Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Tuesday after Gaudete, The Third Sunday in Advent

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: Isaiah 24:21—25:5 (NKJV)

24:21 It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. 22 They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; After many days they will be punished. 23 Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; For the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously.

25:1 O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. 2 For You have made a city a ruin, a fortified city a ruin, a palace of foreigners to be a city no more; It will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore the strong people will glorify You; The city of the terrible nations will fear You. 4 For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 5 You will reduce the noise of aliens, as heat in a dry place; As heat in the shadow of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones will be diminished.

Devotion

On the Last Day there will be a great reversal of the way things have been previously. Those who are the unrighteous exalted ones on the earth will be cast down. These “kings of the earth” were able to rule and oppress others by their lying and bullying, but no more. The Lord will bring to an end their sinful acts, and will gather them up and cast them into the pit.

Those who are the righteous ones in Christ will be exalted. These persecuted believers trusted in Christ, Who was their strength and refuge. On the Last Day the righteous poor will be showered with the rich blessing of Christ. The needy will be given all the provisions that they need.

This coming day of the Lord is not a new development. Our God has foretold it since ancient times. The believers in Christ have always looked forward to “the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” They knew, “Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” God will keep His Word. They have looked forward to that Last Day, saying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” Until that day finally arrives, believers humbly confess our sins and live thankful lives “in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (2 Pet. 3:11-12).

We pray: Eternal Father, You Who have provided a coming day to put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly, be our strength in distress, a refuge from the storm, and a shield from all harm, that we may be brought into the eternal kingdom of Your beloved Son. Amen.

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