Confessional Lutheran Ministerium

Psalm 107:23-32 NKJV

²³ Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
²⁴ They see the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
²⁵ For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
²⁶ They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
²⁷ They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And ^[a]are at their wits’ end.
²⁸ Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
²⁹ He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
³⁰ Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
³¹ Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
³² Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.

Psalm 107 describes a series of adversities suffered by God’s servants, along with His continual intervention to deliver them from all such troubles. It is an historical meditation for attaining contemplative wisdom; as its final line states: “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.”

For instance, when the psalm speaks of enduring a storm at sea, it may refer to the storm suffered by the shipmates of Jonah, or St. Paul, or the disciples on the Lake of Gennesaret, while Jesus yet slept in the stern of the boat. The fierce storm of this story may also be pointing to all of us, who as Holy Scripture makes clear as “children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Eph. 4:14). Many and diverse are the storms and troubles that this world throws at us.

The psalm is addressed to “those redeemed by the Lord.” Its historical meditation, which is to say, is directed to those who stand already within that history — the beneficiaries of its blessing. This is the Church, made up of “those whom He redeemed out of the hand of the enemy and assembled out of the lands.”  It summons us to meditate on what the Lord has done in our midst and on our behalf, “that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12). Psalm 107 is a call to that profound effort of thought and praise.

Let us pray: Almighty God, through the resurrection of Your Son You have secured peace for our troubled consciences. Grant us this peace evermore that trusting in the merit of Your Son we may come at last to the perfect peace of heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Numbers 20:14-29 NKJV ¹

⁴ Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, ¹⁵ how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians ^[a]afflicted us and our fathers. ¹⁶ When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. ¹⁷ Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’ ”

¹⁸ Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.”

¹⁹ So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”

²⁰ Then he said, “You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. ²¹ Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

²² Now the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. ²³ And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: ²⁴ “Aaron shall ^[b]be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. ²⁵ Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; ²⁶ and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.” ²⁷ So Moses did just as the Lord commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. ²⁸ Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. ²⁹ Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.

We can only imagine the hardship that was experienced when Moses listened to God’s directive to strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And then… Aaron dies! The emotion from this is expressed in Holy Scripture: “Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.” (vs. 29)

We are exhorted through God’s beloved inspired Word not to grieve as those who have no hope. Morning has its place but not grieving as if without hope. St. Paul’s inspired words to the Thessalonians proclaims: “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.” (1 Thes. 4:13)

Is it wrong to mourn for the dead? Scripture not only permits it, but it also even praises and commends those who grieve and mourn for the dead, yet with moderation. Here are some examples: Abraham mourned for his wife Sarah when she died, and lay before her body for some time, mourning and grieving (Gen. 23:2). When the patriarch Jacob died, Joseph, his son, caused all of Egypt to mourn (Gen. 50:3). In our text from today, the children of Israel wept for the High Priest Aaron for thirty days (vs. 29); and like ways for Moses (Deut. 34:8). Christ wept for Lazarus (Jn. 11:35), and the disciples for Stephen (Acts 8:2).

This mourning for the deceased was such a glorious thing for the Jews that God even threatened the ungodly by declaring that they would not be lamented, nor buried in the burial places of their fathers. This happened to King Jehoiakim (Jer. 22:18-19) and others as well.

But most importantly, we return to the surety of God’s Word to the Thessalonians, and how true hope ever remains: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” (1 Thes. 4:14) Let us pray: O Lord, amidst the trials of life, including the sorrows of loss, continue to bring to us Your Word of Christ, our sure and certain hope. Amen.

Numbers 20:1-13 NKJV

20 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there.

² Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. ³ And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! ⁴ Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? ⁵ And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they ^[a]fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁸ “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” ⁹ So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.

¹⁰ And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

¹² Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

¹³ This was the water of ^[b]Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.

There are many examples of small faith and great faith throughout God’s Holy Scripture. With all of these examples, how often do they make us stop and truly evaluate our own faith? We are, after all, exhorted to do so within God’s Word. For example, St. Paul was inspired to write this: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you are disqualified. (2 Cor. 13:5)

If we ever stopped to pray about our faith — created and sustained by God, of course — the prayers could take into consideration two points. First, we should always pray for genuine faith: if not finished, at least begun, even if it is as small as a mustard seed. And then the prayer should be that this mustard seed not be eaten up by the birds — which would lead to a fledgling faith be taken away from us.

Second, when God has given us faith, we should ask further that He would also multiply and sustain it in us. For we do carry it in weak vessels [2 Cor. 4:7], and the devil is full of wrath, and “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour “[1 Peter 5:8].

On the nature and characteristics of faith, —namely, how it begins, grows and increases— Johann Spangenberg (a Lutheran theologian from the time of the Reformation) writes: “The children of Israel had such [immature] faith that they even crossed the Red Sea by that faith, though they eventually fell into such unbelief that they murmured against God both for food and for drink, and were punished terribly as a result, so that out of 600,000 no more than two, Joshua and Caleb, entered the promised land.”

“Moses had such faith that God even did many wonders and signs through him in Egypt. Yet when he was supposed to strike water from the rock, his faith fell away completely, and he angered God so greatly that He did not let him enter the Promised Land.” (The Christian Year of Grace, pg. 343, CPH) Let us pray: Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word. Amen.

Numbers 19:1-22 NKJV 19 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ² “This is the ^[a]ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without ^[b]blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. ³ You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; ⁴ and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁵ Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. ⁶ And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. ⁷ Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. ⁸ And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. ⁹ Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of ^[c]purification; it is for purifying from sin. ¹⁰ And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening. It shall be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to the stranger who dwells among them.

¹¹ ‘He who touches the dead ^[d]body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. ¹² He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. ¹³ Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him.

¹⁴ ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days; ¹⁵ and every open vessel, which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. ¹⁶ Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

¹⁷ ‘And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and ^[e]running water shall be put on them in a vessel. ¹⁸ A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave. ¹⁹ The clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe in water; and at evening he shall be clean.

²⁰ ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. ²¹ It shall be a perpetual statute for them. He who sprinkles the water of purification shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of purification shall be unclean until evening. ²² Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’ ”

God instructs Moses to have a priest (Eleazar) kill a perfectly red — unblemished — heifer outside the camp. The priest is then to sprinkle the heifer’s blood seven times towards the Tabernacle, then burn the animal along with cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet yarn. A clean person is to gather the ashes of the heifer and store them in a clean place outside the camp. 

These ashes were then used to create what was known as a “water of separation” or “water for impurity” to purify any who came into contact with a dead body or other sources of ritual uncleanness. The person who is unclean must be sprinkled with the water of separation on the third and seventh days and then wash their clothes and bathe in water to be cleansed.

This chapter, clearly, emphasizes the importance of maintaining ritual purity in the eyes of God and highlights the serious nature of ceremonial uncleanness. Some scholars interpret the red heifer and its ritual as a well-focused foreshadowing. An example of such an interpretation comes from Bede (an early Church Monk and Scholar from the 8th century), who states:

“Now [Moses] declares that the ashes of the victims (which ought to be taken as a great mystery) are “the sprinkled ashes of a red heifer,” which (as the apostle also bears witness) sanctified “those who have been defile, so that their flesh is made clean.” (Heb. 9) He also understands that the sacrament of the Lord’s passion, which saves us by purifying us forever, is prefigured in these ashes. Thus, the burning of a red heifer designates the actual time and event of Christ’s passion, and the burnt ashes which were kept for the cleansing of those who were unclean suggest the mystery of that same passion which has already been completed, by which we are daily purged from our sins.” (Ancient Christian Commentary, pg. 333, IV) Such a rite of purification can also foreshadow the cleansing power of Holy Baptism as well. Let us pray: O Lord, thank You for the sending of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whom we have forgiveness of sins. Amen.

Numbers 18:8-32 NKJV

⁸ And the Lord spoke to Aaron: “Here, I Myself have also given you charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever. ⁹ This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons. ¹⁰ In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.

¹¹ “This also is yours: the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.

¹² “All the best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and the grain, their firstfruits which they offer to the Lord, I have given them to you. ¹³ Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.

¹⁴ “Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.

¹⁵ “Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. ¹⁶ And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. ¹⁷ But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. ¹⁸ And their flesh shall be yours, just as the wave breast and the right thigh are yours.

¹⁹ “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”

²⁰ Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

²¹ “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. ²² Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. ²³ But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁴ For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ”

²⁵ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁶ “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe. ²⁷ And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. ²⁸ Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the Lord’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. ²⁹ Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the best of them, the consecrated part of them.’ ³⁰ Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. ³¹ You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting. ³² And you shall bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel, lest you die.’ ”

The Levites, from the tribe of Levi, were to assist Aaron and his sons in their priestly duties, performing the work of the tabernacle and bearing their iniquity. The priests and Levites were not given land inheritance like the other tribes, but instead, they are to receive tithes and offerings from the people as their support. The priests and Levites were to ensure the offerings were pure and without blemish, reflecting the holiness required in worship and service to God, and they were to eat the holy portions in the holy place. 

The Old Testament liturgy was from God, by the priests, and for the people. In other words, it was from God, mediated by the priests, and for the salvation of God’s people. Especially on the annual Day of Atonement (Lev. 16), one man embodied every man as he entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood of the atonement for Israel. That one man was pointing forward to Christ. As Hebrews proclaims, that Christ, your great high priest, “entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12).

The Levites were also required to offer a tithe of their tithes to Aaron and his sons, demonstrating their commitment to supporting the priesthood. This chapter clearly shows that the obligation of the Israelites to give was far more than just the tithe (the giving of ten percent). The Israelites also had to give firstfruits (Numbers 18:12) of all their produce and the firstborn (Numbers 18:15) of their flocks and herds. Neglecting to give the priests their tithes and offerings was considered a sin, and failure to do so could result in death.

In the New Testament, God inspired St. Paul to write: “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:6-7) Let us pray: O Lord, bring me to be a cheerful giver out of Gospel love, not begrudgingly out of Law. Amen.

Numbers 17:1-13; 8:1-7 NKJV

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. ³ And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. ⁴ Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. ⁵ And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you.”

⁶ So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. ⁷ And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.

⁸ Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. ⁹ Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.

¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” ¹¹ Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

¹² So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! ¹³ Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord must die. Shall we all utterly die?”

God reveals how He works through men selected by His doing to be in oversight of God’s children, to lead them into and through the way of life. As high priest, Aaron would also be head of the tribe of Levi. Aaron’s rod was to be placed “before the testimony” (That is, the ark of the covenant) and preserved there as a warning for those rebellious Israelites in their grumblings against the Lord.

To demonstrate the validity of Aaron’s ordination, the Lord brings Aaron’s rod to blossom during the night, while the other eleven rods (representing the eleven other tribes) showed no signs of having life come through them.  This miraculous sign was to convince the people to “make an end of their grumblings” against the Lord (see v 10).

God provides a visual reminder of God’s seal of approval on the Levitical priesthood. Properly ordained and installed leadership is a blessing from God. Proper respect is due to God’s rightly called and ordained servants, mainly because they should be viewed as having been selected by God Himself — sent as a blessing, not a curse.

Aaron’s rod was revealed as having life come through it — reflecting what Aaron would be bringing as well. God reveals His strict (narrow) way to bring about that life — not desiring that there be any kind of loose understanding. To veer from the narrow way God established would lead to death — to the Israelites this was very clear. Rejoice that the Lord Himself reigns among you by His life-giving Word — working through the faithful called, ordained, and installed pastors, who utilize the means of grace that God has established to create and sustain life-giving faith through the narrow way of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen! Let us pray: Almighty God, Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Psalm 107:10-22 NKJV

¹⁰ Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
¹¹ Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
¹² Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
¹³ Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
¹⁵ Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
¹⁶ For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

¹⁷ Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
¹⁸ Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
¹⁹ Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
²⁰ He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
²¹ Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
²² Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.

Psalm 107 describes a series of trials and tribulations suffered by God’s servants, along with His continued intervention to deliver them out from all such adversities. As the psalm — through the use of waterless, trackless wasteland language — brings to remembrance the return from the Babylonian Exile as well as to the earlier wandering of the Exodus generation, it may also include any experience of being lost and trying to find one’s way back home. Also applicable would be any one or all of us, exiled from the Garden and wandering away from the face of God. That part of the psalm could then be seen as a parable of ourselves “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12)

It’s not hard to have this palm speak to us in our frustrating lives within this valley of sorrows. Our good and gracious Lord knows that this is a life of hardship and suffering and that’s exactly why he gives us these inspired words to cry out to Him.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther writes this: “The 107th psalm is a psalm of thanks for the help that God shows to all people in their distress, whether they are Gentile or Jew. This help the heathen have sought by various idols and we Christians and the heathen have sought by various saints up until now (and to a great extent still do): For example, “St. Leonard has released the prisoners , St. Bastian delivers from pestilence, St. George protects in battle, St. Erasmus makes one rich, and St. Christopher has become the god of sea and water.” We have thus divided all of God’s help among the saints, as the heathen among their idols, and have stolen and robbed from God —to whom alone this psalm is dedicated and to whom alone the psalm calls on us to thank.” (Readings the Psalms with Luther, CPH, pg. 257)

Let us pray: Lord, continue, in Your mercy, to keep the love of Christ Jesus’ merits before our eyes, to let us know of Your ever-sufficient grace in our on-going times of need. Amen.

Psalm 106:37-48 NKJV

³⁷ They even sacrificed their sons
And their daughters to demons,
³⁸ And shed innocent blood,
The blood of their sons and daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with blood.
³⁹ Thus they were defiled by their own works,
And played the harlot by their own deeds.

⁴⁰ Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people,
So that He abhorred His own inheritance.
⁴¹ And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
⁴² Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were brought into subjection under their hand.
⁴³ Many times He delivered them;
But they rebelled in their counsel,
And were brought low for their iniquity.

⁴⁴ Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,
When He heard their cry;
⁴⁵ And for their sake He remembered His covenant,
And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.
⁴⁶ He also made them to be pitied
By all those who carried them away captive.

⁴⁷ Save us, O Lord our God,
And gather us from among the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.

⁴⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord!

In the wickedness of their idolatry, the Israelites sacrificed their children to false gods, an abomination that grieved the heart of the Lord. This is not just a moral failure; it is a rejection of the one true God. It’s a picture of the total corruption that can happen when people forget God’s covenant and turn to idols.

As we hear about the shedding of innocent blood, we are reminded of the significance of sin, which often comes with consequences that defile not only the sinner but also the land and the people around them. The wrath of God is kindled, and His people are handed over to their enemies. Their distress becomes unbearable, but even in the depths of their rebellion, God does not abandon them.

Just as Israel turned to idols, so do we. While we may not sacrifice our children to Canaanite gods, we sacrifice our time, resources, and hearts to the idols of our modern world – whether they are money, power, or pleasure. We, too, are often bent on rebellion, and our sins are like the ones described here: grave, distressing, and deserving of God’s wrath.

But notice the mercy of God. Even in the midst of His people’s sin, when they cried out to Him in their distress, He responded with compassion. “Nevertheless, He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry” (verse 44). God’s people were delivered not by their own strength or goodness, but by the mercy of the Lord. In the same way, we have been delivered through Jesus Christ. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s covenant promises. His blood was shed, not to appease idols, but to cleanse us from the guilt of sin and restore our relationship with the Father. In our baptism, we are joined to Christ’s death and resurrection. Through faith in Him, we receive forgiveness, and God’s mercy triumphs over judgment. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we have placed idols in our hearts, and we have not followed Your commands. Have mercy on us, forgive our sins, and renew a right spirit within us. We thank You for Your great love shown to us in Christ. We trust in His sacrifice for our salvation. Hear our cry, O Lord, and deliver us for Jesus’ sake, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Numbers 16:26-50 NKJV

²⁶ And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.” ²⁷ So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children.

²⁸ And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. ²⁹ If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰ But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.”

³¹ Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, ³² and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. ³³ So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. ³⁴ Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!”

³⁵ And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.

³⁶ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ³⁷ “Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away. ³⁸ The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the Lord, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.” ³⁹ So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar, ⁴⁰ to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the Lord, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the Lord had said to him through Moses.

⁴¹ On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” ⁴² Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. ⁴³ Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting.

⁴⁴ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵ “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”

And they fell on their faces.

⁴⁶ So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun.” ⁴⁷ Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. ⁴⁸ And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped. ⁴⁹ Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. ⁵⁰ So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped.

Our reading for today brings a conclusion to the people’s rebellion against Moses and Aaron, God’s appointed leaders. Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and 250 men rose up to question God’s authority, leading to a deadly confrontation. For their part, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were swallowed by the earth as the ground beneath them split asunder. Verse 35 tells us that fire came forth from the Lord to consume the other 250 men of the rebellion. God commanded Moses to warn the people to distance themselves from the rebels, lest they too suffer the consequences of sin. Yet, the rebellion continued, with the congregation of the people of Israel murmuring against Moses and Aaron and ultimately God prompting an outbreak of a plague which led to the death of 14,700 people. This section of Scripture serves as a grave reminder of the seriousness of rebellion against God’s authority. It’s a sobering picture of God’s holiness and justice.

Yet, amid the judgment, there is also God’s mercy. In verse 50, we see that after Aaron made atonement, the plague was stopped. God provided a way for the Israelites to be saved, even in the face of their disobedience. This foreshadows the ultimate atonement made by Christ, who stood in the gap for us by dying on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. Although we deserve judgment for our rebellion, Christ’s atoning work on the cross brings us peace with God. Through His death and resurrection, we are spared from the eternal consequences of our sin. His grace covers all our failings.

God is holy and just, and He will not tolerate rebellion. But He is also merciful, offering us forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We, like the Israelites, are called to heed His Word, trust in His mercy, and live according to His will.

Let us pray: Almighty God, we confess that we have often rebelled against Your Word, just as the Israelites did. Forgive us for the times we have disregarded Your authority and walked in our own ways. Thank You for sending Jesus, our Savior, who atoned for our sins on the cross. Through His sacrifice, we are reconciled to You, and we have eternal life in His name. Help us to live in obedience to Your Word, trusting in Your justice and Your mercy. Strengthen our faith, and guide us in all things to Your glory, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.