Fourth Sunday of Advent (Ps) December 18th

Psalm 109:6-20
6 Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin!
8 May his days be few;
may another take his office!
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children wander about and beg,
seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
11 May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
nor any to pity his fatherless children!
13 May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
15 Let them be before the Lord continually,
that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
16 For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
17 He loved to curse; let curses come upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it soak into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
like a belt that he puts on every day!
20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life!
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ps 109:6-20). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The guilty man should become fatherless. He should have his memory removed from the earth. This is the way of the wicked. The wicked people of the earth will be swept away. If someone cloths themselves with curses they will be cursed. People often cloth themselves with their own sins. The penalty for these sins is death.

John the Baptist calls the people of Israel to repentance. People have been clothing themselves with their own filthy works. All their evil deeds cling to them like filthy undergarments. These deeds need to be removed. Just like you should take a bath more than once in a lifetime.

John the Baptist calls people to repentance to prepare the way of the LORD. Jesus Christ dies for the forgiveness of all your sins. He is the one in whom people are baptized for forgiveness of sins and are given the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist points us to that hope and eternal life. The Psalmist reminds us of our guilt and sins. He is calling us to repentance and pointing us to our Savior Jesus Christ.