Confessional Lutheran Ministerium

Psalm 59:1-17 NKJV

59 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Defend me from those who rise up against me.
² Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.

³ For look, they lie in wait for my life;
The mighty gather against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord.
⁴ They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.

Awake to help me, and behold!
⁵ You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Awake to punish all the nations;
Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah

⁶ At evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
⁷ Indeed, they belch with their mouth;
Swords are in their lips;
For they say, “Who hears?”

⁸ But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the nations in derision.
⁹ I will wait for You, O You his Strength;
For God is my defense.
¹⁰ My God of mercy shall come to meet me;
God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

¹¹ Do not slay them, lest my people forget;
Scatter them by Your power,
And bring them down,
O Lord our shield.
¹² For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be taken in their pride,
And for the cursing and lying which they speak.
¹³ Consume them in wrath, consume them,
That they may not be;
And let them know that God rules in Jacob
To the ends of the earth. Selah

¹⁴ And at evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
¹⁵ They wander up and down for food,
And howl if they are not satisfied.

¹⁶ But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
¹⁷ To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.

When studied more thoroughly, the structure of Psalm 59 is divided into halves, each of which contains, near their conclusions, the refrain “For God is my defense.” Each half also speaks of the psalmist’s enemies as a pack of vicious dogs threatening to devour him.

The context of this psalm is that sacred Passion of the Christ, by which redemption came, and the psalm’s voice is that of Christ our Lord, the only One who could make the claim of innocence found near the beginning: “They run and prepare themselves through no fault on mine.” (vs. 4) The innocence of Jesus appears frequently in the Book of Psalms, beginning as early as Psalm 7. It is one of the Christological themes shared by the Psalter and the New Testament.

Just as St. Paul was inspired to write that God, “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Surely sinlessness, blamelessness, and innocence (as such words apply to Jesus) designate far more than a merely moral trait. God’s making Jesus “to be sin” means that He was God’s chosen “sin offering,” the sacrifice for the atonement. His blamelessness, His freedom from blemish, is a quality of that offering by which we believers have been delivered from the power of sin.

Ultimately, of course, all of those Old Testament sin offerings were but a prefiguring of the truly efficacious sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross, “for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4) Psalm 58 is a prayerful description of those sufferings of the Lord Jesus, innocent but hounded by His enemies, blameless but pursued unto death, trusting in the righteousness of the righteous God to vindicate His innocence by the acceptance of that unique sacrifice by which, as the unblemished Lamb of God, He makes full satisfaction for the sin of the world.

Let us pray: O Lord, so govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of the end of all things and the day of Your judgement, we flee to Christ in faith. Amen.

Exodus 10:1-20 NKJV

10 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, ² and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”

³ So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ⁴ Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. ⁵ And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. ⁶ They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

⁷ Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

⁸ So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?”

⁹ And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.”

¹⁰ Then he said to them, “The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. ¹¹ Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.” ¹³ So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. ¹⁴ And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. ¹⁵ For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷ Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” ¹⁸ So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. ¹⁹ And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. ²⁰ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

God keeps giving Pharaoh time and chances to repent and turn form his evil ways. God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh once again. And this God exhorts, even though he saw how little Pharaoh had been moved before.

It can be likened to a faithful pastor who has a parishioner who needs visitation attempting to bring him back from the on-going despising of God’s Word and Sacraments given through God’s Divine Service week after week. The pastor is ordained and called to go time and time again to deliver God’s Word of Law — in an attempt of breaking the parishioner of their on-going sin against the 3rd Commandment, express contrition over their sin, and be brought to repentance and belief. Now, some could argue — just as some do with God and Pharaoh — that the pastor is responsible for hardening the parishioner’s heart; because if he had only left the parishioner alone his heart would not have been hardened. Again, that’s illogical. God desires no one to perish and neither does God’s faithful pastor; that’s why the warnings are mercifully given.

Also displayed within these historic events with Pharaoh is how God will use the situation for His good purposes, even though it seems like Pharaoh’s pride is winning the day. Valerius Herberger puts it this way: “Here we learn how stubborn hearts cannot hinder God’s work, no matter how evil they may be. All that ungodly hearts accomplish by resisting God and His people is to manifest more clearly their own wickedness and move God to do more wonders for His own. God also tells us what is to be learnt from every wondrous work: “That you may know that I am the Lord.” Think on this whenever you encounter a wondrous work in the Old or New Testament. The Lord our God is the Lord on whom we can rely in bodily, spiritual, and mortal distress.” (The Great Works of God, pts. V & VI, trans M. Carver, pg. 163-64, CPH) Let us pray: O Lord, we thank You for Your wondrous works that focus us on You. Grant that we ever rely on You as You give us forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ. Amen.

Exodus 9:8-35 NKJV

⁸ So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. ⁹ And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰ Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. ¹¹ And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. ¹² But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me, ¹⁴ for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. ¹⁵ Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. ¹⁶ But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. ¹⁷ As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. ¹⁸ Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. ¹⁹ Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ’ ”

²⁰ He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. ²¹ But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field.

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” ²³ And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴ So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵ And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. ²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

²⁷ And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. ²⁸ Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”

²⁹ So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. ³⁰ But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the Lord God.”

³¹ Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. ³² But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.

³³ So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. ³⁴ And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. ³⁵ So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses.

As God’s patience plays out and the plagues continue because of Pharaoh’s fake relenting, you’ll hear it said in the world of false teachings that God purposefully hardened Pharaoh’s heart. This is not true! Thankfully our Lutheran Confessions speak on this very matter and event in history. In the Formula, Solid Declaration, in Article XI on God’s Eternal Foreknowledge & Election it states:

“For these [two] facts are God’s revealed will: 1. God will receive into grace all who repent and believe Christ. 2. He will punish those who willfully turn away from the holy commandment and entangle themselves in the world’s filth (2 Peter 2:20-21), decorate their hearts for Satan (Lk 11:24-26), and despise God’s Spirit (Heb. 10:29). They will be hardened, blinded, and eternally condemned if they persist in such things… Even Pharaoh perished in this way. (Of whom it is written in Ex. 9:16…) This was not because God had begrudged him salvation or because it had been His good pleasure that Pharaoh should be damned and lost.”

The ‘hardening of Pharaoh’s heart took place by God’ needs to be understood in this way: “Pharaoh always sinned again and again and became more hardened the more he was warned. That was a punishment of his earlier sin and horrible tyranny that in many and various ways he acted inhumanly toward the children of Israel against his heart’s accusations. God caused His Word to be preached and His will to be proclaimed to Pharaoh. Nevertheless, Pharaoh willfully stood up immediately against all rebukes and warnings. Therefore, God withdrew His hand from him.” (Concordia, The Lutheran Confessions, pgs. 643-44, CPH)

The same goes for us as it did for Pharaoh. If we were to get puffed up and willfully go on sinning it wouldn’t be God bringing it about — it’d be our own fault! May the New Man in us rejoice when God chastises us, staving off pride and keeping us fixed on the fully toning merits of Christ Jesus.

Let us pray: Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word. Amen.

Exodus 8:20-32; 9:1-7 NKJV

²⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ²¹ Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. ²² And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. ²³ I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.” ’ ” ²⁴ And the Lord did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.

²⁵ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”

²⁶ And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? ²⁷ We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He will command us.”

²⁸ So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.”

²⁹ Then Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the Lord, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

³⁰ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. ³¹ And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. ³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ² For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, ³ behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence. ⁴ And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” ’ ” ⁵ Then the Lord appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”

⁶ So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. ⁷ Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.

Almighty God is not only the wrathful and just one, true God; as Psalm 5:4 says, “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You.” He is also the long-suffering (patient) God, as Psalm 103:8 proclaims: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” Both sides are displayed within this account. God had long witnessed the mischief of Pharaoh. He had already decided that He would punish him severely. Nevertheless, God took His time and did not knock Pharaoh down in one day but went slowly from one punishment to the next, to see if he still might turn and repent, and then God would change His course and cast into the fire the plague which He had originally planned for Pharaoh. Yet what God neglected by putting off Pharaoh’s just punishment, He compensated for by increasing the calamity.

In his devotional on this text, Valerious Herberger, (an early Lutheran theologian from the late 16th & early 17th centuries), emphasizes the warning that God was giving to Pharaoh in sending the swarm of mixed flies when he writes,

“Behold, “God is a righteous God” (Deut. 32:4; 2 Chron. 12:6). In addition, God here gave Pharaoh a picture of hell. Thus, would it be. Beelzebub, the king of flies, would get the better of him. The devil takes pleasure in revealing himself in the abominable form of flies, for as they love to land on clean surfaces and sully everything, he too chases the pious and corrupts every man that makes room for him. Just as Pharaoh was surrounded by buzzing, Beelzebub and his swarm murmur around Pharaoh’s body and soul in hell, giving him no rest. In other words, “Their worm shall not die” (Is.66:24; Mk. 9:48). (The Great Works of God, parts Five and Six, translation. by Matthew Carver, pg. 144, CPH)

Let us pray: Grant that You keep us ever mindful of the pride within our flesh and that You bring us to escape the torments of this fallen world, trusting in Your patient and abounding mercy through faith in the merits of Christ. Amen.

Exodus 8:1-19 NKJV

8 And the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ² But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. ³ So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. ⁴ And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.” ’ ”

⁵ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” ⁶ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷ And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

⁸ Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”

⁹ And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.”

¹⁰ So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.”

¹² Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. ¹³ So the Lord did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. ¹⁴ They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

¹⁶ So the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ” ¹⁷ And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

¹⁸ Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. ¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said.

Measure all things against the truth of God’s Word. If His Word doesn’t speak on a matter, then there’s freedom — that is, again, as long as there is no offense against God’s Word. Why mention this when reading about the events of the plague of frogs and gnats? Because of an early Church Father’s comparison, as you will read below.

The deep-thinking words of poetry can, certainly, be beautifully prosed. But it can also be total garbage if it goes against the Word for God. Sometimes people prefer to read poetry because they find lofty, supposedly freeing, words that bring reflective life questions. Again, it’s garbage if it throws doubt toward the surety and certainty of God’s Word. The early Church Fathers are known to allegorize when commenting on God’s Holy Scripture. But, when not working against the faith, their comments can help get a good point across.

Hear now the words of Isidore of Seville on the plague of frogs sent to Pharaoh and the Egyptian people:

“In the second plague frogs are brought forth. They are thought to stand figuratively for the songs of the poets. The poets have brought deceptive fables into this world, with their empty and conceited songs that are like the croaking of frogs. For the frog stands for empty loquacity [talking a great deal].” (Ancient Christian Commentary, OT III, pg. 45, InterVarsity Press)

Rejoice that God has brought the truth of His Law and Gospel Word to your ears, heart and mind! For His Holy Scripture is not filled with empty words, but the words of eternal life as they focus all who read it upon the author and perfecter of faith: Christ and His fully atoning merits for you!

Let us pray: O Lord, so rule and govern our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that, ever mindful of the end of all things and the day of Your just judgment, we may be stirred up to holiness of living here and dwell with You forever hereafter; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Exodus 7:14-25 NKJV

¹⁴ So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. ¹⁶ And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear! ¹⁷ Thus says the Lord: “By this you shall know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. ¹⁸ And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”

¹⁹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ” ²⁰ And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the Lord commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. ²¹ The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

²² Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. ²³ And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. ²⁴ So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. ²⁵ And seven days passed after the Lord had struck the river.

Pharaoh is such a thorough example of the unwise sternness of man’s pride! To not gain an understanding of how great and mighty God is to be feared, and to arrogantly walk away unfazed by Moses’ words is, honestly, just astounding. After the plague of blood is carried out, Holy Scripture states: “And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.” (vs. 23) Pharaoh preferred to heed the acts of his sorcerers, who wove a mist before his eyes. Oh, how a majority, sadly, continue to fall for this mystic thinking through the centuries, to today, and will up unto the Last Day.

But this is not shocking to God, for He knew Pharaoh’s heart and plans (as He does everyone’s). Listen to the way Valerius Herberger, (an early Lutheran theologian from the 16th & 17th centuries) brings this to light:

“Who would dare say that God does not know all things? History proves it with sun-like clarity. God knew Pharaoh’s heart, mind, attitude, thoughts, plans, and aspirations. He knew when Pharaoh went out to the water. He had all his steps surrounded. Therefore stubborn, pharaonic hearts should take heed. God sees their sinister deeds with accuracy and precision. He will certainly put them to shame. We, on the other hand, may take comfort in God’s omniscience and defy our foes to draw one step closer to us than God permits. Let them be mighty, fierce, and cunning. Pharaoh too was all of these, but God thwarted his plans. What good is it for us to be told of God’s omnipotence, wisdom, and grace if we refuse to trust in them? To fear the strength and shrewdness of man more than the omniscience and wisdom of God is a faith not Christian but worse than the Turk’s.” (The Great Works of God, parts Five and Six, translation. by Matthew Carver, pg. 125, CPH)

Let us pray: Gracious, heavenly Father, kill our pride and grant us a steadfast, rightly focused faith, that we may not doubt but be brought to take comfort in Your omnipotence and wisdom against all the gates of hell. Amen.

Psalm 58:1-11 NKJV

58 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?
Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
² No, in heart you work wickedness;
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

³ The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
⁴ Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
⁵ Which will not heed the voice of charmers,
Charming ever so skillfully.

⁶ Break their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
⁷ Let them flow away as waters which run continually;
When he bends his bow,
Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
⁸ Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes,
Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

⁹ Before your pots can feel the burning thorns,
He shall take them away as with a whirlwind,
As in His living and burning wrath.
¹⁰ The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
¹¹ So that men will say,
“Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”

It can be quite frustrating when you have a clear teaching of Holy Scripture but those of a differing confession just dig their heels in and stick with their false teaching of God’s Word. For example, those who believe in a universal objective justification (i.e. that the entire human race was forgiven and justified apart from faith), when Holy Scripture makes it very clear that justification is only through faith. Or, when all of the other protestant denominations deny the real presence of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper, when Holy Scripture at numerous places reveals that the Lord’s Body and Blood are truly present in, with, and under the bread and the wine.

Luther points out how the 58th psalm brings comfort against these stiffed-necked teachers, who pridefully hold to their false teachings, resist being corrected, and attempt to threaten the godly. He writes:

“Using five comparisons, the psalmist comforts himself that they will not carry out their intentions—yes, they will not accomplish half of them: (1) There comes at times a great flood with a terrible roar, as if it would carry away everything, but it flows away and does nothing. (2) A crossbow may be a severe threat, but when arrow, string, and bow are broken, it does nothing. (3) A slug stretches out its antennae, but before it moves, it is dried up or melted away. (4) A stillborn child enlarges the mother’s womb, as if it will come as a baby, but dies before it sees the light. (5) A thorn bush may stick out with many spikes and threaten with pricks and scratches, but before it becomes fully developed and hard, a raging hatchet deepens on it and summons the thorns into the oven to become ashes. Though all of these intended to be great and proceed with success, nevertheless nothing shall come from them.” (Reading the Psalms with Luther, pg. 137, CPH)

Let us pray: O Lord, protect us from false teachings, that the gift of faith You created in us may be preserved by the truth of Your Word properly proclaimed. Amen.

Psalm 57:1-11 NKJV

57 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.

² I will cry out to God Most High,
To God who performs all things for me.
³ He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah
God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.

⁴ My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men
Who are set on fire,
Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.

⁶ They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me;
Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah

⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
⁸ Awake, my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.

⁹ I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the nations.
¹⁰ For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.

In times of trouble and distress, Psalm 57 provides a profound example of how to find refuge in God. The psalmist pleads, “Be merciful to me, O God… for in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge” (v.1). This sentiment resonates with us, when our circumstances feel overwhelming. The imagery here beautifully illustrates His protective care for His people, inviting us to find safety and comfort in His presence.

David wrote this psalm during a time of great danger, likely while fleeing from Saul. Yet, he boldly declares, “I will cry out to God Most High… who performs all things for me” (v.2). Even in the darkest moments, we are called to cry out to God in faith, trusting that He alone can act on our behalf. Instead of relying solely on ourselves, we are reminded to direct our cries to the One who is sovereign overall.

David openly expresses his anguish, saying, “My soul is among lions” (v.4), but he also exalts God: “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens” (v.5). This shift in focus teaches us that worship, even in the midst of pain, brings God glory and changes our perspective. When we exalt Him, we are reminded of His greatness, which helps us see beyond our immediate struggles.

As the psalm progresses, David resolves to praise God: “I will sing and give praise” (v.7). Worship in adversity is a powerful act of faith, shifting our hearts from fear to hope. It reminds us that God is our strength, and His mercy and truth extend beyond all circumstances.

David concludes, “Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds” (v. 10). This declaration encapsulates the essence of his faith—a faith rooted in the unchanging character of God. His mercy and truth are not limited; they reach beyond our understanding, encompassing the entire universe. In our moments of doubt and fear, we can hold fast to this truth, knowing that God’s faithfulness will prevail.

Let us pray: Lord, help us to find refuge in You during our times of trouble. Teach us to trust in Your mercy and to sing Your praises even when circumstances are difficult. Remind us of Your greatness and faithfulness, that we may always find hope in You. Amen.

Exodus 6:28-30; 7:1-13 NKJV

²⁸ And it came to pass, on the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”

³⁰ But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”

7 So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. ² You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. ³ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. ⁵ And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

⁶ Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did. ⁷ And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ⁹ “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ” ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

¹¹ But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. ¹² For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. ¹³ And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

As Moses wrestled with feelings of inadequacy, he expressed his doubts: “I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?” (6:30). Like Moses, we often feel unequipped for God’s call. Yet God did not rebuke Moses but reassured him, saying, “I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet” (7:1). Moses’ strength did not come from himself but from God’s authority. When we act on God’s behalf, it is His power, not ours, that gives us confidence.

God instructed Moses, “You shall speak all that I command you” (v.2). The task was simple: obedience. Moses was not responsible for the outcome—that was in God’s hands. His responsibility was to speak God’s words faithfully. Like Moses, our calling is not to control the outcome but to be faithful to what God has commanded us to do.

Even so, God warned Moses that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened. “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt” (v.3). This shows that God was sovereign over the entire situation, even over Pharaoh’s resistance. Not everyone will receive His message, but that does not mean God’s plan is failing. He is at work, often in ways that we cannot see. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart would lead to God’s greater glory being revealed in Egypt.

The first sign God commanded was simple: Aaron cast down his rod, and it became a serpent (v.10). Yet, Pharaoh’s magicians performed a similar act (v.11-12). Even so, Aaron’s rod swallowed theirs, demonstrating God’s supremacy. This reminds us that while evil may appear strong, God’s power ultimately prevails.

Despite these signs, Pharaoh’s heart hardened further (v.13). This shows us that only God can change hearts. Our role is to remain faithful, trusting that God is at work, even when we encounter resistance. Let us pray: Lord, help us to trust in Your power and authority as we carry out Your work. Strengthen us to be faithful, even in the face of opposition, knowing that You are in control. Amen.

Exodus 5:22-23; 6:1-13 NKJV

²² So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? ²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

² And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them. ⁴ I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. ⁵ And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. ⁶ Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. ⁷ I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ” ⁹ So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

¹⁰ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹¹ “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”

¹² And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

After Pharaoh’s harsh response, Moses turned to the Lord in anguish, asking, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?” (v.22). Like Moses, we often wonder why following God’s will seems to lead to greater difficulties. Yet, Moses did not turn away in his confusion—he brought his distress to God in prayer.

God’s response was both powerful and reassuring: “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh” (6:1). Though Israel’s suffering had increased, God had not abandoned His people. He reminded Moses of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (v.2-3). In times of struggle, we are called to remember that God’s promises remain steadfast, even when the circumstances seem overwhelming.

God’s assurance to Israel was clear: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage” (v.6). His deliverance was not just about freeing them from slavery but fulfilling His promise to establish them as His people. God’s redemption is always complete—He rescues and redeems His people, offering hope beyond immediate suffering.

Yet when Moses delivered this message, the Israelites, burdened by anguish and cruel bondage, did not believe him (v.9). Sometimes, our suffering makes it hard to grasp God’s promises. Even when hope feels distant, God’s promises remain firm. We must trust that His deliverance will come, even if we cannot yet see it.

God reaffirmed His mission to Moses: “Go in, tell Pharaoh… to let the children of Israel go” (v.11). Though Moses doubted his own ability, saying, “How shall Pharaoh heed me?” (v.12), God’s call remained unchanged. We, too, are called to persist in our collective mission, knowing that our strength comes from God, not from ourselves. Let us pray: Lord, in our times of doubt and struggle, remind us of Your faithfulness. Strengthen us to trust Your promises and to continue in the path You have called us to, knowing that You are with us. Amen.