Through July, we have a variety of encouraging examples for us. Many this month are from the Old Testament including three prophets and a matriarch beginning the month. From there we have a number of those who were close to the Lord during His earthly ministry including two of the many New Testament Marys. There are also two who seem to not fit the general theme that emerges, however, this is due to the date of their heavenly birthdays. As you read this I hope you find the comfort of the Gospel and are encouraged by God’s care for His people of all times and of all nations for the sake of His beloved Son Jesus Christ.

July 6: Isaiah, Prophet

Isaiah (8th century BC – c. 681 BC) the son of Amoz, was a prophet in the kingdom of Judah. He prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (1:1). His book is filled with many prophecies of the Messiah and is quoted more than any other prophet in the New Testament. Some are so explicit and so clear, such as the Songs of the Suffering Servant, that he is sometimes known as the Fifth Evangelist. Much of his work is focused on calling people to repentance for their idolatry and oppression of the poor. He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the people if they would not repent. Yet, he also preached of the peace to come in the time of the Messiah, the defeat of death, the conversion of the nations, and God’s deliverance of the people after the exile through King Cyrus of Persia. Traditionally it is held that Isaiah was put to death on the orders of King Manasseh by being sawed in half (possibly referenced in Hebrews 11:37). Overall, Isaiah serves as both one who pointed to Christ by his office as prophet as well as serving as an example of hope.

For to us a child is born. To us a son is given. The authority to rule will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no limit to his authority and no end to the peace he brings. He will rule on David’s throne and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from now on, into eternity. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

July 16: Ruth

Ruth (11th century BC) was a Moabite who came to faith in the God of Israel and is an ancestor of David and the Lord Jesus. As a Moabite, Ruth grew up outside of the covenant, but during a famine in Judah she married a Bethlehemite named Mahlon, who was sojourning in Moab with his parents. By the time the famine was over, Ruth’s husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law had died. As her mother-in-law Naomi was returning to Bethlehem she urged her daughter-in-laws to return to their people and their gods, but Ruth had come to faith and was loyal to Naomi and gave the confession, “Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you make your home, I will make my home. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” On returning to Bethlehem she gleaned in order to support herself and Naomi. Eventually, she and Naomi would come to be redeemed by Boaz, who would marry her, and give her a son: Obed, the father of Jesse. Ruth is an example of God’s desire to save people from all nations, of patience and perseverance, and of a steadfast faith in trial.

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to abandon you or to turn back from following you. Because wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you make your home, I will make my home. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

Ruth 1:16

July 20: Elijah, Prophet

Elijah (c. 900 BC – c. 849 BC) the Tishbite was a prophet in the kingdom of Israel in the time of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. We do not know much about the beginning of Elijah’s life or call. He first appears in 1 Kings 17 where he announces to Ahab that the Lord will cause a drought in the land because of Ahab’s trust in the false fertility and rain god Baal. In response, Ahab and Jezebel persecuted the prophets of God and supported the prophets of Baal causing Elijah to go into hiding in the land of Zarephath. It is here where he prefigured Christ’s saving work by the raising of a widow’s son. Much of what we have in the Scriptures regarding Elijah points to a life of suffering for the faith. After the ending of the drought and the demonstration of the power of the Lord through the fire from heaven on Mount Carmel, Elijah was once again hunted by Jezebel. At this time the Lord led him to Mount Hebron/Sinai where he was for 40 days. Despite not writing anything, Elijah is seen as the prophet par excellence in the Scriptures. Malachi prophesies that the forerunner of the Messiah will come in the spirit and power of Elijah. At the end of his life, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a flaming whirlwind after appointing a successor. During the ministry of our Lord Jesus, Elijah appeared alongside Moses at the Transfiguration of Jesus and spoke with Him regarding His departure. Elijah for us serves as an example of steadfastness in trial and boldness in our confession of faith no matter the consequences. 

When the time of the evening sacrifice had arrived, Elijah the prophet stood up and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all these things by your word. 37 Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you are turning their hearts back to you.”

1 Kings 18:36-37

July 21: Ezekiel, Prophet

Ezekiel (c. 622 BC – c. 570 BC) the son of Buzi, was a priest and prophet during the exile of the Jewish people in Babylon. As a prophet among the exiles, Ezekiel continued to call for the people to repent and believe that Jerusalem (which had not yet been destroyed) would be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Many of these prophecies were to be enacted out in his person and actions. In this he exposed himself to ridicule. Yet, he followed the commands of the Lord and endured mocking for the name of God. In the time after the Temple was destroyed, he turned to comforting the people with the hope of the return to the land and God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises. Throughout all of this he points to the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God in Christ which would include all nations. His writing includes one of the most clear Old Testament prophecies regarding Holy Baptism (Ezekiel 36:25-27). We give thanks to God for raising up the prophet Ezekiel and for his witness of the coming Prophet like Moses, Jesus Christ.

I will sprinkle purifying water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurity and from all your filthy idols. Then I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and will cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will carefully observe my ordinances.

Ezekiel 36:25-27

July 22: St. Mary Magdalene

St. Mary Magdalene (1st century AD) was a prominent female disciple of our Lord Jesus and the first witness of the resurrection. She most likely came from the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee and she began to follow Jesus after He drove out seven demons from her (Luke 8:2). She, along with a number of other women including Jesus’ mother Mary and the Apostle John were some of the only believers present at our Lord’s crucifixion. And while she has been identified throughout Church history with the woman who anointed our Lord with perfume and tears in Luke 7, but this is not certain. However, we do know that the Lord appeared to her after His resurrection and sent her to tell the Apostles of His resurrection. For this, she is known as the Apostle to the Apostles. In her we see both an example for us of repentance and service, for after her conversion she and other women provided for the Lord and His disciples. We are also strengthened by the example of the Lord’s mercy to her in driving out seven demons.

Jesus told her, “Do not continue to cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father—to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” She also told them the things he said to her.

John 20:17-18

July 25: St. James the Elder, Apostle

St. James the Elder (c. AD 3 – 44), also known as St. James the Great, and St. James the Greater, was the brother of St. John the Apostle and an apostle of our Lord. James was one of the “inner three” of the Lord’s disciples along with Peter and John and as such witnessed the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and was asked to stay awake while Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. After the resurrection and ascension of our Lord, James was the first of the Apostles to be martyred for the faith. He died at the hands of King Herod Agrippa in AD 44 by being put to death by the sword (Acts 12:1-2). Besides his steadfastness unto death, there are a number of examples in James’ life that serve us as disciples. The first is that our zeal for the truth must be tempered by love. For James asked the Lord when He was rejected at a Samaritan village if he and John should call down fire from heaven to destroy them (Luke 9:51-56). The Lord rebuked them for this, and later, at the preaching of the Gospel many of the Samaritans would come to faith, most likely including some from this unnamed village (Acts 8:4-8). Thus, our zeal for the truth of the Gospel must not result in desiring the destruction of our enemies (as James desired at first), but their conversion. The second example is that of humility. James and John both asked Jesus if they could sit at His right and left hand in His glory. In response, the Lord said that the greatest must be a servant, and the one who would be first must be a slave of all (Mark 10:43-44). Finally, there is his steadfastness to death. For all of these examples which God may use to strengthen us we give thanks to God.

Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:43b-45

July 28: Johann Sebastian Bach, Kantor

Johann Sebastian Bach (March 31, 1685 – July 28, 1750) was a composer and remembered for his vocation as kantor within the Church. Bach grew up in a Lutheran household and this Christ-centred faith was a central component of his life. He knew well the doctrine of vocation and that all we do we do for the Lord. At the beginning of all his musical compositions (both secular and sacred) he would write I.I. which stood for Iesu Iuva, which means, Jesus Help Me; at the end he would write S.D.G. which stood for Soli Deo Gloria, which means, To God Alone be Glory. As the kantor in Leipzig he was responsible for the music for the church. As a result, he wrote cantatas for each Sunday and other festivals which would include the chorale meant for the day (like our hymn of the day). These works both added beauty and majesty to the worship of God while also proclaiming the Gospel through their words. Our own hymnals still use some of the music which he wrote and his other sacred works are still regularly performed around the world continuing to spread the Gospel accompanied by beautiful music meant to glorify God. For this we are thankful and give thanks to God for his example and works while also praying for God to continue to raise up and bless all church musicians who accompany our worship today.

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will make music to my God as long as I exist.

Psalm 146:1-2

July 29: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (1st century AD) were three siblings from Bethany near Jerusalem (not to be confused with Bethany beyond the Jordan) and disciples of Christ. These siblings were not only disciples, but good friends of our Lord. In Luke 10 Jesus and His disciples stayed at their home and He taught there. He also stayed at their home prior to the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (John 12). Lazarus, through his resurrection by Jesus, pointed forward to Jesus’ own resurrection from the dead. The faith of these siblings is for us a great example. Mary demonstrates for us the importance of Christ and His teaching being the thing of greatest importance in our lives. For when Martha asked Jesus to rebuke her sister for sitting at His feet and learning while she prepared a meal, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better portion. Following this, Mary demonstrates a love willing to sacrifice goods in using an expensive perfume to anoint Jesus before the triumphal entry. In addition, their faith in the resurrection from the dead and hope in the midst of death is a great example for us. For they believed and had hope in the resurrection on the Last Day when their brother died. And when the Lord said that He was the resurrection and the life, they likewise had faith in Him. Thus, we give thanks for these three siblings who God has used to show us the life and hope of a disciple in times of mourning.

Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

John 11:25-27

July 30: Robert Barnes, Confessor and Martyr

Robert Barnes (1495 – July 30, 1540) was an English martyr during the Reformation. Barnes was an Augustinian friar who studied at both Cambridge and Lueven, earning his Doctor of Divinity. While at Cambridge, Barnes was a member of the faculty who met at the White Horse Tavern to discuss theology. It was here that he first became aware of seriously and read the writings of Martin Luther and was convinced of the evangelical truth. As a result he began to preach this truth in his sermons. After being condemned for this he was put under house arrest where he continued to preach to his visitors and distribute evangelical works in English. He later escaped to the continent where he spent some time in Wittenberg and stayed at the home of Martin Luther. Because of this he became a good mediator between Henry VIII and the Wittenberg faculty when he returned to England. While there he continued to preach and write the truth of Lutheran doctrine. After one particularly fiery sermon in 1540 he was arrested. After refusing to recant and remaining steadfast in the faith, he was put to death by being burnt at the stake. Later, Luther would say of him, “This Dr. Robert Barnes we certainly knew, and it is a particular joy for me to hear that our good, pious dinner guest and houseguest has been so graciously called by God to pour out his blood and to become a holy martyr for the sake of His dear Son.” We likewise give thanks to God for this martyr who held the faith steadfast even unto death.

Do not fear anything that you are about to suffer. Look, the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you will be tested, and you will suffer for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Revelation 2:10

July 31: Joseph of Arimathea

Joseph of Arimathea (1st century AD) was a member of the Sanhedrin and a disciple of Jesus. Like Nicodemus, a Pharisee who sought Jesus out by night so as not to be seen as a disciple, Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus because of his position on the ruling council of the Sanhedrin. However, the death of our Lord (which he did not agree with (Luke 23:51)) brought out a change of heart in him (and Nicodemus). When Jesus had died, he openly became a disciple and used his influence as a member of the Sanhedrin in order to approach Pilate boldly to ask for the body of Jesus that they might bury Him. Joseph and Nicodemus then took the Lord down from the cross and wrapped him in linen with aloes before placing Him in Joseph’s own new tomb, thus fulfilling the prophecies of the burial of the Messiah. Joseph is especially an example for us in boldness of our confession, even when it will cost us influence, friends, and prestige in this life. For while at first he was afraid of a public confession, he later was given the courage to profess His faith by God’s grace. May we always be encouraged by this, and pray that God would grant us this same grace when we feel timid about confessing our faith.

Joseph from Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had been dead for a long time. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he granted the body to Joseph. Joseph bought a linen cloth, took him down, and wrapped him in the linen cloth. He laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of rock, and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

Mark 15:43-46