Congregation at Prayer

Catechesis Notes for the Week —Psalm 106:24-48—A Meditation Upon God’s Mercy in Israel’s Rebellion—The second half of Psalm 106 is a meditation upon all the many ways that the Children of Israel had rebelled against the Lord. He had been their God and faithful Savior, and yet they so often refused to hear His Word. They defiled themselves by committing spiritual adultery with the nations around them. They brought oppression upon themselves because of their wayward ways. God’s wrath was justly kindled against them because of their rebellion. Their enemies oppressed them as instruments of God’s judgment against them. “Many times He delivered them; but they rebelled against Him by their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, when He heard their cry; and for their sake He remembered His covenant, and relented according to the multitude of His mercies.” If it were not for the Lord’s faithfulness, mercy, and grace toward the children of Israel, their history would have been totally tragic and would have ended in utter despair. At no time did the Lord ever turn His back upon the remnant faithful who, with broken and contrite hearts, turned to Him. So we pray with our ancient brothers and sisters: “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles to give thanks to Your holy name, and to triumph in Your praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!”

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Catechesis Notes for the Week —Psalm 106:1-23—A Prayer of Rejoicing in the Lord’s Forgiveness—Psalm 106 continues the theme of meditation upon the Lord’s saving acts in redeeming Israel from Egyptian slavery. In the previous psalm nothing was mentioned of Israel’s failure to trust in the Lord and in all He was doing for them. But in Psalm 106 there is a clear confession of their sin during the time of the Lord’s great deliverance from Egypt. Despite their doubts and fears, the Lord saved them for His name’s sake. He was faithful to His promises of love. Again and again, they went astray, again and again He called them to repentance and through the things they suffered because of their own weaknesses, they would learn to trust Him as their faithful God and Savior. This serves as an example and encouragement to us in our own pilgrimage of faith.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week —Psalm 105:23-45—Thanksgiving for the Exodus out of Egypt—The second half of Psalm 105 chronicles all that the Lord did for Israel in the land of Egypt (Ham). He not only brought them into Egypt at the time of Joseph, but during their sojourn in Egypt He caused the children of Israel to increase greatly in number and made them stronger than their enemies. Though He caused the Egyptians to hate them, yet He used their hardness of heart and bitter treatment of Israel for His good purposes. The Lord God did everything for Israel. He sent the signs through Moses and Aaron. He visited His judgment upon Egypt through the plagues. He brought them out of Egypt with the spoils of gold and silver. He brought them through the Red Sea. He led them with His glory cloud in the wilderness. He fed them with manna from heaven, quail to eat, and water from the Rock to drink. He provided everything for them according to His promise made to Abraham. And for all His mighty works, His people respond with joy, gladness, and praise and keep His statutes and laws. What is most interesting about Psalm 105 is that it does not chronicle the doubts, fears, and rebellion of Israel throughout their sojourn, but rather focuses entirely upon what God did in grace for them.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week —Psalm 105:1-22—A Song of Thankfulness for the Lord’s Faithfulness—Psalm 105 begins with a call to give thanks, confess the Lord’s deeds among His people, and to sing to Him for His faithfulness. The psalmist recounts the Lord’s faithfulness in calling Abraham to faith and in protecting and preserving the patriarchs throughout their sojourn in Canaan before they were established as a nation. According to His covenant with Abraham, the Lord blessed Abraham, causing His blessing to come upon those who blessed the patriarchs and protecting the patriarchs from those who would do them harm. “Do not touch My anointed ones and do My prophets no harm” was the Lord’s Word of protection around the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as they sojourned in the land and settled in Egypt during the days of Joseph. Never did He abandon them but remained true to His promise of life and salvation for them. The same is true for us who are called by the Lord’s name in baptism and grafted into Christ Jesus, our righteousness, life, salvation, and protection from all harm.CP210110

Catechesis Notes for the Week —Psalm 104:16-35—Luther on Psalm 104—“The 104^th psalm is a psalm of thanks for all the works that God had accomplished in heaven and on earth, beyond those done for us here on earth. He has surely ordered all things according to a wise place to produce works, fruits, and crops. The psalmist recounts these one after the other: the heavens—full of light and outstretched as a tapestry without post or rafters; the clouds—an arch without foundation or pillar; the wind flying without wings; the angels going and coming, appearing like a wind or a flame. Thus sings the psalmist. He finds his desires and joy in God’s creations, which are so wonderfully made and so beautifully ordered together. But who pays attention to this or sees that this is so? Only faith and the Spirit.”—from Reading the Psalms with Luther.  CP210103