Festival of the Reformation of the Church
Posted on October 31, 2023 by under
Scripture: Judges 2:16-23 (NKJV)
2:16 Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so. 18 And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
20 Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22 so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” 23 Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.
Devotion
“…they would not listen to their judges…not heeded My voice.”
Trivializing and refusing to heed the voice of their Deliverer (and His sent deliverers) is a discarding of that deliverance. Deliverance consists not merely of the deliverer’s actions, but by the words that declare God’s continuing will (cf. St. Matt. 6:14–15, 18:21–35).
Luther rightly teaches us in the Large Catechism what a ‘lord’ is: not a ‘boss’, but a redeemer! Certainly, He sets out how we are to live, but the right to direct the lives of those who are delivered belongs to a lord precisely because he has delivered the people and desires them to have the benefits of that deliverance always.
Christ could rule through power simply because He is God, but He rules over those who are His through faith, instead, by grace. He proclaims who they are when they are connected to Him—what the Church is: His beloved Bride for whom He died and whom He continually renews in “the washing of water by the Word” through the continuing delivery of the message of redemption, and His body and blood that won it (Eph. 5:25–32).
Prayer: Almighty God, merciful Father, who madest the light to shine out of darkness, we thank Thee that Thou hast shown mercy unto us and our fathers, and by means of Thy servant Martin Luther hast restored the pure light of Thy Gospel: keep us, we beseech Thee, in sound doctrine, that we may steadfastly believe and worthily follow Thy saving Word, and finally, by its holy comfort, depart in peace and joy; through 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 the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Lord, we beseech Thee to keep Thy household, the Church, in continual godliness; that through Thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve Thee in good works, to 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.
