Evening Prayer (1662 Book of Common Prayer)

ISAIAH-ALERT. Isaiah 1.16-20: “Clean it up. Take a moral bath. Uproot the habits and practices of sin. ‘Straighten up and fly right!’”

LECTIONS. John Calvin on the Psalms. Keil & Delitzsch: Joshua. Matthew Henry: Isaiah. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown: Gospels. Matthew Henry: Revelation. Dr. Robert Reymond: Systematic Theology. Prof. Berkhof, Systematic Theology: Soteriology. 

 

For Psalm 10, Prof. Calvin talks modestly, but the text is better (again): 10.1-2: “Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? 2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.” Products of original sin: fraud, extortion, cruelty, violence, greed, pride and more. Civil governments and culture, we might add, are benefited by clear-eyed Christians who stand-up, speak, pray and, if possible, exercise leadership. And are willing to violate the lying and fake protocols of politeness that are thinly-disguised efforts to silence the “good trouble-makers.” The school of the prophets is the “school of good troublemakers.” 

For Joshua 9, Prof. Keil comments on the deceit of the Gibeonite ambassadors in the approach to Joshua. A serious error on Joshua’s part. 

For Isaiah 1, Prof. Henry gives the upshot from 1.16-20: “Clean it up. Take a moral bath. Uproot the habits and practices of sin. Dive down, dig deep and take the junk to the junk yard out back. ‘Straighten up and fly right!’”

For the Introduction to the Gospels, Prof. Jamiesson argues against a Hebrew original of Matthew and for a Greek original. It's not a satisfying argument, given the historical attestation to an Armaic/Syriac original. But, we move on.

For Revelation 4, Prof. Henry presents what should guide every Churchmen and Churchwoman: the daily vision of the “hem of the garment” of the heavenly vision. Might as well get used to now as one Ruling Elder once said, since after this life the regenerated (born again), justified, and adopted are going there. 

For Bibliology, Prof. Reymond works with the WCF’s 1.5 and the Self-Validating Witness of God to His own Word. And what does that mean for Eichorn, Ewald, Graff, Wellhausen, Bultmann and his dirty crew, Norm Perry and the adulterous Barth, to name some of the scholarly Canannites and Philistines? The radio-station “transmits” it’s story successfully and widely and is heard in many cars on the freeway. But, someone’s radio and car-speakers in the car are broken and the radio-transmission doesn’t get inside the car. The problem isn’t with the radio-station, but, rather, the broken radio and broken speakers in the car. 

For Soteriology, Prof. Berkhof is (again) over-blabbing common grace. This rather deserves to be treated under providence where, in that section, the Professor shines. We believe Prof. Berkhof planted the seeds that secularized the Christian Reformed Church over in Zion, or more properly known, Grand Rapids, MI.