Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Friday after the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-22 (NKJV)

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the LORD. 6 For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they are pleased with the children of foreigners. 7 Their land is also full of silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, and there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. 9 People bow down, and each man humbles himself; Therefore do not forgive them. 10 Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty. 11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up—and it shall be brought low—13 upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan; 14 Upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up; 15 Upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall; 16 Upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all the beautiful sloops. 17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The LORD alone will be exalted in that day, 18 but the idols He shall utterly abolish. 19 They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. 20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and bats, 21 to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crags of the rugged rocks, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. 22 Sever yourselves from such a man, whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he?

Devotion

“The Lord alone will be exalted in that day.” In spite of the lies of those who despise God, His will is not opposed to human happiness. To the contrary, it is opposed to human selfishness and destructive pride. The works and possessions of mankind cannot offer any good guidance on kindness and mercy because our nature is to serve ourselves first. But if God teaches us His ways and enables us to walk in His paths of righteousness, we will learn the true way of happiness and peace.

The Lord deserves to be exalted because the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are the only source of good for mankind. God the Father is our maker, the source of everything that is good in our lives. The Son teaches us and has brought us forgiveness through His sacrifice. And the Holy Ghost works in us to guide our hearts, minds, and strength toward those things that are truly good and holy. Whereas the vain pride of mankind only seeks short-sighted pleasures and gratifications.

As God’s faithful people, we look forward to the day when sin will be removed from the face of the earth and all pain and selfishness will be ended. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting, which we confess in our creeds. At that time the Words of Isaiah will be completely fulfilled, and God will truly be exalted with the fullness of His glory in Jesus Christ. And then we will dwell with Him in a world that is truly peaceful and filled only with the goodness that He has always intended for us.

We pray: Lord God, Thy kingdom come, and Thy will be done, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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