This chapter contains a wonderful sermon of repentance. For in the beginning he remembers the many and great benefits that God has shown this people. But because they did not give due thanks to their Creator, he punishes them and condemns their ingratitude.
Since the people could not deny this sin, they turn to their usual pretense and seek protection against God's wrath in sacrifices and other legal things.
But God indicates another way in which He can and will be reconciled. Therefore, this passage shows a glorious doctrine and an excellent contrast between the right and wrong services. The last part is a threat. For because they do not obey God, who teaches them the right worship, but continue in their sins, he threatens them with destruction. For this is the end of disobedience or sin.
V. 1. Listen to what the Lord says.
This is a common preface of the prophets, which they use not only to gain prestige and faith, but even more to warn the people, so that they do not fall into a terrible sin, namely into contempt of God and His word. For this is what people usually do, especially when they hear of the wrath of God, so that they believe that they will be dealt with less harshly. Therefore, even when they are in the midst of sins, they invent the hope of forgiveness, and either laugh at the threats of the prophets or do not care about them, as if they were little human feet. The prophet wants to heal this evil by saying that one should hear the Lord, not him; the Lord speaks, not him.
Arise and rebuke the mountains and let the hills hear your voice.
Here we want to pass over the inconsistent things, which Jerome brings forward, who understands the angels by the mountains and hills. For, he says, because they are ministering spirits, they are justly accused (for in Revelation (Cap. 2) the angels of the churches are accused), if they have not done the will of the Lord. On the other hand, if they have done it, the guilt is on the people. Afterwards, as is his way, he seeks another equally inconsistent opinion and says: or the mountains and foundations of the earth are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. This is far from the opinion of the prophet.
But he deserved pardon, if this picture was only in this one place. But since everywhere in the prophets the name mountains and hills is used to designate the princes and those who, by their position in office, stand out above the rest of the crowd, why was it necessary to invent such inconsistent things? Especially since the prophet himself says what he wants without a picture, since he adds [v. 2]: "The Lord wants to rebuke his people and wants to punish Israel. For here the people are rightly compared to the mountains because of the glorious gifts by which they excelled over all the nations of the earth, as the Psalm says
[Ps. 147, 20: "He does not do this to a heathen. Then in this holy nation the hills and mountains are the kings and princes, for these stand out above the rest of the people, just as in the church the hills and mountains are the priests and prophets.
But that the Lord commands that he should rebuke the holy people and punish the princes in both kingdoms because of the bad administration of their office is dangerous in two ways. For those who have the highest authority suffer least of all to be punished and can do the most harm. Therefore, this sermon not only brought hatred to the prophet, but also exposed him to certain dangers. For he undoubtedly had to hear what we hear today when we punish the vices of princes: in this way the prestige of the authorities would be diminished, the hearts of the subjects would be alienated from the authorities, and through such sermons, as it were, the seed of rebellion would be scattered among the common people. One must punish the vices in general, but not attack the authorities with explicit words. For this not only does no good, but can also do harm. Some add that in this way the preachers try to pave the way so that they get the reins of the secular regime in their hands. But the tyrants do not protect themselves in this way with reasons, but proceed by force against the prophets, as the examples of Micah (1 Kings 22:26 ff.), Jeremiah and others testify.
But the prophet is not moved by any of these things; he does not spare the dignity of the mountains, he is not moved by its danger. He looks at the commandment of the Lord and holds that these must be obeyed, even if a thousand rebellions should arise from it.
But in vain do they accuse us of sedition, which is always the punishment for the sin of not administering the preaching office properly. Therefore, those who want to forestall or prevent sedition must not be anxious that those who are commanded the teaching office should cover up the sins of the persons in authority. For in this way the Lord is provoked to take vengeance. Therefore, they should allow the sins to be covered.
be punished freely, for this is the command of God; but they shall desist. For since the sword has been given to the authorities by God so that they may keep wrongdoers in check, their office is hindered if they themselves lie in the sins that they should punish their subjects for. For how should he dare to punish adultery who himself has many witnesses of his adultery everywhere? But the Holy Scriptures sufficiently testify that if the authorities are not forgiving or severe enough in punishing the wrongdoers, God is provoked to inflict common punishments, whereas the sword of Phinehas, which is drawn against the fornicator, pacifies the wrath of God and brings the common plague to an end. 25, 7. f.], as also the 106th Psalm, v. 30, testifies: "Then came to Phinehas, and settled the matter; and the plague was controlled." This is first of all a great reason why the authorities must be reminded of their office and punished when they sin somewhere.
After this, it must also be noted that the subjects, challenged as it were by the example of the authorities, think that they can sin safely. For they think that they can imitate without danger what they see in the authorities. Therefore the prophet does right that he does not cover up the vices of the rulers, but punishes them freely, as his preaching office demands. And his example should be followed by all who want to teach the churches rightly.
V. 2. Hear, O mountains, how the Lord will punish with the strong foundations of the earth; for the Lord will rebuke his people, and will punish Israel.
He calls "foundations of the earth" the same, what he called "mountains" before, as the 47th Psalm, v. 10, calls them in the same way "shields on earth". For if there were no authorities and laws, the peace that is necessary to feed, raise and teach children, both in religion and in domestic affairs, could not exist in the face of such great depravity of men.
But there is a special emphasis on the words "his people" and "Israel". It is as if he wants to say: I am obliged to
to punish and condemn according to the command of God, who are God's people, who are presumptuous because of their righteousness and boast that they are holy and God's dear children. Now follows the scolding, which at first sight seems to be very mild. But the less the people can approve of their ingratitude, the more violently they are accused and forced to condemn themselves.
V.3-5. What have I done to you, my people, and how have I offended you? Tell me. For I brought thee out of Egypt, and redeemed thee from the house of bondage, and sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Remember, my people, the charge of Balak king of Moab, and the answer of Balaam the son of Beor, from Shittim even unto Gilgal; that ye may know how the Lord hath done you all good.
The sum is: the Lord has showered you with benefits of every kind, so much the greater is your sin that you live as if he were hostile to you and your highest adversary, and as if he had undertaken all hostilities against you.
But he remembers three good deeds. First, that he freed them from the image of the tyrant and adopted them as his people, as it is also said in the first commandment: "I am your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
Secondly, that he gave them Moses as leader and regent, Aaron as priest and Miriam as prophetess. But we see in this passage that God names as the highest benefit a godly authority, both in the worldly regiment and in the Church. Therefore, both Moses and Aaron are held in higher esteem before God than the unbelieving Jews, who more than once sought to stone them.
The third benefit is: Since Balak had persuaded the prophet Balaam to curse the people, the Lord forced him to bless them. For this is what the prophet praises primarily in this passage. But the fact that he remembers the whole journey from Sittim to Gilgal also includes the miracle that happened to the people who went dry-footed through the Jordan. All this, he says, is intended so that you may learn that God is a
benefactor. For here the word is written which is like in the sermon of Daniel [Cap.
9, 16.] does not indicate justice, but rather kindness.
Since this refers to the Jews, Jerome draws a spiritual interpretation, so that this sermon of the prophet would not be read by us without all fruit. But we have another likeness, and that of greater good deeds, which should provoke us to repentance. For we have had our Pharaoh and our Egypt, namely the tyranny of Satan and death, because of sin. But we are delivered from this captivity by the blood of the Son of God. This tremendous blessing is also a far more glorious salvation than that from Egypt. Nor do we lack our Moses, Aaron and Miriam, for we have good and godly teachers of the Word through the goodness of God. Paul also glorifies this blessing when he says [Eph. 4:11] that it is a gift of the ascension of Christ that there are several prophets, several apostles, several evangelists, several teachers and shepherds in the church.
But when Balak urges Balaam the prophet to curse the people, does this not fit in very well with the fact that the godless princes unite with the popes so that they curse the true church and do evil? But the Lord turns their curses into blessings. For everything they have done so far against the pure doctrine, God has turned it all around so that the glory of the Word would be the greater, and the deceitfulness and ungodliness of our adversary would be the more evident.
Therefore, it would behoove us not to be ungrateful in the face of such a great amount of God's benefits, but to show our obedience and gratitude by living a holy life. It is proper for us to flee and abhor offenses. But because we do not do this, we have to expect an even more severe judgment than the Jews.
V. 6.7 With what shall I propitiate the Lord? With bowing down before the high God? Shall I propitiate him with burnt offerings and calves of the year? Do you think the Lord is pleased with many thousands of rams?
Would countless streams be full? Or shall I give my first son for my transgression? or the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
The people recognize their sin, just as we must also recognize our sin when we compare the divine benefits with our lives and customs. Here, therefore, is a very beautiful illustration of what people tend to do in such consternation. They become fainthearted through fear of evil and take refuge in hypocritical works; through these, they hope, they can reconcile God. But the prophet here publicly indicates that God does not want sacrifices, as does Isaiah Cap. 1, 13. And Hosea says [Cap. 6, 6.], "I delight in love, and not in sacrifice." Likewise says the fiftieth Psalm, v. 13. Therefore it indicates another way to propitiate God.
Here, therefore, arises a question that is worth to be dealt with. Why does God reject the sacrifices that He commanded the Jews to perform as a service of God? Therefore, the Jews could be blamed if they had not sacrificed, but that they sacrificed must not be blamed.
To this question I answer thus: It is true that God commanded the sacrifices as a service. But He did not command them alone, for He also gave commandments of other, inward and, as Paul calls it [Rom. 12:1], "reasonable" services. Then God did not command the sacrifices for the purpose that they should be a satisfaction for sins.
Therefore, these sacrifices of the Jews or the legal services had a twofold affliction. The first affliction was that they performed these or unreasonable services with the omission of the other, reasonable services, which are, as the prophet mentions later, "keeping God's word, practicing love and being humble before God. So also Hosea says [Cap. 6, 6.]: "God delights in love and not in sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God and not in burnt offerings." And the 50th Psalm, v. 14. f.: "Offer thanksgiving to God and pay your vows to the Most High. And call upon me in trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt praise me."
The wicked do not perform this service. For when all is well, they are secure, do not recognize God as the giver [of good], do not use God's gifts according to God's will, and in adversity do not take refuge in God, but seek human help. Since they leave that which is most noble and highest in the queue, how can God take pleasure in the lesser and, as it were, unreasonable (brutali) worship?
Thus Isaiah preaches [Cap. 1:11], "What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and of the fat of the fatlings, and have no desire for the blood of bullocks." [Wash, cleanse yourselves, put away your evil from my sight, forsake evil; learn to do good, seek justice, help the oppressed. These are truly good works, and cannot be feigned by the wicked. Therefore the wicked refrain from them, let their avarice, their lust for pleasure, their anger etc. run wild, as the 50th Psalm, v. 18, says: "When you see a thief, you run with him" etc. Accordingly, the ungodly seek to cover and conceal this ungodliness by this hypocrisy of outward worship. Therefore, God rightly condemns and rejects these services.
In the household, a master requires his servant to sweep the house with a broom. But he has not hired the servant for this work alone, for he has required the servant to do other, greater work, that he be faithful with the property, that he be steady and diligent in the work etc. Therefore, if the servant neglects those greater things, would he not earn little thanks by the diligence he puts into sweeping? especially if the Lord recognizes that the servant is thus seeking a cover for his wickedness and laziness. Thus, God condemns the sacrifices of the Jews, because they completely neglected the greater and reasonable services and covered their impiety with this show of sacrifices.
The second defect was that the Jews not only covered the ungodliness of the hearts with the sacrifices, but also wanted them to be a ransom for the sins of the people.
were to be. But God had not instituted nor commanded the sacrifices for this purpose; He wanted the priests to be taken care of in this way, and the sacrifices were a model of the supreme sacrifice, that through the death of the Son of God the sins of the world should be atoned for. But this sacrifice of the Son of God the wicked did not consider and attributed to their sacrifices the forgiveness of sins. Is it not utter impiety and blasphemy to attribute to the blood of goats and oxen the honor that belongs only to the blood of Christ?
Therefore, throughout the prophets, God says that He has an abomination in the sacrifices, that He has not commanded them etc. For He had indeed commanded them, but not for that purpose. He would also accept them as testimonies of obedience to God, if they were not disobedient in greater and more important things. But since they refrain from the greater services and perform these lesser and truly unreasonable services with such ungodly delusion, God has an abomination in the sacrifices and also ridicules them, as it is said in the 50th Psalm, v. 13: "Do you mean that I will eat ox meat, or drink goat's blood?"
And also the Jews saw that these were not the highest divine services, if they sacrificed a heifer or a ram. Therefore they turned to more precious sacrifices, as the prophet testifies here: "Even if you sacrifice a thousand rams and whole streams of oil, this will be an unpleasant service to the Lord, for, as it says in the 50th Psalm, v. 10 f.: "All the beasts of the forest are the Lord's, and all the beasts of the field are his."
Therefore they took another advice and sacrificed their sons and daughters in honor and service to God. They took the occasion for this cruelty from what Abraham had done. Because God praised his obedience so much that he wanted to sacrifice his son, they thought that God would also be reconciled through service if they sacrificed their children to him. And looking at the work itself, it was a great and heavy one. For who would not rather put his goods, even his life, in danger, than have his children sacrificed to others for slaughter?
or slaughter them themselves? Therefore, the pagans also imitated this service. But the wretched hypocrites did not see that Abraham was commanded to kill and sacrifice his son, but that they were not commanded to do so. Therefore, not only was it not a worship service, but it was also a very grave sin against the fifth commandment, in which killing is forbidden.
Thus the monks praise their services, praise their good works, that they abstain from civil business, pray at certain hours, abstain from certain foods etc. But because they do all this without God's command, their services are no more pleasing to God than those wicked sacrifices in which parents offered their children to God. For there can be no worship where there is not an express command of God, according to the words of Christ [Matt. 15:9], "In vain do they serve me with the commandments of men."
Therefore, this passage teaches that hypocrites seek to propitiate God with their works, which are such that they are not good in themselves. This, however, is not the right way to propitiate God. Therefore, the prophet now teaches how God wants to be reconciled.
V. 8. You are told, man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you, namely, to keep God's word (ut facias judicium), and to practice love, and to be humble before your God.
First, there is a glorious prize in that he says he will teach what is good and what God requires. Therefore, we can be sure that if we do this, we will please God. For God promotes only what is good, and what He demands is pleasing to Him, whereas other services that we ourselves have chosen cannot please God, such as monastic vows, the impure celibate state, the sacrifice of the living and the dead, the service of saints, pilgrimages, prayers at certain hours, abstaining from certain foods etc.
These things have a great appearance and are quite troublesome to me. Therefore the world judges them to be good and pleasing to God. But they all lack the glorious prize with which the prophet exalts his teaching, saying that he will teach what is good and what is not.
what the Lord demands. For all these things are instituted by human will, not by divine prestige; therefore they have reward from men, not from God, as Christ says: "In vain do they serve me with the commandments of men" etc.
Right and good services are therefore those which God demands, namely facere judicium. This is generally interpreted as: to administer justice (justa agere), that is, to punish the guilty and to protect the innocent. For here the prophet deals with the "mountains," that is, with the kings and princes to whom God has commanded the sword. When they use the sword to keep the wicked in check, they are certain that they are doing a good work, which God demands, whereas those who perform their office casually, and either sin out of negligence or allow themselves to be moved by their danger not to proceed with serious punishment against the wrongdoers, are doing an evil work and leaving in place what God demands.
In this sense, this expression [facere judicium] is generally taken in Scripture. For I do not approve of Jerome's opinion, for he interprets judicium facere in such a way that we are not to do anything without deliberation and counsel, so that the soul first judges what it wants to do and arranges it accordingly in the work. This is the philosophical judicium, but Scripture, as I have said, calls something quite different judicium.
This sense is therefore not inappropriate, that it exhorts the authorities to execute their office, as also Isaiah in this sense commands Cap. 1, 17. that they should seek justice, and adds as it were as an interpretation: "Help the oppressed" etc.
But because the prophet has in this place a general preaching of repentance, the word judicium is to be taken a little further. For it is known that it is often taken for the word of God, as the 119th Psalm, v. 13, 30, 39, 62, etc., proves, and that because the word judges men by condemning evil and teaches what is holy and the truth. Therefore, in this place judicium facere is to pay attention to the word, to follow and obey it, not to oppose the word, not to hate the word.
but accept it with thanksgiving, obey it, do nothing without the word, do diligently what the word commands etc.
This commandment does not only include the outward practices in life or the good works, but also the spiritual movements, of which the first tablet teaches. For these are the two most noble parts of the Word of God, that it teaches to trust in God and to fear God. Trusting in God requires the knowledge of Christ.
Therefore, we must first make every effort to pay attention to the word of God, to trust in the mercy shown for the sake of Christ, and to fear Him. But this service is of such a kind that it can be performed by all. For if sacrifices were required, the rich would be best off, but the poor would not do well. But God does not demand that great costs be put into it, but He demands a heart that fears His word [Is. 66, 2] and trusts in His mercy.
The second is to love mercy or charity. And he explicitly uses the word "love" in Latin, because he sees that in the hearts of all men there is a peculiar desire to do good to themselves and to neglect others. He wants this attitude to be removed from our hearts and wants us to have a special desire for charity toward all people.
Here, too, is such a service that can be performed by all. For what position is so low that one could not benefit others in it? The position of servants and maids is considered the lowest, but if they diligently do what they are commanded to do, if they take care of the household or the children, they do a more holy work than all monks and nuns, for they do what God commands. Those, however, toil with hardships that they have taken upon themselves according to their own will without God's command, even against God's command.
The third is to walk humbly before God. This does not only mean that we should not be arrogant, hopeful and presumptuous, but also that we should be humble before God.
Be patient on the cross, as Peter says [1 Ep. 5, 6]: "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God", that is, suffer God's will with equanimity. Do not become indignant, do not turn away from God to human and illicit help, but humble yourselves, that is, recognize the punishment of sins or at least the necessary death of the old man; then pray and hope for salvation through Christ.
These are the right services and the right repentance. Those who perform these will be loved, protected and defended by God. And the true church makes it its business to render this service to God and to encourage people to such a way of life and morals. But the church of the Antichrist does the opposite. For it persecutes and blasphemes the Word, then it is cruel to the true church. But it abhors the cross, seeks prosperity and idleness. Therefore, the same punishments will befall them that the prophet now threatens the wicked.
V. 9 The voice of the Lord shall call upon the city: but he that feareth thy name shall prosper.
This is related to the preceding. So far, the prophet has punished the hypocritical services as useless to propitiate God, and has taught the right services and the right way to propitiate God and mitigate the punishments. Seeing that this sweet and wholesome voice of God is despised, he threatens that God will speak with another voice, which they must not only hear but also experience. For as the whole of Scripture shows that God wants to forgive the repentant, so it threatens the unrepentant with destruction.
Furthermore, this angry voice of God does not concern only one city, but all. Therefore the word is to be taken collectively, just like where Paul says in the letter to Titus Cap. 1, 5: You shall appoint the elders xxxxxxxx, which we have translated "the cities back and forth".
But he also adds a consolation here to raise up the godly, so that they do not lose heart in the common misfortune. He says: "The Lord will help every single one of us.
City speak. This will be a voice of anger and wrath. But it will only come upon those who are unrepentant and do not listen to the word. But the others who fear the name of the Lord will be saved.
For although the Hebrew word is interpreted by the rabbis in various ways, it is sufficiently known that it means salvation, success, happiness and the like, as also the passage Proverbs 8:14 shows: XXXXXX XXXXXX, mine is both counsel and success. For that we take right counsel, that is God's gift. But because also right counsels sometimes turn out badly, so XXXX,, success, is required. Likewise Proverbs 2, 1) 7: He will preserve the pious, that is, he will give them success, he will preserve them in peril, while the wicked will perish etc.
But the prophet includes a beautiful contrast. For he sees everyone as striving to increase their wealth, because they think that money and property provide protection against common misfortune. Therefore he says: You are mistaken if you have such an opinion, for unjust goods are a cause of destruction. But those will be saved who fear the name of the Lord, that is, who accept the word, who obey the word. But he uses this way of speaking for this reason, that he expressly says: "Those who fear your name", because the hypocrites will never suffer that this is said of them, that they do not fear the Lord. For that is why they sacrifice, that is why they are so persistent in performing outward acts of worship. But looking to the word, they reveal themselves that, as the Psalm says [Ps. 36:2], there is no fear of God with them. For either they pursue the word, or neglect it. They indulge their lusts when there is opportunity; they are stingy, ambitious, cruel etc.
Furthermore, we are to pray that this sermon also concerns us. There is no one who is not horrified by the Turk's cruelty,
1) In the editions incorrect: 6LP. 3.
which is approaching us more and more every day. This is the voice of the Lord calling over disobedient Germany, but those who fear the name of the Lord shall be saved. For these the Lord knows how to preserve and bring out, like Daniel in Babylon, in the midst of Turkey. A similar saying is Proverbs 16:6: "By goodness and faithfulness iniquity is reconciled; and by the fear of the Lord evil is avoided."
Hear, you tribes, what is preached (Audite, tribus, sed quis testificabitur ei? ).
There is some difficulty here in the grammar. For some take the word for rod, so that the sense would be: Hear the rod or the scourge and the one who bears witness to it. Jerome, however, translates: Hear, ye tribes, and who shall approve it? But in the interpretations he follows another opinion, for he says thus: Hear, ye tribes, what the Lord testifieth unto you. For the word XXX, according to the usual way of speaking, means to preach, to make known, to teach.
But if we look at the text, the opinion is very simple. First, the prophet commands the tribes to listen; then, despairing, as it were, of the fruit, he says, "Who can testify to him? that is, "Who can teach this people? Who can preach to them? since no fruit follows, but they continue in their sins without all repentance, as follows in the text:
V. 10. still remains unrighteous good in the house of the wicked, and the hostile low ephah (Nonne adhuc ignis in domo impii thesauri impietatis, et modius macilentus ira plenus?).
In the first part of this saying the Hebrews have a twofold reading. For some read ^'.n, is not then? while the text now says, which some interpret by man, others by fire. But it is more appropriate to the sense that it is interpreted by fire, although the grammarians require a different way of punctuation. But here "fire" means punishment, as above Amos 5:6: "Seek ye the Lord, and ye shall live: lest there be a fire in the house of Joseph, and it consume him, and there be none to quench it in Bethel."
And this is a very beautiful picture that depicts the goods acquired by fraud and injustice, namely that they are, as it were, a fire that must inevitably burn those who possess them themselves, as also the commonly known proverbs testify: Unjust goods do not come to the third heir. Evil gained, evil lost. And Solomon says [Proverbs 3:33], "In the house of the wicked is the curse."
But here behold the shameful, shall I say, godlessness or faithless obstinacy of men. 1) For everyone would shudder if he saw a burning torch being brought to his roof. For therein lies obvious danger, and often the greatest conflagrations arise from an unnoticed little spark. But why do we not in like manner be astonished at the goods obtained by avarice and injustice, which the prophet here says are a fire? For it is true what Chrysostom says somewhere, that small goods, which are acquired by fraud, consume as it were also the great goods, which are honestly and well acquired. Christ also compares what is rightly acquired to thorns that choke the seed [Luc. 8:14]. But that which has been badly acquired either melts away shamefully or harms the heirs, as experience shows.
And yet they all make a point of getting rich, be it rightly or wrongly. But they despise these threats as old wives' tales. But this happens because the Lord dampens the fire for a time, so to speak, and does not let it immediately shine forth and consume. For the wicked flourish for a time like the cederu of Lebanon. But shortly after that happens what the Psalm says [Ps. 37, 36.]: "When one passed by, behold, he was gone; I asked for him, and he was nowhere to be found." How is that? Because the fire consumed him, which he fed in his house, kindled and made so great that it could not be quenched.
The same opinion has the piece which is added that the small measure is "anger". But this is also a very beautiful picture, that
1) impietatemne an incredulam pertinaciam di- carn. In the Jena and Erlangen editions, there is a comma before us.
he calls it XXX XXXX, a measure of leanness which does not overflow, but in which something is lacking; as, on the other hand, Christ names ÷áëäõ μέτρου, πεπι- εσμέυου χάί σεσαλευμέυου χαί δπερεχγμυδμευου, that is, "a full, pressed, shaken, and superfluous measure," Luc. 6, 38.
But it also happens that people, as the prophet calls it, use a meager measure and hope for profit. But what kind of profit is it? The prophet answers, it is XXXXX, that is, wrath, or the threat of a certain evil that will follow. But who is so foolish and senseless that he should desire such goods that are connected with the wrath of God? Certainly all those who do not use the right measure, but a small and too small measure when selling.
V. 11. 12. Or shall I approve the unjust scales and false weight in the purse, by which their rich do much wrong- And their inhabitants deal in lies, and have false tongues in their mouths.
Here he punishes the weight, as he punished the false measure above. For people believe that there is profit in falsifying the weight, but the Lord condemns this. Therefore, the more fraudulent sellers think they are taking from others, the more they are taking from themselves. For they provoke the wrath of God, as the Scriptures threaten elsewhere, Proverbs 11:1: "False scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a perfect weight is His good pleasure."
What we have translated "wrong weight" is XXXXX XXXX wrong stones in Hebrew, because.
The people used weights of stone, not, as we do, of brass and generally of iron. The same way of speaking is Proverbs 16, 11: "Right scales and weights are from the Lord, and all the pounds (lapides == stones) in the sack are his works." In our [Latin] editions it says seculi [instead of sacculi] in a corrupt way.
Although what he adds of the lie and the false tongue seems to be related to the doctrine, it is more correctly understood of the infidelity and unreliability of the caliphs and craftsmen known to the whole world, with which they all deceive.
V.13. Therefore I will also begin to afflict you and make you desolate because of your sin.
The word XXXXXX derives Jerome from XXX, which means to begin. But others claim that it comes from XXX and interpret it: I have made you sick, as it is also written in Hof. 7, 5. But here the prophet begins to threaten the sins he told above. They are twofold. For the Jews sinned not only by using the wrong weight and measure out of avarice. For the Jews did not only sin by using wrong weights and measures out of avarice, but also by keeping their idolatry and not correcting their ungodly nature by the right teaching.
Therefore, God's judgment is shown here, which is completely different from the judgment of men. The papists nowadays do not insist on their services and their teachings because they want to perish. For they think that in this way they will strengthen their empire, and they firmly believe that if they followed our teaching, they would lose their benefices, their incomes, the dignities they hold. So also the Jews, as it is said in Jeremiah [Cap. 44, 17.], did not sacrifice to the queen of heaven for the sake of it, because they wanted to perish; for they thought that this worship was the only cause of happiness and well-being. But what happens? It is precisely this worship that ruined the Jews, and no doubt it will also ruin our papists. For the more zealously they insist on their ungodly practices, the more they provoke the wrath of God against themselves, until they are finally exterminated altogether.
It is similar with the sins against the second table. The rich think that unjust measure and fraudulent weight will add something to their goods. But goods gained in this way also consume those gained honestly. If, therefore, we were permitted to wish evil of every kind upon miserly men, what else could we wish upon them but that which they do, that they gather riches for themselves by fraud, lies and perjury? For there is no shorter road to destruction than this, as the prophet testifies, who calls the unrighteous goods a "good.
Fire calls, and unjust measure the wrath of the Lord.
But the world does not believe this. Therefore it deals only with this one thing and pursues it fiercely, that it may possess as much as possible. But this pursuit is followed by the certain misfortune peculiar to it, that the miserly and unjust people's honor is their own executioner; or that punishments are added, and they have extraordinary diseases, or that they become poor again, or on account of the goods become publicly godless people, or all these evils either altogether or in part pass on to the heirs.
Therefore, we should rather act in such a way that we would not be anxious to gather goods, but how we would guard against sins. For then the wrath would cease, and that fire would stay away, but the blessing of the Lord would be there. For though thou hast not great goods, yet the Lord will give the daily bread, that is, as much as is sufficient, as he saith [Matt. 6:32], "My heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Likewise [v. 33], "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you." And Ps. 37:26: "He is always merciful, and loveth to lend, and his seed shall be blessed," that is, those who are generous and charitable will not only lack nothing, but the blessing will also flow to their descendants. But because the world neither believes nor does this, it must experience what the prophet here threatens his godless and unbelieving Jews.
V. 14. You shall not have enough to eat, and shall faint (Tu comedes et non saturaberis, et oppressio tui in medio tui).
Behold the tremendous wrath that this wickedness of men deserves. The daily bread is promised to the godly, but it is denied to the stingy people. Of the godly the Holy Spirit says [Ps. 37:25], "I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or his seed go after bread." But the stingy and dishonest people, even if they. Even if they have bread, they cannot satisfy their hunger with it.
Although this can also happen in times of peace because of the storm, the prophet has in mind the time of war, as it is now with the poor prisoners in Turkey. For these, though they have lived in the greatest abundance of wine and grain, have now scarcely so much as is sufficient to last them a lifetime.
What he adds: Oppressio tui in medio tui, indicates that they will have no welfare, since the wrath of the Lord oppresses and depresses them. Therefore, this can be translated thus: From all sides you will be oppressed. For the Hebrew word means humiliation or oppression, as we say in German when we want to indicate the most adverse fate: "He cannot get over himself." He is oppressed by the hand of the Lord, so that he cannot rise. Thus it is written in the 38th Psalm, v. 7: XXXXXX, I am very oppressed. Our [Latin] translation has: Curvatus sum in finem. But he speaks there of the spiritual dejection, which arises from the feeling of the wrath of God and the sight of sins.
And that which thou shalt receive shall not come of it; and that which cometh of it will I deliver to the sword.
The rabbis invent here I do not know what things of untimely births. But the prophet has a different opinion. For he wants to indicate that not only their bodies, but also all their goods will be in extreme danger. And the word "catch" shows the great effort to get out of their misfortune, that they, being afflicted with evils and surrounded, will try and undertake many things to wriggle out of the present misfortune. But the prophet threatens that these attempts will also be in vain. Not as if they would not achieve something from time to time, but that even if they have achieved something, it will melt away or fall into the hands of the enemy, as the following shows.
V.15. You shall sow, and not reap; you shall press oil, and not anoint yourself with it; and you shall press must, and not drink wine.
1) Erlanger:
He who sows seems to have caught something and hopes for the harvest. But because of your sins, not only will you not reap what you have sown, but the enemy will trample it and destroy it. In this way, even he who has gathered olives and grapes seems to have caught something to enjoy. But because of your sins it will happen that you will not be able to save this nor to enjoy it, because this morsel is prepared for the enemies, which they will tear 2) out of your throat.
These are sad pictures, but the outcome has shown that the Jews have suffered much more terrible things. And we have similar examples at the gates of Germany, yes, in Germany itself. For do you not think that the poor Hungarians and all Austrians have already sown many times what was trampled on by the enemies, the Turks, and pressed must that the cruel enemy has sacrilegiously spilled? But these sermons of the prophets are held up to us so that we, since it is certain that such things happen for the sake of our sins, may repent and amend our ways.
V. 16. Demi man keep the way of Amri, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and follow their counsel. Therefore will I make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof to be whistled at; and shall bear the reproach of my people.
He remembers Amri and Ahab, who brought new idolatries to the people of Israel after Jeroboam. For Amri built Samaria and worshiped there against the commandment of God. Ahab also built a temple there to the idol Baal. Because of this ungodliness, the kingdom of Israel was laid waste by Salmanasser. And since the kings of Judah subsequently followed the same sins, this kingdom was also laid waste by the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar, and the people were led away captive. For as covetousness and other sins against the second table are punished by famine, war and other calamities, so sins against the first table, ungodly sins, are punished by the first table.
2) Erlanger: nodis instead of: vodis.
Teachings, ungodly and idolatrous worship, as we have heard above, to be punished with the utmost desolation. This is shown by the example of the Jews, to whom, both in the Babylonian captivity and today, the fact that they were the people of God and so shamefully turned away from their God to idolatry and godless worship is the greatest disgrace.
This is a glorious sermon of repentance, which is especially necessary in our time, so that we may improve our lives and our morals, and keep God's word, practice love and walk humbly before our God, and thus find grace with Him through Christ and be saved from the terrible punishments that are in store for the whole world because of sin. Amen.