This reads the Excel, the Second Sunday of Advent. People of Zion, people of Zion, behold, the Lord comes to save the Gentiles, the nations. And the Lord makes heard the glory, the mighty power of his voice in the joy of your hearts. And we find indeed there, as it seems, a basic topic of the Advent season that is brought to our attention, that is, the mystery of the Word of God, of the Word of God in the form of prophecy. That's what I thought. We might just have a few thoughts about this topic, the essence of prophecy.

[01:14]

The Advent season is the time for that. Now, the noise and activity of the summer has died down to an extent, and it's really... And then the mind is, by nature, is turned to the listening, and this Advent season in preparation for Christmas, for the Epiphany, for the coming of the Lord, is naturally in a special way devoted to the idea of prophecy and that seems to be just here in the second Sunday of Advent so evident and beautiful is this definition of the prophecy that the glory of God's voice may be heard in the joy of our hearts in some way one can say in this one word

[02:22]

the whole essence of prophecy is really expressed. We see the same thing also in the lesson of tomorrow. All that is written has been written for our instruction. through the patience, hypomonas, patience, patience, and the consolation which the scriptures give, we may have hope. There again, that is exactly the word of prophecy. Prophecy is consolation. Prophecy is encouragement. Prophecy is the word of hope. That's what keeps us going in the course of history.

[03:23]

If we think a little about the essence of prophecy, always do a thing like that in comparing the prophecy with other basic forms of the word of God. You know what these basic, I say basic forms, not all of them, the basic fundamental forms are. It's the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. The Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. The Law, each one one can say has Each one of these categories has a classical expression. That's also one of the beauties of Holy Scripture. The basic things are always crystallized in certain principia, what the Holy Scripture says, in heads, which contain the sum total of this living category.

[04:28]

So the law has its end, subtotal, in what we call the decalogue, the ten commands. Ten is always the number of fullness and of perfection. That is the number ten is the sum total of perfect construction. and the Ten Commandments to the law of God, neighbor, in the two tablets of the law, that is the principle, the classic example of the law. And then we have the Psalms, the classic example of the Psalm. The Psalm is the law is the expression of God's eternal will as norm and eternal rule of our actions through the whole course of history, the thing that never changes.

[05:41]

Therefore, if you read the Jewish sages, it's all about the law. The law is the word of the wisdom of the and that is something which is pre-existent to creation, that is something immovable, the norm, that determines and is valid for eternity, and therefore is as such not touched by history. But then we have the answer to that, that is the basis of our life, that is the blueprint, that we have the answer to this manifestation of God's eternal will in us, in our hearts, the spontaneous answer, and that is the prayer. And the prayer, the song, the hymn, that is in a classical way, has its principle, its head, let's say, in that

[06:50]

prayer which our Lord Himself gave to His apostles. He is the Son of David, He is the fulfillment of all the Psalms, of the prayer life, of that inner spiritual reaction to the constructive word, that word which makes the temple builds the temple, the law, yet there is this answer, is the sound in our Lord's, our Father, the Pater Noster is again the classical form of that, the invocation of the name who art in heaven, the praise, the Magnificatio, the Exaltatio, Magnificatio, Nomen Domini, wherever the name of the Lord is expressed, is heard, it is immediately magnified, as the word in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, the seven classical, the seven classical petitions,

[08:02]

which contain all the living answers, those expressions of the homo boni voluntatis, as we call them, in front of the Lord. It's the Ava Father. And then we have the prophecy. The prophecy has a classical... example as its principle and head and there is the end of the book of Deuteronomy in the 32nd chapter the song of Moses in the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy that is the classical that's the quintessence of prophecy that song of Moses and as you know very well for being itself a wonderful field, really, of penetration, of meditation, of pondering, how, for example, this Song of Moses, the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy, has its reflection on the other prophet, Catechsochein, who holds the centre, the middle, between Moses and Christ,

[09:21]

Moses, the first prophet, Christ, the last, fulfillment of all prophets, the prophet, Magnus, the prophet, and in between the two, it's Isaiah, Isaiah, the prophet, in the middle between Moses and Christ. And it would be indeed, it's a beautiful thing to in just a little way these compare them and see the also the for example the echoes of Deuteronomy in the various shall we call it strata of Isaiah's but the Deuteronomy, the song of Moses, therefore, as the classical example of prophecy. In that way, it would be good if just in this Advent season you also would read it a little quietly by yourself.

[10:29]

The song of Moses is, as you know, the song of this prophecy, the quintessence of prophecy, is introduced in an unusually solemn way and is also closed in an unusually solemn way. Moses says, when I have write out this song then for yourselves, that means he inculcates them. This song now is for you. Write this out for yourselves. Teach it to the Israelites. Have them recite it so that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites. You see, that is the characteristic of prophecy. Prophecy is not the basic word like the law. Prophecy is not the answer of the people like the prayer, but prophecy is the living word with which God enters or judges, throws his light into the actions of his son, of his people.

[11:55]

The people is based on the law, but then of course history says The people is raised, the people grows, the people becomes fat. And becoming fat, they revolt, you know. They want independence, stand on their own feet. They kick, as Moses says, Yeshua, my beloved, hence, therefore, throws off provider, as it were, and to be on its own. Then comes the judgment, comes the punishment, and then after the punishment comes the restoration. That's the essence of prophecy. Prophecy is that word which is sent into a definite situation in order to throw light into the situation.

[13:00]

into the actions of man. Prophecy is the link between the eternal law and between the concrete situations of history. They indicate warning, admonition, encouragement. They are announcement of punishment. They are also announcement of reward, praise. All that is the essence of prophecy. In last analysis, prophecy is judgment. The law is the norm. Prophecy is judgment. Therefore, all prophecy culminates in judgment. The fullest of all prophecies is the Apocalypse. So, in this way, prophecy is a living word. God sends, He is representative, the prophet. in order to speak his mind, God's mind, in various situations, to discipline and judge the people, and to encourage them, bring them back to the right way.

[14:17]

That is the meaning of prophecy. So prophecy illumines the cause of history, puts the cause of history into the eternal light of God's judgment. So therefore, what Moses here, by the way, characterizes right from the beginning his song as the the example, the head of prophecy, in which the prophecy, in which the people have a kind of mirror in which they can reflect, see the reflection of their doings, in which they can see themselves in their true light, in the reflection of God's judgments. Write out this song then for yourselves, teach it to the Israelites, have them recite it, so that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites.

[15:29]

There is that judgment, the meeting, encounter between God's truth and the actions of For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I promised on oath to their fathers, and they have eaten their fill and grown fat, if they turn to other gods and serve them, despising me and breaking my covenant, then, when many evils and troubles befall them, this song which their descendants will not have forgotten to beside, will bear witness against them. For I know what they are inclined to do, even at the present time, even before I have brought them into the land, which I promised on oath to their fathers. So Moses wrote this song that same day, and he taught it to the Israelites.

[16:30]

And then Moses recited it. the words of this song from the beginning to end for the whole assembly of Israel to hear so that is another indication which you see the character of example of him this song has he wrote this song to the end that means he made it complete full so that it stands there as a constant example for the future And then he starts, he says, Give ear, O heavens, while I speak, and let the earth hearken to the words of my mouth. Give ear, O heavens, to my words. Now this introduction here already is... Typical for the prophet and the prophecy of the prophet's situation and the people's situation.

[17:31]

The historical situation of the people is, you may say, between heaven and earth. The people is placed between heaven and earth. And in such a way that heaven and earth are God's witnesses. God's witnesses. the deeds and actions of the people. That is a thought which one has to keep in mind constantly, because it's a thought which starts with the first verse of Genesis, where it is said, God created heaven and earth. Those two, not just as a kind of geographical indication or a kind of description of the cosmos or something like that, again as a prophetical word to describe the place where history the history of the people also of the chosen people that means of God's children takes place and that is between heaven and earth and of course the promised land is exactly that land which in a special way is placed between heaven and earth

[18:45]

in such a way that heaven and earth are the witnesses for God's truth against the actions of the people the heavens the east we have said that in years past but it's good to remember these things all over again the essence of the promised land is That is not like Egypt. Egypt is watered like and is treated by man's power like a god. As Moses says in Deuteronomy, he says, what do people, the Egyptians, do in order to live? They trample, I mean, how can I say that, with their feet, you know. See, the idea is the Nile, and the Nile is the source of all blessing. And the water of the Nile is brought on the fields with these wheels. And these wheels, these watering wheels, are set into motion by the people, the slaves, who run in them, you know, by running in them, turning them around, and in that way watering the land.

[19:58]

So that was for the Israelite. Jew was always the typical situation of the Egyptian or of the man who does not live in the grace of God. He lives in the Treadmühle, as we say in German. It's a wonderful word. I wish we had something like that. English, what is it? Treadmill. See the situation, pagan situation of the man in the treadmill. in the treadmills, and that's a very plastic thing. I wish we were born to let our associations get out of hand. But the treadmill, the treadmill, you see, that means pushing with the power of your feet, you know, that's a typical action of a man who, let me see, has both knees on the ground, but still doesn't... And then that's the... So there it's done, you know, with the things are set into motion by the heaviness of man, you know, he traps them in, and in that way keeps things under his own control, and in some way also is independent of heaven.

[21:21]

But Palestine, of course, is different. Palestine is the land that strictly depends on him. And as it is always said by the Jewish sages, God has and keeps in his own hands three keys. The key of heaven, and the key of the mother's womb, and the key of the resurrection. That are the three keys that God keeps as his exclusive possession in his own hands. And since Palestine depends entirely on rain, that means on the thing that comes from above, Palestine, the earth, you know, depends exactly on the keys of God to speak, the key of heaven. so therefore the Israelite is in the promised land he strictly depends on heaven and the earth you know cannot give its fruit if heaven does not give the way and that is

[22:30]

In that way, heaven and earth are the witnesses, and they are the symbols for the interaction and the relation, the basic relation between man and God. That means what heaven and earth testify to in the promised land is the utter and absolute dependence of man on God. the Israelite, on the grace of God. That is the witness, really, which heaven and earth give, give in the Promised Land. So the Prophet addresses himself then, addresses himself to heaven, give ear, O heavens, While I speak, give ear, that's a good translation of the Hebrew original, give ear, incline your ear. That means listen, and listen with your will, but out of your will.

[23:33]

See if the earth, let the earth happen, it says here, to the words of my mouth. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth. Hearing is something which is beyond the control of man. It simply depends on the noise that is being made. If the noise is strong enough, he hears it if he wants or not. but the inclining of one's ear that is something else then I can whisper if somebody inclines his ear I can whisper I whisper the word and I whisper this word as a secret as a personal secret as an exchange of heart in that intimacy and in the presence where all these concepts and associations are very important to understand the implications of the Holy Scripture.

[24:35]

One doesn't think that Holy Scripture is just a kind of chance make-up by several people who didn't know what they were doing. Perhaps a trend of modern exegesis. But give ear, O heavens, while I speak, that the earth hearken to the words of my mouth. It has been pointed out, and I think also not without reason, that Isaiah starts in a similar way and still in a different way. as we have heard in the first chapter of the Prophetic Isaiahs, Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. Now, the Jewish exegetes, the old, the sages, let's say, point out that as a significant thing, I'll just give that to you also to consider it,

[25:39]

and to ponder that the words have been exchanged, that Moses asked the heavens to incline the ear, and asked the earth simply to hear, while the Bible of Isaiah is just the opposite. He says, hear, O you heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. That is right here. You see the one where it's translated. This translates the word right here. Hear, O you heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. So by Moses, that is true, Moses in his position, essentially is the man on the top of the mountain. Moses is essentially the one who receives the law, the law of eternity. out of the hands of god on the top of the mountain that means in the cloud the cloud of glory that means in the heavenly world his position his essential position of that matter is close to heaven close to heaven and say far from the earth it is true

[27:06]

When the law was given to Moses, the earth was not even prepared. The land was not there. The Israelites received the law not in their land, not in the promised land, but they received the law in the desert. for important reasons, but I mean it was not there. So they were in that way concentrated on the word that comes from heaven, as it is expressed also so beautifully if you read the fourth chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. And while Isaiah turns to the earth, that the earth may incline, So he, as it were, whispers his prophecy into the ears of the earth, which is true, again, for his essential historical situation.

[28:09]

I say this is not the man on the top of the mountain. Isaiah's ears in Jerusalem, in the city, here in that city in which the salvation works has taken a place, a concrete form. He is the tent close to the temple. He sees the glory of God there. So Isaiah's ears in that way close to earth, but still in a much deeper way because Isaiah's ears the evangelist of the Word made flesh. He sees the mother and the child, and that is the earth. Mary is the earth. And he sees, later on, he sees the judgment, he sees the servant of God in his passion, in his sufferings, and then in his resurrection. So Isaiah is the one who stands really in close connection here to this earth.

[29:15]

The evangelist comes to the Amharites, to the poor man of the earth, in order there to give the glad tidings of the incarnation of the child and of the servant, of the one who is born first and of the one who suffered first. That is the earth. We see that also in the Orata Celi Desuperit, Nubes Plagustum, Aperiato Terra, a germinate Salvatore. For Isaiah, is this Aperiato Terra, a germinate Salvatore. That is Isaiah's situation and Isaiah's message. And then we, after this invitation to listen to heaven speak the earth, may my instruction soak in or loosen up the earth like the rain in my discourse.

[30:22]

That is my promise. The doctrine of Moses consists in two things. It consists in the teaching of the law, the manifestation of God's will as the law, and it consists in the promise, the promise which is made to those who obey the law. That are the two words. That are the two aspects of the whole teaching of Moses. The instruction of the law and the promise. The instruction is there to loosen up. That is like the plow that brings, opens the earth. And then the promise, that is like the dew that goes into this earth which is loosened up. And that is the word of hope. The promise, that is what engenders faith, what engenders joy, what brings forth salvation.

[31:28]

So may it soak in like the rain, and my promise permeate like the dew, like a downpour, may they come upon the grass, you know, the two together, first instruction. like the rain loosening up then the promise like the dew you know like as so beautiful too if you compare that for example with Isaiah's and Isaiah's this beautiful also this word you know of the dew that is like light you know and that he sends upon this earth you like light that is the promise the dew is a wonderful symbol in itself of the promises of God to the earth to Israel to his people to the church the like a pastor in the morning you know is brilliant in the do so also the church in their hope brilliant in the expectation which are have risen in our heart to divine promises

[32:37]

like a downpour upon the grass. The two should be like a clearing, cleaning, cleansing, so that the air afterwards is clear like a thunderstorm, like a cloudburst, and like A shower upon the crops, like something that is not only cleansing the air, purifying the air, but is also then giving fruitfulness and giving growth, like a shower upon the crops. All these things one can realize that's immediately, this is not just a kind of a... Again, you know, kind of rhetorical chance play, but this is all, every word has a tremendous weight and importance there. For I will sing the Lord's renown, proclaim the greatness of our God. Here in this third verse, you know,

[33:41]

It doesn't say in the text anything about the Lord's renown. It says, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord. See, the essence of prophecy is the proclamation of the name Yahweh. Yahweh, the name Yahweh itself is the name of God as the Lord of history, as the curious, the curious, the Lord of history. the ruler, as the one who is, as we say, the alpha and the omega, from the beginning to the end. The very word jave contains that connotation, from the beginning to the end. The Lord over all evolution, over all history. And that is the essence of prophecy, is the proclamation of the name Lord. of the name Javi. And through this proclamation of the name Javi, that means of God's ways with his people in history.

[34:50]

That's Javi. Javi is the one who has mercy, who forgives, who punishes, who does justice and judgment and encouragement. That is Javi. who in that way, through the course of history, constantly again and again approaches his people. So that is prophecy, the proclamation of the name Yahweh by the prophet, by the one who is sent by God. Proclaim the greatness of our God. That means bless him, magnify him, proclaim his greatness, magnify him. As we said before, wherever the name of God is proclaimed, then what is the reaction? Magnify Him. That is what we call, we bless the Lord. We bless the Lord. We magnify the Lord.

[35:53]

Our spirit rejoices in God my Savior. So therefore, these first three verses, you have the essence of prophecy. The prophet calls upon heaven and earth, the two divine witnesses of that interplay, of that history of salvation, which is a revelation of God's grace. And the instruments or symbols of this revelation of God's grace is heaven and earth. And in the promised land, the whole fate of man depends on that interchange between heaven and earth. In Egypt, heaven is excluded. The earth has what she needs as long as man. do their work in the treadmill to bring it about to control it.

[36:54]

That's the essence of Egypt. It's not the essence of the promised land. Therefore, wherever we enter in the realm of the spirit, we enter in that realm where heaven and earth are witnesses. And then comes the the proclamation of the name of the Lord and then the first prophecy itself and that starts in verse 4 with the name Barak-Zor how faultless are his deeds how white are his ways a faithful God without deceit, how just and upright he is. Well, the key word, let me close with that, the key word of the Catechol of Moses, you may read and you may see that it's repeated, I think, five times in the Catechol, is God as Zohar, God as Zohar.

[37:59]

as rock, or also we can say God as refuge, God as the place of safety for us. That is the, what is, when we speak about God as a rock in the Old Testament, that is the Old Testament, the God who is the constant, a firm and quiet, can we say pole or so, is it? The room and the pole, I mean. But I think in English that doesn't work. I got a little out of practice. Europe. Pole, you know. We speak in German always der Ruhende Pole, you know. In der Erscheinung Flucht. Der Ruhende Pole in der Erscheinung Flucht.

[39:02]

I would say. in der Erscheinung und Flucht. And that is really the name, that's the meaning. Father David, could you translate it? The quiet center in der Erscheinung und Flucht. And the up and down and the passing by of the, what is it? Appearances. Appearances, you know, the things that appear and disappear. That is God the rock. Guard the rock. He is the one who upholds all being. He is the essence of stability. Guard the rock. And that is another thing that I would recommend to you, just in the light of that, to read again the prophecy of Isaiah, because that is one of the basic thoughts of Isaiah, is guard the rock.

[40:10]

And our answer to them is, of course, our confidence. Our complete, relaxed, you know, standing on this rock. This rock of God's truth in thee. in that firm quality that only faith can give us. As that beautiful word just called you against you in chapter 26 of Isaiah, which in many ways is also very close to Deuteronomy 32. Of course, the translations are all over this book. And it's really interesting, but it can be done. He says, the old error is passed away, isn't it? That's right. Thou wilt keep peace. Peace because, he says, we have hoped in thee. The Hebrew word is because we completely put our entire trust in you.

[41:21]

That's the meaning of hope in thee, or destiny. in the New Testament also but we always have with hope something else because we have hope that means because we have surrendered completely to you you will keep peace peace because we have completely surrendered to you that means peace peace always peace inside and peace outside the two aspects of peace peace in oneself and peace with others You have hoped in the Lord. That means you have surrendered completely to the Lord. Put forevermore, he says. In Hebrew that is up to the end. Up to the end. You have put the whole trust of Yahweh up to the end.

[42:24]

In the Lord God, and he says here, mighty forever. In the Lord God, that means Yah Yahweh. Yah, that is God as power. Yahweh, that is God as the Lord of history. These two aspects. The Lord Yah Yahweh, the Lord who is power and who is the leader and guide of human history. Then the Hebrew text would say, a rock in the up and down of times, the rock throughout the ages, I would say. You have put your trust into the Lord until the end. In the Yahya way, The rock of the ages.

[43:27]

The rock of the ages. And that is another thought, you know, that we should keep in mind also. Always in every Advent season, God, Lord, has the rock of the ages in our contact with him through the trust, through faith. It is the season of faith, the Advent season. our reaction our answer to God's promise our answer to the voice of the prophets to God's judgment to God's promise to God's redemption to God's forgiveness and as it is then manifested in the world made flesh that is the point to which all prophecy

[44:18]

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