The Catechism in Song: Ten Commandments

I was awake much earlier than usual, and since I couldn't sleep, I dressed and did my morning prayer and wandered over to the warehouse building which was serving as the expedition headquarters to find a cup of hot water.

The expedition head, an orthodox Jew, was in a far corner of the warehouse, engaged in his morning prayers. As he finished, he folded up his prayer-shawl, and from his arm he unwound a yard-long leather thong which was attached to a small leather box.

He was taking quite literally the admonition in our lesson today: Bind [the commandments] as a sign on your hand,....

The fancy word for that little box is phylactery and it has been a custom for centuries to use it.

Perhaps we would not decide to do that as literally as Dr. Leibner does, but the impulse to pay close and regular attention to the commandments is surely a good thing.

Martin Luther said “The Ten Commandments are a mirror for our life, in which we see what we lack.”

And in another place, he says “The Law must make people weary until, through this urging, they recognize their ailment and their dislike of God's Law and long for grace.”

So the commandments are not the whole matter of the Christian faith, but they do serve a major purpose, which is to convince us that we cannot do things rightly on our own, to convict us of our sin, and finally to drive us to faith and trust in Christ Jesus alone.

Luther described what the practice was in the 1520s in Wittenberg; among the regular practices were a lesson and preaching on the parts of the Catechism, including the Ten Commandments, each Monday and Tuesday at Morning Prayer.

It has often been observed that we tend to remember things better if they are set to music.

Luther knew that as well, and so he wrote or appointed hymns to carry the content of various parts of the faith, including the commandments.

His hymn Dies sind die heiligen zehn Gebot is not in our hymnal, so I'll tell you a bit about it.

Since one purpose is to memorize the commandments in order, together with interpretation, one might guess that there would be at least 10 stanzas to the hymn, and there are.

The hymn is not lofty poetry; its purpose is didactic, to simply teach the commandments.

He made it even more easily learned by matching it with a tune which had been sung by pilgrims for 300 years; he wanted it to be sung easily and often.

After singing each commandment in turn, in the concluding 11^th and 12^th stanzas the whole purpose of the commands is explained:

You have this Law to see therein

That you have not been free from sin

But also that you clearly see

How pure toward God life should be.

Have mercy, Lord!

Our works cannot salvation gain;

They merit only endless pain.

Forgive us, Lord! To Christ we flee,

Who pleads for us endlessly.

Have mercy, Lord! [LSB#581.11,12]

To teach us that we cannot depend upon ourselves and our own efforts, but to drive us to Christ Jesus.

Somewhere through the years, it fell out of fashion to sing the commandments in this way; it has been maintained only in the Missouri Synod hymnal.

We do have hymns which get at that main point without naming each commandment.

Thus today we consider Hymn 504 dating from the century after Luther.

O God, My Faithful God begins with a thank-you for creation, life, health, and spiritual life.

The second and third stanzas are a prayer for the opportunity and the ability to do what God commands.

The concluding fourth stanza is a prayer for perseverance in faith and life, despite whatever problems may crop up.

Although the commandments are not delineated in this hymn, the same spirit is there as in Luther's hymn, namely, that God is the one in charge who continues to give good gifts and will guide us in all the ways we need in order to be following his will.

That may be easily said when we think that things are going well, but what about in difficult times?

It would be hard to come up with a more tragic situation than that faced by the author of the text, Johann Heerman.

In 1616 his town was devastated by a huge fire.

In 1617 his wife died.

In 1618 the 30 years war began, and his town was plundered four times in those years.

In three of the times, all his movable possessions were taken from him.

In 1631 plague struck the town.

In 1634 he lost his voice for the remainder of his life, so he could no longer preach.

But in trust, he wrote:

When dangers gather round,

Oh, keep me strong and fearless;

Help me to bear the cross

When life seems dark and cheerless;

Help me, as you have taught,

To love both great and small,

And, by your Spirit's might,

To live at peace with all. [LBW504.4]

He has heard, deeply heard, how the commandments begin...with God's promise I am the Lord your God, and is placing his life and trust there.

All the rest of the commandments are our proper response to that great overarching promise.

How shall I respond to God and other people because God says to me I am the Lord, your God.?

If we humbly listen, the Ten Commandments are a clear answer.

Perhaps we won't put them in a phylactery on our arm, but a bigger question is whether we will put them in the front of our mind, day after day!

Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.