- Psalmody: Psalm 119:46; 34:1–2, 11, 22; Psalm 48:1, 12–13; Psalm 48:14; Psalm 118:16–17; Psalm 12:7
- Lection: Revelation 14:6–7; Romans 3:19–28; Matt. 11:12–15
In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Amen. Amen. A Mighty Fortress is our God, a Trusty Shield and Weapon. He is a Refuge in Whom faithful men before us trusted even under threat of death so that they themselves might keep hold of the Gospel of Life, and preserve it in truth and purity for the generations who followed. We give thanks to God as we commemorate the Reformation and the sweet, undefiled Gospel of Christ that was restored to His people then and unto this very day. For, it is in God, by the Good News of salvation in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone, that we have true refuge and joy, now and forever, regardless of all manner of earthly and devilish threat. Psalm 46 formed the basis for Luther’s iconic hymn to which we joined our voices moments ago. But neither hope nor fervor of the Reformation was limited to just that singular biblical hymn.
In our liturgy, we also chanted portions of another hymn closely tied to and depended upon by the faith of the reformers. Psalm 48 gave us our Gradual as transition from Prophecy to Epistle and Alleluia Verse leading into the Holy Gospel. Let us consider the whole psalm as it firms our faith in the beauty, joy, and mercy of God, true benefits for all who call upon on the name of the Lord to be saved.
Our Collect gave us good and wise words to pray as its main petitions align wonderfully with the Gradual and Alleluia Psalm. We prayed Keep us steadfast in Thy grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Thy Church Thy saving peace. In humble collective voice, we asked for steadfastness, protection, deliverance, defense, and peace from the hands of our Lord God, heavenly Father, of Whom the psalmist speaks in the first four verses: Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge. Take note of the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, that this inspired poetry first proclaims the greatness of Yahweh, the Lord our God, Maker of heaven and earth and Keeper of His holy covenant. Indeed, He is greatly to be praised; to be praised for what He has established here among us, namely His holy city, His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth. Directly this refers to Jerusalem, built upon the mount, wherein the temple of God was erected so that He could serve His people in mercy through the Divine Service of holy priests mediating between God and man by the means of blood sacrifice. What was established in the days of Joshua, the Judges, David, and Solomon was a spectacle to behold for the Almighty had enabled them to build up Jerusalem to guard against enemies and to be a place high above all others regardless of earthly elevation. Yes, Jerusalem was magnificent, but not because of what the strength of man had built, but because God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge. It was what was inside her palaces that mattered, that is, the holy presence and blessing of the LORD. Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. It is the Lord Who distinguishes ancient Jerusalem from every other place, including our modern, grandiose cities, and it is He alone Who makes a place holy, beautiful, and joyful.
Such are the rewards to all who are on the inside of where God dwells, where He is, where He is known and trusted as Refuge. Verses four through seven in the psalm pivot away from the glory of the city of God to the contrast of being outside of it. For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together. They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away. Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind. The mention of kings draws our minds to earthly rule and those who are drunk on and clamor for power, like those mentioned in Psalm 2, The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” Such earthly-minded ones look not upon the dwelling place of God with awe, reverence, and hope, but in derision. But, He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. When the kings mentioned in Psalm 48 assembled and passed by together, language of battle and war against the Great and awesome LORD, see that that is the extent of their reach, because take they even our lives, the victory has been won by Jesus Christ. The might of the LORD shall be shown to all, both the quick and the dead. His mighty power emanates from His New Jerusalem, from His Holy Church both Triumphant and Militant. His is a power that overcomes man’s mightiest enemies, yet a power that is wielded unto salvation for all who believe. But the day shall come when those who remain obstinate, those who remain assembled in unbelief will remain on the outside of the city of God forever. Whereas, all within will behold the glory and beauty of God in her palaces while all without will behold His judgement; forever troubled, forever hastened away, forever in fear and pain as when the Almighty breaks the strength of man as symbolized by His destruction of the ships of Tarshish. Just as the east wind drove back the Red Sea to be a refuge for God’s people to pass through, so also was it used to release the waters to drown all those set against Him and His people. The Holy One mighty to save is also mighty to judge.
So, dear children baptized into Christ by waters that save you and destroy your enemies, when reality and eternity can be denied no longer by the kings and all assembled with them, what they see leads only to deep marvel, trouble, and pain, for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. To the contrary it shall be for all of God’s people, as verse eight says As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the LORD of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Behold, the Lord shows you greater things than kings, horsemen, navies, nations being swept away in great waters of judgment, though indeed in every day, full of morning mercies anew, those who have eyes to see do see promises of God’s goodness and faithfulness fulfilled. Christ is the new morning. As we have heard, so we have seen. And greater than what is seen in the home in which we awake safely, greater than what is seen upon the breakfast, lunch, and dinner table upon which He gives abundantly, greater than the warm shower and fresh, clean clothes upon our backs that He provides is what we hear and see delivered in His blessed Divine Service, in His palaces, in His Church, where we dwell in joy of knowing Him as our Refuge. Unlike the shower that is soon needed again, we receive in this blessed city of God baptismal waters rich in grace that are a washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Unlike the food that perishes in our pantries, fridges, and even deep freezers, the Bread of Life from Heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ, is received in this New Jerusalem so that we do not perish but are strengthened and preserved in the one true faith unto life everlasting. Having heard, we see Him by faith in the City of our God: God will establish it forever.
We know it will be forever, for we have heard it by His Word and the Word of the Lord endures forever. Further upon that certainty are verses nine through eleven: We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple. According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments. In these words is language akin to God’s promises to King David in 2 Samuel 7, where Yahweh speaks to David a promise cloaked in lovingkindness rooted in God’s service in His temple that shall establish a righteous reign in all places unto eternity in the Temple built without hands, Who was to come. In this, let us remember Christ, the Fulfillment of that and all OT promises of an eternal kingdom that ours remaineth by faith. Yea, let Mount Zion, let all who dwell, hope, and rest within her walls rejoice and be glad because of the LORD’s judgments that slay all our enemies in real-time as we live in the palaces of God’s Holy Church; enemies that will be put to shame forever on that great and awesome Last Day.
The blessed reformers thought not only of themselves, that the beauty of the Lord be preserved among them, but also among those, like us, who were to come after; who need to be encouraged in Christ’s certainty. Of all things essential, this Gospel is it, regardless of whatever else shuts down around us. Those who have gone before us in the faith had verses 12 and thirteen to strengthen and encourage them to stand firm in and for the one true faith: Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers; Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following. Do not come by mere weight of duty or by burdensome ordinance. Do not deprive yourself of the surprise of joy that you behold in God’s majesty and glory. Walk about the mighty fortress of God. See how she cannot be overcome, not by any power in the heavens, on the earth, or under the earth. It is for you. He is for you. Hear and see how it is God in your midst as the Church, as the collective Body of Christ, that preserves you against all things evil. Count her towers. Mark well her bulwarks. Consider her palaces, for you dwell in the Almighty Fortress that is Christ Himself.
The psalm circles right back around at its conclusion to Him with Whom all things begin. It is in Christ that all beauty is beheld. It is in Christ that all enemies are put to shame under His feet. It is in Christ that all good promises of hope, joy, and salvation, even from enemies within, are won. It is in Christ that we rejoice all the day long, seeking to preserve the pure Gospel that we may tell it to the generation following, For this Jesus Christ is God, this God and none other is Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death. Great is the LORD Jesus Christ, and greatly to be praised for being the Chief Cornerstone and building us up into a mighty, unshakeable fortress, a city on a hill,full of beauty, holiness, and joy, that will, by His good grace and favor, stand as a glorious city in His kingdom, world without end! Amen.
In ✠ Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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