353. Saturday after Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity.
Lord, cleanse us and keep us
in the covenant with thee. Amen.
Ezekiel 16, 9-14. Then washed I thee with water: yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work: thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.
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As it was the custom of oriental princes at their own expense to robe and deck their brides with ornaments for the wedding, so the Lord cleansed and decked Israel to be his bride. By its system of sacrifices Israel was washed of its sins; through its religious service it was clothed in glory; and it was crowned a queen among the peoples with power and honor. — The true bride of the Lord is the spiritual Israel, the Christian church. In our text the prophet describes the purification and adornment of every Christian. You have sprung from sinful seed, and are unclean from your birth, and must confess with David: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” You were “cast out in the open field,” and were in a wretched condition like the man in the desert of Jericho; and no eye would have pitied you, had not Jesus come. But “I saw thee,” he says, “and I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live! Yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.” And he “washed you with water;” he washed you in baptism with the water and blood from his side; and you received forgiveness of sins and a new life. And he “anointed you with oil;” he gave you his Spirit, and made you a king and priest before God. He “clothed you also with broidered work, with fine linen and silk, and decked you also with ornaments;” he gave you his righteousness and all manner of spiritual gifts, charity, humility, patience, mercy, peace, joy, meekness, temperance. “Christ loved the church, and he gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5, 25-27). The 45th Psalm sings of the theme in this wise: “Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; so shall the king greatly desire thy beauty; for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. . . . The king’s daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework; the virgins, the companions that follow her, shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought; they shall enter into the king’s palace.” Such purity and glory did you receive in your baptism, dear Christian; and all the believers stand thus arrayed before God in the righteousness of Christ. “For thy beauty was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee,” saith this our Lord Jesus. Israel was a faithless bride to him; — be thou faithful unto the end!
Lord, give us hereto thy grace. Good Holy Spirit, faithful guide, care for us, and guard us, and keep us with the bridegroom of our souls, until thou dost conduct us to the wedding feast in heaven. This we pray thee of our innermost heart. Lord Jesus, do thou never take thy Holy Spirit from me. Amen.*
Rejoice, all ye believers,
And let your lights appear!
The evening is advancing,
And darker night is near;
The Bridegroom is arising,
And soon he draweth nigh;
Up! pray, and watch, and wrestle!
At midnight comes the cry.
The watchers on the mountain
Proclaim the Bridegroom near;
Go meet him as he cometh,
With hallelujahs clear.
The marriage-feast is waiting,
The gates wide open stand;
Up, up, ye heirs of glory!
The Bridegroom is at hand.
[TLH 72 (listen here); alt.: LSB 515, ELH 543]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.