Serious Law and Gospel

Text: The Close of the Commandments

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1, English Standard Version.

Psalm 1 is an anonymous psalm, though it could be by David. In either case, it was likely written well after the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. It speaks of the blessings that come to the one devoted to God’s Word and the curse that remains on those who hate it. In this, it could almost work as its own sermon on the Close of the Commandments.

What we know from the Catechism as the close or conclusion to the Commandments, in Scripture, is attached to the First Commandment. We would understand it correctly, though, if we understand that this Word of God stands true for each Commandment. The Lord is serious about the words He speaks to us; He will zealously punish those who hate Him and break His Law, but He will be even more gracious to those who love Him and seek to do His will.

I.

Let’s read the Close of the Commandments together. 

What does God say about all these commandments? He says: “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” 

What does this mean? God threatens to punish all who break these commandments. Therefore, we should fear His wrath and not do anything against them. But He promises grace and every blessing to all who keep these commandments. Therefore, we should also love and trust in Him and gladly do what He commands.

I think that Luther, in the text we just read, provides the simplest explanation for this passage. Our God is a jealous God. He Himself speaks this way, as we heard. But, when God says that He is a jealous God, He doesn’t mean it in the way we get jealous. When we think of that word we think of a sinful desire toward something or someone. There is a jealously, though, that can be a proper thing to have: What about the desire of a husband for the love and attention of his wife? Would we say that is a wrong desire to have? Say, if a husband refuses to share the love of his wife with anyone else? This is the type of jealous our God is. He is jealous for the love and affection of His bride, the Church. His glory He will not share with idols, nor the love that exists between Him and His people.

Jesus once said, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mt. 19:6) Here, He was speaking about earthly marriage between a husband and wife, but it stands true, also, for the marriage between Christ and His bride. Sin – the breaking of the Commandments in thought, word, or deed – drives a wedge between husband and bride. This, our God will not abide. He commands us which things are good and right and true, and He will not abide deviations. To disobey His commands and disregard His Law is to be unfaithful to our heavenly bridegroom. To persist in sin is to hate God. And, to those who hate God, He reacts in kind. He allows them to remain in their sinful hatred and receive the punishment for their sins. If the children hate God like their parents, the judgment continues upon them. Our God is a jealous God, and He is serious when He says He will punish those who break His Commandments.

II.

However, as eager as God is for us, His bride, and as seriously He will punish those who drive a wedge between us – so much more will He show His grace and mercy to those who love Him. Our God is not just a jealous God who punishes, but one who also blesses beyond what we can ever expect or imagine. He does not delight in punishing, but in showing steadfast love to those who fear Him. He shows that love to us. He showed it to us by sending us His Word of truth. He showed it to us by the sacrifice of His Son. He shows it to us now by forgiving us our sins.

The Law was not given so that, by it, we might earn our way to heaven. Instead, it was given so that we might learn our need for forgiveness. It was given so that we might be brought to confess our sins and look to Christ. Those who look to Him in faith are not put to shame. Instead, for as many sins as we have committed there is twice the forgiveness. That’s what the Lord said back in Advent. Remember: “Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (Is. 40:1-2) Now, our God doesn’t punish double; He forgives double. Such forgiveness, we have received.

It is true that our God punishes the sins of those who hate Him, who impenitently persist in their sin until death. But His delight is in showing mercy. To those who repent and trust in Christ – the Lord’s love, mercy, grace, and blessings know no bound. Such do we receive. How then do we respond to this love? In thankful obedience to our Lord’s commands. For those who trust in Christ, these Commandments are not a burden, but good instructions for how we are to love God and our neighbor, and we want to do them. True, they do continue to show us our sin and we will not keep them perfectly while we are in this flesh; But we learn from them to look to Christ and, as God says, He shows His steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Him.

Let us pray:

Holy and merciful God, You have taught us what You would have us do and not do. Pour out Your Holy Spirit on us so that He may bear fruit in our lives and that, remembering Your mercies and Your laws, we may grow in obedience to Your will and in love for You and our neighbor. Help us to follow the example of Your dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.

You Shall Not Covet

Text: Ninth and Tenth Commandments

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” This was King David’s fervent prayer to God, after the prophet Nathan made known to him his sin. David had taken another man’s wife to be his own and, moreover, had the man killed by the hand of an enemy nation. David sought to cover-up his sin, to make everything appear right – he only took Bathsheba into his home after Uriah died. But, on the inside, there was a deep, festering, corruption. Nathan was sent by the Lord to preach to David. He said to him, “You are the man.” David was struck by the hammer of God’s Law and realized the depth of his sin. His sin in the matter was not just his evil actions, but his evil heart that gave birth to those evil actions. 

David knew the Commandments very well, and he knew that what the Lord demands in the Commandments is not just an outward righteousness, but an inward righteousness as well – a righteousness of heart – and he failed on both accounts. Therefore, he turned to the Lord. He confessed his sins unto the Lord, and the Lord forgave him his sin. Today we are meditating on the Ninth and Tenth Commandments. In these, God shows us that He demands inner and not just outward perfection. Therefore, we flee to Christ whose death redeems us from our sin. 

I.

Let’s go ahead and read these Commandments together. 

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it. 

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.

Martin Luther’s Small Catechism

In some ways, these Commandments speak to things that we’ve already covered in earlier Commandments. In the Fifth Commandment, we are taught not to harm our neighbor but help and provide for him in his bodily needs. Therefore, we shouldn’t deprive him of his home or possessions. In the Sixth Commandment we are taught to live pure and decent lives, therefore we should not seek to draw away our neighbor’s spouse. The Seventh Commandment, of course, is to not steal; the Eighth, to not lie. The Ninth and Tenth Commandments speak to topics we’ve already covered, but they do it in such a way as to fill in the gaps.

These Commandments, in short, condemn any attempt to take what belongs to our neighbor and make it ours. This includes all scheming and plotting. It includes using loopholes to get around situations. Even if we get what belongs to our neighbor in a totally legal fashion, such as through court proceedings and contracts, it may still fall under these Commandments. What God gives to our neighbor is not our business. Our neighbor may sell us what is his, he may give it to us or share it with us; these are God-pleasing ways. These Commandments prohibit us from scheming, plotting, and planning to take what God has given to someone else and make it ours – be it his house, possessions, income, or relationships.

II.

That is the plain meaning of these last Commandments, but there is something else to be said, and that is: what does it mean to covet? The back of the Catechism defines it this way, “Coveting is the sinful desire in our hearts to acquire for ourselves anything that belongs to our neighbor.” In other words, coveting is something that happens in the heart. It’s when we, in our hearts, have sinful desires to take what belongs to someone else. That desire in the heart, even if it isn’t fully acted on, is still sin. That’s why David prayed for a clean heart, and not a sinful one that gives birth to more and more sin. Remember what Jesus once said:

There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him…For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.

Matthew 7:15, 21-22

Let’s use David as an example. He was walking on the roof of the palace, and he saw a woman bathing in an adjacent building. He did not avert his eyes; he lusted. Then, he asked around who the woman was, and his people told him that she was a married woman. (David, also, was a married man.) Here, is where David coveted. He desired what God gave to his neighbor Uriah. We know happened next. In the Commandments, God demands that not only our actions be righteous, but our desires as well. Even if we think that we can somehow skate through the other Commandments, these ones will trip us up. We all have in ourselves, by nature, a deep-seated discontent. We are never truly happy with what God gives; we always want more, and we dislike when others have more or “better” things than us. And that is sinful.

III.

The function of these last two Commandments is to keep us from scheming to get our neighbor’s things or people, and also to turn us back around to the First Commandment. God commands that we are to fear, love, and trust in Him above all things. We shouldn’t seek to get what belongs to our neighbor or to hurt him in any way, we shouldn’t even think about. But the fact that we have had harmful thoughts, that we have had lustful thoughts, that we have been lazy and disobedient in our lives, shows that deep down – with David – we have unclean hearts.

So, what do we do? What did David do? In the Epistle it says that Christ appeared once for all into the holy places to secure an eternal redemption by the shedding of His own blood. It is says that the shedding of His holy, innocent, and precious blood is able to purify us from our dead works, our sins. David knew this. He sang in Psalm 32,

I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to You at a time when You may be found…Blessed is the one…whose sin is covered.

Let us learn from David and, like him, confess our sins and look to Christ for forgiveness. His death covers our sins and His blood cleanses our unrighteousness.

We pray:

Heavenly Father, You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living creature. Cause us to fear and love You above all things, that our hearts would not covet that which You have given to our neighbors. Rather, lead us to trust in Your provision of daily bread, be content with what You provide, and reject every evil scheme or enticement that would secure for ourselves that which You have given to others. Enable us to serve our neighbors by helping them keep and guard all that You have given to them; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

To Build Up, Not Tear Down

Text: Eighth Commandment

St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, in chapter 4, about the new life they had received in Christ. Their new life – to which they were called by Baptism and faith – was different than the life they previously lived, including how they used to relate to their neighbor. St. Paul said, 

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another…Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear…Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:25-32

St. Paul encouraged the Ephesians in their walk together by teaching them to practice the Commandments in their daily lives, including the Eighth Commandment. In the Eighth Commandment, our God teaches us to use our tongues for speaking truth and to build up, and not for lying or tearing down.

I.

We’ve spoken already about some ways that God would have us behave toward our neighbor. In the Fourth Commandment, we are taught to honor those whom God places above us in station: our parents, teachers, worldly authorities, pastors. In the Fifth Commandment, God began teaching us to be respectful of what belongs to our neighbor, starting with his body. We are not to hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him. In the Sixth Commandment, we are not to lust after our neighbor’s spouse. On Sunday, we heard the Seventh Commandment, where God taught us to be respectful of our neighbor’s money and possessions by not stealing them and by helping him to improve and protect what is his. There is one more thing that belongs to our neighbor that God would have us respect: his or her reputation.

The Holy Spirit spoke by King Solomon, saying, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” He also says, “A good name is better than precious ointment.” It is a blessing of God to have a good name and reputation, to have the trust of other people. It is important for one to be able to stand in integrity before their family and the world. One’s integrity, in some ways, is far more precious than any earthly jewel. Therefore, God would have us protect our neighbor’s reputation by defending him, speaking well of him, and explaining everything in the kindest way. The Eighth Commandment strikes against everything contrary to these things.

II.

Let’s go ahead and read the Commandment together.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.

Martin Luther’s Small Catechism

The first and literal meaning of the Commandment is, as it says, to not give false testimony. This a term that is used to refer to the fact that, sometimes, what happens in a court room is not done in all fairness. In this fallen world there are such things as wicked judges, witnesses who take bribes, and litigious parties that do nothing but destroy a man and his reputation. God would not have us, His children, be any of these things.

Neither should we speak in any way that causes harm to our neighbor. This includes outright lying – whether in court or in life. It includes betraying our neighbor’s secrets, which were spoken to us in confidence. This Commandment speaks against all slander and gossip, rushes to judgment, and the entertaining of harmful rumors. In short, anything that tears down our neighbor’s reputation is forbidden by God in this Commandment. There are exceptions to this Commandment, such as when a judge announces a verdict that may cause someone to fall in the public eye. A pastor, likewise, may be called upon to speak against a false teacher. Both of these are done within an office entrusted by God – and not according to their person.

III.

Instead of tearing down our neighbor or harming his reputation in any way, God would have us build our neighbor up. When others speak poorly of our neighbor, we should come to his defense and speak well of him. We should do our best to draw attention to our neighbor’s good qualities, and not their faults. St. Peter said, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” In general, we should also assume the best of our neighbor and explain all his or her actions in the most positive and kindest way possible.

Now, none of this means that we are to ignore our neighbor’s sins. But, it does mean, when our neighbor’s sin becomes known to us, we have two options. The first is to keep it to ourselves. Knowing about our neighbor’s sins and speaking them are two entirely different things. The second option for when our neighbor’s sin is known to us is – when it is within our place – to go and speak to them privately. This is what our Lord said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” By following our Lord’s instructions, we protect our neighbor’s reputation while also caring for his soul.

And that, in short, is the meaning of this Commandment. In addition to our protecting our neighbor’s body, his/her spouse, and their possessions, God would also have us defend our neighbor’s reputation. We do this by not lying, slandering, or gossiping, but by speaking well of our neighbor and explaining everything in the kindest way. In this way, we follow St. Paul’s encouragement to the Ephesians, that we use our words to build up and not tear down.

Let us pray.

Guard our lips, O Lord, and govern our unruly tongues so that our words about our neighbors are not tainted with falsehood, betrayal, or slander, which would damage their reputation. Instead, give us the wisdom to speak well of our neighbors, defend them, and explain their circumstances and actions in the kindest way; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Lord Provides

Text: Seventh Commandment

Our Lord teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount about being anxious over our earthly well-being. He says,

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Matthew 6:25-26

Here, Jesus reminds us of what we learn in the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed: that God our heavenly Father knows what we need and provides for us. This idea comes up in the Lord’s Prayer, too, when we pray for our daily bread. And, of course, this idea is also brought up by the First Commandment. 

Since we believe that God has promised to provide all that we need, and does, it should be reflected in how we relate to our neighbor – specifically, in how we relate to what belongs to our neighbor. In the Seventh Commandment, God teaches us not to steal. Since all that we need is provided by our gracious Lord, He would have us be of help and support to our neighbor in protecting and improving what is his.

I.

Let’s stop and ruminate on this idea for a bit, though. In the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed, we say, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.” The Christian faith is that God our Father is the Creator of all that exists. All things that were made, whether visible or invisible, find their source in Him. But, when we say that God is the Maker of all things, we also include the fact that God upholds and preserves creation, as well. For example, it says in the Psalms, “He covers the heavens with clouds; He prepares rain for the earth…He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.” It also says, “The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

Our God is gracious and kind, He lovingly provides and cares for all creation, including us. He gives us life, and continues to provide for the needs of our bodies until such time as He takes us to Himself. As we learned in the Fourth Commandment, He provides for us through our parents and others who care for us, through worldly government, and though our employers. He also provides for all people by causing the earth to be fruitful. He even provides for the needs of the birds of the air, and we’re worth much more than them. Our God is the creator and preserver of all life, even ours, and He does provide for all that we truly need. Therefore, in some ways, the Seventh Commandment is an application of the First Commandment. We should love and trust God and, therefore, not steal.

II.

Let’s go ahead and read the Seventh Commandment together.

You shall not steal. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.

Martin Luther’s Small Catechism

I think that’s right, that the Seventh Commandment builds on the First. If we trusted God to provide, then we wouldn’t steal. But, that’s assuming people steal only what they need. We know that’s not true. Instead, people steal because their sinful nature leads them to believe that what they want is more important than what God provides. Therefore, God says to us here, do not steal.

This means, first, to not steal – in the literal sense. God would not have His beloved children be thieves. St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” This Commandment teaches that we should not steal anything that belongs to our neighbor. Neither should we get anything in any dishonest way. All fraud and misleading practices should be put far away from us. If we have products that we sell, we may sell them at whatever prices we see fit, but we should never cheat someone or falsely take advantage of them. Martin Luther said in the Large Catechism that the poor man cries out to God against those who take advantage of him, and God hears that cry.

A final application of the Seventh Commandment our students know. It is also considered stealing when we, as employees, are lazy or sloppy with our time. If we are being compensated for our work, let us work. Let us be diligent in our labor, using the skills that God has given us to the best of our ability. This is maybe a hidden form of stealing, but it is against the Commandment to falsely accept payment for work not done. Instead of getting money or possessions in any sort of dishonest way. God teaches us in this Commandment to trust in Him and be of service to our neighbor.

III.

We observe this Commandment rightly when we help our neighbor protect and improve what is his, particularly in possessions and income. This could include a number of things. It could be as simple as driving someone to work when they are in need. It could be lending tools; money, even. Jesus said, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” An application of this Commandment could also be writing a good letter of reference for somebody. It could be helping them rebuild after a disaster.

We also learn from this Commandment when we are good stewards of what God does give us. We should receive everything we have with thanksgiving, knowing that it is a blessing and gift from God. What He gives us, whether in the form of food or drink or clothing or home or job, should be used for the support of those around us, particularly our family. We should use what God gives us to help and support the neighbors closest to us: our spouses and our children. We should also be generous, always ready to give to the poor and to the Church, in support of its ministers, works of mercy, and the spread of the Gospel of Christ.

Jesus teaches us to not worry or be anxious because our heavenly Father knows what we need and will provide. Therefore, neither should we steal. Stealing shows a lack of faith and trust in God. Yet, our God is merciful. If we are honest, there have been times where we’ve stolen, been tempted to, or have been lazy at work. “But if we confess our sins…” Thanks be to God.

Let us pray:

Lord God, giver of every good and perfect gift, teach us to rejoice in the bounty of Your gifts given to our neighbors and curb our appetite to claim for ourselves by theft or dishonesty the money or possessions You have bestowed on them. Instead, give us cheerful hearts and willing hands to help our neighbors improve and protect their livelihood; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Chaste in Word and Deed

Text: Sixth Commandment

The Holy Spirit teaches us in Genesis 2 that after God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, He found that it was not good for Adam to be alone. Every beast of the field had its mate – its helper – but, the Spirit says, “for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” The Lord God caused Adam to go into a deep sleep, then He took a rib from Adam’s side and formed woman from it. God brought Eve to Adam and he said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” This was the first wedding ceremony, the institution of marriage. “Therefore,” it says, “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

The estate of marriage is a holy relationship instituted by God before the fall into sins. It is worthy to be aspired to and honored by all people as a good gift and gracious blessing of God. This is what the Lord teaches us in the Sixth Commandment. Marriage is a good gift of God, and we honor Him by living chastely both within marriage and outside of it.

I.

Let’s go ahead and read the Sixth Commandment together.

You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.

Martin Luther’s Small Catechism

Among all the other Commandments, the Sixth Commandment is the most difficult to talk about. Temptations against this Commandment are things that we all experience at one time or another. These are powerful temptations, easily given into, and well-able to destroy faith. St. Paul was very right to teach the Corinthians to flee from sins against this Commandment. He wrote to them, “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” These feelings are so powerful because, in their original state, they were given by God.

The attraction of man and woman is good and was originally given by God in the Garden of Eden. There, He instituted marriage to be the place where these desires are exercised in a godly fashion. He brought Eve to Adam, as we heard, and instructed them to, “be fruitful and multiply.” God intended that the good attraction of man for woman (and vice versa) lead to the birth and raising of children, who, in turn, would be taught to love God and their neighbor. The estate of marriage is a good gift of God that serves four purposes. It is for man and woman to be of mutual help and support for each other. It is for husband and wife to exercise their desires in God-pleasing ways. According to God’s will, marriage may lead to the birth and raising of Christian children. Lastly, since the Fall, marriage also serves as an aid against sin. St. Paul also wrote to the Corinthians, “Because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.”

II.

I used an older word earlier in this sermon, the word chaste. Being chaste means being modest and decent toward the opposite sex, being respectful of the Lord’s gift of marriage whether we are married or not. This is an idea we’ve approached already: in the Fourth Commandment, we honor God by honoring those He sends to care for us; in the Fifth Commandment, we honor God by respecting the life He gives to us and our neighbors; in this Commandment, we honor God by being faithful to our spouses – we who are married – and refraining from sexual activity if we are unmarried.

As with the other Commandments, the Sixth Commandments speaks not just to actions, but to words and thoughts as well. For those who are married, God would have us relate to our spouses in respectful ways, not in lustful ways. In our thoughts, we should also be faithful to whom God has joined us. We should be aware of how we show affection for others, as well, that the attention due our spouse is not directed toward those to whom we are not married. This is what it means to be chaste within marriage. Husband and wife help and support each other, and find joy in each other alone.

However, chastity is not only a calling for married couples, but for single people as well. God does not require all people to marry. It is not a command. Marriage is not a Sacrament. We are neither more saved if we are married, nor less saved if we aren’t. Just as God calls husbands and wives to be faithful to each other, He calls single men and women to be faithful to Him by honoring this Commandment. This means keeping a close watch on our hearts, that we speak and think about the opposite sex in decent ways. It means regular confession and absolution when we do transgress against this commandment. And, it general, it means reserving sexual activity for marriage alone, along with praying for and supporting those who are married. (Which is something we should all be doing.)

Marriage is a good and wonderful gift of God, whereby He joins man and woman together to support each other, find joy in each other, and, where He wills, bring forth and raise Christian children. Beyond this, though, there is an even greater thought: marriage is an earthly illustration of the love that Christ has for us, His Church. As He is faithful to His bride, so He teaches us to be faithful to Him, by honoring this institution and living chastely in what we say and do.

Let us pray:

Holy Lord, You instituted marriage in Eden, and by Your Word You uphold and protect this blessed union of man and woman in one flesh. Cause us to honor marriage and put away from us all sinful thoughts, words, and deeds that would dishonor and distort the gift of marriage. Bless all married couples with faithfulness. Hear the prayers of all who seek a godly spouse, and give to us all purity and decency in all things; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Not Hurt, But Help

Text: Fifth Commandment

In Luke 10 a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test. He asked our Lord what good thing he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked this expert what the Scriptures say and he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said he was right. If the man did that perfectly, he would earn eternal life. But this lawyer wasn’t done with Jesus. In order to justify himself, he asked, “And who is my neighbor?”

This is when Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. This parable features a man falling among robbers, being beaten, and then left for dead. By chance, a priest passes by the man, doesn’t help. So, too, a Levite. Finally, a Samaritan came by the man and had compassion on him. He bound up the man’s wounds, placed him on his own donkey, took him to an inn and cared for him. In this, the parable also demonstrates for us the meaning of the Fifth Commandment. The Fifth Commandment teaches that we should fear and love God by not hurting or harming our neighbor, but, instead, helping and supporting him in every physical need.

I.

Let’s go ahead and read the Fifth Commandment together.

You shall not murder. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.

Another thing that Jesus teaches through the parable of the Good Samaritan is that all people should be considered our neighbors. The lawyer, a Jew, would’ve felt that it’d be okay to not show concern or care toward a Samaritan. The Jews and Samaritans were enemies. Jesus demonstrated by making the Samaritan the “good guy” in the parable, that, instead, all people are our neighbors, since all people are made by God.

This is what the Holy Spirit says all the way back in Genesis 1. On the sixth day of Creation God spoke, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Then, He formed man from the dust of the earth, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. To create woman, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took a rib from him and formed Eve from it. So, it says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Human beings were created by God in His image, the pinnacle of His good creation. God created us to have dominion over the earth, and to live in fellowship with each other and our God.

As God formed Adam at Creation, so He continues to form each and every person in their mother’s womb. In the midst of his complaint to God, Job acknowledged,

Your hands fashioned and made me…Did You not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews.

Job 10

King David praised the Lord in similar words,

You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139

In the calling of Jeremiah, the Lord testified,

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.

Jeremiah 1

All human life, each and every single human being, is created by God – even now – in His image, and, therefore, is of intrinsic worth. Because each person is created by God, all people are to be treated as our neighbor.

II.

Therefore, our Lord forbids in this commandment the taking of human life. Our heavenly Father, alone, makes the decisions concerning life and death, and He does not give that authority to any of us as individuals. The Fifth Commandment prohibits us, first, from murder, but it includes much beyond that. We are also forbidden by this Commandment from engaging in actions that would cause harm to our neighbor – even if they don’t die. We are also held responsible by this Commandment for our neglect. When it is within our vocation and ability to come to the physical aid of our neighbor, and we choose not to, we break this commandment. Our Lord teaches in the Sermon on the Mount that anger and hatred against anyone is also breaking this Commandment. He said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder…’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”

Instead of harming our neighbor, whether it be by murder or other forms of endangerment, or by neglect or hatred, our Lord would have us help and support our neighbor in every physical need. Whenever it is within our place and our means, we should be ready to come to the aid of our neighbor. This could mean providing them food, clothing or shelter, or support that leads to those things. This Commandment should also direct us to use our words and actions in support of the needs of others. The Holy Spirit teaches us in Proverbs saying, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” The Lord teaches in the Fifth Commandment that we should fear and love Him, by not harming anyone in their body, but help and support our neighbor in every physical need.

III.

Now, because we are meditating on the Fifth Commandment today, we should speak on a few topics yet that other Sundays might not afford. There are two topics that fall under this Commandment and seem to increasingly be in the news. These are abortion and euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide we might also speak of. These things are violations of the Fifth Commandment. They are forbidden by God. They are egregious evils that must end. The Scriptures clearly teach that all human beings are individual creations of God Himself and, from the moment of conception, possess a soul, are precious to God, and should also be to us. No human life is to be willingly discarded or ended, neither the unborn child in the womb, nor the great-grandmother in the memory care unit, nor ourselves. We would do well to learn from our fathers in the faith who, when a child or an elderly person was left out to die in ancient Rome, would take them into their homes to raise and care for.

Even though we’ve spoken mostly of things forbidden today, there is comfort to be had in this: you and I are precious to God the Father. It is He who knit us each together in our mother’s womb. It is He who cares for us and feeds us each day. It is for us that He sent His Son to die. It is we who are most dear to Him – we, and all people. Therefore, let us take comfort in God’s loving care for us, and show that love to those who are in need in our lives.

Let us pray:

Lord God, by Your Law You guard and defend every human life from violence and destruction. Give us wisdom never to hurt or harm our neighbors in their bodily life and give us hearts of mercy to help and support them in every physical need; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Honor Your Father and Your Mother

Text: Fourth Commandment

“Honor your father and your mother,” the Lord said on Mount Sinai,“that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” With these words the Lord moves us into what we call the Second Table of the Commandments. If you imagine Moses coming down from the mountain with the two tablets in his hands, normally we’d picture the first three Commandments on one tablet and the remaining seven on the second tablet. The first three commandments deal primarily with the vertical relationship between our God and us. So far we’ve learned that we should fear, love in trust in God above all things. We should use His name only for the purposes He’s given it – to call upon Him in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. We’ve also learned that we should be faithful in hearing God’s Word and receiving His Sacrament.

The Fourth Commandment directs us outward horizontally to our neighbors, starting with those closest to us: our parents. In this Commandment, God teaches us to love and cherish those He sends to care for us. Let’s go ahead and read the Commandment together: “Honor your father and your mother. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.”

I.

The place to start with this Commandment is its very first word, “honor.” In some ways, it’s maybe not the word that we would expect there. What we might expect to find in this Commandment is the word “love.” Elsewhere in Scripture we are taught to love our brothers and sisters, to love “the brotherhood” our family in faith, and, of course, to love our neighbors as ourselves. But, here we are commanded to honor our father and mother. Honor implies a step beyond loving. It includes love, to be sure, but also cherishing, obeying, supporting, loyalty, and so on. In fact, honor is about the word you’d use for God. Yet, the Holy Spirit uses it for our parents and later in Scripture for employers and governing authorities. (We’ll come back to that later.)

The Lord teaches us to honor our parents because He gives us our parents to stand in His stead. This is their vocation, to care for us as the hand of God in our lives. When our parents provide for us: when they feed us, house us, clothe us, change our diapers, encourages us, pray for us – this is God caring for us through them. Therefore, God would have us honor Him by honoring those He sends. This commandment teaches that we should fear and love God by honoring, loving, and cherishing our parents; by being obedient to them. This is not for the sake of our parents and not because they deserve. Sometimes our parents don’t deserve our honor. But, God teaches us to honor our parents, because it is He serving us through them.

II.

This Commandment also includes other types of “fathers” and “mothers” that we encounter in this life. Scripture speaks about other vocations as being sorts of fathers. These include teachers, employers, and the governing authorities. The first institution that God created is the family; first, with the marriage of Adam and Eve, then with the birth of Cain and Abel. Family is the primary instituted order in creation, and other authorities derive from it. The primary responsibility for the education of children falls to the parents, but in carrying out that duty they often rely on teachers in school. The Fourth Commandment teaches us to honor our teachers as we would our parents. 

When we leave home as adults, our employers become a sort of “father,” to us. They provide for our earthly needs through the wages given. We should be obedient to them as well, for God provides for us through them. God also grants us many good things through earthly governments. He offers us protection and stability in life and work. Our Lord teaches us to render unto Caesar what is his. St. Peter also teaches this, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him.” Beyond teachers, employers, and governments, there are also spiritual fathers placed over us – our pastors. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that as their pastor, he acted as their spiritual father. He said, “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” It is the pastor’s job to watch over and care for our souls. Therefore, we should honor God by giving them due honor as well.

III.

Thus far, we’ve spoken only about actions directed from us to those whom God has placed over us. These people, whether teachers, employers, rulers, or, especially, parents, are instruments of God in His care over us. Therefore, we honor God by honoring them. We should also speak about this Commandment directs parents toward their children. Though the specific words aren’t included in the Commandment, the duties of parents are spoken about in many other places in Scripture. A parent’s responsibility, first and foremost, is to see that their children are brought up in the fear of the Lord. Above all things, parents should strive and labor to see that their children enter through the narrow gate. After that, of course, all bodily necessities should be provided for. Also, children should be educated. The education of children in general subjects is pleasing to God, for by this they learn how to be of service to their neighbor. The Commandment teaches children to honor their parents, but it also means we should be parents worthy of said honor.

This also includes that, if we are teachers, we should be good teachers. If we employ others, we should be good employers. If we are placed in positions of civil authority, we should seek to provide for those beneath our care according to God’s Word. St. Paul points out that this commandment is the first with a promise, that our days may be long in the land the Lord has provided. That His blessings may continue to rain down on us, the Lord teaches us in the Fourth Commandment to love and cherish those who care for us, since He serves us through them. 

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood on earth is given: give unto us gratitude for the gifts of parents and others in authority and the humility to serve, obey, love, and cherish them as they fulfill the duties and responsibilities You have assigned to them in this life; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Remember the Sabbath Day

Text: Third Commandment

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.

Genesis 2:1-3

On the seventh day of creation, God rested from all the work He had done. He then sanctified that day – set it apart to be a holy day, a day of rest. As God reflected on His work at the beginning, so He intended that the Sabbath day be a day of reflection where His people might rest from their labors to reflect on His Word and receive His gifts. This, in short, is the meaning of the Third Commandment. God desires that a day (if not a time every day) be set aside for us to hear His Word and receive His gifts.

I.

Let’s go ahead and read the Third Commandment together. [Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.] Now, before we unpack this Commandment further, we should answer this question first – What is the Sabbath day? Well, the Sabbath day comes from the seventh day of creation, as we heard just a moment ago. On that day, God rested from all His work. He set the seventh day of the week apart as holy. It was to be observed as a day of rest by God’s holy people. This pronouncement of our Lord then became codified as a Commandment on Mount Sinai.

Because of the Fall into Sin, men did not observe the Sabbath as God had intended. Though some did hear and obey God’s Word, most didn’t. Over the course of time, and probably through 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the observance of a day to rest and reflect on God’s Word was absent even among God’s own people. Therefore, He spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai,

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates

Exodus 20:8-10

There, God commanded the people to remember the Sabbath He instituted. Now, as a command, God’s people were to refrain from all work on the seventh day of the week. They were to cease from their labors, they, their children, their servants, their animals, and the travelers within their gates – so that all might hear and learn God’s Word and be given to works of love.

St. Paul later wrote to the Colossians, “Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” By this he showed that the Sabbath was not instituted to stand forever on its own, but as a sign pointing ahead to Christ – just like many of the other Old Testament observances. The sabbath pointed ahead to Christ in (at least) two ways: the Sabbath (Saturday) was to be a day where all labor ceased, what day did Christ rest in the tomb; second, the sabbath also pointed ahead to the eternal rest that awaits all of Christ’s faithful at His return. Such, the author wrote to the Hebrews, “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God…let us therefore strive to enter that rest.”

II.

The Sabbath was instituted by God at creation to be a day of rest and reflection. He later commanded it as a Law among Israel that, on the seventh day of the week, all labor stop so that they might rest in God’s Word. This law (that Saturday, specifically, be a day of rest) is fulfilled in Christ. However, the substance of the Third Commandment remains: time should be aside for God’s people to hear His Word and receive His gifts. From the earliest age of the Church in the book of Acts, Christians observed Sunday as that time – since it was the day the Lord rose from the dead. Sunday was the day they gathered to hear the teachings of the Prophets and Apostles, to pray and break bread – that is, to receive the Lord’s Supper – together. 

The Third Commandment teaches that this should continue among us. Therefore, the Third Commandment condemns all things that are opposed to this. We spoke these words earlier, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word;” What does it mean to despise preaching and God’s Word? In short, it means two things. First, it means failing to gather together in worship to hear God’s Word and receive His gifts in a regular fashion. When our attendance in worship falls, we cut ourselves off from our Lord’s Means of Grace – the means by which His forgiveness is given to us. When we attend services only infrequently or only when the mood strikes us, we show how much we really value what God gives us – and how far the devil has made it into our heart. We should fear and love God so that we remain in regular attendance.

Second, we show that we despise God’s Word when we fail to hear, read, and learn it, and when we otherwise reject in our lives. God has given us His Word, a book unlike any other book in all creation. The Bible is the very Word of God breathed out by the Holy Spirit and put to writing by the prophets and apostles of Christ. The Word is the instrument by which the Holy Spirit creates and enlivens faith, and by which He brings to us the forgiveness of sins. The Third Commandment teaches that we, who have been called to faith by the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures, should be continually given to hearing it, learning it, committing it to heart. It is, as Paul says, “the sword of the Spirit,” our defense against the assaults of the devil.

III.

“We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” This is the meaning of the Third Commandment. Though the observance of the Sabbath as a day of rest is fulfilled in Christ, the substance, the meat, of this commandment remains. As God’s holy people, we should have time set aside in our lives to hear God’s Word, to receive His gifts, and to increase in wisdom by studying the Scriptures. Ideally, a portion of each day would be set aside. Though, based on life’s circumstances, this is not always possible.

Therefore, the practice of the Church from the NT is to set aside Sunday as that time – though there is Christian freedom here. Some congregations have worship at other times. In this, there is freedom. We should continue always to gather together for worship, because that is where the Word is preached by God’s called pastors and where we receive His holy sacrament. We should also continue to gather on Sundays because it is good for our sinful flesh to have a routine. By regularly attending service, we keep our bodies in check and our minds captive to the Word of Christ. Lastly, we should continue to gather together for this reason: the author to the Hebrews also says, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” We continue to gather so that we might encourage one another. And, we need that. Living life is hard, but here we are a family – and families help each other.

On the Seventh Day of creation, God rested from all His work. Therefore, He set aside that day as a time of rest and reflection for His people. The observance of that day as Saturday, specifically, is fulfilled in Christ – but the substance remains. In the Third Commandment, we are encouraged to hold the Word as sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.

Let us pray:

We thank You, kind Father, that You give us time to hear Your Holy Word. Grant that fearing and loving You, we may set aside our work to receive Your Son’s words, which are spirit and life, and so, refreshed and renewed by the preaching of Your Gospel, we might live in the peace and quietness that come through faith alone; we ask it for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Call Upon Me

Text: Second Commandment

When we gathered this past Sunday, we began our Lenten review of the Catechism. The Catechism is a collection of our Lord’s teachings that is essential for all Christians to know. It includes the Commandments, Creed, and Lord’s Prayer; and also, Baptism, Confession, and the Lord’s Supper. Our Lord has impressed upon us, His people, the responsibility to teach these things to our children and grandchildren. In order that we might always be prepared for this, the Lutheran Church has a good practice of revisiting the Catechism each Lent. This year, our focus is on the Ten Commandments.

On Sunday, we learned the meaning of the First Commandment – that we should have no other gods. This means that we should look to God alone, above all other things, for all help in time of need, as well as for all things good. We noted that this in an activity that goes on in the heart. To have a god is something that happens in the heart. The next stop out from the heart is the mouth. Jesus once said, “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart.” In the Second Commandment, we who have been brought to fear and love God are encouraged to call upon His name in all troubles, to pray, praise, and give thanks.

I.

Let’s go ahead and speak the Second Commandment together from the hymnal. It’s on page 321. [You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.] As our Lord said, what comes out out the mouth comes, first, from the heart. Our Lord intends that we who have had our hearts sprinkled clean with pure water in Baptism, would have His name pass from our hearts and out our mouths in ways that are good, right, and salutary. So that might happen, our Lord has given us His name.

When Moses stood before the burning bush and asked the Lord what name he should give to the people of Israel for who sent him, God said, “I AM WHO I AM…say to this people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” I AM is the English translation of the Hebrew, Yahweh. This is God’s personal name, the name by which His people called on Him throughout the Old Testament. Then, when the fullness of time had come, God’s people received a new name by which to call on Him, the name “Jesus.” Jesus is the name of the Second Person of the Trinity, who now shares our same human flesh. The name Jesus means, literally, “Yahweh Saves.” It’s a testament to His love and truthfulness. God has given us His name so that we might know who it is that created and redeemed us, and so that we might call upon Him in prayer and praise and proclaim His goodness in this fallen world.

II.

God intends that we use His name in those good ways, but because the depravity of our fallen nature knows no bounds, He keeps our evil in check through the Second Commandment. In this Commandment, God strictly forbids any and all misuse of His name. He said on Sinai, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” This includes, perhaps above all, using God’s name for any sort of lie. We may take oaths calling upon God’s name to testify to the truth of a matter – such as when we are called upon as witnesses in court. However, God will not hold guiltless anyone who takes an oath in His name, who knows they are lying. 

God would not have us use His name in any sort of lie. This means, also, saying things in God’s name things He hasn’t said. As in, teaching false doctrine. All false doctrine and wicked pastors and teachers are condemned by this commandment. So, also, is the misuse God’s name for sorcery, fortune-telling, astrology, or calling upon the dead for any purpose. Lastly, we should not use God’s name carelessly or in vain such as in expletives or curse words.

How, then, should we use God’s name? As the Catechism says, we should use it to call upon the Lord in every trouble, to pray, praise, and give thanks. The Lord has brought us into His family through the washing of Holy Baptism and invites us to speak to Him as we would an earthly father. This means that in every trial, need, or distress, we can call upon Him to help. It says in the Psalms, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” When we call upon the Lord, He answers us. His great grace and mercy cause us to praise and thank Him. For that, we should use His name. Finally, we should use God’s name in service to the truth. We should teach and preach His Word rightly here and in our homes. If called upon to testify in court, we should speak the truth in God’s name, knowing that is a work pleasing to Him.

St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “With the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” What’s in the heart and what comes out the mouth are one and the same. The Lord teaches us in this Commandment to use the name He has placed upon our foreheads and hearts to call upon Him in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.

Let us pray:

Holy Father, purify our lips from every misuse of Your name by cursing, swearing, superstition, lying, or deception. Open our mouths to reverence Your holy name, calling upon it in every time of trouble, praying for what You promise to give, praising You for Your glory, and giving thanks to You as the giver of every good and perfect gift; this we ask in the name that gives us access to You, the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

No Other Gods

Text: The First Commandment

On the eve of their entrance into the Promised Land, Moses spoke to the children of Israel. He said to them, 

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 

Moses reminded them of the Lord’s Commandment to have no other gods before Him, and our responsibility to teach the knowledge of our God and His grace to our children.

The instruction of Christian doctrine, according to the Holy Spirit, is to take place, first, in the home. Parents are to bring their children up in the fear of the Lord, talking about Him with their children at home, in the morning, during the day, and at night. This is a hard work, but a blessed one that bears much fruit. To aid in this task, the Lutheran Church has long had a tradition of re-visiting the Catechism every Lent. We’ve inherited this from the Ancient Church, which used to teach and baptize converts to the true faith in the 40 days before Easter. This year, we’ll be reflecting on our Lord’s Ten Commandments. Today, we are reminded that, in the First Commandment, our Lord encourages us to trust in Him above all things – for He, only, can help in all times of need.

I.

Let’s back up for a moment, and ask this question, first: what is the Catechism? The word itself is old word we receive from the Greek. Originally, it meant the process of teaching by question and answer. In ancient Greek and Roman schools, this is how teaching was done. The teacher would ask questions and the students would answer. This method of teaching was adopted by the early Church along with a great emphasis on memorization. Catechism was the word used to describe both the process, and then, the content as well. In the early centuries of the Church all Christians were expected to know by heart (at least) the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. These things together were called the Catechism and were taught to children by their parents and Godparents.

What the Lutheran Church has used for about the last 490 years, we know as Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. Over the centuries previous, Christian education declined sharply. It fell so far that even many of the clergy could not recite the Commandments, Creed, or Prayer. This was also true, initially, among many of the congregations and pastors loyal to Luther’s reforms. At their invitation, a new edition of the Catechism was to be prepared for the education of Christian homes and congregations – though, Luther was originally not to be the author. After visiting many of the local congregations and seeing how poorly they had been taught even the most basic doctrines (clergy included) and finding the teaching material – then being written – lacking, Luther took on the task. It took about a decade and the preaching of many sermons, until the material we know as the Small Catechism was published in 1529. The first thing Luther covered in this new edition of the catechism? The Ten Commandments. Let’s go ahead and open to them. They’re on page 321.

II.

Today our focus is on the First Commandment, which is the headwaters for all the others. Let’s read it together. “You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” The first thing we should ask ourselves in order to understand this commandment is, what does it mean to have a god? To have a god is not simply to bow down and worship something, because, really, not all worship takes that form. Having a god is something that happens in the heart. To have a god, in the most basic sense, is to trust in something or to look to something for help in times of need and for all good things. God would have us look to Him for all this; that we would call upon Him in all times of trouble and believe in His promises to provide us with all the things we need.

Therefore, we are forbidden by this Commandment from seeking help and good things from anything or anyone that isn’t the Triune God. The easiest application is that we shouldn’t look to idols or false gods for these things. This is all over the Bible; but I would venture that none of us has worshipped an idol, per se. However, this commandment is concerned, above all, with what’s in the heart. We may never have worshipped an idol, but what have we turned to when things go badly in our lives? What do we trust in? What do we look to, to make us happy? What do we turn to when we are sad? The Lord would have that be Him alone. Whenever we put something else there, whether it’s money, recreation, friends, even family – or ourselves – we are breaking the chief commandment.

III.

One of the functions (uses) of the Ten Commandments is to show us our sins. We reflect on this Commandment correctly when we realize from it that we have not always placed God first in our lives. There are things that we have trusted in more than Him. It may not always look like that from the outside, but this Commandment deals directly with our hearts. We also reflect on the Commandments correctly when we are driven by them to Christ, who alone, has kept them perfectly. He kept the Commandments perfectly, and then willingly suffered the punishment we deserve for not keeping them on the cross.

It’s good we recite this Commandment today, with the Gospel reading being the Temptation of Our Lord. All throughout those 40 days, our Lord trusted in His heavenly Father for all good things. When Satan tempted Him to turn stones to bread, Jesus trusted in God’s Word and that the Father would provide for His earthly needs. When the devil tempted Jesus to test the Father’s protection, Jesus did not put Him to the test. He had faith in the Father’s good will. Lastly, when the devil tempted Jesus to worship him in exchange for all the world’s goods, Jesus held to the Lord His God above all earthly treasures. All of this, He did with you in mind. He was determined to keep the Law in full, so that His death could atone for you.

The Lord promises us in His Word that He is able and will deliver us in all times of need. He says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.” It also says in the Psalms, “He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them.” The Lord promises to provide for us everything we need. He said, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Jesus also comforts us with these words, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Let us pray: 

Lord God, author and source of all that is good, give us wisdom to fear Your wrath, strength to love You above all things, and faith to trust in Your promises alone, that by Your grace we may serve You all our days and finally come to inherit Your heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.