Living sacrifices

Joseph Ratzinger comments on Romans 12:1 — “We ask that the Logos, Christ, who is the true sacrifice, may himself draw us into his act of sacrifice, may ‘logify' us, make us ‘more consistent with the word,' ‘more truly rational,' so that his sacrifice may become ours and may be accepted by God as ours, may be able to be accounted as ours. We pray that his presence might pick us up, so that we become ‘one body and one spirit' with him.” (https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/leithart/2017/02/living-sacrifices)

New Year's resolutions

Great ideas for New Year's resolutions from https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/five-resolutions-every-lutheran-keep

“The ball dropped last month, and 2016 was in the history books. There were ups and downs, surprises and near misses. There was great excitement when we thought some of the crazier predictions of an “old” movie might actually come true (alas, the Cubs didn’t win it all), and there was great disappointment when the highest court in our land trampled on, rather than upheld, marriage and family in our country. Today, however, is not for reminiscing about what would/could/should have been. It is, after all, a new year, full of hopes, dreams and new beginnings.

So, in the spirit of the new year, let’s look at five resolutions every Lutheran should keep in 2017 (and beyond):

Remember your Baptism.

It makes sense to start at the very foundation of our new life in Christ. Take this new year to remember that you’re a new you on account of your Baptism into Christ. It wasn’t just plain water sprinkled on your forehead. It was done at God’s command and with His Word. You now have forgiveness, life and salvation! Rejoice in this “washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5b–6).

Do you still regret something from the past year or from long ago? Baptism now saves you! Have you already failed in one or more of your resolutions to eat better and exercise? These things are good, but your salvation does not depend on them. It depends on Christ! So drown and bury that guilt along with all your sins and evil desires “in daily contrition and repentance” (Small Catechism) and look “to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2a).

Go to church regularly and receive Christ’s body and blood.

This seems obvious so why mention it? Think about this: Eating right is good for us, yet we still make this resolution every year. That’s because in spite of the clear benefits to healthy eating, we still don’t do it. The same is true of attending church, that is, of hearing God’s Word and receiving Christ’s body and blood. We know it’s good for us, and yet we’re quick to make excuses and do other things that either serve to starve our faith or feed it such rubbish that it suffers instead of strengthens.

So, if eating healthy is important (3 times a day too!), then it’s infinitely more important for us to continually have preached into our hearts the Law that kills and the Gospel that makes alive and gives comfort in every need.

It’s tempting to look for this comfort outside of the church, to think that we’re in communion with God while camping or to think that we can substitute volunteer work for Sunday morning worship. Sadly, these are lies of the devil. God is everywhere (omnipresent), yes, but only in His Word and Sacraments is He present for you, forgiving your sins and healing your broken heart. He even gives His very body and blood, given and shed for you as a testament. He’s attached Himself to these things and promised to be there for you. To look for Jesus outside these means of grace is foolish.

But isn’t the church just full of sinners? Of course it is! That’s the point. We shouldn’t be surprised when sinners gather in the place where forgiveness is promised.

Support your pastor and the work of your congregation.

It’s true: Your pastor’s a sinner too. It’s also true that he’s the sinner whom God has called to publicly proclaim His Word and administer His Sacraments in that place. There’s an obvious financial obligation that Christians have to support the under-shepherd whom God has given for “you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and “The laborer is due his wages” (1 Tim. 5:18). Practically speaking, if your pastor is overly anxious about how to care for his family, then how’s he going to adequately care for the members of the congregation?

Unquestionably, there are other ways to support your pastor as well. Cards and notes are especially appreciated. You could also pray for him. Chances are he’s already praying for you so why not return the favor? Furthermore, imagine the church where everyone is constantly praying for everyone else! And what if these same people (you included) regularly confessed their sins to each other and forgave one another? The pastor would rejoice, and the devil would flee from such a wonderful thing.

There are other aspects of your congregation that would benefit from support as well: potluck meals can’t happen without Jell-o molds and casseroles, and the preschoolers cherish each and every moment that someone takes the time to read to them. We all have unique God-given skills and talents that can be exercised as we care and love each other.

Encourage the families of your church.

There is more to this than it seems at first blush. Families here mean everyone from singles to single parents, from the widowed and orphaned to the traditional nuclear family. No one is left out.

There are some in your church family whose children have moved away and cherish time with their brothers and sisters in Christ. There are others who struggle with things you can’t imagine.

So, while “families” in this article is defined rather loosely, encouragement isn’t. It means nothing less than for us to live in a constant state of forgiving one another and directing each other to Word and Sacrament, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:25).

There’s also a particular encouragement that can be shown to families who struggle to bring their children to church Sunday morning. Let’s face it: 60 to 90 minutes of sitting still and being quiet can sometimes be hard for adults, let alone for young children. What’s worse is that we can make the parent’s job more difficult by paying more attention to a fussy child than to what’s going on in the service.

On the other hand, there are ways to provide real encouragement to these families by thanking the parents and loving every minute that their children are in the service, regardless of noise. Let them know that it’s a blessing (and not a burden) for them to be there that morning receiving God’s good and gracious gifts alongside everyone else. Share resources with them so they can teach their children about the blessing of church. Regularity in the liturgy is also helpful, as parents and children can participate from memory, in spite of the times they’re distracted by each other.

Make a bold confession.

Of all the resolutions on this list, this one might scare you the most. Yet it’s also a privilege boldly to confess Christ in our various callings in life. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that you should stand on the street corner and thump your Bible. It does mean, however, that there are many opportunities to share the hope that lies within us on a daily basis.

Perhaps your waitress expresses a burden that she’s bearing. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Maybe your neighbor is troubled by a recent crime spree. Jesus says, “My peace I give to you . . . Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). Or your spouse feels like they have been cut off from God’s (or your) love. St. Paul says, “For I am sure that neither death not life, nor angels nor rulers . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39).

What makes confessions like these bold is not the strength of the speaker. Rather, the boldness rests squarely on the strength of whom they speak. Quite simply, the confession, however weak, is bold on account of Christ. “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).

Who knows how this year will turn out? We don’t, but the Lord does. And He has uniquely prepared our crosses and our good works. There will be times when we slip and fall short in keeping these resolutions or neglect them, yet do not lose heart. Jesus loves you and forgives you! Where we have failed, He has not. His resolve to suffer on the cross and rise on the third day was for you, and it did not falter.”

Exegetical notes on Psalm 119:1–8

• Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the psalter, takes the form of an acrostic poem, with 22 stanzas each starting with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet (each stanza is comprised of 8 lines).

• It starts with a double beatitude (Ps 119:1–3): “Happy the ones who are on the right path” — the “right path” being those walking the Torah of YHWH, and further elaborated in vv2–3 (Gerstenberger 2001, 15:311).

• “Torah” is the ‘vehicle of [YHWH’s] will’ (Gerstenberger 2001, 15:311).

• Beatitudes are usually individual (e.g. Psalm 1) but here the addressee is plural i.e. a community.

• ‘The psalm on the whole is full of prayer language and personal prayer forms’ (Gerstenberger 2001, 15:312).

• Gerstenberger (2001) suggests the genre of the psalm is a ‘portrait of a confessor’ given the ‘overwhelming preponderance of “I” discourse, the equally astounding prevalence of personal prayer language from v4 to v176, together with the general thrust of presenting a model of a Yahweh believer and student of Torah’ (Gerstenberger 2001, 15:315), and therefore served as a model for the whole community (perhaps recited in worship). Hossfeld and Zenger (2011, 256) sees the psalm as a ‘a petition for rescue from manifold threats,’ with the rescue taking place through the Torah.

• Concerning genre, deClaissé-Walford (2014, 885) says the following: ‘The singer of Psalm 119 weaves together words of lament, petition, trust, and exuberant joy in this marvellous ode to the instruction (tôrâ) of YHWH.’

• ‘Like a ring of eight bells, eight synonyms for Scripture dominate the psalm’ (Kidner 1975, 16:452):
  1. ‘Law’ (tôrâ)
  2. ‘Testimonies’ (ʿēdôt)
  3. ‘Precepts’ (piqqūdîm)
  4. ‘Statutes’ (ḥuqqîm)
  5. ‘Commandments’ (miṣwôt)
  6. ‘Ordinances’ (mišpāṭîm)
  7. ‘Word’ (dābār)
  8. ‘Promise’ or ‘word’ (ʾimrâ)
  9. Also, ‘thy ways’(e.g. v3, 37)

• ‘While each synonym carries a slightly different nuance of meaning, little is gained by attempting to distinguish a separate meaning, theological or otherwise, for each of them.’ (deClaissé-Walford 2014, 872).

• While these synonyms are used extensively (6 or more instances in all stanzas), ‘Psalm 119 never actually defines or speaks of the origin of the instruction of Yahweh. Moses, Sinai, the content of the instruction are never mentioned. … [Throughout] Psalm 119 tôrâ is a monolithic presence, consisting of individual laws and teachings to be sure, but described in only the most general terms, namely the 8 interchangeable tôrâ-words … Tôrâ has become for the psalmist much more than the laws by which Israel should live, as given in the Pentateuch; tôrâ has become a personal way to God.’ (deClaissé-Walford 2014, 886).

• ‘In Psalm 119, then, the instruction of Yahweh is not presented as a strict set of rules and regulations, but a way of life or approach to being that brings one closer to God.’ (deClaissé-Walford 2014, 886).

• Hossfeld and Zenger (2011, 256) liken the psalm to typical wisdom literature because it begins with a couplet of beatitudes, explores the idea of life as a journey, exhorts the learning Torah, and presents a sharp contrast between the Torah-devotee and wicked person.

• Though long, the psalm is not excessively long, formulaic, contentless, redundant, or derivative. Rather, ‘this psalm is a work of literary artistry whose uniqueness one must appreciate in order to grasp its theological dynamics’ (Hossfeld and Zenger 2011, 257). Why? ‘This poetic technique [acrostic] is not mere “scholastic gamesmanship,” but was deliberately chosen by the author of the psalm as appropriate to his theological intention and in service to the pragmatics of his psalm’
  1. It uses all 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet at the start of each line, indicating totality and fullness.
  2. The use of the alphabet resonates with the consistency, fixed, and immovable order of the Torah.
  3. It explores the idea that ‘YHWH’s Torah is present as “writing”’ i.e. the sequence of the alphabet spells out the Torah as the Word of YHWH in the form of letters.
  4. The world of the Torah-devotee is ordered, compared with the distorted and hostile chaos of the wicked.

• Hossfeld and Zenger (2011, 260), citing Levenson, highlight the importance of the long length of the psalm:

‘If the goal of the author was to create the psychic conditions conducive to the spiritual experience he seeks, then those commentators who wish the psalm were shorter have missed the point of it. Its idea can be communicated in a verse or two, indeed in any verse or two of the 176. But merely knowing the theology is not equivalent to being in the state of mind that comes from reading it in a deliberate and reflective fashion, such as that which the medieval Catholics called lectio divina. There are liturgies that are best short, and others, like Psalm 119, that work only if they are long.’ (Hossfeld and Zenger 2011, 260)

• ‘Here we encounter the specific uniqueness of Psalm 119: it intends by the form of its language to unlock the Torah as the medium of God’s indwelling in those who pray this psalm’ (Hossfeld and Zenger 2011, 260).

• Similarly, deClaissé-Walford (2014, 870), citing Adele Berlin (writing about Psalm 145, another acrostic), says: ‘The poet praises God with everything from A to Z: his praise is all-inclusive. More than that, the entire alphabet, the source of all words, is marshalled praise of God. One cannot actually use all of the words in a language, but by using the alphabet one uses all potential words.’

• Hossfeld and Zenger (2011) suggest vv1–4 celebrates the ideal way of life with the perfection of the Torah leading to utmost happiness, whereas vv5–8 is a prayer confronting real life. ‘On the one hand, he [the psalmist] wants to realize this ideal because if he does so he will not be put to shame, but, on the other hand, he is aware that his way of life does not always correspond to this ideal’ (Hossfeld and Zenger 2011, 266).

• ‘Psalm 119 begins with the words Content (ʾašrê) are the ones whose way is sincere, the ones who walk in the instruction (tôrâ) of the LORD. It is recited at the Feast of Pentecost, the spring festival observed fifty days after Passover, which celebrates the giving of the torah to Moses at Sinai during the wilderness wanderings.’ (deClaissé-Walford 2014, 870).

• “Blameless”
  • Like Noah (Gen 6:9) and Abraham (Gen 17:1)
• “Who walk in the law of the Lord”
  • Walking in the law of the Lord is ‘habitual holiness.’ ‘To them religion is nothing out of the way, it is their everyday walk: it molds their common actions as well as their special devotions. … The holy life is a steady progress, a quiet advance, a lasting continuance. … They do not consult it now and then as a sort of rectifier of their wanderings, but they use it as a chart for their daily sailing, a map of the road for their life-journey.’ (Spurgeon 1993, 176).
• “Wicked”
  • ‘The wisdom tradition speaks in v 3a when the “perfect” way of life is described by way of contrast, as excluding the doing of “wrong” (עולה) toward the neighbour.’ (Hossfeld and Zenger 2005, 265).
• “Keep (שׁמר) very much (מְאֹד)”
  • This is a precise and complete keeping of the commandments, diligently, whole and very exact
• “Then I would not be ashamed”
  • ‘This directness in following YHWH’s Torah is, according to Josh 1:7, the precondition for living a successful life—and not “being put to shame,” that is, failing (for this motif, in light of the shaming of the wicked and evildoers, cf. especially Pss 6:11; 35:26; 40:15 = 70:3; 83:18)’ (Hossfeld and Zenger 2011, 266).
  • For NT link concerning shame, see 1 Pet 2:6, Heb 12:2, Rom 9:33, 10:11 (search root:αισχρος).
  • ‘Among North Americans, honor and shame often refer to a psychological state — a person’s internal moral character or the actions that reflect that character. In the world of the Bible and in traditional Mediterranean societies, however, honor and shame are social values determinative of a person’s identity and social status. Honor is a person’s claim to self-worth and the social acknowledgment of that claim—i.e., honor is a person’s public reputation which constitutes his or her identity. Shame is a person’s concern for reputation. It is a positive value by which one seeks to maintain or protect his or her honor. If one is unable to maintain his honor, or if his peers do not acknowledge his claim to self-worth, then the person is shamed, i.e., dishonored and disgraced’ (Simkins 2000, 603)
  • ‘By contrast [to Western culture], studies of honor and shame in the Mediterranean region introduce us to societies that are based not on individuals but on families, clans, and lineages. … This creates a different system of values and morals from what we know in Western modern and postmodern societies. … The fundamental importance of kinship for identity and status becomes visible in Paul’s arguments.’ (Moxnes 1996, 27).
• “Oh that my ways were steadfast”
  • ‘We must ask the Lord to work in us, or we shall never work out his commandments’ (Spurgeon 1993, 179).
  • ‘Our ways are by nature opposed to the way of God, and must be turned by the Lord’s direction in another direction from that which they originally take or they will lead us down to destruction.’ (Spurgeon 1993, 179).
• “I will give you thanks with an upright heart”
  • יָדָה (yā·ḏāh) means to
  1. express praise, extol, i.e., make a public confession of the attributes and acts of power of a person
  2. give thanks, i.e., give an expression of praise for a person
  3. confess, make an admission, i.e., to publicly admit to something, usually a wrong of some kind (Swanson 1997).
  • ‘The primary meaning of this root is “to acknowledge or confess sin, God’s character and works, or man’s character.” … It was used to convey the acknowledgment or confession of sin, individually or nationally. … [It was used] to express one’s public proclamation or declaration (confession) of God’s attributes and his works. This concept is at the heart of the meaning of praise. … The O.T. does not have our independent concept of thanks. The expression of thanks to God is included in praise, it is a way of praising.’ (Harris, Archer, and Waltke 1999, 365).
  • The LXX connects yā·ḏāh with confession (of sin), highlighting the Hebraic emphasis on sin
    • See Rom 14:11–12: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.’ (ESV)
    • See Phil 2:10–11: ‘At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (ESV)
  • However, there is also a connection with “thank-offering” (תּוֹדָה — tôdâ) which is a ‘cognate noun, being derived from yādâ, [and] basically means “confession,” either of sin or of God’s character and works. The term was employed uniquely in reference to the sacrificial system of Israel. One could bring a “thank-offering” (or “praise-offering”) in which he would make declarations of praise to God and/or confession of sin to God as he offered his sacrifice. When the accompanying confession concerned sin, the offering was classified as a “peace-offering” and was so offered in order that the individual may be accepted before God.’ (Harris, Archer, and Waltke 1999, 365). This serves as a connection to the Lord’s Supper, which is the thank-offering of the New Covenant.
• “Do not utterly forsake me”
  • See Ps 22:1 – ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me?’

References

deClaissé-Walford, Nancy. 2014. Book Five of the Psalter: Psalms 107–150. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT). Eerdmans.

Gerstenberger, Erhard. 2001. Psalms Part 2, and Lamentations. Vol. 15. The Forms of the Old Testament Literature. W B Eerdmans.

Harris, R L, G L Archer, and B K Waltke, eds. 1999. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT). Moody Press.

Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. 2005. Psalms 2: A Commentary on Psalms 51–100. Hermeneia — a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Fortress Press.

———. 2011. Psalms 3: A Commentary on Psalms 101–150. Hermeneia — a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Fortress Press.

Kidner, Derek. 1975. Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 16. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. InterVarsity Press.

Moxnes, Halvor. 1996. “Honor and Shame.” In The Social Sciences and New Testament Interpretation, edited by R. L. Rohrbaugh, 19–40. Hendrickson. http://g.christianbook.com/g/pdf/hp/1565634101-ch01.pdf.

Simkins, Ronald A. 2000. “Honor, Shame.” In Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, edited by David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, 603–4. Eerdmans.

Spurgeon, Charles. 1993. Psalms, Volume 2. Crossway Classic Commentaries. Crossway Books.

Swanson, James. 1997. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek New Testament (DBL). Logos. Logos Research Systems.