So soon after the Israelite slaves walked free from Egypt, laden down with the treasures of their slave masters, they turned against the God who had so graciously and with mighty works made their freedom possible. They bowed themselves before a golden calf which Aaron had made while Moses was upon Mt. Sinai speaking with God and receiving the Ten Commandments. They pretended as if they didn’t even know the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. They turned instead to a deaf, dumb, and blind statue as though it had or could do anything for them. They committed all kinds of perverse sins in their worship of their new “god”. What treachery and blasphemy! God would have been more than justified in simply destroying all of them and finding a new people to set His heart on. But He was not willing to destroy them. He loved them though they didn’t love Him. He had promised salvation to their fathers. He had promised to deliver them from Egypt and bring them to the Promised Land. He would not be unfaithful to those promises. That is who He is. He is the Lord, the Deliverer. And unless you know and believe that, then what He requires of you, of all people, will be nothing but eternal death to you. We always want to approach and know God in light of what we have done – the Law. But what does He require of you? He requires absolute and perfect fear, love, and obedience. Have you rendered it? Have you bowed your hearts and lifted your hands to false gods of your own making? Have you worshiped the Lord your God and served only Him? None can say yes to any of those questions, save One – the Christ. The Christ, Jesus, the seed of the woman, the son of David who is also God’s Son, has kept the Law on your behalf and offered His sinless life in ransom for yours, to set you free from death. He is your God. He is your Redeemer. By His Blood, you have been liberated from Satan’s tyranny. Know God through the Christ who through His Word, feeds you with His life-giving Body and Blood and makes known to you the mercy and love of God for sinners. I look forward to seeing you this coming Lord’s Day.
Pastor Ulmer