Isaiah 51:1-6
| Isaiah 40-55 was written by an anonymous prophet during Israel's exile in Babylon. The two paragraphs in this pericope, vv. 1-3 and 4-6, both begin with the word "Listen" and are followed by warm promises of God. The faithful audience is characterized as those who pursue righteousness and who seek Yahweh. |
| Israel's ancestors Abraham and Sarah are compared to a rock or a quarry, something solid in a time of great uncertainty. The gospel for the date, Matt 16:13-20 has the famous saying about Peter, You are the rock and on this rock I will build my church." Though they were originally one (or two if you want to be picky about it), they became under God's blessing a numerous people. Similarly the exiles, few in number, could look forward to a God-blessed population increase. |
| "Comfort" is a theme word in Second Isaiah, beginning with 40:1. Comfort means much more than sympathy; it means God-worked transformation. Zion's waste places and wilderness will become luxuriant like the Garden of Eden. The transformation will be marked by appropriate human rejoicing: joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and singing (v. 3). |
| The second paragraph, vv. 4-6, is written in the first person as the words of Yahweh. God's teaching that goes forth and God's justice recall the eschatological promise of Isa 2:2-5. |
| Verse 5 promises God's speedy intervention as a military liberator. Note the military images in Yahweh's arms/arm. The nations too will rejoice in this deliverance. Heaven and earth as we know them will vanish and wear out, while Yahweh's salvation and deliverance will last forever (cf. Isa 40:8, which states that grass withers and flowers fade, but that Yahweh's word or promise will stand forever). |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 138
Jeremiah 15:15-21
| Jeremiah's "confessions" are laments in which he struggles with Yahweh over the burden of his prophetic ministry. Like other laments, they share honestly with God, but they are also rich in articulating the reasons why the lamenter, in this case Jeremiah, should still trust in Yahweh. |
| In v. 15 Jeremiah utters an imprecation, that is, a request for Yahweh to take vengeance on the prophet's enemies. He asks for divine forbearance lest he himself be taken away. The root of Jeremiah's problem is that he suffers on account of Yahweh's assignment for him to be a prophet. |
| In v. 16 he recalls the joy at hearing the divine message and his own divine approval. Jeremiah metaphorically ate Yahweh's words; Ezekiel literally ate them (Ezek 2:1-3). But the prophet complains in vv. 17 and 18 of the consequences of his call: he had no fun because Yahweh's hand was upon him. Jeremiah complains of his constant, incurable pain. Yahweh was like a Palestinian brook--full of water in the rainy season, but dry as dust when you really were thirsty. Yahweh has not been honest or fair or truthful to him! |
| Verse 19 brings a delightful comeuppance. If Jeremiah would repent of what he just said, Yahweh would let him keep on doing the ministry against which he has been protesting! |
| Jeremiah's is to be a hard and unyielding message. God will set him up as a fortified wall. People will fight against him but never prevail against him. Why not? Because of the simple and powerful promise: I am with you, to save and deliver you. This is further spelled out in v. 21 as deliverance from the wicked and redemption from the ruthless. |
| See also my sermon study in Preaching Helps 11 (1984):41-42. |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 26
Ezek 33:7-11
| In 33:1-9, Ezekiel is called to be a sentinel (traditionally watchman), a pericope which repeats in part 3:16-21. |
| Yahweh has made Ezekiel a sentinel (v. 7) so that Yahweh warns the people about his own attack with the hope that they will turn from their ways. This self-contradictory characteristic of Yahweh--his reluctance to punish the wicked--is at the center of the faith in both testaments. |
| The prophet is fully responsible: If the prophet fails to give a warning and the wicked die as a result, their blood is on the prophet's hands. |
| On the other hand, if the prophet warns and the wicked do not heed this warning, the prophet is exempt from any consequences. In fact, the prophet will save his life even though the wicked will die. |
| Two more examples are cited in ch. 3. If the righteous turn away and sin, they will die and their former righteous deeds will do them no good. Their blood is Ezekiel's responsibility. If the prophet warns the righteous and they do not sin, the prophet will have saved his life. |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 119:33-40
Gen 50:15-21
| Forgiving or not-forgiving is the theme for the day both in this conclusion to the Joseph story and in the gospel parable about the unforgiving steward, Matt 18:21-35. |
| When Jacob died, the brothers of Joseph feared that he would use the occasion to get even for them selling him into Egypt. Joseph cried when they asked him to forgive, as he had cried when he revealed himself to them in 45:1-3. Note that his brothers fall down before him just as the dreams had predicted in chap. 37. |
| The Joseph story strikes modern readers as a "modern story." God does not intervene with miracles or direct appearances, but at the end of the story the reader is convinced that God has been in control all along. God has transformed the evil intentions of the brothers into good. Their scheme brought Joseph to power, and his administrative abilities saved many people from starvation. |
| Joseph refuses to act as God, thus leaving explicit forgiveness to God himself. He also declines their offer to become slaves to him. Israelites will be slaves to God alone even if Pharaoh would oppress them temporarily in Exod 1:13-14. |
| Joseph also reassures his brothers that he will take care of them, not just in words, but in concrete acts of sustenance. |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 103: [1-7] 8-13.
See also sermon study on the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Preaching Helps 2 (1975):65-66
Jonah 3:10-4:11
| The reading from Jonah, like the parable of the workers in the vineyard, Matt 20:1-16, challenges us to accept "Johnny-come-latelys" who have not been members of St. John's by the gas station for the last twenty years. Do we begrudge God's generosity? |
| Jonah's five word sermon (in Hebrew), "Forty days more, and Nineveh will be destroyed," brought about a mass conversion among the Ninevites--even the animals put on sackcloth! They were willing to wager that God would relent and change his mind. |
| Sure enough, in v. 10, God does just that. Who wants an unchanging God when God can reverse his decision on judgment and condemnation? |
| Jonah mopes over this, stating that this was the reason he fled to Tarshish in the first place. He knew that God was gracious and merciful, and ready to relent from punishing. |
| Jonah is so mad he wants to die, but goes outside the city, sits in a booth, and waits to see what would happen. |
| God made a bush grow up to give Jonah shade, making Jonah happy. The next day God sent a worm to attack the bush and make it wither, making Jonah angry since the sun was hot. For the second time he says he wants to die. |
| God notes that Jonah has concern about a bush about which he had done nothing. God asks, "Should I not be concerned about a big city like Nineveh that has 120,000 people in it--and a lot of cattle"? Clearly the answer to that question is yes, but the author lets it up to the reader to answer it. How, we ask, have we been/are we like Jonah? |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 145:1-8
Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32
| This chapter was once hailed as the beginning of individualism in the Bible, but it is now recognized that really is not the issue in this chapter. Rather, the prophet asserts that no once can claim that he or she is caught in a web of sinning from which there is no escape. Whether that person comes from a long line of people alienated from God or whether they have just let several decades of their own life slip by without repentance, it is never too late to turn and live. |
| The proverb quoted in v. 2 (see also Jer 31:29-30) is an attempt by the generation that experienced the destruction of Jerusalem to shift the blame on their ancestors. It was not we who sinned, but our parents. In v. 4 comes Yahweh's emphatic answer: each generation is responsible for its own conduct. The person who sins will die. In other words, what you have experienced is punishment for your own behavior. |
| Verses 5-18 follow a family through three generations. Verses 5-9 describe a righteous person who is rewarded for his righteousness. Verses 10-13 talk about person's child who falls away from God. He cannot count on merit earned by the parents; rather, he will die for his iniquity. Verses 14-18 speak of the next generation that turns back to God and is fully accepted. We are not trapped by the behavior of our parents or grandparents. All this is summarized in vv. 19-20. |
| Verses 21-24 talk about the change that can occur when a wicked person repents or a righteous person falls away. People cannot blame their previous wicked behavior as if it gave no possibility for change, nor can they bank on earlier righteousness. If they fall away they will experience the consequences. |
| Verses 25-32 contain a dispute between Yahweh and the people about who is unfair. The people had claimed that Yahweh was unfair, and God turns the charge around and addresses them. When the righteous fall away they are punished, and when the wicked repent they are saved. Hence Yahweh is fair in his dealings, but the people are not. |
| The chapter concludes with a serious call to repentance and a wonderful statement of God's gracious character: I have no pleasure in the death of anyone. So turn and live! |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 25:1-8.
Isaiah 5:1-7
| In this song of the vineyard, there is an initial ambiguity about who is speaking in v. 1. Is it a groom, a farmer, or God? |
| The second half of v. 1 and v. 2 talk about the care taken with the vineyard and the owner's disappointment that the only yield was wild or sour grapes. |
| The ambiguity disappears in v. 3 and following where the speaker is clearly Yahweh. God addresses the people of Judah and Jerusalem and asks them what more could he have done. He lavished loving care on his vineyard (them), but all he got in return was wild grapes. |
| Verses 5-6 report the decision to destroy the vineyard, and v. 7 identifies that vineyard with Israel. The last part of v. 7 is a pun in Hebrew. The following translation attempts to retain the pun in English: For measures he looked--lo massacres; for right--but lo riot. The point is that God's lavish care should have led to transformed lives, but instead it led to wickedness and social injustice. |
The psalm for the day is Ps 80:7-14.
Isaiah 25:1-9
| This pericope is from the apocalyptic section of Isaiah (chaps. 24-27) whose date is highly contested. I favor a date in the 6th century. |
| The first five verses are a song of praise, hailing Yahweh for his destruction of a strong enemy city and being a refuge for the poor and needy. All ruthless nations will eventually be forced to acknowledge Yahweh's greatness. |
| Verses 6-9 describe an eschatological banquet served up by Yahweh. Promissory passages like this have contributed to the imagery now associated with the Eucharist. Those invited to the banquet include all peoples and they are served an abundant helping of the finest foods and the finest wines. |
| Verses 7-8 promise that Yahweh will destroy the shroud of death that is cast over all peoples. While this passage does not mention resurrection explicitly, it implies it (cf. Isa 26:19; Dan 12:1-3). In the Canaanite world, the god of death (Mot) is depicted as a beast who swallows up everyone. Now the swallower will become the swallowee when Yahweh swallows up death forever. The surety of this promise is based on Yahweh's word: "The Lord has spoken." |
| Verse 9 enunciates a beautiful statement of thankful praise: The is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 23
Isaiah 45:1-7
| These verses report God's commission to Cyrus, the king of Persia, who defeated Babylon and sent the Jews home from exile. |
| In v. 1 Cyrus is called Yahweh's anointed one or messiah. Second Isaiah's announcement that deliverance would come through this Persian emperor was a bitter pill for his audience to swallow. Verses 9 and 10 declare that the questions raised about the appropriateness of Cyrus are like criticisms directed to a skilled potter telling him or her that they forgot to add handles or they are like the questions of an about-to-be-born child saying to the mother, "Why are you struggling so hard?" |
| Yahweh has commissioned Cyrus to defeat nations and promises to go before him to prepare his victory route (v. 2). |
| Verse 3 even seems to promise that Cyrus will acknowledge Yahweh and recognize that the God of Israel is the one who calls Cyrus by name. Verses 4-5 speak more realistically of Cyrus not knowing Yahweh. Verse 5 is a classic statement of monotheism. |
| Yahweh's empowerment of Cyrus will lead to his worldwide recognition as lord of all (v. 6). |
| Verse 7 renounces the dualistic nature of Persian religion. Yahweh forms light and creates darkness, makes weal and creates woe. While monotheism has a difficult time explaining the existence of natural catastrophes if the one God is in control of everything, it also suggests that there is nothing outside of God's purview and that all issues can be laid at Yahweh's feet. |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 96:1-9 (10-13)
Jeremiah 31:31-34
| This text promises a new or renewed covenant (testament) between Yahweh and Israel. I say "renewed" because this covenant is only a revised version of the old covenant at Sinai. I also want to avoid the implication that the people of the "new covenant or testament" have a different religion from the people and God of the Old Testament. Note that this covenant is with the whole people--the house of Israel and the house of Judah. |
| The difference between the two covenants is that the people frustrated or broke the older covenant made with them after the Exodus. Under God's new deal that will be impossible. The people broke the covenant even though God was their "husband." The Hebrew could also be translated "even though God was their Baal." In the latter understanding, God had given the people every thing and material blessing that they could have imagined, and still the people frustrated the covenant. |
| The "law" inscribed on the hearts does not refer to some kind of natural ethics. Rather, Jeremiah is making the point that obedience or discipleship will be so inherent in this relationship that an inclination to obey God would seem to be engraved right on human hearts. This same inherent understanding of obedience or transformation explains why religious education will become superfluous. Ethical transformation will not be elective. |
| On what basis can God make such a new covenant since the people's breach of the Sinai covenant would put the people under its curse? In a beautiful anthropomorphism Jeremiah promises that God will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. The only hope is to have a God for forgets! |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 46
Lev 19:1-2, 15-18
| This lesson is taken from the Holiness Code, whose date is uncertain but relatively late. 600 BCE? |
| The central theme of this code is articulated in the second verse: You shall be holy for I Yahweh your God am holy. In the New Interpreter's Bible, Walter Kaiser writes: "God's holiness acts both as model and as motivating force in the development and maintenance of a holy character." |
| Verse 15 issues a demand for justice. One should not show partiality based on how wealthy a person is. Justice is to be our only goal. Just as we are to be holy to reflect the holiness of God, so our justice echoes that of God himself. Neither the rights of the rich or poor are to be violated. |
| Verse 16 prohibits slander as part of holiness. The NIV has a clearer translation of v. 16b: Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. |
| Verse 17 prohibits hate of the neighbor, and it makes culpable anyone who avoids reproving an errant neighbor. |
| Vengeance should not be taken, but above all we are enjoined to love our neighbors as our selves. |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 1.
Micah 3:5-12
| Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah in the late 8th century. While Isaiah's ministry took place primarily in Jerusalem, Micah came from a small settlement called Moresheth Gath, 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem (1:1). |
| Verses 5-8 are an oracle against the false prophets. These prophets cried "Peace"--that is, everything is o.k., there is no reason to change your ways. They also charged for this service. They announced holy war against anyone who would not pay up. Verses 6-7 describe the punishments that will befall these false prophets. In verse 8, Micah declares his own self-confidence, based on the gift of God's spirit. His assignment: to tell Jacob and Israel their sin. |
| Verses 9-12 are a classic prophetic judgment oracle. Verses 9-11 give the reproach or reasons for the judgment while verse 12 gives the announcement of judgment (threat). All of the accusations in vv 9-11 deal with questions of social justice. Rulers, priests, and prophets sell their services to the highest bidder and rely on Yahweh's presence to deliver them from any consequences. |
| Announcements of judgment typically begin with the word "Therefore." Zion and Jerusalem, God's chosen city, and the temple mountain itself will be destroyed. |
| A century later the elders at the time of Jeremiah cited these verses to show that such a prophet should not be considered a traitor. Rather Hezekiah and the people repented and escaped judgment (Jer 26:16-19). |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 43
The Psalm for the day is Ps 34:1-10, 22
Amos 5:18-24
| The first part of this passage, vv. 18-20, criticizes Israel's celebration of the Day of Yahweh. Amos feels sorrow for this attitude (note: Alas) rather than judgmental superiority (note the traditional: Woe to you who desire....). The people apparently expected one of Yahweh's great victories for Israel on that day as in the past. But Amos says it will be darkness and not light. A person may think she has escaped a lion on that day will discover that she should only to run into a bear if she escapes the lion. |
| The second part of the passage criticizes those who substitute formal worship practices for the seeking of justice. The prophets have sometimes been labeled anti-sacrificial or anti-liturgical, but that is to miss the point. Rather, Amos and the others are opposed to those who fail to realize that good worship should be followed by good social ministry. |
| Amos states all this hyperbolically, as if he really rejected the whole sacrificial system. His point is that worship cannot replace justice or be a substitute for it. His final, famous plea is that justice should roll down like waters, and righteousness like a stream that keeps flowing, even in the dry summers of Palestine. |
The psalm for the day is Psalm 70
Alternate lesson: Josh 3:7-17.
Zeph 1:7, 12-18
| Zephaniah too speaks of a day that will bring punishment and not rescue. Verse 8 mentions the punishment of officials and v. 9 foretells punishment for all who leap over the threshold. This may refer to a superstitious belief that household deities resided in the threshold and the way to avoid disturbing them was to jump over the threshold. Is this the source of the custom in our society of grooms carrying their brides over the threshold? |
| Verse 12 describes a detailed search for sinners and especially for those who have become indifferent. They believe that Yahweh will do neither good nor harm. Verse 13 announces a frustration oracle: people will build houses but not live in them; plant vineyards and not drink the resultant wine. |
| Verses 14-16 give a vivid description of the coming day and point out that it will appear in the very near future. This day will be the day of Yahweh's war against Israel. This is a stern note against all who think that their status as God's people will grant them a pass on the day of judgment. |
| Sins bring inevitable judgment and riches will not be able to get around the dread day. A full and terrible day is coming (vv 17-18). |
| This passage in itself is nothing but gloom and doom. A gospel from Zephaniah can be found in chapter 3. Yahweh has taken away the judgments against you (v 15); do not fear, O Zion (v 16); and I will make you renowned among all the peoples when I restore your fortunes (v 20). |
The Psalm for the day is Psalm 90
Alternate Old Testament Lesson Josh 24:1-3a, 14-25.
Judges 4:1-7
Deborah is among the most prestigious female leaders in the Old Testament and her exemplary leadership may provide encouragement to lay and ordained female leaders in the church today. It is unclear whether Deborah was the wife of a man named Lappidoth, of whom nothing is known, or if the etymology of the Hebrew words behind “wife of Lappidoth,” actually describes her personality—she was a fiery woman! She is also called a prophetess, just like Miriam (Exod 15:20), Huldah (2 Kgs 22:14//2 Chr 34:22), and the wife of Isaiah (Isa 8:3). The office of prophet in the Old Testament was by no means restricted to men. Prophets in the Old Testament bring oracles of Yahweh to individuals or groups, as Deborah does vv. 6-7. Holy Wars in the Old Testament were not fought until Yahweh authorized them in various ways and in this story by divine oracles that came through a woman. Deborah also held the office of judge. That office had two aspects, and Deborah fits the criteria for both. First, people came to her to solve legal disputes although we are not told whether her ability to solve legal squabbles called primarily on her judicial wisdom, or whether, since she was a prophet, she also could seek a direct decision by Yahweh to deal with difficult cases. Secondly, “judges” in this book are military heroes through whom Yahweh delivered his people, just like Ehud, Gideon, and Samson. Deborah is the only judge who is evaluated positively in an unequivocal way—per contra Gideon, who became a source of idolatry (Judg 8:27) and Samson, who was a notorious womanizer. Deborah was also serving as a judicial officer before she was called to serve in a military capacity whereas other judges arise out of “nowhere” to lead the people to victory.
There are two accounts of Deborah’s battle, in chapter 4 and in chapter 5. The latter is written in archaic poetry that is probably one of the oldest documents in the Old Testament. There are several differences between the accounts and they were clearly written by two different people. Did Jael drive a tent peg through the skull of Sisera (Judg 4:21) or did she hit him with the old “one-two,” first with a tent peg and then with a workman’s mallet (Judg 5:26)? According to Judg 5:1 Deborah and Barak sang the song that makes up this chapter, although most scholars would agree with the implications of Judg 5:12 that Deborah alone was the singer. In the poem Deborah is identified as a “mother” in Israel (5:7). The exact significance of this title is unknown (see Gen 45:8; Judg 17:10; 1 Sam 10:12), but an analogous title “father” is also used of male prophets (2 Kgs 2:12; 6:21; 13:14), and the disciples of prophets were often called their sons.
The story in chapter 4 follows an outline that is characteristic of many of the stories of the judges. Israel sinned or did evil and consequently Yahweh sold them into the hands of a foreign king, in this case Jabin, king of Hazor (see chapter 11). When Israel cried to Yahweh, either in desperation, in a spirit of repentance, or both, Yahweh sent deliverance; here such deliverance is promised in a divine oracle (vv. 6-7) and the details of this divine deliverance are given in both chapters 4 and 5. In the midst of the battle Deborah receives another divine oracle that tells Barak when to engage Sisera in an attack (Judg 4:14). One very interesting detail in v. 9, unfortunately not included in the lectionary, comes through Deborah’s enigmatic statement to her general Barak that the battle would not lead to his glory since Yahweh would sell the Canaanite general Sisera into the hand of a woman. At this stage of the story one would assume that woman would be Deborah, but it turns out to be Jael (Judg 4:17-22; 5:24-27). Jael becomes a second role model of a strong and courageous woman. In any case God’s initiative uses a variety of human helpers. God promises to give Sisera into the hand of Barak, but Barak’s request for Deborah to accompany him seems to lead to a change in God’s plans. The book of Judges offers a wide range of female experiences, some negative and some positive. On the positive side is the strong faith displayed by Samson’s nameless mother in ch. 13.
Two incidental details help us to see that this battle was not of epic proportions. Jabin had only 900 chariots—not thousands of them—but they were made of iron. It is now thought that the Philistines brought the technology of smelting iron to Palestine. Secondly, only the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were involved in the battle. Chapter 5 has a somewhat different account of which tribes participated (vv. 14-18), but even there the tribe of Judah is notably absent.
After the deliverance in the wars in Judges, the heroic judge normally goes back to his or her previous occupation and the land is given rest for twenty, forty or even eighty years (Judg 5:31; cf. 3:30). And then the cycle starts all over again! This repeated willingness of Yahweh to respond to the cries of his sinful people exemplifies God’s gracious character, but we should note that in the Books of Kings, the repeated sins of the people finally lead to the destruction of the Northern and Southern kingdoms. God’s grace is not to be taken for granted.
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
| This passage portrays God as the ideal shepherd-king, who will rescue his scattered sheep from exile. A "day of clouds and thick darkness" is typical vocabulary associated with the Day of Yahweh. God will gather his scattered sheep/people and settle them again on the land. The first ten verses are words of judgment against corrupt shepherds or earthly kings. |
| Verse 16 portrays God as attending to the weak and marginal--the lost, the strayed, the injured, and the weak. God will enter into judgment against those who are oppressive--the fat and the strong. The food God offers is justice. |
| A common theme in Ezekiel is that not everyone who experiences the new exodus will also experience the new entrance into the land. See Ezek 20:34-38. Here Yahweh makes a distinction between the fat (oppressive) sheep and the weak (marginalized) sheep. Verse 21 turns from an objective description of bad shepherds to a direct denunciation of them--You! |
| Verse 23 enunciates a messianic hope. Does God here promise a new David or a restoration of the original David? In talking of this David, Ezekiel describes him as "prince" or "king in quotation marks." Ezekiel cannot imagine an Israel without a Davidic king, but he puts great limits on his powers in chaps 40-48. |
| Verse 24 grounds this promise in the word of Yahweh: I, Yahweh, have spoken. |
Alternate study of this text by Ralph W. Klein
The psalm for the day is Psalm 95:1-7a.