Friday, May 31, 2024

Compare, Catechism, Context

 


God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Compare, Catechism and Context, and my focus is our first reading (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Are you a stat head? I was writing the first part of this sermon on Friday, May 24, as I was waiting for my stepson to pick me up to take me to the Pirates-Braves game. He’s a Braves fan, and I wanted to inform him that the Pirates beat the Braves 1115 times, and lost 1050 games. The Braves made 18 World Series appearances, and won 4 times. The Pirates made 9 appearances, and won 5 championships. If you are interested, you can find all these comparisons on stathead.com.

People like to compare everything under the sun: sports teams and players, restaurants, grocery stores, vehicles, religious denominations, apples and oranges. The list is endless. I open with Compare because in a moment, we are going to compare the 3rd Commandment from Exodus and Deuteronomy.

The word compare means to examine the character or qualities of things to discover resemblances or differences. The word comes to us from the Latin comparare, meaning to liken, and is composed of two smaller words. Com means with or together, and par means equal. Look at that, I mentioned two sports in one sermon!

If we compare the second and fifth books of the Pentateuch, we see that Exodus is the account of the going forth from Egypt by the Hebrew people. In addition to that liberation, the book establishes the law and dwelling at Mt. Sinai. Deuteronomy is a law book, and literally means “second law.”

Reading a law book is not something most people do for pleasure. They read it for a purpose. In Deuteronomy, the purpose is to understand justice – in this case that God’s justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:24) Unfortunately, this important point is lost on many Christians. “The purpose of the law is to outline a level of moral performance compatible with the self-revelation of Israel’s God and Israel’s high calling. The care to regulate life by law, one of the chief characteristics of Judaism, is seen in the adaption of an ancient legal tradition to new situations.”[1] This was the case in Deuteronomy, written 40 years after the Commandments in Exodus.

In Dt 16:20, we read, “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” We continue to hear this message not only from the prophets, but also from Jesus. Hence, the law of God in Deuteronomy comes down on the side of widows, the fatherless and aliens.

Unlike the Ten Commandments in Exodus, Deuteronomy’s are prefaced by Moses speaking to the people. He summons them to himself so that they may hear these Commandments, reminding them that they first heard them on the mountain 40 years earlier.

In a side-by-side comparison, the first two Commandments in Deuteronomy (5:6-11) are verbatim of Exodus (20:1-7). But when we get to the Third Commandment, Exodus opens with remember, and Deuteronomy with observe. They both tell us that the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord God, and no one, including livestock, is to do any work. Deuteronomy specifies ox and donkey among the livestock, and repeats the importance of servants resting.

While Exodus reminds the reader that God rested on the seventh day after He created the heaven and the earth, Deuteronomy states that the people should “remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” (5:11) So, the first account recalls creation, and the second, the Exodus event, Passover. My study of this passage indicated that unlike the ties of this commandment to creation, Deuteronomy’s is tied to a humanitarian motive. Even if the people did not personally experience their freedom from slavery, Moses reminded them that God did this wonderful thing for you. Therefore, keep the Sabbath holy and it will go well for you and yours.

Now, if you remember from the bulletin, I was at the Pastor’s Conference a few weeks ago. Our speaker was Rev. Dr. Andrew Steinmann, Professor Emeritus of Theology and Hebrew at Concordia University Chicago. When you have a chance to ask a pertinent question to someone of that caliber, you don’t take a pass. I asked him about the two versions of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) in Exodus and Deuteronomy, especially the 3rd Commandment, and he pointed me to an article he had written last year.[2]

The article analyzed the Decalogue and defended the pedagogical use of it in Luther’s catechisms. Dr. Steinmann concluded that “literary analysis is useful in helping to determine the message and meaning of the biblical text. However, literary analysis is not and should never be the final arbiter of how the Christian faith is taught.”[3] With that, we move from Compare to Catechism.

The people in Deuteronomy did not experience the Exodus as did the previous generation. They needed to be reminded of their faith and what God had done for them. The Decalogue, like Lutheran teaching, is Gospel and Law. God brought forth people from slavery (Gospel) and commanded them to observe and avoid certain actions (Law). 500 years ago, Martin Luther discovered upon his visits to churches that the faith was not being taught by pastors or the fathers in the families. Like Moses, Luther set about teaching the faith to a new generation.

When we turn to the Third Commandment in the Small Catechism, we read, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” It means that “We should fear and love God so that we do not despair preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” Citing the passage of Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38-42), the Catechism tells us that “As Christians, God’s Word leads us to delight in His wondrous works of creation and redemption.” God’s Word opens our eyes to see all of His good works.

Are your eyes opened when God’s Word is read to you when we gather for worship on Sundays? Do you read Genesis or the Psalms and marvel at what God has created for you to enjoy? Do your hearts swell when you hear of the love that Jesus Christ pours out for you on the Cross or in His Last Supper? Do you take to heart a pastor’s sermon or simply tolerate it?

The Small Catechism goes on to explain the Sabbath day and the necessity of rest, as well as the need to read and reflect upon God’s Word. Sadly, there are Christians, and maybe even some who hear or read these words, who loathe and reject Scripture because it is the sole authority on how to live. And so, by devoting ourselves to reading the Word both in private devotion and in public worship, we follow the example of the first followers of Jesus Christ. In Acts, we read, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (2:42)

Today, the significance of the Third Commandment does not require us to observe the Sabbath as in the Old Testament, but it still applies to our Christian life and worship. We need physical rest from our labors. As I have aged, I realized several years ago when I was working for a catering company in Naperville, Illinois, where I loaded and unloaded vans and trucks with food, beverages, dishes and utensils, that my body needed a short rest when I got home. Since I have returned to the area, my property needs constant upkeep. After a full day of working outside, I need a rest the following day. As you age, you may discover the same.

We need physical rest, but we also need rest from the “impossible task of seeking security, righteousness, and salvation through our efforts, works and accomplishments.” The Catechism points to Jesus as the One who calls us to rest a while (Mk 6:31). Our Lord and Master said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) He gives us spiritual rest from our sins, and because Christ does so, we will only find it when we are in the Word every day.

But even if we are in the Word every day, we still need to gather together as believers. When the solar eclipse occurred recently, people remarked about the necessity of gathering together to experience it. It is true that there is something special in the gathering with others for events: sports, weddings, funerals, confirmations, military retirements, baptisms, and even family gatherings at Christmas and other holidays. To a greater degree, gathering together for worship where God is present as His Word is proclaimed and His Sacraments are administered through the Means of Grace are most valuable. To hear the voice of the Shepherd through the pastor is not merely informative, but it is care for your soul, the balm of Gilead.

Lastly, we need one another. When I don’t see someone in church for weeks or months, I contact them to see if everything is alright. I am also happy that we have people who take time to visit people confined to their homes or personal care homes.

Friends, if you do not have a Small Catechism, you should purchase one and read it as a devotional book. Now, not many of you have a copy of the Book of Concord, however, it is available online. One valuable work in the Book of Concord is Luther’s Large Catechism. In addition to what is taught in the Small Catechism, Luther reminds us that though the Third Commandment does not apply to Christians in the outward sense, keeping the Sabbath as the Jews did, there is the matter of freedom through Christ to keep it. We keep it because we love God.

Luther reminds us that Sunday has been appointed as the Lord’s Day, and that our way of worship should be orderly (1 Cor 14:40). He writes that since we have God’s Word readily available to us, we should be in the Word not only on Sunday, but daily. Most importantly, as adults, we should teach young people the Commandments, Creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Sacraments, all of which we covered over the past year.

Why should we do this? Luther tells us that the Word sanctifies us righteous men and women. He wrote, “Do not think that [being in the Word daily] is optional for you or of no great importance. Think that it is God’s commandment, who will require an account from you about how you have heard, learned, and honored His Word.”[4] He quotes Romans 14:12, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” There is more that Luther wrote, but let me put it this way for you. Start reading God’s Word. Start trusting God’s Word.

That said, let’s put the Third Commandment into some Context, my third point. I spend a good amount of time in God’s Word. Being in the Word is what I do early in the morning. I spend time reading and praying the Psalms and a chapter of the Bible. I take time to research not only commentaries, but also the sermons of the Church Fathers and Luther.

Why do I spend time in God’s Word? I do so as an act of love for you. It's an act of love because the Word of God is not always comforting, but can be challenging. If I am not reading, studying and contemplating God’s Word to preach it to you, then I bring judgment upon myself by neglecting my duties.

Why should you spend time in God’s Word? I will leave that answer to Luther. “The Word is so effective that whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard and used, it is bound to never be without fruit (Isa 55:11; Mk 4:20). It always awakens new understanding, pleasure and devoutness and produces a pure heart and pure thoughts (Phil 4:8). For these words are not lazy or dead, but are creative, living words (Heb 4:12). And even though no other interest or necessity moves us, this truth ought to urge everyone to the Word, because thereby the devil is put to flight and driven away (Jas 4:7). Besides, this commandment is fulfilled and this exercise in the Word is more pleasing to God than any work of hypocrisy, however brilliant.”[5]

Friends, there is enough hypocrisy around and talkers do little to nothing to benefit our souls. The Bible, however, offers brilliant insights that fulfill our lives. Share God’s Word with your family and neighbors. Share God’s Word especially with the children in your life – your grandchildren and children, your friends’ children and your neighbors’. Invite them not only to our Vacation Bible School, but also to our Sunday Worship. Why should they go elsewhere when the Means of God’s Grace through Word and Sacrament are offered here? Lastly, if you are not reading God’s Word every day, start reading and start trusting. And may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.



[1] Joseph Blenkinsopp, “Deuteronomy,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. (1990), p. 95.

[2] Andrew E. Steinmann, “Research Note: On the Numbering and Teaching of the Decalogue,” Concordia Theological Quarterly 87 (2023), pp. 353-357.

[3] Ibid., p. 357.

[4] Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (2005). p. 396 ¶98

[5] ¶102

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