Larry Devich
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Advent 2: Tuesday
Read Malachi 3:1-7
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He
appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderer's soap. (Malachi 3:2)
Just 23 verses before the end of the Old Testament, the Lord is still
promising the Savior's coming. However, it sounds frightening, to say the least.
“Who can endure the day of His coming?” The anticipated answer is, “No one.”
If you read through the rest of Malachi 3, you'll find many of the sins of which
the Israelites were guilty, including favoritism, hypocrisy, immorality, pride,
selfishness and failing to take God's Law seriously. Spend some time examining
yourself, and you'll find that your guilt is plain. Those who are stained with sin
cannot stand the day of God's coming. Your only hope is to be made clean.
So Jesus comes to make you clean, but it still doesn't sound hopeful: He
comes as a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. Refiner's fire largely speaks
for itself, for it has to be hot enough to melt metal in order to separate the
impurities. As to launderer's soap, I suspect that it wasn't designed to leave your
skin feeling soft and moisturized (the word “lye” comes to mind). Given the
description, it sounds like your cleaning process is going to hurt. Hurt a lot.
Now, before we get to the Good News, we also note this: the pain is not the
fault of the One who cleans. The pain results from the truth that impurities are
present that must be removed—sin saturates us all, and must be purged if we are
to have eternal life. The fault for the pain of refining lies with us sinners, not
with Jesus.
But here is the Good News: while Jesus comes as the refiner's fire and the
launderer's soap, He suffers the pain of refining for us. When Jesus speaks of
sending fire on the earth (Luke 12:49-50), He relates to the distressing baptism
that still awaits Him: His cross. Indeed, He takes the sin of the world on Himself
and bears it to the cross, where He suffers the judgment for sin. He suffers hell
on the cross as even His Father forsakes Him.
And having suffered the cross for you, He takes your sin away. You are
already cleansed and refined, and where did you feel the pain of the refiner's fire
or the burn of the launderer's soap? It felt like a splash of water on your head as
the Lord shared His death and resurrection with you in Holy Baptism. By the
grace of God, you're already clean before Him.
As we continue through Advent, we dare never divorce the cross from His
comings. The Baby in the manger has flesh and blood for the specific purpose of
going to the cross for your purifying. He comes to you now in His means of
grace only because He has sacrificed Himself for your sin. And when He comes
again on the Last Day to judge...well, who can endure the day of His coming?
You can, because by His cross Jesus has made you clean.
Who is this that comes in glory With the trump of jubilee?
Lord of battles, God of armies, He hath gained the victory.
He who on the cross did suffer, He who from the grave arose,
He hath vanquished sin and Satan; He by death hath spoiled His foes.
(TLH 218:2) ¶ 12/12/2006 07:50:00 AM 0 Comments
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He
appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderer's soap. (Malachi 3:2)
Just 23 verses before the end of the Old Testament, the Lord is still
promising the Savior's coming. However, it sounds frightening, to say the least.
“Who can endure the day of His coming?” The anticipated answer is, “No one.”
If you read through the rest of Malachi 3, you'll find many of the sins of which
the Israelites were guilty, including favoritism, hypocrisy, immorality, pride,
selfishness and failing to take God's Law seriously. Spend some time examining
yourself, and you'll find that your guilt is plain. Those who are stained with sin
cannot stand the day of God's coming. Your only hope is to be made clean.
So Jesus comes to make you clean, but it still doesn't sound hopeful: He
comes as a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. Refiner's fire largely speaks
for itself, for it has to be hot enough to melt metal in order to separate the
impurities. As to launderer's soap, I suspect that it wasn't designed to leave your
skin feeling soft and moisturized (the word “lye” comes to mind). Given the
description, it sounds like your cleaning process is going to hurt. Hurt a lot.
Now, before we get to the Good News, we also note this: the pain is not the
fault of the One who cleans. The pain results from the truth that impurities are
present that must be removed—sin saturates us all, and must be purged if we are
to have eternal life. The fault for the pain of refining lies with us sinners, not
with Jesus.
But here is the Good News: while Jesus comes as the refiner's fire and the
launderer's soap, He suffers the pain of refining for us. When Jesus speaks of
sending fire on the earth (Luke 12:49-50), He relates to the distressing baptism
that still awaits Him: His cross. Indeed, He takes the sin of the world on Himself
and bears it to the cross, where He suffers the judgment for sin. He suffers hell
on the cross as even His Father forsakes Him.
And having suffered the cross for you, He takes your sin away. You are
already cleansed and refined, and where did you feel the pain of the refiner's fire
or the burn of the launderer's soap? It felt like a splash of water on your head as
the Lord shared His death and resurrection with you in Holy Baptism. By the
grace of God, you're already clean before Him.
As we continue through Advent, we dare never divorce the cross from His
comings. The Baby in the manger has flesh and blood for the specific purpose of
going to the cross for your purifying. He comes to you now in His means of
grace only because He has sacrificed Himself for your sin. And when He comes
again on the Last Day to judge...well, who can endure the day of His coming?
You can, because by His cross Jesus has made you clean.
Who is this that comes in glory With the trump of jubilee?
Lord of battles, God of armies, He hath gained the victory.
He who on the cross did suffer, He who from the grave arose,
He hath vanquished sin and Satan; He by death hath spoiled His foes.
(TLH 218:2) ¶ 12/12/2006 07:50:00 AM 0 Comments
