Festival of the Presentation of our Lord and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Posted on February 2, 2024 by under
Scripture: Judges 7:1-8 (NKJV)
7:7 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. 7 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” 8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
Devotion
We have reached the fortieth day after the Nativity of our Lord. On this festival day our Lord Jesus is presented at the temple as His mother, Mary, fulfills the purification rite that was commanded by the Lord God through Moses. It is easy for us to picture our Lord Jesus as a full-grown man, for that is what we see Him as most in holy Scripture. But the brief glimpse we get of our Lord as a small child shows us His love and sacrifice for us. Here we have a forty-day-old child who is the creator of the heavens and the earth. This baby is the ruler of the world come down from heaven to dwell with us in our flesh.
This shows us how impossible it is for us to save ourselves from sin. It shows us how powerful our Lord and Savior truly is. The Lord God told Gideon that the Israelite army was too great. Thirty-two thousand was too many. Ten thousand was too many. We are often tempted to think we can save ourselves. But our Lord proves that He is the one in complete control. Three hundred Israelites would defeat the Midianite army—which was as numerous as locusts—not because of man’s strength, but because of the Lord’s work. Our Savior also comes to His temple today to redeem us by His work alone.
Collect: Almighty and Everliving God, we humbly beseech Thy Majesty, that as Thine Only-Begotten Son was this day presented in the Temple in the substance of our flesh, so we may be presented unto Thee with pure and clean hearts; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for Septuagesima Sunday
O Lord, we beseech Thee favorably to hear the prayers of Thy people: that we, who are justly punished for our offenses, may be mercifully delivered by Thy goodness, for the glory of Thy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
