treasury”; here it means “potter” (see v. 7).]
11 Meanwhile, Yeshua was brought before the governor, and the governor put this question to him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Yeshua answered, “The words are yours.” 12 But when he was accused by the head cohanim and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear all these charges they are making against you?” 14 But to the governor’s great amazement, he did not say a single word in reply to the accusations.
15 It was the governor’s custom during a festival to set free one prisoner, whomever the crowd asked for. 16 There was at that time a notorious prisoner being held, named Yeshua Bar-Abba. 17 So when a crowd had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Bar-Abba? or Yeshua, called ‘the Messiah’?” 18 For he understood that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19 While he was sitting in court, his wife sent him a message, “Leave that innocent man alone. Today in a dream I suffered terribly because of him.” 20 But the head cohanim persuaded the crowd to ask for Bar-Abba’s release and to have Yeshua executed on the stake. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to set free for you?” asked the governor. “Bar-Abba!” they answered. 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Yeshua, called ‘the Messiah’?” They all said, “Put him to death on the stake! Put him to death on the stake!” 23 When he asked, “Why? What crime has he committed?” they shouted all the louder, “Put him to death on the stake!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “My hands are clean of this man’s blood; it’s your responsibility.” 25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released to them Bar-Abba; but Yeshua, after having him whipped, he handed over to be executed on a stake.
***The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Monday, February 12, 2018 "Beautiful Feet"
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus "Beautiful Feet" Monday, 12 February 2018
Isaiah 52:7a - How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news.With only the most modest of editing for the purposes of space, the following devotion was written by Richard Cohrs, a dear friend and retired employee of Lutheran Hour Ministries. His beautiful, albeit unnamed, wife is Carol.
The other day my wife and I flew Southwest Airlines from Flint, Michigan, to St. Louis, Missouri. Switching planes in Chicago, we had time enough to enjoy some of the best of the Windy City's cuisine: hot dogs and Italian beef. That still gave us plenty of time to get to our next gate.
For those of you who don't know, Southwest Airlines doesn't assign seats. Boarding is determined by a letter and number which is printed on your ticket. After you are on the plane you can plunk down in any open seat you wish. To facilitate the boarding process, passengers are asked to line up about ten minutes beforehand.
It is a smooth process, and my wife and I were almost on the plane when there was a problem.
The fellow ahead of us had a boarding pass the electronic scanner didn't like. The gate agent tried numerous times to scan the boarding pass, but each time it was refused. With each rejection, the man became more upset, insisting the fault was in the machine and not his boarding pass. Eventually, the gate agent discovered the problem; the man was trying to get on the wrong plane.
His flight had already boarded and left without him.
I do not know why the man missed his flight, but I do know it wasn't because Southwest didn't try. Every flight has a minimum of three loud-speaker announcements, and there are numerous illuminated flight signs which are continuously being updated. And, if that isn't enough, the airline will call for a passenger, by name, if he fails to show up while the plane is being boarded.
With all of the information available to him, some of you may wonder how he missed his flight.
I don't wonder. I understand. You see, I almost missed my flight. When we were still in Flint, I got involved in a conversation with some very interesting people. We talked, we laughed, we shared stories, and I did not hear any of the airline's announcements. I made my flight only because my wife sought me out and told me personally that it was time to get on the plane.
In today's world, there are various and many ways that the Good News of Jesus is being shared. There is radio, television, internet, print, mailings, billboards, church signs, and even prayers printed on fast food wrappers.
All of these are inviting people to know more about Jesus.
Which makes it hard for us to imagine that there is anybody who is still ignorant of Jesus and all He has done to forgive and save us. Yes, it's hard to imagine, but the truth is there are many millions out there who have not heard or heeded the Holy Spirit's calling. It makes little difference if they have not heard or heeded, either way they are missing God's gracious call to salvation and eternal life.
Now I made my plane because my loving wife cared enough to seek me out and offer a personal witness.
My wife is beautiful; indeed, but how much more beautiful is that person who loves others enough to find and share a personal invitation to meet the Savior. To invite others to see the Savior is a trust the Lord has given us because He knows, not everybody has met or believes in His Son, the Savior.
THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the Gift of Jesus who gives us the gift of eternal life. We ask that You would give us beautiful-feet opportunities, and inspire us to act on them. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 14-15 Matthew 26:36-75
Exodus 14:1 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Tell the people of Isra’el to turn around and set up camp in front of Pi-Hachirot, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Ba‘al-Tz’fon; camp opposite it, by the sea. 3 Then Pharaoh will say that the people of Isra’el are wandering aimlessly in the countryside, the desert has closed in on them. 4 I will make Pharaoh so hardhearted that he will pursue them; thus I will win glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will realize at last that I am Adonai.” The people did as ordered.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people. They said, “What have we done, letting Isra’el stop being our slaves?” 6 So he prepared his chariots and took his people with him — 7 he took 600 first-quality chariots, as well as all the other chariots in Egypt, along with their commanders. 8 Adonai made Pharaoh hardhearted, and he pursued the people of Isra’el, as they left boldly. (ii) 9 The Egyptians went after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, with his cavalry and army, and overtook them as they were encamped by the sea, by Pi-Hachirot, in front of Ba‘al-Tz’fon. 10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Isra’el looked up and saw the Egyptians right there, coming after them. In great fear the people of Isra’el cried out to Adonai 11 and said to Moshe, “Was it because there weren’t enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out to die in the desert? Why have you done this to us, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you in Egypt to let us alone, we’ll just go on being slaves for the Egyptians? It would be better for us to be the Egyptians’ slaves than to die in the desert!” 13 Moshe answered the people, “Stop being so fearful! Remain steady, and you will see how Adonai is going to save you. He will do it today — today you have seen the Egyptians, but you will never see them again! 14 Adonai will do battle for you. Just calm yourselves down!”
(A: iii) 15 Adonai asked Moshe, “Why are you crying to me? Tell the people of Isra’el to go forward! 16 Lift your staff, reach out with your hand over the sea, and divide it in two. The people of Isra’el will advance into the sea on dry ground. 17 As for me, I will make the Egyptians hardhearted; and they will march in after them; thus I will win glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and all his army, chariots and cavalry. 18 Then the Egyptians will realize that I am Adonai, when I have won myself glory at the expense of Pharaoh, his chariots and his cavalry.”
19 Next, the angel of God, who was going ahead of the camp of Isra’el, moved away and went behind them; and the column of cloud moved away from in front of them and stood behind them. 20 It stationed itself between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Isra’el — there was cloud and darkness here, but light by night there; so that the one did not come near the other all night long.
21 Moshe reached his hand out over the sea, and Adonai caused the sea to go back before a strong east wind all night. He made the sea become dry land, and its water was divided in two. 22 Then the people of Isra’el went into the sea on the dry ground, with the water walled up for them on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians continued their pursuit, going after them into the sea — all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and cavalry. 24 Just before dawn, Adonai looked out on the Egyptian army through the column of fire and cloud and threw them into a panic. 25 He caused the wheels of their chariots to break off, so that they could move only with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Adonai is fighting for Isra’el against the Egyptians! Let’s get away from them!”
(A: iv, S: iii) 26 Adonai said to Moshe, “Reach your hand out over the sea, and the water will return and cover the Egyptians with their chariots and cavalry.” 27 Moshe reached his hand out over the sea, and by dawn the sea had returned to its former depth. The Egyptians tried to flee, but Adonai swept them into the sea. 28 The water came back and covered all the chariots and cavalry of Pharaoh’s army who had followed them into the sea — not even one of them was left. 29 But the people of Isra’el walked on dry ground in the sea, with the water walled up for them on their right and on their left.
30 On that day, Adonai saved Isra’el from the Egyptians; Isra’el saw the Egyptians dead on the shore. 31 When Isra’el saw the mighty deed that Adonai had performed against the Egyptians, the people feared Adonai, and they believed in Adonai and in his servant Moshe.
15:1 Then Moshe and the people of Isra’el sang this song to Adonai:
“I will sing to Adonai, for he is highly exalted:
the horse and its rider he threw in the sea.
2 Yah is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.
This is my God: I will glorify him;
my father’s God: I will exalt him.
3 Adonai is a warrior;
Adonai is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he hurled into the sea.
His elite commanders
were drowned in the Sea of Suf.
5 The deep waters covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, Adonai, is sublimely powerful;
your right hand, Adonai, shatters the foe.
7 By your great majesty you bring down your enemies;
you send out your wrath to consume them like stubble.
8 With a blast from your nostrils the waters piled up —
the waters stood up like a wall,
the depths of the sea became firm ground.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue and overtake,
divide the spoil and gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword; my hand will 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, Adonai, among the mighty?
Who is like you, sublime in holiness,
awesome in praises, working wonders?
12 You reached out with your right hand:
the earth swallowed them.
13 In your love, you led the people you redeemed;
in your strength, you guided them to your holy abode.
14 The peoples have heard, and they tremble;
anguish takes hold of those living in P’leshet;
15 then the chiefs of Edom are dismayed;
trepidation seizes the heads of Mo’av;
all those living in Kena‘an are melted away.
16 Terror and dread fall on them;
by the might of your arm they are still as stone
until your people pass over, Adonai,
till the people you purchased pass over.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain which is your heritage,
the place, Adonai, that you made your abode,
the sanctuary, Adonai, which your hands established.
18 Adonai will reign forever and ever.
19 For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots
and with his cavalry into the sea,
but Adonai brought the sea waters back upon them,
while the people of Isra’el walked on dry land
in the midst of the sea!”
20 Also Miryam the prophet, sister of Aharon, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing, 21 as Miryam sang to them:
“Sing to Adonai, for he is highly exalted!
The horse and its rider he threw in the sea!”
22 Moshe led Isra’el onward from the Sea of Suf. They went out into the Shur Desert; but after traveling three days in the desert, they had found no water. 23 They arrived at Marah but couldn’t drink the water there, because it was bitter. This is why they called it Marah [bitterness]. 24 The people grumbled against Moshe and asked, “What are we to drink?” 25 Moshe cried to Adonai; and Adonai showed him a certain piece of wood, which, when he threw it into the water, made the water taste good. There Adonai made laws and rules of life for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you will listen intently to the voice of Adonai your God, do what he considers right, pay attention to his mitzvot and observe his laws, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians; because I am Adonai your healer.”
(A: v, S: iv) 27 They came to Eilim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and camped there by the water.
Matthew 26:36 Then Yeshua went with his talmidim to a place called Gat-Sh’manim and said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Kefa and Zavdai’s two sons. Grief and anguish came over him, 38 and he said to them, “My heart is so filled with sadness that I could die! Remain here and stay awake with me.” 39 Going on a little farther, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet — not what I want, but what you want!” 40 He returned to the talmidim and found them sleeping. He said to Kefa, “Were you so weak that you couldn’t stay awake with me for even an hour? 41 Stay awake, and pray that you will not be put to the test — the spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak.”
42 A second time he went off and prayed. “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, let what you want be done.” 43 Again he returned and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy.
44 Leaving them again, he went off and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to the talmidim and said, “For now, go on sleeping, take your rest. . . . Look! The time has come for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up! Let’s go! Here comes my betrayer!”
47 While Yeshua was still speaking, Y’hudah (one of the Twelve!) came, and with him a large crowd carrying swords and clubs, from the head cohanim and elders of the people. 48 The betrayer had arranged to give them a signal: “The man I kiss is the one you want — grab him!” 49 He went straight up to Yeshua, said, “Shalom, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50 Yeshua said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they moved forward, laid hold of Yeshua and arrested him.
51 At that, one of the men with Yeshua reached for his sword, drew it out and struck at the servant of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his ear. 52 Yeshua said to him, “Put your sword back where it belongs, for everyone who uses the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you know that I can ask my Father, and he will instantly provide more than a dozen armies of angels to help me? 54 But if I did that, how could the passages in the Tanakh be fulfilled that say it has to happen this way?”
55 Then Yeshua addressed the crowd: “So you came out to take me with swords and clubs, the way you would the leader of a rebellion? Every day I sat in the Temple court, teaching; and you didn’t seize me then. 56 But all this has happened so that what the prophets wrote may be fulfilled.” Then the talmidim all deserted him and ran away.
57 Those who had seized Yeshua led him off to Kayafa the cohen hagadol, where the Torah-teachers and elders were assembled. 58 Kefa followed him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; then he went inside and sat down with the guards to see what the outcome would be.
59 The head cohanim and the whole Sanhedrin looked for some false evidence against Yeshua, so that they might put him to death. 60 But they didn’t find any, even though many liars came forward to give testimony. At last, however, two people came forward and said, 61 “This man said, ‘I can tear down God’s Temple and build it again in three days.’” 62 The cohen hagadol stood up and said, “Have you nothing to say to the accusation these men are making?” 63 Yeshua remained silent. The cohen hagadol said to him, “I put you under oath! By the living God, tell us if you are the Mashiach, the Son of God!” 64 Yeshua said to him, “The words are your own. But I tell you that one day you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of HaG’vurah and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[Matthew 26:64 Daniel 7:13; Psalm 110:1] 65 At this, the cohen hagadol tore his robes. “Blasphemy!” he said. “Why do we still need witnesses? You heard him blaspheme! 66 What is your verdict?” “Guilty,” they answered. “He deserves death!” 67 Then they spit in his face and pounded him with their fists; and those who were beating him 68 said, “Now, you ‘Messiah,’ ‘prophesy’ to us: who hit you that time?”
69 Kefa was sitting outside in the courtyard when a servant girl came up to him. “You too were with Yeshua from the Galil,” she said. 70 But he denied it in front of everyone — “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” 71 He went out onto the porch, and another girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Yeshua of Natzeret.” 72 Again he denied it, swearing, “I don’t know the man!” 73 After a little while, the bystanders approached Kefa and said, “You must be one of them — your accent gives you away.” 74 This time he began to invoke a curse on himself as he swore, “I do not know the man!” — and immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Kefa remembered what Yeshua had said, “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times”; and he went outside and cried bitterly.
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The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Sunday, February 11, 2018 "But Now I See"
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Dear Lord, life is filled with sadnesses, disappointments, and people who let us down. Grant that we, who once were blind, may clearly see our Lord and Savior and worship Him as Your Son, whose life was offered as the only sacrifice which could forgive our sins and rescue our lost souls. As we think upon the salvation He has earned, let us realize and remember: He is the only One who will never let us down. Lord, grant this gift to us all. Amen.
I'm not much to look at, so you can forgive me if I share that the middle-aged, slightly-heavy, Scottish woman who strode out from behind the theater's side curtain wasn't much to look at either. She sported unkempt hair and wore a gold lace dress which was not entirely flattering. Those who saw her rolled their eyes and giggled a bit. Nobody expected much of anything from the lady who probably had come, the victim of some friend's wrongful urging. That was the way it was on April 11, 2009. That was the way it was when Susan Boyle opened her mouth to sing.
What people heard amazed them. Those who were there in the audience went absolutely crazy. People started standing on their feet, applauding, yelling, stomping their feet. The sophisticated judges ended up apologizing for having judged a book by its cover. Her video clip quickly became the most watched piece of film in YouTube history. Her first record broke all sales records. What I'm saying is Susan Boyle surprised the world. She was not what we expected her to be; she was much, much more. And that's an unusual thing, you know-for something or someone to be better than we had expected. Sadly, all too often, we are disappointed.
It's been a number of years since we went to war with Iraq's President Saddam Hussein. Even so, I remember a young man who stopped in my office. Clad in an Army uniform, the private appeared to be the very epitome of the clean-cut, all-American who proudly defends his nation, his freedoms, and our righteous interests around the world. I asked why he had come and he replied something like "My unit has been called up to fight. We leave on Friday."
I told him that we would remember him in our prayers. Then he put his head down and said, "I don't want to go." I acknowledged that his attitude was perfectly natural. Nobody ever wants to go to war.
"No," he said, "you don't understand."
You see, he had joined up after high school, but he hadn't joined up to go to war. He had enlisted to get some college benefits and health services and insurance and have a steady income and because, quite frankly, his girlfriend had a thing for "guys in uniform." But he hadn't enlisted so they could send him half way around the world to fight. I have to tell you, that day, that boy was a disappointment. Oh, there are two other things you ought to know about him. First, he gave me permission to share his story with you and, second, that young man went, and he fought, and he came home with more than a few of his officers and fellow enlisted men singing his praises.
I'm sure you agree it's a rare thing for someone or something to be better than we expected. Over the years, I have seen a steady stream of disappointed couples. The handsome, tuxedo-clad groom who had been blissful at his wedding when he promised lifelong love to the most wonderful woman in the world says, "I was conned. She flimflammed me. She's not the girl of my dreams, she's is a mean-spirited, continuously crabby, grumpy nightmare."
Not to be outdone by her once beloved, the bride responds theologically by asking, "Pastor, doesn't the Bible say we reap what we sow? Maybe he's only getting back from me what he's given to me. All I can say is my knight who once was in shining armor looks pretty rusty."
Now you may be blessed with a wonderful marriage, and such insults may be completely foreign to your ears. But I'm more than sure you have had a confidant reveal your secrets; you have had a friend turn on you; you have had a trusted comrade break his promises, and there's probably more than one family member who, in a silent, subtle way, has disowned you. You have had bosses who let promises go unfulfilled and companies that demanded much but responded with little. So maybe you won't argue so very much when I say people can be disappointing.
I know the Lord Jesus wouldn't argue with me-not on that point, anyway. He wouldn't argue because during His life He was a continuous disappointment to those who knew Him. The fourth chapter of Luke tells of the day the Savior returned to His boyhood home of Nazareth. At first, the locals were proud of the localboy who was making good. But when Mary's Son made the claim to be the Messiah, His old-friends, His childhood playmates, rose up as one and tried to murder Him. The apostle John tells of two different days when Jesus healed two different people. The first was a man who had non-functioning legs, while the second was a blind man. Jesus healed both these people and for His troubles incurred the wrath of the Pharisees who were disappointed he did "these things on the Sabbath." So great was their disappointment, they set into motion a plan to have Him killed.
Jesus often was a disappointment. At the time Jesus was preaching repentance and calling people to be the forgiveness He alone can give, the center of the Jewish world was in Jerusalem. There, in the great temple, with many traditions and much pomp, the priests led the Jewish people in sacrifices which were supposed to keep Jewish eyes focused on the coming Messiah. Sadly, over the years that purpose had been misused; the meaning had been lost. Worship had become a mere matter of proscribed formalities.
That being said, Jesus breathed new life into the religious leaders. This He did by raising Lazarus from the dead. It was a miracle the priests couldn't explain away. Disappointed in Jesus and the events He had unleashed, the leaders came together and said, "If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." And with that, John 11 tells us, "From that day on they made plans to put Him to death."
Although being disappointed in Jesus was generally confined to Jesus' enemies and those who wished to murder Him, the Redeemer did manage to confuse some of His closest followers. When John the Baptizer was boldly witnessing from Herod's prison, his mind started wandering, and he began wondering: "Is it possible I was wrong? Is it possible Jesus isn't the Messiah?" He sent messengers to Jesus to discover if He was the One, the promised Messiah, or should they be looking for someone else? John died knowing the truth; He died having heard Jesus' answer: "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me."
That day, to John, Jesus gave more than the Baptizer had ever expected.
On a day-to-day to day basis, it seems as if the Lord's disciples were always working in a dense fog whenever it came to Jesus, His intentions, or His purpose. There are reasons for that. First, while Jesus did fulfill all the Old Testament prophecies about the Savior, He didn't always do what people expected the Messiah was going to do. He didn't behave like the Jews expected their Messiah to behave. He didn't raise armies; He didn't flex His muscles, throw off the tyranny of Rome, and re-establish a new kingdom of David.
This oddness was for Jesus' disciples, and for the crowds, and the religious leadership of the Israel, a great hindrance to them acknowledging Jesus' work and word. It also explains why the disciples wander about in a fog. It's why they get things so very, very wrong. Think about it. Although Jesus never requested it, or showed a desire for it, the disciples tried to keep mothers and children from their Lord's blessing; James and John were fully prepared to rain brimstone on a village in Samaria. When they were caught in a squall on the Sea of Galilee, they come to Jesus and say, "Don't You care?" This they say to Jesus, the Son of God who cared enough to live, suffer, die, and rise so they might be saved. And they, of course, regularly argued about who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom after Jesus got rid of the Romans.
The disciples didn't get it. They had to have been a bit of a disappointment. Even after the Lord's resurrection, they still didn't understand why their Rabbi had come. That's evident from the question which they asked immediately before His ascension. They wanted to know if He was, at this time, going to restore the Kingdom to the children of Israel.
So, there you have it. The most important Person who has ever lived in this world, He around whom the calendar revolves, and upon whom forgiveness depends, was a disappointment to His enemies and confusing to His friends. Little wonder people today question and have doubts about Jesus' plan and purpose. The novice believer sometimes longs for a defining Scriptural moment, where the Person and purpose of the Redeemer is clearly identified.
My friends, there is such a moment; there was such a place. It was on the Mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus and His three closest disciples, Peter, James and John went, so the Holy Spirit could remove their doubts and clarify their vision. It was an impressive period of time, and look as you will, you shall not find its like anywhere in Scripture. It begins with Jesus' apparel being transformed. For years, various detergents have claimed they will get your clothes whiter than white. According to John, the Lord's clothes did exactly that ... whiter than any bleach could make them ... but there was more there was a brightness to them.
As the disciples watched, they realized they were not alone. Moses and Elijah had joined them, and they were talking with the Savior. You remember Moses, the Hebrew who had been raised as an Egyptian and was called by God to lead the children of Israel out of slavery. Year after year, Moses led God's whining, complaining, doubting, fearful people. Moses, whose leadership had been questioned and rejected numerous times by the people, was trying to help Jesus. Would he not have much to say to the Savior?
Then there was Elijah. Elijah also could provide insights for the Savior as He prepared to complete His work of sacrifice. Those two had much in common. Jesus had raised a young man from the dead, so had Elijah. Jesus had traded Scripture verses with the devil, and Elijah had shown the courage to taunt the priests of Baal in a God-to-idol showdown. But now, at this particular moment in the Savior's life, Elijah could speak of something special: loneliness. In His suffering and death, Jesus would be very much alone. Although the Lord had assured Elijah there were others who had not shown allegiance to the demon-deities, Elijah also had felt loneliness.
Peter, James and John could only stand there slack-jawed, watching the two most famous men in their nation's history speak to their Rabbi as if they were old friends which, of course, they were. No doubt those two passed on assurances that the victory the Savior had come to win would become a reality. Scripture does not say how long the vision-like reality continued. We only know that it ended when a cloud covered the trio. From within the cloud came a voice, the voice of the Father. He spoke to the trembling followers of His Son, and gave them some advice. "This is My beloved Son," the Father says. "See Him. Listen to Him." It was God's way of saying, "My Son is far more, far better, than you think He is."
And He is, you know, better, that is. In the 1970's, Arthur Burns was a Jewish economist who had quite a solid reputation. He was an advisor to presidents, and wielded considerable influence in the nation's capitol. From 1970 to 1978 he was the chairperson of the Federal Reserve. Once, Mr. Burns was asked to pray at a gathering of evangelical politicians. Quite frankly, nobody knew what kind of prayer this Jewish economist would come up with. Burns surprised everybody by slowly beginning this way: "Lord, I pray the Jews would come to know Jesus Christ." He paused for a second to let his words sink in. He began again: "And I pray that Buddhists would come to know Jesus Christ." People looked at each other across their tables. Burns began again, "And I pray that Muslims would come to know Jesus Christ." And then, most shocking of all, Burns said "And Lord, I pray that Christians would come to know Jesus Christ."
I thought that prayer was cute. Cute, but disappointing. You see, the Jesus Christ Mr. Burns wanted everyone to meet was a good man, a great man, a wonderful teacher, a brilliant moralist, an insightful philosopher, and an all-around nice guy. But if that's all Jesus is when you meet Him, He will be a disappointment. Because He is just one of many high-level teachers, moralists, philosophers, great men, and nice guys that this world has produced.
What we need is a Savior. We need the innocent Son of God who, in order to save us, took our transgressions to the cross where He finished them off. We need the perfect Son of God who resisted every temptation that we found to be so tempting. As the Father urged on the Mount of Transfiguration, we need to hear His Son, the only Person who can honestly say, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Then, having heard Him, we need to join with Martha and give a resounding, "Yes!" "Yes, Lord; I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."
In this world you will meet many people who will not be what you expect, and they will disappoint you. You will deal with all kinds of folks who will, both deliberately and unintentionally, let you down. But today, you have seen the Son of God who has conquered death so you might live forever. I don't know what you may have thought of Him in the past, but I pray today you will think of Him as Your Savior and Lord. If you do, you will not be disappointed. To that end, if you would like to know more about your Savior, please call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
Reflections for Sunday, February 11, 2018 - "But Now I See"Mark Eischer: You're listening to The Lutheran Hour. That was Pastor Ken Klaus, and Dr.
Dale Meyer joins us now. Dr. Meyer, I'm curious to hear your thoughts concerning the transfiguration of Jesus.
Dale Meyer: Mark, it's a fascinating story, and I'll admit that as I've gotten older it fascinates me all the more. In many of our churches that follow the historic lectionary, today is the day when transfiguration is observed.
Mark Eischer: And again, what do we mean by a lectionary?
Dale Meyer: Well, liturgical churches have selected certain Bible readings to be used on given
Sundays and also on festival days. Normally, this is an Old Testament, an epistle, and a Gospel
lesson. Today, it happens to be the Gospel of the transfiguration from St. Mark.
Mark Eischer: What do you find most interesting about that account?
Dale Meyer: There are a number of things. First, let me say that transfiguration is observed this Sunday to shift us from Epiphany into Lent. We go from the glory down to the suffering and the cross, which is exactly what the story of transfiguration is about. Jesus appears in glory but along with Moses and Elijah, they talk about the death that He is soon going to experience.
Mark Eischer: His departure.
Dale Meyer: His departure. In fact, the word is "exodus" in one of the accounts, his exodus. That's fascinating. But, another fascinating thing for me is the ancient fathers of the church said that Mark wrote his Gospel based upon what St. Peter had told him. Peter was an eyewitness to everything about Jesus and he shared that with Mark, so the Gospel of Mark really is, in some ways, the Gospel of Peter. In fact, in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 1, Peter says, "I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed." Peter is referring to what he actually saw on the Mount of Transfiguration. The same happens in 2 Peter, chapter 1, beginning at verse 16, and he talks about seeing the transfiguration. He was there, along with James and John.
Mark Eischer: In Mark 9 verse 7, it says, "A cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud."
Dale Meyer: That's another reason why this account is so fascinating to me. Think about clouds in the Bible. On Mount Sinai, thunder, lightning, and a cloud settled on the mountain. I'm going to talk about that in several weeks in my message. Then in Exodus chapter 40, what does it say? "The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up. "For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day and fire was in it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys." This cloud is the presence of God.
When we fast forward to 1 Kings, chapter 8, Solomon is dedicating the temple. The temple is filled with a cloud. Now, in the transfiguration there is a cloud. At the ascension, Acts chapter 1, we hear that His disciples were watching. Jesus has lifted up and a cloud covers Him. The cloud is the presence of God, and that's fascinating to me because He's close. Exodus 33 tells us that no one can see God and live. That's because we're sinners. I mean, if God shows Himself to us ...
Mark Eischer: Incinerated.
Dale Meyer: Yeah. The sinners are incinerated. Really. That's great. That's great, Mark. What does He do? He comes close, but He veils Himself. He hides Himself in the cloud and when the Lord comes back on Judgment Day, He's going to come on the clouds. Now, on the Mount of Transfiguration, getting back to that, "The cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud. 'This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him.'" No one can see God and live. But what does God do? He draws close and He speaks to us.
Mark Eischer: In His Word.
Dale Meyer: In His Word. Then He narrows that down even more and he says, "Listen to My Son." When we approach the Bible, it's not just the Bible and the Bible is God's Word, but we read it with an eye toward Jesus because that's the instruction out of the cloud: "This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him."
I've got an example of how Peter did that because remember Peter was there, and he took that word from the Heavenly Father to heart. In 1 Peter, chapter 1, Peter quotes Isaiah 40. It says, "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls but the Word of the Lord remains forever." Now that's a famous passage. It talks about our mortality. I remember the hymn "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" by Chalmers Smith that says, "We blossom and flourish like leaves on a tree, we wither and perish, but naught changes Thee." Isaiah is talking about God. This is God's Word, but it's fascinating to see what Peter did with that. Immediately after quoting Isaiah chapter 40, 1 Peter says this, "And this Word is the good news that was preached to you." That's a direct reference to Jesus Christ. What Peter does is take the Old Testament and he interprets it in the light of Jesus' coming. He does that at other places.
The point being that, yes, the Bible is the Word of God, but when we go at it, if we're going to follow the Heavenly Father's direction on the Mount of Transfiguration, we not only listen to His Word, but we listen to it specifically with an eye toward Jesus. This is the Old Testament and the New Testament as well. In the Old Testament, for example, we have the prophecies of the suffering Servant. Well, we look at those prophecies from Isaiah chapter 53, for example, and Peter quotes that, too, in his epistle. We look at that and we say, "Oh, yeah. That's about Jesus." We see the Old Testament, as the new, through the lens of Jesus, and Peter learned that lesson when he was on the Mount of Transfiguration. We've got the evidence in his epistle that he understands it's all about Jesus.
Mark Eischer: That one verse in that story really gives us a guidance, a lot of guidance for daily living.
Dale Meyer: Absolutely. First of all, when God seems distant, when the days are dark, He's actually close. God is omnipresent, so He's not gone when you're having a tough time. In fact, the biblical record tells us that when the cloud came, He was very close to His people. We should understand that when we're having dark days, God's not far away. He's close. But what He wants to do is to encourage us, and to explain to us what's happening on the basis of His Word. We read the Word of God, especially in our tough times, with an eye toward Jesus who is the suffering Servant, who endured so much that we remember the Lenten season for us and for our salvation. This is very practical advice. It comes out of that one verse in the transfiguration account that can help us our whole life long until we, in our turn, see the glory face to face.
Music Selections for this program:
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 12-13; Matthew 26:1-35
The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis Missouri United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Saturday, February 12, 2018 "Beautiful Feet"
With only the most modest of editing for the purposes of space, the following devotion was written by Richard Cohrs, a dear friend and retired employee of Lutheran Hour Ministries. His beautiful, albeit unnamed, wife is Carol.
The other day my wife and I flew Southwest Airlines from Flint, Michigan, to St. Louis, Missouri. Switching planes in Chicago, we had time enough to enjoy some of the best of the Windy City's cuisine: hot dogs and Italian beef. That still gave us plenty of time to get to our next gate.
For those of you who don't know, Southwest Airlines doesn't assign seats. Boarding is determined by a letter and number which is printed on your ticket. After you are on the plane you can plunk down in any open seat you wish. To facilitate the boarding process, passengers are asked to line up about ten minutes beforehand.
It is a smooth process, and my wife and I were almost on the plane when there was a problem.
The fellow ahead of us had a boarding pass the electronic scanner didn't like. The gate agent tried numerous times to scan the boarding pass, but each time it was refused. With each rejection, the man became more upset, insisting the fault was in the machine and not his boarding pass. Eventually, the gate agent discovered the problem; the man was trying to get on the wrong plane.
His flight had already boarded and left without him.
I do not know why the man missed his flight, but I do know it wasn't because Southwest didn't try. Every flight has a minimum of three loud-speaker announcements, and there are numerous illuminated flight signs which are continuously being updated. And, if that isn't enough, the airline will call for a passenger, by name, if he fails to show up while the plane is being boarded.
With all of the information available to him, some of you may wonder how he missed his flight.
I don't wonder. I understand. You see, I almost missed my flight. When we were still in Flint, I got involved in a conversation with some very interesting people. We talked, we laughed, we shared stories, and I did not hear any of the airline's announcements. I made my flight only because my wife sought me out and told me personally that it was time to get on the plane.
In today's world, there are various and many ways that the Good News of Jesus is being shared. There is radio, television, internet, print, mailings, billboards, church signs, and even prayers printed on fast food wrappers.
All of these are inviting people to know more about Jesus.
Which makes it hard for us to imagine that there is anybody who is still ignorant of Jesus and all He has done to forgive and save us. Yes, it's hard to imagine, but the truth is there are many millions out there who have not heard or heeded the Holy Spirit's calling. It makes little difference if they have not heard or heeded, either way they are missing God's gracious call to salvation and eternal life.
Now I made my plane because my loving wife cared enough to seek me out and offer a personal witness.
My wife is beautiful; indeed, but how much more beautiful is that person who loves others enough to find and share a personal invitation to meet the Savior. To invite others to see the Savior is a trust the Lord has given us because He knows, not everybody has met or believes in His Son, the Savior.
THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the Gift of Jesus who gives us the gift of eternal life. We ask that You would give us beautiful-feet opportunities, and inspire us to act on them. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
"But Now I See" #85-24
Sermon Text for Sunday, February 11, 2018
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on February 11, 2018
By Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Copyright 2018 Lutheran Hour Ministries
Text: 2 Corinthians 4:3 So if indeed our Good News is veiled, it is veiled only to those in the process of being lost.Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Dear Lord, life is filled with sadnesses, disappointments, and people who let us down. Grant that we, who once were blind, may clearly see our Lord and Savior and worship Him as Your Son, whose life was offered as the only sacrifice which could forgive our sins and rescue our lost souls. As we think upon the salvation He has earned, let us realize and remember: He is the only One who will never let us down. Lord, grant this gift to us all. Amen.
I'm not much to look at, so you can forgive me if I share that the middle-aged, slightly-heavy, Scottish woman who strode out from behind the theater's side curtain wasn't much to look at either. She sported unkempt hair and wore a gold lace dress which was not entirely flattering. Those who saw her rolled their eyes and giggled a bit. Nobody expected much of anything from the lady who probably had come, the victim of some friend's wrongful urging. That was the way it was on April 11, 2009. That was the way it was when Susan Boyle opened her mouth to sing.
What people heard amazed them. Those who were there in the audience went absolutely crazy. People started standing on their feet, applauding, yelling, stomping their feet. The sophisticated judges ended up apologizing for having judged a book by its cover. Her video clip quickly became the most watched piece of film in YouTube history. Her first record broke all sales records. What I'm saying is Susan Boyle surprised the world. She was not what we expected her to be; she was much, much more. And that's an unusual thing, you know-for something or someone to be better than we had expected. Sadly, all too often, we are disappointed.
It's been a number of years since we went to war with Iraq's President Saddam Hussein. Even so, I remember a young man who stopped in my office. Clad in an Army uniform, the private appeared to be the very epitome of the clean-cut, all-American who proudly defends his nation, his freedoms, and our righteous interests around the world. I asked why he had come and he replied something like "My unit has been called up to fight. We leave on Friday."
I told him that we would remember him in our prayers. Then he put his head down and said, "I don't want to go." I acknowledged that his attitude was perfectly natural. Nobody ever wants to go to war.
"No," he said, "you don't understand."
You see, he had joined up after high school, but he hadn't joined up to go to war. He had enlisted to get some college benefits and health services and insurance and have a steady income and because, quite frankly, his girlfriend had a thing for "guys in uniform." But he hadn't enlisted so they could send him half way around the world to fight. I have to tell you, that day, that boy was a disappointment. Oh, there are two other things you ought to know about him. First, he gave me permission to share his story with you and, second, that young man went, and he fought, and he came home with more than a few of his officers and fellow enlisted men singing his praises.
I'm sure you agree it's a rare thing for someone or something to be better than we expected. Over the years, I have seen a steady stream of disappointed couples. The handsome, tuxedo-clad groom who had been blissful at his wedding when he promised lifelong love to the most wonderful woman in the world says, "I was conned. She flimflammed me. She's not the girl of my dreams, she's is a mean-spirited, continuously crabby, grumpy nightmare."
Not to be outdone by her once beloved, the bride responds theologically by asking, "Pastor, doesn't the Bible say we reap what we sow? Maybe he's only getting back from me what he's given to me. All I can say is my knight who once was in shining armor looks pretty rusty."
Now you may be blessed with a wonderful marriage, and such insults may be completely foreign to your ears. But I'm more than sure you have had a confidant reveal your secrets; you have had a friend turn on you; you have had a trusted comrade break his promises, and there's probably more than one family member who, in a silent, subtle way, has disowned you. You have had bosses who let promises go unfulfilled and companies that demanded much but responded with little. So maybe you won't argue so very much when I say people can be disappointing.
I know the Lord Jesus wouldn't argue with me-not on that point, anyway. He wouldn't argue because during His life He was a continuous disappointment to those who knew Him. The fourth chapter of Luke tells of the day the Savior returned to His boyhood home of Nazareth. At first, the locals were proud of the localboy who was making good. But when Mary's Son made the claim to be the Messiah, His old-friends, His childhood playmates, rose up as one and tried to murder Him. The apostle John tells of two different days when Jesus healed two different people. The first was a man who had non-functioning legs, while the second was a blind man. Jesus healed both these people and for His troubles incurred the wrath of the Pharisees who were disappointed he did "these things on the Sabbath." So great was their disappointment, they set into motion a plan to have Him killed.
Jesus often was a disappointment. At the time Jesus was preaching repentance and calling people to be the forgiveness He alone can give, the center of the Jewish world was in Jerusalem. There, in the great temple, with many traditions and much pomp, the priests led the Jewish people in sacrifices which were supposed to keep Jewish eyes focused on the coming Messiah. Sadly, over the years that purpose had been misused; the meaning had been lost. Worship had become a mere matter of proscribed formalities.
That being said, Jesus breathed new life into the religious leaders. This He did by raising Lazarus from the dead. It was a miracle the priests couldn't explain away. Disappointed in Jesus and the events He had unleashed, the leaders came together and said, "If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." And with that, John 11 tells us, "From that day on they made plans to put Him to death."
Although being disappointed in Jesus was generally confined to Jesus' enemies and those who wished to murder Him, the Redeemer did manage to confuse some of His closest followers. When John the Baptizer was boldly witnessing from Herod's prison, his mind started wandering, and he began wondering: "Is it possible I was wrong? Is it possible Jesus isn't the Messiah?" He sent messengers to Jesus to discover if He was the One, the promised Messiah, or should they be looking for someone else? John died knowing the truth; He died having heard Jesus' answer: "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me."
That day, to John, Jesus gave more than the Baptizer had ever expected.
On a day-to-day to day basis, it seems as if the Lord's disciples were always working in a dense fog whenever it came to Jesus, His intentions, or His purpose. There are reasons for that. First, while Jesus did fulfill all the Old Testament prophecies about the Savior, He didn't always do what people expected the Messiah was going to do. He didn't behave like the Jews expected their Messiah to behave. He didn't raise armies; He didn't flex His muscles, throw off the tyranny of Rome, and re-establish a new kingdom of David.
This oddness was for Jesus' disciples, and for the crowds, and the religious leadership of the Israel, a great hindrance to them acknowledging Jesus' work and word. It also explains why the disciples wander about in a fog. It's why they get things so very, very wrong. Think about it. Although Jesus never requested it, or showed a desire for it, the disciples tried to keep mothers and children from their Lord's blessing; James and John were fully prepared to rain brimstone on a village in Samaria. When they were caught in a squall on the Sea of Galilee, they come to Jesus and say, "Don't You care?" This they say to Jesus, the Son of God who cared enough to live, suffer, die, and rise so they might be saved. And they, of course, regularly argued about who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom after Jesus got rid of the Romans.
The disciples didn't get it. They had to have been a bit of a disappointment. Even after the Lord's resurrection, they still didn't understand why their Rabbi had come. That's evident from the question which they asked immediately before His ascension. They wanted to know if He was, at this time, going to restore the Kingdom to the children of Israel.
So, there you have it. The most important Person who has ever lived in this world, He around whom the calendar revolves, and upon whom forgiveness depends, was a disappointment to His enemies and confusing to His friends. Little wonder people today question and have doubts about Jesus' plan and purpose. The novice believer sometimes longs for a defining Scriptural moment, where the Person and purpose of the Redeemer is clearly identified.
My friends, there is such a moment; there was such a place. It was on the Mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus and His three closest disciples, Peter, James and John went, so the Holy Spirit could remove their doubts and clarify their vision. It was an impressive period of time, and look as you will, you shall not find its like anywhere in Scripture. It begins with Jesus' apparel being transformed. For years, various detergents have claimed they will get your clothes whiter than white. According to John, the Lord's clothes did exactly that ... whiter than any bleach could make them ... but there was more there was a brightness to them.
As the disciples watched, they realized they were not alone. Moses and Elijah had joined them, and they were talking with the Savior. You remember Moses, the Hebrew who had been raised as an Egyptian and was called by God to lead the children of Israel out of slavery. Year after year, Moses led God's whining, complaining, doubting, fearful people. Moses, whose leadership had been questioned and rejected numerous times by the people, was trying to help Jesus. Would he not have much to say to the Savior?
Then there was Elijah. Elijah also could provide insights for the Savior as He prepared to complete His work of sacrifice. Those two had much in common. Jesus had raised a young man from the dead, so had Elijah. Jesus had traded Scripture verses with the devil, and Elijah had shown the courage to taunt the priests of Baal in a God-to-idol showdown. But now, at this particular moment in the Savior's life, Elijah could speak of something special: loneliness. In His suffering and death, Jesus would be very much alone. Although the Lord had assured Elijah there were others who had not shown allegiance to the demon-deities, Elijah also had felt loneliness.
Peter, James and John could only stand there slack-jawed, watching the two most famous men in their nation's history speak to their Rabbi as if they were old friends which, of course, they were. No doubt those two passed on assurances that the victory the Savior had come to win would become a reality. Scripture does not say how long the vision-like reality continued. We only know that it ended when a cloud covered the trio. From within the cloud came a voice, the voice of the Father. He spoke to the trembling followers of His Son, and gave them some advice. "This is My beloved Son," the Father says. "See Him. Listen to Him." It was God's way of saying, "My Son is far more, far better, than you think He is."
And He is, you know, better, that is. In the 1970's, Arthur Burns was a Jewish economist who had quite a solid reputation. He was an advisor to presidents, and wielded considerable influence in the nation's capitol. From 1970 to 1978 he was the chairperson of the Federal Reserve. Once, Mr. Burns was asked to pray at a gathering of evangelical politicians. Quite frankly, nobody knew what kind of prayer this Jewish economist would come up with. Burns surprised everybody by slowly beginning this way: "Lord, I pray the Jews would come to know Jesus Christ." He paused for a second to let his words sink in. He began again: "And I pray that Buddhists would come to know Jesus Christ." People looked at each other across their tables. Burns began again, "And I pray that Muslims would come to know Jesus Christ." And then, most shocking of all, Burns said "And Lord, I pray that Christians would come to know Jesus Christ."
I thought that prayer was cute. Cute, but disappointing. You see, the Jesus Christ Mr. Burns wanted everyone to meet was a good man, a great man, a wonderful teacher, a brilliant moralist, an insightful philosopher, and an all-around nice guy. But if that's all Jesus is when you meet Him, He will be a disappointment. Because He is just one of many high-level teachers, moralists, philosophers, great men, and nice guys that this world has produced.
What we need is a Savior. We need the innocent Son of God who, in order to save us, took our transgressions to the cross where He finished them off. We need the perfect Son of God who resisted every temptation that we found to be so tempting. As the Father urged on the Mount of Transfiguration, we need to hear His Son, the only Person who can honestly say, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Then, having heard Him, we need to join with Martha and give a resounding, "Yes!" "Yes, Lord; I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."
In this world you will meet many people who will not be what you expect, and they will disappoint you. You will deal with all kinds of folks who will, both deliberately and unintentionally, let you down. But today, you have seen the Son of God who has conquered death so you might live forever. I don't know what you may have thought of Him in the past, but I pray today you will think of Him as Your Savior and Lord. If you do, you will not be disappointed. To that end, if you would like to know more about your Savior, please call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
Reflections for Sunday, February 11, 2018 - "But Now I See"Mark Eischer: You're listening to The Lutheran Hour. That was Pastor Ken Klaus, and Dr.
Dale Meyer joins us now. Dr. Meyer, I'm curious to hear your thoughts concerning the transfiguration of Jesus.
Dale Meyer: Mark, it's a fascinating story, and I'll admit that as I've gotten older it fascinates me all the more. In many of our churches that follow the historic lectionary, today is the day when transfiguration is observed.
Mark Eischer: And again, what do we mean by a lectionary?
Dale Meyer: Well, liturgical churches have selected certain Bible readings to be used on given
Sundays and also on festival days. Normally, this is an Old Testament, an epistle, and a Gospel
lesson. Today, it happens to be the Gospel of the transfiguration from St. Mark.
Mark Eischer: What do you find most interesting about that account?
Dale Meyer: There are a number of things. First, let me say that transfiguration is observed this Sunday to shift us from Epiphany into Lent. We go from the glory down to the suffering and the cross, which is exactly what the story of transfiguration is about. Jesus appears in glory but along with Moses and Elijah, they talk about the death that He is soon going to experience.
Mark Eischer: His departure.
Dale Meyer: His departure. In fact, the word is "exodus" in one of the accounts, his exodus. That's fascinating. But, another fascinating thing for me is the ancient fathers of the church said that Mark wrote his Gospel based upon what St. Peter had told him. Peter was an eyewitness to everything about Jesus and he shared that with Mark, so the Gospel of Mark really is, in some ways, the Gospel of Peter. In fact, in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 1, Peter says, "I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed." Peter is referring to what he actually saw on the Mount of Transfiguration. The same happens in 2 Peter, chapter 1, beginning at verse 16, and he talks about seeing the transfiguration. He was there, along with James and John.
Mark Eischer: In Mark 9 verse 7, it says, "A cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud."
Dale Meyer: That's another reason why this account is so fascinating to me. Think about clouds in the Bible. On Mount Sinai, thunder, lightning, and a cloud settled on the mountain. I'm going to talk about that in several weeks in my message. Then in Exodus chapter 40, what does it say? "The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up. "For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day and fire was in it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys." This cloud is the presence of God.
When we fast forward to 1 Kings, chapter 8, Solomon is dedicating the temple. The temple is filled with a cloud. Now, in the transfiguration there is a cloud. At the ascension, Acts chapter 1, we hear that His disciples were watching. Jesus has lifted up and a cloud covers Him. The cloud is the presence of God, and that's fascinating to me because He's close. Exodus 33 tells us that no one can see God and live. That's because we're sinners. I mean, if God shows Himself to us ...
Mark Eischer: Incinerated.
Dale Meyer: Yeah. The sinners are incinerated. Really. That's great. That's great, Mark. What does He do? He comes close, but He veils Himself. He hides Himself in the cloud and when the Lord comes back on Judgment Day, He's going to come on the clouds. Now, on the Mount of Transfiguration, getting back to that, "The cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud. 'This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him.'" No one can see God and live. But what does God do? He draws close and He speaks to us.
Mark Eischer: In His Word.
Dale Meyer: In His Word. Then He narrows that down even more and he says, "Listen to My Son." When we approach the Bible, it's not just the Bible and the Bible is God's Word, but we read it with an eye toward Jesus because that's the instruction out of the cloud: "This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him."
I've got an example of how Peter did that because remember Peter was there, and he took that word from the Heavenly Father to heart. In 1 Peter, chapter 1, Peter quotes Isaiah 40. It says, "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls but the Word of the Lord remains forever." Now that's a famous passage. It talks about our mortality. I remember the hymn "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" by Chalmers Smith that says, "We blossom and flourish like leaves on a tree, we wither and perish, but naught changes Thee." Isaiah is talking about God. This is God's Word, but it's fascinating to see what Peter did with that. Immediately after quoting Isaiah chapter 40, 1 Peter says this, "And this Word is the good news that was preached to you." That's a direct reference to Jesus Christ. What Peter does is take the Old Testament and he interprets it in the light of Jesus' coming. He does that at other places.
The point being that, yes, the Bible is the Word of God, but when we go at it, if we're going to follow the Heavenly Father's direction on the Mount of Transfiguration, we not only listen to His Word, but we listen to it specifically with an eye toward Jesus. This is the Old Testament and the New Testament as well. In the Old Testament, for example, we have the prophecies of the suffering Servant. Well, we look at those prophecies from Isaiah chapter 53, for example, and Peter quotes that, too, in his epistle. We look at that and we say, "Oh, yeah. That's about Jesus." We see the Old Testament, as the new, through the lens of Jesus, and Peter learned that lesson when he was on the Mount of Transfiguration. We've got the evidence in his epistle that he understands it's all about Jesus.
Mark Eischer: That one verse in that story really gives us a guidance, a lot of guidance for daily living.
Dale Meyer: Absolutely. First of all, when God seems distant, when the days are dark, He's actually close. God is omnipresent, so He's not gone when you're having a tough time. In fact, the biblical record tells us that when the cloud came, He was very close to His people. We should understand that when we're having dark days, God's not far away. He's close. But what He wants to do is to encourage us, and to explain to us what's happening on the basis of His Word. We read the Word of God, especially in our tough times, with an eye toward Jesus who is the suffering Servant, who endured so much that we remember the Lenten season for us and for our salvation. This is very practical advice. It comes out of that one verse in the transfiguration account that can help us our whole life long until we, in our turn, see the glory face to face.
Music Selections for this program:
- "A Mighty Fortress" arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
- "O Wondrous Type, O Vision Fair" From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "No Escape" - Sunday, February 11, 2018 "No Escape"
The great escape artist Harry Houdini was a master of publicity. To assure a crowd would come to see him, every time he came to a community he would break out of the local jail. There is no evidence that Houdini ever escaped from Alcatraz.
Alcatraz is a small island in San Francisco Bay.
Although it is located only a mile and a quarter from the mainland, Alcatraz prison has long been considered to be inescapable. The sharks, the deadly currents of the harbor, along with the corpses of those who tried to escape discouraged most prisoners from ever considering a plan which ended up in freedom.
That is why, from the opening of the Alcatraz prison in 1934 until the year it closed in 1965, the government was proud to say the facility was "escape proof."
Now, 50 years after the last inmate left the island, it appears the prison's boast may have been premature.
In 1962, Frank Morris along with brothers John and Clarence Anglin chiseled a hole in the jail wall, and using a raft made out of raincoats tried to navigate the bay and make it to the mainland.
Although their bodies were never found, it was always assumed the three were swept out to sea and drowned. Things might have stayed that way but, recently, their relatives have produced Christmas cards and letters from the three. Along with that, there is a recently released old letter from John to the police. In that letter, he says he is willing to turn himself in if he can receive medical treatment.
Although none of the individual pieces of evidence make an unbreakable case for the survival of the three, they certainly raise some doubts.
So much for being inescapable.
That being said, Scripture is clear there is one place of punishment which is permanent: one place from which there is no escape, no reprieve, no release, no pardon. That place, of course, is hell.
The amazing thing is no longer does modern man have to spend eternity in that place of punishment.
You see, God's Son, our Savior, entered this world for the express purpose of taking our place under the Law. To that end, He successfully resisted all of Satan's suggestions to sin, all of the world's enticements to disobey. His life, unlike that of the rest of us, was lived perfectly.
Then, when He had healed and preached and called humanity to a new way of thinking, living, and believing, Jesus took our sins upon Himself and died for us. His third day resurrection from the dead is pardon and freedom from the punishments which once were ours. It is life eternal for all who are brought to faith.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, accept my heartfelt thanks for my Savior's sacrifice which sets me free from the punishments for sin which once were mine. Grant that I may, while there is still time, point others to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
The inspiration for today's devotion comes from an article written by Neal Colgrass for Newser on October 11, 2015. Those who wish may visit this link, which was fully functional when this devotion was written: click here.
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "No Escape" for Sunday, February 11, 2018
2 Thessalonians 1:7b-9 - ... when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might.The great escape artist Harry Houdini was a master of publicity. To assure a crowd would come to see him, every time he came to a community he would break out of the local jail. There is no evidence that Houdini ever escaped from Alcatraz.
Alcatraz is a small island in San Francisco Bay.
Although it is located only a mile and a quarter from the mainland, Alcatraz prison has long been considered to be inescapable. The sharks, the deadly currents of the harbor, along with the corpses of those who tried to escape discouraged most prisoners from ever considering a plan which ended up in freedom.
That is why, from the opening of the Alcatraz prison in 1934 until the year it closed in 1965, the government was proud to say the facility was "escape proof."
Now, 50 years after the last inmate left the island, it appears the prison's boast may have been premature.
In 1962, Frank Morris along with brothers John and Clarence Anglin chiseled a hole in the jail wall, and using a raft made out of raincoats tried to navigate the bay and make it to the mainland.
Although their bodies were never found, it was always assumed the three were swept out to sea and drowned. Things might have stayed that way but, recently, their relatives have produced Christmas cards and letters from the three. Along with that, there is a recently released old letter from John to the police. In that letter, he says he is willing to turn himself in if he can receive medical treatment.
Although none of the individual pieces of evidence make an unbreakable case for the survival of the three, they certainly raise some doubts.
So much for being inescapable.
That being said, Scripture is clear there is one place of punishment which is permanent: one place from which there is no escape, no reprieve, no release, no pardon. That place, of course, is hell.
The amazing thing is no longer does modern man have to spend eternity in that place of punishment.
You see, God's Son, our Savior, entered this world for the express purpose of taking our place under the Law. To that end, He successfully resisted all of Satan's suggestions to sin, all of the world's enticements to disobey. His life, unlike that of the rest of us, was lived perfectly.
Then, when He had healed and preached and called humanity to a new way of thinking, living, and believing, Jesus took our sins upon Himself and died for us. His third day resurrection from the dead is pardon and freedom from the punishments which once were ours. It is life eternal for all who are brought to faith.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, accept my heartfelt thanks for my Savior's sacrifice which sets me free from the punishments for sin which once were mine. Grant that I may, while there is still time, point others to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
The inspiration for today's devotion comes from an article written by Neal Colgrass for Newser on October 11, 2015. Those who wish may visit this link, which was fully functional when this devotion was written: click here.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 12-13; Matthew 26:1-35
Exodus 12:1 Adonai spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt; he said, 2 “You are to begin your calendar with this month; it will be the first month of the year for you. 3 Speak to all the assembly of Isra’el and say, ‘On the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb or kid for his family, one per household — 4 except that if the household is too small for a whole lamb or kid, then he and his next-door neighbor should share one, dividing it in proportion to the number of people eating it. 5 Your animal must be without defect, a male in its first year, and you may choose it from either the sheep or the goats.
6 “‘You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of the community of Isra’el will slaughter it at dusk. 7 They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame at the entrance of the house in which they eat it. 8 That night, they are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire; they are to eat it with matzah and maror. 9 Don’t eat it raw or boiled, but roasted in the fire, with its head, the lower parts of its legs and its inner organs. 10 Let nothing of it remain till morning; if any of it does remain, burn it up completely.
11 “‘Here is how you are to eat it: with your belt fastened, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand; and you are to eat it hurriedly. It is Adonai’s Pesach [Passover]. 12 For that night, I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both men and animals; and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt; I am Adonai. 13 The blood will serve you as a sign marking the houses where you are; when I see the blood, I will pass over [Exodus 12:13 Hebrew: pasach] you — when I strike the land of Egypt, the death blow will not strike you.
14 “‘This will be a day for you to remember and celebrate as a festival to Adonai; from generation to generation you are to celebrate it by a perpetual regulation.
15 “‘For seven days you are to eat matzah — on the first day remove the leaven from your houses. For whoever eats hametz [leavened bread] from the first to the seventh day is to be cut off from Isra’el. 16 On the first and seventh days, you are to have an assembly set aside for God. On these days no work is to be done, except what each must do to prepare his food; you may do only that. 17 You are to observe the festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation. 18 From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day, you are to eat matzah. 19 During those seven days, no leaven is to be found in your houses. Whoever eats food with hametz in it is to be cut off from the community of Isra’el — it doesn’t matter whether he is a foreigner or a citizen of the land. 20 Eat nothing with hametz in it. Wherever you live, eat matzah.’”
(v) 21 Then Moshe called for all the leaders of Isra’el and said, “Select and take lambs for your families, and slaughter the Pesach lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop leaves and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame. Then, none of you is to go out the door of his house until morning. 23 For Adonai will pass through to kill the Egyptians; but when he sees the blood on the top and on the two sides, Adonai will pass over the door and will not allow the Slaughterer to enter your houses and kill you. 24 You are to observe this as a law, you and your descendants forever.
25 “When you come to the land which Adonai will give you, as he has promised, you are to observe this ceremony. 26 When your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this ceremony?’ 27 say, ‘It is the sacrifice of Adonai’s Pesach [Passover], because [Adonai] passed over the houses of the people of Isra’el in Egypt, when he killed the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” The people of Isra’el bowed their heads and worshipped. 28 Then the people of Isra’el went and did as Adonai had ordered Moshe and Aharon — that is what they did.
(vi) 29 At midnight Adonai killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30 Pharaoh got up in the night, he, all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was horrendous wailing in Egypt; for there wasn’t a single house without someone dead in it. 31 He summoned Moshe and Aharon by night and said, “Up and leave my people, both you and the people of Isra’el; and go, serve Adonai as you said. 32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you said; and get out of here! But bless me, too.” 33 The Egyptians pressed to send the people out of the land quickly, because they said, “Otherwise we’ll all be dead!”
34 The people took their dough before it had become leavened and wrapped their kneading bowls in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 The people of Isra’el had done what Moshe had said — they had asked the Egyptians to give them silver and gold jewelry and clothing; 36 and Adonai had made the Egyptians so favorably disposed toward the people that they had let them have whatever they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
37 The people of Isra’el traveled from Ra‘amses to Sukkot, some six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting children. 38 A mixed crowd also went up with them, as well as livestock in large numbers, both flocks and herds. 39 They baked matzah loaves from the dough they had brought out of Egypt, since it was unleavened; because they had been driven out of Egypt without time to prepare supplies for themselves.
40 The time the people of Isra’el lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years to the day, all the divisions of Adonai left the land of Egypt. 42 This was a night when Adonai kept vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt, and this same night continues to be a night when Adonai keeps vigil for all the people of Isra’el through all their generations.
43 Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, “This is the regulation for the Pesach lamb: no foreigner is to eat it. 44 But if anyone has a slave he bought for money, when you have circumcised him, he may eat it. 45 Neither a traveler nor a hired servant may eat it. 46 It is to be eaten in one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you are not to break any of its bones. 47 The whole community of Isra’el is to keep it. 48 If a foreigner staying with you wants to observe Adonai’s Pesach, all his males must be circumcised. Then he may take part and observe it; he will be like a citizen of the land. But no uncircumcised person is to eat it. 49 The same teaching is to apply equally to the citizen and to the foreigner living among you.”
50 All the people of Isra’el did just as Adonai had ordered Moshe and Aharon. 51 On that very day, Adonai brought the people of Isra’el out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.
13:1 (vii) Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Set aside for me all the firstborn. Whatever is first from the womb among the people of Isra’el, both of humans and of animals, belongs to me.” 3 Moshe said to the people, “Remember this day, on which you left Egypt, the abode of slavery; because Adonai, by the strength of his hand, has brought you out of this place. Do not eat hametz. 4 You are leaving today, in the month of Aviv. 5 When Adonai brings you into the land of the Kena‘ani, Hitti, Emori, Hivi and Y’vusi, which he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you are to observe this ceremony in this month. 6 For seven days you are to eat matzah, and the seventh day is to be a festival for Adonai. 7 Matzah is to be eaten throughout the seven days; neither hametz nor leavening agents are to be seen with you throughout your territory. 8 On that day you are to tell your son, ‘It is because of what Adonai did for me when I left Egypt.’
9 “Moreover, it will serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes, so that Adonai’s Torah may be on your lips; because with a strong hand Adonai brought you out of Egypt. 10 Therefore you are to observe this regulation at its proper time, year after year. 11 When Adonai brings you into the land of the Kena‘ani, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and gives it to you, 12 you are to set apart for Adonai everything that is first from the womb. Every firstborn male animal will belong to Adonai. 13 Every firstborn from a donkey, you are to redeem with a lamb; but if you choose not to redeem it, you must break its neck. But from people, you are to redeem every firstborn son. (Maftir) 14 When, at some future time, your son asks you, ‘What is this?’ then say to him, ‘With a strong hand Adonai brought us out of Egypt, out of the abode of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh was unwilling to let us go, Adonai killed all the firstborn males in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of humans and the firstborn of animals. This is why I sacrifice to Adonai any male that is first from the womb of an animal, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 This will serve as a sign on your hand and at the front of a headband around your forehead that with a strong hand Adonai brought us out of Egypt.”
17 After Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not guide them to the highway that goes through the land of the P’lishtim, because it was close by — God thought that the people, upon seeing war, might change their minds and return to Egypt. 18 Rather, God led the people by a roundabout route, through the desert by the Sea of Suf. The people of Isra’el went up from the land of Egypt fully armed.
19 Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him, for Yosef had made the people of Isra’el swear an oath when he said, “God will certainly remember you; and you are to carry my bones up with you, away from here.”
20 They traveled from Sukkot and set up camp in Etam, at the edge of the desert. 21 Adonai went ahead of them in a column of cloud during the daytime to lead them on their way, and at night in a column of fire to give them light; thus they could travel both by day and by night. 22 Neither the column of cloud by day nor the column of fire at night went away from in front of the people.
Matthew 26:1 When Yeshua had finished speaking, he said to his talmidim, 2 “As you know, Pesach is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be nailed to the execution-stake.”
3 Then the head cohanim and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of Kayafa the cohen hagadol. 4 They made plans to arrest Yeshua surreptitiously and have him put to death; 5 but they said, “Not during the festival, or the people will riot.”
6 Yeshua was in Beit-Anyah, at the home of Shim‘on, the man who had had tzara’at. 7 A woman who had an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume approached Yeshua while he was eating and began pouring it on his head. 8 When the talmidim saw it, they became very angry. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.” 10 But Yeshua, aware of what was going on, said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 She poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13 Yes! I tell you that throughout the whole world, wherever this Good News is proclaimed, what she has done will be told in her memory.”
14 Then one of the Twelve, the one called Y’hudah from K’riot, went to the head cohanim 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I turn Yeshua over to you?” They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to Y’hudah.[Matthew 26:15 Zechariah 11:12] 16 From then on he looked for a good opportunity to betray him.
17 On the first day for matzah, the talmidim came to Yeshua and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare your Seder?” 18 “Go into the city, to so-and-so,” he replied, “and tell him that the Rabbi says, ‘My time is near, my talmidim and I are celebrating Pesach at your house.’” 19 The talmidim did as Yeshua directed and prepared the Seder.
20 When evening came, Yeshua reclined with the twelve talmidim; 21 and as they were eating, he said, “Yes, I tell you that one of you is going to betray me.” 22 They became terribly upset and began asking him, one after the other, “Lord, you don’t mean me, do you?” 23 He answered, “The one who dips his matzah in the dish with me is the one who will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will die just as the Tanakh says he will; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him had he never been born!” 25 Y’hudah, the one who was betraying him, then asked, “Surely, Rabbi, you don’t mean me?” He answered, “The words are yours.”
26 While they were eating, Yeshua took a piece of matzah, made the b’rakhah, broke it, gave it to the talmidim and said, “Take! Eat! This is my body!” 27 Also he took a cup of wine, made the b’rakhah, and gave it to them, saying, “All of you, drink from it! 28 For this is my blood, which ratifies the New Covenant, my blood shed on behalf of many, so that they may have their sins forgiven. 29 I tell you, I will not drink this ‘fruit of the vine’ again until the day I drink new wine with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
30 After singing the Hallel, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Yeshua then said to them, “Tonight you will all lose faith in me, as the Tanakh says, ‘I will strike the shepherd dead, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[Matthew 26:31 Zechariah 13:7] 32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil.” 33 “I will never lose faith in you,” Kefa answered, “even if everyone else does.” 34 Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I tell you that tonight before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” 35 “Even if I must die with you,” Kefa replied, “I will never disown you!” And all the talmidim said the same thing.
***The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis Missouri United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Saturday, February 12, 2018 "Beautiful Feet"
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Beautiful Feet" for Saturday, February 12, 2018
Isaiah 52:7a - How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news.With only the most modest of editing for the purposes of space, the following devotion was written by Richard Cohrs, a dear friend and retired employee of Lutheran Hour Ministries. His beautiful, albeit unnamed, wife is Carol.
The other day my wife and I flew Southwest Airlines from Flint, Michigan, to St. Louis, Missouri. Switching planes in Chicago, we had time enough to enjoy some of the best of the Windy City's cuisine: hot dogs and Italian beef. That still gave us plenty of time to get to our next gate.
For those of you who don't know, Southwest Airlines doesn't assign seats. Boarding is determined by a letter and number which is printed on your ticket. After you are on the plane you can plunk down in any open seat you wish. To facilitate the boarding process, passengers are asked to line up about ten minutes beforehand.
It is a smooth process, and my wife and I were almost on the plane when there was a problem.
The fellow ahead of us had a boarding pass the electronic scanner didn't like. The gate agent tried numerous times to scan the boarding pass, but each time it was refused. With each rejection, the man became more upset, insisting the fault was in the machine and not his boarding pass. Eventually, the gate agent discovered the problem; the man was trying to get on the wrong plane.
His flight had already boarded and left without him.
I do not know why the man missed his flight, but I do know it wasn't because Southwest didn't try. Every flight has a minimum of three loud-speaker announcements, and there are numerous illuminated flight signs which are continuously being updated. And, if that isn't enough, the airline will call for a passenger, by name, if he fails to show up while the plane is being boarded.
With all of the information available to him, some of you may wonder how he missed his flight.
I don't wonder. I understand. You see, I almost missed my flight. When we were still in Flint, I got involved in a conversation with some very interesting people. We talked, we laughed, we shared stories, and I did not hear any of the airline's announcements. I made my flight only because my wife sought me out and told me personally that it was time to get on the plane.
In today's world, there are various and many ways that the Good News of Jesus is being shared. There is radio, television, internet, print, mailings, billboards, church signs, and even prayers printed on fast food wrappers.
All of these are inviting people to know more about Jesus.
Which makes it hard for us to imagine that there is anybody who is still ignorant of Jesus and all He has done to forgive and save us. Yes, it's hard to imagine, but the truth is there are many millions out there who have not heard or heeded the Holy Spirit's calling. It makes little difference if they have not heard or heeded, either way they are missing God's gracious call to salvation and eternal life.
Now I made my plane because my loving wife cared enough to seek me out and offer a personal witness.
My wife is beautiful; indeed, but how much more beautiful is that person who loves others enough to find and share a personal invitation to meet the Savior. To invite others to see the Savior is a trust the Lord has given us because He knows, not everybody has met or believes in His Son, the Savior.
THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the Gift of Jesus who gives us the gift of eternal life. We ask that You would give us beautiful-feet opportunities, and inspire us to act on them. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 14-15; Matthew 26:36-75
Exodus 14:1 Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Tell the people of Isra’el to turn around and set up camp in front of Pi-Hachirot, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Ba‘al-Tz’fon; camp opposite it, by the sea. 3 Then Pharaoh will say that the people of Isra’el are wandering aimlessly in the countryside, the desert has closed in on them. 4 I will make Pharaoh so hardhearted that he will pursue them; thus I will win glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will realize at last that I am Adonai.” The people did as ordered.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people. They said, “What have we done, letting Isra’el stop being our slaves?” 6 So he prepared his chariots and took his people with him — 7 he took 600 first-quality chariots, as well as all the other chariots in Egypt, along with their commanders. 8 Adonai made Pharaoh hardhearted, and he pursued the people of Isra’el, as they left boldly. (ii) 9 The Egyptians went after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, with his cavalry and army, and overtook them as they were encamped by the sea, by Pi-Hachirot, in front of Ba‘al-Tz’fon. 10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Isra’el looked up and saw the Egyptians right there, coming after them. In great fear the people of Isra’el cried out to Adonai 11 and said to Moshe, “Was it because there weren’t enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out to die in the desert? Why have you done this to us, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you in Egypt to let us alone, we’ll just go on being slaves for the Egyptians? It would be better for us to be the Egyptians’ slaves than to die in the desert!” 13 Moshe answered the people, “Stop being so fearful! Remain steady, and you will see how Adonai is going to save you. He will do it today — today you have seen the Egyptians, but you will never see them again! 14 Adonai will do battle for you. Just calm yourselves down!”
(A: iii) 15 Adonai asked Moshe, “Why are you crying to me? Tell the people of Isra’el to go forward! 16 Lift your staff, reach out with your hand over the sea, and divide it in two. The people of Isra’el will advance into the sea on dry ground. 17 As for me, I will make the Egyptians hardhearted; and they will march in after them; thus I will win glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and all his army, chariots and cavalry. 18 Then the Egyptians will realize that I am Adonai, when I have won myself glory at the expense of Pharaoh, his chariots and his cavalry.”
19 Next, the angel of God, who was going ahead of the camp of Isra’el, moved away and went behind them; and the column of cloud moved away from in front of them and stood behind them. 20 It stationed itself between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Isra’el — there was cloud and darkness here, but light by night there; so that the one did not come near the other all night long.
21 Moshe reached his hand out over the sea, and Adonai caused the sea to go back before a strong east wind all night. He made the sea become dry land, and its water was divided in two. 22 Then the people of Isra’el went into the sea on the dry ground, with the water walled up for them on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians continued their pursuit, going after them into the sea — all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and cavalry. 24 Just before dawn, Adonai looked out on the Egyptian army through the column of fire and cloud and threw them into a panic. 25 He caused the wheels of their chariots to break off, so that they could move only with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Adonai is fighting for Isra’el against the Egyptians! Let’s get away from them!”
(A: iv, S: iii) 26 Adonai said to Moshe, “Reach your hand out over the sea, and the water will return and cover the Egyptians with their chariots and cavalry.” 27 Moshe reached his hand out over the sea, and by dawn the sea had returned to its former depth. The Egyptians tried to flee, but Adonai swept them into the sea. 28 The water came back and covered all the chariots and cavalry of Pharaoh’s army who had followed them into the sea — not even one of them was left. 29 But the people of Isra’el walked on dry ground in the sea, with the water walled up for them on their right and on their left.
30 On that day, Adonai saved Isra’el from the Egyptians; Isra’el saw the Egyptians dead on the shore. 31 When Isra’el saw the mighty deed that Adonai had performed against the Egyptians, the people feared Adonai, and they believed in Adonai and in his servant Moshe.
15:1 Then Moshe and the people of Isra’el sang this song to Adonai:
“I will sing to Adonai, for he is highly exalted:
the horse and its rider he threw in the sea.
2 Yah is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.
This is my God: I will glorify him;
my father’s God: I will exalt him.
3 Adonai is a warrior;
Adonai is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he hurled into the sea.
His elite commanders
were drowned in the Sea of Suf.
5 The deep waters covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, Adonai, is sublimely powerful;
your right hand, Adonai, shatters the foe.
7 By your great majesty you bring down your enemies;
you send out your wrath to consume them like stubble.
8 With a blast from your nostrils the waters piled up —
the waters stood up like a wall,
the depths of the sea became firm ground.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue and overtake,
divide the spoil and gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword; my hand will 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, Adonai, among the mighty?
Who is like you, sublime in holiness,
awesome in praises, working wonders?
12 You reached out with your right hand:
the earth swallowed them.
13 In your love, you led the people you redeemed;
in your strength, you guided them to your holy abode.
14 The peoples have heard, and they tremble;
anguish takes hold of those living in P’leshet;
15 then the chiefs of Edom are dismayed;
trepidation seizes the heads of Mo’av;
all those living in Kena‘an are melted away.
16 Terror and dread fall on them;
by the might of your arm they are still as stone
until your people pass over, Adonai,
till the people you purchased pass over.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain which is your heritage,
the place, Adonai, that you made your abode,
the sanctuary, Adonai, which your hands established.
18 Adonai will reign forever and ever.
19 For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots
and with his cavalry into the sea,
but Adonai brought the sea waters back upon them,
while the people of Isra’el walked on dry land
in the midst of the sea!”
20 Also Miryam the prophet, sister of Aharon, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing, 21 as Miryam sang to them:
“Sing to Adonai, for he is highly exalted!
The horse and its rider he threw in the sea!”
22 Moshe led Isra’el onward from the Sea of Suf. They went out into the Shur Desert; but after traveling three days in the desert, they had found no water. 23 They arrived at Marah but couldn’t drink the water there, because it was bitter. This is why they called it Marah [bitterness]. 24 The people grumbled against Moshe and asked, “What are we to drink?” 25 Moshe cried to Adonai; and Adonai showed him a certain piece of wood, which, when he threw it into the water, made the water taste good. There Adonai made laws and rules of life for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you will listen intently to the voice of Adonai your God, do what he considers right, pay attention to his mitzvot and observe his laws, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians; because I am Adonai your healer.”
(A: v, S: iv) 27 They came to Eilim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and camped there by the water.
Matthew 26:36 Then Yeshua went with his talmidim to a place called Gat-Sh’manim and said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Kefa and Zavdai’s two sons. Grief and anguish came over him, 38 and he said to them, “My heart is so filled with sadness that I could die! Remain here and stay awake with me.” 39 Going on a little farther, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet — not what I want, but what you want!” 40 He returned to the talmidim and found them sleeping. He said to Kefa, “Were you so weak that you couldn’t stay awake with me for even an hour? 41 Stay awake, and pray that you will not be put to the test — the spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak.”
42 A second time he went off and prayed. “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, let what you want be done.” 43 Again he returned and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy.
44 Leaving them again, he went off and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to the talmidim and said, “For now, go on sleeping, take your rest. . . . Look! The time has come for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up! Let’s go! Here comes my betrayer!”
47 While Yeshua was still speaking, Y’hudah (one of the Twelve!) came, and with him a large crowd carrying swords and clubs, from the head cohanim and elders of the people. 48 The betrayer had arranged to give them a signal: “The man I kiss is the one you want — grab him!” 49 He went straight up to Yeshua, said, “Shalom, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50 Yeshua said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they moved forward, laid hold of Yeshua and arrested him.
51 At that, one of the men with Yeshua reached for his sword, drew it out and struck at the servant of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his ear. 52 Yeshua said to him, “Put your sword back where it belongs, for everyone who uses the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you know that I can ask my Father, and he will instantly provide more than a dozen armies of angels to help me? 54 But if I did that, how could the passages in the Tanakh be fulfilled that say it has to happen this way?”
55 Then Yeshua addressed the crowd: “So you came out to take me with swords and clubs, the way you would the leader of a rebellion? Every day I sat in the Temple court, teaching; and you didn’t seize me then. 56 But all this has happened so that what the prophets wrote may be fulfilled.” Then the talmidim all deserted him and ran away.
57 Those who had seized Yeshua led him off to Kayafa the cohen hagadol, where the Torah-teachers and elders were assembled. 58 Kefa followed him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; then he went inside and sat down with the guards to see what the outcome would be.
59 The head cohanim and the whole Sanhedrin looked for some false evidence against Yeshua, so that they might put him to death. 60 But they didn’t find any, even though many liars came forward to give testimony. At last, however, two people came forward and said, 61 “This man said, ‘I can tear down God’s Temple and build it again in three days.’” 62 The cohen hagadol stood up and said, “Have you nothing to say to the accusation these men are making?” 63 Yeshua remained silent. The cohen hagadol said to him, “I put you under oath! By the living God, tell us if you are the Mashiach, the Son of God!” 64 Yeshua said to him, “The words are your own. But I tell you that one day you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of HaG’vurah and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[Matthew 26:64 Daniel 7:13; Psalm 110:1] 65 At this, the cohen hagadol tore his robes. “Blasphemy!” he said. “Why do we still need witnesses? You heard him blaspheme! 66 What is your verdict?” “Guilty,” they answered. “He deserves death!” 67 Then they spit in his face and pounded him with their fists; and those who were beating him 68 said, “Now, you ‘Messiah,’ ‘prophesy’ to us: who hit you that time?”
69 Kefa was sitting outside in the courtyard when a servant girl came up to him. “You too were with Yeshua from the Galil,” she said. 70 But he denied it in front of everyone — “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” 71 He went out onto the porch, and another girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Yeshua of Natzeret.” 72 Again he denied it, swearing, “I don’t know the man!” 73 After a little while, the bystanders approached Kefa and said, “You must be one of them — your accent gives you away.” 74 This time he began to invoke a curse on himself as he swore, “I do not know the man!” — and immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Kefa remembered what Yeshua had said, “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times”; and he went outside and cried bitterly.
***
The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - February 10, 2018 "Two Points About Death (Point Number Two)"
Every time I speak on The Lutheran Hour, two things are behind my sermon:
The Bible tells how, because of humankind's deliberate disregard of the Creator's single commandment, sin was born into this world, bringing death and a pantheon of other evils along with it.
I'm talking about the questions of death because history in general and the Bible in particular show no person can defeat death -- not on his own. Medicine may advance and find cures for cancer and the common cold, but each of us will die. There is no fountain of youth which remains undiscovered; there is no plastic surgery which can guarantee perpetuality; there is no cloning procedure which will make you indestructible, invincible, invulnerable.
Death is coming, and we are wise to see how the Lord feels about it. To that end, here are two points:
Point one: years ago I heard of a lady who, after worship, fell on a church step and broke her hip. After her surgery, the lady didn't improve, and ended up dying a few days later. At the wake, the woman's pastor stood by the side of her mourning husband. As she had been dearly loved, many came and offered their condolences. One said, "Be comforted; this is the will of God." Another said, "God is testing you with this tragedy." And another commented, "You will see God's direction in this, someday. Every dark cloud has a bright lining."
They were all well-meaning comments, made by sincere friends. Even so, the pastor ended up rewriting his funeral sermon. He began with the words, "Today, I proclaim to you a loving Lord who doesn't push old ladies down church steps." Then the pastor told them that God cannot be accused of killing little old ladies or people who are at work in the World Trade Center. He told them how God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift, including the gifts of forgiveness, salvation, resurrection and, best Gift of all, His only Son.
Point two: Jesus wanted His people to understand that while the way a person dies may seem to be shocking or scandalous, terrible or tragic, blessed or cursed. Finally and ultimately, the way we die isn't all that important. It really doesn't make much difference if death sneaks up and surprises us or if death gives some warning. It doesn't make much difference because when death comes, and it will come, the results are always the same.
When death comes, at that moment, our hearts will stop beating; our brains will stop thinking; our ears will stop hearing; our eyes will stop seeing; and all of life's functions, in this world, will come to a grinding, screeching halt.
And for those who have been forgiven and given faith in the Redeemer, a new life, a better, more complete life will begin. As Luther would say, "This is most certainly true."
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me see that because of the Savior, death and the grave will no longer have the final word. Let me trust in Him who gave His life so death will be a door to a perfect life with the Savior. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 9-11; Matthew 25:31-46
The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis Missouri United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Thursday February 9, 2018 "Two Points About Death (Point Number One)"
At 3:05 in the afternoon of March 18, 1937, Lemmie Butler, instructor of manual training at the New London Consolidated School in Texas turned on a sanding machine. The switch from Mr. Butler's sanding machine caused a spark; that spark ignited a mixture of natural gas and air which hovered, unnoticed, in the workroom. That fierce flame raced immediately into a large, enclosed space beneath the school house -- a space into which natural gas had been leaking for an indefinite period of time.
Witnesses say the school seemed to actually lift into the air.
The explosion was heard four miles away; a two-ton concrete slab was thrown 200 feet. There had been 500 students and 40 teachers in the building that day; almost 300 died. Long after the debris had been cleaned away, questions remained. Most of those questions began with the word, "Why?" "Why couldn't the accident have happened ten minutes later. Ten minutes later school would have been dismissed and the students would have been on their way home." "Why? Why did one student survive and the next one die?" "Why did they have to die?"
Ours is a world which is both frightened and fascinated by death. When people come upon an accident, in horror they put their hands over their eyes, and then they open their fingers so they can get a glimpse of the wreckage. In truth, it's difficult to have a devotion about the whys? and how comes? of death.
It's difficult because I know a percentage of you have problems with death, in general. Some of you think that if you ignore death, it will go away. Then there are others who think that there is no point in talking about the questions of death because discussion is just suspicion and speculation. And I dare not forget those who don't want to talk about death because it's simply too close to them.
I can understand. But how about hearing Jesus speak about death? He does that in the 13th chapter of Luke. The Savior had been talking about all kinds of things when the subject of some people who had been murdered in the temple came up. People wanted to know: "Had they been especially bad? Did God have it in for them?"
That day Jesus told them: God hates death as much, even more, than you do.
If you doubt the truth of that statement, even in the least little bit, I encourage you to look at the price God was willing to pay so death -- your death -- might be destroyed. Look into the manger of Bethlehem and see God's Son, Jesus. See your Savior who was willing to leave the glory, beauty, and joy of heaven to enter a world of sorrow and sadness, to be the Sacrifice which needed to be paid for your sins.
Because death is stalking us, Jesus warns, "Don't waste your time pretending to be a coroner who has to do post mortems on the lives of others. Don't be concerned about the desirable or dreadful way somebody else has died." Listen to Jesus who says, "It's not the moment of your death which should concern you; it's being sure of your faith in Him because it is that faith alone which saves and will conquer death -- no matter which way it comes calling."
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, death is going to come for me. If not now, then someday. Grant that I may be found firm in the faith, trusting in the Savior who died so I might live. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 7-8; Matthew 25:1-30
The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis Missouri United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Thursday, February 8, 2018 "Dark and Cold"
Long about the end of July and the beginning of August, when the temperature runs over 100 degrees, it's not unusual for one Texan to greet another individual with the rhetorical question: "Well, is it hot enough for ya?"
This winter in Russia the opposite appears to be true.
This year the Russian winter has made the internal temperature of my house freezer seem like Hawaii. And if you're wondering just how cold has it been, I can tell you. In Yakutsk, the country's coldest cold spot, the thermometer seems to be stuck at 80 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Folks, that's cold.
But it's not Russia's cold which is the subject of this devotion. It's the darkness.
Did you know, in December of 2000, the city of Moscow set a record because that month had only three hours of sunlight. That's three hours for the entire month! Well, that record is now a thing of the past. That's because this past December, looking as hard as they could, the people of Moscow could confess to having a grand total of six minutes of accumulated sunlight.
That's gloomy. That's dismal, dark, depressing, and discouraging.
That's the kind of weather that has people turning to the bottle or making an appointment with their counselor or placing a desperation call to the local suicide hotline. It's also part of the reason that not many tour companies host a lot of tourist trip to Russia's capital in December.
Surprisingly, the darkness which sin brings about in this world does not create a similar reaction.
By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle John notes that because their deeds were dark unrepentant souls loved the darkness and rejected the light. Although almost 20 centuries have come and gone since John put those words to paper, not much has changed.
Dark is still the preferred lighting level for those who disobey the Laws of the Lord or the land.
That's because it's easier to get away with sinning when the lights are dimmed, and it's easier to pretend you're a law-abiding individual if no one can clearly see the bad nasties you have been doing in the dark.
In contrast to what the people of the world prefer, we have the light of the Lord.
Born in Bethlehem, crucified in Jerusalem, Jesus did not just bring light into the world; He is the Light of the world. His life, death, and resurrection offer us the opportunity of being moved into the light which comes from having been given blood-bought forgiveness and eternity-changing salvation.
Washed in His blood, we are moved to leave the darkness behind and embrace with gladness the warmth and brightness of the Christ's redemption.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, when I lived in the darkness, it seemed a comfortable enough place to be. I give thanks that the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel and brought me into the light. Now may I, as much as I am able, be glad to reflect that light into dark hearts everywhere. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Jenn Gidman on January 18, 2018 for Newser. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: click here.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 4-6; Matthew 24:29-51Exodus 4:1 Moshe replied, “But I’m certain they won’t believe me, and they won’t listen to what I say, because they’ll say, ‘Adonai did not appear to you.’” 2 Adonai answered him, “What is that in your hand?” and he said, “A staff.” 3 He said, “Throw it on the ground!” and he threw it on the ground. It turned into a snake, and Moshe recoiled from it. 4 Then Adonai said to Moshe, “Put your hand out and take it by the tail.” He reached out with his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his hand. 5 “This is so that they will believe that Adonai, the God of their fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has appeared to you!”
By that I mean when Winters read his first King book, way back in 1998, he became addicted. For the next two decades he collected everything which was related to or had sprung from the fertile, albeit somewhat twisted, mind of the famous horror story author.
Eventually, Winters' collection grew so big he decided to open up a rare books store in Bangor, Maine. Naturally, Stephen King was at the heart of everything Winters did. After a while, it became apparent that Winters needed to reorganize his book collection. There was nothing for him to do but clear the shelves and transport everything to his basement where he could bring organization out of chaos.
It was a great plan, and I'm sure Winters could have been able to pull it off without any kind of problem ... if it were not for the fact that a water main burst near his store, flooding the basement with six feet of water and, in the process, ruining 90 percent of his inventory. Included in the waterlogged pile are seven of King's original typed manuscripts, dozens of first- and limited-edition books, foreign language prints, signed tomes, and other hard-to-find collectibles. Even Stephen King reacted to the news by saying, "I'm horrified. As a book lover, my heart goes out to him."
Reading about the disaster in Winters' bookstore, I wondered if the same kind of thing could have happened to books of our Bible.
Suppose Moses was sitting in his tent out in the Sinai and his brother came in with a pitcher of iced tea. And supposed Aaron tripped and spilled all over Deuteronomy. Or suppose it was a cold night in Ephesus, and John wanted to start a fire in the fireplace. Without thinking, he used some dry paper-like stuff to get the fire going. Then, when he looked closely, he realized what he had done; there went Fourth John.
Well, folks, that didn't happen.
The first and most important reason it didn't happen is that the Holy Spirit inspired the words used in those books, and He was not going to let them disappear. After all, those words point to the Savior and the salvation His sacrifice has won.
The next reason it didn't happen is there has always been a tremendous thirst for the Word. That means copies of Scripture were constantly being made for the growing church. In practical terms, our Scriptures are the best attested documents of the ancient world.
What does that mean?
It means this: when it comes to writers like Aristotle, Plato, Caesar, Tacitus, and Herodotus we have an average of 20 ancient copies of those manuscripts. And the Bible? There are 5,000 individual Greek manuscripts that contain all or part of the New Testament. These are 8,000 copies of the Vulgate, the fifth-century Latin version of the Bible, translated by Jerome. In short, the Lord preserved His Scripture so you would have them and be sure they had he truth.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for Your Word which is the Savior's story of salvation. In Jesus' Name I give thanks. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Jenn Gidman for Newser on January 19, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: click here.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 1-3; Matthew 24:1-28
Exodus 1:1 These are the names of the sons of Isra’el who came into Egypt with Ya‘akov; each man came with his household: 2 Re’uven, Shim‘on, Levi, Y’hudah, 3 Yissakhar, Z’vulun, Binyamin, 4 Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher. 5 All told, there were seventy descendants of Ya‘akov; Yosef was already in Egypt.
The other day I watched a video which showed the wisdom and compassion of elephants.
The film began with a two-thirds-size juvenile elephant stuck in a water ditch. That elephant knew how to get out of the ditch, but he just wasn't tall enough to make the plan work. Again and again, he'd get a knee up on the bank, and then he would end up sliding back. You could see him getting frustrated, tired, and probably a little bit angry.
The next scene showed two full-grown adult elephants joining the juvenile. For the longest time, they just stared at him and his predicament. It almost seemed as if they were saying, "Well, you really did it up right this time, didn't you?" The third and final scene had one of the adult elephants getting into the ditch. He pushed and the other elephant pulled, and soon the juvenile was freed.
Truly, you have to like elephants ... unless they're eating the food you need to feed your family.
Sadly, when that kind of interaction occurs ... and it occurs often ... the elephant often pays for the encounter with its life. It's a sad thing, but there just aren't any effective ways to deter an elephant who wants to munch on your garden.
At least that's the way it used to be.
Now a method which has proven effective in Africa is also being tried in Sri Lanka. The elephant deterrent? Honeybees. Yup, honeybees. Tests have shown that elephants will give a wide berth to honeybees --- or even a tape recording of honeybees.
Farmers who have been bothered in the past by elephants who had the munchies are being encouraged to line the perimeter of their property with honeybee hives. Those who have done so have reported surprisingly good results, and they have the benefit of honey as a new cash crop.
In short, everybody wins.
Now it occurs to me that the same sort of principle might work for humans. Sooner or later, all of us have had the devil, the world, and our flesh come around to bother us. Like those marauding elephants, it seems there's just no way to keep them out of the orderly gardens of our faith.
Well, maybe it's time to introduce some spiritual honeybees into our fight against temptation. James tells us if we resist the devil he will flee from us. So, the question is what can really drive away these unholy three? I think Luther identified our honeybees. Once he wrote, "The devil hates music because he cannot stand gaiety" and "Satan can smirk but he cannot laugh; he can sneer but he cannot sing."
Which means, next time you're being tempted, you might want to break into an enthusiastic rendering of "A Mighty Fortress" or another hymn of your choice. Now I know you probably don't think it will work and I can understand your skepticism, but if honeybees can work on elephants, I think these hymns of faith in the Christ might work on our spiritual marauders, too.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I ask that You will send the Holy Spirit upon me and grant me the tools which will enable me to resist temptations and stand firm in the faith. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by John Johnson for Newser on January 27, 2018 Editors on January 21, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: click here.
The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - February 10, 2018 "Two Points About Death (Point Number Two)"
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Two Points About Death (Point Number Two)" for Friday, February 10, 2018
1 Corinthians 15:56-57 - The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.Every time I speak on The Lutheran Hour, two things are behind my sermon:
- For someone, this will be the first time they will hear the Savior's story of salvation.
- For someone, this will be the last time they will hear they are saved by faith in the Redeemer.
The Bible tells how, because of humankind's deliberate disregard of the Creator's single commandment, sin was born into this world, bringing death and a pantheon of other evils along with it.
I'm talking about the questions of death because history in general and the Bible in particular show no person can defeat death -- not on his own. Medicine may advance and find cures for cancer and the common cold, but each of us will die. There is no fountain of youth which remains undiscovered; there is no plastic surgery which can guarantee perpetuality; there is no cloning procedure which will make you indestructible, invincible, invulnerable.
Death is coming, and we are wise to see how the Lord feels about it. To that end, here are two points:
Point one: years ago I heard of a lady who, after worship, fell on a church step and broke her hip. After her surgery, the lady didn't improve, and ended up dying a few days later. At the wake, the woman's pastor stood by the side of her mourning husband. As she had been dearly loved, many came and offered their condolences. One said, "Be comforted; this is the will of God." Another said, "God is testing you with this tragedy." And another commented, "You will see God's direction in this, someday. Every dark cloud has a bright lining."
They were all well-meaning comments, made by sincere friends. Even so, the pastor ended up rewriting his funeral sermon. He began with the words, "Today, I proclaim to you a loving Lord who doesn't push old ladies down church steps." Then the pastor told them that God cannot be accused of killing little old ladies or people who are at work in the World Trade Center. He told them how God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift, including the gifts of forgiveness, salvation, resurrection and, best Gift of all, His only Son.
Point two: Jesus wanted His people to understand that while the way a person dies may seem to be shocking or scandalous, terrible or tragic, blessed or cursed. Finally and ultimately, the way we die isn't all that important. It really doesn't make much difference if death sneaks up and surprises us or if death gives some warning. It doesn't make much difference because when death comes, and it will come, the results are always the same.
When death comes, at that moment, our hearts will stop beating; our brains will stop thinking; our ears will stop hearing; our eyes will stop seeing; and all of life's functions, in this world, will come to a grinding, screeching halt.
And for those who have been forgiven and given faith in the Redeemer, a new life, a better, more complete life will begin. As Luther would say, "This is most certainly true."
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me see that because of the Savior, death and the grave will no longer have the final word. Let me trust in Him who gave His life so death will be a door to a perfect life with the Savior. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 9-11; Matthew 25:31-46
Exodus 9:1 Then Adonai said to Moshe, “Go to Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘Here is what Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they can worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go and persist in holding on to them, 3 the hand of Adonai is on your livestock in the field — on the horses, donkeys, camels, cattle and flocks — and will make them suffer a devastating illness. 4 But Adonai will distinguish between Egypt’s and Isra’el’s livestock — nothing belonging to the people of Isra’el will die.”’” 5 Adonai determined the exact time by saying, “Tomorrow Adonai will do this in the land.” 6 The following day, Adonai did it — all the livestock of Egypt died; but not one of the animals belonging to the people of Isra’el died. 7 Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the people of Isra’el had died. Nevertheless, Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn, and he didn’t let the people go.
8 Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, “Take handfuls of ashes from a kiln, and let Moshe throw them in the air before Pharaoh’s eyes. 9 They will turn into fine dust over all the land of Egypt and become infected sores on men and animals throughout Egypt.” 10 So they took ashes from a kiln, stood in front of Pharaoh and threw them in the air; and they became infected sores on men and animals. 11 The magicians couldn’t even stand in Moshe’s presence because of the sores, which were on them as well as on the other Egyptians. 12 But Adonai made Pharaoh hardhearted, so that he didn’t listen to them — just as Adonai had said to Moshe.
13 Adonai said to Moshe, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Here is what Adonai says: “Let my people go, so that they can worship me. 14 For this time, I will inflict my plagues on you, yourself, and on your officials and your people; so that you will realize that I am without equal in all the earth. 15 By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with such severe plagues that you would have been wiped off the earth. 16 But it is for this very reason that I have kept you alive — to show you my power, and so that my name may resound throughout the whole earth. (vii) 17 Since you are still setting yourself up against my people and not letting them go, 18 tomorrow, about this time, I will cause a hailstorm so heavy that Egypt has had nothing like it from the day it was founded until now. 19 Therefore, send and hurry to bring indoors all your livestock and everything else you have in the field. For hail will fall on every human being and animal left in the field that hasn’t been brought home, and they will die.”’”
20 Whoever among Pharaoh’s servants feared what Adonai had said had his slaves and livestock escape into the houses; 21 but those who had no regard for what Adonai had said left their slaves and livestock in the field.
22 Adonai said to Moshe, “Reach out your hand toward the sky, so that there will be hail in all the land of Egypt, falling on people, animals and everything growing in the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 Moshe reached out with his staff toward the sky, and Adonai sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. Adonai caused it to hail on the land of Egypt — 24 it hailed, and fire flashed up with the hail; it was terrible, worse than any hailstorm in all of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 Throughout all the land of Egypt, the hail struck everything in the field, people and animals; and the hail struck every plant growing in the field and broke every tree there. 26 But in the land of Goshen, where the people of Isra’el were, there was no hail.
27 Pharaoh summoned Moshe and Aharon and said to them, “This time I have sinned: Adonai is in the right; I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Intercede with Adonai — we can’t take any more of this terrible thunder and hail; and I will let you go, you will stay no longer.” 29 Moshe said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to Adonai; the thunder will end, and there won’t be any more hail — so that you can know that the earth belongs to Adonai. 30 But you and your servants, I know you still won’t fear Adonai, God.” 31 The flax and barley were ruined, because the barley was ripe and the flax in bud. 32 But the wheat and buckwheat were not ruined, because they come up later. (Maftir) 33 Moshe went out of the city, away from Pharaoh, and spread out his hands to Adonai. The thunder and hail ended, and the rain stopped pouring down on the earth. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail and thunder had ended, he sinned still more by making himself hardhearted, he and his servants. 35 Pharaoh was made hardhearted, and he didn’t let the people of Isra’el go, just as Adonai had said through Moshe.
10:1 Adonai said to Moshe, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have made him and his servants hardhearted, so that I can demonstrate these signs of mine among them, 2 so that you can tell your son and grandson about what I did to Egypt and about my signs that I demonstrated among them, and so that you will all know that I am Adonai.” 3 Moshe and Aharon went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Here is what Adonai, God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How much longer will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so that they can worship me. 4 Otherwise, if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 One won’t be able to see the ground, so completely will the locusts cover it. They will eat anything you still have that escaped the hail, including every tree you have growing in the field. 6 They will fill your houses and those of your servants and of all the Egyptians. It will be like nothing your fathers or their fathers have ever seen since the day they were born until today.’” Then he turned his back and left.
7 Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How much longer must this fellow be a snare for us? Let the people go and worship Adonai their God. Don’t you understand yet that Egypt is being destroyed?” 8 So Moshe and Aharon were brought to Pharaoh again, and he said to them, “Go, worship Adonai your God. But who exactly is going?” 9 Moshe answered, “We will go with our young and our old, our sons and our daughters; and we will go with our flocks and herds; for we must celebrate a feast to Adonai.” 10 Pharaoh said to them, “Adonai certainly will be with you if I ever let you go with your children! It’s clear that you are up to no good. 11 Nothing doing! Just the men among you may go and worship Adonai. That’s what you want, isn’t it?” And they were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.
(ii) 12 Adonai said to Moshe, “Reach out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that locusts will invade the land and eat every plant that the hail has left.” 13 Moshe reached out with his staff over the land of Egypt, and Adonai caused an east wind to blow on the land all day and all night; and in the morning the east wind brought the locusts. 14 The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and settled throughout Egypt’s territory. It was an invasion more severe than there had ever been before or will ever be again. 15 They completely covered the ground, so that the ground looked black. They ate every plant growing from the ground and all the fruit of the trees left by the hail. Not one green thing remained, not a tree and not a plant in the field, in all the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh hurried to summon Moshe and Aharon and said, “I have sinned against Adonai your God and against you. 17 Now, therefore, please forgive my sin just this once; and intercede with Adonai your God, so that he will at least take away from me this deadly plague!” 18 He went out from Pharaoh and interceded with Adonai. 19 Adonai reversed the wind and made it blow very strongly from the west. It took up the locusts and drove them into the Sea of Suf; not one locust remained on Egyptian soil. 20 But Adonai made Pharaoh hardhearted, and he didn’t let the people of Isra’el go.
21 Adonai said to Moshe, “Reach out your hand toward the sky, and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness so thick it can be felt!” 22 Moshe reached out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days. 23 People couldn’t see each other, and no one went anywhere for three days. But all the people of Isra’el had light in their homes.
(iii) 24 Pharaoh summoned Moshe and said, “Go, worship Adonai; only leave your flocks and herds behind — your children may go with you.” 25 Moshe answered, “You must also see to it that we have sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that we can sacrifice to Adonai our God. 26 Our livestock will also go with us — not a hoof will be left behind — because we must choose some of them to worship Adonai our God, and we don’t know which ones we will need to worship Adonai until we get there.” 27 But Adonai made Pharaoh hardhearted, and he would not let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to them, “Get away from me! And you had better not see my face again, because the day you see my face, you will die!” 29 Moshe answered, “Well spoken! I will see your face no more.”
11:1 Adonai said to Moshe, “I’m going to bring still one more plague on Pharaoh and Egypt, and after that he will let you leave here. When he does let you go, he will throw you out completely! 2 Now tell the people that every man is to ask his neighbor and every woman her neighbor for gold and silver jewelry.” 3 Adonai made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people. Moreover, Moshe was regarded by Pharaoh’s servants and the people as a very great man in the land of Egypt.
(iv) 4 Moshe said, “Here is what Adonai says: ‘About midnight I will go out into Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the slave-girl at the handmill, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 6 There will be a horrendous wailing throughout all the land of Egypt — there has never been another like it, and there never will be again. 7 But not even a dog’s growl will be heard against any of the people of Isra’el, neither against people nor against animals. In this way you will realize that Adonai distinguishes between Egyptians and Isra’el. 8 All your servants will come down to me, prostrate themselves before me and say, “Get out! — you and all the people who follow you!” and after that, I will go out!’ ” And he went out from Pharaoh in the heat of anger. 9 Adonai said to Moshe, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that still more of my wonders will be shown in the land of Egypt.”
10 Moshe and Aharon did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but Adonai had made Pharaoh hardhearted, and he didn’t let the people of Isra’el leave his land.
Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, accompanied by all the angels, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. 33 The ‘sheep’ he will place at his right hand and the ‘goats’ at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you made me your guest, 36 I needed clothes and you provided them, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the people who have done what God wants will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and make you our guest, or needing clothes and provide them? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 The King will say to them, ‘Yes! I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did them for me!’
41 “Then he will also speak to those on his left, saying, ‘Get away from me, you who are cursed! Go off into the fire prepared for the Adversary and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 a stranger and you did not welcome me, needing clothes and you did not give them to me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, needing clothes, sick or in prison, and not take care of you?’ 45 And he will answer them, ‘Yes! I tell you that whenever you refused to do it for the least important of these people, you refused to do it for me!’ 46 They will go off to eternal punishment, but those who have done what God wants will go to eternal life.”
***The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis Missouri United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Thursday February 9, 2018 "Two Points About Death (Point Number One)"
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Two Points About Death (Point Number One)" for Thursday, February 9, 2018
Revelation 2:10 - (Jesus said) "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."At 3:05 in the afternoon of March 18, 1937, Lemmie Butler, instructor of manual training at the New London Consolidated School in Texas turned on a sanding machine. The switch from Mr. Butler's sanding machine caused a spark; that spark ignited a mixture of natural gas and air which hovered, unnoticed, in the workroom. That fierce flame raced immediately into a large, enclosed space beneath the school house -- a space into which natural gas had been leaking for an indefinite period of time.
Witnesses say the school seemed to actually lift into the air.
The explosion was heard four miles away; a two-ton concrete slab was thrown 200 feet. There had been 500 students and 40 teachers in the building that day; almost 300 died. Long after the debris had been cleaned away, questions remained. Most of those questions began with the word, "Why?" "Why couldn't the accident have happened ten minutes later. Ten minutes later school would have been dismissed and the students would have been on their way home." "Why? Why did one student survive and the next one die?" "Why did they have to die?"
Ours is a world which is both frightened and fascinated by death. When people come upon an accident, in horror they put their hands over their eyes, and then they open their fingers so they can get a glimpse of the wreckage. In truth, it's difficult to have a devotion about the whys? and how comes? of death.
It's difficult because I know a percentage of you have problems with death, in general. Some of you think that if you ignore death, it will go away. Then there are others who think that there is no point in talking about the questions of death because discussion is just suspicion and speculation. And I dare not forget those who don't want to talk about death because it's simply too close to them.
I can understand. But how about hearing Jesus speak about death? He does that in the 13th chapter of Luke. The Savior had been talking about all kinds of things when the subject of some people who had been murdered in the temple came up. People wanted to know: "Had they been especially bad? Did God have it in for them?"
That day Jesus told them: God hates death as much, even more, than you do.
If you doubt the truth of that statement, even in the least little bit, I encourage you to look at the price God was willing to pay so death -- your death -- might be destroyed. Look into the manger of Bethlehem and see God's Son, Jesus. See your Savior who was willing to leave the glory, beauty, and joy of heaven to enter a world of sorrow and sadness, to be the Sacrifice which needed to be paid for your sins.
Because death is stalking us, Jesus warns, "Don't waste your time pretending to be a coroner who has to do post mortems on the lives of others. Don't be concerned about the desirable or dreadful way somebody else has died." Listen to Jesus who says, "It's not the moment of your death which should concern you; it's being sure of your faith in Him because it is that faith alone which saves and will conquer death -- no matter which way it comes calling."
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, death is going to come for me. If not now, then someday. Grant that I may be found firm in the faith, trusting in the Savior who died so I might live. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 7-8; Matthew 25:1-30
Exodus 7:1 But Adonai said to Moshe, “I have put you in the place of God to Pharaoh, and Aharon your brother will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I order you, and Aharon your brother is to speak to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people of Isra’el leave his land. 3 But I will make him hardhearted. Even though I will increase my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my armies, my people the sons of Isra’el, out of the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. 5 Then, when I stretch out my hand over Egypt and bring the people of Isra’el out from among them, the Egyptians will know that I am Adonai.”
6 Moshe and Aharon did exactly what Adonai ordered them to do. 7 Moshe was eighty years old and Aharon eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
(iv) 8 Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ tell Aharon to take his staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, so that it can become a snake.” 10 Moshe and Aharon went in to Pharaoh and did this, as Adonai had ordered — Aharon threw down his staff in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a snake. 11 But Pharaoh in turn called for the sages and sorcerers; and they too, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing, making use of their secret arts. 12 Each one threw his staff down, and they turned into snakes. But Aharon’s staff swallowed up theirs. 13 Nevertheless, Pharaoh was made hardhearted; and he didn’t listen to them, as Adonai had said would happen.
14 Adonai said to Moshe, “Pharaoh is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water. Stand on the riverbank to confront him, take in your hand the staff which was turned into a snake, 16 and say to him, ‘Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say: “Let my people go, so that they can worship me in the desert.” But until now you haven’t listened; 17 so Adonai says, “This will let you know that I am Adonai”: I will take the staff in my hand and strike the water in the river, and it will be turned into blood. 18 The fish in the river will die, the river will stink and the Egyptians won’t want to drink water from the river.’”
19 Adonai said to Moshe, “Say to Aharon, ‘Take your staff, reach out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, canals, ponds and all their reservoirs, so that they can turn into blood. There will be blood throughout the whole land of Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars.’” 20 Moshe and Aharon did exactly what Adonai had ordered. He raised the staff and, in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, struck the water in the river; and all the water in the river was turned into blood. 21 The fish in the river died, and the river stank so badly that the Egyptians couldn’t drink its water. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts, so that Pharaoh was made hardhearted and didn’t listen to them, as Adonai had said would happen. 23 Pharaoh just turned and went back to his palace, without taking any of this to heart. 24 All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink, because they couldn’t drink the river water.
25 Seven days after Adonai had struck the river, 26 (8:1) Adonai said to Moshe, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Here is what Adonai says: “Let my people go, so that they can worship me. 27 (8:2) If you refuse to let them go, I will strike all your territory with frogs. 28 (8:3) The river will swarm with frogs. They will go up, enter your palace and go into your bedroom, onto your bed. They will enter the houses of your servants and your people and go into your ovens and kneading bowls. 29 (8:4) The frogs will climb all over you, your people and your servants.”’”
8:1 (5) Adonai said to Moshe, “Say to Aharon, ‘Reach out your hand with your staff over the rivers, canals and ponds; and cause frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt.’” 2 (6) Aharon put out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 3 (7) But the magicians did the same with their secret arts and brought up frogs onto the land of Egypt.
4 (8) Then Pharaoh summoned Moshe and Aharon and said, “Intercede with Adonai to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let the people go and sacrifice to Adonai.” 5 (9) Moshe said to Pharaoh, “Not only that, but you can have the honor of naming the time when I will pray for you, your servants and your people to be rid of the frogs, both yourselves and your homes, and that they stay only in the river.” 6 (10) He answered, “Tomorrow.” Moshe said, “It will be as you have said, and from this you will learn that Adonai our God has no equal. (v) 7 (11) The frogs will leave you and your homes, also your servants and your people; they will stay in the river only.” 8 (12) Moshe and Aharon left Pharaoh’s presence, and Moshe cried to Adonai about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 9 (13) Adonai did as Moshe had asked — the frogs died in the houses, courtyards and fields; 10 (14) they gathered them in heaps till the land stank. 11 (15) But when Pharaoh saw that he had been given some relief, he made himself hardhearted and would not listen to them, just as Adonai had said would happen.
12 (16) Adonai said to Moshe, “Say to Aharon: ‘Reach out with your staff and strike the dust on the ground; it will become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’” 13 (17) They did it — Aharon reached out his hand with his staff and struck the dust on the ground, and there were lice on people and animals; all the dust on the ground became lice throughout the whole land of Egypt. 14 (18) The magicians tried with their secret arts to produce lice, but they couldn’t. There were lice on people and animals. 15 (19) Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh was made hardhearted, so that he didn’t listen to them, just as Adonai had said would happen.
16 (20) Adonai said to Moshe, “Get up early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh when he goes out to the water and say to him, ‘Here is what Adonai says: “Let my people go, so that they can worship me. 17 (21) Otherwise, if you won’t let my people go, I will send swarms of insects on you, your servants and your people, and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of insects, and likewise the ground they stand on. 18 (22) But I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people live — no swarms of insects will be there — so that you can realize that I am Adonai, right here in the land. (vi) 19 (23) Yes, I will distinguish between my people and your people, and this sign will happen by tomorrow.”’” 20 (24) Adonai did it: terrible swarms of insects went into Pharaoh’s palace and into all his servants’ houses — the insects ruined the entire land of Egypt.
21 (25) Pharaoh summoned Moshe and Aharon and said, “Go, and sacrifice to your God here in the land.” 22 (26) But Moshe replied, “It would be inappropriate for us to do that, because the animal we sacrifice to Adonai our God is an abomination to the Egyptians. Won’t the Egyptians stone us to death if before their very eyes we sacrifice what they consider an abomination? 23 (27) No, we will go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to Adonai our God, as he has ordered us to do.” 24 (28) Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, so that you can sacrifice to Adonai your God in the desert. Only you are not to go very far away. Intercede on my behalf.” 25 (29) Moshe said, “All right, I am going away from you, and I will intercede with Adonai; so that tomorrow, the swarms of insects will leave Pharaoh, his servants and his people. Just make sure that Pharaoh stops playing games with the people by preventing them from going and sacrificing to Adonai.”
26 (30) Moshe left Pharaoh and interceded with Adonai, 27 (31) and Adonai did what Moshe had asked: he removed the swarms of insects from Pharaoh, his servants and his people — not one remained. 28 (32) But this time, too, Pharaoh made himself stubborn and didn’t let the people go.
Matthew 25:1 “The Kingdom of Heaven at that time will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were sensible. 3 The foolish ones took lamps with them but no oil, 4 whereas the others took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 Now the bridegroom was late, so they all went to sleep. 6 It was the middle of the night when the cry rang out, ‘The bridegroom is here! Go out to meet him!’ 7 The girls all woke up and prepared their lamps for lighting. 8 The foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both you and us. Go to the oil dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 But as they were going off to buy, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. 11 Later, the other bridesmaids came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they cried, ‘Let us in!’ 12 But he answered, ‘Indeed! I tell you, I don’t know you!’ 13 So stay alert, because you know neither the day nor the hour.
14 “For it will be like a man about to leave home for awhile, who entrusted his possessions to his servants. 15 To one he gave five talents [equivalent to a hundred years’ wages]; to another, two talents; and to another, one talent — to each according to his ability. Then he left. 16 The one who had received five talents immediately went out, invested it and earned another five. 17 Similarly, the one given two earned another two. 18 But the one given one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time, the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. 20 The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the other five and said, ‘Sir, you gave me five talents; here, I have made five more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Excellent! You are a good and trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with a small amount, so I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and join in your master’s happiness!’ 22 Also the one who had received two came forward and said, ‘Sir, you gave me two talents; here, I have made two more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Excellent! you are a good and trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with a small amount, so I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and join in your master’s happiness!’
24 “Now the one who had received one talent came forward and said, ‘I knew you were a hard man. You harvest where you didn’t plant and gather where you didn’t sow seed. 25 I was afraid, so I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here! Take what belongs to you!’ 26 ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ said his master, ‘So you knew, did you, that I harvest where I haven’t planted? and that I gather where I didn’t sow seed? 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, so that when I returned, I would at least have gotten back interest with my capital! 28 Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. 29 For everyone who has something will be given more, so that he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless servant, throw him out in the dark, where people will wail and grind their teeth!’
***The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis Missouri United States - Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Thursday, February 8, 2018 "Dark and Cold"
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Dark and Cold" for Thursday, February 8, 2018
John 3:19 - And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.Long about the end of July and the beginning of August, when the temperature runs over 100 degrees, it's not unusual for one Texan to greet another individual with the rhetorical question: "Well, is it hot enough for ya?"
This winter in Russia the opposite appears to be true.
This year the Russian winter has made the internal temperature of my house freezer seem like Hawaii. And if you're wondering just how cold has it been, I can tell you. In Yakutsk, the country's coldest cold spot, the thermometer seems to be stuck at 80 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Folks, that's cold.
But it's not Russia's cold which is the subject of this devotion. It's the darkness.
Did you know, in December of 2000, the city of Moscow set a record because that month had only three hours of sunlight. That's three hours for the entire month! Well, that record is now a thing of the past. That's because this past December, looking as hard as they could, the people of Moscow could confess to having a grand total of six minutes of accumulated sunlight.
That's gloomy. That's dismal, dark, depressing, and discouraging.
That's the kind of weather that has people turning to the bottle or making an appointment with their counselor or placing a desperation call to the local suicide hotline. It's also part of the reason that not many tour companies host a lot of tourist trip to Russia's capital in December.
Surprisingly, the darkness which sin brings about in this world does not create a similar reaction.
By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle John notes that because their deeds were dark unrepentant souls loved the darkness and rejected the light. Although almost 20 centuries have come and gone since John put those words to paper, not much has changed.
Dark is still the preferred lighting level for those who disobey the Laws of the Lord or the land.
That's because it's easier to get away with sinning when the lights are dimmed, and it's easier to pretend you're a law-abiding individual if no one can clearly see the bad nasties you have been doing in the dark.
In contrast to what the people of the world prefer, we have the light of the Lord.
Born in Bethlehem, crucified in Jerusalem, Jesus did not just bring light into the world; He is the Light of the world. His life, death, and resurrection offer us the opportunity of being moved into the light which comes from having been given blood-bought forgiveness and eternity-changing salvation.
Washed in His blood, we are moved to leave the darkness behind and embrace with gladness the warmth and brightness of the Christ's redemption.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, when I lived in the darkness, it seemed a comfortable enough place to be. I give thanks that the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel and brought me into the light. Now may I, as much as I am able, be glad to reflect that light into dark hearts everywhere. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Jenn Gidman on January 18, 2018 for Newser. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: click here.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 4-6; Matthew 24:29-51Exodus 4:1 Moshe replied, “But I’m certain they won’t believe me, and they won’t listen to what I say, because they’ll say, ‘Adonai did not appear to you.’” 2 Adonai answered him, “What is that in your hand?” and he said, “A staff.” 3 He said, “Throw it on the ground!” and he threw it on the ground. It turned into a snake, and Moshe recoiled from it. 4 Then Adonai said to Moshe, “Put your hand out and take it by the tail.” He reached out with his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his hand. 5 “This is so that they will believe that Adonai, the God of their fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has appeared to you!”
6 Furthermore Adonai said to him, “Now put your hand inside your coat.” He put his hand in his coat; and when he took it out his hand was leprous, as white as snow. 7 Then God said, “Now put your hand back in your coat.” He put his hand back in his coat; and when he took it out, it was as healthy as the rest of his body. 8 “If they won’t believe you or heed the evidence of the first sign, they will be convinced by the second. 9 But if they aren’t persuaded even by both these signs and still won’t listen to what you say, then take some water from the river, and pour it on the ground. The water you take from the river will turn into blood on the dry land.”
10 Moshe said to Adonai, “Oh, Adonai, I’m a terrible speaker. I always have been, and I’m no better now, even after you’ve spoken to your servant! My words come slowly, my tongue moves slowly.” 11 Adonai answered him, “Who gives a person a mouth? Who makes a person dumb or deaf, keen-sighted or blind? Isn’t it I, Adonai? 12 Now, therefore, go; and I will be with your mouth and will teach you what to say.”
13 But he replied, “Please, Lord, send someone else — anyone you want!” 14 At this, Adonai’s anger blazed up against Moshe; he said, “Don’t you have a brother, Aharon the Levi? I know that he’s a good speaker. In fact, here he is now, coming out to meet you; and he’ll be happy to see you. 15 You will speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and his, teaching you both what to do. 16 Thus he will be your spokesman to the people, in effect; for you, he will be a mouth; and for him, you will be like God. 17 Now take this staff in your hand, because you need it to perform the signs.”
(vi) 18 Moshe left, returned to Yitro his father-in-law and said to him, “I beg you to let me go and return to my kinsmen in Egypt, to see if they are still alive.” Yitro said to Moshe, “Go in peace.” 19 Adonai said to Moshe in Midyan, “Go on back to Egypt, because all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moshe took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and started out for Egypt. Moshe took God’s staff in his hand. 21 Adonai said to Moshe, “When you get back to Egypt, make sure that you do before Pharaoh every one of the wonders I have enabled you to do. Nevertheless, I am going to make him hardhearted, and he will refuse to let the people go. 22 Then you are to tell Pharaoh: ‘Adonai says, “Isra’el is my firstborn son. 23 I have told you to let my son go in order to worship me, but you have refused to let him go. Well, then, I will kill your firstborn son!”’”
24 At a lodging-place on the way, Adonai met Moshe and would have killed him, 25 had not Tzipporah taken a flintstone and cut off the foreskin of her son. She threw it at his feet, saying, “What a bloody bridegroom you are for me!” 26 But then, God let Moshe be. She added, “A bloody bridegroom because of the circumcision!”
27 Adonai said to Aharon, “Go into the desert to meet Moshe.” He went, met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Moshe told him everything Adonai had said in sending him, including all the signs he had ordered him to perform. 29 Then Moshe and Aharon went and gathered together all the leaders of the people of Isra’el. 30 Aharon said everything Adonai had told Moshe, who then performed the signs for the people to see. 31 The people believed; when they heard that Adonai had remembered the people of Isra’el and seen how they were oppressed, they bowed their heads and worshipped.
5:1 (vii) After that, Moshe and Aharon came and said to Pharaoh, “Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they can celebrate a festival in the desert to honor me.’” 2 But Pharaoh replied, “Who is Adonai, that I should obey when he says to let Isra’el go? I don’t know Adonai, and I also won’t let Isra’el go.” 3 They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days’ journey into the desert, so that we can sacrifice to Adonai our God. Otherwise, he may strike us with a plague or with the sword.” 4 The king of Egypt answered them, “Moshe and Aharon, what do you mean by taking the people away from their work? Get back to your labor! 5 Look!” Pharaoh added, “the population of the land has grown, yet you are trying to have them stop working!”
6 That same day Pharaoh ordered the slavemasters and the people’s foremen, 7 “You are no longer to provide straw for the bricks the people are making, as you did before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But you will require them to produce the same quantity of bricks as before, don’t reduce it, because they’re lazing around. This is why they’re crying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Give these people harder work to do. That will keep them too busy to pay attention to speeches full of lies.”
10 The people’s slavemasters went out, their foremen too, and said to the people, “Here is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will no longer give you straw. 11 You go, yourselves, and get straw wherever you can find it. But your output is not to be reduced.’” 12 So the people were dispersed throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The slavemasters kept pressing them. “Keep working! Make your daily quota, just as when straw was provided.” 14 The foremen of the people of Isra’el, whom Pharaoh’s slavemasters had appointed to be over them, were flogged and asked, “Why haven’t you fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday and today, as you did formerly?”
15 Then the foremen of the people of Isra’el came and complained to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way? 16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they keep telling us to make bricks. And now your servants are being flogged, but the fault lies with your own people.” 17 “Lazy!” he retorted, “You’re just lazy! That’s why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to Adonai.’ 18 Get going now, and get back to work! No straw will be given to you, and you will still deliver the full amount of bricks.” 19 When they said, “You are not to reduce your daily production quota of bricks,” the foremen of the people of Isra’el could see that they were in deep trouble.
20 As they were leaving Pharaoh, they encountered Moshe and Aharon standing by the road; 21 and they said to them, “May Adonai look at you and judge accordingly, because you have made us utterly abhorrent in the view of Pharaoh and his servants, and you have put a sword in their hands to kill us!” (Maftir) 22 Moshe returned to Adonai and said, “Adonai, why have you treated this people so terribly? What has been the value of sending me? 23 For ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has dealt terribly with this people! And you haven’t rescued your people at all!”
6:1 Adonai said to Moshe, “Now you will see what I am going to do to Pharaoh. With a mighty hand he will send them off; with force he will drive them from the land!”
2 God spoke to Moshe; he said to him, “I am Adonai. 3 I appeared to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov as El Shaddai, although I did not make myself known to them by my name, Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai]. 4 Also with them I established my covenant to give them the land of Kena‘an, the land where they wandered about and lived as foreigners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Isra’el, whom the Egyptians are keeping in slavery; and I have remembered my covenant.
6 “Therefore, say to the people of Isra’el: ‘I am Adonai. I will free you from the forced labor of the Egyptians, rescue you from their oppression, and redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am Adonai your God, who freed you from the forced labor of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov — I will give it to you as your inheritance. I am Adonai.’”
9 Moshe said this to the people of Isra’el. But they wouldn’t listen to him, because they were so discouraged, and their slavery was so cruel.
10 Adonai said to Moshe, 11 “Go in; and tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the people of Isra’el leave his land.” 12 Moshe said to Adonai, “Look, the people of Isra’el haven’t listened to me; so how will Pharaoh listen to me, poor speaker that I am?” 13 But Adonai spoke to Moshe and Aharon and gave them orders concerning both the people of Isra’el and Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the people of Isra’el out of the land of Egypt.
(ii) 14 These were the heads of their families: the sons of Re’uven the firstborn of Isra’el were Hanokh, Pallu, Hetzron and Karmi. These were the families of Re’uven.
15 The sons of Shim‘on were Y’mu’el, Yamin, Ohad, Yakhin, Tzochar and Sha’ul the son of a Kena‘ani woman. These were the families of Shim‘on.
16 These are the names of the sons of Levi with their descendants: Gershon, K’hat and M’rari. Levi lived to be 137 years old. 17 The sons of Gershon were Livni and Shim‘i, with their families. 18 The sons of K’hat were ‘Amram, Yitz’har, Hevron and ‘Uzi’el. K’hat lived to be 133 years old. 19 The sons of M’rari were Machli and Mushi. These were the families of Levi with their descendants.
20 ‘Amram married Yokheved his father’s sister, and she bore him Aharon and Moshe. ‘Amram lived to be 137 years old. 21 The sons of Yitz’har were Korach, Nefeg and Zikhri. 22 The sons of ‘Uzi’el were Misha’el, Eltzafan and Sitri. 23 Aharon married Elisheva daughter of ‘Amminadav and sister of Nachshon, and she bore him Nadav, Avihu, El‘azar and Itamar. 24 The sons of Korach were Asir, Elkanah and Avi’asaf. These were the Korchi families. 25 El‘azar the son of Aharon married one of the daughters of Puti’el, and she bore him Pinchas. These were the heads of the families of Levi, family by family.
26 These are the Aharon and Moshe to whom Adonai said, “Bring the people of Isra’el out of the land of Egypt, division by division,” 27 and who told Pharaoh king of Egypt, to let the people of Isra’el leave Egypt. These are the same Moshe and Aharon.
28 On the day when Adonai spoke to Moshe in the land of Egypt, (iii) 29 he said, “I am Adonai. Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything I say to you.”
30 Moshe answered Adonai, “Look, I’m such a poor speaker that Pharaoh won’t listen to me.”
Matthew 24:29 “But immediately following the trouble of those times,
the sun will grow dark,
the moon will stop shining,[Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:10; 3:4(2:31); 4:15(3:15)]
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in heaven will be shaken. [Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 34:4; Haggai 2:6, 21]
30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, all the tribes of the Land will mourn,[Matthew 24:30 Zechariah 12:10–14] and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with tremendous power and glory.[Matthew 24:30 Daniel 7:13–14] 31 He will send out his angels with a great shofar;[Matthew 24:31 Isaiah 27:13] and they will gather together his chosen people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “Now let the fig tree teach you its lesson: when its branches begin to sprout and leaves appear, you know that summer is approaching. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you are to know that the time is near, right at the door. 34 Yes! I tell you that this people will certainly not pass away before all these things happen. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36 “But when that day and hour will come, no one knows — not the angels in heaven, not the Son, only the Father. 37 For the Son of Man’s coming will be just as it was in the days of Noach. 38 Back then, before the Flood, people went on eating and drinking, taking wives and becoming wives, right up till the day Noach entered the ark; 39 and they didn’t know what was happening until the Flood came and swept them all away. It will be just like that when the Son of Man comes. 40 Then there will be two men in a field — one will be taken and the other left behind. 41 There will be two women grinding flour at the mill — one will be taken and the other left behind. 42 So stay alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But you do know this: had the owner of the house known when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you too must always be ready, for the Son of Man will come when you are not expecting him.
45 “Who is the faithful and sensible servant whose master puts him in charge of the household staff, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will go well with that servant if he is found doing his job when his master comes. 47 Yes, I tell you that he will put him in charge of all he owns. 48 But if that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is taking his time’; 49 and he starts beating up his fellow servants and spends his time eating and drinking with drunkards; 50 then his master will come on a day the servant does not expect, at a time he doesn’t know; 51 and he will cut him in two and put him with the hypocrites, where people will wail and grind their teeth!
***
The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Wednesday, February 7, 2018 "Not a Jot"
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Not a Jot" for Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Matthew 5:18 - (Jesus said) "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
Gerald Winters is a Stephen King fan. By that I mean when Winters read his first King book, way back in 1998, he became addicted. For the next two decades he collected everything which was related to or had sprung from the fertile, albeit somewhat twisted, mind of the famous horror story author.
Eventually, Winters' collection grew so big he decided to open up a rare books store in Bangor, Maine. Naturally, Stephen King was at the heart of everything Winters did. After a while, it became apparent that Winters needed to reorganize his book collection. There was nothing for him to do but clear the shelves and transport everything to his basement where he could bring organization out of chaos.
It was a great plan, and I'm sure Winters could have been able to pull it off without any kind of problem ... if it were not for the fact that a water main burst near his store, flooding the basement with six feet of water and, in the process, ruining 90 percent of his inventory. Included in the waterlogged pile are seven of King's original typed manuscripts, dozens of first- and limited-edition books, foreign language prints, signed tomes, and other hard-to-find collectibles. Even Stephen King reacted to the news by saying, "I'm horrified. As a book lover, my heart goes out to him."
Reading about the disaster in Winters' bookstore, I wondered if the same kind of thing could have happened to books of our Bible.
Suppose Moses was sitting in his tent out in the Sinai and his brother came in with a pitcher of iced tea. And supposed Aaron tripped and spilled all over Deuteronomy. Or suppose it was a cold night in Ephesus, and John wanted to start a fire in the fireplace. Without thinking, he used some dry paper-like stuff to get the fire going. Then, when he looked closely, he realized what he had done; there went Fourth John.
Well, folks, that didn't happen.
The first and most important reason it didn't happen is that the Holy Spirit inspired the words used in those books, and He was not going to let them disappear. After all, those words point to the Savior and the salvation His sacrifice has won.
The next reason it didn't happen is there has always been a tremendous thirst for the Word. That means copies of Scripture were constantly being made for the growing church. In practical terms, our Scriptures are the best attested documents of the ancient world.
What does that mean?
It means this: when it comes to writers like Aristotle, Plato, Caesar, Tacitus, and Herodotus we have an average of 20 ancient copies of those manuscripts. And the Bible? There are 5,000 individual Greek manuscripts that contain all or part of the New Testament. These are 8,000 copies of the Vulgate, the fifth-century Latin version of the Bible, translated by Jerome. In short, the Lord preserved His Scripture so you would have them and be sure they had he truth.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for Your Word which is the Savior's story of salvation. In Jesus' Name I give thanks. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Jenn Gidman for Newser on January 19, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: click here.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Exodus 1-3; Matthew 24:1-28
Exodus 1:1 These are the names of the sons of Isra’el who came into Egypt with Ya‘akov; each man came with his household: 2 Re’uven, Shim‘on, Levi, Y’hudah, 3 Yissakhar, Z’vulun, Binyamin, 4 Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher. 5 All told, there were seventy descendants of Ya‘akov; Yosef was already in Egypt.
6 Yosef died, as did all his brothers and all that generation. 7 The descendants of Isra’el were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied and grew very powerful; the land became filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef 9 but said to his people, “Look, the descendants of Isra’el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. 10 Come, let’s use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they’ll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether.”
11 So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra‘amses. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and expanded, until the Egyptians came to dread the people of Isra’el 13 and worked them relentlessly, 14 making their lives bitter with hard labor — digging clay, making bricks, all kinds of field work; and in all this toil they were shown no mercy.
15 Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu‘ah. 16 “When you attend the Hebrew women and see them giving birth,” he said, “if it’s a boy, kill him; but if it’s a girl, let her live.” 17 However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live. (ii) 18 The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and demanded of them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “It’s because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women — they go into labor and give birth before the midwife arrives.” 20 Therefore God prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful. 21 Indeed, because the midwives feared God, he made them founders of families. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born, throw in the river; but let all the girls live.”
2:1 A man from the family of Levi took a woman also descended from Levi as his wife. 2 When she conceived and had a son, upon seeing what a fine child he was, she hid him for three months. 3 When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket, coated it with clay and tar, put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the riverbank. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river while her maids-in-attendance walked along the riverside. Spotting the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave-girl to get it. 6 She opened it and looked inside, and there in front of her was a crying baby boy! Moved with pity, she said, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 At this point, his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Would you like me to go and find you one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” 8 Pharaoh’s daughter answered, “Yes, go.” So the girl went and called the baby’s own mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter told her, “Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will pay you for doing it.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10 Then, when the child had grown some, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter; and she began to raise him as her son. She called him Moshe [pull out], explaining, “Because I pulled him out of the water.”
(iii) 11 One day, when Moshe was a grown man, he went out to visit his kinsmen; and he watched them struggling at forced labor. He saw an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. 12 He looked this way and that; and when he saw that no one was around, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. 13 The next day, he went out and saw two Hebrew men fighting with each other. To the one in the wrong he said, “Why are you hitting your companion?” 14 He retorted, “Who appointed you ruler and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian?” Moshe became frightened. “Clearly,” he thought, “the matter has become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he tried to have Moshe put to death. But Moshe fled from Pharaoh to live in the land of Midyan.
One day, as he was sitting by a well, 16 the seven daughters of the priest of Midyan came to draw water. They had filled the troughs to water their father’s sheep, 17 when the shepherds came and tried to drive them away. But Moshe got up and defended them; then he watered their sheep. 18 When they came to Re‘u’el their father, he said, “How come you’re back so soon today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; more than that, he drew water for us and watered the sheep.” 20 He asked his daughters, “Where is he? Why did you leave the man there? Invite him to have something to eat.”
21 Moshe was glad to stay on with the man, and he gave Moshe his daughter Tzipporah in marriage. 22 She gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom [foreigner there], for he said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”
23 Sometime during those many years the king of Egypt died, but the people of Isra’el still groaned under the yoke of slavery, and they cried out, and their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov. 25 God saw the people of Isra’el, and God acknowledged them.
3:1 (iv) Now Moshe was tending the sheep of Yitro his father-in-law, the priest of Midyan. Leading the flock to the far side of the desert, he came to the mountain of God, to Horev. 2 The angel of Adonai appeared to him in a fire blazing from the middle of a bush. He looked and saw that although the bush was flaming with fire, yet the bush was not being burned up. 3 Moshe said, “I’m going to go over and see this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t being burned up.” 4 When Adonai saw that he had gone over to see, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moshe! Moshe!” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 He said, “Don’t come any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father,” he continued, “the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov.” Moshe covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 Adonai said, “I have seen how my people are being oppressed in Egypt and heard their cry for release from their slavemasters, because I know their pain. 8 I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that country to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the place of the Kena‘ani, Hitti, Emori, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi. 9 Yes, the cry of the people of Isra’el has come to me, and I have seen how terribly the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Therefore, now, come; and I will send you to Pharaoh; so that you can lead my people, the descendants of Isra’el, out of Egypt.”
11 Moshe said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the people of Isra’el out of Egypt?” 12 He replied, “I will surely be with you. Your sign that I have sent you will be that when you have led the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
13 Moshe said to God, “Look, when I appear before the people of Isra’el and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you’; and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” 14 God said to Moshe, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be],” and added, “Here is what to say to the people of Isra’el: ‘Ehyeh [I Am or I Will Be] has sent me to you.’” 15 God said further to Moshe, “Say this to the people of Isra’el: ‘Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai], the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation. (v) 16 Go, gather the leaders of Isra’el together, and say to them, ‘Adonai, the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, has appeared to me and said, “I have been paying close attention to you and have seen what is being done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said that I will lead you up out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Kena‘ani, Hitti, Emori, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 They will heed what you say. Then you will come, you and the leaders of Isra’el, before the king of Egypt; and you will tell him, ‘Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert; so that we can sacrifice to Adonai our God.’ 19 I know that the king of Egypt will not let you leave unless he is forced to do so. 20 But I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do there. After that, he will let you go. 21 Moreover, I will make the Egyptians so well-disposed toward this people that when you go, you won’t go empty-handed. 22 Rather, all the women will ask their neighbors and house guests for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, with which you will dress your own sons and daughters. In this way you will plunder the Egyptians.”
Matthew 24:1 As Yeshua left the Temple and was going away, his talmidim came and called his attention to its buildings. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these? Yes! I tell you, they will be totally destroyed — not a single stone will be left standing!”
3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the talmidim came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that you are coming, and that the ‘olam hazeh is ending?”
4 Yeshua replied: “Watch out! Don’t let anyone fool you! 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. 6 You will hear the noise of wars nearby and the news of wars far off; see to it that you don’t become frightened. Such things must happen, but the end is yet to come. 7 For peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various parts of the world; 8 all this is but the beginning of the ‘birth-pains.’ 9 At that time you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and put to death, and all peoples will hate you because of me. 10 At that time many will be trapped into betraying and hating each other, 11 many false prophets will appear and fool many people; 12 and many people’s love will grow cold because of increased distance from Torah. 13 But whoever holds out till the end will be delivered. 14 And this Good News about the Kingdom will be announced throughout the whole world as a witness to all the Goyim. It is then that the end will come.
15 “So when you see the abomination that causes devastation spoken about through the prophet Dani’el standing in the Holy Place”[Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11] (let the reader understand the allusion), 16 “that will be the time for those in Y’hudah to escape to the hills. 17 If someone is on the roof, he must not go down to gather his belongings from his house; 18 if someone is in the field, he must not turn back to get his coat. 19 What a terrible time it will be for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that you will not have to escape in winter or on Shabbat. 21 For there will be trouble then worse than there has ever been from the beginning of the world until now, and there will be nothing like it again![Matthew 24:21 Joel 2:2, Daniel 12:1] 22 Indeed, if the length of this time had not been limited, no one would survive; but for the sake of those who have been chosen, its length will be limited.
23 “At that time, if someone says to you, ‘Look! Here’s the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ don’t believe him. 24 For there will appear false Messiahs and false prophets performing great miracles — amazing things! — so as to fool even the chosen, if possible. 25 There! I have told you in advance! 26 So if people say to you, ‘Listen! He’s out in the desert!’ don’t go; or, ‘Look! He’s hidden away in a secret room!’ don’t believe it. 27 For when the Son of Man does come, it will be like lightning that flashes out of the east and fills the sky to the western horizon. 28 Wherever there’s a dead body, that’s where you find the vultures.
***
The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Tuesday, February 6, 2018 "Sweet Stuff"
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Sweet Stuff" for Tuesday, February 6, 2018
James 4:7-8 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.The other day I watched a video which showed the wisdom and compassion of elephants.
The film began with a two-thirds-size juvenile elephant stuck in a water ditch. That elephant knew how to get out of the ditch, but he just wasn't tall enough to make the plan work. Again and again, he'd get a knee up on the bank, and then he would end up sliding back. You could see him getting frustrated, tired, and probably a little bit angry.
The next scene showed two full-grown adult elephants joining the juvenile. For the longest time, they just stared at him and his predicament. It almost seemed as if they were saying, "Well, you really did it up right this time, didn't you?" The third and final scene had one of the adult elephants getting into the ditch. He pushed and the other elephant pulled, and soon the juvenile was freed.
Truly, you have to like elephants ... unless they're eating the food you need to feed your family.
Sadly, when that kind of interaction occurs ... and it occurs often ... the elephant often pays for the encounter with its life. It's a sad thing, but there just aren't any effective ways to deter an elephant who wants to munch on your garden.
At least that's the way it used to be.
Now a method which has proven effective in Africa is also being tried in Sri Lanka. The elephant deterrent? Honeybees. Yup, honeybees. Tests have shown that elephants will give a wide berth to honeybees --- or even a tape recording of honeybees.
Farmers who have been bothered in the past by elephants who had the munchies are being encouraged to line the perimeter of their property with honeybee hives. Those who have done so have reported surprisingly good results, and they have the benefit of honey as a new cash crop.
In short, everybody wins.
Now it occurs to me that the same sort of principle might work for humans. Sooner or later, all of us have had the devil, the world, and our flesh come around to bother us. Like those marauding elephants, it seems there's just no way to keep them out of the orderly gardens of our faith.
Well, maybe it's time to introduce some spiritual honeybees into our fight against temptation. James tells us if we resist the devil he will flee from us. So, the question is what can really drive away these unholy three? I think Luther identified our honeybees. Once he wrote, "The devil hates music because he cannot stand gaiety" and "Satan can smirk but he cannot laugh; he can sneer but he cannot sing."
Which means, next time you're being tempted, you might want to break into an enthusiastic rendering of "A Mighty Fortress" or another hymn of your choice. Now I know you probably don't think it will work and I can understand your skepticism, but if honeybees can work on elephants, I think these hymns of faith in the Christ might work on our spiritual marauders, too.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I ask that You will send the Holy Spirit upon me and grant me the tools which will enable me to resist temptations and stand firm in the faith. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by John Johnson for Newser on January 27, 2018 Editors on January 21, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: click here.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Genesis 49-50; Matthew 23:23-29
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Genesis 49-50; Matthew 23:23-29
Genesis 49:1 (iv) Then Ya‘akov called for his sons and said,
“Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you
what will happen to you in the acharit-hayamim.
2 Assemble yourselves and listen, sons of Ya‘akov;
pay attention to Isra’el your father.
3 “Re’uven, you are my firstborn,
my strength, the firstfruits of my manhood.
4 Though superior in vigor and power
you are unstable as water, so your superiority will end,
because you climbed into your father’s bed
and defiled it — he climbed onto my concubine’s couch!
5 “Shim‘on and Levi are brothers,
related by weapons of violence.
6 Let me not enter their council,
let my honor not be connected with their people;
for in their anger they killed men,
and at their whim they maimed cattle.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it has been fierce;
their fury, for it has been cruel.
I will divide them in Ya‘akov
and scatter them in Isra’el.
8 “Y’hudah, your brothers will acknowledge you,
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,
your father’s sons will bow down before you.
9 Y’hudah is a lion’s cub;
my son, you stand over the prey.
He crouches down and stretches like a lion;
like a lioness, who dares to provoke him?
10 The scepter will not pass from Y’hudah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his legs,
until he comes to whom [obedience] belongs; [Genesis 49:10 or: until Shiloh comes]
and it is he whom the peoples will obey.
11 Tying his donkey to the vine,
his donkey’s colt to the choice grapevine,
he washes his clothes in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.
13 “Z’vulun will live at the seashore,
with ships anchoring along his coast
and his border at Tzidon.
14 “Yissakhar is a strong donkey
lying down in the sheep sheds.
15 On seeing how good is settled life
and how pleasant the country,
he will bend his back to the burden,
and submit to forced labor.
16 “Dan will judge his people
as one of the tribes of Isra’el.
17 Dan will be a viper on the road,
a horned snake in the path
that bites the horse’s heels
so its rider falls off backward.
18 I wait for your deliverance, Adonai.
(v) 19 “Gad [troop]— a troop will troop on him,
but he will troop on their heel.
20 “Asher’s food is rich —
he will provide food fit for a king.
21 “Naftali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns. [
Genesis 49:21 or: that says beautiful words.
]
22 “Yosef is a fruitful plant,
a fruitful plant by a spring,
with branches climbing over the wall.
23 The archers attacked him fiercely,
shooting at him and pressing him hard;
24 but his bow remained taut;
and his arms were made nimble
by the hands of the Mighty One of Ya‘akov,
from there, from the Shepherd, the Stone of Isra’el,
25 by the God of your father, who will help you,
by El Shaddai, who will bless you
with blessings from heaven above,
blessings from the deep, lying below,
blessings from the breasts and the womb.
26 The blessings of your father are more powerful
than the blessings of my parents,
extending to the farthest of the everlasting hills;
they will be on the head of Yosef,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
(vi) 27 “Binyamin is a ravenous wolf,
in the morning devouring the prey,
in the evening still dividing the spoil.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Isra’el, and this is how their father spoke to them and blessed them, giving each his own individual blessing.
29 Then he charged them as follows: “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave that is in the field of ‘Efron the Hitti, 30 the cave in the field of Makhpelah, by Mamre, in the land of Kena‘an, which Avraham bought together with the field from ‘Efron the Hitti as a burial-place belonging to him — 31 there they buried Avraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Yitz’chak and his wife Rivkah, and there I buried Le’ah — 32 the field and the cave in it, which was purchased from the sons of Het.”
33 When Ya‘akov had finished charging his sons, he drew his legs up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
50:1 Yosef fell on his father’s face, wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Yosef ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Isra’el. 3 Forty days were spent at this, the normal amount of time for embalming. Then the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 When the period of mourning was over, Yosef addressed to the household of Pharaoh: “I would like to ask a favor. Tell Pharaoh, 5 ‘My father had me swear an oath. He said, “I am going to die. You are to bury me in my grave, which I dug for myself in the land of Kena‘an.” Therefore, I beg you, let me go up and bury my father; I will return.’” 6 Pharaoh responded, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
7 So Yosef went up to bury his father. With him went all Pharaoh’s servants, the leaders of his household and the leaders of the land of Egypt, 8 along with the entire household of Yosef, his brothers and his father’s household; only their little ones, their flocks and their cattle did they leave in the land of Goshen. 9 Moreover, there went up with him both chariots and horsemen — it was a very large caravan.
10 When they arrived at the threshing-floor in Atad, beyond the Yarden, they raised a loud and bitter lamentation, mourning for his father seven days. 11 When the local inhabitants, the Kena‘ani, saw the mourning on the floor of Atad they said, “How bitterly the Egyptians are mourning!” This is why the place was given the name Avel-Mitzrayim [mourning of Egypt], there beyond the Yarden.
12 His sons did to him as he had ordered them to do — 13 they carried him into the land of Kena‘an and buried him in the cave in the field of Makhpelah, which Avraham had bought, along with the field, as a burial-place belonging to him, from ‘Efron the Hitti, by Mamre.
14 Then, after burying his father, Yosef returned to Egypt, he, his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
15 Realizing that their father was dead, Yosef’s brothers said, “Yosef may hate us now and pay us back in full for all the suffering we caused him.” 16 So they sent a message to Yosef which said, “Your father gave this order before he died: 17 ‘Say to Yosef, “I beg you now, please forgive your brothers’ crime and wickedness in doing you harm.”’ So now, we beg of you, forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Yosef wept when they spoke to him; 18 and his brothers too came, prostrated themselves before him and said, “Here, we are your slaves.” 19 But Yosef said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20 You meant to do me harm, but God meant it for good — so that it would come about as it is today, with many people’s lives being saved. (vii) 21 So don’t be afraid — I will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he comforted them, speaking kindly to them.
22 Yosef continued living in Egypt, he and his father’s household. Yosef lived 110 years. (Maftir) 23 Yosef lived to see Efrayim’s great-grandchildren, and the children of M’nasheh’s son Makhir were born on Yosef’s knees.
24 Yosef said to his brothers, “I am dying. But God will surely remember you and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.” 25 Then Yosef took an oath from the sons of Isra’el: “God will surely remember you, and you are to carry my bones up from here.” 26 So Yosef died at the age of 110, and they embalmed him and put him in a coffin in Egypt.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah — justice, mercy, trust. These are the things you should have attended to — without neglecting the others! 24 Blind guides! — straining out a gnat, meanwhile swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Parush! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean too.
27 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and all kinds of rottenness. 28 Likewise, you appear to people from the outside to be good and honest, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and far from Torah.
29 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the tzaddikim,
***The Lutheran Hour Ministries in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour - Monday, February 5, 2018 "Ready, Willing, and Able"
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue Captain, Charles Hyles, the day started out like any other.
He had to keep pushing his three children to get ready for school. Then, when they were dressed and fed, he dropped one of his kids off at the Italy, Texas, grade school and two more at the local high school. After that, he went to his uncle's store which was a hang-out for retired fire-fighters.
It was while Hyles was at the store the day dropped its mask of normalcy.
Right before 8 a.m. one of the store's employees arrived and reported there had been a shooting at the high school, and children were running all over the place. Fearing for the well-being of his two boys, Hyles got back in his truck and raced back to the school.
Entering the building, he came across a 15-year-old girl whose gunshot wounds were being treated by staff.
Kneeling over the wounded teen, he asked if there were any other casualties. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was told the girl was the only victim. At that moment, he knew his boys were safe. With that piece of information, Hyles devoted himself completely to caring for the girl.
Looking up at him, the unnamed girl said, "I don't want to die. Don't let me die."
Hyles gave her all the assurances he could. He stayed with her and got her on to the emergency helicopter. He gave her a kiss on the head and said he would see her at the hospital. It was his way of assuring her that she was going to pull through.
It took Hyles a while to get to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. He reports, "I walked in the room, she started crying and said, 'You didn't let me die.' And I said, 'No, baby. God didn't let you die.'"
Hyles then added, "I didn't do anything different. There's over 1,800 firefighters in Dallas, (and an) ungodly amount of volunteer firefighters. Every one of them would've done the same thing. I'm not the hero. I'm just the piece of the puzzle that God put in place to do this."
There are, my friends, some powerful theological truths in those last two paragraphs. The first thing we ought to note is Hyles' recognition that the Lord is our real preserver.
How did Luther say it? The Lord "richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me."
God is in control. That is what Hyles said to the crying young girl. But there's more. Hyles also said, "I'm just the piece of the puzzle that God put in place to do this."
My friends, I wonder how many times the Lord places us into situations where we, like Hyles, are a "piece of the puzzle"? How many times does the Lord drop us into a location where we may be the only ones who can make a witness; the only ones who know the Savior and can tell of the wonders of His love? It may not be often, but I pray, when the time comes we will, like Hyles, be ready.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant me the right vision, the right attitude, and the right words to point people to the Savior who alone can make a saving difference in the souls of sinners. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Maria Guerrero on Jan 23, 2018 for NBC5 Dallas, on January 23, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written, click here.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Genesis 46-48; Matthew 23:1-22
Genesis 46:1 Isra’el took everything he owned with him on his journey. He arrived at Be’er-Sheva and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Yitz’chak. 2 In a vision at night God called to Isra’el, “Ya‘akov! Ya‘akov!” He answered, “Here I am.” 3 He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt. It is there that I will make you into a great nation. 4 Not only will I go down with you to Egypt; but I will also bring you back here again, after Yosef has closed your eyes.”
5 So Ya‘akov left Be’er-Sheva; the sons of Isra’el brought Ya‘akov their father, their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry them. 6 They took their cattle and their possessions which they had acquired in the land of Kena‘an and arrived in Egypt, Ya‘akov and all his descendants with him — 7 his sons, grandsons, daughters, granddaughters and all his descendants he brought with him into Egypt.
8 These are the names of Isra’el’s children who came into Egypt, Ya‘akov and his sons: Re’uven Ya‘akov’s firstborn; 9 and the sons of Re’uven — Hanokh, Pallu, Hetzron and Karmi.
10 The sons of Shim‘on: Y’mu’el, Yamin, Ohad, Yakhin, Tzochar and Sha’ul the son of a Kena‘ani woman.
11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, K’hat and M’rari.
12 The sons of Y’hudah: ‘Er, Onan, Shelah, Peretz and Zerach; but ‘Er and Onan died in the land of Kena‘an. The sons of Peretz were Hetzron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Yissakhar: Tola, Puvah, Yov and Shimron.
14 The sons of Z’vulun: Sered, Elon and Yachle’el.
15 These were the children of Le’ah whom she bore to Ya‘akov in Paddan-Aram, with his daughter Dinah. In sum, his sons and daughters numbered thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad: Tzifyon, Haggi, Shuni, Etzbon, ‘Eri, Arodi and Ar’eli.
17 The children of Asher: Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi, B’ri‘ah, and their sister Serach. The sons of B’ri‘ah were Hever and Malki’el.
18 These were the children of Zilpah, whom Lavan gave to Le’ah his daughter; she bore them to Ya‘akov — sixteen people.
19 The sons of Rachel Ya‘akov’s wife: Yosef and Binyamin.
20 To Yosef in the land of Egypt were born M’nasheh and Efrayim, whom Osnat the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On bore to him.
21 The sons of Binyamin: Bela, Bekher, Ashbel, Gera, Na‘aman, Echi, Rosh, Mupim, Hupim and Ard.
22 These were the children of Rachel who were born to Ya‘akov — in sum, fourteen people.
23 The sons of Dan: Hushim.
24 The sons of Naftali: Yachtze’el, Guni, Yetzer and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Lavan gave to Rachel his daughter; she bore them to Ya‘akov — in sum, seven people.
26 All the people belonging to Ya‘akov coming into Egypt, his direct descendants (not counting Ya‘akov’s sons’ wives), totaled sixty-six. 27 The sons of Yosef, born to him in Egypt, were two in number. Thus all the people in Ya‘akov’s family who entered Egypt numbered seventy.
(vi) 28 Ya‘akov sent Y’hudah ahead of him to Yosef, so that the latter might guide him on the road to Goshen; thus they arrived in the land of Goshen. 29 Yosef prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet Isra’el his father. He presented himself to him, embraced him and wept on his neck for a long time. 30 Then Isra’el said to Yosef, “Now I can die, because I have seen your face and seen that you are still alive.”
31 Yosef said to his brothers and his father’s family, “I’m going up to tell Pharaoh. I’ll say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Kena‘an, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds and keepers of livestock; they have brought their flocks, their herds and all their possessions.’ 33 Now when Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 tell him, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth until now, both we and our ancestors.’ This will ensure that you will live in the land of Goshen — for any shepherd is abhorrent to the Egyptians.”
47:1 Then Yosef went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers have come from the land of Kena‘an with their flocks, livestock and all their possessions; right now they are in the land of Goshen.” 2 He took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” They answered Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our ancestors,” 4 and added, “We have come to live in the land, because in the land of Kena‘an there is no place to pasture your servant’s flocks, the famine is so severe there. Therefore, please, let your servants live in the land of Goshen.” 5 Pharaoh said to Yosef, “Your father and brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt lies before you. Have your father and brothers live on the best property in the country — let them live in the land of Goshen. Moreover, if you know that some of them are particularly competent, put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Yosef then brought in Ya‘akov his father and presented him to Pharaoh, and Ya‘akov blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh asked Ya‘akov, “How old are you?” 9 and Ya‘akov replied, “The time of my stay on earth has been 130 years; they have been few and difficult, fewer than the years my ancestors lived.” 10 Then Ya‘akov blessed Pharaoh and left his presence.
(vii) 11 Yosef found a place for his father and brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the country, in the land of Ra‘amses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12 Yosef provided food for his father, his brothers and all his father’s household, taking full care of even the youngest.
13 There was no food anywhere, for the famine was very severe, so that both Egypt and Kena‘an grew weak from hunger. 14 Yosef collected all the money there was in Egypt and Kena‘an in exchange for the grain they bought, and put the money in Pharaoh’s treasury. 15 When all the money in Egypt had been spent, and likewise in Kena‘an, all the Egyptians approached Yosef and said, “Give us something to eat, even though we have no money; why should we die before your eyes?” 16 Yosef replied, “Give me your livestock. If you don’t have money, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.” 17 So they brought Yosef their livestock; and Yosef gave them food in exchange for the horses, flocks, cattle and donkeys — all that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18 When that year was over, they approached Yosef again and said to him, “We won’t hide from my lord that all our money is spent, and the herds of livestock belong to my lord. We have nothing left, as my lord can see, but our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be enslaved to Pharaoh. But also give us seed to plant, so that we can stay alive and not die, and so that the land won’t become barren.” 20 So Yosef acquired all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, as one by one the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine weighed on them so severely. Thus the land became the property of Pharaoh. 21 As for the people, he reduced them to serfdom city by city, from one end of Egypt’s territory to the other. 22 Only the priests’ land did he not acquire, because the priests were entitled to provisions from Pharaoh, and they ate from what Pharaoh provided them; therefore they did not sell their land.
23 Then Yosef said to the people, “As of today I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you to sow the land. 24 When harvest time comes, you are to give twenty percent to Pharaoh; eighty percent will be yours to keep for seed to plant in the fields, as well as for your food and for that of your households and your little ones.”
(Maftir) 25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! So if it pleases my lord, we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26 Yosef made it a law for the country of Egypt, valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have twenty percent. Only the property belonging to the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
27 Isra’el lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. They acquired possessions in it and were productive, and their numbers multiplied greatly.
28 Ya‘akov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; thus Ya‘akov lived to be 147 years old. 29 The time came when Isra’el was approaching death; so he called for his son Yosef and said to him, “If you truly love me, please put your hand under my thigh and pledge that, out of consideration for me, you will not bury me in Egypt. 30 Rather, when I sleep with my fathers, you are to carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.” He replied, “I will do as you have said.” 31 He said, “Swear it to me,” and he swore to him. Then Isra’el bowed down at the head of his bed.
48:1 Awhile later someone told Yosef that his father was ill. He took with him his two sons, M’nasheh and Efrayim. 2 Ya‘akov was told, “Here comes your son Yosef.” Isra’el gathered his strength and sat up in bed. 3 Ya‘akov said to Yosef, “El Shaddai appeared to me at Luz in the land of Kena‘an and blessed me, 4 saying to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and numerous. I will make of you a group of peoples; and I will give this land to your descendants to possess forever.’ 5 Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Efrayim and M’nasheh will be as much mine as Re’uven and Shim‘on are. 6 The children born to you after them will be yours, but for purposes of inheritance they are to be counted with their older brothers.
7 “Now as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died suddenly, as we were traveling through the land of Kena‘an, while we were still some distance from Efrat; so I buried her there on the way to Efrat (also known as Beit-Lechem).”
8 Then Isra’el noticed Yosef’s sons and asked, “Whose are these?” 9 Yosef answered his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” Ya‘akov replied, “I want you to bring them here to me, so that I can bless them.” (ii) 10 Now Isra’el’s eyes were dim with age, so that he could not see. Yosef brought his sons near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 Isra’el said to Yosef, “I never expected to see even you again, but God has allowed me to see your children too!” 12 Yosef brought them out from between his legs and prostrated himself on the ground. 13 Then Yosef took them both, Efrayim in his right hand toward Isra’el’s left hand and M’nasheh in his left hand toward Isra’el’s right hand, and brought them near to him. 14 But Isra’el put out his right hand and laid it on the head of the younger one, Efrayim, and put his left hand on the head of M’nasheh — he intentionally crossed his hands, even though M’nasheh was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed Yosef: “The God in whose presence my fathers Avraham and Yitz’chak lived, the God who has been my own shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has rescued me from all harm, bless these boys. May they remember who I am and what I stand for, and likewise my fathers Avraham and Yitz’chak, who they were and what they stood for. And may they grow into teeming multitudes on the earth.”
(iii) 17 When Yosef saw that his father was laying his right hand on Efrayim’s head, it displeased him, and he lifted up his father’s hand to remove it from Efrayim’s head and place it instead on M’nasheh’s head. 18 Yosef said to his father, “Don’t do it that way, my father; for this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know that, my son, I know it. He too will become a people, and he too will be great; nevertheless his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will grow into many nations.” 20 Then he added this blessing on them that day: “Isra’el will speak of you in their own blessings by saying, ‘May God make you like Efrayim and M’nasheh.’” Thus he put Efrayim ahead of M’nasheh.
21 Isra’el then said to Yosef, “You see that I am dying, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your ancestors. 22 Moreover, I am giving to you a sh’khem [shoulder, ridge, share, city of Sh’khem] more than to your brothers; I captured it from the Emori with my sword and bow.”
Matthew 23:1 Then Yeshua addressed the crowds and his talmidim: 2 “The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim,” he said, “sit in the seat of Moshe. 3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don’t do what they do, because they talk but don’t act! 4 They tie heavy loads onto people’s shoulders but won’t lift a finger to help carry them. 5 Everything they do is done to be seen by others; for they make their t’fillin broad and their tzitziyot long, 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and they love being greeted deferentially in the marketplaces and being called ‘Rabbi.’
8 “But you are not to let yourselves be called ‘Rabbi’; because you have one Rabbi, and you are all each other’s brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘Father.’ because you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to let yourselves be called ‘leaders,’ because you have one Leader, and he is the Messiah! 11 The greatest among you must be your servant, 12 for whoever promotes himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be promoted.
13 “But woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! For you are shutting the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces, neither entering yourselves nor allowing those who wish to enter to do so. 14 [Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include verse 14: Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! For you swallow up widow’s houses while making a show of davvening at great length. Because of this your punishment will be all the worse!]
15 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You go about over land and sea to make one proselyte; and when you succeed, you make him twice as fit for Gei-Hinnom as you are!
16 “Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, ‘If someone swears by the Temple, he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is more important? the gold? or the Temple which makes the gold holy? 18 And you say, ‘If someone swears by the altar, he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by the offering on the altar, he is bound.’ 19 Blind men! Which is more important? the sacrifice? or the altar which makes the sacrifice holy? 20 So someone who swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it. 21 And someone who swears by the Temple swears by it and the One who lives in it. 22 And someone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and the One who sits on it.
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Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries by Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour "Ready, Willing, and Able" for Monday, February 5, 2018
Psalm 46:1-3 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.According to Dallas Fire-Rescue Captain, Charles Hyles, the day started out like any other.
He had to keep pushing his three children to get ready for school. Then, when they were dressed and fed, he dropped one of his kids off at the Italy, Texas, grade school and two more at the local high school. After that, he went to his uncle's store which was a hang-out for retired fire-fighters.
It was while Hyles was at the store the day dropped its mask of normalcy.
Right before 8 a.m. one of the store's employees arrived and reported there had been a shooting at the high school, and children were running all over the place. Fearing for the well-being of his two boys, Hyles got back in his truck and raced back to the school.
Entering the building, he came across a 15-year-old girl whose gunshot wounds were being treated by staff.
Kneeling over the wounded teen, he asked if there were any other casualties. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was told the girl was the only victim. At that moment, he knew his boys were safe. With that piece of information, Hyles devoted himself completely to caring for the girl.
Looking up at him, the unnamed girl said, "I don't want to die. Don't let me die."
Hyles gave her all the assurances he could. He stayed with her and got her on to the emergency helicopter. He gave her a kiss on the head and said he would see her at the hospital. It was his way of assuring her that she was going to pull through.
It took Hyles a while to get to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. He reports, "I walked in the room, she started crying and said, 'You didn't let me die.' And I said, 'No, baby. God didn't let you die.'"
Hyles then added, "I didn't do anything different. There's over 1,800 firefighters in Dallas, (and an) ungodly amount of volunteer firefighters. Every one of them would've done the same thing. I'm not the hero. I'm just the piece of the puzzle that God put in place to do this."
There are, my friends, some powerful theological truths in those last two paragraphs. The first thing we ought to note is Hyles' recognition that the Lord is our real preserver.
How did Luther say it? The Lord "richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me."
God is in control. That is what Hyles said to the crying young girl. But there's more. Hyles also said, "I'm just the piece of the puzzle that God put in place to do this."
My friends, I wonder how many times the Lord places us into situations where we, like Hyles, are a "piece of the puzzle"? How many times does the Lord drop us into a location where we may be the only ones who can make a witness; the only ones who know the Savior and can tell of the wonders of His love? It may not be often, but I pray, when the time comes we will, like Hyles, be ready.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant me the right vision, the right attitude, and the right words to point people to the Savior who alone can make a saving difference in the souls of sinners. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Maria Guerrero on Jan 23, 2018 for NBC5 Dallas, on January 23, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written, click here.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Genesis 46-48; Matthew 23:1-22
Genesis 46:1 Isra’el took everything he owned with him on his journey. He arrived at Be’er-Sheva and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Yitz’chak. 2 In a vision at night God called to Isra’el, “Ya‘akov! Ya‘akov!” He answered, “Here I am.” 3 He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt. It is there that I will make you into a great nation. 4 Not only will I go down with you to Egypt; but I will also bring you back here again, after Yosef has closed your eyes.”
5 So Ya‘akov left Be’er-Sheva; the sons of Isra’el brought Ya‘akov their father, their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry them. 6 They took their cattle and their possessions which they had acquired in the land of Kena‘an and arrived in Egypt, Ya‘akov and all his descendants with him — 7 his sons, grandsons, daughters, granddaughters and all his descendants he brought with him into Egypt.
8 These are the names of Isra’el’s children who came into Egypt, Ya‘akov and his sons: Re’uven Ya‘akov’s firstborn; 9 and the sons of Re’uven — Hanokh, Pallu, Hetzron and Karmi.
10 The sons of Shim‘on: Y’mu’el, Yamin, Ohad, Yakhin, Tzochar and Sha’ul the son of a Kena‘ani woman.
11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, K’hat and M’rari.
12 The sons of Y’hudah: ‘Er, Onan, Shelah, Peretz and Zerach; but ‘Er and Onan died in the land of Kena‘an. The sons of Peretz were Hetzron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Yissakhar: Tola, Puvah, Yov and Shimron.
14 The sons of Z’vulun: Sered, Elon and Yachle’el.
15 These were the children of Le’ah whom she bore to Ya‘akov in Paddan-Aram, with his daughter Dinah. In sum, his sons and daughters numbered thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad: Tzifyon, Haggi, Shuni, Etzbon, ‘Eri, Arodi and Ar’eli.
17 The children of Asher: Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi, B’ri‘ah, and their sister Serach. The sons of B’ri‘ah were Hever and Malki’el.
18 These were the children of Zilpah, whom Lavan gave to Le’ah his daughter; she bore them to Ya‘akov — sixteen people.
19 The sons of Rachel Ya‘akov’s wife: Yosef and Binyamin.
20 To Yosef in the land of Egypt were born M’nasheh and Efrayim, whom Osnat the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On bore to him.
21 The sons of Binyamin: Bela, Bekher, Ashbel, Gera, Na‘aman, Echi, Rosh, Mupim, Hupim and Ard.
22 These were the children of Rachel who were born to Ya‘akov — in sum, fourteen people.
23 The sons of Dan: Hushim.
24 The sons of Naftali: Yachtze’el, Guni, Yetzer and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Lavan gave to Rachel his daughter; she bore them to Ya‘akov — in sum, seven people.
26 All the people belonging to Ya‘akov coming into Egypt, his direct descendants (not counting Ya‘akov’s sons’ wives), totaled sixty-six. 27 The sons of Yosef, born to him in Egypt, were two in number. Thus all the people in Ya‘akov’s family who entered Egypt numbered seventy.
(vi) 28 Ya‘akov sent Y’hudah ahead of him to Yosef, so that the latter might guide him on the road to Goshen; thus they arrived in the land of Goshen. 29 Yosef prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet Isra’el his father. He presented himself to him, embraced him and wept on his neck for a long time. 30 Then Isra’el said to Yosef, “Now I can die, because I have seen your face and seen that you are still alive.”
31 Yosef said to his brothers and his father’s family, “I’m going up to tell Pharaoh. I’ll say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Kena‘an, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds and keepers of livestock; they have brought their flocks, their herds and all their possessions.’ 33 Now when Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 tell him, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth until now, both we and our ancestors.’ This will ensure that you will live in the land of Goshen — for any shepherd is abhorrent to the Egyptians.”
47:1 Then Yosef went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers have come from the land of Kena‘an with their flocks, livestock and all their possessions; right now they are in the land of Goshen.” 2 He took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” They answered Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our ancestors,” 4 and added, “We have come to live in the land, because in the land of Kena‘an there is no place to pasture your servant’s flocks, the famine is so severe there. Therefore, please, let your servants live in the land of Goshen.” 5 Pharaoh said to Yosef, “Your father and brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt lies before you. Have your father and brothers live on the best property in the country — let them live in the land of Goshen. Moreover, if you know that some of them are particularly competent, put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Yosef then brought in Ya‘akov his father and presented him to Pharaoh, and Ya‘akov blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh asked Ya‘akov, “How old are you?” 9 and Ya‘akov replied, “The time of my stay on earth has been 130 years; they have been few and difficult, fewer than the years my ancestors lived.” 10 Then Ya‘akov blessed Pharaoh and left his presence.
(vii) 11 Yosef found a place for his father and brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the country, in the land of Ra‘amses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12 Yosef provided food for his father, his brothers and all his father’s household, taking full care of even the youngest.
13 There was no food anywhere, for the famine was very severe, so that both Egypt and Kena‘an grew weak from hunger. 14 Yosef collected all the money there was in Egypt and Kena‘an in exchange for the grain they bought, and put the money in Pharaoh’s treasury. 15 When all the money in Egypt had been spent, and likewise in Kena‘an, all the Egyptians approached Yosef and said, “Give us something to eat, even though we have no money; why should we die before your eyes?” 16 Yosef replied, “Give me your livestock. If you don’t have money, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.” 17 So they brought Yosef their livestock; and Yosef gave them food in exchange for the horses, flocks, cattle and donkeys — all that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18 When that year was over, they approached Yosef again and said to him, “We won’t hide from my lord that all our money is spent, and the herds of livestock belong to my lord. We have nothing left, as my lord can see, but our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be enslaved to Pharaoh. But also give us seed to plant, so that we can stay alive and not die, and so that the land won’t become barren.” 20 So Yosef acquired all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, as one by one the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine weighed on them so severely. Thus the land became the property of Pharaoh. 21 As for the people, he reduced them to serfdom city by city, from one end of Egypt’s territory to the other. 22 Only the priests’ land did he not acquire, because the priests were entitled to provisions from Pharaoh, and they ate from what Pharaoh provided them; therefore they did not sell their land.
23 Then Yosef said to the people, “As of today I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you to sow the land. 24 When harvest time comes, you are to give twenty percent to Pharaoh; eighty percent will be yours to keep for seed to plant in the fields, as well as for your food and for that of your households and your little ones.”
(Maftir) 25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! So if it pleases my lord, we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 26 Yosef made it a law for the country of Egypt, valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have twenty percent. Only the property belonging to the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
27 Isra’el lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. They acquired possessions in it and were productive, and their numbers multiplied greatly.
28 Ya‘akov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; thus Ya‘akov lived to be 147 years old. 29 The time came when Isra’el was approaching death; so he called for his son Yosef and said to him, “If you truly love me, please put your hand under my thigh and pledge that, out of consideration for me, you will not bury me in Egypt. 30 Rather, when I sleep with my fathers, you are to carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.” He replied, “I will do as you have said.” 31 He said, “Swear it to me,” and he swore to him. Then Isra’el bowed down at the head of his bed.
48:1 Awhile later someone told Yosef that his father was ill. He took with him his two sons, M’nasheh and Efrayim. 2 Ya‘akov was told, “Here comes your son Yosef.” Isra’el gathered his strength and sat up in bed. 3 Ya‘akov said to Yosef, “El Shaddai appeared to me at Luz in the land of Kena‘an and blessed me, 4 saying to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and numerous. I will make of you a group of peoples; and I will give this land to your descendants to possess forever.’ 5 Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Efrayim and M’nasheh will be as much mine as Re’uven and Shim‘on are. 6 The children born to you after them will be yours, but for purposes of inheritance they are to be counted with their older brothers.
7 “Now as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died suddenly, as we were traveling through the land of Kena‘an, while we were still some distance from Efrat; so I buried her there on the way to Efrat (also known as Beit-Lechem).”
8 Then Isra’el noticed Yosef’s sons and asked, “Whose are these?” 9 Yosef answered his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” Ya‘akov replied, “I want you to bring them here to me, so that I can bless them.” (ii) 10 Now Isra’el’s eyes were dim with age, so that he could not see. Yosef brought his sons near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 Isra’el said to Yosef, “I never expected to see even you again, but God has allowed me to see your children too!” 12 Yosef brought them out from between his legs and prostrated himself on the ground. 13 Then Yosef took them both, Efrayim in his right hand toward Isra’el’s left hand and M’nasheh in his left hand toward Isra’el’s right hand, and brought them near to him. 14 But Isra’el put out his right hand and laid it on the head of the younger one, Efrayim, and put his left hand on the head of M’nasheh — he intentionally crossed his hands, even though M’nasheh was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed Yosef: “The God in whose presence my fathers Avraham and Yitz’chak lived, the God who has been my own shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has rescued me from all harm, bless these boys. May they remember who I am and what I stand for, and likewise my fathers Avraham and Yitz’chak, who they were and what they stood for. And may they grow into teeming multitudes on the earth.”
(iii) 17 When Yosef saw that his father was laying his right hand on Efrayim’s head, it displeased him, and he lifted up his father’s hand to remove it from Efrayim’s head and place it instead on M’nasheh’s head. 18 Yosef said to his father, “Don’t do it that way, my father; for this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know that, my son, I know it. He too will become a people, and he too will be great; nevertheless his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will grow into many nations.” 20 Then he added this blessing on them that day: “Isra’el will speak of you in their own blessings by saying, ‘May God make you like Efrayim and M’nasheh.’” Thus he put Efrayim ahead of M’nasheh.
21 Isra’el then said to Yosef, “You see that I am dying, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your ancestors. 22 Moreover, I am giving to you a sh’khem [shoulder, ridge, share, city of Sh’khem] more than to your brothers; I captured it from the Emori with my sword and bow.”
Matthew 23:1 Then Yeshua addressed the crowds and his talmidim: 2 “The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim,” he said, “sit in the seat of Moshe. 3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don’t do what they do, because they talk but don’t act! 4 They tie heavy loads onto people’s shoulders but won’t lift a finger to help carry them. 5 Everything they do is done to be seen by others; for they make their t’fillin broad and their tzitziyot long, 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and they love being greeted deferentially in the marketplaces and being called ‘Rabbi.’
8 “But you are not to let yourselves be called ‘Rabbi’; because you have one Rabbi, and you are all each other’s brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘Father.’ because you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to let yourselves be called ‘leaders,’ because you have one Leader, and he is the Messiah! 11 The greatest among you must be your servant, 12 for whoever promotes himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be promoted.
13 “But woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! For you are shutting the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces, neither entering yourselves nor allowing those who wish to enter to do so. 14 [Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include verse 14: Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! For you swallow up widow’s houses while making a show of davvening at great length. Because of this your punishment will be all the worse!]
15 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You go about over land and sea to make one proselyte; and when you succeed, you make him twice as fit for Gei-Hinnom as you are!
16 “Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, ‘If someone swears by the Temple, he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is more important? the gold? or the Temple which makes the gold holy? 18 And you say, ‘If someone swears by the altar, he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by the offering on the altar, he is bound.’ 19 Blind men! Which is more important? the sacrifice? or the altar which makes the sacrifice holy? 20 So someone who swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it. 21 And someone who swears by the Temple swears by it and the One who lives in it. 22 And someone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and the One who sits on it.
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Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
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