advice, and do not celebrate too soon. Are you still standing? Then see that you do not fall (1 Cor.
10:12)! You can do anything? Watch out that your skill does not desert you! Be concerned, be humble, and pray that you may grow in this art and be protected against the crafty devil, who is called "Smart
Aleck" and "Quick Fist,"41 who can do anything and learn anything very quickly.
If by choice or of necessity you must deal with matters concerning the law, works, sayings, and examples of the fathers, then remember first of all to keep this principal teaching before you, and do not be caught without it, so that the dear sun of Christ will shine in your heart. Then you can freely and safely discuss and discriminate in all laws, examples, sayings, and works. If there is something good or true in it, then I know that it is good and right for this life only, because Christ alone is good and right for grace and the life to come. And whenever you neglect this, be assured that the laws, sayings, examples, and works, with their attractive appearance and the great reputation of the persons concerned, will so confuse you that you will not know whether you are coming or going. I have observed this in St.
Bernard: whenever he begins to speak of Christ, it is a pure pleasure to follow; but when he goes beyond this and talks of rules or works, then it is no longer St. Bernard.42 The same thing happens to St.
Augustine, Gregory, and all the rest; when Christ is not in them, they are nothing but secular professors, like philosophers or lawyers.
Therefore in Scripture Christ is called the Cornerstone on which all that is to stand before God must be founded and built.43 Whatever is not founded and built on Him, but without Him, will be destroyed and cannot endure. What else is lacking in these sects and foolish religionists but that they have forsaken this Cornerstone and have slipped back into works? They cannot get out of the predicament but must reduce to mere human works even Baptism and the Sacraments, which are God's Word and institution.
Thus the Anabaptists claim that Baptism is nothing if one is not previously sanctified. They do not want to acquire holiness through and from Baptism, but by their piety they want to make Baptism holy and wholesome. As I see it, this is to lose the Cornerstone completely and to be justified, not through the grace of Christ in Baptism but through one's own self, so that Baptism gives nothing, creates nothing, brings nothing. Instead, we bring and give everything to Baptism beforehand, so that it is nothing but an unnecessary symbol by which one is supposed to be able to recognize such pious folk. But Baptism is not a permanent enough sign or mark to guarantee that one should be recognizable by it, since it happens only once, and then nobody can see it any more.
The fanatics do the same thing with their Sacrament, which does not sanctify or bring grace but shows and demonstrates how blessed and holy they are without the Sacrament. And what else have such divisions, countless sects, factions, and idolatries of all manner of foolish fanatics, priests, monks, and nuns accomplished in the papacy than that they have turned away from Christ to gain righteousness through their works? This is why St. Paul taught the Ephesians and the Colossians so vigorously that Christ is our Head, and that we should cling diligently to this Head and thus stay together and grow as members of one body.44 The devil wastes no time on vacations and sleep. He would gladly tear us away from this Head. He knows well that this central teaching will break his neck and crush his serpent's head, as is foretold in Gen. 8:15.
But God, our dear eternal Father, who through His dear Son and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has so richly enlightened us—may He strengthen us with perfect faith through His Holy Spirit and give us power to follow His light faithfully and diligently, and praise and extol Him together with all heathen, both in teaching and in life. To Him be praise and honor forevermore for all His unspeakable mercies and gifts!
1. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever!
2. Let Israel say: His steadfast love endures forever.
3. Let the house of Aaron say: His steadfast love endures forever.
4. Let those who fear the Lord say: His steadfast love endures forever.
5. Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.
6. With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can man do to me?
7. The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
9. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
10. All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
11. They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
12. They surrounded me like bees; they were extinguished like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
13. I was pushed hard, so that I was falling; but the Lord helped me.
14. The Lord is my Strength and my Song; He has become my Salvation.
15. Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, 16. the right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!
17. I shall not die; but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18. The Lord has chastened me sorely, but He has not given me over to death.
19. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
20. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
21. I thank Thee that Thou hast humbled me and hast become my Salvation.
22. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Cornerstone.
23. This is the Lords doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25. Save us, we beseech Thee, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech Thee, give us success!
26. Blessed be He who enters in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27. The Lord is God, and He has given us light. Bind the festival with branches, up to the horns of the altar!
28. Thou art my God, and I will give thanks to Thee; Thou art my God; I will extol Thee.
29. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!
To the venerable lord, Fredrick, Abbot of Saint Giles1 of Nuremberg, my gracious lord and patron. Grace and peace in Christ, our Lord and Savior!
MY venerable and dear lord and patron:
While I should like to show my gratitude to you for your love and favor to me, I am, by earthly standards, a beggar. Besides, even if I had much, there is nothing special I could do for you in your position. And so I turned to my wealth, which I treasure so much, and took up my beloved psalm, the beautiful Confitemini, putting down on paper the thoughts which came to me. I am quite idle here in the wilderness;2 and yet, in order to spare my head, I need to pause and rest occasionally in the hard work that I hope to complete soon, the translation of the prophets into German.3
These thoughts of mine I decided to send you as a gift. I have nothing better. Though some may consider this a lot of useless drivel, I know it contains nothing evil or unchristian. This is my own beloved psalm. Although the entire Psalter and all of Holy Scripture are dear to me as my only comfort and source of life, I fell in love with this psalm especially. Therefore I call it my own.4 When emperors and kings, the wise and the learned, and even saints could not aid me, this psalm proved a friend and helped me out of many great troubles. As a result, it is clearer to me than all the wealth, honor, and power of the pope, the Turk, and the emperor. I would be most unwilling to trade this psalm for all of it.
But lest anyone, knowing that this psalm belongs to the whole world, raise his eyebrow at my claim that this psalm is mine, may he be assured that no one is being robbed. After all, Christ is mine, and yet He belongs to all believers. I will not be jealous but will gladly share what is mine. Would to God all the world would claim this psalm for its own, as I dot Peace and love could not compare with such a friendly quarrel. Sad to say, there are few, even among those who should do better, who honestly say even once in their lifetime to Scripture or to one of the psalms: "You are my beloved book; you must be my very own psalm."
The neglect of Scripture, even by spiritual leaders, is one of the greatest evils in the world.
Everything else, arts or literature, is pursued and practiced day and night, and there is no end of labor and effort; but Holy Scripture is neglected as though there were no need of it. Those who condescend to read it want to absorb everything at once. There has never been an art or a book on earth that everyone has so quickly mastered as the Holy Scriptures. But its words are not, as some think, mere literature;
- 21 they are words of life,5 intended not for speculation and fantasy but for life and action. But why complain? No one pays any attention to our lament. May Christ our Lord help us by His Spirit to love and honor His holy Word with all our hearts. Amen. I commit myself to your prayer.
Out of the desert. July 1, 1530. MARTIN LUTHER THE BEAUTIFUL CONFITEMINI 1. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever!
This psalm is a general statement of thanksgiving for all the kindnesses God daily and unceasingly showers on all men, both good and evil. That is the custom of the holy prophets. When they want to thank and praise God for a particular blessing, they begin with lofty words that are all-inclusive in their praise of every one of His wonders and kindnesses. Since this psalm praises God especially for the greatest benefit He bestowed on the world, namely, for Christ and His kingdom of grace—first promised and now re, vealed—the writer begins with a general statement of praise: "O give thanks to the Lord; for He is a loving, gracious, good, and compassionate God, who continually does good and abundantly heaps His goodness upon us."
You must not read the words "good" and "His steadfast love" with dull indifference. Nor dare you skim over them "as the nuns read the Psalter,"6 or as choirmasters and choristers bleat and bellow these fine words in the churches. No, you must bear in mind that these are vibrant, significant, and meaningful words; they express and emphasize one theme: God is good, but not as a human being is good; from the very bottom of His heart He is inclined to help and do good continually. He is not given to anger or inclined to punish except where necessary and where persistent, impenitent, and stubborn wickedness compels and drives Him to it. A human being would not delay punishment and restrain anger as God does; he would punish a hundred thousand times sooner and harder than God does.
God abundantly and convincingly proves His friendly and gracious favor by His daily and everlasting goodness, as the psalmist writes: "His steadfast love endures forever"; that is, He unceasingly showers the best upon us. He is the Creator of our bodies and souls, our Protector by day and by night, and the Preserver of our lives. He causes the sun and the moon to shine on us, fire, air, water, and the heavens to serve us. He causes the earth to give food, fodder, wine, grain, clothes, wood, and all necessities. He provides us with gold and silver, house and home, wife and child, cattle, birds, and fish. in short, who can count it all? And all this is bountifully showered upon us every year, every day, every hour, and every minute. Who could measure even this one goodness of God, that He gives and preserves a healthy eye or hand? When we are sick or must get along without one of these, then we begin to realize what a blessing it is to have a healthy hand, foot, leg, nose, or finger; then we begin to realize what a blessing bread, clothing, water, fire, and home are.
If we human beings were not so blind and so smug and indifferent toward the blessings of God, there would not be a man on earth, no matter how wealthy, who would trade an empire or a kingdom for them; for he would surely be robbed in the deal. What is a kingdom compared with a sound body? What is all the money and wealth in the world compared with one sunlit day? Were the sun to stop shining for one day, who would not rather be dead; for what would then be the value of wealth and power? What would the finest wine or malmsey7 in the world amount to if we had to go without water for one day?
What would our magnificent castles, houses, silk, satin, purple, golden jewelry, precious stones, all our pomp and glitter and show help us if we had to do without air for the length of one Our Father?8
These gifts of God are the greatest and also the most despised. Because they are so common, no one thanks God for them. People simply accept and use them daily, as though it had to be so, and we had a perfect right to them and did not even need to thank God. In the meantime they are quick and frantic to do, worry, quarrel, wrangle, strive, and storm after unnecessary money and goods, honor and luxury—in short, after something which cannot hold a candle9 to the blessings mentioned above. These things are not worth a fraction of the others. Instead, they hinder us in the happy and peaceful enjoyment of the common blessings, so that we can neither recognize them as such nor thank God for them. This is the work of the devil, who will not let us use or recognize the goodness of God and His abundant daily blessings, lest we enjoy too much happiness.
Now, tell me, how many people on earth understand this verse? True, even the worst scoundrel who sings or hears this verse in church imagines that he thoroughly understands its meaning. He feels that he has drained the last drop of meaning from it, even though he has never in his whole life thought much
- 22 about it or given thanks for the milk he drew from his mother's breast, to say nothing of all the other blessings which, during his whole life, God has immeasurably and unceasingly showered upon him. If God were a usurer and demanded an accounting, his hourly sins of ingratitude would be more numerous than the leaves and grass in the forest.
Therefore this verse should be in the heart and mouth of every man every day and every moment.
Every time he eats or drinks, sees, hears, smells, walks, stands; every time he uses his limbs, his body, his possessions, or any creature, he should recall that if God did not give him all this for his use and preserve it for him despite the devil, he would not have it. He should be aroused and trained to thank
God for His daily goodness with a joyful heart and cheerful faith and to say to Him: "Truly, Thou art a kind and benevolent God! For Thy kindness and goodness to me, an unworthy and ungrateful creature, are eternal, that is, unceasing. Praise and thanks are due Thee!"
This verse also serves to comfort us in all our misfortunes. We are such sorties, such sapless sufferers. A pain in the leg or the stirring of a little leaf10 can cause us to fill heaven and earth with our howls and wails, our grumbling and cursing. We fail to see what a little evil such a small leaf is compared with the immeasurable blessings of God that we still have and possess. We are like a king who becomes frantic because he loses one pfennig. Though he owns half the world, with countless money and possessions, he plays the martyr, throws a tantrum, curses, denounces God, and fulminates against Him with other blasphemous language, as today cursing troopers show their manliness by resorting to profanity.
The good God permits such small evils to befall us merely in order to arouse us snorers from our deep sleep and to make us recognize, on the other hand, the incomparable and innumerable benefits we still have. He wants us to consider what would happen if He were to withdraw His goodness from us completely. In that spirit Job said (2:10): "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" Job, you see, knew very well how to sing this beautiful Confitemini and this particular verse; for he said (Job 1:21): "As God wills, so let it be; the name of the Lord be praised." He did not simply look at the evil, as we would-be saints do; he kept in sight the goodness and grace of the Lord.
With this he comforted himself and overcame evil with patience.
We also are to look at our misfortunes in no other way than that with them God gives us a light by which we may see and understand His goodness and kindness in countless other ways. Then we conclude that such small misfortunes are barely a drop of water on a big fire or a little spark in the ocean. Then we understand and love the words: "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever!" In translating I did not want to deviate too much from the Hebrew, but we
Germans would say: "O what a faithful, loving, and good Lord Thou art! Thou dost bestow on me and on all the world goodness and mercy, now and forever. Thanks be to Thee!"
The Hebrew word דסֶֶחֶֶ, which was ἐλεημοσύνη to the Greeks and until now "mercy" to the Germans, I translated as "steadfast love"; for it really means "goodness in action."11 Christ Himself uses the word when He says (Matt. 12:7): "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." And St. Paul tells Timothy (1
Tim. 6:2) that servants should gladly serve believing masters, for they receive the benefit. In Matt. 6:1
Christ says: "Beware of practicing your piety." This is what we call "alms," from the Greek ἐλεημοσύνη. Although the word "alms" came to be used incorrectly when referring to a piece of bread for the beggar at our door, it really means ἐλεημοσύνη̂ דסֶֶחֶֶ, "goodness in action," such as God grants us and we, in turn, should show toward others.
"Forever" is not to be understood to mean only the goodness of heaven after this life, when there will be life everlasting. The Hebrew word םלעֹו ָָ means, as we say in German, "continually" or "always," be it here or hereafter. For instance, we refer to a restless person by saying: "Why this everlasting running around? Why is he always on the go?" It was necessary for me to explain and to interpret these words in order to understand this verse; for it is used frequently in Scripture, especially in the Psalter. This very verse teaches us which sacrifice pleases God most. We cannot perform a greater or finer deed, or a nobler service to God, than to offer thanks, as He Himself tells us (Ps. 50:23): "He who brings thanks-giving as his sacrifice honors Me, and this is the way I show My salvation." Such an offering pleases Him beyond all gifts, endowments, monasteries, or whatever. He says (Ps. 69:30–31):
"I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving."12 This will please the Lord more than a bullock with horns and hooves.
By the same token, while praise and gratitude to God are the believer's highest service both on earth and in heaven, ingratitude is the most shameful vice and the greatest contempt of God; yet this world is full, full, full of it to high heaven. Nevertheless, God is such a gracious Lord, as this verse declares, that in spite of this ingratitude He does not cease doing good. He says in our psalm: "His steadfast love endures forever." His sun rises on both good and evil; His rain falls on the grateful and the ungrateful
(Matt. 5:45). He gives as much wealth, power, and as many children to scoundrels as He does to the saints, in fact, much more. He guards against war, pestilence, famine, and all the plagues of the devil.
This is divine goodness, which never grows slack or weary in the face of wickedness. No man could ever be so kind, for men cannot stand ingratitude. Ingratitude has driven men mad, crazy, and insane, as the story of Timon shows.13 It is too much for human nature to do good and to receive nothing but evil in return.
2. Let Israel say: His steadfast love endures forever.
Here the psalmist gives thanks for temporal government and blessed peace, both of which are gifts of God and surely the greatest of temporal gifts. If there were no government or peace, we could not exist. Israel was the kingdom founded by God and entrusted to King David, as Ps. 78:70–71 says: "He chose David, His servant, to be the shepherd of Israel, His people."14 Accordingly, he thanks God for this kingdom and urges everyone to join him in thanksgiving. He also gives an example and a precept for all kings, princes, lords, lands, people, and subjects, to praise and thank God for government and peace in their respective countries and nations, each community, as an Israel, for its own.
The absence of continual war, discord, famine, bloodshed, sedition, murder, and misery in countries, cities, and villages, as well as the continued presence of trades, commerce, and professions—this is just as great a miracle and just as great a proof of the power of God as the creation of the world out of nothing and its continued preservation. For the world is full of devils, and, as we see daily, there are many wanton scoundrels among peasants, townsmen, nobles, lords, and princes. They delight in stealing, robbing, lying, cheating, war, destruction, and disaster. If a powerful God did not check and restrain the devil, human ingenuity and might could not keep the peace and maintain government and authority for a single day. It is, therefore, not without reason that St. David urges men to thank God for temporal peace, authority, and government.
Here lords and princes, as well as subjects, should learn that the government of a land and the obedience of the people are a gift of God—a gift bestowed out of nothing but His pure goodness. Our sword and human wisdom are of no avail, even though some mad princes and lords presumptuously claim that they rule land and people with their power and govern them by their reason. Especially the haughty bigwigs among the nobility and the smart alecks in the cities imagine that they run everything, as though God could not get along without them.15 But sensible lords and nobles know better. And David, the foremost of all kings and princes, also declares otherwise. Whoever will not believe, let him read history, in Scripture as well as in Roman and pagan literature. There is abundant evidence.
Certainly in the recent insurrection God demonstrated clearly that neither human power nor skill, but He alone governs the world.16 For these very same bigwigs who would rob God of His honor by bragging and boasting of their role in suppressing the insurrection were at that time the most fearstricken wretches I have ever seen. Now they forget the God who rescued them when in sheer fright they filled their pants. We still smell the stench whenever one of these bigwigs is near. Unfortunately, in those days knighthood had neither heart nor courage. Its impudence and pride lead me to believe that they defy and tempt God to send a new insurrection, that He could show them once more whether the bigwig or God's goodness and power holds the mob in leash. Well, if someone were to shake the tree, the bigwigs would come tumbling down. For they are overripe, and they are pained no end by the momentary peace which God is graciously maintaining, apparently by force and with great difficulty.
So far as I am concerned, I like to see them strut and brag; for it serves to remind me how valiantly they fled in fear before the wretched peasants in the insurrection. Otherwise I would need to have the story engraved in stone or written in a book for a perpetual remembrance. Now I am spared the expense and effort; for whenever one hears or sees one of these bigwigs, the insurrection is painted on him in lurid colors. One is always forced to ask: "Say, isn't this one of those who defied the emperor? Didn't he
- 24 give up his strong castle for a piece of straw and a log? Isn't he one of those undaunted heroes and brave fire-eaters who now thunder out oaths by St. Velten, Potzmacht, St. Quirinius, St. Antonius,17 although during the insurrection they could only sing woe and lament?"
Scripture declares that God established the states of masters and subjects, and that temporal government is His, as David testifies (Ps. 18:40): "Thou didst make my enemies turn their backs to me."
And of his own people he says (Ps. 144:2): "He subdues ray people under me."18 Here we find little pride in David, as though he could govern his people with power or wisdom. Although he had the finest laws and customs, established by God through Moses, to aid him, together with the prophets who had anointed and confirmed him as king by God's command, he had learned by experience what the power and wisdom of kings and princes can do in a nation if God Himself does not lend a hand. Absalom, his own son, and later Bichri19 taught him who was king in the land. Likewise Daniel declares (4:17; 5:21):
"The most high God rules over the kingdom of men and sets over it whom He will."20 not whom we will or think. Daniel is simply saying that temporal government is purely and solely a gift and grace of God, which no man can establish or maintain by his own wisdom or strength.
It is futile to expect to subdue subjects, be they peasants or townsmen, by swaggering. A peasant can draw a knife and kill as well as a noble bigwig does. God must do it, and He tells them (Rom. 13:2):
"Therefore he who resists government will be punished." Such words are the answer; for God insists on it, and His threats will be fulfilled. When subjects are ripe for it, as the peasants were in the revolt, God sentences them to rebellion or disobedience, that they may get a good beating. The masters also are punished by such an insurrection because they lack gratitude for His goodness and benefits and fail to give honor to Him who continually maintains and protects peace, obedience, law, and government. This verse counsels Israel to thank God and to confess that His steadfast love endures forever. He always maintains peace and preserves government, no matter how ungrateful and unworthy we may be. Without Him there would be murder and war in the country, and revolt and lawlessness in the cities.
Particularly in Germany does He now maintain peace with a special show of power, though there is precious little of it. It is evident that at the present time there is not a single soul in Germany who would preserve law and order in the face of these lawless and robbing nobles or protect government from such faithless and thievish subjects. Robbery and stealing abound; assassins follow their singular practices; men plot and rage. Yet no one's conscience is pricked by these sins against God. I am of the opinion that our present peace hangs by a silk thread; in fact, it is solely in God's hands, above and beyond our will and despite the fuming and the raving of all the devils. If human wisdom and the power of man were governing Germany today, she would be lying in ruins tomorrow. Let us, therefore, thank God and pray that His goodness, as in the past, may remain with Israel forever.
3. Let the house of Aaron say: His steadfast love endures forever.
This is a prayer of thanksgiving for a particular gift of God, namely, spiritual government, including priests, preachers, teachers, in short, the precious Word of God and the holy Christian Church. The greatness of this gift is beyond the grasp and imagination of any man. Only the grace and benevolence of God, not the power and wisdom of men, have prevented the triumph of error, schism, sects, and heresy in the world, and have preserved the Word, faith, the Spirit, Baptism, the Holy Scriptures, the Sacrament, and Christians. Without this the devil would overthrow and destroy it all, as he did with the Turk and the pope, as he is doing with the sectarians, and as he did in the past with the heretics. God
Himself must preserve the church. Our flesh soon tires of the struggle, and the world cannot stand the strain.
Aaron was the high priest entrusted with the ministry. He was to teach the Law of Moses and to govern the Kingdom of Israel spiritually, before God, just as David was to rule over life and living outwardly, before the world. But as little as David could by his own power and wisdom conduct his earthly office, so little, and still less, could Aaron by his own might and wisdom rule spiritually over heart and soul, even though he had the advantage of the Law of Moses, which clearly outlined what he should teach and how he should govern. The Holy Spirit had to help him in his spiritual housekeeping, as he learned by his own experience when Korah tried to usurp the priesthood and incited all the people against him and Moses (Num. 16:1 ff.).
This shows you the great cunning of the pope and his vermin. They want to build and maintain the Christian Church with their wisdom, with outward regulations, with excommunications, without the - 25 Word of God, and without praying and preaching—and then defend it by temporal power, fire, sword, and persecution. They do not need the goodness of God, but make this verse read: "Thank our excommunications and our sword, for their power endures forever."
True Christendom preaches the Word of God; it forces itself on no one. If anyone will not believe, it lets him be and separates itself from him, as Christ teaches (Matt. 10:14 and 18:17), and as Paul consistently does in the Book of Acts. The unbeliever is left to God's judgment. But our bloodhounds and murderers suppress the Word of God and devise their own articles of faith. Whoever refuses to accept them must burn. We have a frail, new Christendom, of which God and Scripture are ignorant.
Ignore those filthy fellows! They are not worthy of our thoughts in this wonderful psalm. In this verse we should thank God for giving us His Word and holy kingdom, and for preserving it to us in spite of the devil, the flesh, and the world, out of pure grace and goodness. We have treated it with ingratitude, laziness, indifference, and contempt; and we are utterly unworthy of this great treasure of eternal life. Christ Himself brought us the Word; we did not invent it. He must preserve it, for we cannot do so with our might and skill. Christ instituted, founded, and built Christendom. He must also protect and promote it. Our wisdom and might will not do it; neither will sword and fire, as Paul says (1 Cor.
3:5–9): "You are God's field, God's building. We are the servants; but neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the growth."
4. Let those who fear the Lord say: His steadfast love endures forever.
This fourth prayer of thanksgiving is for the true assembly, namely, for the elect children of God and all the saints on earth, the genuine Christians. For them this psalm was especially written, and of them it speaks to the very end. In the previous three groups—as, first, in the spiritual government or ministry— there are many who abuse it to satisfy their avarice, pleasure, and honor. Consider the heretics, the sectarians, and our present priesthood. Yet the order is nonetheless good and holy and a divine gift, not to be condemned because of its abuse. Just so the whole world shamefully abuses the holy name of God,
Baptism, the Sacrament, and the Gospel, in fact, God Himself and all His gifts. It does not fear God above all things.
It is also true that in the second group, the temporal rulers, the majority use that which has been entrusted to them for pride, vanity, pleasure, mischief, and all manner of wantonness, without any awe or fear of God. Nevertheless, government remains God's good21 and useful gift and is a blessing in itself.
And in the third category, among the common people generally, there is almost nothing but out-and-out abuse, since everyone uses his position, trade, skill, money, and possessions against his neighbor. At least he does not use them for the good and welfare of his neighbor, as God intends when He gives and preserves all things. There is no fear of God or respect of men. Yet God preserves them all, and for this
He is to be praised and thanked.
This little group fears God and is pious. Its membership is gleaned from the three groups22 mentioned above. For there are still to be found pious, God-fearing, faithful bishops, ministers, preachers, and pastors. One also finds pious and godly princes, lords, nobles, aldermen, and judges, and many pious and God-fearing artisans, farmers, servants, and maids, though they are rare. Because of them God preserves the three groups listed above and bestows so much good on them. Were it not for these, the world would pass away this very hour, as Sodom and Gomorrah did.
The holy prophet David clearly separates this group from the other three, thereby indicating that the others do not honor, fear, or serve God. They serve themselves and seek and have their enjoyment in this life. They even persecute this little group incessantly and vehemently, and refuse to tolerate them, solely because these fear and trust God. They honor and teach the Word of God, which the others have no desire to hear or see. In Hebrew "to fear God" really means "to serve God." The fear of God is the service of God. Now we cannot serve Him bodily and visibly here on earth, for He is invisible. We can serve Him spiritually by honoring, teaching, and confessing His Word and by living according to it. Of course, crosses, suffering, and affliction from the devil, the world, and our flesh are the results.
Now tell me, for what kind of gift may these people be expected to give thanks to God? It cannot be a place in a religious order, for God gives this to one of the other groups. Neither can it be temporal glory, honor, might, peace, or the obedience of men; for these are given to the second group. Nor can it be money, possessions, house, home, health, wife, or child; for all these God gives to those in the first group. It must be something higher and nobler, far surpassing these gifts of our temporal and transient
- 26 life. David devotes the rest of the psalm to this gift, while he reserves only the first three verses for the other three groups. What is it? He himself will discuss it fully. It is comfort and help23 in every kind of suffering, want, and trouble. This is nothing less than the beginning of everlasting life. The world in the three groups mentioned above—the God-fearing excepted—with all its goods, might, and skill, could not give a single drop of this. For when man is in peril of death, there is small comfort in singing about dancing, pleasure, possessions, honor, power, skill, wife, and children.
As these would now honor God's Word and serve Him, they must truly suffer and endure mockery, shame, hurt, hatred, envy, defamation, fire, sword, death, and every other calamity from the other three groups, besides much evil, dangerous, and wicked treachery from the devil and Ms angels, and sin, unrest, and heartache from their own flesh. Paul says (2 Tim. 3:12): "All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." And Christ Himself says (Luke 9:23): "If any man would come after Me, let him take up his cross." In Acts 14:22 we read: "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." And the wise man tells us (Ecclus. 2:1): "My child, if you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself to be tried."
Thus the favor bestowed by God on this little group is completely hidden from the world and appears to be nothing but eternal wrath, punishment, and torment from God Himself. By contrast, the ungodly in the three groups seem to be the very children of God, because they are so fully and richly endowed with the visible, temporal, and manifest blessings of God. Therefore it demands skill and grace to discern this secret and hidden blessing, especially since the psalmist praises its eternal character and devotes so many lavish words to it, as we shall hear. Though the spirit is willing and ready, the poor flesh is weak and unwilling (Matt. 26:41). The flesh would rather have evident, temporal consolation and help, and be above anxiety and need. But it must not and cannot be otherwise. There is no other way to life eternal than this narrow path, which so few come upon (Matt. 7:14) and only this small band finds. In short, the blessing of the three groups is this temporal life and being; the blessing of the small group is everlasting life. Therein lies the real difference.
5. Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.
Here we see where this small band is. It does not move in manifest joy before the world. Anxiety is its abode. The psalmist pictures himself and his condition, namely, his many troubles. As is proper when one begins to talk about something, he is brief; he sums up all kinds of troubles and calls them
"distress." Later he will say and explain more. Thus I may say: "Oh, how much Paul suffered!" This does not yet explain his sufferings; it merely indicates in a general way that he suffered, but not what he suffered. So the psalmist indicates also the comfort and help of God generally and briefly when he says:
"The Lord answered me." As if he were saying: "I must always Suffer, but I am always comforted." He will soon describe how this happens and wherein his comfort consists.
In Hebrew the word "distress" means "something narrow." I surmise that the German noun for distress is also derived from an adjective meaning narrow.24 It implies fear and pain, as in a process of clamping, squeezing, and pressing. Trials and misfortunes do squeeze and press, as is indicated by the proverb: "The great wide world is too narrow for me." In Hebrew "in a large place" is used in contrast to "distress."25 "Distress" means tribulation and need; "in a large place" denotes consolation and help.
Accordingly, this verse really says: "I called upon the Lord in my trouble; He heard me and helped me by comforting me." Just as distress is a narrow place, which casts us down and cramps us, so God's help is our large place, which makes us free and happy.
Note the great art and wisdom of faith. It does not run to and fro in the face of trouble. It does not cry on everybody's shoulder, nor does it curse and scold its enemies. It does not murmur against God by asking: "Why does God do this to me? Why not to others, who are worse than I am?" Faith does not despair of the God who sends trouble. Faith does not consider Him angry or an enemy, as the flesh, the world, and the devil strongly suggest. Faith rises above all this and sees God's fatherly heart behind His unfriendly exterior. Faith sees the sun shining through these thick, dark clouds and this gloomy weather.
Faith has the courage to call with confidence to Him who smites it and looks at it with such a sour face.
That is skill above all skills. It is the work of the Holy Spirit alone and is known only by pious and true Christians. The self-righteous are ignorant of it. They prate about good works, although they have never known or performed any. Nor can they perform them, because human nature cannot acquire this skill. As soon as God touches it with a little trouble, it is frightened and filled with despair, and can only
- 27 think that grace is at an end and that God has nothing but wrath toward it. The devil also adds his power and trickery, in order to drown it in doubt and despondency. The situation is aggravated by the provoking sight of God showering abundant blessings on the other three groups. Then human nature begins to think that the others have only the grace of God and none of His anger. Then the poor conscience becomes weak; it would collapse were it not for the help and comfort that come from God, through pious pastors, or by some good Christian's counsel. Some there are who hang, drown, or stab themselves, or otherwise perish, shrivel, and wither.
Whoever can learn, let him learn. Let everyone become a falcon and soar above distress. Let everyone know most assuredly and not doubt that God does not send him this distress to destroy him, as we shall see in verse eighteen. He wants to drive him to pray, to implore, to fight, to exercise his faith, to learn another aspect of God's person than before, to accustom himself to do battle even with the devil and with sin, and by the grace of God to be victorious. Without this experience we could never learn the meaning of faith, the Word, Spirit, grace, sin, death, or the devil. Were there only peace and no trials, we would never learn to know God Himself. In short, we could never be or remain true Christians. Trouble and distress constrain us and keep us within Christendom. Crosses and troubles, therefore, are as necessary for us as life itself, and much more necessary and useful than all the possessions and honor in the world.
We read: "I called upon the Lord." You must learn to call. Do not sit by yourself or lie on a couch, hanging and shaking your head. Do not destroy yourself with your own thoughts by worrying. Do not strive and struggle to free yourself, and do not brood on your wretchedness, suffering, and misery. Say to yourself: "Come on, you lazy burn; down on your knees, and lift your eyes and hands toward heaven!" Read a psalm or the Our Father, call on God, and tearfully lay your troubles before Him.
Mourn and pray, as this verse teaches, and also Ps. 142:2: "I pour out my complaint before Him, I tell my trouble before Him." Likewise Ps. 141:2: "Let my prayer be counted as incense before Thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice!" Here you learn that praying, reciting your troubles, and lifting up your hands are sacrifices most pleasing to God. It is His desire and will that you lay your troubles before Him. He does not want you to multiply your troubles by burdening and torturing yourself. He wants you to be too weak to bear and overcome such troubles; He wants you to grow strong in Him. By His strength He is glorified in you. Out of such experiences men become real Christians.
Otherwise, men are mere babblers, who prate about faith and spirit but are ignorant of what it is all about or of what they themselves are saying.
You must never doubt that God is aware of your distress and hears your prayer. You must not pray haphazardly or simply shout into the wind. Then you would mock and tempt God. It would be better not to pray at all, than to pray like the priests and monks. It is important that you learn to praise also this point in this verse: "The Lord answered me and set me free." The psalmist declares that he prayed and cried out, and that he was certainly heard. If the devil puts it into your head that you lack the holiness, piety, and worthiness of David and for this reason cannot be sure that God will hear you, make the sign of the cross, and say to yourself: "Let those be pious and worthy who will! I know for a certainty that I am a creature of the same God who made David. And David, regardless of his holiness, has no better or greater God than I have."
There is only one God, of saint and sinner, worthy and unworthy, great and small. Regardless of the inequalities among us, He is the one and equal God of us all, who wants to be honored, called on, and prayed to by all. Before they became holy and worthy, what did the saints and the deserving souls have that I do not possess? Did they perhaps become holy and worthy by themselves? As unworthy sinners, did they not receive it from the same God from whom I seek to receive it, as a poor, unworthy sinner?
He who gave it to David has promised it also to me. He has commanded me to demand, seek, pray, and knock (Matt. 7:7). At His command and promise I kneel down, raise my eyes to heaven, and beg for comfort and help. Thereby He is honored as the true God, from whom I implore help and comfort, as a true God deserves. Thus He regards me as worthy, and He will prove Himself to be what He sees that I think He is, a true God. He will not place His divine honor and name in jeopardy for my sake. Of this I am sure. He who does not call on God or pray to Him in trouble certainly does not consider Him to be
God. Nor does he give Him the divine honor which we as creatures owe Him. Much is said about this elsewhere.26
6. With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can man do to me?
Leaping with spiritual and eternal joy, the psalmist here shows us what happens when his prayer is heard. He says: "First, God plants this comfort in my heart. This is the subject of this verse, and later of verse eighteen. Next, He also supplies help externally and rescues me from trouble, of which the next verse speaks," Concerning comfort he says: "The Lord is on my side; that is, my cry has been heard.
Although troubles still continue, I now have a mighty, strong, powerful Defender, who is with me and supports me. This makes it pleasant and easy to bear my yoke (Matt. 11:30). Who is this? It is the Lord
Himself upon whom I called. In my sore distress He came to me through His eternal Word and Spirit. I scarcely know that I have been troubled." We must not, as the sectarians do, imagine that God comforts us immediately, without His Word. Comfort does not come to us without the Word, which the Holy
Spirit effectively calls to mind and enkindles in our hearts, even though it has not been heard for ten years.
Note how bold and courageous the psalmist has become as a result of this comfort. He has the courage to rise and boast: "I am not afraid; I am not downhearted; I am of good cheer and refuse to worry. It is true that misery and sorrow are with me; they scowl at me and try to frighten me into begging for mercy. But I thumb my nose at them and say: 'Please, Mr. Bogeyman, don't eat me up! You look horrible enough to scare anyone who wants to be frightened. But I have another, lovelier vision, to light my way, like the sun, into eternal life. And so I ignore you, feeble and temporary dark cloud and angry little wind that you are!' "
Then in his God-given comfort he proudly and disdainfully defies the whole world and says: "What can man do to me?" This is meeting defiance with defiance. This could well drive kings, princes, and lords mad, to think that a poor sinner so despises and overwhelms them! He walks over them as though they were straw in the road and tauntingly asks: "Who is lying there?" Or don't you know what "man" means? This word includes every human being, be he Turk, Tartar, Roman emperor, pope, king, prince, bishop, or lord, with all their might, wisdom, wealth, land, and people. In short, it includes all the world, plus its god, the devil, and his angels. Cruel as they are, a poor, forlorn human being should surely be terrified by them. Nevertheless, the psalmist defiantly asks: "What can they do to me?"
"They can murder you!" "Then what? Can they revive me and kill me again? Or perhaps devour my body like a tasty morsel? They can't and won't kill me unless my Lord permits it and tells me so.
Without His permission they may plot for a year and a day, draw their knives, gnash their teeth, bite their lips, and scowl. Still they must hear the truth of Ps. 112:10: 'The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked man comes to naught.'27 Power and pride are their god and boast. My boast, however, is the Lord. Let them fight with Him. They will come to grief and dash against that Cornerstone until they stagger and are crushed. In the meantime I shall continue to sing: 'What can man do to me?' "
Finally, what can an emperor, a pope, a king, a prince, or the entire world do against God? Isaiah says that they are ִיןאַכְְּּ(
, a snap of the fingers. Again he says (33:11): "You conceive chaff, you bring forth stubble." Great and imposing are their threats. Their bellies are swollen as though they were about to give birth to mountains, a sight to behold; and yet it is only straw, fit for the fire. When it is born, it turns out to be chaff. So is their anger and the result of their threats, chaff which the wind drives away (Ps. 1:4). As long as the Lord remains with us, we shall stand, though they slay us. They have not killed the Lord who is with us; as long as He remains, and wherever He remains, we shall be with Him, as He says: "Because I live, you shall live also" (John 14:19). We shall watch with joy how He disposes of the strawbellies and their chaff on the day of His great fire. Then we shall learn what this really means: "What can man do to me?"
7. The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
What a wonderful God we have! He not only stands by us in trouble, strengthening and comforting us by His Word and Spirit so that we survive—He also helps us win and conquer. In the end we have a greater revenge on our enemies than we could wish or ask for in the hour of trouble. This happens in one of two ways. One is the gracious way, that they who are hostile and bitter toward us and, as this text says, hate us are converted and become our friends. This brings the greatest pleasure and joy to all the saints on earth. Secondly, those who will not change graciously and in God's name come under wrath and perish in the devil's name, while the Christians survive in spite of them. This fate befell the Jews,
- 29 the Romans, the heathen, King Pharaoh, and the enemies of the Children of Israel. This fate has, thank God, befallen many in our day who thought they could devour us in three weeks. We are still alive, and they rot among the worms. And the same thing will happen to those princes, bishops, priests, and their ilk who still rage against us. They will perish, while our doctrine will survive.
If our teaching is the Word of God, this verse belongs to us. Whoever regards it as God's Word should never doubt that our enemies will not reach their goal, as we shall see. If anyone doubts that it is
God's Word, it is of little consequence what he does or does not experience. From the very beginning of Christendom the world, emperors, kings, lords, the cunning, and the wise have devised ever so many plots. This verse, however, has outlasted them all and has held the field while it mocks them joyously and unafraid. "I shall look in triumph upon my enemies." The enemies, where are they? Where is their wrath? What has happened to their evil designs? Why have they not expunged this verse? What has happened to all the plots which the pope and his clergy have bungled during the past ten years? It is a good thing that they have thick skulls; hence it does not bother them that they failed so often and boasted and cheered for nothing. Finally, in their hardened hearts they will completely fulfill this verse and be destroyed, as the Psalter so abundantly declares.
8. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
9. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
In the two previous verses the psalmist spoke of God-given comfort and help. Here he speaks of the comfort and aid given by men. He makes fun of such help; in fact, it is as if he had pity for those poor souls who have no God but rely on human comfort and aid. It is a miserable and uncertain comfort, which rests on men who themselves are not sure of their lives for a moment, as Isaiah testifies (2:22).
And David says: "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help. When his breath departs, he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish" (Ps. 146:3–4). This statement is entirely true. One cannot rely even on holy men or pious princes, much less on tyrants and barbarians.
God frequently takes pious men to Himself at an early age, and any plans and confidence based on them also perish. God extends the life of tyrants, as Solomon says (Eccl. 7:15), so that those who abandon
God become the more persistent in their trust in man.
While Duke Frederick of Saxony, the pious prince whom we should never forget, was alive, both temporal and spiritual tyrants looked forward to his death.28 They said: "Luther's heresy is dependent on two eyes; when those are closed, his heresy will die." They were sure that this prophecy of theirs was true. It was an open and shut case: "Luther's doctrine-rests on Duke Frederick. His trust and help rest on men and princes." They judged others by themselves. Just as they in their despair and in their defection from God placed their trust in princes and lords, so they concluded that we had done likewise, since they knew no other aid or comfort. I have never heard one of them indicate that he trusted in God. In all their shouting, pride, boasting, and defiance they have relied on the emperor, the princes, and the lords. And they brazenly and publicly admit it as though it were a praiseworthy confession of their holy faith in God, while it is just the opposite.
But they go on in their confidence. Day and night their thoughts, words, counsels, and plots are aimed at nothing else but how they may suppress us by force. Their greatest trust lies in the fact that they are many and we are few. It never occurs to them to call on God and pray for help. They do not need Him and can get along without Him! It is enough that they decide to do things thus and so! They are confident that they will not fail. For how could God cause so many mighty and wise people to fail?
Of course, it is impossible! They are much too strong and too smart for Him. When King Pharaoh pursued the Children of Israel to the Red Sea, he did not look to God or ever once pray: "Lord God, give me counsel and help." No, he said: "Just as soon as I draw my sword, they are dead." Alas, he did not miss it by a hair, but planned so perfectly that the next morning he and his people lay drowned in the Red Sea. This is the fate of those who despise God's comfort and aid and rely on human consolation and the help of princes.
For this reason the psalmist declares twice: "It is better to take refuge in the Lord." He is telling us that men cannot comfort and advise us, and that princes cannot come to our rescue. For men do not have the right word or spirit to comfort and uphold a sorrowful heart. Nor do princes have a fist strong enough to help a wretched man and to suppress his enemies. God alone has the word of comfort and the fist for help, regardless of the size and the number of troubles and enemies. Experience substantiates
- 30 this. When a person is really downcast, how, pray tell me, can all the emperors, kings, princes, and all the power, skill, possessions, and honor of the whole world comfort him? They are all less than nothing, even in the trouble caused by one little everyday sin, unless God's Word gives counsel and comfort.
When one has a fatal disease or stands at deaths door, what good can the power and might of this world do? If the children of the world were able to help, of what value would it be? Life is uncertain; they die daily, and their comfort and help must give place to death. As plain as this is, the devil is still mighty and will not let us believe it. It remains a rare and remarkable skill not to trust in men or princes.
The world is and remains the same and trusts and relies on men and princes, and thus it rejects God and tramples His First Commandment underfoot. Men are willing to trust all sorts of false gods, but not the one true and faithful God. Therefore the prophet not only consoles us in these two verses but also laments the opposite, that there are such poor, miserable souls, and that they have no god. Emperors and princes, who cannot be sure of their lives for one moment, are the gods in whom their hearts rely and trust, exult and boast. Openly and brazenly they boast of their infamous idolatry, as the feeble-minded
Philistines boasted of their mutilated Dagon, of whom they should have been ashamed. But they get what they have coming and what they ask for; and, like the Philistines, they are forever disgraced (1
Sam. 5:6; Ps. 78:66).
This is the time and place to list a few texts and examples from the Bible and other sources, to show that those who trusted in men always perished and crashed miserably. Remember how the dear prophets repeatedly preached and protested against the Children of Israel, who again and again made alliances, now with the Egyptians, then with the Assyrians, now with one king, then with another, just so they did not have to trust in God but could trust in men. But they were always badly whipped in this business.
The heathen themselves talk about it in their stories, fables, and records. And out of my own lifetime I could give you a sackful of examples from the German lands alone. In high as well as low society I have seen the result of pacts, alliances, and trust in man, and what shameful failure ensued. This verse remains true: "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man." And again: "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help" (Ps. 146:3). The wise man also says
(Ecclus. 2:18): "He who trusts in man shall fail." God does not, should not, and cannot tolerate it. It is idolatry that would rob God of His divinity.
If anyone wants to undertake something that is good, let him by all means begin it with God's help and wager on His goodness, never on human help and comfort. Nor should he fear men, not even the whole world; for this verse does not lie: "It is better to take refuge in the Lord." The wise man has said,
Ecclus. 2:10–11: "Look at the generations of antiquity, and see. Who that put his trust in the Lord was ever put to shame?" And in Ps. 25:3 we read: "Yea, let none that wait for Thee be put to shame."
Whoever cannot or will not wager on God and trust Him should give up and not undertake anything godly or wholesome with confidence in men. When I attacked indulgences for the first time, all the world was shocked and thought I had overreached myself. My prior and my subprior, moved by the hue and cry, came to me fearfully and begged me not to bring disgrace upon our order;29 for the other orders, especially the preachers,30 were jubilant that the Augustinians would now share their scorching and shameful disgrace. I replied: "Dear fathers, if this work has not been begun in God's name, then it will soon fail. But if it has been undertaken in His name, then leave it to Him (Acts 5:38–39)." They had nothing more to say. The work continues and, please God, will continue even better until the end. Amen.
I have heard a story about that noble bishop, Frederick of Magdeburg, who was also Count of Beichlingen not long ago.31 Duke Frederick of Saxony, his sworn enemy, was preparing to fight against him. He sent a spy to the bishop's court for the purpose of learning about his defense operations. The spy returned jubilantly to the Saxon prince and informed him that the bishop was making no preparations and that the victory was theirs. The prince asked: "What does the bishop say about the war?" The spy replied: "He says nothing more than this, that he is interested in discharging his duties, visiting the cloisters, and hearing the cases of the poor. He would let God fight for him, since He would take good care of the war." When the prince heard this, he said: "If this is what the bishop says, then let the devil fight him in my stead!" He gave up the war, for he was afraid to fight against God. Now who was it who helped the bishop so quickly and easily, and so completely changed the mind of the prince?
Only the name of the Lord. The insignificant and the little word "God" accomplishes such great things - 31 so quickly, so powerfully, and so easily. I shall not list the many examples of the enemies who were destroyed because they trusted in men. We see altogether too much of this every day.
Now our Lord is a God who permits the faithful to suffer and the ungodly to rage, but still does not forsake the pious in their need, and finally overthrows the monsters and rescues His own. In these verses, therefore, the psalmist would use his own example and experience to admonish and encourage us to trust and hope in God, as the First Commandment teaches. Such trust is good, noble, and wholesome here in time and hereafter in eternity. It is the most acceptable offering to God and the finest service and honor we can render Him. Furthermore, the psalmist wants to deter us; he wants to warn us in a straightforward manner against placing our trust, hope, boast, and reliance in men and princes, as the children and servants of the world and the devil do, who despise and reject God and violate the First
Commandment. This is evil, shameful, and destructive, here in time and hereafter in eternity. Besides, it is the greatest dishonor, contempt, and robbery of God.
But let no sectarian presume to draw from this beautiful rose of the holy prophet the poisonous teaching that we should kill princes and despise or disobey government. Here David teaches that we should not place our confidence even in pious princes, whom he calls ִד י ִב יםנְְ, which Christ translates as "benefactors" (Luke 22:25). In their office of doing much good they have been ordained by God, as is abundantly shown elsewhere.32 We should use and enjoy the princely office and temporal government for food, protection, and peace on earth, as God instituted it. But we should not rely, trust, hope, and boast in them. We must use other temporal goods, money, cattle, houses, homes; but we must not place our trust, hope, and confidence in them. To trust and to use are two different things. The former is appropriate to God; the latter is appropriate to creatures.
10. All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
11. They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
12. They surrounded me like bees; they were extinguished like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
13. I was pushed hard, so that I was falling; but the Lord helped me.
In these four verses the psalmist relates who it is that persecutes him and from what source the trouble comes to which he has referred above. By his own example he wants to show convincingly the fine teaching and admonition by which he calls on us to put our confidence in God and not in men. It is as if he were saying: "I want to show you by my own example and experience, so that you may see how good it is to trust in God and beware of trusting in men. All the heathen, with their great power, zeal, wrath, fury, cunning, and treachery, have attacked me from all sides. But in spite of their raging fury they have accomplished nothing. It has served only to prove and confirm that God comforts, sustains, and strengthens the faithful in all their troubles by His Word and Spirit, and does not forsake them. He smashes and destroys the adversaries and thus finally helps us out of trouble and rescues us."
Whether the prophet is speaking here of himself personally or of Christendom—as some claim because he says: "All nations surrounded me" —in general, is of no concern to me.33 His example applies to all the saints, whether before or after Christ. However, I assume that he refers to himself and to his people, since at the beginning of the psalm he speaks of Israel and Aaron. An the surrounding heathen hated the Jewish kingdom beyond measure. They attacked and tormented it wherever possible from all sides, especially in the days of David. However, David did not fail but confidently laid about him and valiantly fought them, until by God's command and with God's help he overcame and defeated them. Thus he says: "In the name of the Lord I cut them off!" He is an example for all believers, who also suffer and finally conquer, no longer by the sword but by the Word of God; for Christendom does not fight with a physical sword.
How great the danger is, and how numerous the enemy! He says first, that "all nations," with their mighty host, are arrayed against this small group. Thus it must be, that all must combine against God and His Word, in order to show conclusively that trust in, and reliance on, man is nothing before God.
Ps. 2:2 says: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and His Anointed." Man can tolerate unopposed other doctrines and gods, and no land or nation will object. But let the Word of God appear, and all the world is up in arms. Then there is rage and fury from all sides, and this is true: "They surrounded me, only me. I, I alone, am the one to be surrounded."
The Romans could bear their several hundred gods; only Christ they could not tolerate.34 In our day the - 32 people tolerated all the teachings of the monks and the priests, no matter how infamous, even though they sucked the world dry and were a pain and torture for body and soul. But when the Word of God comes and teaches only grace and peace and delivers from oppression, everybody resorts to attack, blasphemy, and persecution. Why? The psalmist says: "They have nothing else to do than to surround me, me, because I have the Word. The devil must turn against me." It is as Christ says: "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19).
In the second place, the enemies are not only numerous; but they also use their power with all their might, persistency, diligence, and effort. Twice in verse eleven the psalmist says: "They surrounded me; they surrounded me." He shows by these words how they persist and press forward, never relenting or growing tired. They drive themselves incessantly, until they ruin themselves. Though they frequently fail, they are not concerned. They try one plot after another, one undertaking after another. Their god, the devil, goads them on and does not let them rest or relax as long as they can move. The devil instigates all heathen attacks against Christ and His Word. Were such attacks a mere human undertaking, the enemies would soon tire and give up in disgust, especially when they realized that they had often attacked only to fail and be disgraced, as always happens to such persecutors.
Thirdly, they are not only serious, active, and restless but most vehement, bitter, hateful, and malicious; and this makes them still more restless. Again, their wasted commotion and vain fury, the fact they do not accomplish as much as quickly as they like but often fail and must give up many a plan and project, makes them the more furious and vehement. The more they fail, and the longer the delay, the more frantic they become. Although failure should lead them to repentance, one vice whets another, and one transgression sharpens another. Restlessness makes them furious, and fury makes them restless.
As the devil goads and drives them on, they scramble and storm and bluster in his service. They cannot cease or pause. For this reason the psalmist says here: "They surrounded me like bees." A bee is an angry and impetuous little insect. When a bee is angry, it sinks its sting into its enemy and leaves it there, without considering that it dies by this act or can never make any more honey. For if a bee loses its sting, it stops making honey, even if it survives. Because of its anger and its vengeful spirit it loses, in a shameful way, its noble, sweet trade. Henceforth it must be a water carrier for the other bees.
Otherwise it could not eat with them. Among the other bees it is now a servant in the house.35
The enemies of Christ are equally vindictive and spiteful. They would rather perish than fail to do damage or get revenge. They lose forever all grace to do good and to become true Christians. Their wings buzz and whirr as they plunge their sting into Christ. They cool their fury with their own eternal harm and destruction. Ps. 8:2 calls them avengers and says: "By the mouths of babes and infants Thou hast founded a bulwark because of Thy foes, to still the enemy and the avenger." It is a strange and inhuman revenge, simply devilish because it is so unreasonable. The Word of God does them no harm but rather brings and offers them every good, grace, peace, welfare, life, and salvation. However, as said before, such lust for revenge is provoked by their failure and inability to do what they want to do and to do it when and how they please. This frustrated and blocked restlessness and wickedness inflames them to such devilish revenge.
In the fourth place, since they must be deeply ashamed at their repeated failure and realize that they have no reason for being angry, furious, and vindictive, they mask and camouflage themselves. They forge a case, and argue that the Word of God causes sedition and is detrimental to the peace of the community. Having covered their shame, they no longer feel disgraced in the face of repeated failure and futility. Now they boastfully claim that the devil hinders them in their godly and pious undertaking.
Now, as true children of God, they have an important and honest reason for anger, fury, murder, and revenge. They do God a great service when they maintain peace and unity and punish the rebels and the blasphemers. In such a manner poor Christ is shamefully and wickedly betrayed. How can He penetrate their masquerade and see that they are rascals and scoundrels at heart, especially since they put on such a fine front?36 Surely, He must canonize them! Without a doubt He is so naive and simple compared with these eminently wise people! The members of the council in Jerusalem acted in a similar manner when they had determined to kill the Son of God. They had often failed, had grown more and more furious, and still had no reason for their anger or their plot. Then Mr. Caiaphas, the high priest, attempted to trick God by saying (John 11:49–50): "You know nothing at all; you do not understand that - 33 it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." What was God, the poor soul, to do? He simply had to go along with the masquerade and believe Caiaphas. It was only proper for Him to crucify His innocent Son that peace and unity might continue and His people might not perish, as Mr. Caiaphas thundered and prophesied.
Therefore the psalmist states in verse twelve: "They were extinguished like a fire of thorns." When the hedges or fences in a field catch fire, everyone must run to help extinguish, quench, and save, as in an epidemic and a public calamity, lest the fire attack the grain in the field, the vineyard and gardens, and destroy the land and its people. Moses gave the Jews specific legislation regarding the punishment and fine of one guilty of starting a fire in a hedge of thorns around fields, vineyards, and gardens (Ex.
22:6). This applies also to a fire in the forest, on the prairie, or on a wood lot; and whoever runs to put it out does a good and praiseworthy deed. Now the psalmist says that God's enemies compare their ranting and raving to this running to a fire. When anyone teaches the Word of God, he has, as we say in German, set fire to the Rhine; or, as the Hebrew puts it, he has set fire to the fences and the hedges.
When this happens, everyone must come running to quench the fire, to kill the heretics and the rebels, to defend and save God's honor and people. This supplies a good and even an honorable and laudable reason for murder and for raging against God. If they fail, they have the double distinction of being holy martyrs in a good work and of suffering great opposition on the part of the devil. What an excellent recipe for hardening a heart and making it impenitent!
Now you can see who throws fear into the faithful and creates affliction for them so that it is necessary for them to call upon the Lord.
1. Their number is large; it embraces all the heathen and all their might, the world and all the devils.
2. They are vehement, determined, and restless, not lazy or sluggish.
3. They are bitter, hateful, and furious; and they leave no hope of grace or reconciliation.
4. Finally, they are the greatest saints in heaven and the most pious people on earth.
Now what did the artist who thus painted these persecutors possibly omit? Which one of these four points would not be enough by itself to harm Christians and fill them with fear? With Christians the opposite is true on all four counts. First, they are alone and few; secondly, they are weak and feeble; thirdly, they are gentle and patient; fourthly, they are the worst heretics in hell and the most dangerous people on earth.
How can a Christian resist such enemies? Where is the victory for which he may hope? All appears to be lost, for they are superior. Our victory, however, lies here: "In the name of the Lord I cut them off." That is the Christian's reply to the four points. With one weapon he will meet them all. Now this is simply too much! This proud soul not only wants to be defended and rescued, but he also wants to subdue the whole world, with its power, wrath, and holiness! Subdue? No, he wants to crush the world with one weapon! If the devil and all his angry underlings only knew this, they would really be worried!
What kind of gun or sword will you, sorry pride, use for this feat? I would like to hear this cannon or songstress! It must be a powerful piece! He says: I will tell you. It is called the name of the Lord.37 "Oh, this is a paper cannon, a paper bag," says the boaster. "Then let it be paper; you'll see!" "How do you load it? How do you discharge it? What makes it shoot? What kind of ammunition does it use?"
In the first place, we know that God is almighty and that, compared with Him, all the heathen are nothing, as the First Commandment shows. This is the first point. Secondly, He would no more permit
His name to remain in disgrace than He would forfeit His divinity. In the Second Commandment He has declared that He will not let His name be used in vain or let this sin go unpunished. This is the second point. When we now honor His name and call upon it, and our enemies malign us on this account, whom are they really persecuting and maligning? Is it not God Almighty Himself, and His name? Do you not see the gun being loaded? Since God will not suffer His name to be blasphemed, and we still pray and ask that it be hallowed and honored, don't you believe that this prayer will discharge the gun? And the bullet? Perhaps it will be the Turk or some other sentence or plague of God, bringing death and destruction. The explosion will cause princes, bishops, lords, priests, lackeys, and monks to lie down and scream so that it will re-echo in heaven and resound on earth. They are asking for it. He shot the obstinate Jews with the Romans, the Romans with the Goths and the Wends, the Chaldeans with the Persians, and the Greeks with the Turks. He will also find a bullet for us Germans, to hit us and not miss; for we have pushed things too far and still refuse to quit.
- 34 This means that we Christians crush the heathen through our prayers, while God actually does it for the sake of His name, which we use and honor. Whenever we do anything as a result of someone else's advice, command, or request, it is actually done by him who advised, commanded, or requested it; this is a universal rule.38 Therefore we can say in good conscience: "I shall crush the world"; that is, I will confidently ask God to hallow His name. Then I have already done it, for He will hear me, as this psalm says (v. 5): "The Lord answered me." Thus David, who slew his enemies with a physical sword, did not do this with the power of the sword, as he testifies in Ps. 18 and elsewhere. When he honored, hallowed, and invoked the name of God and prayed for the sake of God's glory, his sword became more than a hundred thousand swords. The name of the Lord is effective if we honor and call upon it. And even though we fail to call upon His name, it is still effective. Of course, there will be no benefit or meaning for us, since we are not interested and do not call upon it. He punishes the heathen, even though this brings no deliverance to the faithful, as the Romans destroyed one another and thereby carried out His sentence.
You say that you praise the name of the Lord. But the other side also claims to honor God's name and serve Him, as already said. Here is the crucial issue. Who uses the name of God properly? Your words alone mean nothing. First, listen to your conscience; it cannot deceive God. Next, to guard against deceiving men, consider the fruits; and then you can judge if the tree is good. We, on our side, have no confidence in men, nor can we have; for we are too little, too few, and too weak. We must walk in fear, anxiety, and danger. We must humbly plead with God and man. We murder no one because of his doctrine, nor do we rob anyone; but we permit him to believe what he pleases. We do not use force or compulsion, but we let the government judge and punish insurrection, strife, and dissension. We do not scheme and plot harm against anyone, but we prevent this where we can. We diligently keep and promote peace; and we suffer murder, bloodshed, poverty, and persecution. All this is evidence of the proper spirit and is in harmony with this psalm and with all Scripture.
Our opponents, however, trust and rely on men and their help, on emperors and princes. They feel secure, free from care and danger, afraid neither of us nor of any man. They do not call on God, much less humble themselves before man. They are proud, secure, and arrogant; and they force and drive men to believe what they demand. They resort to murder, torture, robbery, and exile without measure. They plot and plan most zealously by day and night how they may inflict hurt and harm, cause damage and create unrest. It is obvious that they neither can nor will have peace. Such behavior cannot be the fruit of a proper spirit; it is contrary to all Scripture. You can never prove that a Christian should commit murder, or even kill by law, or aid and abet such a thing. This is the function of the temporal government and belongs to earthly affairs, as even the pagan Gallio admitted (Acts 18:14–15).
Christians have another law, judgment, and punishment (Matt. 18:15–17).
Moreover, we are concerned that unchastity and disorderly conduct be rebuked and not tolerated.
Concubinage, fornication, blasphemy, and cursing are, praise God, decreasing. Marriage is honored, and our beloved youth are being trained well and with all diligence in the Word of God and Christian discipline. Among the papists, however, we see the most shameful, licentious, and disgraceful avarice and pride, an offense to all the world. It is worst among the upper classes, where there is no shame or punishment. Precious young people are neglected and allowed to go to rack and ruin. They are taught neither to believe nor to pray. Their teachers do not know how themselves and are ashamed to accept our instruction or example. Therefore it remains undone.
But now comes the crowning sin. We are not ashamed to confess, to the glory of God, our former errors of unbelief and abuse of God's Word; and we neither hide nor disguise our sin. They, however, only conceal, mask, camouflage, and gild theirs. By their ranting, arrogance, and blasphemy against us they try to make us blind to the logs in their eyes and aware and critical of the specks that are in ours
(Matt. 7:3). They know and believe that in many things our teachings are superior to theirs.39 They are well aware of their shameful commercializing of the Mass. They know how abominably popes, cardinals, bishops, canons, and priests have infested the world with vice, avarice, fornication, and pride, with their false teachings of indulgences, purgatory, pilgrimages, and similar flagrant abominations. All this they cover up, and not one of them would confess his error and reject it to the honor of God. We have the example of the preaching monks at Bern;40 they go on in their smug impenitence and entertain no thought of repentance or improvement but are inflamed against us. We should die, and their
- 35 shameful, false, and wicked life survive and be vindicated. That is sin against the Holy Spirit. Everyone can see from their fruits how seriously they take God's name. So much on verses ten, eleven, and twelve.
Verse thirteen now describes what these numerous, powerful, angry, and holy heathen accomplish with their siege and persecution, and how far they actually get: "I was pushed hard, so that I was falling." That is to say: "They want to do me in and destroy me, so that nothing remains. They want to exterminate me root and stem, as Jeremiah threatens his people (11:19). Well, that they push me around and exile me is a matter of force, and this they can do. But still God preserves me from their designs and limits them, so that they cannot do what they intend. They can push, but they cannot knock down. They can use torture, but they cannot exterminate. They can put me in stocks, but they cannot compel. They can hinder, but they cannot prevent. They can show their teeth, but they cannot devour. They can murder by burning, hanging, and drowning; but they cannot subdue. They can exile, rob, and pillage; but they cannot silence. In short, they shall do something, but their heart's desire they shall not accomplish."
They are limited by these words: "The Lord helped me." Who can succeed against the Lord? This will stand: God's Word endures forever (Is. 40:8), unless God and His name no longer abide. Let them rage and rave.
14. The Lord is my Strength and my Song; He has become my Salvation.
Having listed the miracles with which God comforts and helps His people, the psalmist joyfully breaks into a short but beautiful song of praise and thanksgiving to spite, mock, and scorn his persecutors and to glorify and honor God. Whether they want to or not, they must hear that he and his
God remain and survive despite their raging and blustering. It is the same song that Moses sings in defiance of the drowned Pharaoh (Ex. 15:2). Isaiah also sings it (12:2). Apparently this was a common song and proverb among the Children of Israel. Surely it deserves to be a common song and formula of praise among us also whenever we are delivered from troubles. While we have often sung it after deliverance in the past, we shall sing it more frequently in the future, even to the end. Amen.
Note the fine, threefold summary of the psalmist: The Lord is "my Strength," "my Song," "my Salvation." The first indicates that he trusts wholly and completely in God, that God does, speaks, and quickens everything in him; and he will not boast of his own power, ability, knowledge, wisdom, holiness, or deeds. He will be nothing; in him God will be all and do all. What a sublime song and how rare in this world! He trusts and relies on no man or prince, on none of this world's power, wealth, friends, alliances, support, wisdom, deeds, comfort, or help. He trusts in God alone, in contrast to himself and all the world's might, wisdom, and holiness. This is expressed even more impressively in the song: God alone shall be his strength, trust, and defiance. Next, the psalmist cannot keep still about this. He turns it into a psalm and sings; he preaches, teaches, confesses, and declares what he believes about God. Faith cannot do otherwise; it always confesses what it believes (Rom. 10:10). The world cannot bear to hear that its power and wisdom, its holiness and piety, its counsel and deeds, are condemned and rejected, that the help and trust of men and princes should be cast out and despised, and their teaching be held vain and false. The singer of this psalm is taken to task because, as is said, his psalm does not praise God, his preaching does not honor God, his confession does not declare the truth; but that it is all blasphemy, heresy, error, lies, rebellion, and a delusion of the world, the most shameful song on earth and the most dangerous teaching under the sun. To the dungeon with him! Burn him, exile him, curse and damn him! Kill, burn, drown, hang, murder, and confound him as a great service to God!
In the third place, God is his salvation and will not utterly abandon the singer and his song. God helps him in life and death and grants him victory. Though all the gates of hell and the whole world rage and rave, God, in the end, will be our salvation; we and our psalm and teaching shall survive, and all the adversaries shall founder. The Word of God abides forever. No amount of raging, blustering, blasphemy, or cursing will change this.
The psalmist, therefore, draws a fine contrast. It is like this: "The strength of the enemies lies in themselves; it is the strength of men and princes, in whom they trust, as said before. But my strength, in which I trust, is the Lord. He who is the source of strength deserves the psalm, the praise and thanks, glory and honor. They must praise, honor, and glorify their gods, namely, themselves, men and princes.
This they do, openly and unabashed. Their noblest work and worship is to rob and deprive God of the sacrifice of praise and blasphemously to divert and offer it to miserable mortals. O let us really heap
- 36 scorn on those wretched and obstinate souls who have such miserable gods and must worship a bag of worms41 and a stinkpot without a chance of help. Just as their strength and their song, that is, their trust and boast, go down in defeat, so there is no help or victory for them, but only failure and destruction. Ps.
146 tells us that help is never found in men. My victory and salvation lie in the Lord, who can and does help. Here salvation is to be taken as victory or help. In His name and Word God lets us gain ultimate victory. He helps us overcome and hold the field, while our persecutors perish and go down in disgrace.
15. Hark, glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
The psalmist has finished speaking and singing about his own example, about God's help in his life.
He now proceeds to the common example of all the saints. He says that all the righteous are persecuted for the sake of God and His Word. Because they trust in God and do not depend on men, God helps them, so that they also sing such a song and praise Him. Thus Moses and the Children of Israel sang
(Ex. 15:1 ff.); likewise Deborah (Judg. 5:1 ff.) and Hannah (1 Sam. 2:1 ff.), and all the rest. It is a unanimous chorus. When I look at all the saints, especially in the New Testament, the story is the same.
I can hear voices of rejoicing in their tabernacles, joyous songs and hymns of salvation and victory, of the help of God. And we sing along and join in the praise and thanks, just as we are one in our faith and trust in God and also share in suffering. St. Peter comforts us: "Knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world" (1 Peter 5:9).
Were it not a special consolation to know and observe that this is the lot of all the saints, St. Peter would not have made this application, and this psalm would not have spoken of it so emphatically. It must comfort and strengthen my heart when I see that St. Paul and the apostles had the same Word, God, faith, and cross as I do. The saying goes: "Misery loves company."42 It is a comfort to the poor if they do not suffer alone. This is, for one thing, an excellent proverb if it is used properly and applied to Christians. It is frightening for a man with a special affliction to feel himself marked out for this distinctive suffering before all other men. Again, it is comforting when many suffer the same thing; for then a man does not get the horrible thought that he alone has been winnowed out and rejected. But still more comforting is it when all suffer the same and no one is exempt, as is the case among Christians.
This psalm, however, does not speak here of the suffering of the righteous but of victory and rejoicing, for the purpose of increasing our comfort as we see before us the happy picture of the redeemed and are confident that in the end we shall be able to sing as joyously as they. Nevertheless, the psalmist indicates the sufferings of the righteous with the word "salvation" and subsequently with other words, pointing out that the righteous have suffered sorely and fought valiantly in the fight of faith.
Otherwise there would be no talk of salvation and victory, or such a song of joy. But now, as suffering abounds—and Paul tells us that the sufferings of Christ in us are many (2 Cor. 1:5) —there is a great deal of salvation and victory, singing and rejoicing, praise and thanks among the righteous. Therefore I hold that it must be apparent to all that in Scripture "the righteous" are the believers who trust in God.
"He who through faith is righteous shall live" (Rom. 1:17). On the other hand, he who trusts princes and men is wicked and an unbeliever. Therefore in their tabernacles there is no joyful song of salvation and victory, but crying, reviling, blaspheming, and cursing God, followed by howling, wailing, and the gnashing of teeth (Matt. 22:13) in hell. And what song of joy and praise do the righteous sing in their tabernacles? It is this: "The right hand of the Lord does valiantly."
16. The right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!
17. I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18. The Lord has chastened me sorely, but He has not given me over to death.
This is the joyful song of the righteous. It is sung by all the saints in their tabernacles, that is, where they gather and dwell. The psalmist refers especially to the righteous in the New Testament, where throughout the churches the Gospel of Christs great miracles is preached. Mark well, this is a song of the righteous, of the believers, not of the godless. For he who does not believe but puts his trust in men cannot sing this song; nor can he understand a word of it, though he may prattle it in cathedrals and cloisters, where Sunday after Sunday this beautiful song is shamefully mistreated and mutilated.43 The godless sing in their hearts: "The right hand of man does valiantly; the right hand of princes is exalted."
For they must sing as they have been trained. Kind does not vary from kind.44
Under "singing" I include not only making melody or shouting but also every sermon or public confession by which God's work, counsel, grace, help, comfort, victory, and salvation are glorified
- 37 before the world. The Holy Spirit refers to such singing wherever in the Psalter and the Scriptures songs, hymns, and psalms are mentioned. As verse fourteen puts it: "The Lord is my Strength and my Song; He has become my Salvation." God wants to be praised, glorified, honored, and confessed by us in His works and wonders. Faith does this, for faith cannot be silent but must say and teach what it believes and knows about God, to the glory of God and the instruction of man, as Ps. 116:10 says: "I believed, therefore have I spoken."45 If faith did not break forth, speak up, and confess, it would not be a true faith, even though it has to suffer and be cursed and persecuted, as the same psalm continues: "I was greatly afflicted." But faith has a Helper who is its Salvation. Verse fourteen teaches that such persecution does not harm our salvation but must promote it; for it defies and blasphemes God, so that He is driven to help, and the righteous are compelled to call on God and to pray to Him. Thus everything turns out just fine.
On the basis of verse fourteen, which we explained above, we can thoroughly understand the whole song of the righteous; for it is in complete harmony with this verse. In their assembly the righteous do not sing, teach, preach, confess, or glorify man's works, holiness, and wisdom, or the power, consolation, and help of princes, as the hypocrites, the proud, the self-sufficient saints, and the godless, apostate Christians do in their assembly. They reject and despise such stinking self-righteousness and such ineffective help and consolation of men, princes, and the world. They praise only God's grace, works, words, and power as they are revealed to them in Christ. This is their sermon and song, their hymn of praise. This verse distinctly sets "the right hand of God" in contrast with "the right hand of man," in order that we may know that nothing that the hand of man can accomplish avails before God.
The work of man contributes nothing to righteousness, does not remove sin or produce a good work, knows and understands nothing of the truth and the real nature of salvation. Much less can it counsel and help in trouble, danger, death, and hell. It cannot give life and salvation.
The right hand of God, however, does this. First, it does valiantly. This strength and its comfort were explained above, but it requires a little more explaining here. This is the power of God, that whoever believes and trusts in Him is thereby delivered from all sins, from a guilty conscience, a sorrowing heart, error, lies, deception, darkness, and all the power of the devil, and is led to grace, righteousness, truth, understanding, consolation, and the true light. As a result, God is our power. We do not live in ourselves but in Him, and He acts and speaks all things in us. These are all great, mighty, divine works and miracles, none of which human reason, power, and might can comprehend, much less help to accomplish. As a result, they are led astray by false comfort, preaching, and promises. And the longer it goes on, the deeper they are driven into error, although before the world their case looks good and gives the appearance of being real power and of quickly bringing them to heaven. He, however, who believes in the power of God recognizes it as nothing but the work of man, a rotten, ineffective, and vain delusion. Whoever relies on this, builds himself a hell.
Secondly, the right hand is exalted, soars high, overcomes, and always gains the victory. That is to say: Believers not only have this consolation from God, that they are rid of their sins and righteous before Him; they also receive help from Him, so that they finally overcome the devil, man, and the world, and are thus delivered from death, hell, and every evil. They do not need the help of men or princes; for this is unnecessary, nor could it perform such great works and miracles. The great and glorious hand of God performs such exalted miracles and helps us in every need. And if we die, His hand will really lead us to a life that has no end. God's right hand is so exalted that neither tribulation nor distress, neither sword nor famine, neither angels nor princes can pull it down (Rom. 8:35–39). If we cling to it with a firm faith, as all the righteous do, we are just as exalted; and neither tribulation nor distress, nor prince, nor devil, neither fire nor water nor any other creature can subdue us. Victory will be ours. But whoever relies on the arm of man and puts his confidence in the hand of princes must plunge into the abyss of hell, though he were sailing above the clouds or sitting in heaven.
Thirdly, the psalmist restates his first point and says: "The right hand of the Lord does valiantly!" A good song is worth singing twice. It is customary for people, when they are really happy or joyful, to repeat a word two or three times. They cannot say it often enough, and whoever meets them must hear it.
This is the case here, that the dear saints are so happy and joyful over the miracles God does for them when He delivers them from sin and death, that is, from every evil of body and soul, that out of sheer joy they sing their song over and over again: "The hand of the Lord does valiantly; indeed, valiantly does
- 38 the hand of the Lord. Nothing but the right hand of God can help or comfort." Oh, what can the ungodly do, who rely on themselves, trust in their own work and wisdom, and build and rest on the comfort and help of men and princes?
Whoever will, let him apply these three points to the threefold work of Christ, in that He redeems us from the Law, from sin, and from death. This threefold redemption is enumerated in Is. 9:4 and in I Cor.
15:55.46 As I have said, however, the important thing is to realize that these words are wholly spiritual and must be heard, sung, and understood by faith. He who gapes at these words open-mouthed and uses his reason and natural eyes will take offense and will consider only the opposite in the righteous and the holy. In the eyes of the world, they are nothing but the devil's own; no one is less righteous and holy, no one a greater sinner and heretic, no one damned deeper into hell, than the righteous. In the eyes of the unbeliever the devil's right hand is the right hand of the righteous. But those on the opposite side—they alone are holy and blessed. For them the right hand of God does valiantly, soars high, is victorious and exalted. For they are the children of God, and no one else.
Verse seventeen of the psalm ("I shall not die, but I shall live") touches and states the trouble out of which God's hand delivers the righteous, namely, death. The righteous surely feel death when they are in mortal danger. Meeting death eye to eye is not a pleasant draught for the flesh. Death always appears in the company of sin and the Law. One readily understands that the saints are really martyrs, for they must live under the threat of death and wrestle and fight with death. If it does not involve tyrants and the ungodly, with fire, sword, prison, and similar persecutions, it involves the devil himself. He can tolerate neither the Word of God nor those who keep and teach it. He besets them in life and in death. While the faithful are alive, he uses great attacks on their faith, hope, and love toward God. He beleaguers and storms a heart with fear, doubt, and despair until it shies away from God, hates and blasphemes Him, and the wretched conscience believes that God, the devil, death, sin, hell, and all creatures are one and have united as its eternal and relentless enemy.47 Neither the Turk nor the emperor can ever storm a city with such power as the devil uses in attacking a conscience.
If God permits, the devil can do this also in death or on the deathbed. There he is a master at puffing up sin and pointing to God's wrath. He is a strange and powerful creature who out of one sin can foment such fear and conjure up such a hell. It is true that no human being ever sees his real sins, namely, unbelief, contempt of God's Word, the failure to fear, love, and trust God as he should, and similar sins of the heart, which are the chief transgressions. Nor would it be good for him to see them, for I do not know if there is a faith on earth that could endure it without falling and despairing. For this reason God lets the devil operate with our sins of commission. He easily creates hell and damnation for you because you take one drink too many or sleep too long, and soon you become sick with conscience scruples and despondency and practically die of grief.
What is worse, the devil takes your best works and drives and plunges them into your conscience as worthless and condemned, so that all your sins do not frighten you as much as your best works, which are really quite good, and you wish you had done nothing but great sins instead of these works. He wants you to disown them as not having been done by God, and thus to blaspheme God as well. Then death and hell are not far away. But who can list all the tricks by which the devil invokes sin, death, and hell? This is his trade. He has been at it for more than five thousand years, and he is a past master at it.
That long he has been the prince of death. He has experimented and practiced thoroughly how to give a poor conscience the foretaste of death. The prophets, especially our dear David, have felt and tasted his power. For they certainly complain, teach, and talk about it as if they had often been there, speaking now of the gates of death, now of hell, now of the wrath of God.
Well, no matter when or how it happens, we learn here that the saints must wrestle with the devil and fight with death, whether by persecution or pestilence or other sickness and mortal danger. In that conflict nothing is better and more vital for victory than learning to sing this little song of the saints, that is, to look away from self and to cling to the hand of God. Thus the devil is defrauded and made to miss the boat.48 It works like this: I am nothing. The Lord is all my strength, as stated above. I am stripped of everything, of myself and all that is mine. I can say: "Devil, what are you fighting? If you try to denounce my good works and my holiness before God, why, I have none. My strength is not my own; the Lord is my Strength. You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip! If you try to prosecute my sins, I have
- 39 none of those either. Here is God's strength—prosecute it until you have had enough. I know absolutely nothing about either sins or holiness in me. I know nothing whatever except God's power in me."
It would be fine, I hold, if a man could forget about himself and mock the devil with an empty pocket as a certain poor householder mocked a thief whom he caught in his home one night. He said:
"You silly thief, do you expect to find something here in the dark when I can't find anything in broad daylight?" What can the devil do when he finds a soul so naked that it can respond neither to sin nor to holiness? He must give up all his skill, both to puff up sin and to decry good works. He is referred to the right hand of God, and he must by all means let it alone. But if you forget this prescription and he seizes you in your sins and good works, and you begin to argue with him, to observe and hear him, then he will shape you to suit himself; and you will forget and forfeit God, His right hand, and everything.
As we have heard, it is an art to forget self. We must keep learning this lesson as long as we live, even as all the saints before us, with us, and after us must do. Just as we still feel sin, we must also feel death. Just as we must fight to rid ourselves of sin by clinging to God's right hand as His Word offers it to us, so we must also battle with death and death's prince or chief, the devil, until we are free. See how this verse presents the conflict. The devil, or pursuer, presses in on the saints with death. How do they react? They turn away their eyes, yes, their entire bodies. Emptying themselves, they cling to God's hand and say: "Devil and tyrant, I shall not die, as you pretend. You lie! I shall live, for I will not speak of my own works or those of any man. I know nothing about myself or my own holiness. I have before me only the works of the Lord. Of them I will speak; them I will glorify; on them I will rely. He it is who delivers from sin and death. If you can overthrow His works, you have overthrown me too."
This verse then emphasizes the two points mentioned above in verses six and seven: comfort and help, with which God blesses the pious and the righteous. Here you see how the right hand of God mightily lifts the heart and comforts it in the midst of death, so that it can say: "Though I die, I die not.
Though I suffer, I suffer not. Though I fall, I am not down. Though I am disgraced, I am not dishonored." This is the consolation. Furthermore, the psalmist says of the help: "I shall live." Isn't this an amazing help? The dying live; the suffering rejoice; the fallen rise; the disgraced are honored. It is as Christ says: "He who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). Paul speaks in a similar manner: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair" (2
Cor. 4:8). These are all words that no human heart can comprehend.
And here you see that this comfort and help is eternal life, which is the true, everlasting blessing of God. The entire psalm has this theme. Since the psalmist separates the pious from the other three groups49 and yet gives to those groups everything belonging to this life on earth—temporal government and spiritual rule, the goods, benefit, and use of every creature—therefore of necessity the blessings of this small and pious group must be another life, namely, eternal life. Since the three groups begrudge and deny them their blessings in this life, their consolation must be eternal, and their help everlasting.
How else can it be, since the psalmist glories in the Lord Himself over and above all the possessions of men and princes which the other groups have? The Lord is an eternal possession; therefore everyone can conclude that where the heart recognizes a gracious God, there must be forgiveness of sins. If sins are forgiven, death is gone. And without fail there must be the comfort and confidence of eternal righteousness and everlasting life.
We should recognize this verse as a masterpiece.50 How mightily the psalmist banishes death out of sight! He will know nothing of dying and of sin. At the same time he visualizes life most vividly and will hear of nothing but life. But whoever will not see death, lives forever, as Christ says: "If anyone keeps My Word, he will never see death" (John 8:51). He so immerses himself in life that death is swallowed up by life (1 Cor. 15:55) and disappears completely, because he clings with a firm faith to the right hand of God. Thus all the saints have sung this verse and will continue to sing it to the end. We note this especially in the case of the martyrs. So far as the world is concerned, they die. Yet their hearts say with a firm faith: "I shall not die, but live."
At this point we should learn the rule that whenever in the Psalter and Holy Scripture the saints deal with God concerning comfort and help in their need, eternal life and the resurrection of the dead are involved.51 All such texts belong to the doctrine of the resurrection and eternal life, in fact, to the whole
Third Article of the Creed with the doctrines of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection, and everlasting life. And it all flows out of the First Commandment,
- 40 where God says: "I am your God" (Ex. 20:2). This the Third Article of the Creed emphasizes insistently.
While Christians deplore the fact that they suffer and die in this life, they comfort themselves with another life than this, namely, that of God Himself, who is above and beyond this life. It is not possible that they should totally die and not live again in eternity. For one thing, the God on whom they rely and in whom they find their consolation cannot die, and thus they must live in Him. Besides, as Christ says,
He is a God of the living, not of the dead and of those who are no more (Matt. 22:32). Therefore Christians must live forever; otherwise He would not be their God, nor could they depend on Him unless they live. For this little group, therefore, death remains no more than a sleep.
But if it is true that they live in God, then it must first be true that they have forgiveness of sin. If they have no sin, they surely have the Holy Spirit, who makes them holy. If they are holy, they are the true Holy Christian Church, the little flock; and they rule over all the power of the devil. Then one day they will rise again and live forever. These are the great and lofty works of the right hand of the Lord.
Compared with them, what are the deeds of men and princes on which the entire world relies and of which it boasts? Isaiah calls them spider webs (59:5), fit neither to clothe nor to adorn anything. Only aimless and foolish gnats and flies, the frivolous souls, are caught by them and killed forever.
Now saints live not only in the life to come; they begin life now, by faith. And wherever there is faith, everlasting life has begun. And the texts in Scripture regarding faith also belong to all the doctrines listed above. The three groups we have discussed have no need of faith for this life, since the ungodly have this life most of all. Nor can faith attach itself or cling to anything that counts in this life; it breaks away and clings to that which is above and beyond this life, that is, to God Himself. This verse teaches that the saints begin this eternal life here and live even while dying: "I shall recount the deeds of the Lord." Whoever would tell of the Lord's work must certainly be alive. Though they are dead, their spirit and blood preach, even as Abel's blood cries out against Cain (Gen. 4:10). And in Heb. 11:4 we read that the departed Abel still speaks through his faith.
This is the worst and most discouraging text for tyrants and for murderers of the saints. I hardly know of another verse in Scripture to the effect that the saints, whom they believe to be silenced and suppressed, are just beginning to live and to speak. "What the devil!52 There is no use in arguing with the saints if after death they begin really to do that for which they were killed! They will never cease or desist. They remain unkilled and unsilenced, and proclaim forever the works of the Lord." The pope burned John Hus and many other saints, only recently Leonhard Kaiser and many others.53 But he was so successful in silencing them that their blood now cries out against him until he has lost all his power.
Now he must go begging and call on other powers, such as emperors and princes, whom he once arbitrarily trod underfoot.54 If it were not for them, the poor beggar would have been eaten by moths long ago; and even now such help avails him little and will eventually fail him. He must concede that John Hus is his master.
The eighteenth verse in this song is also a masterpiece. It uses the rhetorical devices of confutation, understatement, and interpretation.55 It declares: "The Lord has chastened me sorely, but He has not given me over to death." What does this mean? He has boasted that he will not die, but live. Thereupon the flesh, world, men, and princes speak up and would weaken and discourage him: "Is it not death if you are burned, beheaded, drowned, strangled, condemned, and exiled? I would think that you could tell whether this can be called life. Where is your God? Let Him help you! Of course, Elias will come and take you down (Matt. 27:49)!" To this he replies unshaken, and he comforts himself thus: "On the contrary, this dying is nothing. It is only a fatherly rod, not wrath. It is only a foxtail, nothing serious.
God is only chastising me as a dear father chastises his dear child. It may hurt a little, and it is not sugar; it is a rod. However, it does not kill, but rather helps me live." This is surely a good interpretation and an effective confutation, to make a benevolent rod out of the word "death." Only the Holy Spirit and the right hand of God can teach this art. It hurts beyond measure when to suffering there are added blasphemy, mockery, wagging of the head, and hostility, as the Jews did to Christ on the cross. Flesh and blood would do the opposite and turn a benevolent rod into death and hell, for it is ready to give up and despair if it lacks as much as a loaf of bread. This is poor interpretation.
It is a much greater art to be able to sing this verse when the devil, as he did to Job and many other saints, becomes so hostile that death appears. He can give the heart a most forceful picture of death. He does not simply say, as men would: "You shall be burned or drowned." He magnifies what a horrible,
- 41 abominable, eternal thing death is, and raps out the wrath of God. With overwhelming thoughts he drives and presses into the heart until it becomes unbearable and unendurable. Here a good interpreter is needed, one who can outshout the devil and overcome him by saying: "This is still not death, nor is it
God's wrath. It is gracious chastisement and fatherly punishment. I still know that He will not turn me over to death. I will not believe it is wrath, even though all the devils of hell were to affirm it in chorus.
Were an angel from heaven to say this, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8). Were God Himself to say it, I would still believe that He was trying me as He tried Abraham, merely feigning wrath, and not in earnest. For He does not take back His promise. Here is the truth: He chastises me, but He will not kill me. I insist on this and will not let anyone take it from me or explain, interpret, or expound it differently."
He feels death, and yet he refuses to feel it or call it death but clings to the gracious right hand of God. He does not deny that God sends him death, but he and God have an understanding. Neither will call it death or let it be death; it is a father's rod and a child's chastisement. These are all lofty words that are not found in the hearts of men and princes; neither can they enter there, as St. Paul says: "We impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God…. None of the rulers of this age understood this" (1 Cor. 2:7–8). Let these words on this beautiful song of the dear saints suffice for the moment. Next:
19. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
What? Has he not already thanked throughout the whole psalm, in one continuous thanksgiving?
Why does he now ask that the gates be opened in order that he may give thanks? This is said in the spirit of the dear fathers in the Old Testament, who longed with all their hearts for the kingdom of Christ and the revelation of the Gospel, as his previous hymn prophesied.56 He is actually praying: "O Lord God, would that I might be among the throng which shall sing such a song of the works and blessings of Christ, and that I could join in the thanking, praising, and preaching! How happy I would be! Who will open the gate for me and help me enter the place where the true, free, and joyful thanks and praise will really begin?" But now it is all still closed, and the Gospel and Christendom are not yet revealed, as Ps.
42:4 says: "I went with the throng and led them in procession into the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival."
Christ also tens His disciples (Luke 10:23–24): "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desire to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."
This verse of the psalm is a heartfelt prayer for the Gospel and the kingdom of Christ. It asks for the removal of the burden of the Law of Moses, of which Peter says (Acts 15:10) that neither our fathers nor we were able to bear it. The psalmist calls the New Testament "gates of righteousness" in the Hebrew sense; for there "gates" meant town halls, schools, synagogs, courthouses, or similar public places where public matters are handled in open assembly, as in Prov. 31:23: "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land." The word is often used like this here and there in the Old
Testament. Accordingly, the gates of righteousness are nothing else than the parish or bishopric where the ministry of the church—preaching, praising God, thanksgiving, singing, baptizing, distributing and receiving the Sacrament, admonishing, comforting, praying, and whatever else pertains to salvation—is publicly exercised. There sit the councilors of the spiritual kingdom of Christ, pastors, preachers, bishops, teachers, and the rest of the clergy.
He calls the New Testament, in contradistinction to the Old, "gates of righteousness." For in the New Testament there is nothing but the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins, of grace, of justifying and sanctifying faith, and nothing about the works of the Law or our own works. But the Law, in its administration and treatment, aims at works, creates sinners, and multiplies sin and wrath, as St. Paul says in Romans and in Galatians. It cannot contribute to righteousness. Therefore it may be called "gates of sin or of unrighteousness." The Law is not grace. Since grace alone justifies, it is impossible for the Law to justify. It must make men sinners and incite wrath (Rom. 4:15). For this reason Paul boldly calls the Law of Moses "the dispensation of condemnation" (2. Cor. 3:9).57 Again, he calls it "an agent of sin"
(Gal. 2:17). Furthermore, he says that "the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law" (1 Cor.
15:56). Our present exponents of works—of whom the world is full—almost all bishops and clergy, belong into the Old Testament. They have closed these gates of righteousness and have converted them into gates of sin. They can do nothing so well as, by purely human ordinances, to load and perplex
- 42 consciences with false, unnecessary, imaginary sins, as Christ and the apostles foretold of them.58
Nevertheless, a few gates of righteousness remain.
20. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
Just as in the preceding verse he separated the Old Testament from the New and abolished it so far as doctrine and preaching are concerned, so here he separates the one from the other in the matter of public worship. The Jews took inordinate pride in their worship and gloried in nothing but their holy temple and their sacrifices and incense, for which the whole priestly tribe of Levi had been appointed.
Here, they said, here at Jerusalem is the Lord's temple; this is the true gate, where one must come before the Lord, sacrifice, burn incense, serve God, and become pious. The psalmist does not simply say
"gates," but "gate of the Lord," the singular. He means the gate of the temple, where the Lord has His special residence as in a castle or town hall. Here the service of God is cultivated most thoroughly and frequently. But this is not the real temple, incense, and sacrifice. Here is the true temple, the true gate, the service of God, the true sacrifice, namely, the sacrifice of thanksgiving, of which he speaks in the next verse and again later.
Furthermore, hypocrites, scoundrels, and sinners entered the gate of that temple; but only the righteous and the saints enter this gate of the Lord in order to serve Him. For no one can enter the Christian congregation or be a member of Christendom unless he is a believer, that is, righteous and holy, as the article of the Creed says: "I believe in the Holy Christian Church." He who does not believe and is not holy and righteous, does not belong to the Holy Christian Church. He cannot enter this gate, cannot pray, offer thanks, praise, or serve God, and does not know God, even though he lives among Christians and may hold an office among Christians, such as pastor, preacher, or bishop, or outwardly partake of the Sacrament. 1 John 3:6 says: "No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has either seen Him or known Him." And again (1 John 3:8): "He who commits sin is of the devil."
This article was condemned at the estimable Council of Constance, together with this verse and all Holy Scriptures.59 For at that time John Hus confessed that there is one Holy Christian Church and that if the pope were not pious and holy, he could not be a member of that holy church, much less its head, even though he might hold that office. For this Hus was burned and cursed as a heretic. Even more so is
St. Peter cursed, for he calls such people "a blot and blemish" on the holy church (2 Peter 2:13). If he were still alive, the devil would detect him in these murders of the saints, and St. John likewise; for he plainly says (1 John 3:8): "He who commits sin is of the devil." The unrighteous counter by saying:
"Although the pope, bishops, and others sin grievously, they do not belong to the devil and his synagog (Rev. 2:9). They belong to Christ and to God and are members and heads of holy Christendom." Verily, they are members of the church, just as spittle, snot, pus, sweat, excrement, urine, stench, mange, smallpox, boils, syphilis, and all diseases are members of the body. They are in and on the body, like blemishes and filth, which the body must bear with great danger, trouble, and unwillingness.
I hope that by this time almost everybody knows that whoever prides himself on being a Christian must also take pride in being holy and righteous. Since Christendom is holy, a Christian must also be righteous and holy, or he is not a Christian. All Scripture calls Christians holy and righteous, as does this verse, and as they are often called in Daniel (7:27). This is not boastfulness; it is a necessary confession and an article of faith. The papal hypocrites, with their false and blasphemous humility, glory in being sinners and do not want to be called holy. Nevertheless, they boast that their order, their rank, their rule, and their life are holy. Moreover, they represent their works as something sacred. They do not lie when they say they are sinners—if only they were serious and sincere; but they are not. They lie to themselves; they are sinners before God; their whole position is false. However, they will not admit it but pretend to be holy, while with their mouths they humble themselves as sinners. That is a double lie as well as blasphemy against God.
We must realize that in our persons as children of Adam we are damned sinners, without any righteousnes or holiness of our own. However, since we are baptized and believe in Christ, we are holy and righteous in Christ and with Christ. He has taken our sin from us and has graced, clothed, and adorned us with His holiness. Thus the whole Christian Church is holy, not by itself or by its own work but in Christ and through Christ's holiness, as St. Paul says: "He has cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word" (Eph. 5:26).60 Anyone who hesitates to boast and confess that he is holy and righteous, is actually saying: "I am not baptized. I am not a Christian. I do not believe in Christ. I do not - 43 believe that Christ died for me. I do not believe that He took away my sins. I do not believe that His blood has cleansed me, or that it can cleanse me. In short, I do not believe a word of what God has declared of Christ and all Scripture testifies." What kind of person thinks or says such things? What
Turk or Jew is such a desperately wicked being? Now those who would be pious and saved by their works, such as the monks and priests and all popery, certainly think and believe thus. They deny Christ, as Peter (2 Peter 2:1) and Paul (Gal. 6:12) say.
The psalmist also refers to all other outward partiality, to the effect that in the Christian Church there is no respect of persons. Whoever believes and is righteous enters this gate, whether Jew or Greek, man or woman, virgin or married, servant or maid, rich or poor, king or prince or nobleman, townsman or peasant, strong or weak. The Jews prided themselves on being the seed of Abraham and on having the Law. They believed that this made them God's favorites, just as today our clergy claim to be the best, and the nuns think they are special brides of Christ. But here it is stated that the righteous enter. Monks and nuns do not enter unless they first become righteous and Christian. Christ says that His kingdom does not consist of external ways and behavior (Luke 17:20). We cannot say: "It is here; it is there." It is found in the heart. But it is hard to believe this is true; and that is one of the doctrines of the damned heretics.
21. I thank Thee that Thou hast humbled me and become my Salvation.
These are the sacrifices and the divine services that are performed by the righteous and by Christians in the gates of the Lord in the New Testament. They thank God and praise Him with preaching, teaching, singing, and confessing. These sacrifices are twofold. The one is our humility, of which David speaks (Ps. 51:17): "The sacrifice acceptable to God is the broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O
God, Thou wilt not despise." This is a great, broad, long, daily, and unending sacrifice. Here God corrects us through His Word in all our works and reduces our holiness, wisdom, and strength to nothing, so that before Him we are guilty sinners (Rom. 3:23). He gives His Word impressive power, frightens our conscience, and afflicts us with all kinds of troubles, so that our sinful old Adam61 becomes mellow and soft. Finally, by the time we die, our pride, trust, and confidence in our own efforts and knowledge are dead. Whoever can suffer and endure this and remain constant and persevere, and at the same time thank and praise God as one who sincerely means well, he it is who can sing this verse: "I thank Thee that Thou dost humble me." He does not say: "The devil humbles me," but: "Thou, Thou, art the one. It is Thy gracious will for my good. Without Thy will the devil could not do it."
The other sacrifice is this, that when God again comforts and helps us, the spirit and the new man gain as the flesh and the old man wane. As time goes on, God gives us an ever greater and richer gift and helps us overcome and win, so that we rejoice before Him and in Him, as He says (Ps. 50:15, 14): "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High."62 Whoever does so sings this verse: "I thank Thee that Thou art my Salvation, my Helper and Savior." This also is an unending, great, and daily sacrifice of the righteous in the gate of the Lord. Here God rejects and discontinues all the sacrifices of the Old
Testament, which were images and symbols of these thank offerings and which could be offered by both the pious and the wicked. These thank offerings, however, can be offered by no one except the pious and the righteous, or Christians. This is clear from history, when the Jews raged in the days of the apostles just as do the work-righteous of today, when their works and wisdom are rejected. They refuse to be humble, and they blaspheme instead of thanking. They revile, persecute, and murder, under the impression that their service must be a most acceptable offering to God (John 16:2).
This is a happy verse, singing out of pure joy: "Art Thou not a wonderful and delightful God, to govern us so amazingly and so kindly? Thou exaltest us when Thou humblest us. Thou makest us righteous when Thou makest us sinners. Thou leadest us to heaven when Thou castest us into hell. Thou grantest us the victory when Thou causest us to be defeated. Thou givest us life when Thou permittest us to be killed. Thou comfortest us when Thou causest us to mourn. Thou makest us to rejoice when Thou permittest us to weep. Thou makest us to sing when Thou causest us to cry. Thou makest us strong when we suffer. Thou makest us wise when Thou makest fools of us. Thou makest us rich when Thou sendest us poverty. Thou makest us masters when Thou permittest us to serve." Innumerable are the wonders included in this verse; and all Christendom together praises God for them in these few short words: "I thank Thee that Thou hast humbled me, and hast helped me again."
22. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Cornerstone.
Now the psalmist turns to the Head of holy Christendom and presents Him as an example. Since He was humbled and exalted as much as and more than all the saints, we should not deem it odd or strange if we also suffer tribulation and affliction. "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of His household? The servant is not better than his Master" (Matt.
10:24–25). In the verse before us the psalmist summarizes the sufferings and resurrection of Christ. By using the word "rejected" he indicates the suffering, death, disgrace, and reproach to which Christ was subjected. By using "the chief Cornerstone" he indicates His resurrection, life, and eternal dominion. He uses the parable of a building. When a stone does not fit into the wall or match the others, but disfigures the whole building and is an unfit, useless stone, it must be rejected. Then another builder, a stranger, comes along. He knows well how to use the stone and cries: "Stop, you big fools, are you really builders and still do not want that stone? I can use it, not merely to plug a hole or for fill, nor as a common, ordinary stone, but as a cornerstone in the foundation. It shall bear not one but two walls, and it shall do more than all the other stones in the whole building."
Thus Christ would not fit the ways and holiness of the Pharisees, or the whole world itself. They could not stand Him. He disfigured their building. He reprimanded and rebuked their outwardly fine and holy behavior. Then they became angry and condemned and rejected Him, for they did not know how to use Him. Then God, the real Builder, chose Him and made Him the Cornerstone of the foundation on which the whole Christian Church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, stands. It is no different today. The stone is rejected and stays rejected. Nonetheless, with the believing righteous, who build, not on their human works or on the might of princes but on this stone, He remains precious, noble, and valuable (1
Note who they are who reject this stone. They are not simple folk, but the best, that is, the holiest, wisest, most learned, greatest, and noblest. These are offended. The poor, miserable sinners, the downcast, the wanderers, the despised, the little people, and the unlearned accept Him joyfully and gladly. Those others are called builders, that is, they edify, improve, and govern for the good of the people by preaching and teaching. They are not called destroyers, wreckers, or bunglers. They are builders, the most necessary, most useful and best people on earth. Were it not for them, the skies would cave in before nightfall, and land and people would be destroyed. These are the rulers of the spiritual and temporal estates, whose laws govern land and people, and who would also teach God. Among the Jewish people they were the high priests and princes of Jerusalem, Pilate of Rome, and Herod of Galilee.
They rejected this Stone and could not tolerate it in their building or government. They knew better.
So, then, if kings, princes, bishops, lords, saints, the wise, the prudent, the rich, and the learned persecute the Gospel, this is not surprising. Who else would do it? No one else can. If there is to be persecution, they must do it; for they are the "builders." They do it ex officio; for they must see to it that their building has no crack, rent, or disfiguration. Therefore they cannot tolerate the Word of God or those who declare it, for such a person disfigures their building by causing cracks and rents in it. He is a rabble rouser who misleads the people whom they have so beautifully edified, ordered, and organized.
His way of doing things is entirely different from theirs.
But note for your great comfort that here two buildings oppose each other. The one rejects the other.
The rejected building, however, has a mighty Builder, who on one Stone erects two strong and everlasting walls. What becomes of the building and of the builders who reject this building? Nothing is said of them here; God knows nothing of them. This is a sign that they and their building have come to naught. He speaks only of the rejected Stone and building; this is His concern. Be careful, therefore, lest you be found in the building which delights in condemning, rejecting, and riding high. Do not be afraid to be in the structure which is rejected, for God will remove your rejection. He will not recognize those who reject you. They will perish, and you will abide forever. No righteousness, no works, no holiness will endure save that which is Christ, the Cornerstone. There is no other Cornerstone. Our own works, though we labor forever, can never be the cornerstone; they will be chaff in the wind. It can never be otherwise, We read (1 Cor. 3:11) that this rejected Stone is the Cornerstone or Foundation.
23. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
The psalmist says that the Lord Himself is this amazing Builder who will make fools of all other builders, the wise of this world. He chooses and exalts that which they have rejected, as St. Paul says (1
- 45 Cor. 1:27): "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise." We also read (Hab. 1:5): "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." As the verse before us says, God always performs works which unbelievers do not think He can perform. He makes fools of them. And yet this is a particularly great work in which He makes the rejected Stone the selected Cornerstone. This is such a great and amazing work that not only the heathen with all their understanding and wisdom made fools of themselves but also His own people, the Jews, so stumbled and took offense at it that they utterly destroyed themselves. They lost kingdom and priesthood, heaven and earth. And by no miracles, no matter how great and substantial, could they be preserved; nor can they now be restored, even by much plague and punishment.
What is the cause of so much dissension among Christians today, of so many heresies and sects?
Why is the papacy now so rabid, furious, blind, mad, and foolish that it cannot tolerate the teaching that faith without works makes people pious, blessed, alive, and free from sin, death, and the devil? As long as they confess with the mouth that Christ is the Cornerstone, first rejected and then elected, why do they refuse to let Him be effective or actually to acknowledge Him as such? Is there any wonder that carnal-minded people and false hypocrites take offense at this? David says that this is marvelous in our own eyes. Even though the dear saints and Christians take no offense, it is still amazing to their hearts and difficult to believe; they must study it all their lives to believe it. What others feel, that they know best. I consider myself a Christian, but I know full well how hard it was, still is, to grasp and hold this
Cornerstone. Men may call me a Lutheran, but they misjudge me; or at best I am a poor and weak Lutheran. May God strengthen me!
We learn quickly to say: "Christ is our Salvation. He is our Righteousness. Our works cannot free us from sin and death. The rejected Cornerstone must do it." My little books show and testify how well and thoroughly I know this. But when I enter the battle and must come to grips with the devil, sin, death, trouble, and the world; when there is no help, counsel, and consolation except this Cornerstone, then I understand how little I can do and what an art it is to believe in Christ. Then I understand well what
David means when he says: "It is marvelous in our eyes." To be sure, to us it seems to be challenging and almost vexatious—absolutely nothing more. But my papists—they sing: "In our eyes it is not worth mentioning; it is trifling." "Faith? Faith?";they say. "What do you mean? Do you think we are heathen or Jews?" Before anyone can recite this verse, they have believed it fully in the twinkling of an eye—so fully, unfortunately, that they have left nothing of it either for us or for anybody else.
Even though all Scripture says that God is marvelous in all His works, and calls Him a worker of miracles, the world does not believe this until it experiences it personally. Everyone in his own heart pictures God as he thinks God ought to act. They prescribe for Him all the words and deeds that He must follow. No one considers: "Why, if He were to act according to my thoughts and understanding, there would be nothing amazing about His works. What if His actions transcend, and differ from, my ideas?"
But this does not happen, says Isaiah. They will not quit their phantasizing. They make and shape a god according to their own likes (44:9–17). A monk makes a god who sits on high and thinks: "Whoever observes the rules of Saint Francis, I will save."63 A nun imagines: "If I am a virgin, God is my bridegroom." A priest: "God gives heaven to everyone who offers Mass and prays his hours." No one realizes that God chooses only the rejected Cornerstone and condemns all their making and building.
God must suffer Himself to be made, corrected, and formed, from the beginning of the world to its end.
No one has any use for the Cornerstone on which He builds and forms us.
24. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the time of the New Testament, a different day from that which the good sun daily makes.
Here the Lord Himself is the Sun; He creates this day with its light and splendor. This day is not followed by night, nor does its light shine into the eyes of the body; it shines into the heart. Nor is this the light of reason, which also is a sun, outwardly showing and teaching works and righteousness before the world. This light teaches grace, peace, and forgiveness of sins before God, of which reason knows nothing. Thus Christ is called the Sun of Righteousness in Mal. 4:2: "But for you who fear my name the Sun of Righteousness shall rise, with healing in Its wings."64 This Sun is to bring righteousness to light, that is, to deliver from sin and make righteous all who believe in Him. It is to give salvation and save from death all those who take refuge under His wings or in His light. This brightness is nothing else but the light and revelation of the Gospel in all the world, which proceeds from Christ and illumines and - 46 enlightens the hearts of the believers, just as the light of the sun goes forth and enlightens the eyes of our bodies and the visible world.
This is a happy day, as the psalmist here rejoices and says: "Let us be glad!" The light and teaching of grace gives the heart peace, rest, and joy in Christ. It realizes that its sins are without merit, that it is delivered from death, and that in God it forever has a gracious Father through Christ, as St. Paul says
(Rom. 5:1): "Therefore since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." And then he further describes this peace and joy as something that endures in tribulation and gives courage. No unbeliever can know anything of this joy and peace, nor can those who by their works endeavor to be pious and wipe out their sins. Though they bawl this verse ever so much, especially on Easter Day, they have no understanding of it except as a material, external Easter at which they rejoice in the eating of cake and not in the grace and redemption of Christ.65
It is necessary for the prophet to praise this day so emphatically as the Lord's own day, and to admonish us to rejoice. To all outward appearances the day is gloomy and shines like filth in a lantern.66
So far as the world is concerned, it is darkness, error, heresy, and the devil's own night, to be rejected as its Sun, the noble Cornerstone, is rejected, from whom it receives its light. Therefore the joy and peace of which he sings is more tribulation, discord, and every misfortune, since he is shamefully hated and persecuted by the world, as Christ, the precious Sun, says (Matt. 10:22): "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake." Accordingly, just as the light of this day is secret and hidden from the world, so its joy is spiritual and unknown to the flesh, although it is the noblest joy and the supreme light. What could be more precious and nobler than an enlightened heart, a heart that knows God and all things, a heart that can judge rightly and speak truly in all things before God? Where could there be a higher or greater joy than in a happy, secure and fearless conscience, a conscience that trusts in God and fears neither the world nor the devil? On the other hand, where is there greater melancholy and a heavier heart than in an evil, despairing, and guilty conscience? What is more wretched and miserable than an erring and uncertain heart which can judge nothing properly?
25. Save us, we beseech Thee, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech Thee, give us success!
Here we have the Hosia Na which the people sang for the Savior when He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This verse and the following were taken from this psalm on that occasion. Apparently this psalm was well known to the people. העהֹוִׁשִׁש י ָ means "help" or "do help." The אנָָּּ added to it sounds a prayer and indicates the hearts desire. We would say in German: "Help, O dear one, help, do help!" As the "O" and the "do" indicate our hearts desire to persuade Him whom we beg, so the אנָָּּ functions in Hebrew. When it is added to העהֹוִׁשִׁש י ָ and becomes אנה ָָּּעהֹוִׁשִׁש י ָ, it means "O Lord, help" or "O dear
Lord, help." The name "Jesus" is derived from the same Hebrew word.67 It means Helper or Savior, as the angel says to Joseph (Matt. 1:21): "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." העהֹוִׁשִׁש י ָ, "Joshua," and "Jesus" sound almost alike; and Joshua is the same name as Jesus.
In the course of time the word העהֹוִׁשִׁש י ָ was changed to "Osanna." Finally even women and bells were baptized and called "Osanna."68
This verse is a prayer or a wish of joy, as when we wish someone good luck and success as he undertakes a new venture or receives something good. Elizabeth, the mother of St. John, received the good wishes of the women regarding her young son (Luke 1:58). She herself also joyfully extended good wishes to the Virgin Mary when Mary visited her (Luke 1:42). Here, too, as the glad day of the Gospel dawns and the kingdom of grace begins, in which sin and death end and righteousness lives and rules, the psalmist leaps for joy and pours out his heart saying: "Hosia Na, Lord; God grant it; God be praised! Happy and blessed is the day on which this light breaks. Heaven and earth and everything in them rejoice with us that we have lived to see this day." At the same time he desires and asks that it may continue as it began. He prays: "O Lord, Give us success," as we often do in such a joyful wish: "God grant that this may abide and continue, that it may succeed and never end!"
The kingdom of Christ must suffer much adversity from the devil, the world, and the flesh, and always stands as if it were about to fall and perish, as the fierce tyrants gain the upper hand. Against these attacks, however, these words stand firm: העהֹוִׁשִׁש י ָ ,העהֹוִׁשִׁש י ָ ,העֹוִׁשִׁש י ָה! ָ Help, help, help! And החִל י ָצְְהַ ,החִל י ָצְְהַ ,החִל י ָצְְה! ַ Give us success, give us success, give us success!" These words stand
- 47 firm, and the wish of joy must endure and gain the victory. We may well sing the Hosia Na against our papists, Turks, and factions. No one else will sing it for us. They need no Hosia or Jesus. They have their own might and strength. They prefer to sing: "Aha! Aha!" (Ps. 35:21).69 They cry: "Down with the heretics!" Let them rejoice! I have not lived very long, but I have heard many such shouts of joy turned into howls, while the Hosia Na survived with honor.
26. Blessed be He who enters in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
This still belongs to the joyful wish that Christ, the King of Grace, enter through His Gospel and come in the name of the Lord. Again there is need of such a joyous wish. For there are many who roam about in their own name and bring, not the Word of grace but a doctrine of works and the phantasies of their own minds. They, with all the rest of the world, receive this King by saying: "Cursed is He that comes in the name of all the devils; death to Him!" as the Jews did when they cried: "Away with Him; crucify Him at once!" He must be the rejected and condemned Cornerstone, and His Word an accursed heresy of the devil. This is the song of the cathedrals and cloisters. Only believers sing: "Praised and blessed be He that comes in the name of the Lord!"
Then these singers also experience the next thing: "We bless you from the house of the Lord." These words teach that this joyous wish is not only for the King but also for all you who are in His household, who believe in Him and accept Him. Praised, happy, blessed, and full of all grace and joy are you because you are of the house of the King! "You are not strangers and sojourners, but members of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19). You are built on the rejected Cornerstone. Although you are rejected and must be called the devil's household, it does not matter. Let them blaspheme and curse. Be content that we bless you and call you blessed and rich. Our testimony is the testimony of God and of all the angels, all the saints, and all the creatures of God. Why are you concerned about the devil and the world?
I think everyone knows that "God's house" means where He dwells, and that He dwells where His Word is, be it in the field, in church, or on the sea. On the other hand, where His Word is absent, He is absent, nor is His house there; but there the devil dwells, though it be a church of gold blessed by all the bishops. But where God's house is, there is pure blessing, grace, and life, as the psalmist says: "We bless you from the house of the Lord." You are blessed, because you are in the Lord's house. God says
(Ex. 20:24): "In every place where I cause My name (that is, My Word) to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you." In this passage this verse in the psalm had its origin. Wherever God sends out His
Word, by which His name and work and not our name and work are praised, there He also comes with pure grace and every blessing, as Moses declares. But wherever the devil sends out his word and it is accepted, he follows with his curse and eternal destruction. The world, however, does not believe this and considers and praises the devil as God, his curse as a blessing, and his lies as truth.
27. The Lord is God, and He has given us light. Bind the festival with branches, up to the horns of the altar!
Here the psalmist names the child, and specifically states who the king is who rides in the name of the Lord. He says: It is God, the Lord Himself, who appears and shows us His light. He may be a rejected stone, but He is still God; for he refers to Him who has appeared and enlightened us, whose
Gospel and light we feel in our hearts. It is the Lord God Himself, and there is no other God. Why else would he use such lofty praise, "The Lord is God"? For no Jew would doubt this if it did not mean a man. But this calls for faith, when it is said that the rejected Cornerstone, which enlightens the world with a new day, is God and Lord. If He were not a man, He could not be the rejected Cornerstone; for God cannot be rejected. And yet He is not only a man but also God Himself. At this point the psalmist faces the loathing and offense of the Jews and of all those to whom it is an abomination to hear that a man is true God. They fear some form of idolatry. For this reason he would say: "Do not be alarmed; there is no danger of idolatry. This is the true God Himself, for no one else can grant release from sin and death or enlighten hearts except God. His works prove that He is God."
Then he commands that the festival and the new day be bound with branches. Thereby he abolishes the Old Testament. The Jews had a festival called the Feast of the Tabernacles, or Succoth, which they celebrated for eight days in memory of the forty years during which the Children of Israel had lived in tents in the wilderness (Lev. 23:42). To this he refers and would say: "Why do you still make a show with your branches and tabernacles? Something new has come, and your custom is done. This is another
- 48 day, another house of God, another altar, another festival, another life. Now come here and celebrate this new festival with branches, since our new King and God Himself rides in with grace and blessing and appears to the whole world in His Word. Put your branches here in the house of the Lord, not in the field or in your yards. Put them even on the horns or corners of the altar, that everything may be full of branches and merriment. There is no longer any difference between the Levites and the people.
Everyone who believes may approach the altar, a privilege not granted in the Law."
In addition, he explains what the branches and leaves symbolize, namely, that men should adorn, praise, beautify, and exalt the name of God with joyful, fresh, green, and beautiful preaching and singing. These are the branches cut from beautiful trees, that is, taken from the prophets. And when he speaks of the place or corners called the horns of the altar, he means the altar of thanksgiving. There those branches are offered as thank offerings; and no longer are calves, sheep, birds, and the like to be slaughtered. Now everything that formerly was outwardly performed by the Levites is clone by thanks and praise, preaching and teaching.
28. Thou art my God, and I will give thanks to Thee; Thou art my God; I will extol Thee.
The psalmist now concludes this psalm with a strong declaration and denunciation against all offenses and examples of the unbelievers. He would say: "They will not accept Thee as God. Thou art the rejected stone, a malefactor crucified among malefactors. Thy Word and service are held to be the devil's word and service. For this I must suffer all manner of disgrace and danger. But let it pass; Thou art nevertheless my God. I will still believe in Thee, and I know for a certainty that Thou art ray God.
Let the Law, temple, altar, and all services at Jerusalem be gone. Let friend and foe pass away. Let there be no more wisdom, holiness, strength, goods, honor, and whatever else will pass away. I desire Thee alone; in place of all these Thou wilt be more than enough. I shall be Thy poor little parson and priest and offer true sacrifices and services of God, namely, the thank offering and the hymns of praise. This will be my priestly office, my feast of the tabernacles, that I preach or praise nothing but Thee, the rejected Cornerstone, the crucified God.70 This is my resolution. By this I will abide. This shall be the long and short of it. This is what I sought and meant with this psalm. Let no one tell me anything else.
Let me not be confused. As St. Paul says (Gal. 6:17), 'I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.' " Amen.
29. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!
We often sing a good song over again from the beginning, especially one we have sung with pleasure and joy. Thus a bride prepares a wreath for her groom, bringing the two ends together to make it a beautiful decoration for her head. That is what David does in this psalm. After he has ended his song to all the blessings of God and has especially praised the last, His eternal grace, he says: "Oh, who can ever thank God enough for His goodness! It is as I said at the beginning of this psalm: 'His steadfast love endures forever. Especially does it endure for that poor little fourth group.'71 If only men would believe this!" Men also do good deeds, but no good deed lasts forever. Human nature cannot stand ingratitude. Nor does man do good for God's sake or for the sake of virtue, but only for his own sake.
This you can see if you observe a man who has done good deeds for a number of people. If they later are ungrateful or say or do something that provokes him, you will see how he flares up, scolds, judges, and says reproachfully: "Well, I helped him once or twice; now that's all. He need not come to me again!" And if the occasion ever arises when he can get revenge or sees that his help is needed, he will act like a block of wood or a balky horse. If he can do no more, he resists wherever he can and leaves the good undone. Yet he thinks he is pious and does the right thing, without any compunctions of conscience. He cannot rise to the point where he would think: "Well, I did not do that good deed for him because of his wickedness, nor shall I stop on this account. God bestows much good on me daily, though all my life I have done nothing but grieve Him." No, he does not draw such thoughts from the example of his ungrateful neighbor, which ought to lead him to sweep before his own door and consider his own ingratitude.
Basically, what is human kindness but a threefold misdeed? With it men seek thanks and honor, yes, even mastery over those to whom they do good. It is a proud, boastful, vindictive, and selfish kindness, one that later turns to anger and everlastingly hurts and damages wherever it can. About man this verse might well be changed to read: "Shame on mankind for being so wicked, for the harm they do endures forever. Their kindness is brief and temporary, it is done only to those who adore and honor them. They