It's a small, seemingly insignificant detail in an otherwise outrageous account detailing King Solomon's utter faithlessness in view of God's longsuffering faithfulness, thusly, "King Solomon loved many foreign women: the daughter of Pharaoh, and Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, 'You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you'".
Was this prohibition due to ethnic or racial considerations, do you reckon, such as ethnic cleansing or racial purity? Hardly! But for God's concern about Solomon's and Israel's penchant for idolatry--well-founded concern, to be sure--"'for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods'", God warned. Surely they did!
Seven hundred pagan wives and three hundred heathen concubines! Is this what God meant by the one-flesh union of one man and one woman that has been His standard for Holy Matrimony and the essence of marriage in His eyes since His creation of Adam and Eve?
Is this what God had in mind as a helpmate meet for the man, a thousand idol-worshipping spouses? Is this what He intended when He made Eve from the rib He took out of Adam and presented her to Adam and Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man" (Gn 2:23)?
Was this in accordance with God's plan when He made them male and female in His own image, "blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it'" (Gn 1:28) and "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh" (2:24)?
Is this bone of Solomon's bones and flesh of his flesh, seven hundred wives and three hundred mistresses? God's dire prediction came true. Solomon's wives "turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods. And his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God".
I should say not! How can you love the Lord God wholeheartedly when your heart is divided among a thousand paramours and parceled out to their idols? Is this male capitulation and female usurpation or one-upmanship according to God's design, who commanded Eve, (and through her, all her daughters,) "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you" (Gn 3:16b)?
At least by Jesus' day the divorce lawyers had in mind a more subtle, more refined, more civilized kind of wife swapping, namely, serial monogamy--one wife at a time, after the former wife was swapped out by a writ of divorce "for any and every reason" (Mt 19:3)--in place of this blatant polygamy.
But Jesus took the lawyers to task by taking them away from divorce courts and any-fault divorces altogether and back to the beginning not just of marriage but of us sinful humans as a species--or a subspecies after the fall--before Moses gave God's people the divorce certificate because of their hateful unfaithfulness and their mean-spirited hardness of heart.
"At the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife'", not one thousand wives, mind you, "'and the two will become one flesh'", not one times one thousand. "So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one put asunder" (Mt 19:4-6).
This is God's standard for Holy Wedlock. This is the God-mandated and God-given essence of marriage, the one-flesh union of one man and one woman, not one man and one woman at a time, serially, after the former partner is conveniently put away by means of an any-fault divorce, but one man and one woman, period, in and under Christ, the married couple's Head, for the duration of their natural lives, until death parts them.
I guess Solomon and his many helpmates got what was coming to them, doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord, turning away from Him and running after other idols. Now, here's this small, seemingly insignificant detail in an otherwise lurid account of adulterous infidelity and faithless betrayal and abandonment.
"Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods."
"On the mountain east of Jerusalem". What mountain is that? I'll give you a hint. In Jesus' day there was an olive grove on that mountain with an olive oil press. In Jesus' day it was called the Mount of Olives, or simply Olivette and Gethsemane. And here, the high point of Solomon's polygamy and polytheism, the heart of his adulterous infidelity and promiscuous idolatry, Jesus began to turn the whole sordid mess around.
For here, in place of the olive press, He is sore pressed as our Substitute. Here His soul "is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Mt 26:38a), sorrow over our sins, as promiscuous and adulterous in their way as were Solomon's, since any infidelity toward God is adultery in God's eyes inasmuch as He has declared Himself to be not merely our God but our Husband and we, His people, His wife.
Here it is not possible for the cup of God's wrath at our sin to be taken away from Jesus except He drink it. And drink it He does, down to the dregs of death and damnation in our stead. Though we could not watch with Him one bitter hour, dead as we are in trespasses and sins.
Here, for us sinners' sake, Jesus is betrayed into the hands of sinners, disowned and deserted. Here He goes as a lamb uncomplaining forth to the slaughter--the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world so that we don't get what we deserve, as Solomon did, but instead get what Jesus deserves--forgiveness, life and salvation! How's that for "just desserts", Jesus' own, justly given to us unjust/ justified sinners through faith in Him--the faith He gives! Amen.
- Pastor Erickson
Inasmuch as the season of Pentecost is the long growing season of the Church, that growth is at God's Word and in the faith He plants and cultivates thereby.
It is as God says in the Old Testament lesson for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (July 6th). "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isa 55:10-11).
Suppose we paraphrase this text in light of the opening statement and its significance for Pentecost, the growing season of the Church and, specifically, with reference to that growth which is at God's Word and in the faith He achieves by this means.
The rain and the snow come down from heaven at God's Word. They do not return thereto without watering the earth and making it sprout and thrive, at God's Word. Thus that earth and the rain and snow which come forth at God's Word--and the sun, let's not forget the sun--yield seed for the farmer to plant, and, when the resulting grain is harvested and processed, food, not just bread but eggs and meat, milk and cream and butter and yogurt and cheese from the livestock which feed thereon, for us to eat--again, all at God's Word.
By the same Word of God in His fertile field, the Church, God gives us faith and causes it to grow, so that His Word and the faith thereof both grow and we grow in them. So God grows His Church. And His Church grows and grows! God makes a crop and His crop takes. At harvestime God reaps what He sows and gathers in the golden grain--souls ripe for heaven!
Naturally, some soils are more receptive than others. "'A farmer went out to sow his seed'", Jesus began a parable, in the Gospel lesson for this Sunday (Matt 13:1-9, 18-23), which amply demonstrates this.
"'As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.'" Then again, some soils are more resistant. "'Some [seed] fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.'"
Finally, there are those soils which are totally resistant and completely unreceptive. "'Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.'"
On the other hand, there are the truly receptive soils for which the seed is irresistable! "'Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.'"
Then there is the soil of men's hearts, which is a lot like the soils in Jesus' parable, which is why He told the parable in the first place and is what the parable is really about. Jesus signals this when He says, "'He who has ears, let him hear.'" Listen up, even if you're still green and wet behind the ears--especially if you are!
"'Listen then to what the parable of the sower means'". First, the somewhat receptive soil corresponding to the somewhat receptive heart. "'When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it,'" here's where the receptivity ends and the resistance begins, "'the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.'" The receptivity ends because it's only skindeep. The resistance takes over because it goes to the heart.
Next, the more receptive soil relating to the more receptive heart. "'What was sown on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.'" Here too, however, the receptivity is shallow and shortlived. "'But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.'" Here again resistance takes over because it does go to the root! "'When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.'"
Lastly, there is the downright unreceptive and out-and-out resistant soil belonging to corrupted hearts. "'What was sown among the thorns is the man who hears the word'", and here the Word-resistant, irresistable weeds kick in and infest the ground around, "'but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.'"
Last but not least, and coming to the rescue without a moment to spare, the good soil relative to the good hearts which avidly receive the good Seed. "'But what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word'", and God's Word goes to his root and sinks down in his heart, that fertile furrow, and he understands it and believes it and it takes hold, sprouts and matures. "'He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.'" You have ears, listen up! You're still wet and green behind the ears. You're still receptive. And God's Word is irresistible!
"So is my word that goes out from my mouth", God declares. "It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
And since we're on the subject, since we're talking about feeding--God feeding us by means of His Word and us feeding thereon and thereby--and growing and ripening until harvest when we're safely gathered in, the antiphon (Ps 34:8) to the Introit for Pentecost Eight is significant. "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."
Equally significant is the Inroit (Ps 132:13-16) which grows from this Seed and in which God addresses the Church He grows therefrom. "'This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it--I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food.'"
Inasmuch as He feeds and sustains the bodies of His parishioners, at His Word, in like fashion shall He nourish their souls by means of the same Word. Of this rich pasture, crop and livestock, ripe for ingathering--seed and sowers and reapers, shepherds and sheep, priests and ministers--God vows, "'I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy.'"
So is God's Word which goes forth from His mouth and brings forth what He purposes and disposes what He proposes. And so we pray, in the Collect of the Day, "O almighty and most merciful God, of your bountiful goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us that we, being ready in both body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish whatever things you want done; through Jesus Christ, you Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever."
The fields are ripe for harvest. Let the harvest begin!
In the preceding column we've seen anew the centrality of the Word of God in the life of the Church. The Verse appointed for Pentecost Eight (Deut 30:14) speaks of the deposit of this Word and where God has deposited it. "Alleluia. Alleluia. The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. Alleluia."
God's Word is in our mouths and hearts because God has deposited this good deposit of the faith there for our safekeeping! He has sown and implanted His good Seed in this soil He has made fertile and from which He has brought forth faith.
In the Introit (Antiphon, Ps 119:105; Ps 86:11-13) for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (July 13th) we speak of God's Word in this fashion. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." An apt confession, since we're on this pilgrimage of faith all Pentecost long and will need that Lamp and Light so as not to trip up, stumble and fall or swerve from our path and get detoured on the dark and perilous thoroughfares of this world on our course through life.
Hence, our plea to God, "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." We need that undivided heart when the way before us divides, so we don't get divided up and become divisive!
And when the God who gives us an undivided heart maintains both our heart and us whole and undivided, in spite of the divisions and divisiveness we face, we wholeheartedly vow, "I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever."
That's how long our allegiance lasts, forever, when it's allegiance to our Lord. And here is the cause, the root and fruit: "For great is your love toward me; you have deliverd my soul from the depths of the grave"--delivered us from death and damnation to serve Him in heaven forever.
In the Collect of the Day we affirm the part the Holy Spirit plays in all this, in this season of the Holy Spirit's outpouring and indwelling--and outworking and ingathering--this growing season of the Church, the high tide of Pentecost. "Grant us, Lord, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are pleasing in your sight that we, who without you cannot do anything that is good, may by you be enabled to live according to your will".
The appointed Verse resounds this sentiment while echoing that expressed in our Old Testament lesson for the previous Sunday. "Alleluia. Alleluia. My word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Alleluia."
And on that high clear note we resound and recho this sentiment expressed here over the past few months, AGAIN. Resolve to make faithful participation in the services of God's house a must instead of an ought-to, also in this tide of Pentecost--not just for a few weeks here and there, hit or miss, but all the way to Advent and beyond. It is a godly resolution born of the new life in Christ, borne along by His Spirit in Word and Sacrament, that leaves the old life of self-service in the grave where it belongs, beside the path of daily renewal, of everyday repentance and forgiveness--now that you're living the Pentecost life in step with your Lord Jesus and His Spirit.
Whatever the day, feast day or ordinary time, observe the day and celebrate the occasion by means of the tried and true pattern, yes, the familiar rhythm of the Divine Service: Holy Communion on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays; the Order of Morning Service on the 2nd Sunday and Matins on the 4th Sunday.
And whatever the occasion, regardless of the day, join us at Peace each Sunday at 10:00 AM for an hour of true peace in Christ Jesus the Prince of Peace. Make it two hours well spent. Come at 8:45 AM and join us for adult Bible study and Sunday School!
Those participating in "Daily Bread for the Way," our chapter-a-day Bible reading program, continue their daily walk through the Scriptures beginning with Amos 4 on July 1st and ending with Zechariah 2 on July 31st.
Noting that the Pentecost season, during the second half of the church year, emphasizes living the life of faith given us through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ in the first half of the year, last month we said that the Book of Amos, like that of Daniel, is a good book for the Pentecost cycle and its theme of staying the course and running the race our Lord has marked out for us.
In this month of July, as we continue our reading of Amos and go on from there, we continue reading through a section of the Old Testament called the Minor Prophets, or the Book of the Twelve, so called because the Minor Prophets are twelve in number.
The Concordia Self-Study Bible offers this helpful introduction to this section of Holy Scripture. "In Ecclesiasticus (an Apocryphal book written c. 190 B.C.), Jesus ben Sira spoke of 'the twelve prophets' (Ecclesiasticus 49:10) as a unit parallel to Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel", the three latter works referred to as the Major Prophets due to their larger size relative to the smaller Minor Prophets.
"He thus indicated that these 12 prophecies were at that time thought of as a unit and were probably already written together on one scroll, as is the case in later times. Josephus ("Against Apion", 1.8.3) also was aware of this grouping. Augustine ("The City of God", 18.25) called them the 'Minor Prophets,' referring to the small size of these books by comparison with the major prophetic books" (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel) "and not at all suggesting that they are of minor importance."
With this helpful introduction as an aid to your reading comprehension and devotional contemplation, may you benefit greatly, as the Holy Spirit assists, in your engagement with the Minor Prophets. As always, please do not hesitate to contact Pastor at any time with your questions or your discoveries about this daily bread of life: The Word of God!
Join us for the adult Bible study hour on Sunday mornings at 8:45 AM in the Fellowship Hall. We are studying the appointed Gospel lesson for each Sunday of the Church Year, which this year will mainly come from the Gospel according to St. Matthew. (Please see the column, "Life in the Household of Peace in July", for details.)
Matthew proclaims Jesus--His incarnation and nativity, His humility and exaltation, His life, death, resurrection and ascension--as the culmination and consummation of God's grace to His people and to the world inasmuch as He is their Savior and Deliverer. The Apostle emphasizes the truth that God's salvation is complete and universal in the divine and human Person of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Says Martin Luther of the one gospel embodied in Christ in each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), "The gospel, then, is nothing but the preaching about Christ, Son of God and of David, true God and man, who by his death and resurrection has overcome for us the sin, death, and hell of all men who believe in him . . . He writes of it at length, who writes about many words and works of Christ, as do the four evangelists" (LW 35:360).
By means of these lessons our Lord will nourish and preserve our faith and sustain us on our pilgrimage through Pentecost, and, indeed, lifelong, ever on our way to New Jerusalem, our heavenly home, and the kingdom of glory and our glorious King!
Take Jesus at His Word, when it comes to His siblings, the children of God who belong to Peace Lutheran Church, "Let the children come to me, and forbid them not!" And take your heavenly Father up on His Word, "My grace is sufficient for you", in answer to your Savior's plea, "Don't be afraid; just believe." Because He lives, you live and ever shall.
Hearken to the Lamb with the Shepherd's Staff, God's Word, who will gather your little lambs unto Himself also, simply because He is their Shepherd and yours. Don't neglect the younger members of your household, your beloved children! Bring them as well to the services of God's house to meet Jesus, their Light and their Life all their life long, and every Sunday morning beginning at 8:45 AM.
All seniors (50+) are welcome to meet with us (Pastor Erickson will be with us, too!) for study of the Holy Scriptures on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, July 1st and 15th, from 9:30 to 11:00 AM. We continue our study of Galatians, Philippians and Colossians, epistles of the Apostle Paul.
"By grace alone--this is the theme of Galatians", write the authors of our study of this Epistle. "Along with faith alone and Scripture alone, this truth became the foundation of the Reformation". That truth is especially relevant during this time of Pentecost when our focus is on being saved by God's grace alone, through faith alone, as this is mediated to us by God's Spirit through Scripture alone, solely for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Besides our annual observance of the Advent of our Lord, the Pentecost cycle culminates in our yearly celebration of the Feast of the Reformation at the end of October when we look to Christ's manifold manifestation in His Word and Sacraments in joyful anticipation of His final destination, His ultimate coming to gather us and take us home to live with Him forever.
Our authors go on to define grace. "Grace is the undeserved favor and love that God bestows on sinful human beings--because of what Jesus has done for us, God is gracious to us."
This, then, leads us to Jesus, who is the Subject of Philippians as of all Scripture, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (Phlp 2:5-7).
Of this divine and human Person, central to God's plan of salvation and, hence, the Heart of our faith, the authors summarize, "Jesus Christ is true God and true man. This truth, which surpasses all attempts to reason it out, is the center of our faith. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, in his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul includes a magnificent summation of this doctrine."
Of the fullness of Christ--of the fullness of God and man in Him and the fullness of the believer in Him--of His supremacy and our full sufficiency in Him, the authors summarize Colossians and, indeed, all Paul's letters and all of Scripture thusly. "The letters of Paul, like all the rest of Scripture, focus on Jesus Christ. He is central in the Scriptures, in our faith, in our lives. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our all in all. Without Him, life is empty. With Him, today is filled with hope and eternity with joy."
Join us, won't you, for this invigorating study and the refreshing fellowship of A's & P's. You won't have to mind your P's and Q's or cross your T's or dot your I's!
The Men of Peace meet at 7:30 AM on the third Saturday of each month (July 19th) in the Fellowship Hall for breakfast AND A BIBLE STUDY on the nuts and bolts of the Christian faith, "Justification and Sanctification"--and brotherly conversation. All men of Peace--and your friends--are welcome!
All women of Peace (Visitors are always welcome too!) are invited to attend our Women's Guild meeting on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. (The Guild does not meet in July. Next meeting, August 26th.) Come and enjoy a brief devotion on women of the Bible, fellowship and light refreshments.
A diners club meets the second Saturday evening of each month, by reservation, at a local eatery to savor new culinary delights and fondly revisit old ones.
Peace has a group of volunteers who work on behalf of Lutheran Braille Workers to assemble Braille books for distribution throughout the world. Our crew works on the third Tuesday of each month except for the summer months. We will work again on September 16th.
We meet at the Church at 9:30 AM sharp and car pool to Zion Lutheran Church in Dallas. We plan to go out and eat lunch afterwards. We welcome all additions to our crew. No special skills are needed, and the work is light.
LUTHERAN MISSION ALLIANCE, of which our congregation is a member, voted to fund two missions with grants of $300 per month each: Our Redeemer, Palacios, TX and Living Savior, Montgomery, TX. These missions are traditional, liturgical and truly Lutheran. They will emphasis the Bible in preaching; hymns from the hymnal; thorough Catechism instruction for new members and close(d) communion. Like your grandfather's church, but with air conditioning. This is a step of faith for this new mission organization, so your support is needed. Pray and give for these missions. Make your contributions out to: Lutheran Mission Alliance. If you wish to give a gift to Our Redeemer, write "Our Redeemer" in the memo line of the check. If you wish to give to Living Savior in Montgomery, write "Living Savior". If you simply want to give a gift for the work of the Lutheran Mission Alliance, then write "Lutheran Mission Alliance" on the memo line.
And speaking of the work the LMA does and the contribution this Evangelical Lutheran mission alliance makes, check out their web page at www.lutheranmissionalliance.org
Sundays at 10:00 AM
JULY 6 — Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
10:00 AM Communion Service
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:18-25; Matthew 13:1-9 (18-23)
JULY 13 — Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
10:00 AM Morning Service
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 44:6-8; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-30 (36-43)
JULY 20 — Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
10:00 AM Communion Service
Scripture Readings: 1 Kings 3:5-12; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52
JULY 27 — Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
10:00 AM Matins Service
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 55:1-5; Romans 8:35-39; Matthew 14:13-21