Day 18: With righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:4-5 ESV)
O Adonai, Come!
Today, December 18, the church sings the second of the “O Antiphons.” An antiphon is a short verse that is chanted as part of the refrain of a song. Each of the Great “O” Antiphons addresses the Messiah by a different name. All are steeped in Old Testament stories and imagery. Since the 12th century, the Church has known these antiphons as the hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
On this day, we sing to Christ as Adonai:
“O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us,” (LSB 357).
Or
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel
In Hebrew, Adonai can be a term of respect or courtesy for an earthly figure like a husband, brother, father, king, or prophet. In these cases, it is often translated “lord” (think of the phrase “lords and ladies”). However, Adonai is also used to refer to the Lord of lords himself, it is another name or title for Yahweh himself.
In our relativistic religious age, today’s antiphon is highly scandalous. It is a bold, unapologetic confession that the God of the Old Testament, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and who later gave the Ten Commandments to Israel, is none other than Jesus of Nazareth.
This confession will win no applause in ecumenical circles; it is unapologetically exclusive. He who claims to worship the God of the Old Testament, but does not acknowledge that Jesus is that God, worships a false god. Yahweh is Jesus. Elohim is Jesus. Adonai is Jesus. He is Wisdom who created the world. He is Adonai who redeemed Israel from Egypt.
In brief, we know no God apart from Jesus the Christ. And in Jesus Christ, we know everything we need to know about God. As the Messiah himself says, “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” Paul affirms (Col. 2:9).
To go looking for God apart from Jesus Christ is to find nothing but an idol.
What we need is for Adonai to look for us. “Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.” With his arm, the Lord redeemed Israel from the death grip of Pharaoh (Exod. 6:6). He stretched out that strong arm to cast down plague after plague, to slay the firstborn of their enemy, to split the Red Sea, to transform rocks into rivers, and to guide his people to the land flowing with milk and honey.
Stretch out that same hand, O Adonai, to redeem us. And he will. He will stretch out his infant arm to touch his mother’s face. He will stretch out his hand to heal a leper. He will stretch out his hand—both hands—to have them nailed to the bloody wood, on which we are redeemed.
O Adonai, our Lord Jesus, Messenger of the Father, Bearer of the Spirit, Ruler of the house of Israel and Head of the Church, wrap us in your strong, redeeming arms of mercy.
Bible Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14, 11:1-5, 10-11; Matthew 1.23
(Adopted from post by Chad Bird)
Immanuel Lutheran Church 