Baruch 4:21-29

21 Take courage, my children, cry to God,

and he will deliver you from the power and hand of the enemy.

22 For I have put my hope in the Everlasting to save you,

and joy has come to me from the Holy One,

because of the mercy that will soon come to you

from your everlasting savior.

23 For I sent you out with sorrow and weeping,

but God will give you back to me with joy and gladness forever.

24 For as the neighbors of Zion have now seen your capture,

so they soon will see your salvation by God,

which will come to you with great glory

and with the splendor of the Everlasting.

25 My children, endure with patience the wrath that has come upon you from God.

Your enemy has overtaken you,

but you will soon see their destruction

and will tread upon their necks.

26 My pampered children have traveled rough roads;

they were taken away like a flock carried off by the enemy.

27 Take courage, my children, and cry to God,

for you will be remembered by the one who brought this upon you.

28 For just as you were disposed to go astray from God,

return with tenfold zeal to seek him.

29 For the one who brought these calamities upon you

will bring you everlasting joy with your salvation. (Baruch 4:21-29, NRSV)

The Book of Baruch closes with a “Poem of comfort and restoration” (Bar. 4:5-5:9, by the analysis of Mark E. Biddle, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Bar. 4:5-5:9), which includes two speeches made by Jerusalem personified. Wisdom has been personified earlier, for example, in 3:15, “Who has found her place?/And who has entered her storehouses?” (cf. v. 14; Prov. 3:16; 8:14), which may lead into the personification of Jerusalem. “Jerusalem speaks to her neighbors (i.e. neighboring cities)” (Biddle, on Bar. 4:9b-16); then she “encourages her exiled children” (Biddle on vv. 17-29) in the verses which constitute our reading for today.

So the voice that advises to “”Take courage, my children, cry to God,/and he will deliver you from the power and hand of the enemy” Bar. 4:21) is the voice of personified Jerusalem. She hopes “in the Everlasting to save you,” and has received joy “from the Holy One” (v. 32). Although she sent out the exiles “with sorrow and weeping,” she expects that “God will give you back to me with joy and gladness forever” (v. 23). The “neighbors of Zion” have seen their capture, but will soon “see your salvation by God” (v. 24). But Jerusalem’s children are to “endure with patience the wrath that has come upon” them “from God” (v. 25a). They will soon see the destruction of their enemies (v. 25b), and though they “have traveled rough roads” and “were taken away like a flock carried off by the enemy” (v. 26), it’s time to “take courage,” for they “will be remembered by the one who brought this upon you [that is, God]”(v. 27b), and they are to “return with tenfold zeal to seek him” (v. 28b).

For the one who brought these calamities upon you

will bring you everlasting joy with your salvation. (v. 29)

Jeremiah 31:10-14

10 Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,

and declare it in the coastlands far away;

say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him,

and will keep him as a shepherd a flock."

11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob,

and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,

and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD,

over the grain, the wine, and the oil,

and over the young of the flock and the herd;

their life shall become like a watered garden,

and they shall never languish again.

13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,

and the young men and the old shall be merry.

I will turn their mourning into joy,

I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness,

and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,

says the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:10-14, NRSV)

These lines from Jeremiah come from what has been called the “Book of Consolation” (Jer. 30:1-31:40; cf. Victor R. Gold & William L. Holladay, NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Jer. 30:1-31:40; and Mark E. Biddle, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on the same passage). Today’s reading describes a “Homecoming. God will assemble the dispersed in their homeland (Isa. 35:5-10; Ps. 23:2-3)” (Gold & Holladay on Jer. 31:7-14; cf. Biddle on the same passage). “He who scattered Israel will gather him,/and will keep him as a shepherd a flock” (Jer. 31:10b). “For the LORD has ransomed Jacob . . . has redeemed him from hands too strong for him” (v. 11). They shall again rejoice in the bounty of their land (v. 12), dance and be merry (v. 13a), for the LORD “will turn their mourning into joy . . . comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow” (v. 13b). The normal temple worship will resume for the priests will be given “their fill of fatness” and “my [that is, the LORD’s] people shall be satisfied with my bounty” (v. 14).

Galatians 3:15-22

The Promise to Abraham (Cp Gen 12.1-3)

15 Brothers and sisters, I give an example from daily life: once a person's will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, "And to offsprings,"as of many; but it says, "And to your offspring," that is, to one person, who is Christ. 17 My point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.

The Purpose of the Law

19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator. 20 Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God is one.

21 Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law. 22 But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:15-22, NRSV)

Paul continues to support his thesis (Gal. 2:15-21, cf. comments yesterday, December 22, 2005, Thursday of the 4^th wk. of Advent). The fourth argument, the “example from daily life” (Gal. 3:15) turns on the double meaning of the Greek word diathēkē, translated as “will” (i.e. “last will and testament”) in Gal. 3:15, but as “covenant” in verse 17. This understanding is combined with the reference to “offspring” (sperma, literally “seed”) to show that the promise, is to (and through) Christ. The promises “were made to Abraham and to his offspring [seed]; it does not say, ‘and to offsprings,’ as of many, but it says, ‘And to your offspring,’ that is, to one person, who is Christ” (v. 16). Sheila Briggs points out that

Paul uses the same Greek word as the Septuagint text of God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis (Gen. 112:7; 15:5; 17:8; 22:17). Paul contrasts the singular seed in the text with the common (and in his view mistaken) interpretation of it as plural seeds. (Sheila Briggs, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Gal. 3:16).

Paul is then prepared to conclude that the Law of Moses, “which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise” (Gal 3:17). He anticipates certain questions: “Why then the law? (v. 19). “Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? (v. 21). The first answer is that the law “was added because of transgressions, until the offspring [Christ] would come to whom the promise had been made” (v. 19b). It further counts against the law that it was “ordained through angels by a mediator” (v. 19c), “according to later Jewish belief” (Bruce M. Metzger & John Reumann, NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Gal. 3:19-25). But–in answer to the second question–the law is not opposed to the promises of God. It is about righteousness even though it cannot “make alive” (v. 21). The true remedy for the power of sin is “faith in Jesus Christ” (v. 22).

Luke 1:67-80

Zechariah's Prophecy

67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

68 "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

69 He has raised up a mighty savior for us

in the house of his servant David,

70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

71 that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,

and has remembered his holy covenant,

73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,

to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,

might serve him without fear,75 in holiness and righteousness

before him all our days.

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people

by the forgiveness of their sins.

78 By the tender mercy of our God,

the dawn from on high will break upon us,

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace."

80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel. (Luke 1:67-80, NRSV)

Perhaps more than he knew or fully comprehended, Zechariah, in his “Benedictus” (“Blessed be . . .”), anticipated the redemption, restoration and blessed future of God’s people, fulfilling the promise,

            the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,

               to grant us that we, being rescued f rom the hands of our enemies,

            might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness

               before him all our days. (Lk. 1:73-75 NRSV)

This will happen because

            He [the Lord God of Israel] has raised up a mighty savior for us

               in the house of his servant David,

            as he spike through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

               that we would be saved from our enemies

                  and from the hand of all who hate us. (vv. 69-71 NRSV)

He will give us salvation, “the forgiveness of . . . sins” (v. 77), light for “those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,” and peace (v. 79).

Matthew 1:1-17

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah (Ruth 4.18-22; 1 Chr 2.1-15; Lk 3.23-38)

1:1 An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amosthe father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:1-17, NRSV)

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus presents a balanced sequence of fourteen generations each “from Abraham to David,” from David to the deportation to Babylon,” and “from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah” (Mt. 1:17). Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger note that, “The device of making three groups of names is an aid to memory. Fourteen is the sum of the numeric value of the three letters in the name David in Hebrew (DWD)” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., on Mt. 1:17). Earlier they note “the omission of Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah,” “for the sake of the pattern,” and “consistent with Jewish practice in forming genealogies” (Tilden & Metzger on v. 8; cf. J. Andrew Overman, NOAB, 3^rd ed., on Mt. 1:17).

It has been noted that prior to Mary, four women are mentioned in the genealogy, which otherwise names only the fathers. The four women mentioned, Tamar (Gen. 38), Rahab (Josh. 2), Ruth and “the wife of Uriah,” that is, Bathsheba, have been considered marginal by some, but Overman says, “Each acted independently, in some cases scandalously, at critical junctures in Israel’s history to ensure the continuation of the Davidic line” (Overman on Mt. 1:3-6). Rosemary M. Dowsett notes that this genealogy is not “sanitized,” but includes “saint and sinner, illustrious king and obscure nobody.” She adds, “Yet even more intriguing is the inclusion of five women, five mothers, each of whom, in a beautiful way, is a sign of the grace of the gospel. God’s good news for sinners” (The IVP Women’s Bible Commentary, 521, on Mt. 1:1-17). After briefly summarizing the biblical stories about each, she summarizes:

What is Matthew doing in including these women in the genealogy of Jesus? He is celebrating the thread of God’s grace in the Old Testament, a thread that is quite as much in evidence in the lives of women as in those of men. He is showing how God turns tragedy into triumph, even as he does with his Son. No one, man or woman, is condemned beyond hope, no one need feel so dirty, so worthless, so powerless, that there is no possibility of being drawn within the circle of the Lord’s compassion and merciful concern. Women as well as men are of such immeasurable value to him that he will go to any lengths to give us a hope and a future, to bring good from evil, to give the grace of a new beginning with the slate of the past wiped clean. (Dowsett, p. 522)

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com