Preparing for Worship - February 9, 2025

The psalm for this week is another of David’s psalms, Psalm 138. David gives thanks and praise to God “before the gods.” This does not mean that he or other Biblical writers believe in the reality of these so-called gods. In Psalm 135, we hear that “our Lord is above all gods… The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They cannot speak or see or hear and have no breath in them.” They are not real, and there is no reason to “trust in them.” In contrast, David rejoices in “the Name” and “the Word of the Lord.” He gives thanks for the “steadfast love” and “faithfulness” of the One True God, who “strengthens his soul” and helps him when he “walks in the midst of trouble.” The Lord has a purpose for David’s life and will fulfill it. (See David’s description of the Lord’s “fulfilling His purpose for him” and protecting him, even when he was in great danger from King Saul, in Psalm 57:1-3.) The Lord has a purpose for our lives, too, as he has called us to faith in Christ. See Philippians 1:6 and Ephesians 1:5 and 2:9-10. We are “the work of His hands,” and he will not forsake us. (See Psalm 90:17 and Psalm 100:3.) See how “the steadfast love of God enduring forever” is repeated again and again in Psalm 136. See the musicians and others “expressly named” in 1 Chronicles 16:41, who were to thank the Lord “for His steadfast loves endures forever.” We enjoy that “love” now and forever in Christ.

In the Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord upon His throne in glory, filling the temple and calling Isaiah to be His prophet. Seraphim, angels, were singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,” prefiguring the clearer revelation of the One True Triune God in the New Testament. (Three times, the Lord is called “holy” in the same way in Psalm 99.) Isaiah thinks he is lost and would die as “a man of unclean lips,” who has seen the Holy God and represents a people of unclean lips, as we all are, as sinners. An angel comes to him, though, and touches his lips with a burning coal and takes away his guilt and sin. His sin was atoned for, paid for, by the work of the Lord (and ultimately by the work of His Son, Jesus Christ). The Lord then asks, “Who will go for us?” (Again, the mystery of the three Persons of the One True God is alluded to, with the word “us,” as in Genesis 1:26 and 3:22, while Deuteronomy 6:4 says that the Lord is One.) Having been cleansed and realizing his calling, Isaiah volunteers to be sent by the Lord to speak to his people. The message will be a difficult one, though. A time of judgment is coming because many people will be blind to the Lord’s truth and lack understanding of it. As a result, Isaiah must predict cities destroyed and houses without people and a desolate land, with people carried away into captivity, as happened with both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel. Isaiah asks, “How long, O Lord?” How long will this go on? There is still hope, the Lord reveals. Though Israel will be like “a stump” of a tree, with only a remnant left, “a holy seed” will come from it, with a whole new life from the Lord  - predicting the coming of God’s Servant, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His message and work of salvation for all people, not just the Jews. See Isaiah 11:1-5 as an example of this picture image being developed more - someone, Jesus, coming from the line of Jesse and David, filled with the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s righteousness and faithfulness. Jesus Himself quotes from this passage in His own time, as he faced the spiritual blindness and dullness of His own people, as He preached Law and Gospel, and many refused to listen. (See Matthew 13:13-17 as an example.) Other New Testament writers quote from this passage, too, especially in sharing how the Gospel moved on from Jews to Gentiles, non-Jews, as welI. (See Romans 11:7-10, for example. (I don’t have time here to go into detail about this, but will try to expand on this at another time and study.) The point is that Isaiah would be preaching both Law and Gospel himself, preparing the way for Jesus and His message and the message of hope in Christ in the New Testament.

We see Jesus bringing that message of hope in Him and a new calling to Simon Peter and others in the Gospel lesson, Luke 5:1-11. People were, at first, eager to hear “the Word of God” Jesus brought. Jesus had to borrow a boat and preach from it because of the press of the crowds around Him. (He was surely preaching “the good news of the kingdom of God” to as many people as possible, as He said He needed to do, in John 4:42-43. He “was sent for this purpose.”) When Jesus had finished speaking, He asked Simon Peter, who owned the boat, to put out his nets for a catch of fish. Peter had fished all night and caught nothing and knew that this was not a good time to fish, but said, “At Your Word, I will let down the nets.” He was beginning to realize the power of Jesus and His Word. Quickly, a large number of fish was caught, with nets breaking and the boats sinking. Peter was astonished and had both awe and fear of Jesus and His power. He fell down at the knees of Jesus. He had called Jesus “Master.” Now he calls Him “Lord” and wants to get away from Him, knowing he was a sinful man, unworthy to be in His presence. Jesus tells him not to be afraid (just as the Lord had assured Isaiah in the Old Testament lesson), for he would now be in the process of continually seeking to “catch alive” people (for Christ and His good news of salvation, which included the forgiveness of sin). The Greek words indicate this ongoing process. Simon Peter and the other fishermen with him then leave their boats and follow Jesus as His disciples. This was, of course, a growing process of learning and growth in faith and service for Peter and the others. (After His resurrection, Jesus kept teaching Peter and the others, even on another fishing expedition, to keep following Him and taking care of other people, His sheep, in love. See John 21:1-19.) That is still the calling - that we are fishermen for Christ and His Good News and love to be shared with as many as possible.

Paul reinforces this message in the Epistle lesson in 1 Corinthians 14:12b-20. For several weeks, we have heard him writing about spiritual gifts that God has given to His people in the church through the Holy Spirit. It is easy to be attracted to what some would call more spectacular gifts that seem impressive and make us feel good for ourselves, like “speaking in tongues” in other languages. Paul reminds us to excel in what “builds up the church,” our fellow believers. Speaking in other languages may look impressive, but it does no good if people do not understand what we are saying and are not built up in the faith. We are called to be mature Christians in our thinking and use our minds and our gifts to instruct one another in faith, in Christ Jesus and His Word. The Holy Spirit works through that clear and true Word of God to nourish the minds and hearts of others. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:14-17). We are concerned about fellow believers but also about “outsiders” who are not yet in the faith. We want others to know and have the Good News of hope and joy and eternal life we have been blessed with in Christ.