Finally, Brethren, Farewell

Finally, Brethren, Farewell — May 2024

Volume 4 | Issue 13

Rev. Nathan J. Langerak

Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart. As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul. But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.—Psalm 109:1–21

Christ’s prayer recorded here has little acceptance in the church world of today, which has embraced the God who loves everyone and the Christ who died for all. Christ’s prayer could not be printed on the pages of many magazines, just as the doctrine of the prayer could not be preached from many pulpits. If a magazine did print the prayer and call attention to its doctrine, then the prayer would be distasteful to many.

The prayer of Christ has a place on the pages of this magazine, and we sing this prayer because that word too dwells richly in our hearts. Christ’s prayer is against Judas, who betrayed the Son of man with a kiss. Christ’s prayer is likewise his prayer against the officebearers of the churches that displace him, all the while they take Christ’s name on their lips and do their evil work in his name. Their words are smoother than butter and softer than oil. But there is war in their hearts. “Christ, Master, Lord,” they say. They fall on Christ’s neck and give to him a kiss that says love but is a sign to others to destroy Christ. Thus they bring against themselves this prayer of Christ. All that evil God decreed for the salvation of his church and for the exposure and destruction of the hypocrite, who takes Christ’s name on his lips and takes Christ’s body and blood into his hands but who loathes Christ. Thus this prayer is a faithful reflection of God’s own eternal attitude toward the man.

—NJL

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by Rev. Nathan J. Langerak

The Spirit of the Exalted Lord

Volume 4 | Issue 13