Thoughts for Celebrating the Lutheran Reformation

The Means of Grace Chapter – Isaiah 55
Verses 1-5, Repentance for the Gentiles


KJV Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. 5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

When a Lutheran pastor was installed in Toledo, Ohio, the circuit pastor recited all of Isaiah 55 during the laying on of hands, introducing the passage as “the Means of Grace chapter.” No other passage in the Old Testament so clearly defines the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion than does Isaiah 55. Verses 8-10 are often cited in support of the efficacy of the Word, but the verses have even greater clarity when read in the context of the entire chapter. The first section (verses 1-5) addresses the Gentiles, while the second part is directed at Israel.


Verse 1


The interjection in verse 1 could be translated “Alas!” rather than “Ho!” The Hebrew interjection (yAh) is used consistently in the sense of a warning (1 Kings 13:30; Isaiah 45:10).[1] Those who are thirsty are invited to the water. Not the hungry, but the poor, those without silver are invited to buy and to eat, reminding us that the Gospel is free. The Law, delivered with all the force of God’s own prophet, has been taught in all of its severity. The Law of God affects us by making us thirsty for righteousness and eager for the comfort of forgiveness. Both the water and food are used in the spiritual sense. The meaning is lost if we think the prophet is predicting material blessings. The first verse suggests both the water of Baptism and the food of Holy Communion.

The Scriptures are filled with references to water that is not literal water and food that is not literal food.[2] The Samaritan woman at the well, John 4:1-42, at first wanted miraculous water to spare her the labor of drawing from the well. Jesus identified her sin, striking her down with the Law, but afterwards taught her that He was indeed the promised Messiah. She believed in Him and immediately told her friends, who also believed, not only because of her proclaiming the Gospel but also because of Jesus Himself teaching them. In another example, Jesus taught the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14), where the dinner represents the invitation of our gracious heavenly Father to enter His Kingdom, dressed in the robes of the righteousness of Christ.[3]

Verse two supports the sense of the first verse by asking why anyone would count their silver for non-bread and labor for something not satisfying. The question creates a contrast between God’s gracious invitation—to buy without money—and the normal human condition of working hard for material goods of no eternal value. In the Scriptures and the Confessions, truth is emphasized by combining a positive statement with a negative. The value of this method is shown by false teachers who will say, like the Mormons, that they believe in the Trinity. The Mormons will never say, “We renounce the concept of three separate gods.” In fact, when I said, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God,” two Mormon missionaries became angry, although they had just claimed that the Book of Mormon never contradicted the Bible.[4] The apostle Peter preached using this confessional form:

KJV Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

He not only stated that Christ is the cornerstone of salvation, but also denied that there is salvation apart from Christ.[5]

Verses 3-5

The only answer for the individual’s hunger and thirst is to listen carefully to God’s appointed prophet. Here we have the method stipulated by God to nourish the soul, the external or spoken Word. Through the Word we eat, that is, receive what is good, and also delight in its blessings.

Verses 3-5 are an invitation followed by three Gospel promises:

1) By listening to the Word, our souls will revive.

2) God will make an everlasting covenant of mercy.

3) Multitudes from outside of Israel will become believers because of the Christ.

The remarkable sense of time in the Scriptures can be seen in the abrupt transition between the past (the sure mercies of David), the Messianic promise (I have given Him for a witness to the people), and a direct address to the Messiah (Behold, thou shalt call a nation). In the passage under consideration, past, present, and future are folded together and unfolded, according to God’s purpose. The majority of Christians today are from the Gentiles, thus fulfilling the promise offered in this section, that “a people will run to You that You did not know.”

Verses 6-13, Repentance for Israel

KJV Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

The Means of Grace chapter is both a call for repentance and the promise of mercy through Christ. Knowing our frail nature, our fear of condemnation, our easy descent into despair when faced with the Law, God assures us of His readiness to forgive. Many Lutheran churches use this Lenten sentence after the appointed Epistle: “Return to the Lord, Your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”[6] He warns and promises: “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” It is not too late for Israel.

J-201
"That opportunity is given and remains only so long as the Lord lets Himself be found, so long as He is near. That opportunity is there whenever and so long as the Lord calls, 50:2; 65:12; 66:4. Cf. John 12:35; 2 Corinthians 6:2. His voice, His call, His inviting word alone has the power to convert. Where that voice no longer is heard, there is no more opportunity to come to grace."
August Pieper, Isaiah II, trans., E. Kowalke, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1979, p. 487.

God calls upon the wicked in verse seven to abandon his evil ways and his evil thoughts, since one cannot be separated from another. When the contrite sinner approaches the throne of grace, God abundantly pardons, not because of the sorrow of the sinner, but because of the atoning death of Christ. Man’s nature is sinful and rebellious, turning away from God even when he knows that God commands what is good. No equation can be found in this verse. Man sins but God offers His Son as the sole foundation for forgiveness and eternal life. Isaiah portrays contrition not as feeling bad, but as no longer thinking and doing evil. The humble sinner returns to the Lord, to the Means of Grace, knowing that “He will have mercy upon him and will abundantly pardon.”

The deeds and thoughts of the evil man are contrasted sharply with the deeds and thoughts of God in verse 8. The gulf between evil man and the gracious Heavenly Father is revealed in the greatest possible contrast. The unreachable distance between the earth and the sky illustrates how far sinful man is below God (verse 9). Man’s thoughts and deeds lead to destruction and death, while God’s thoughts and works lead to blessings and eternal life. No one can argue from this verse or any other passage in Scripture that man contributes to his salvation or to another person’s by man-made skills, thoughts, decisions, methods, or long-range plans.

Efficacy of the Word in Isaiah 55:10-11

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven,

and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth,

and maketh it bring forth and bud,

that it may give seed to the

sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:

it shall not return unto me void,

but it shall accomplish that which I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.


The image from God’s Creation, in verses 10 and 11, reveals the power of God’s Word, especially for those who have gardens and farms.


J-202
(1) "Thy word, O Lord, like gentle dews, Falls soft on hearts that pine;

Lord, to thy garden never refuse This heavenly balm of thine.

Watered by thee, let every tree Then blossom to thy praise,

By grace of thine bear fruit divine Through all the coming days.



(2) Thy word is like a flaming sword, A wedge that cleaveth stone;

Keen as a fire, so burns thy word, And pierceth flesh and bone.

Let it go forth over all the earth To cleanse our hearts within, To show thy

power in Satan's hour, And break the might of sin." (Garve, 1763-1841)

Carl Bernhard Garve, "Thy Word, O Lord, Like Gentle Dews," Service Book and Hymnal, Philadephia: Board of Publication, 1958, Hymn #254.

The rain and snow come down from heaven, just as the Word descends to us. No one with any knowledge of plants would argue that snow and rain fall without effect. The effect is unmistakable and inevitable. The Word condemns sin and unbelief, brings about contrition in the heart of the sinner, and showers comfort and peace upon those who believe in the Gospel of salvation. The Word also damns unbelief and hardens the hearts of those who persistently reject the Gospel freely offered.

J-203
“The word does not return to God in vain, but rather accomplishes what He has desired and succeeds in that for which He has sent it. What is stressed is the utter efficaciousness of God’s word to accomplish the purpose for which He has sent it forth. In this particular context the element of blessing seems to predominate (cf. vv. 1-6); but the thought is not thus limited. Just as the word is efficacious for the salvation of believers, so also is it abundantly efficacious for condemning the wicked. ‘The word which I have spoken, that shall judge him at the last day’ (John 12:48; cf. also Jeremiah 23:29ff.; Romans 1:16).”
Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, 3 vols., Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972, III, p. 384.[7]

No one can dispute the divine attributes of the Word from this passage. The Word is never without these attributes. The Holy Spirit is bound to the Word by every aspect of the description of its ministry.

The Word comes from the mouth of God, that is, from the Holy Spirit. The Word comes exclusively from God, not partially from God and partially from man. The description is three-fold, which we usually find in the work of the Holy Trinity:

A. The Word never returns empty. Man’s words often accomplish nothing, but God’s Word is incapable of failure.

B. The Word will accomplish what God pleases.

C. The Word prospers God’s intended goal.


J-204
"Rain and snow, too, are God's, and it is He who sends them forth from His abode. They are His messengers, do His will and carry out His commands, and only because of His will do they have their wholesome effect. Just so does His Word go forth from His mouth as His herald, fulfilling the mission assigned to it by God. That mission is defined in verse 12. It is impossible that the Word should not fulfill its mission, for it is His creative, commanding Word, alive with His power. It is the Almighty God Himself in action, even as He performs His will in the rain and the snow. Romans 1:16; Hebrews 4:12f.; Jeremiah 23:29ff."
August Pieper, Isaiah II, trans., E. Kowalke, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1979, p. 489.

The unique value of rain can be seen with special clarity when compared to man’s best effort to imitate God’s creation. Gardeners and farmers know that nothing can replace rain for making the soil productive. During a drought they will water or irrigate. One farmer expressed the limitations of artificial rain in a few words, “You can keep your plants from dying, but you can’t make them grow.” City water lacks the dissolved nitrogen of rainwater to green up plants. When a drought threatens the life of manicured lawns, we see sprinklers pouring water on brown, lifeless grass. The soil may be soaked, but the grass still looks dead. The chlorine added to public water systems tends to retard plant growth as well, so gardeners will keep a barrel of rainwater for their favorite roses. Farmers irrigate during a drought with some reluctance. They know that irrigation can slowly destroy the soil by adding too many minerals from the groundwater. Suddenly, after a windless day of deadly heat and humidity, a long, soaking rain breaks the drought and turns every lawn green, every farm productive, showing us once again the difference between man’s rain and God’s rain, man’s technology and God’s Creation, man’s wisdom from below and God’s wisdom from above.

We attended the installation of a pastor on a summer evening described above. I told my wife Chris and son Martin to expect thunder and lightening during the sermon by Bethany Seminary president Wilhelm Peterson. The heat and humidity built up during the service in the rural parish. President Peterson began preaching when the storm broke, punctuated first by soft distant thunder, later by overhead booms and crashes. Lightening flashed through the church windows and cool air poured in. Sitting up front with the clergy, I looked across the pews to watch my family enjoying my prophecy fulfilled. Afterwards, a retired pastor’s wife said, “That was a million dollar rain,” referring to the end of the drought.

People imagine they understand the value of rain, until they live in the desert. Moving to a desert valley allowed us to realize the Biblical references to the burning heat of the sun, the dangers of thirst and heat prostration.[8] When outside temperatures reach 110-115 degrees, salvation and shade are closely related.

KJV Psalm 121:5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

Snow has special value in preparing the soil for spring. Far from killing life, the snow protects plants and animals by placing a warm, moist, translucent blanket over the earth, acting as a buffer against the drying and freezing winds of winter. Snowflakes interlock and trap air, providing an environmentally sound down blanket. By design, snow has a different composition than rain. When the snow melts, this gives spring plants a boost when needed most. During spring, the melting snow and rain combine to allow incredible growth in the grass, plants, bushes, and trees. However, the vitality of plants would be impossible apart from the foundation of all biological life in the soil.

No civilization has ever grown or even survived without healthy soil and vigorous crops. In brief, the pyramid of animal life, with man at the top, rests upon the fertility of the soil, which is far more than particles of dirt. The foundation of all plant and animal life includes an army of microscopic organisms, molds, bacteria, springtails, slugs, sowbugs, ants, centipedes, millipedes, bees, earthworms, shrews, moles, voles, chipmunks, and rabbits, to name only a few. All exist in perfect balance, eating and being eaten, breaking down and building up. All of the life forms need water. When rain and snow no longer come down, the microscopic creatures die and starve the next higher order of animals. Animal bodies and dung stop feeding the soil through the creatures who recycle organic material. Earthworms diminish and the soil loses its tilth or substance. Plant roots no longer hold the soil in place. The remorseless winds blow the finest particles of topsoil away, leaving the larger particles of sand in place. The desert is born from a lack of rain and snow.[9]

When plants germinate, they are so fragile that a lack of water for one day can wipe out most of the crop. Like babies, they are vigorous in growth but demanding of nutrition. Again, when plants are ready to fruit, more water is needed for their burst of productivity. Many people have seen the dried and lifeless buds that fall off the plant from lack of moisture. If rain does not fall during the crucial time of budding, the entire crop will be reduced or fail.

KJV Deuteronomy 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

KJV James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Just as the Creator provides the rain to germinate and produce the crop, so God gives us His Word to kindle faith in our hearts, to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and to gather us into His eternal habitations. The Word of God continuously provides blessings in the life of believers as long as they avail themselves of the Means of Grace. Those who cut themselves off from the Word by refusing to worship or study, dry up spiritually, just as plants wither and die in the desert from lack of rain.

We have the technology to understand the cycle of water described by the prophet in verse ten. Rain and snow come down from heaven but also return in the form of water vapor. It is a closed system. The weather systems are so vast, complicated, and unified that a change in the water temperature in the Pacific can severely affect the weather for half the globe in a phenomenon known as El Nino. The energy involved is also a closed system, so that heat in the water is translated into storms that dissipate the heat. The procession of the Word from God’s Mouth is portrayed by Isaiah as a closed system. It goes out and comes back, accomplishing His purpose. Franz Delitzsch wrote: “The return of the word to God also presupposes its divine nature.”[10] God’s Word never becomes man’s word, never loses its energy.[11]

seed to the sower, and bread to the eater.

Traditional farmers sowed in tears (Psalm 126:5) because they set aside some of their food as seed to provide crops for the new year. If drought, hail, or an untimely frost ruined the crop, their food was gone, rotted in the soil. God provides abundance so that the crop yields enough to feed the family, give some as a thank-offering, and save some seed for the new year. The Word of God not only produces believers but also new pastors and teachers to proclaim the Gospel. When the Gospel is persecuted, even more sowers of the seed are produced to replace those who are martyred.

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"But if ordination be understood as applying to the ministry of the Word, we are not unwilling to call ordination a sacrament. For the ministry of the Word has God's command and glorious promises. Romans 1:16 The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Likewise, Isaiah 55:11: So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please...And it is of advantage, so far as can be done, to adorn the ministry of the Word with every kind of praise against fanatical men, who dream that the Holy Ghost is given not through the Word, but because of certain preparations of their own...."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XIII (VII), #11, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 311. Tappert, p. 212. Heiser, p. 95.

Tertullian is often quoted as saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The Word is preached with tears, with many afflictions falling upon the faithful, yet we reap with joy, seeing the harvest God alone can provide.

KJV Psalm 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy

Bread is a staple of diets throughout the world, thanks to the ease in which grain can be converted into flour, then into sourdough bread, which is convenient to store and carry as well as being satisfying to eat. Although God provides more than enough to eat, in spite of our anxieties, He shows the greatest concern for our souls, a gracious Heavenly Father.

KJV Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.[12]

The Word of God is bread, feeding the soul and satisfying our hunger for righteousness, a hunger caused by the Law but satisfied only by the Gospel. Christ is our bread from heaven.

will not return void.

The adverb “void” is used 15 times in the Old Testament to express not only literal emptiness, (Jeremiah 14:3), but also symbolic emptiness, appearing before the Lord empty-handed (Exodus 34:20), being sent away by God empty-handed (Genesis 31:42) or going to war in vain (Jeremiah 50:9). The double-negative (not return void) expresses a positive, explained by two additional states.

1) Exodus 34:20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

2) Ruth 3:17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.

3) 2 Samuel 1:22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

shall accomplish

The verb “to accomplish” is very common in the Old Testament, used 531 times. One example is the fruit tree yielding fruit in Genesis 1:11. The verb is used many times to express God’s Creation: Genesis 1:31, 2:2, 3:1, 5:1, 6:6.

1) Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

2) Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

3) Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.

that which I please

The verb is relatively rare, used 13 times in the Old Testament, both to express man’s delight in serving God, and also God’s delight in caring for man.

1) Psalm 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

2) Psalm 119:35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

3) Jeremiah 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

4) Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

and prosper the thing

The verb for prosper is used 7 times in the Old Testament in two senses. First, God blesses human efforts with His divine power. King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:21) served God with his whole heart and prospered because he sought to live in harmony with God’s will. The Son of God teaches us in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The second use of prosper reminds us of the energia-energeo word-group, for the Anti-Christ will also prosper. In Daniel 8 the prophecy concerns Antiochus Epiphanes (Epiphanes=God manifest), the future king whose evil would prompt the Maccabean revolt. He is considered a type of the Antichrist because he used his power to try to destroy the true worship of Israel. His success foreshadows the success of the Antichrist, Daniel 11:36, as seen in the power, scope, and prestige of the papacy. The delusion of the Last Days is manifested in the overwhelming support of liberal Lutherans to submit to Rome on the doctrine of justification by faith. The prosperity accomplished by God will last, but the success of His opponents is only a temporary mirage to “scatter the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” (Luke 1:51)

1) Genesis 24:40 And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house:

2) 2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

3) Isaiah 48:15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.

4) Daniel 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

5) Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

6) Daniel 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

which he sent

The verb is quite common. The question is whether God has or has not done the sending.[13]

1) Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

2) Jeremiah 29:31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

3) Ezekiel 13:6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

4)

Results of the Means of Grace, Isaiah 55:12-13
KJV Isaiah 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Delitzsch states: “The true point of comparison, however, is the energy with which the word is realized. Assuredly and irresistibly will the word of redemption be fulfilled.”[14] Three manifestations of salvation are given in verse 12:

1) God’s Word replaces fear with joy, turmoil with peace. God is the vanguard and rearguard of the faithful (Isaiah 52:12).

2) All of God’s Creation rejoices in man’s salvation through Christ, for “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3).” How can the Creation remain silent when the Creator is at work?

Isaiah 44:23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

3) Nothing can be silent when God is accomplishing His will:

Psalm 98:8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together 9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

A New Testament passage sheds light on this concept. Evil men demanded a stop to the demonstration around Jesus when He entered Jerusalem as the Messiah:

Luke 19:39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Although the invisible church of sincere believers seems to be driven into the dust at this time, oppressed by massive indifference, persecuted more from within than from without, a moment will come when no one will debate the truth. No one will be silent.

Philippians 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

A believer hears the chorus of birds in their living choir-loft. He feels the wind as it stirs through the branches of the trees, sounding like the soft deep voices of a vast pipe organ. He cannot keep from singing to himself:

Beautiful Savior, King of Creation,

Son of God and Son of Man!

Truly I’d love Thee, Truly I’d serve Thee,

Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.

The Lutheran Hymnal, #657, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941,.



Verse 13 might be passed over as poetic license: thorns and briers replaced by fir-trees and myrtle-trees.[15] However, the verse stands out as another effect of the Means of Grace in addition to the peace and joy necessarily following salvation. The additional effect of the Gospel in Word and Sacrament glorifies God through doing good works, not out of obligation, but solely as a result of thankfulness and love toward God and our neighbor. Therefore, the thorns and briers of normal sinfulness, which we encounter every day—even among idealists, activists, and social revolutionaries—are transformed by the Gospel into the fruits of the Spirit. By himself, man produces only the following: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like (Galatians 5:19-21)…. The Holy Spirit, working through the Word and Sacraments, produces the following: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).

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"What business is it of mine that many do not esteem it? It must be that many are called but few are chosen. For the sake of the good ground that brings forth fruit with patience, the seed must also fall fruitless by the wayside, on the rock and among the thorns; inasmuch as we are assured that the Word of God does not go forth without bearing some fruit, but it always finds also good ground; as Christ says here, some seed of the sower falls also into good ground, and not only by the wayside, among the thorns and on stony ground. For wherever the Gospel goes you will find Christians. 'My Word shall not return unto me void.' Is. 55:11"
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 118.