1The Psalm for this coming Sunday is Psalm19 with the key verse v.8; ‘the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes,’ which corresponds to John 6:68 —“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
God's precepts, rejoice the heart of the godly. They are not felt as stern commands, but as gracious intimations of what God desires man to do for his own good. The commandment of the Lord is pure; i.e. spotless, clean, without fault. Compare this with verse 7, ‘The Law of the Lord is perfect’. Enlightening the eyes; i.e. giving light to the intellect.
The eyes are mentioned, as it is by them that we see where to go. The reference here is undoubtedly to the mind or soul as being enlightened by the truth of God. We are made by these commandments to see what is right and proper; to understand what we should do. Thus, the Catechism teaches that the Holy Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps us” as we are drawn by the word of Christ.
In this psalm, David reminds us once again and emphasizes the excellence of God’s Law. The Theme of the Day reminds us that eternal life is in the words of Christ and not in the words of the Law.
Collect for Psalm 19: Heavenly Father, you have filled the world with beauty. Open our eyes to see your gracious hand in all your works that rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness, for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 2
Sources:
1. Illustration of Jesus turning the tables in the Temple is from a woodcut by Baron Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872, a distinguished German artist known especially for his book, The Book of Books in Pictures. Copyright © WLS permission granted for personal and congregational use.
2. Collect for Psalm 19, For All the Saints, A Prayer book for and by the Church, Vol.III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
No comments:
Post a Comment