54. Monday after Epiphany.
Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
Genesis 17, 1-6. And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God: walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
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Out of his love God has chosen Abraham, and made a covenant with him in the faith. This is pure grace. He says: “I am thy God, and thou art my servant. I bless thee; do thou with full confidence give thyself to me. I make my face to shine upon thee; do thou walk before me in this light.” But this is a covenant with us also, if we believe; for it is an everlasting covenant with all the children of Abraham; that is, all who believe unto the end.
It is a covenant with each one of us, a precious and blessed covenant between God and my heart. The almighty God has promised to protect me, and has said that I shall walk before his face; and hereby he effects that I do according to his word. He is my commander, and he orders me to be perfect; that is, thoroughly honest of purpose, with no wish to cater to any sin, or to compound with the flesh. He has given me grace to believe; and hence I trust in him, and love him, and find happiness in walking before his face. The covenant is not one in the spirit of bondage, but in the spirit of the adoption of sons, and in a good conscience.
It is a covenant with all Israel. God promises his church that it shall be extended to embrace all peoples; which promise is implied in the change of the name Abram to the covenant name Abraham. Say to Sarai, who was childless, that she shall become the mother of great multitudes. “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth with singing, and cry aloud, that thou didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the gentiles, and make the desolate places to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 54).
Abraham had been kept waiting until he was 99 years old, and Isaac was given him by a miracle; afterwards he sacrificed him, and was again given him by a new miracle. Herein there is a valuable lesson for us; study it, and let it edify you.
Gracious God, give us faith, and increase our faith. Help us to walk before thee. Confirm us in thy covenant, that against hope we may believe in hope and await the fulfillment of thy promise. Amen.*
When tempests shake the world around,
The rock-built Church secure is found;
The gates of hell may here assail
Whom Christ defends, but not prevail.
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Be praise: do thou, whom we adore,
Teach us to praise thee evermore.
[ELH 68; sheet music here, listen here]
* 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.