PATTERN OF SOUND WORDS

Author: revblanken

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Matthew 2:13–18 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Holy Gospel of the Feast of the Holy Innocents, Matthew 2:13–18, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    II. The flight of Joseph and Mary with the little Child, and what soon followed thereafter, namely, Herod’s Slaughter of the Innocents. (v. 13–18)

    Annotated Text

    13. Now when they had departed (and before the child was presented to the Lord in the temple at Jerusalem, Luke 2:22, and His parents had returned to Nazareth, Luke 2:39),1 behold, then the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said, “Stand up and take the little Child and His mother (which little Child is far more noble than the mother, and therefore is properly set forth before her; which Child is also born of your wife, but not begotten of you) to yourself, and flee (with haste, without any delay) into the land of Egypt, and remain there, until I tell you (that you should come back. From which, then, Joseph could conclude that He would not always remain in Egypt); for it is the case that Herod seeks the little Child,2 to kill Him.“

    (Matthew 1:20)

    1 † This last event some bring in somewhat of a different chronological order, and not without any basis.

    2 Greek: “for Herod will seek out the little Child” [μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρῷδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδὶον]

    14. And he (Joseph) stood up and took the little Child and His mother to himself, during the night (still in the same night in which he received the command), and escaped into the land of Egypt (He made upon the way at night so that no one would notice his flight).

    15. And he remained there (with the Child Jesus and His mother Mary) until the death of Herod, so that it would be fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the * prophet (Hosea), when He said, “Out of Egypt, I have called My Son.” (The prophet indeed speaks properly of the Israelite people, whom God loved with a fatherly manner as His son, Exodus 4:22, and led out of Egypt. However, the holy evangelist can apply this saying to the Lord Christ very well and justifiably, as the One in whom God loves His own, and who is the Head of the spiritual body [i.e., the Church, including the Israelites who looked forward to the Messiah], for what is ascribed to the body can also certainly be applied to the Head, Acts 9:4–5, as, on the other hand, what belongs to the Head can also be ascribed to the members to a certain measure, Ephesians 2:6; Revelation 12:5)1

    * Hosea 11:1

    1 Some understand this prophecy to be of Christ Himself, namely, that God in the future would call His own Son out of Egypt out of love for the Jews, beyond the former benefits. Hosea’s own words will give the best decision.

    16. Now when Herod saw that he was deceived by the wise men (because they did not come back to him in Jerusalem on their return, which he falsely interpreted as though he had been deceived by them), he became very wrathful and sent out and had all the children who were two years old and under put to death in Bethlehem and in all its surrounding areas, according to the time which he had diligently learned from the wise men. (Because he had diligently inquired at to which time the new star had first appeared to them, therefore he made an assumption as to approximately how old the newborn King might be. However, because he nevertheless could not be certain of His age, so He also wanted both the younger and older children strangled together, not only at Bethlehem, but also in the nearest adjacent surrounding areas. According to some who draw their opinion from Macrobius[2], among these boys was also [Herod’s] own son, whom, according to his own thoughts, [He had killed] so that he might not miss the right one.)

    1 † Whether this happened secretly or publicly by force is not certain. However, the former is more probable because Josephus does not think of it.

    [2] [This is a reference to Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, who in his Saturnalia (2.4.11) recorded that Herod had also killed his own son.]

    17. Then was fulfilled what had been said by the * prophet Jeremiah, when he said:

    * Jeremiah 31:15

    18. “Upon the mountain (at Ramah, which was a mountain-city in the tribe of Benjamin not far from Bethlehem, Joshua 18:25; Judges 19:13) one has heard a cry—much lamentation, weeping, and wailing—Rachel (the wife of the patriarch Jacob, who died and was buried in that same region, Genesis 35:19, from whom, as the matriarch, the descendants of Jacob and Benjamin come from) weeping for her children (her descendants) and not allowing herself to be comforted (from great resentment and grieving), for they were no more (as far as their earthly and temporal life is concerned; however, the souls of these holy tender martyrs live in heavenly joy and blessedness. Luther: “St. Matthew has especially drawn in this saying that he thereby might show how it always is for Christianity, for it always allows itself to be seen before the world as though it were all over with Christianity, yet it is, against the power of hell, wonderfully preserved by God. And one sees here in these children how a Christian existence rightly consists in suffering.” The saying cited from the prophet properly speaks of the misery that befell the descendants of Rachel, namely, the Israelites of the tribe of Benjamin, for the ten tribes, among whom the tribe of Benjamin was the foremost, were led away into the Assyrian captivity; this misery was so great, that their matriarch, Rachel, who had been deceased for many years, might well have risen from the dead and bewailed them.  However, the evangelist does not apply this saying to the strangled Bethlehemite children unjustifiably, because their misery was not less than the former, and the gruesome murders occurred around the region where Rachel lay buried. And although the strangled Bethlehemite children do not come directly from Rachel as those who sprang up from the tribe of Joseph and Benjamin, nevertheless, they are properly also regarded as Rachel’s children because they come from Jacob, the husband of Rachel).1

    * Genesis 35:19

    1 † Many, not without reason, understand Jeremiah to be speaking properly of this Bethlehemite slaughter of children, since especially the entire thirty-first chapter deals with the spiritual redemption expected after the [Assyrian] captivity through Christ, in which manner Rachel, as a mother anguished unto death over the misery of her children, would be set forth as [a type] of each [of these mothers].

    Useful Applications

    II. DOCTRINE: Concerning the state of humiliation of Christ on earth, when he, as a poor human child, was brought by Joseph to Egypt away from the madman Herod so that He might not be killed. (v. 13–14)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Isaiah 9:2, 6–7 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Old Testament Reading of Christmas Eve (Midnight), Isaiah 9:2, 6–7, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    Note: The Lutheran Missal Project omits v. 3–5 from the reading.

    I. A prophecy concerning Christ and the call of the Gentiles, what great joy will follow thereupon. (v. 2–3)

    II. A description of the abolition of the Mosaic Law, and the spiritual peace, together with the ground on which it rests. (v. 4–7)

    Annotated Text

    2. The * people (Judah and Israel), who walked in darkness (who were stuck in great ignorance, unbelief, misery, and hardship on account of the enduring burden of war, especially during the times of the Maccabees), have seen a great Light (this great Light is the Lord Christ, who is the true Light who has come into the world, John 1:9, and in His coming has brought with Himself the light of grace and the saving knowledge of God as well as the light of joy and life), and over those who dwell in the land of darkness,1 it shines brightly.

    * Isaiah 42:7; Matthew 4:16; Luke1:79 (Ephesians 5:14)

    1 Hebrew: “the shadow of death,” cf. Luke 1:79

    [Verses 3–5 are omitted by the Lutheran Missal Project.]

    6. For1 to us (to the people of God first, but afterword to the Gentiles, and in this way to all men) a * Child is born, to us † a Son (namely, God’s only-begotten Son) is given, whose lordship is upon His shoulder (the burden of the work of the redemption of the human race and the governance of His Church lies upon Him; He bears the cross upon His shoulder  in order to assemble for Himself a kingdom from the human race); and He is called2 (He is in deed and truth, and is also proclaimed, extolled, and praised in the preaching of the Gospel, namely) ** wonderful (on account of His person and His office), Counselor (who has found counsel, how the fallen and lost human race can be counseled and helped  who has revealed the counsel of God concerning our salvation in His Word, John 1:18, 15:15; and who can provide counsel in the greatest needs and also give believers the best and most lasting counsel, as to how they shall obtain a gracious God and be saved), Mighty, Champion (who, through His divine power, can overcome all things and bring them into the right; a mighty God, for God is therefore called “El” in Holy Scripture, because He is an almighty champion against whom nothing can stand), Eternal Father (who has obtained an eternal sonship for believers with God the Father through His merit), Prince of Peace (who to believers gives peace with God in heaven and in their consciences, Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20);

    1 Here follows an explanation of the previous saying, so that the source of all the joy of believers is now indicated more clearly in Christ.

    * Luke 1:31ff., 2:7, 11

    † John 3:17; Romans 8:3; Galatians 4:4

    2 Hebrew: “They will call His name” (that is, “He will be,” see Isaiah 7:14)

    ** Judges 13:18 (Psalm 40:8; Psalm 45:4–6; Ephesians 2:13ff.)

    7. so that His * lordship will be great (for the Jews and Gentiles will be brought under His spiritual kingdom), and † His peace will have no end, upon the throne of David and His kingdom (so that He will rule in eternity over the members of His kingdom in peace and unity; for the bodily kingdom of David was only a type of the spiritual and eternal kingdom of Christ); that He establish it and strengthen it with judgment and righteousness (in this life, the kingdom of Christ is established with judgment, when He overcomes the prince of this world, John 16:11, and judges and punishes all enemies of His kingdom; it is strengthen with righteousness when He bestows the righteousness which avails before God to the members of His kingdom and gives them justice against all enemies;  and in eternal life, complete rest from all enemies will follow and the members of Christ’s kingdom will obtain eternal joy and salvation) from now until then in eternity (without end and ceasing). The zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do ** this.1 (Christ’s burning love toward His Church, and His wrathful zeal against the devil, who has tempted men since the Fall.)

    * Luke 1:32

    † Psalm 72:3, 7, Isaiah 26:3

    ** Isaiah 37:32; 2 Kings 19:31 (Jeremiah 23:5; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 2 Kings 19:31)

    1 Hebrew: “From that time on” (when this kingdom will begin), “and until and as long as the world stands will the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth do this” (He will continue it and bring it completion). Concerning the zeal of the Lord in love, see Isaiah 37:32; Song of Songs 8:6.

    Useful Applications

    [There are no useful applications for v. 2]

    II. DOCTRINE: That the Son of God, who has been born true man, is the gracious King, Protector, and Savior of all believers. (v. 6–7)

  • Quotes from the Lutheran Church Fathers for John 1:19–28

    John 1:20 – He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

    “John persisted in his calling and faithfully carried out the task to which God had appointed him; he bore witness to Christ the Lord and directed the people away from himself to Christ. The Jews should have paid heed to his testimony, taken it to heart, and realized that John was bearing witness to Christ and not to himself, especially since he declared unequivocally (John 1:20): “I am not the Christ [we shall return to these words later], but I have been sent to witness to Him. I am shouting and proclaiming that He is the Light and the Life of man, full of grace and truth.” John was commissioned to point to this Christ and to lead all mankind to Him, so that he might induce all who were dead in sin and sitting in darkness and the shadow of death (Luke 1:79) to come to Him, to believe in Him, to be animated and illumined by Him, and thus to become partakers of His grace and truth. For this was the purpose of Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection, that all believers in Him might be justified and saved.”

    (Martin Luther, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, AE 22:126)

    John 1:21 – And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

    “[The question arises:] In what sense does this same [John the] Baptist deny that he is a prophet (John 1:21), even though he was considered as and honored with the title “prophet,” not only by his father Zechariah (Luke 1:76) but also by all the people of Israel (Matthew 14:5; Mark 11:32)? We respond: Some people take the question of the messengers from Jerusalem as referring to the outstanding prophet promised in Deuteronomy 18:18. However, because they had already asked John if he was the Christ, the question of whether he was that great prophet would have been repeated uselessly. You see, it could be said only about the Messiah that He was that outstanding prophet who had promised through Moses, unless we wanted to say that those messengers and the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem had completely erred from the true meaning of this prophecy, something that anyone who notices their stupidity and blindness would easily believe. Some respond by saying that John denied that he was a prophet because Christ said he was greater and more excellent than the prophets. Some claim that when John denies that he is a prophet, he was regarding the fact that he is not one of the prophets of the Old Testament, about whom it was said in Matthew 11:13, “For all the prophets prophesied until John.” Some claim that the messengers asked and John replied about Elisha, who himself had ordered Naaman to be dipped in the waters. Some thing that John denied that he was a prophet because of his humility, even though he truly was a prophet. Some people suspect that John refused to accept the honor of prophet because he was not undertaking a duty of the political office, which the prophets in the Old Testament used.

    But it is more simple to respond that John adjusted his response to the question of the messengers. They were asking him if he was a prophet, that is, if he was one of those ancient prophets, long dead already, who had been recalled to life through a Pythagorean transmigration of souls. You see, Elias Levita testifies in Thisbi that the Jewish leaders at that time had embraced the idea of the transmigration of souls, something we also conclude from the words of Herod (Matthew 14:1; Mark 6:14), where he makes this judgment about Christ: “John the Baptist has risen from the dead. That is why these powers are at work in Him.” However, the sense of the question is revealed especially from what comes before it. They are asking whether he is a prophet in the same sense as they ask whether he is Elijah. But they are asking if he is Elijah in this sense: Is he that Elijah, the Tishbite, who was carried into heaven by a fiery chariot and whose return in his own person they were awaiting, according to the misunderstood prophecy in Malachi 4:5? Therefore they are also asking him if he is a prophet in this sense: Is he one of the ancient prophets recalled to life by a divine miracle? This we conclude very clearly form the words of Luke 9:7–8, “Now Herod the tetrarch heard all that Christ was doing, and he was perplexed because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by the others that one of the ancient prophets had risen.” Therefore John had first denied that he was Elijah in that sense in which the messengers had asked if he was Elijah in his own person, even though the angel (Luke 1:17) and Christ Himself (Matthew 11:14) call him “Elijah” in a different sense: because he went ahead of that Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah. In the same way, he denies that he is a prophet in that sense in which the messengers had asked him if he was a prophet, that is, one of the ancient prophets brought back to life, even though in a different sense he truly was a prophet: a herald of repentance and righteousness, the forerunner of the Messiah, a minister of the New Testament, etc.”

    (Johann Gerhard, Theological Commonplaces XXVI/1, pgs. 30–31)

    John 1:23 – He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (Isaiah 40:3)

    “This is an answer which no learned, wise, and holy man can endure, and John must literally be possessed of the devil and be a heretic. Only sinners and fools think him a holy, godly man; give way to his crying; and make room for the Lord, removing the obstacles from His way. The others, however, throw logs, stones, and dirt in His way; they even kill both the forerunner and the Lord Himself for daring to say such things to them. Why? John tells them to prepare the way of the Lord. That is to say, they do not have the Lord nor His way in them. What do they have then? Where the Lord is not, nor His way, there must be man’s own way, the devil, and all that is evil.”

    (Martin Luther, Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, AE 75:178)

    “Is it not a wrong and strange way of speaking when [John] says, “I am the voice of one crying”? How can a man be a voice? He ought to have said, “I am one crying with a voice”! But that is speaking according to the manner of the Scriptures. God told Moses: Aaron “shall be your mouth” (Exodus 4[:16]); that is, he will speak for you. Job says, “I was an eye to the blind and a foot to the lame” (John 29[:15]). Similarly, we say in German about a miser that gold is in his heart, and money in his life.

    So here “I am the voice of one crying” means: “I am one who cries and have received my name from my work. Just as Aaron is called a mouth because of his eloquence, I am a voice because of my crying.” And that which in Hebrew reads “the voice of one crying” would be translated into Latin and German as a “a crying voice.” In the same way, Paul speaks of “the poor of the saints” instead of “the poor saints” (Romans 15[:26]), and of the “mystery of godliness” instead of “the godly mystery” (1 Timothy 3[:16]). Just as when I say “the language of the Germans,” I would say better “the German language.” So here “a voice of one crying” means “a crying voice.” The Hebrew tongue speaks this way much more.”

    (Martin Luther, Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, AE 75:180–81)

    “The ministry of the Word is that of God Himself, which he Himself wants to carry out through ordained means and instruments in His church… as John the Baptizer says in John 1:23, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” which Luther renders thus: Ich bin eine Stimme eines Rufers (I am a voice of a crier), in order to indicate that it is another who is crying through John.”

    (Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, Vol. 8, pg. 1314)

    “In Exodus 4:14–16, it is recorded that when God the Lord wanted to send Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt through him, that He assigned his brother Aaron for him…

    In this account, Moses is a prototype of our Lord Christ; Aaron, however, is a prototype for John the Baptist. For just as Moses and Aaron were the two most prominent men in the Old Testament, so also Christ and John are the most prominent in the New Testament.

    Just as Moses was sent to rescue the nation of Israel from Egypt and to give them the Law, so also Christ was sent by the Father “to give His life as an ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28); and to bring forth from the bosom of the Father the teaching of the Gospel (John 1:18)…

    Like Aaron, who was born from the tribe of Levi, who went out with joy to meet his brother Moses and spoke to the people all that the Lord, through Moses, commanded him to say, as well as giving testimony that Moses truly had been sent by God as a physical savior; so also in the same manner John—who was also born from the tribe of Levi—went out with great joy to meet his cousin, Christ; and, as he heard the voice of the Bridegroom, he greatly rejoiced over it (John 3:29). By the command of God, he also spoke to the people and testified about Christ that He was the only Mediator and Savior, the true Light and the Little Lamb of God who bears the sins of the world (John 1:29).”

    (Johann Gerhard, Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, in Postilla, Vol. 1, pgs. 36–37)

    “The fact that John says here he is a voice of a preacher and baptizes with water, he thereby teaches us that he and other preachers of God the Lord make available their voices and their hands for preaching and for administration of the holy Sacraments. it is God the Lord, however, who is speaking through them, admonishing, and administering the holy Sacraments. “For God exhorts through us,” as St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20 and again in 2 Corinthians 13:3, “Christ is speaking through me.” … That’s why we should not look at the person of the preacher but rather at God’s working and power. “So, it is neither he who sows, nor he who waters some, but rather God the Lord who provides the growth and thriving success” (1 Corinthians 2:7).

    (Johann Gerhard, Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, in Postilla, Vol. 1, pgs. 40–41)

    “The sound of trumpets beautifully expresses the condition and office of the ministry. You see, they should “lift up their voices like trumpets and declare to the people their transgressions” (Isaiah 58:1). The trumpet gives off no sound by itself; rather, someone must blow into it. So also ministers speak by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 10:20). They are “the voices of one crying” (John 1:23). The trumpet presents a very clear tone, which people can hear from a distance. So also the sound of truth resounds a very long way.”

    (Johann Gerhard, Theological Commonplaces XXVI/1, pg. 48)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for John 1:19–28 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the historic Holy Gospel of the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Memento Nostri), John 1:29–28, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    II. Several testimonies of John concerning Christ. (v. 15–34)

    Annotated Texts

    19. And * this is the (exceptional, and most noteworthy, before other sermons and confessions concerning Christ) testimony of John, when the Jews (the entire high court, or the great council of the Jewish people, 2 Chronicles 19:8) sent from Jerusalem (several from their midst, namely) priests and Levites (those whose office it was to preserve the divine doctrine and to instruct the people concerning the true knowledge of God and the Messiah, Malachi 2:7), that they might ask him, “Who are you?” (What is the nature of your person and office? And by what authority do you teach and baptize? And are you perhaps the promised Messiah, long awaited by our people, who will deliver us from Roman yoke?)

    * John 5:33

    20. And he confessed, and did not deny; and he confessed (He spoke the pure truth freely and openly, and said), * “I am not the Christ (the Messiah, whom you consider and hold me to be, Luke 3:15; John 5:35; Acts 13:25).

    * John 3:28

    21. And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” (the Tishbite, who was taken up to heaven with fiery horses and chariots, 2 Kings 2:11, and who, according to the prophecy of the prophet Malachi, as it is understood by our forefathers, will come again in his own person before the Messiah appears? Malachi 4:5) He said, “I am not.” (with regard to the person of Elijah, according to which He will remain in heaven eternally; however, with regard to the likeness and equality with Elijah, then John the Baptist was precisely that same Elijah of whom the prophet Malachi speaks in the place mentioned, as the Lord Christ Himself later explains, Matthew 11:14; 17:11). “Are you * a prophet?” (A man of God raised up and sent by Him in a special manner, to proclaim to the people of Israel either liberation from the Roman power, or something else that is important?) And he answered, “No.”1

    * Deuteronomy 18:15; Matthew 16:14

    1 † That [St. John the Baptist] was not a basic prophet, but indeed more than a prophet, Christ Himself testifies (see Matthew 11:9).

    22. Then they said to him, “What (and who) are you then? (Tell us plainly) so that we may give an answer (can give a thorough report) to those who have sent us (v. 19). What do you say concerning yourself (and what do you claim to be)?

    23. He said, * “I am a voice of one (calling or) preaching in the wilderness (I have been sent by God for this, that I should call out and preach here in the wilderness outside of the city, and that I should speak to the people and admonish them earnestly and zealously to repentance): ‘Straighten (o you children of men who want to be redeemed from eternal death and be eternally blessed, make plain and even) the way of the Lord (prepare yourselves, that you may receive the Messiah in true faith, and that He may come to you and dwell with you in grace),’ as the prophet Isaiah had said (concerning this my office long ago).

    * Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3 (Luke 3:4)

    24. And those who were sent, they were of the Pharisees (concerning this order among the Jews, see Matthew 3:7).

    25. And they asked him and said to him, “Why then do you baptize if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor a prophet?” (Baptizing or sprinkling men with water of purification belongs to the Messiah, as such has been prophesied of Him, Ezekiel 36:25; Zechariah 13:1. Because you, according to your own statement, are neither the Messiah, nor even Elijah, or a prophet; why then do you undertake to baptize people in such great quantities and at the same time say that this is done for the purification of sins and for forgiveness of sins, Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3)

    26. John answered them and said, * “I baptize (as a servant) with water (as has been commanded me by God, v. 33, for the forgiveness of sins, which the Lord Himself works through me, as His unworthy servant or servants baptism, as a salvific means and instrument); but He (the same Lord whom I prepare serve and prepare the way for) is walking1 in the midst of you (has already begun to carry out His teaching office among you), whom you do not know (yet are not wanting to receive as the true Messiah, this is the One will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16).

    * Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:7–8; Luke 3:16 (Acts 1:15, 11:16)

    1 Greek: “standing (already) in the midst of you” [μέσος ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν]

    27. This * is He who will come after me, who was before me (v. 15), so that I am not worthy that I should loose his shoe straps (that I might be His least servant, because He is not only true man, but rather also true God and the only-begotten Son of God).

    * John 3:26 (Acts 13:25)

    28. These things (this exceptional testimony and confession of John concerning Christ) happened at Bethabara (Luther: “or, Beth-bara, Judges 7:24,” whose name means so much as a place of passing over, because one could go over the Jordan at that place), beyond the Jordan, * where John was baptizing (because at that same place there were always many people coming and going).

    * John 10:40

    Useful Applications

    [There are no useful applications listed for v. 19–28.]

    II. DOCTRINE: That Christ (according to His office) is the Lamb of God, who bears the sin of the world, that is, He is our propitiatory sacrifice before God, through whose merit we obtain forgiveness of sins and eternal life through faith, as the sacrificial lambs were types during the time of the Old Testament. (v. 29)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Philippians 4:4–7 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Epistle Reading of the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Memento Nostri), Philippians 4:4–7, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    I. Several admonitions which partly concern particular persons and partly are directed toward godliness in general. (v. 1–9)

    Annotated Text

    4. Rejoice * in the Lord (Christ, who has done so much good for you) always (in both good and bad circumstances), and once more I say (I repeat it once again), Rejoice!

    * Philippians 3:1; 2 Corinthians 13:11 (1 Thessalonians 5:16)

    5. Let your * forbearance (good faith and equity) be known to all men (be friendly and peaceable toward all men, be they friend or foe; also yield your own right at times for the sake of the preservation of peace and unity, Matthew 5:5, 9, 25). † The Lord is near (The judge is at the door, James 5:9, to procure justice for you).

    * Titus 3:2

    † 1 Corinthians 10:11 (1 Corinthians 16:22; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Peter 4:7)

    6. * Be worried about nothing (do not hang on to mistrustful and unnecessary worries); but rather in all things (in good and bad circumstances) † let your requests be made known before God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (pray in firm trust in God and thank Him for all His benefits).

    * Matthew 6:25, 31ff.

    † Psalm 145:18 (Psalm 55:23; 1 Peter 5:7; James 5:13; Colossians 3:17)

    7. And * the peace of God (by which God the Father is graciously deposed toward you, in which you stand firmly by virtue of the reconciliation which had been accomplished and obtained for you), which is higher than all reason (whose worth no human reason can grasp), will guard1 (and, as it were, will bastion) your hearts and minds (in all temptations and tribulations) in Christ Jesus (by whom God has granted you all things, Romans 8:32, so that you can remain steadfast with him)!

    * John 14:27 (Colossians 3:15)

    1 Greek: “And” (in this way) “the peace of God will guard” (as with a garrison) [καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ… φρουρήσει]

    Useful Applications

    [There are no useful applications for v. 4–7.]

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Deuteronomy 18:15–19 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Old Testament Reading of the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Memento Nostri), Deuteronomy 18:15–19, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    III. A prophecy concerning the great prophet (Christ). (v. 15–19)

    Annotated Text

    15. A * Prophet, like me (and even much higher, indeed, the most excellent and highest Prophet)1 will the Lord, your God, raise up (bring forth) for you, from you and your brothers (namely, the promised Messiah, true God and man), † to Him shall you listen (receive Him with true faith and follow Him. Luther: “Here another kind of preaching is clearly promised other than the preaching of Moses, which cannot be the Law which was sufficiently given through Moses; therefore, it must be the Gospel. And this Prophet is no one other than Jesus Christ Himself, who has brought such a new preaching on earth”).

    * John 6:14; Acts 3:22, 7:37

    † Psalm 2:12

    1 † Through whom God, and through whose mediatorial office (indeed, a better reconciliation office), will establish a New Covenant, Jeremiah 31:31ff., as He had established [the Old Covenant] through my mediation (cf. Deuteronomy 18:18, 34:10). But concerning the Law of the Messiah, see Isaiah 2:2, 42:4, and 61:1ff.

    16. Just as you then1 requested * of the Lord your God at Horeb (with the giving of the Law), on the day of (public general) assembly (of the Israelite people around the mountain), and said, ‘I will no longer hear the voice of the Lord, my God,’ and I will see no more the great fire (that burned on the mountain), that I not die (from terror and anxiety, but rather Moses shall recite the Word of the Lord to us).’

    * Exodus 20:19; Hebrews 12:19 (Deuteronomy 9:10)

    1 Hebrew: “indeed,” as you spoke of it previously, v. 17, so will it happen. (I will no longer speak with them such a terrifying manner, but rather in a loving manner.)

    17. And the Lord said to me, “They have * spoken well (for without a Mediator there is no dealing with Me).”

    * Deuteronomy 5:28

    18. I will raise up for them a * Prophet like you (of such nature and such reputation, and of such glorious, indeed, far greater gifts and deeds) from their brothers (the Jewish people), and I will put My words ** in His mouth, and He1 shall speak all things to them which I have commanded to Him (He shall indicate My thinking to the people).

    * John 1:45

    † Hebrews 3:2ff, 12:24

    ** John 7:16, 8:26, 40

    1 * He Himself, who is the Lord your God, v. 14, and not more in the fire, but rather in a friendly manner (see Isaiah 52:6; cf. Zephaniah 3:9; John 1:18; Matthew 17:5; etc.).

    19. And whoever will not * hear My words, which He will speak in My name (but rather wantonly despise them and cast them to the wind), I will demand1 it of Him (I will attend to him with temporal and eternal punishment).”

    * Matthew 17:5 (John 12:48)

    1 † How? See Malachi 4:6. This is what is called the ban, which one still sees with one the eyes placed upon the Jews and the land of Israel on account of this dreadful misdeed (cf. Deuteronomy 32:43).

    Useful Applications

    III. CORRECTION: To receive the Word of the Great Prophet, Christ, willingly and follow Him in faithful obedience. (v. 15–19)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Luke 1:26–38 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Holy Gospel of the Ember Wednesday of Advent, Luke 1:26–38, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). The same reading is also used for the Annunciation of Our Lord (March 25th). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    III. The appearance of the angel before Mary. (v. 26–38)

    Annotated Text

    26. And in the sixth month1 (after Elizabeth had become pregnant)2 the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:11, 19) was sent by God into a city in Galilee, by the name of Nazareth,

    1 Greek: “But in the sixth month” [Ἐν δὲ τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ]

    † See Luke 1:24, 36.

    27. to a virgin, * who was betrothed (but not yet joined) to a man with the name Joseph, of the house (of the lineage) of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary (who also was born of the lineage of David).

    * Luke 2:5; Matthew 1:18

    28. And the angel came (in an assumed human and yet majestic form) unto her (into the house in which she dwelled in Nazareth, and into the chamber in which she was staying at that time) and said: “Hail to you, favored one (graced specially by God); the Lord is with you (He stands by you with His help and grace, and will especially do good to you), blessèd are you among women. (Luther: “That is ‘You highly-praised one’ in German,” the one whom everyone will praise highly and extol as blessèd, Luke 1:48, because God will endow you with a special blessing which has never befallen any woman.)

    (Genesis 6:8; Judges 6:12)

    29. But when she saw him, she was frightened over his saying and thought, “What kind of greeting is this?” (I am entirely unworthy of this greeting and unaccustomed to it.)

    30. And the angel said to her, “Fear not, Mary, you1 have found grace with God. (Luther: “That is, you have a gracious God.”)

    1 Greek: “For you” [γὰρ]

    31. Behold,1 you * will (very soon) conceive in your body and give birth to a Son, whose name you shall call Jesus (whose name means so much as “Helper,” “Deliverer,” and “Savior,” Matthew 1:21),

    * Isaiah 7:14ff. (Micah 5:3)

    1 Greek: “And behold” (This little word and [καὶ] serves thus to explain what preceded)

    32. He will * be called great (on account of the highness of His person, His office, His miracles, and His sitting at the right hand of God) and a Son of the Most High (the only-begotten, natural, and equally eternal Son of God the almighty Father; which He will be in fact, and will be recognized and known as the eternal Son of God), and God the Lord (His heavenly Father) will give Him the throne of His father David (He will exalt Him to His right hand according to His human nature and bestow upon Him the kingdom and the lordship over His Church, indeed, over all creatures. This kingdom of Christ was prefigured by the kingdom of King David, from whose lineage Christ was to be born according to His human nature, and was promised in particular to David, 2 Samuel 7:12; Psalm 132:11, 17; Mark 11:10).

    * Isaiah 9:7 (Isaiah 54:5)

    33. And He will be a King over the house of Jacob (over the Church and the congregation of the saints, assembled from Jews and Gentiles, which Church was prefigured through the lineage of the Patriarch Jacob) eternally, and * of His kingdom there will be no end (and therefore it will not be an earthly and temporal kingdom, as was David’s, but rather a spiritual, heavenly, and eternal kingdom).”

    * Daniel 4:31, 7:14; Micah 4:7

    (Psalm 45:7; Jeremiah 23:6; Daniel 2:44; Hebrews 12:28)

    34. Then Mary said to the angel (not from unbelief, as previously did Zachariah, Luke 1:18, but rather with wonderment over this high mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, that she shall be the mother of Him, and out of a heartfelt desire for more instruction), “How should this be (that I shall will conceive and give birth to the Messiah)? For I have known no man (that I should have cohabitated with in a married manner).”

    35. The angel answered and said to her, * “The Holy Spirit will come over you (He will purify and sanctify the drops of blood from which the holy body of the Messiah will be built as a pure temple; and will also give you a special divine power, that you may become pregnant without the assistance of a man), and the power of the Most High (the first and only-begotten Son of God, who is Himself the “power of God,” 1 Corinthians 1:24) will overshadow you (and in an entirely special manner will pitch His dwelling in you, namely, by assuming true human nature in your virginal body, so that the incomprehensible, invisible light of His divine nature may be seen under the shadow of the received human nature); therefore also that † Holy One who will be born of you will be called God’s Son. (Because the Holy Spirit Himself will form the fruit of your womb and preserve it from all sinful defilement; indeed, even the eternal self-subsisting power of the heavenly Father, namely, the Son of God, will receive human nature from you and will unite Himself personally with it; therefore, you will carry such a glorious fruit of the womb and bring it forth into the world, who will not only be true man, but also, in the unity of His person, will be called and be the eternal only-begotten Son of God.)

    * Matthew 1:18, 20

    † Daniel 9:24 (Exodus 25:22, 40:34, 38; Numbers 7:89; Luke 9:33ff; Jeremiah 23:5–6)

    36. And behold (receive this sign for the strengthening of your faith), Elizabeth (the wife of the old priest Zachariah), your friend (who is related to you by blood by way of maternal line, from the tribe of Judah), is also pregnant with a son in her old age, and it is now the sixth month, (it is now the sixth month that she is with child) she who in * public reproach was called barren (until now).

    * Isaiah 54:6

    37. For * with God nothing is impossible.”

    * Genesis 18:14; Job 42:4; Psalm 135:5–6; Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Zechariah 8:6; Luke 18:27; Romans 4:21

    38. Now Mary said, “Behold, I am the maidservant of the Lord1 (entirely given to the service and the will of God); let it be to me as you have said.” (These were words of faith, humility, and obedience.) And the angel parted from her.

    1 Greek: “Behold, the Lord’s maidservant!” [ἰδοὺ ἡ δούλη κυρίου]

    Useful Applications

    III. DOCTRINE: Concerning the manifestly great mystery of godliness [see 1 Timothy 3:16], that the Son of God has become true man, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and was born of the Virgin Mary. (v. 31–35)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Isaiah 7:10–15 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Second Reading (the Epistle Reading) of the Ember Wednesday of Advent, Isaiah 7:10–15, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    II. [Isaiah] deals with the sign which God offered to them, but which Ahaz did not want to request, on account of which the Lord punished him and named the sign, namely, the birth of Christ, or the consolation in the coming Immanuel. (v. 10–16)

    Annotated Text

    10. And the Lord spoke once more to Ahaz (through the prophet Isaiah), and said:

    11. “Ask for a sign of the Lord, your God (to convince you that what I have now said is God’s Word and the truth), be it below in the depths, or above in the heights (whether it be here on earth or above in heaven, so shall it happen; for I am the almighty God, and nothing is impossible for me, Luke 1:37).

    1 Hebrew: “turn yourself downward into the depth and ask, or turn yourself upward into the height” (You are free to demand a miraculous sign from wherever you want.)

    12. But Ahaz said (from an unbelieving heart and with a hypocritical mouth), “I will not ask (hereby Ahaz despises all those things which the prophet had promised him by God’s command, and in order to whitewash his hypocrisy, he says), for I will not test the Lord (he points to Scripture and thereby mocks the prophet’s offer, as if it were contrary to God’s Word, since in Scripture it is forbidden to tempt God the Lord by demanding a sign, Deuteronomy 6:16. Now it is one thing to demand a sign out of unbelief or presumption, and at an importune moment, without need and without a command from God; but is another thing to accept a sign which God Himself offers in order to strengthen the faith of men in order to thank Him and in due obedience).

    (Matthew 12:38; John 4:48)

    13. Then he said (the prophet Isaiah), “Well then, here then you of the house of David: Is it a small thing for you to insult the people (the priest mocks and skins the subjects), that you must (out of the impulse of your wicked heart) also insult my God?1 (in that you reject His Word and gracious promise and thereby want to make Him a liar, so much as it is within you).

    1 Hebrew: “to cause trouble” (through so much futile offering and vain apologizing)

    14. Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign1: Behold, a * virgin2 shall conceive (which is above all nature and contrary to its ordinary course), and will give birth to a Son (who is Christ), whom they will call3 † Immanuel (“God with us,” who is God and true man together in one person; who is the foundation of all the promises of God, 2 Corinthians 1:20, and is the faithful testimony of divine love and grace toward us men, Revelation 1:5).

    * Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31; Micah 5:2

    † Isaiah 8:8, 10

    1 A supernatural miracle, which although still in the future, was nevertheless an absolute truth among the Jews (see Genesis 3:12; 2 Kings 19:29; Matthew 12:39ff.). At the very least, the house of Judah and David had to be preserved until this Son was born.

    2 This Hebrew word signifies a virgin according to its origin and established use. Otherwise, the matter could not have provided a miraculous sign.

    3 To be called a name often signifies that very fact. [i.e., Christ is truly, not figuratively, “God with us.”] See Isaiah 1:26, 9:6, 56:7; Jeremiah 3:17; Zechariah 6:12, 8:3; Luke 1:25, etc.

    15. He will eat butter and honey (He will be reared in such a common manner and way, as any other boy in the Jewish land), that He might know to reject evil and to choose the good (so long until He comes into His full age, and then can distinguish between good and evil, which happened  during the time that He carried out His teaching office on earth, to which He was consecrated at His baptism through divine revelation, Matthew 3:16–17).1

    * Hebrews 5:14 (Philippians 2:7)

    1 * Until He comes to the years in which children learn to understand the distinction between good and evil.

    16. For before * the boy (namely, Immanuel) learns to reject evil and to choose good (before He is yet to be born and increases in age and wisdom, Luke 2:40, 52)1 the land which you dread (namely, the land of Syria and the ten tribes of Israel) will be forsaken by its two kings (for both Rezin and Pekah were slain before Ahaz had completed the fourth year of his reign [see 2 Kings 15:30, 16:9]).

    * Isaiah 8:4 (v. 4)

    1 * That is, before he comes to these years, or in a short time as a boy comes to His reason. Those who understand such words as concerning the small boy Shear-Jashub [Isaiah 7:3] standing there, to whom the prophet pointed with his finger, come even closer to the matter and to the shortness of the time.

    Useful Applications

    II.  DOCTRINE: That the Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary for our redemption. (v. 14)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Isaiah 2:2–5 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Old Testament of the Ember Wednesday of Advent, Isaiah 2:2–5, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    I. Isaiah deals with the future calling of the Gentiles to the Kingdom of Christ. (v. 1–5)

    Annotated Text

    1. This is that which Isaiah, the Son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. (The prophecy belongs to the New Testament.)

    2. It shall come to pass in the latter time that the mountain where the house of the Lord (the Kingdom of Christ and God, where He will dwell and reveal Himself) shall certainly be higher (Luther: “that one no longer needs to run here and there, but rather will certainly find God,” namely, in the Christian Church, which is built upon Christ as the Rock, Matthew 16:18; the same is also called Mount Zion here because it was first assembled together in Jerusalem at the time of Christ and His apostles and then from there spread itself into all the world) than all mountains and be exalted over all hills (the Christian Church and the Kingdom of the Lord Messiah [Christ] will far excel all other kingdoms and will have a different and better condition than the Church of the Jewish people), and all the Gentiles will run1 to it (Luther: “as water runs with force and freely of itself”);

    * Jeremiah 3:17; Micah 4:1 (Psalm 68:16–17)

    1 Hebrew: “flow” (in heaps)

    3. And1 many people will go forth and say, “Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways, and that we may walk in his paths. For from Zion the Law will go forth, and the Lord’s Word from Jerusalem (the apostles will begin to preach the doctrine of the Gospel at Jerusalem and in the Jewish land, and from there spread it until the end of the world, Acts 1:8).

    (Psalm 50:2; Psalm 110:2; Zechariah 8:23)

    1 Hebrew: “For it will happen…” (This is an explanation of what preceded.)

    4. And He (Christ, to whom His heavenly Father has given all judgment, John 5:22) will judge among the Gentiles and rebuke many people (He will convince them through the preaching of His Word that they have merited eternal damnation, and therefore admonish them that so that they may flee from such condemnation and be all the more eager and willing to accept His Gospel). Then they1 will make their * swords into plowshares and their spears into sickles (Luther: “or reaping hooks.” Jews and Gentiles will in Christ will have love and value for one another, and not, as previously, be hostile toward one another, rather they will have one heart, mouth, and mind according to the Gospel). For no people will2 lift up a sword against another, and they no longer learn war (They will no longer hold so stiffly to pagan idolatry, but rather will give themselves captive with their reason under the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5).

    * Micah 4:3 (Isaiah 11:3ff.; Romans 12:16; 1 Corinthians 1:10, 16:14; Ephesians 2:14)

    1 Hebrew: “for they shall” — (This is Christ’s doctrine of love from true faith, John 13:34ff.)

    2 Hebrew: “shall” — ([At the same time,] lawful governmental war protection, which comes from love toward one’s own, still remains unchanged in times of need according to Romans 13:4)

    5. Come now, you of the house of Jacob, let us * walk in the light of the Lord (Christ; that is, the converted Gentiles will admonish the Jews themselves to true recognition of God in Christ).

    * John 8:12

    Useful Applications

    I. DOCTRINE: Concerning the universal call of the Gentiles to the Kingdom of Christ through the preaching of the Apostles. (v. 2–4)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Isaiah 40:1–11 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications forthe Old Testament of the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete), Isaiah 40:1–8, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    I. A prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah, and His forerunner, John the Baptist, what he will preach. (v. 1–11)

    Annotated Translation

    1. “Comfort (with these words God speaks to the prophets, apostles, and their true successors, the servants of Christ, who carry out the office of the New Testament, that they ought to kindly comfort the people of God with these words), comfort My people!” says your God.

    2. “Speak * kindly with Jerusalem,1 and preach to her, that her hard service2 (Luther: “the Divine Service in the Old Testament”) has an end (that the burdensome Divine Services and the arduous exercises in the manifold ceremonies of the Mosaic Law have come to an end, that they are also redeemed from the curse and bane of the Law, as well as from the various accusations of the conscience), for her misdeeds are forgiven3 (for Christ’s sake), for she has received twofold (grace upon grace, John 1:16, Romans 5:20) from the hand of the Lord, for all4 her sins (Luther: “Namely, forgiveness of sins and freedom from the Law of Moses, that is, pure grace for sin, life for death,” etc.).

    (Zephaniah 3:18; Daniel 9:24; Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:8ff.)

    1 Hebrew: “Speak to Jerusalem in her heart” (that is, preach to her what will be comforting to her. See Genesis 34:3, 50:21; Judges 19:3; Hosea 2:14; Zephaniah 3:9).

    2 Hebrew: “Her hard (military) service” (her Divine Service, which she carried out in the army of God, the Israelite Church, according to the Levitical order, which was a hard yoke both in itself, and also on account of the frequent great judgments of wrath. See Acts 15:10; Deuteronomy 8:24ff.).

    3 Hebrew: “reconciled” [i.e., propitiated], see Leviticus 1:4

    4 Hebrew: “in” or “among all” — regardless of their greatness and number.

    3. There is * a voice of a preacher in the wilderness (namely, John the Baptist, who began the New Testament with his preaching and teaching), ‘Prepare (through true repentance and correction) for the Lord (the Messiah, who is true God with the Father and the Holy Spirit) the way (that He may take up lodging in your hearts through true faith), make a level path in the field for our God (that He may enter in among you freely and unhindered).

    * Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23 (Malachi 3:1)

    4.All valleys (all hearts that are oppressed by the burden of the Law) shall be exalted (be set right again through the preaching of the Gospel), and all mountains and hills (proud hearts and hypocritical work-saints) shall be made low (brought to the recognition of their sins, and their trust in their own works will be laid low in their hearts), and what is unlike shall be made even, and what is rough shall be made smooth (Christ will make everything fine and straight, in that all men must live by His grace alone and no one will have any advantage over the other, Acts 10:34–35);

    (Isaiah 42:16; Zephaniah 3:11ff.)

    5. for the glory of the Lord shall be revealed (in Christ and in all His works and miracles); and all flesh shall see it together (Jews and Gentiles, Colossians 3:11; Isaiah 66:23) for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (for Christ’s mouth is truly God’s mouth, therefore, whoever has heard Christ speak has heard God speak).

    (Isaiah 52:6–10; John 1:14; 1 Timothy 3:16)

    6. A voice says, “Preach!” (Christ will command His servants to preach.) And he (the servant of God) said, “What shall I preach?” (Answer, this:) “All * flesh is hay1 (all men, as they are now born after the fall into sin, are sinful and mortal, also unfit for all good, and cannot stand before God’s judgment), and all its goods (Luther: “All good deeds or good living which reason can do and does”) are as flowers in the field (therefore, they only ought to seek their righteousness and salvation in Christ alone, who is proclaimed to them in the Gospel).

    * Isaiah 51:12ff.; 1 Peter 1:24 (Matthew 6:30; James 1:10–11)

    1 Hebrew: “grass;” compare Psalm 37:2, as well as v. 7 here.

    7. The hay withers, the flower fades, for the Spirit of the Lord blows on them (when the Spirit of God tests the works of men who are not yet reborn, stirs their conscience, sharpens the Law, and thereby shines into the heart, then everything upon which they rely withers and falls apart, and all boasting lies down). Indeed, (all) the people are as hay (not only the wicked and godless people, but also the people of God are sinful, mortal, and perishable by nature).

    8. The hay withers, the flower fades, but the * Word our God (through which we are born anew and reborn to eternal life) remains forever.

    * Psalm 119:89; Luke 21:33; 1 Peter 1:25

    9. Zion, you preacher (by this are to be understood the holy apostles, who first preached the Gospel in Jerusalem and in the Jewish land, but afterward had preached it in the entire world, Luke 24:47, Acts 1:8)1, go up onto a high mountain (that your voice may be heard far and wide); Jerusalem, you preacher, lift up Your voice with power, lift it up and fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold, there is (Christ) your God (revealed in the flesh, 1 Timothy 3:16, who now Himself speaks with you in His assumed human nature, Isaiah 52:6).

    (Matthew 10:27; Romans 10:18; Malachi 3:1)

    1 † The Hebrew word generally means to proclaim a joyful message. See Isaiah 52:7.

    10. For behold, the Lord YHWH (Christ, the Chief Shepherd of His Church, 1 Peter 5:4) comes with power1 (to content against the devil and everything that hinders and prevents us from salvation, and to cast out the prince of this world, John 12:31), and His arm is glorious (He will powerfully gather together a kingdom out of the human race in which He will rule with His Word and Spirit). Behold, His reward (His gift of grace, which He has acquired by His obedience and suffering) is with Him, and His * recompense (according to which He will do good to believers and will punish unbelievers) is before Him.

    * Romans 2:6ff. (Isaiah 62:11; Revelation 22:12; 1 John 3:8)

    1 Hebrew: alternatively, “against the powerful,” cf. Luke 11:21

    11. He will shepherd His flock as * a Shepherd; He will gather the (tender, young) lambs together in His arms and carry them in His bosom, and lead the sheep mothers (He will faithfully tend the weak sheep1).

    * John 10:11–12ff. (Psalm 23:2; Ezekiel 34:11–12, 23; Micah 5:3)

    1 † Those who understand the “sheep mothers” as the faithful teachers come closer to the purpose and the metaphor.

    Useful Applications

    I. DOCTRINE: That we obtain forgiveness of sins, comfort, salvation, and blessedness from Jesus Christ through faith in His Holy Word. (v. 1, 2–10).