Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Psalm 22:22-23 I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
FROM GRAVE TO GLORY -- INTERCESSION
The coming One who suffered, died, and was delivered by God now talks about praising God and speaking of His name to others. The logical question to this verse might be why Jesus would praise God if He is God. To answer, we remember that as our Substitute Jesus fulfilled all of God's holy will on our behalf. This included honoring and worshiping the Father.
But Jesus didn't just honor His Father on His own. By declaring God's name to His brethren, Jesus gave all people the ability to praise God. We should not restrict these verses to the physical nation of Israel either. Remember that in Christ Israel is spiritual, pointing to all believers (Romans 2:28-29). Therefore, another blessing we have through Christ's resurrection is the ability to praise and thank God through His Son. When we speak God's Word to one another we should do so in accord with how Christ would speak it, according to the truth and with an attitude of love.
Martin Luther taught this truth in the Small Catechism through the Bible teachings included in The Office of the Keys and Confession. It is only by the authority and power of Christ, which He established through His death and resurrection, that we can use the Law and Gospel in our lives. This truth also manifests itself in the Lutheran liturgy. When pronouncing God's forgiveness, the pastor usually declares this to be done "in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ." This statement means that the public servants of the Word (as well as all Christians) are able to announce forgiveness because of what Christ has done, namely His death and resurrection. Our ministries today are continual examples of Jesus declaring His Father's Word through the mouths of human pastors, teachers, and other believers young and old.
