Second part.
Preliminary report.
(1) Up to this point we have interpreted three parts of this first book of Moses, as we have divided it above. For in the first part the history of our first father Adam is given. The other part praises Noah, the preacher of righteousness, and tells of the terrible punishment of the Flood, by which the first world was destroyed, so that only the one Noah with his family was preserved. The third part is assigned to Abraham. This history is especially noteworthy because it repeats the promise of the seed that would bless all nations, and because of various examples of faith and other virtues.
(2) And truly, if anyone will read over and consider all this, he will understand that it is a great and unspeakable blessing of God that the histories of such excellent great men have been described in the books of the Holy Scriptures, and have been preserved and preserved to this day. For the books and writings of the pagans know nothing of this; only the church and congregation of God may enjoy this boon, and have a right knowledge and divine testimony of the right beginning and of miraculous
Propagation of the doctrine that the church still has and that God initially gave to the first parents by his voice and wanted that the same doctrine and testimony should remain and be practiced in the whole tribe and lineage of the fathers.
Therefore, the promise is often repeated and renewed by the divine voice, which was initially heard in Paradise, and then repeated and explained to Abraham. However, God did not speak to Isaac and Jacob as often as He did to Abraham, for they knew that they should have looked to the promise made to Abraham and to his faith. However, as often as these holy patriarchs were challenged and their faith became weak, God raised them up again and strengthened them, so that they would not fall and despair in the danger and hardship that they encountered and were affected by. For we will see in the lives of both patriarchs wonderful struggles, and quite severe sorrow and affliction, and in the same struggles the wonderful government of the saints will shine and be seen, through which they are governed and sustained by God without human help.
4. worldly people do not understand about these things, and when they read that Isaac
or Jacob wandered about like tramps, that they had no certain seat, and that they were common people who labored with domestic and servile common work, they find this most ridiculous and contemptible; for they see nothing there that would be particularly excellent and glorious according to the judgment, prudence and skill of reason; as they read much in the histories of the pagans of such excellent and glorious deeds with great amazement. But they despise these stories of the holy fathers because they do not see the proper ornament and decoration of these histories. They do not see the so excellent gift of the divine word; they do not see the faith, the invocation and prayer; they do not see the patience in adversity, by which the saints overcame the world and the reenactment of Satan: which struggles and victories, if they had, far surpass all the stories and triumphs of all other great heroes.
(5) Whoever does not want to read these histories in vain should certainly believe that the holy Scriptures are not human wisdom but divine wisdom, and then he will feel that his heart will have a wonderful love and desire for the things contained in the holy Scriptures. For it is such a well, which, the more it is exhausted and drunk, the more one thirsts for it. As wisdom says in the book of Sirach Cap. 24, 27, 28, 29: "He who eats of me always hungers for me. And he who drinks of me always thirsts for me. For my preaching is sweeter than honey." For in this book are spoken of such things, which "the angels also desire to behold," as is said in 1 Peter 1:12; but they are hidden from the eyes of those who are wise according to the flesh, and are manifest only to the spirit. But we will now begin the fourth book in this place. For although the Hebrews place this part of Ishmael and Isaac with the history of Abraham, it is easy to see that Moses himself wanted to begin a book about the patriarch Isaac after Ishmael and Isaac buried their father Abraham.
First piece.
Of Isaac's waiting for the promise; item, of Ishmael, his descendants and death.
V. 11. And after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And he dwelt Lei the fountain of the living and the seeing.
Genesis begins with a short story about Isaac, namely, that God blessed him after his father's death; but he soon breaks off, and recently completes what is still to be said about Ishmael, but he leaves the blessing until its place. For it took another twenty years, during which Isaac lived with Rebekah, his wife, without children, and was unable to become a father by natural means, but obtained children and heirs from God through supplication and humble prayer.
Now this is a wonderful thing when compared to what was said earlier in chapter 24, v. 60. V. 60. For Abraham's servant, with great pomp and glory, wooed a virgin for Isaac, whom he would take as his wife, and by divine providence that virgin was entrusted to him in marriage, with such great hope and expectation that she was considered to be the mother of countless children. For how could Isaac not have hoped for this, to whom the woman was given by divine providence, and that by such a pious, holy father, in addition also by a very faithful servant and finally by the service of the angel? Nevertheless, he had Rebekah twenty years barren. But his father was still alive, and no doubt both of them would have heartily wished, sighed and asked for children. And I cannot know whether this was the reason that Abraham took Keturah as his wife, since he saw that it took so long before Isaac had any seed. But I will not say this for certain. For these holy men, and those who were afflicted with so many temptations, by such
long practice they have become accustomed to wait on the hand of the Lord: and God has presented them to us as an example of the right, true service of God, which consists primarily and truly not in outward sacrifices or works, but in faith, hope and the love of God.
(3) Reason makes one dream that one must serve God and make atonement for Him with bodily sacrifice or other practices devised by men. But the examples of the fathers indicate that this is the noblest and highest service of God, to wait upon God. And this is also the proper use and the proper exercise of faith. For faith first of all draws us to the invisible, when it holds out to us the things that are not seen before the eyes, and we can tolerate and bear this to some extent; but the heart is not only led to the invisible, but is often also held out for a long time, and help is prolonged. As Abraham waited five and twenty years before his son was born to him, and Isaac must be twenty years without children. But the third and most difficult thing is when the delay and the long time are followed by something else that seems to be quite absurd. Whoever can then wait and hope for that which is spoiled and love that which is so contrary, will finally experience that God is true and keeps His promise faithfully.
(4) These are not the works of the flesh or of human reason, or of monks and hypocrites, for whom all delay is too long and irksome; for what they ask, they want to have immediately, and they do not trust in God, but only in the things that are present, and not in that which is still delayed. But God wills that what He promises should be invisible and contrary, so that we may thus be tempted and exercised, and learn that this is the right true service of God, and that which is most pleasing to God, namely, where one waits for Him. Hence it comes that in the Psalms these exhortations are so common, as, in the 27th Psalm v. 14: "Wait for the Lord,
Be of good cheer and do not fear. And the prophets also always impress the same on us, as if they wanted to say: Harret and believe.
(5) But this doctrine of faith, and that one should wait on God, is ridiculed and mocked by the worldly men; as their mocking words are told Isa. 28:13: "Give here, give there; wait here, wait there; here a little, there a little"; for so they also at that time ridiculed the doctrine and comfort of faith and patience as a vain and uncertain thing. Now it is certain that what is asked for or promised is already present and true when we begin to pray and trust; as the saying is Isa. 65:24: "And it shall come to pass, before they call, that I will answer; while they speak, that I will hear." This is truly most certain and true.
(6) But when the heart of man is in trial and danger, it can hardly be satisfied with this consolation; for thus it is wont to fear and lament for and for: What then will come to pass? When will it happen? Where will it happen? Therefore I answer: Wait, wait. But if it drags on a little longer, and the heart asks again, "When will it finally happen?" then you should say, "I have no other advice to give you, but to be patient and wait a year or two or three longer. The Lord will surely come with his help and will not forgive.
(7) For this is true, and it is the manner of our Lord God, that he delayeth and delayeth the help, but that he cometh in time of trouble, and cometh quickly; as is seen in the miraculous deliverance of the people of Israel, when they were brought out of Egypt. The people had waited a long time, being burdened with heavy servitude, and the Lord had always delayed with help: but when they were led into the utmost danger of their bodies and lives, and saw death before their eyes on every side, the Lord said to Moses, "Why cryest thou unto me?" Exodus 14:15; and immediately there is salvation, and they are delivered.
great deeds of God. But where the greatest need does not require it, and the burden is not so great that we cannot be helped from it by human counsel, then God forgives with His work and with His help.
(8) These beautiful and glorious examples are held up to us in the case of holy men, so that we may learn that the most noble and spiritual worship does not consist in building churches or performing many ceremonies, all of which is child's play, so that God may entice us and draw us to Himself, as He did the Jews in many such outward ways, just as with a child's discipline. But the service of the fathers is that they waited on God; as Job says, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." And Jacob afterwards Gen. 32, 24. ff., when he wrestled with the angel, held fast to the promise with a steady heart. But this same promise is almost long delayed, and his faith is contested in many ways; yet his heart is thus confessed: I believe that the promise is true; though it be not soon fulfilled, yet I hope for it always; for though he wrestle with me, yet will I love him. Such sacrifices give the sweetest and loveliest smell of themselves before God, and finally gladden the heart of man with eternal joy and bliss.
(9) But those who become timid in adversity and fall away from God deprive themselves of eternal bliss. As Sirach says Cap. 2, 16: "Woe to those who have lost patience." But he who perseveres and keeps faith and hope finally overcomes and brings victory, Sir. Cap. 16, 13. Thus Noah persevered a hundred and twenty years and in the meantime suffered mockery and scorn from the wicked, but finally the whole world was drowned by the flood, but he was miraculously preserved with his household and became a father of the righteous.
(10) Therefore, I say, one should serve God with faith, hope and love; the outward ceremonies are only exercises of the coarse simple-minded people, by which they are accustomed to the works of godliness, which are much higher.
Just as little children who are not children are first nurtured and brought up with milk and soft food. But we, who are appointed to govern and teach others, are to learn that the right and true service of God is not where unreasonable animals are sacrificed, but where one holds to his promise and believes that it is true and cannot fail. On such faith and trust then follows hope, which reminds me that I should wait and that I have a gracious God. But if I persevere in adversity, Pharaoh and his whole army will be drowned in the depths of the sea, and those who persevere in faith will have the outcome he hoped for.
(11) So Moses ended the account he had given of the blessing of Isaac. For since he says that God blessed Isaac, the same is to be understood in faith and hope, since the contradiction was still seen there, and Isaac waited a whole twenty years for children, and did not lack age, nature or strength. Moreover, Rebekah herself was young and beautiful, and because of her age she was able to have children and to give birth. Nevertheless, the promise was lost, and it remained invisible until they were almost sixty years old, and there was certainly a danger of barrenness. Then Isaac will no doubt have considered in his heart and remembered what his parents had to worry about in the same danger of barrenness, and will have thought about it like this: Behold, the same affliction has befallen me and my Rebekah, which before afflicted my parents, Abraham and Sarah, because all things seem to be contrary to the promise; and yet he determined to hold fast to the same, after the example of his father.
12. but this is done so that God may call to him who is not that he should be, as Paul says Rom. 4, 17. as today the Turk and the Pope rage and rage against us with inhuman hatred and cruelty, but inwardly our consciences are on many things.
We are tempted and struggle with fear, unbelief and the terror of sins. And against all this we have strong consolation, as the promise of the word, holy baptism, the Lord's supper, which one should take with firm faith and keep. But I do not see the forgiveness of sins, I do not see eternal blessedness, I do not see life; but I believe it, and so I always hold on with hope. And when faith is challenged and weak, whether through temptation or through sins and human frailty, I still hold on to the keys. I remain in the divine promise, and even if heaven should fall upon it. This means serving God and fulfilling the first commandment, because what it is good for is only seen in the challenge, where the promise is invisible; I am delayed for a long time and at last the matter becomes quite absurd.
The devil, however, acts and works according to a different and opposite rule, for he is quick to be with his priests and prophets when they want to be, and does not delay with what they ask and desire. Thus the magicians often suddenly awaken thunderstorms and thunderclaps. In this way the devil beguiles and captures people, so that they gladly serve him, because he so soon helps and hears them; and what is the worst, it is taken for granted that all this happens from God. Therefore, one should diligently pay attention to such disparity of God's and Satan's actions. God wants us to wait; as the 130th Psalm v. 5. says: "My soul waits, and I hope in His word."
(14) If thou wilt serve God, thou shalt believe that which is invisible; thou shalt hope in that which is deceitful; and thou shalt love God, though he show himself to be thine enemy, and be grievously displeasing unto thee; and so shalt thou persevere unto the end. This is what Moses means by calling it a blessing, namely, giving Isaac a wife and yet not giving him children. Isaac asked for a wife to spread and multiply the seed, and he obtained the same. But he tarried twenty years without children; as his father Abraham also tarried so many years.
until Ishmael was born, who was not the son God promised him, and he had to hope and wait for Sarah's son much longer.
015 Of the fountain of the living and the seeing it was said above. When Hagar fled from Sarah her wife, she went astray in the wilderness near Bersaba to Egypt, and there she gave a name to the well, so that Hagar would be praised by all her descendants as an excellent domina and matron, from whom the well had received its name. For she says: "Surely, here I have seen the one who looked at me afterwards", Gen. 16, 13. Isaac considered the same to be praiseworthy for him, although Hagar was his stepmother: and therefore he lived by the well of the living and seeing one. Now Moses will finish the story of Ishmael.
V.12-16. This is the lineage of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar, Sarah's handmaid from Egypt, bore to him; and these are the names of the children of Ishmael, of whom their families are named: The firstborn son of Ishmael Nebajoth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Misma, Duma, Masa, Hadar, Thema, Ietur, Naphis, and Kedma. These are the children of Ishmael with their names in their courts and cities, twelve princes over their people.
Now Moses describes this Ishmael in a different and opposite way, because he described Isaac, of whom he said that God had blessed him, and yet he did not express the blessing. But above (Cap. 21, v. 11 ff.) we heard a very sad verdict about Ishmael, namely, that he was cast out of the house with the pain and displeasure of his father, not only by his mother, but also by divine power, and was called a son of the flesh and not of the promise. This is very hard and burdensome. But in this place he is now praised not only for the carnal blessing but also for the spiritual blessing.
17 And in the blessing of the flesh he is higher than his brother Isaac, which greatly increased Isaac's temptation and distress. For he had no children yet, and had to wait so many years for the blessing, until children were born to him, when he was eighty years old. In the meantime, twelve princes were given to Ishmael long before Isaac begat children, yet neither he nor Abraham begat so many princes. But Ishmael his brother, who was born of the maid, is blessed with great and rich blessings, because he soon begat twelve princes, all of whom Abraham and Isaac have seen live and be in great glory. For Ishmael died eight and forty years after Abraham, and the children of Ishmael soon became great men and princes before the blessing promised to Abraham and Isaac began.
(18) This was indeed a severe challenge to faith, hope and love. For should this not challenge a heart, however godly and pious it may be, but especially the heart of Isaac, who believed God and heard that he was preferred to all the nations and to his brother Ishmael. For thus it was said in Genesis 21:12: "In Isaac," and not in Ishmael, "shall the seed be called unto thee," in which seed the whole world shall be blessed. He also blessed Ishmael when he said in Gen 17:20, "I will make him a great nation, and he will beget twelve princes," but all of this is nothing compared to the promised seed.
019 Now here it is seen that all this is changed and reversed. For Isaac, who has the right promise, is placed behind Ishmael, and Ishmael, who has only a bodily promise, goes far ahead of the other and becomes a lord over other lords, having twelve princes, since Isaac lives alone and without children at Bersaba like a stick or block. Therefore he will have thought: O God! Is this your promise and your truth? Such thoughts have been very sharp thorns, so that they have led him to destruction.
and unbelief. As Job's wife also reproaches her husband, saying: "Do you still hold fast to your piety? Bless God and die," Job 2:9. The same might have been said to Isaac. For he who was despised and cast out of the house before, attains the divine blessing, which is much richer and greater than Isaac or Jacob ever attained.
20 Therefore, these are wonderful stories and give the carnal people cause for great distress. For all the works of God are directly contrary to the promise, which nevertheless remains quite true and constant. But this annoys people, that it is invisible, that it is thus distorted and always the opposite happens.
21. Therefore, learn the wonderful counsel of God, so that He may govern His saints, and the hearts of the godly shall be accustomed to it. If you have a divine promise, the more you are loved by God, the more such promise will be hidden from you, will be distorted and turned into the opposite. For if he did not love you so much, he would not play with you in such a way, that is, he would not so distort his promise and help and turn it into the opposite.
(22) For these are the most sure signs of a fatherly heart, which is as it were inflamed with great love, which he bears toward thee. So does a natural father who loves his child: he plays with him and promises to give him a gift, but he is in delay and acts as if he does not want to keep his promise. He does the same because he loves the child very much and wants to give it to him abundantly, provided the child also perseveres and eats the delay in himself and overcomes it. God plays with us in the same way, but we soon become angry and impatient even for the sake of a small delay. For we either want to have that which is promised to us presently, or else we want to obtain it in some other way, whatever that way may be.
(23) Therefore the examples of the fathers teach us in this way what is the right worship, that is, a refined, pure faith,
perfect hope and constant love, through which we understand and feel that God is present and gracious, even if we let ourselves think that He is repugnant to us.
(24) By the way, it can be seen that Ishmael was a great theologian, who diligently considered the right power and dignity of the promises, which are truly great and glorious, and especially that his mother Hagar was worthy of hearing the angel who told her to return to her wife Sarah and to humble herself under her hand, Genesis 16:9. 16, 9. He will have praised all this and will have spoken gloriously about it; how every country or family wants to be more excellent than the others and wants to rule the world alone. But the Andorn despises it against itself. Therefore Ishmael diligently remembered the promises made to him, and was able to say: I see that the Lord is with me and has blessed me with spiritual blessings. And at the same time he will have kept and increased the outward worship which he saw in his father's house; and some of his children and household will have come to the knowledge of godliness through such ceremonies; just as many of them of the lineage and descendants of Cain have been gathered to the true church of Adam, and today also many people are gathered to our church and small group.
(25) In the same way many of the house of Ishmael joined the church and congregation that was in the house of Abraham, especially Ishmael himself, of whom I believe that he repented, and after that he was converted to the true church and became a part of it, not of the flesh but of the spirit, because he was rejected according to the flesh. But in the text he is also praised spiritually. Moses told in v. 9 how he buried his father Abraham with reverence, which is an indication that he was not separated from the church and congregation that had been in the house of Isaac.
(26) Therefore I consider that he was pious and godly, though he was a man of war. He also gave glorious names to his children. For kedar is the name of one who is sad, sour and black, like the monks, as one who will die of sorrow. And perhaps the pious man was also a little sad, because he gave the same name to the child. And at the same time it is as if this name meant a reverence with genuflection, or one before whom one would have bowed down. What the Jews introduced from this name for lies, I let stand.
27 It seems to me that one can conclude and assume from this that Ishmael diligently practiced the doctrine of the God of Abraham and accustomed his children and household to the right worship that he had seen before. But as it tends to happen that the right worship always gives birth to superstition, so also his descendants have abandoned the right worship, and have kept only an outward appearance and hypocrisy; for where the first commandment is gone, there remain only chaff and tears. So, when at first people saw that Abraham sacrificed in this or that way, praising and thanking God, they adopted the same outward worship, but forgot the first commandment. Thus the people become like the apes of the fathers, for they follow only the outward works, and leave faith altogether, and pay no attention to it.
028 Hence came all idolatry. The heathen saw that Abraham and the other fathers turned their faces toward the exit of the sun and worshipped the Creator of such beautiful light; they also wanted to do the same, but they only kept the empty shells and lost the right kernel. In the same way, the spirits of the wicked take the word from us, but not truly; for they misuse it for vain glory, and by it attach only the common rabble to themselves.
29 Thus the Ishmaelites called themselves the children of God, and today they do not want to be called Hagarenes, but Saracenes, only because they do not want to be called the outward children of God.
For the sake of the blessing of the flesh, which the Arabs, who are Ishmaelites, still have; as was said of Ishmael in the promise above, Cap. 16, 12: "His hand against every man" 2c. For they have the rule over the world, and boast that the spoil and the plunder are theirs, and they also live by plunder. For even though the Turks, who are Scythians, have taken Arabia and rule there, they still retain the Arabic language, and the same is used most at the Turkish court. But they have never been overcome before, neither by the Romans nor by the Persians. The Turk has humiliated them, but at the same time they are also in the regiment. Thus, Ishmael was first blessed in the flesh, since twelve princes were born of him; now the spiritual blessing will follow.
V.17. And this is the age of Ishmael, an hundred and seven and thirty years; and he declined, and died, and was gathered unto his people.
(30) Ishmael lived an hundred and seven and thirty years, was born when Abraham was six and fourscore years old, fourteen years before Isaac was born, and died eight and forty years after Abraham. But Isaac lived long after Ishmael, and Ishmael nevertheless saw the children of Isaac, namely Jacob and Esau. This text shows clearly the spiritual blessing of Ishmael. For Moses uses the same words that he used above (v. 8) when describing the death of Abraham; not one word has been changed. Therefore he testifies that he was righteous and godly, because he says that he was gathered to his people, that is, to the holy people.
The Hebrew word gava means when one lies in bed and passes away gently and quietly; as it says above (v. 8) about Abraham, when the hour of death was approaching, he became weak and died in a quiet old age, without terror, but as the body is used to be dissolved, so that the soul might be redeemed from the body. Ishmael died in the same way: the Lord gave him a fine, blessed death.
He was given a quiet end to this life, namely, that he became weak, decided his life and died gently and was taken into the bosom of the holy fathers, where Abraham and the other fathers had also gone shortly before. This is the spiritual blessing.
But it is also a beautiful and lovely description of immortality when Moses says: "He has been gathered to his people. We now live among the coarse people of this world, who ask little of God; indeed, we live here in the realm of the devil. But when we come out of this miserable life, we will gently pass away and be gathered to our people, where there is no calamity, no distress, no tribulation, but peace and rest, and a fine gentle sleep in the Lord. But where there is another people than those with whom we live here, there must also be a resurrection of the dead, and this is a certain sign that there is a God, and that the world was not created in vain; for that one should live after death is not the work of man, but of God.
Pliny and the Epicureans mock and ridicule this doctrine, and do not give us approval that it should be such a course that one should go from this restless life to rest: therefore they always use these Epicurean words and say: Post mortem nulla voluptas: When one dies, joy has an end. Item: Pereat, qui crastina curat: God give this and that to him who cares where he will be tomorrow. Item, as Martial says, that a blessed life consists in this, where one does not desire the last day, nor is afraid of it: Summum nec metuas diem, nec optes etc. So they strengthen themselves against the contempt of death and simply abolish all fear, that is, they take away the hope of immortality altogether. What should I fear? they say; what should I hope for, since there is no God? Therefore let us eat, drink, play, be of good cheer 2c.
34. but if reason could admit that it was a passage from the afflicted and afflicted people to another people of peace, it would of necessity
confess that after this life there is another life. For "to go to the people" does not mean that one goes to nothing or is destroyed. And especially when it is said: "to go to one's people", namely, who have also had the same faith, hope and tribulation, and the same language, yes, to our fellow citizens and countrymen, who are truly something. We do not go to the enemies, nor to the evil spirits, yes, only depart from the same and are gathered to our fathers.
35 These are the testimonies of the fathers concerning the resurrection, immortality and eternal life, namely, because there are nations there; therefore it is necessary that we should live and rise again. Those who believe these words will never be moved by the folly of Epicurus, but reason neither understands nor accepts it; and, what is more, it sees that birth comes from nothing, and yet cannot conclude that it is a divine work. I see that Isaac is born of a barren mother, whose body has died and has been as hard as the bones are in the skull. I see no hair, no body, no soul, and yet a son comes from the loins of Abraham and from the womb of Sarah, the mother, who has all these things. Does not this come from nothing? Truly the seed is a dead thing, and the body also, and is more dead than the grain that falls into the earth. Therefore let reason think that this is not a natural effect, as it can be dreamed. But it is a blindness and wickedness of the devil that we do not look at or consider this, and so do not understand the future resurrection or the birth of man when we follow reason as it guides us. For he that believeth not the resurrection of the dead believeth not or seeth not the miracle of birth, that is, that a man is born of man, and an ox of oxen.
Now the whole world is full of the testimony of the resurrection. Out of a tree and hard wood grows a beautiful flower; leaves, branches and beautiful lovely fruit grow out. But because it is such a mean
The life of Lazarus is a daily thing, therefore it is held in low esteem, and the hearts of men are so hardened that even if Lazarus were raised from the dead every day, the unbelievers would not be moved to do so. But it does not follow from this that one should not hope for another life, which is better and more blessed than this temporal life. But the sensation and revelation of eternal joy will be delayed until this hostile people cease, and will remain our people who have believed with us in the resurrection of the dead. Therefore, for the sake of this testimony of the holy scripture about Ishmael, we make him a saint and a great patriarch, although his children and descendants fell away and were not like their father.
V.18. And they dwelt from Havilah even unto Sur, toward Egypt, when they go into Assyria. But he lay down against all his brethren.
(37) The children of Ishmael have also held these places to this day, or ever in the days of Jerome. The firstborn, Nebajoth, took a great part of Arabia, but not the whole Arabia: of which also the whole country was called Nebathea, which is praised in the books of the Greek and Latin writers, for the one cause, that among the inhabitants of the same country the ingratitude of the children against the parents and teachers was punished in the body. This was an excellent discipline and theology in the same country; and what today many are allowed to do with impunity, these pagans have punished so severely and seriously.
38 The other part of Arabia is Kedar, which is no less famous, and the whole rocky Arabia is called by that name. The Edomites have appropriated a part of it to themselves; as it is written in the 120th Psalm v. 5: "Woe is me, that I am a stranger among the Meshech; I must dwell among the tents of Kedar" 2c., that is, I am a stranger among the Muscovites and the Tartars. The same line from Havilah to Sur is in Arabia, or the desert between Egypt and the Promised Land. But from Sur
said that it should lie against Egypt, therefore that it borders on the same. Thus the children of Ishmael dwelt in the strip from the Red Sea to the Phrath; they possessed almost all Arabia, except that part which the Idumeans took.
(39) Of the last phrase in the text: Coram cunctis fratribus suis corruit, which we have interpreted: "But he lay down against all his brothers" 2c., the commentators dispute in various ways. The common interpretation holds that Ishmael died in the presence of his brothers, that is, his children, who were called by their father and thus came together to hear and comfort their father, so that he passed away, that the brothers saw this and were present.
40 But this is my opinion, although I do not want to say it for certain: Moses does not speak of Ishmael according to the person, because he was already dead: item, he did not say before, habitavit, he lived, but, habitaverunt, they have lived, namely, the twelve sons, in the line from the Red Sea to Egypt. Or, if you wanted to say, since Ishmael was dead, he lived, 2c., this must be understood of his descendants. As the same way of speaking will follow, namely, Jacob went down to Egypt and came up again from Egypt; and in the 114th Psalm v. 2: "Then Judah became his sanctuary" 2c. There the proper names are changed into generic names and names of peoples, that is, into common words and which mean a particular people, which is common in the holy Scriptures. Therefore, I consider that the same meaning is to be found in the 16th chap. V. 12: In facie omnium fratrum suorum habitabit, that is, "He shall dwell toward all his brethren." The same is said in this place: Corruit, vel cecidit, vel fixit tabernaculum, he has fallen down or erected a tabernacle, that is, since the father died, and left a testament, in which he admonished his children and brothers that they would diligently serve God: then they went in, and like unreasoning beasts, with violence and with the sword, raged and fought.
have taken the land and become nephilim, that is, tyrants; as is said in another place.
Second piece.
Of Isaac's marriage and Rebekah's barrenness.
V. 19. 20. This is the lineage of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Mesopotamia, Laban the Syrian's sister.
(41) I have often admonished, and it must always be impressed upon the people, that in the histories of the fathers the most delightful and charming thing is to see how they are described and portrayed as true men, who were weak or infirm and like us everywhere, and yet, under such human weakness, were holy angels and also children of God. For what is very strange is that in the state of domesticity one sees in them no unusual or special appearance of holiness; and where the flesh, that is, the worldly wise and monks see such weakness, they are very much annoyed by it and arrogantly despise the holy patriarchs, as Augustine confesses of himself that he had laughed at the history of Isaac and the other fathers when he was still a Manichaean. For he looked at nothing else, but only at the common state, as that one has a wife, begets children, has a few sheep and cattle, and deals and has fellowship with other citizens and neighbors. What can you learn from this that is good or special? Or why are such histories read and held up to the people, since they are to be regarded as if they contained almost insignificant and useless things?
(42) This is indeed a lamentation, that the flesh should be burdened, so that it should cling to the common weakness, so that the fathers should be like other men, and so that they should be displeased and despise the common life, and should learn another, special life.
think and choose, as, the celibate state, monasticism and profanity 2c. For the wicked shall not see the glory and honor of God, but only the weakness and folly, and (that I may say) the vanity of God: but the glory and majesty, the power and wisdom of God shall he not see, though they be set before his eyes. As Moses here tells in the most simple way that Isaac, when he was forty years old, took a wife, even a weak woman, from Mesopotamia in Syria. What is this? Are not other people also married to each other, whose marital status is equal to this or even a little more glorious and has a greater appearance? Why is this read? Answer: The flesh can see in the saints that they were human and weak, but it cannot see the divinity and holiness of the angels in them, so that it may only be annoyed and think that it has now found good cause to devise new services in which it may place holiness.
(43) It is not in vain or without cause that the Scripture says that Isaac, when he was forty years old, took Rebekah to wife. For it indicates that in the first heat of his youth he did not take a wife, but that for a time he was in battle and victory against the flesh and the devil. For the histories and experience of all men bear witness to how fornication tends to stir with such great impatience in the first youth, when the strength and sensation of the flesh is just beginning, and the male and female sexes are inflamed against each other.
44. this is a common lamentation of the whole human race; and those who do not resist such first heat, and do not think that they must suffer something, fall into fornication, adultery and abominable fornication, or if they take wives recklessly and without counsel, they bring themselves into eternal torment and plague. For this reason Isaac endured this struggle and fought hard with such a flame and his flesh, for he was a true and pure man,
as we also are. For the nature of man is such that he feels the heat of the flesh about the twentieth year; but to endure and overcome it until the fortieth year is a heavy burden indeed.
In this last time of the world, our youth does not want to bear such a burden, nor does it want to be patient for a while. Therefore, when they take wives in the first heat, the devil, who has previously set them on fire with fornication and provoked them to it, comes and then makes them so cold with a vile breath that they become extremely hostile to the woman. This is a rather devilish thing. Therefore the heart should first be instructed with the examples of the fathers, so that it can accept and endure the first battle against the flesh. The more mature and masculine age then has its own struggles, which are somewhat greater. In youth, one first begins with love, as is described and depicted in the comedies for bachelors. The histories of the holy scriptures, however, give us such examples, in which the victory and struggle against the flesh are understood and presented to us at the same time. Thus Isaac will also have felt the flames of fornication like other young men, but he was taught by his father that one must fight against it, namely by diligently reading the holy scriptures and calling upon God, then working diligently, leading a finely temperate, disciplined life and fasting.
46 This should be the training of bachelors for at least a year or two, when some could no longer refrain from learning what it is to bear such flames of fornication with patience; for the same is also a patience and torture, as some do many kinds of torture and count this one among them, namely a rich, mild and chaste youth. And he is truly a martyr, for he is crucified and martyred daily with much suffering of his flesh.
47 Therefore let the bachelors beware of fornication and unseemly mingling, and that they may preserve and maintain their chastity, let them guard their hearts.
strengthen yourself with the reading and meditation of the Psalms and the Word of God against the fierce temptations of the flesh. When you feel the flame, take a psalm or a chapter or two from the Bible and read; but when the flame is quenched, then pray diligently; but if it is not quenched so soon, suffer it with patience, and keep yourself manly for a year or two or more, and always persevere in prayer.
48. but if you can no longer endure or overcome the fiery flames of the flesh, pray to God to give you a godly wife, with whom you may live kindly and in right love. I myself have seen many who have indulged their evil desires and left the bridle, and have fallen into shameful fornication; but at last they have also been punished miserably and the punishment has remained on them; or else, where they have burst in their blindness and gone to marriage, it has so happened to them that they have gotten wives so unsuitable and not at all obedient to them. And they were justified in this.
(49) For this they should all have known, that they were appointed to contend against the flesh, which is one contending or fighting. The other is against the devil; the third is against the world. Therefore, it is not necessary to give way so soon to the first temptations and be overcome by them, especially now, when the hope of marriage is always held out to young people. We did not have this hope in the papacy; for whoever wanted to become a priest there was forced to vow eternal chastity. This papal tyranny has now been exposed and revealed, and true freedom has been re-established. Therefore, learn to pray diligently and fight against the flesh, and then ask God to give you a Rebekah and not a Hagar or one who is worse. For a godly wife is not obtained by chance and without divine providence, but is a gift of God, not from our own counsel or will, as the heathen think.
(50) In this way Isaac was taught, who lived forty years before he was married. The same will undoubtedly not have happened without plague and flames, so he had from his flesh; because the flesh always fights against the spirit not less in the house rule, as also in the world and church rule. But he obeyed his father Abraham, who had instructed and taught him how to observe the commandments of God, and to prepare himself with the holy Scriptures for the battle that would first befall him. Therefore, God subsequently gave him Rebekah, with whom he lived in good peace. This is what the Scriptures want to show in a hidden way, and in such weakness they hold Isaac up to us as an excellent example of the chastity that young people should have. Which is a great thing, for it is a controversy that young people must have. And in such chastity, of which Isaac was conscious, it is also understood how he was brought up and taught; by which instruction he learned to abstain from evil company. And it is also shown that he was diligent, contemplated God's word, prayed and exercised himself with work. All this seems to have been hidden in the forty years he lived without a wife.
(51) It seems that in those days it was customary for bachelors not to take wives until they were forty years old. But the virgins took husbands when they were ten years younger; as we have seen above (Cap. 17, 17.) with Sarah. And I think that Rebekka was also thirty years old. After the flood all the fathers took wives around their thirtieth or fortieth year, but before the flood they took them a little slower. For there they waited until a hundred, eighty and ninety years; after the Flood God hastened that the human race might be multiplied: therefore there the time was shortened, so that the men were given in marriage in the fortieth year and the women in the thirtieth year. For this reason, that time was much better and more perfect than our time is now.
(52) We think that this plague will be alleviated if we satisfy our evil lust with fornication and adultery, but in this way men become unreasonable animals and become unskilled and unfit for all good works. If they fornicate carelessly and marry without a certain order prescribed by God, then it is found that they do not take wives, but thereby burden themselves with punishment and eternal torment, for they have not called upon God and there has been no fear of God in them. But God's commandment in Exodus 20:7 says: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain"; item Psalm 50:15: "Call upon me in trouble, and I will deliver you, and you shall praise me."
Yes, one would like to say, but such a delay is annoying and unpleasant. It is rightly said. Therefore I have said above that it is compared with other exercises of patience which the saints have had, such as famine, imprisonment, frost, sickness, and as they have had patience in suffering and torture, and whatever more vexation or trouble they have been able to bear. So the temptation of fornication is a heavy plague and burden, but one must resist it and fight against it. Afterwards, when you come to the secular government in the police force, you will be troubled and tempted with other troubles than thievery, robbery and all kinds of wickedness of men. In the church government you will have to fight with the heretics, with the devil, who opposes faith, hope and the love of God. But there you have the Word, you have the Holy Scriptures, you have your studies, your training and work in your profession; therefore faith will be increased and strengthened. So the temptation of fornication, if overcome with prayer, will also serve to increase faith and prayer. Therefore, I say, the Scriptures hold up to us in these words (which seem to be in vain) a great example of the chastity which Isaac had, and also of the beautiful discipline which was in the church and in the house of Abraham.
V. 21: Isaac asked the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his request, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
54 Now this is another challenge, after the flame of fornication has ceased, and Isaac has now become legitimate and has had Rebekah as his wife for twenty years. (For so long has God delayed the promise, in which he promised his father Abraham and said Gen. 21, 12: "In Isaac shall the seed be called unto thee.") Now another cross follows, which is even more difficult than the previous challenge. For Isaac, the conqueror of fornication, overcame the devil with his chastity until he now entered the marriage state. In the state of marriage he now desires children according to the promise, and truly has not little hope for it, because he knows that the woman has been given and supplied to him by divine counsel and providence. But Rebekah did not give birth, nor did she have any special promise that she would become a mother, just as Sarah did not have one. This undoubtedly grieved him in his heart and he was saddened by it. And in addition to this temptation, he was afraid and worried that the barrenness would last forever and remain on Rebekah, which barrenness they considered a curse. For the fathers insisted very much on the word, since God had said Genesis 1:28: "Grow and multiply," 2c., and considered childbearing a special divine blessing; and those who were not fruitful they considered to be cursed people and under God's wrath.
55 Therefore it is easy to understand how grievously and severely Rebekah was afflicted because of it, and what a great sorrow it was to Isaac, when he saw that his wife was afraid to bear children, for she was then about fifty years old. Then she will have thought: Now I will become obsolete and unfit to bear children. Isaac may yet
He had a hope that if Rebecca did not give birth, he would take another wife, as Abraham his father had done.
(56) This hope was taken away from Rebekah, and therefore she counted all the years and days with great sorrow, which had passed from the time when she had become married to Isaac, whether she might still have hope for the years and ages. Therefore, this affliction was much more vexatious than the previous one, because poor Rebekah thinks that she is also counted among the women who are deprived of God's blessings.
(57) But what shall she do now, seeing that it is in vain, that she has thus longed and desired children? She has been barren for twenty years and will now be a dead woman, because the year and the time existed when her womb would die and become incapable of giving birth. For this reason she will undoubtedly have asked her husband to pray for her. She has invented this one and utmost help. She does not want to give him another wife, nor does she want to be deprived of her mother's honor, as Sarah did in Genesis 16:3, who gave her husband the maid Hagar as a wife. Therefore Moses says: "And Isaac asked the Lord for his wife" 2c.
(58) Here again the flesh will be angry and despise all this as bad, mean and small things. For what great thing is it that a man should ask for a wife who is barren? There are many other women who conceive, and they do not ask; indeed, this sometimes happens against the desire and will of many who do not desire to have children. But behold the great and excellent constancy of faith, the patience and hope, all of which the flesh does not see; then you will find that you may be justly astonished; for she could not think of the promise that children should be born of Isaac without great pain and sorrow. And while the other women were all blessed, who neither prayed nor had promises, she alone without any hope that she would have children.
She has had to live the life of a witness, and thus has spent the time of her married life in great sadness and with many tears: yet she still keeps the faith, and admonishes her husband with great constancy that he should pray to the Lord for her.
(59) If one of us were burdened with such a cross, or were to be afflicted for so many years with other misfortunes, sickness, misery, or imprisonment, and did not grumble or become impatient, but persevered in faith and hope and remained steadfast, he would see what Rebekah has suffered. The flesh sees only what is external and what concerns housekeeping, namely, that she does domestic and daily work, that she sleeps with her husband: but it does not see that she has been so patient that she has sighed and wept all the twenty years.
For such excellent and great virtues are hidden from the eyes of this world as patience, faith, and waiting with patience for the divine promise. But the flesh looks at this and is most astonished when it sees a monk walking along in a gray robe with a rope around his waist, who does not eat meat, but has no right faith, no patience, no right cross, and, in sum, none of the virtues that Rebekah had. But why this? Because the world is blind.
(61) But we must become accustomed to such a struggle, since the godly must always expect one thing after another, and must learn to believe and to bear patience, and that we also persevere, that we do not waver or fall away from the promise, but that we may be strong and manly, and fight against the impatience and fiery darts of the devil, who drives our hearts to become impatient and angry with God, so that he may drive faith and patience out of our hearts in adversity. We are to hold up to ourselves the example of Isaac and Rebekah. They both endured twenty years, and in the meantime saw how the wicked had been so blissful and fruitful, whom they mocked and blasphemed; will have said: Why hath he these very
Has he taken a stranger to be his wife? Why did he not take an honest virgin from our generations? Rebekah is lost and rejected by God. He will undoubtedly have heard such vicious and abusive words, not without great pain in his heart, and not without shedding many tears over them. Just as Sarah wept over her barrenness, and Hannah, 1 Sam. 1, 10, also wept and cried for the same reason; and yet she overcame this with patience and strong faith.
We should praise these virtues and diligently look at the histories of the fathers for such examples of patience. For the hardest of all is this struggle against the divine promise, which overcomes anger, grumbling and impatience over the forgiveness of God. For this is the attribute of our Lord God, and he is rightly called exspectatus, that is, to wait for; but we are called exspectantes, that is, to wait and wait. These names should always be before our eyes and minds, so that we may learn to break the first anger we are moved to, and so that we may not become impatient as soon as God keeps us waiting for one, or two, or more years; but should think that we must persevere, and overcome everything with strong courage, so that our patience may be challenged. As Rebekah learned to despise, because she was reviled by other wives and perhaps also by her own household, until she finally overcame the Lord with her and her husband's prayers.
The Hebrew word athar has a great emphasis, for it is a special word of prayer, and means as much as when one prays untimely and tremendously, so that one causes God displeasure with knocking and violent, hostile stopping. In Latin, we call it exorare, which means to ask. For first, one must ask; second, seek; and third, knock. When we will cry out: Lord God, help me in this distress, deliver us from this or other misfortune! and the deliverance
If it does not follow immediately, then all the examples of the fathers should be sought: "Behold, dear heavenly Father, how you have stood by your people at all times and helped them. If he then still tarries, thou shalt not cease from supplicating, but shalt say, I will not cease, I will not cease from knocking, but will cry and knock unto the end of my life. So Rebekah will have admonished her husband: My dear Isaac, do not grow weary, do not cease. And Isaac looked upon her weeping and groaning, and besought the Lord.
64 From this we should learn, when we pray, that we shall certainly be heard; as indeed until now the church has obtained peace with its prayer and has held back the Turk and the pope. But we must be careful not to tire soon after we have begun to pray; rather, we must seek and cast all sorrow, misfortune and crosses upon God and hold up to Him the examples of all kinds of salvation. And finally, we should knock on the door with heartfelt trust and with constant blows. There we will learn that St. James says in the 5th Cap. V. 16: "The prayer of the righteous is powerful if it is earnest"; for it penetrates heaven and earth. God can then no longer suffer our cries, as is said of the unjust judge and the widow in Luke 18:5. You must not only ask for one hour, but you must cry out and knock; then you will force him to come and help you. So I certainly have confidence that if we persevere with prayer earnestly and fervently, we would ask God that the last day would come.
(65) In the same way, Rebekah had recourse to earnest prayer, so that one would always stop, and she sighed anxiously day and night. Isaac also prayed for her, and did not reproach God with anything else, except this one need, namely, the barrenness of his wife. From this we are to learn that one should reproach God with all kinds of distress, including physical distress, but above all with spiritual distress. Isaac
will have prayed thus: Dear Lord God, if it serves the sanctification of your name, if it belongs to the preservation of your kingdom, then give Rebekka children. Where there is no special promise, as Rebekah had none, prayer must make up for it and come to help there.
(66) But it is a heavy thing, and a great labor, and much heavier than the preaching of the word, or any other church office. When we teach or preach, we suffer more than we should do: God speaks through us and is a divine work; but praying is the hardest work of all, which is why it is so rare. So it is a great thing that Isaac was allowed to lift up his eyes and hands to the divine majesty, to ask, to seek and to knock; for it is a very great thing to talk to God. It is also a great thing when he speaks to us, but this is somewhat more difficult, because our weakness and unworthiness stops us and pulls us back, so that we think, "Who am I who may lift up my eyes and my hands to the divine majesty, where the angels are, and at whose beckoning the whole world trembles? Shall I then, poor man, come to the same, and say: This I want, and pray that thou wilt give it me?
The common crowd of monks and priests know nothing of this, nor do they know what prayer is; although some godly ones overcome such thoughts somewhat more easily. But prayer, if it is quite strong and vigorous, and if it is to penetrate through the clouds, is indeed a very difficult thing; for I, who am ashes and dust and full of sins, should address the living, true and eternal God. Therefore it is no wonder that he who prays trembles and runs back. As I used to do when I was still a monk, and for the first time I had to read these words in the Canon of the Mass of the Soul: We humbly beseech thee, most gracious Father 2c.; item: We sacrifice to thee, the living, true and eternal God 2c.: then I was horrified and completely frightened by the same words; for I thought: How do I come to address the high Majesty, since it is
Otherwise, all men must be horrified when they look at or address any prince or king?
(68) Faith, however, which adheres to God's mercy and word, conquers and overcomes this terror, as it also conquered Isaac, who had to despair of all human help, for no one can help a barren woman. Therefore he takes courage and directs a hot and fierce prayer to God. Such excellent courage and great faith the flesh does not see. But this is written for our sake, that we also may be bold and confident, and learn to pray. For the prayer of the faithful cannot be in vain; as Isaac also prayed not in vain, but as Moses saith, "The LORD made supplication." So the Lord will not despise our sighing and crying either. Let us only awake to prayer.
69 The Jews here raise a question about the word nochach. Among the Hebrews, the word nochach actually means "straight ahead"; as it is written in 57th Cap. Isaiah v. 2: He that walketh, nechocho (as it is in Hebrew), that is, he that turned neither to the left nor to the right. Therefore the Jews say that Isaac prayed straight before his wife. And where this was a common way of praying, Rebekah must have stood straight before him, or fallen on her knees, on which he laid his hands, as she wept and groaned, and thus at the same time prayed with each other to the Lord. If such a use or way of praying had been, one could keep the proper meaning of the same word: but if it was not so in use, it must be interpreted spiritually, namely, that he prayed with all his heart, looking at his wife's misery; just as when I pray for someone, I imagine him in my heart, and see or think of nothing else, looking at him alone in my heart.
(70) Thus Isaac prayed and imagined his wife in his heart. So that Moses would indicate that it was a hot and earnest prayer, in which he did not doubt, and in his heart and mind
not to have gone astray. Just as it is said of the prayer of one who bet with St. Bernard that he would pray out the Lord's Prayer without any thoughts, and that nothing strange should occur to him: but when they had mounted a good stallion, which it was to apply, and the prayer was now over, and the same good friend was to tell him freely the truth, as they had become one with each other about it, then he confessed that while he had prayed, it had occurred to him where he would win the horse, whether the saddle and bridle would also be due to him or not. This is not how the prayer of the godly should be; for such prayer is not made straight to God, but the heart walks around, now to the right, then to the left. But a really true and hot prayer presents its things to God, and looks with great eagerness and heartfelt desire only to it, and does not allow itself to be misled by any presumption or despair; but says: Dear Lord God, look at this poor afflicted woman and remember your promise. Do not think of anything else, do not worry about anything else. And this is the earnest, persistent prayer of the righteous, which is so diligently and earnestly directed to God; of which it is said in the epistle of Jacob in 5 Cap. V. 16.
Third piece.
About Rebekah's pregnancy, how she was challenged, asking the Lord for advice and what answer she received.
V. 21 And Rebekah his wife conceived.
This is a very excellent and remarkable text, which St. Paul gloriously describes in the Epistle to the Romans, chapter 9, vv. 10-13. when he says: "Not only is this so, but also when Rebekah conceived by the one Isaac our father, before the children were born, having done neither good nor evil, that the purpose of God might be according to election, it was said to her, not of the merit of works, but of the grace of the caller, that the greater should be made servant to the lesser.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Here, however, we will gladly stand up before St. Paul, do him honor, and ascribe to him the mastery that he alone was able to interpret and explain this text according to his dignity; for we can bring no other or better interpretation from it. And because something has to be said about this, we want to follow the most perfect master like imperfect disciples.
I could never have looked at these words in this way. Moses says: "Rebekka became pregnant. But how? Not only bodily or by the power of nature, but because the holy patriarch obtained it through his prayer. And this is not a bad or small honor of Isaac; for since so many patriarchs lived at that time and saw the children, as Abraham, Shem, Salah and Eber, all their prayers are concealed, and only Isaac is ascribed this honor as the heir of the promise, that he prayed, that is, administered the priestly office, when he laid his hands on Rebekah according to the way the priests used. Therefore, this conception is not carnal or merely natural, but God willed that it should take place through the prayer of the holy patriarch, out of faith, hope and love.
Therefore, this text teaches the same thing that Paul also teaches in the epistle to the Romans, since he makes a distinction between the birth from the flesh, that is, from creation, and the spiritual birth. For God still preserved the fleshly birth after the fall of Adam. Although nature was corrupted by sin and the devil, who called Adam to be like God, in the same way that Lucifer fell from heaven, God did not deprive nature of birth or childbearing, but allowed both the godly and the godless to beget children. But this alone He willed to show that it was not enough to be born into this world of the flesh; but that over such a birth as still remained in nature, it was necessary to have
is a rebirth and renewal of the rebirth through the Holy Spirit. To prove the same, St. Paul used this text of Esau and Jacob, and also that of Isaac and Ishmael. For they were both born after the flesh and after the first birth. But none of them would have entered the kingdom of heaven from the human kingdom if Isaac had not been made an heir through the new birth, and likewise Jacob.
God used these excellent people so that He would present them as great and excellent examples to the most hopeful people, who would be Abraham's descendants. For he knew well how worthy they were, that no one could tame them, and that they had necks harder than any diamond could be, for the honor of being children and descendants of Abraham.
For this reason he wanted to put this in the text as a precaution, so that he would shut the Jews' hopeful mouths and destroy their argument about the fleshly birth. For this is by no means enough; but over and above such fleshly birth there is also regeneration. However holy the fathers are, Abraham, Isaac and others, they do not beget children of the kingdom through the first birth, which was created from the beginning of the world and corrupted by the devil. But over the creation also the calling must come. For so Paul says Rom. 9, 11. 12.: "Before the children were born, and had done neither good nor evil," 2c., "it was said to them, by grace of the Creator," and not by the Creator; for they were both conceived and created at the same time. But that the whole world, and especially the stubborn people, might know that above the creation there was also the calling, which is otherwise called the promise, it was said to her, "Not by merit of works, but by grace of the caller: the greater shall be made servant to the lesser."
This argument and matter is from the beginning of the world for and for driven and driven.
The war between the brothers Esau and Jacob began in their mother's womb. And the war is not yet ended. For it is the same strife that was between Cain and Abel, and between the offspring of the serpent and the seed of the woman. The first birth is hopeful and is very much exalted, especially when it is added that the parents also had a special reputation, that is, that they were born of the blood of the fathers. After that, wealth, power, the kingdom of this world, wisdom, righteousness, religion or worship also help a little. Hence the enmity between Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, between God our Lord and the church of the devil. And the church of the devil is always desirous to rule and reign: first, for the sake of the blood and the fathers, as of a lawful cause; then, for the sake of temporal blessings. We are, they say, children of the fathers; we have been great and multiplied by reason of the government that is upon us, and by reason of religion, money, and goods, and of many glorious victories and great wondrous works. And finally, we are so exalted that all nations are like the tail, but we are like the head. The argument seems insurmountable and irrefutable. But the Scripture says the opposite: Not those who are born of the flesh, not those who are the children of the fathers, are for this very reason also the children of God; for the children of God are not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of the man, but of God, John 1:13.
Therefore, this is a very strong argument that can be held against what has been heard above (Gen 17:21, Cap 21:12).), namely, that God made a distinction between Isaac and Ishmael, between Jacob and Esau, who were born of Abraham and Isaac at the same time: and yet Ishmael cannot be an heir, even if he would like to be, but the seed of promise, which has the calling, and over the first also the other birth and the rebirth, the same is preferred.
78 But this is where the dispute came from.
The church of God, the people of God, the kingdom of heaven and eternal life, is not a dispute about such things, which are of little and no value, but about the great glorious title, namely, the church, the people of God, the kingdom of heaven and eternal life. Thus, we must now also argue with the pope's church, which wants to be God's people, and wants to have the regency and priesthood, boasting that they alone are the church, which rightly recognizes God as a father and also rightly serves him: but they even condemn us and persecute us as heretics and the church of the devil. And this is also the reason why these children, Jacob and Esau, clashed with each other before they were born. For there are in the world two churches from the beginning, even as there are two seeds, the seed of the serpent, and the seed of the woman, which contend and fight one with another for the title of the church.
But St. Paul has shown and taught us a very sharp and strong dialectic here, as he has shown the difference between birth and profession. Where birth alone is, there is condemnation; for that which is born of the flesh is flesh, Joh. 3, 6. Item those who are not born of blood 2c., Joh. 1, 13. It is another thing that St. Paul says Rom. 9, 11. 12.: "It is said to her by the grace of the caller", that is, God's word and the promise belong to it; one must hear about the creature who wants to rule and be God's son, not as a God who creates, but as one who calls. Now that the first birth is enough, why do we need God?
The Turks are very honest people, very wise, and very devoted to their worship. The empire or regiment, which they have brought about with great effort and labor, they also maintain with serious discipline and order. If the people of God were such a people as the Turkish people are, they would need nothing more. Above that, they are also adorned by God with wealth, wisdom, honor, reason and great glorious victory: but what else is the first birth among the Turks? For reason is born of woman, and to the understanding of man, it is born.
The Holy Scripture says that all of these are lost and condemned in the sight of God.
The Jews in their time had both the blood and the glory of the flesh: the Turk alone has the fleshly glory, but the Jews boasted of the blood, that is, that they were born of the fathers and prophets. After that the carnal glory was added, namely, the rule, the power, the religion or worship, and the outward appearance or hypocrisy. Therefore they were in all things glorious, not only for the cause whereof such glory arose, but also for that which followed therefrom. The cause was this, that they were born of very holy parents; but the success was that they had the rule, the honor, money and goods.
The Turk does not have the glory of the flower, for he is not born of the fathers, but has the rule, wisdom, honor: and with such great works he subjects himself to prove that his people shall be God's people. But here they ask: Where is the profession? Ei, they say, one does not need it. It is enough at the first birth: if a man does what is in him, he will be saved. But this is not so, but the profession, that is, the word, belongs to it. If it were enough at the first birth, why would we need the word? Why does God call us from the beginning to the end? Are we not righteous, pious, holy and fine rational people? But against all this God says: I will have it so that all flesh is hay, and all its glory or goodness is like a flower of the field, Isa. 40:6, that no one may boast because of the flesh and blood, but keep to the regeneration that happens when God calls us by grace; otherwise all glory will be in vain and nothing, as both came from the initial cause and from the works that resulted from it. And the people who rely on this glory alone and take comfort in it will be eternally lost and condemned.
83 But if this is taught, then the following is true
the Jews are angry and rage, and become almost furious and mad over such teaching. For they are quite nonsensical about the first birth, and cannot come so far as to think of the other birth, and so are condemned by it. Similarly, the Turk is also hopeful and proud only half of the first birth and asks nothing about the profession. The pope is also completely drowned in this, as well as in drawing all godliness, religion and worship to the same first birth, when he taught that the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is such an external work, so that the godly or Christians prove their obedience to the church. There is nothing there but the nature of the first birth, which can understand the outward work in itself, that is, the obedience of the church. After that he made the world full of laws, which are the fruits of the evil tree, although they have a very good and beautiful appearance; but there I do not hear God calling and promising something, but I only hear a man doing such outward works from the first birth.
For this reason we clash with each other, as has happened in the whole world from the beginning to the end. We say that they are not the true church, because they only boast of the first birth: but on the other hand they condemn us who believe God, who called us by grace and gave us his promise, and therefore we wait and hope to be saved. Who then shall be judge and arbiter here? Answer: This is what this text is supposed to do: not those who are born of the flesh, but those who are of faith. To attain salvation belongs the calling and the promise.
If it be asked, shall the Turks also be saved? let it be answered, They shall not be saved. Do they have great wisdom, a very honorable life, various forms of worship, reverence and obedience to their authorities, an excellent discipline and order of war? Yes, all these things are to be found among them. But where does all this belong? Answer: It belongs to the first birth, therefore they must be condemned and cannot be children of the kingdom; for
They lack the calling and the rebirth, and they want to be saved by the first birth, which is corrupt unless it is raised up again by the new birth and made right. Therefore it is certain that the Turks are not the church, neither are the Jews; for they do not have the profession, although they lack neither the initial cause nor the things that follow from it, as was said above.
So also the church of the pope is not the right church; for they also go in the first birth, and are so presumptuous that they think to attain salvation by their works. But where God also makes the calling through the first birth, as Paul says Rom. 9, 12: "It was said to her by the grace of the caller" 2c.: there you will find the church. The Romans made very beautiful rights and laws, as the poet praises them, since he says: Tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento: that is: You Romans, remember that in your dominion you rule over the peoples 2c. But all this is nothing else than vain reason, born of the flesh of woman and man; it is useless and dead before God. Therefore no pope, or Turk, or monk, or lawyer, or doctor (of himself) will be saved. For all that is in the whole world of the most beautiful things, and how profitable they are, all these things are condemned under the One Name, because they are flesh and glory or goodness of the flesh, Isa. 40:6.
Therefore, the true church teaches that we were not created and born of the flesh alone, but that God sent us His word and calls us through it, that is, He preaches to us the forgiveness of sins and that He has adopted us as children through Jesus Christ. If we believe this, we are the true church. As Isaac is a son of promise, and hath not the same filiation from Abraham and Sarah, for that is a carnal birth; but hath it from this word, "Isaac shall be the seed." It is the same with Jacob. That he is a part or member of the church is not because he is born of Isaac, but because the voice of the Father is his.
The rufer says: Jacob is the smallest, and yet he shall be the lord. So Abraham at Babylon was the most wise and honest, had a wife, with whom he lived chastely and modestly; but he would have been lost and damned with all of this, if God had not called him from Ur in Chaldea.
(88) Therefore the true church is to be distinguished from the false. For the false church is presumptuous, either on account of its blood, that is, on account of the first cause of birth, or on account of the things that follow from it. Ishmael argues or proves his thing by the initial cause and thus says: I am born of Abraham and am also the firstborn son: I will be God's people. There is indeed the initial cause or the origin and the blood, but if he will not also have the calling, then his presumption of blood and birth is vain and in vain. Thus all the Papists and Turks boast that they are God's people; and though they cannot boast of the blood of the fathers as of the origin and initial cause, yet they boast of the things that follow therefrom, that is, they boast of their authority, righteousness, religion, or outward worship, which is all of the flesh. But if you ask them whether they have any other profession above these things of which they boast, that they are God's people, they cannot answer, but boast only of these great and divine benefits, which is a vain, useless boast, and the pious and the wicked are overwhelmed with it at the same time.
If you ask the pope: Why he is God's people with his group, he gives this answer and says: Because I sit on the chair of the apostles Peter and Paul and am their chair heir. According to this I also have cause in the Scriptures, namely, from the saying of Christ Matth. 16, 18: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church" 2c. Now a dog or a sow could sit in Peter's place. But where, in addition to such discipleship, you have the calling, that is, the word, which you may believe, the same makes the right church and the right church the right church.
Children of God. But the pope does not have this, but pursues it in a hostile manner; therefore he is not a child, but an enemy of God and an adversary of Christ. But we do not doubt that we are the true church, for we have the gospel, baptism, the keys, and the Holy Scriptures, which teach that man is lost and condemned in original sin, and that it is necessary for him to be born again through Christ.
90 Therefore this is a necessary doctrine, showing the difference between the true and the false church, and is first of all held up by God to the Jews, that he might thereby disgrace their hope, since they boast of the blood, namely, with these excellent examples in both houses of Abraham and Isaac. For both Ishmael and Isaac are born of the same blood of Abraham, and yet Ishmael is not the heir, for he desires to be blessed by the first birth, and by that alone: But Isaac is the right heir, because he has the word and the promise. So Esau and Jacob were born not only of one father, but also of one mother; and this is a stronger argument or proof than the foregoing. For there is one father and one mother, and one blood of them both.
91. But why is Jacob preferred to Esau? Answer: The calling came to Jacob, but Esau is presumptuous and thinks that the inheritance of the kingdom must come to him because of the first birth. God is hostile to such presumption, and wills that the renewal of nature should come to it; for outside of it one has no righteousness of kingdom or inheritance to comfort oneself. And from such places of Scripture we can also overcome our Jews mightily and powerfully, and refute their glory of blood, which they still dream of today. For two are born of the same blood, and the one is the heir, but the other is not, and are distinguished one from the other by profession. As far as fleshly glory is concerned, they are the same in all respects, but one has the word and obeys it, and the other despises it.
92 We have a similar example in the papal church and in our church. For we both have the same baptism, the same sacrament of the Lord's Supper, the same keys, the same Scriptures and the same Word, and finally we both came from the same apostles and the same church as from one mother Rebekah. Why then do we disagree with each other about these things? Answer: We accept the word in the sacrament, follow the calling, act upon it, and handle it according to faith; but they according to outward appearance. We say: Where the holy sacrament is used, one should look at the word and receive it with right faith; they only make an outward work out of it. Therefore, this is the true church, which is attached to the word and faith, does not rely on any works, but listens to and follows God, who calls it by grace: but the calling is the word, by which the nature, corrupted by the devil and sin, is born again.
This is no small disagreement and dispute. Nor are the adversaries so unreasonably hostile to us; for we dispute about the highest things in the whole wide world, namely, not about government or worldly rule, not about money and goods, about great glory and power; but the dispute is about eternal damnation and eternal life. That is why the enmity is so bitter and fierce, and is never more bitter or greater than when people disagree about religion. For the matter itself is also very great and difficult, namely, whether we are the children of God or the children of the devil. They do not want to be the children of the devil, but seize by force the honor and the name of the true church, and therefore they also condemn and kill us. On the other hand, we also condemn them from the Word and are certain of our salvation from certain testimonies of Scripture, and hold fast to the difference that God made between Abraham and the Babylonians, Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, namely the calling by which it was said to Abraham Gen. 12, 1: "Go out of your fatherland" 2c.; item Cap. 21, 12.: "In Isaac shall be called thy seed
will be"; item Cap. 25, 23: "The greater will serve the lesser."
(94) If this is not added, the first birth is not only useless to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but also to all men; indeed, it is a source and origin of all misfortune, which can be seen and learned from the example of the twelve patriarchs born of Jacob. For they become murderers of death, even murderers of fathers and brothers, betrayers and murderers of their own father, because they so grieve the pious old man that he desires to die, Gen. 37:18, 35. And such a sin of theirs, where one would magnify it and make it great, would rightly be called patricide. These, I mean, are the right fruits and works of the flesh and blood, which indicate that man is wholly Cainish and murderous by his nature and kind. And in the children of Jacob an example could have been presented, but God did not want to reject them and let it remain with these two testimonies, as Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob. And I think that they have been saved; as I also think of Ishmael and Esau, that they have repented and have entered the profession: and yet God has willed that this argument and sign should stand there, namely, that we should learn from it that the first birth is nothing in the sight of God, and that the flesh is condemned with all that it has and is able to do, no matter how great and excellent it may always be; as then is government and worldly rule, with laws and justice. As the Emperor Augustus' empire or regiment was very beautiful and glorious, since everything was in great flourish, wisdom, justice, peace, money and goods, and in addition many glorious victories. But all this belongs to the first birth or reason, to the creation and to the flesh, and for this reason it is also condemned.
95 Therefore, one must see if there is anything in man beyond such natural gifts, whether the pagans, or the Turk, or the pope possess them. Where the profession is not there, you should consider it that simply everything is lost and condemned. For thus has
God Himself judged and showed it especially to this people in their most noble fathers, namely, that they must also be touched outside and beyond the first birth. And what the first birth was able to do without the profession, the same is shown by the horrible sins and vices of the highest patriarchs, who defiled themselves with patricide and fratricide, and also with incest. And the histories of the kings and judges also testify to the same, and finally the great, abominable sin, since they struck the Son of God, their Messiah, on the cross. This difference between the true and the false church is taught by the excellent and miraculous example of the conception of the two children Jacob and Esau, who clashed with each other in their mother's womb.
Now we want to put something of the lies of the Jews for the sake of those who will read the interpretations of the rabbis. For they raise a question in this place, namely: Why did Isaac not take another wife, after he had experienced the barrenness of his wife for almost twenty years? Since they conclude from the example of Sarah, that ten years should be added to it, in which one would inquire and learn whether a woman would be barren or fertile. But they answer this question thus: That it was different with Isaac than with Abraham; for Isaac had been offered to God, and had become a sacrifice and burnt offering by God's command; therefore it was not fitting for him to take another wife. As Paul says in 1 Tim. 3, 2, that a bishop should be the husband of one wife.
(97) Everybody can see how unrhymed and loose, useless gossip this is, but it must be mentioned from time to time to admonish those who study the Hebrew language to read the words and writings of the Jews with understanding and to learn to judge them correctly. We do recognize that it is a great blessing that we have received this language from them; but we must beware of the obscenities of the rabbis, who have made of the sacred Scriptures, as it were, a secret chamber where they can read the words and writings of the Jews.
They carried their shame and foolish opinions. I make this reminder because today there are many of our theologians who think too much of the rabbis as far as the understanding of Scripture is concerned.
98. in grammar I can easily bear them and have patience with them; but they lack the right understanding of the Scriptures; according to the saying Isa. 29:14: "The wisdom of the wise of this people shall perish, and the understanding of their prudents shall be blinded." The saying indicates that there will be no right understanding of the Scriptures among the Jews, but the book of the Holy Scriptures is closed and sealed to them. God speaks to this people with a different tongue, Isa. 28, 11, and they can or know nothing else but to spit out vain blasphemy on the Christian religion.
99 Therefore these things do not rhyme with one another, saying, Isaac was sacrificed, therefore he could not take another wife. Abraham was as devoted to God as Isaac, and even more so; for he was called from Ur in Chaldea, and was slain not once, but often: and yet such sanctification did not hinder him, that he might not therefore have taken another wife. Isaac would have been very willing to take another wife if he had wanted to, but he preferred to endure everything and suffer the worst, so that he would be an example of patience and how to wait for God's help. For there was great and certain hope that Rebekah would become a mother, since she had been chosen by God to be his wife, and the angels had brought her to him and made the marriage, his father having appointed the servant and sent him out. He was therefore kept until the twentieth year, because God wanted to try this holy man and the holy matron as an example and instruction for all the churches of God.
V. 22. And the children joined themselves to one another in their womb. Then she said: Since this is how it should be with me, why did I become pregnant?
These histories of the holy fathers speak of the procreation of children, of intercourse, and how man and woman have kept themselves together in wedlock, about which nothing less, and which would be more ridiculous, is regarded or held in the world. And yet in such minor things we are held up to such excellent examples of faith and other Christian virtues. This good pious woman Rebekah, who was flesh and blood no different than we are, was hardly challenged for so many years. For first, she was certainly chosen by God to be a mother. She was sought by the angels, found and led to her bridegroom so that she should become a mother. But nothing came of it, and she was thus challenged by God with a long cross and suffering. Truly, after the joy and gladness she had before, sadness, bitterness, weeping and wailing followed. This, I think, is the true joy of the married state. Therefore she asks and desires fervently and ardently that she may become the mother of the seed. Now that she has been heard, and God has been compelled, as it were by force, to make the barren Rebekah fertile, another burden soon comes upon her. It was difficult for her before that she should lose the hope she had from her election and divine calling, and that she should be reviled and despised among the neighbors and her household.
Now she has obtained a fruit and has become pregnant, and has overcome infertility over and against nature, that she has become pregnant by a new miracle. But there is now something that she must suffer, which is even more burdensome. For now that she has the fruit in her womb, and is happy in herself that she is comforted and raised up with such rich hope after such great trepidation, since she becomes a mother of two children, while before she had been rejected and cast out, and now should soon have given way to another woman, and surrendered the honor of becoming a mother (as Sarah also did in Genesis 16:2), she is now only put into the most sorrowful and difficult situation.
She is thrown into extreme despair. For the children are bumping into each other in her womb, and she cannot really know whether they are children or not. That is why she says: "Since it should have happened to me, why did I become pregnant? According to the original text, she speaks in broken words, as if she had been frightened and had repented that she had previously wished and desired to become pregnant. Ah, she thinks, would to God I had never asked for children! Why have I not been patient and given the right of motherhood to another woman, since I now have to experience and suffer much greater misery than before?
This is a twofold, yes, probably a sevenfold challenge. For now she thinks it would have been better for her to remain barren than to be so miserably afflicted, and at the same time she doubts whether she should become a mother or not; for she has now had to face this for the second time, so that now she feels death and begins to despair of her life because of the great danger she has felt. For she does not know what kind of misfortune it may be, what kind of movement there is in her body: she only feels the bumping, and can find no other blame than that she must lay it only on herself and call herself a fool for having asked and begged God so vehemently for children. She sees that she will now have to die with greater shame than if she had remained barren. So once again the hope that she should become a mother is drowned, yes, the mother is killed with the fruit. For reason cannot have any other understanding or think otherwise, as often as God lets our hope and prayer become weak, because it says: The longer I pray, the harder I am afflicted and afflicted.
But should one not pray, not trust God and not hope in Him? as the Epicureans now say, they want to leave it all to God's will and providence; for what God has decreed must necessarily be done. No, one should by no means refrain from prayer; for God has told us to pray, to believe, to call upon Him, to sanctify His name and to hope in Him.
fen. He could indeed gather a church without the word or the ministry of preaching, could well administer the political or secular government without authority, beget children without parents, and create fish without water: but he commands us and wills that we should preach and pray, and that each one should do in his appointed place and in his profession what is due to him. But if it is the case that things do not always go out and turn out the way we have thought about and determined beforehand, each one should nevertheless remain in his profession and office, and God should be commanded to prosper, to go out or to come to an end.
104 This was also such a challenge that Rebekah had. For she will have thought thus: Behold, you have asked God to give you children: it would have been better if you had not asked. For when she felt the pang in her womb, she again did not think that they were children, but thought that she was carrying in her womb some strange and hideous miracle. Therefore she says: "Since it should be so, why did I become pregnant? The pious, holy woman indicates with these words that she was sorry and had punished herself for the previous request she had made. As if she wanted to say: "If it should happen to me in this way, it would have been better if I had not asked anything; if it should happen in this way, oh, why did I pray? why did I desire to become a mother against God's will? These are the words of one who has repented of her former prayer and is now utterly despondent.
For when men are in great despair, they are wont to speak in broken words, having in their speech more exclamations than other words. And such short, broken speeches show the greatness of the sorrow that is in the hearts of the afflicted and of those who are downright despondent; as Rebekah had such an afflicted and despondent heart. For the chief care and sorrow of these saints, which she had, was of the promise of the seed. Therefore, I say, Rebekah is even despondent, and will have thought: I will not become a mother in this church, but another will be chosen for this purpose.
my death, who is more worthy of it than I am: and so it happens that she would become a mother; as Sarah did above (Gen. 16, 2.) and afterwards (Cap. 30, 3.) Rachel also does, who was indeed Jacob's wife, and yet must give the right of motherhood to another; for she said to Jacob: Go to the maid 2c.
But there are few people who consider this in the histories of the fathers. As the papists judge and think, the fathers have only atoned for their lust and committed fornication, as they themselves do, who live without temptation, and without toil and labor. But these holy people have always been burdened with temptation and sorrow, which could easily drive away their evil thoughts and evil desire. They had a large household to govern, and in the process had to suffer great affliction, as if they were deprived of all divine help and had been abandoned by God.
But this is held up to us as an example and a lesson, first of all, that the fleshly birth, however hideous and corrupt it is, is not inherent in nature, but a gift of God. This is to be learned from the fathers. God does indeed distribute this gift among the multitude of even the most wicked people, but the godly understand that it is actually a gift of God. As the 128th Psalm v. 3. 4. says: "Your children will be like the olive branches around your table. Behold, thus is blessed the man that feareth the LORD." Therefore every godly man should learn that it is a very great gift and a divine creation where one begets and bears children, sons or daughters. For therefore we call God our Creator and our Father, and we should not let the abominable sins and punishments with which birth is burdened challenge or distract us, lest we think it a blessing from God, and such a work as is pleasing and acceptable to God.
The wicked do not understand this, who also lead the other creatures like the Creator Himself in vain and use them uselessly, so that not only the creatures, but also the creature itself, are not used.
the Creator is subject to vanity. But the abominable deformity must be distinguished and set apart from the creature of which God wants it to be glorious and to be esteemed great; as the holy fathers learned from these temptations, namely, that birth or the procreation of children is a divine work and solely God's own work. And it is certainly true that if it were not poisoned with such abominable fornication and shame, we would be amazed at the worthiness and wonderfulness of such a great work. For what is more wonderful than that a man is born of another man? But it is darkened, oppressed with the hideous sin of evil desire. Therefore, it must be praised and emphasized with such examples, so that people may learn to recognize the greatness and majesty of this work and the divine blessing.
Secondly, these examples hold up to us faith, hope and love, that is, the way in which God deals with us. For this is how He also acts with the holy patriarchs; as St. Paul says in Romans 11:33: "His judgments are incomprehensible and His ways unsearchable," not only in His works, but also in His words and promises. And therefore it can also be seen in the world that there is nothing more uncertain than God's word and faith, and nothing so vain and futile as the hope in God's promise, and finally nothing that seems to be more nothing than God Himself. Therefore, this is the true science of the saints and believers, and the mystery that is hidden from the wise and revealed to the unlearned.
The pope and the Turk can easily believe, because there is so much happiness among them and because they are in such great flux with power, wisdom, with a great appearance of holiness, religion and outward worship, that nothing is above it. The Turk considers it so certain that he is God's people with his group that he would be allowed to pledge his life and limb. For he has his thing and his God in his hands; God adorns him with very beautiful and high
gifts. And he deals with the Christians in a way that is as if in defiance, giving them the opposite, throwing them under the cross, and giving them to be strangled by the adversaries like sheep for slaughter. That is why the Turk defies us with great pride and hope. As it is said to have happened in a battle or defeat of the Christians, when the Turks saw that now and then the dead bodies were lying and their noses had been cut off, they laughed at such lamentation of those who had been slain, and made bitter and venomous mockery of it, and often repeated these words, saying, Jesus Mary! As if they wanted to say: Where is now their God?
This is the reason for such sorrowful lamentations in the Psalms: Ps. 7, 7: "Arise, O Lord," do not sleep; Ps. 10, 1: "Why are you so distant" 2c., and similar words of the despondent hearts, who doubt whether we have a God, and who ask, Ps. 42, 11: "Where is your God? Shall we believe in Him who thus hides Himself and turns away from us? But the Turk does not know what he himself is doing or what is to become of us. He thinks and judges thus: The Christians are rejected and cast out by God; and is presumptuous, as if God is favorable to him and has chosen him; is therefore even more hardened and obdurate than the devil himself. But when we are given into his hands and lie down, then heaven will be full of martyrs, and the godly will be caused to groan and cry out that only the last day will come. But he, with his pride and arrogance, causes eternal damnation to come upon him all the sooner.
So God did not act differently with the people of Israel in the time of the Assyrians and Babylonians. There was no happiness or victory, and even then no God could be seen, and there He was a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior, as it is written in the prophet Isaiah Cap. 45, 15. 45:15. As it is with us this day, when heaven and earth, the prince and the Turk, and all things are against us, and God, in whom we believe, is nothing at all; the prince and God of this world, he is God. That is why many Christians fall away from us to the Turks, namely those who do not believe in God.
are not properly informed and do not have the Word. They see that everything is prosperous there, and from this they assume that God must be present with the Turks, since God makes them alive, but kills us and delivers us into the hands of the cruel enemy.
We have nothing else from God, except the pure word that our Lord Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and is a judge of the living and the dead, through whom we are kings and priests. But how can we see this? Of course, we do not see it presently before our eyes, but must wish, hope, wait and believe what God has said in His Word. For why he thus hid himself, we shall see in that day, when all enemies shall be cast under his feet. In the meantime, we must believe and hope; for if we could see it presently before our eyes, there would be no need for faith.
(114) However uncertain and false the faith, and however vain and futile the hope may seem, I know that it shall come to pass that we shall tread the Turk under our feet, and those who are now buried, whose blood he has shed, shall tread him down and thrust him into the abyss of hell. The same will be done by all the other martyrs who have been burned and killed by the pope, the emperor, the French and others. For this is the art and wisdom of the saints, that they believe in truth against falsehood, and in hidden truth against public truth; yea, they believe in hope, when there is nothing to hope for.
The same art is held up to us in this example of Rebekah. For she was heard and chosen to become a mother, but she is still nothing less than a mother, even though she has already achieved that she has become fertile, and since she has received great hope that she will become a mother. So soon all hope and waiting falls away and lies down. Is this the fulfillment of the divine word? Answer: One must simply hang on to the art or knowledge that the saints have,
and look at the wonderful government, how they are led by God. For this is how it happened with Christ himself. Since he wanted to go to the glory of the Father, he died and went down to hell; there all honor and glory disappear. He says to his disciples Joh. 14, 12: "I go to the Father", and yet he goes to the grave.
We should always keep such examples in mind and before our eyes, and diligently consider and ponder them. For when we are strangled by the Turk with great shame and blasphemy; when the little underage children, and old people and young maidens are slaughtered and cruelly killed, then we cry out and scream: Where is Christ, where is our God? Moreover they mock us shamefully and say: Go now and believe in your Jesus. But then we should confidently answer them with joy, even if they do not hear it, and say, "Behold, this little child, which you have hacked to pieces, or have set on a stake, will be adorned in the next and better life with such great clarity that you will wish that it would become so good for you that you would only see the wounds you have made it. For the Turk does nothing else with his tyranny, except that he makes heaven full of martyrs, because they are all killed for Christ's sake: and again, he fills hell with the bodies of himself and his people.
So also the pope (although he is worse than the Turk, because he does not believe anything) thinks of those whom he kills that they are now gone and are finished with them, and does not think otherwise than that he is free and allowed to rage and rage against everyone of his liking, therefore no one should have to punish him, and incites or incites the monarchs and secular lords that they should also practice such cruel tyranny. We lament that we are miserably strangled and crushed, and cry out Ps. 44:24: "Lord, why are you asleep?" For God hides Himself for a time, and as in the Song of Solomon Cap. 2, 9, "He stands behind our wall, and looks through the window, and peers through the lattice;
Therefore he is not far from us, but is present and looks at everything. And both Pope and Turk, just by killing us, must serve us, they will or will not, so that we may receive the unfading crown of righteousness, 1 Peter 5:4. Just as Herod could never have done such service to the little underage children with charitable deeds as he did to them by killing them.
118. So it may be seen that he also hath left us, having ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father; and yet hath left us his word and the holy sacraments. But what is this? the flesh will reproach us and say, "I see nothing, it is only a word. Yes, it is indeed a word, but in the same word there is a special and divine power, which you will then understand and feel, if you cling to it with firm faith. If you have to put your life in danger because of this, it is of little use; for it is not far away that you will rise again from the dead and come to life. His ways are unsearchable, and His judgments are hidden from His saints, Romans 11:33, as evidenced by His only begotten Son, who is the most perfect example of all children.
(119) So Moses deals with the most important things when he speaks of the birth of man and the work of the flesh. Rebekah loses the honor that she should have become a mother, and loses God Himself, who heard her and made her pregnant: He withdraws His hand and hides His face, so that His work of making her pregnant is no longer regarded as a divine work, but is considered a mockery and deception of Satan, and she does not think otherwise than that she is rejected and cast out. But he does not go away forever, nor does he remain away from us all the time. He rules all things in such a way that the word is considered to be in vain and nothing. But out of the same, which is nothing at all, he makes all things by great and marvelous change, so that the things which are nothing at all are made nothing at all.
They were previously considered to be everything, but they must perish and be destroyed. Thus, the destruction of the pope has already begun and he will be trampled on more and more every day by the spirit of Christ's mouth, and in a short time, the Turk will also receive his deserved punishment.
V.22. And she (Rebekah) went to ask the Lord.
120 Poor Rebekah now understands and believes that everything is corrupt and lost with her. But what shall she do now? She goes to ask the Lord. Until now she has been regarded as if she had been rejected and cast out from the presence of the Lord, and her hope and faith are now in the greatest trouble, so that she has had trouble and work. But this is the right day, the critical, decisive day, when she comes to life again and goes to ask the Lord, since it seemed as if she was in the greatest trouble and danger. For the string tends to break easily where it is stretched or pulled the hardest.
The Jews disputed this: Where did Rebekah go to ask the Lord? The rabbis are too monkish in saying that she went away to one place in particular. Therefore, let us keep the opinion of those who say that she went to the holy patriarch Shem, who was still alive, and with him Salah and Eber. These same fathers governed the church and congregation of God, and from time to time preserved the word and the right worship. However, they undoubtedly did not go to Shem by themselves in such great distress, but according to the advice and by the command of Isaac and Abraham, who were also affected by the same challenge, they were sent to him as to the common place and to the common person, where, as they knew, the noblest church and congregation of God was. For this Shem was a very holy man, who ruled the church and was so many hundred years after the Flood over the word and service of God.
That is why his speeches and sermons were considered to be a divine answer.
(122) Now Rebekah asked not only about the fruit or children that she had conceived, but also about her blessedness, and whether that which she encountered was a sign of God's wrath or grace. For any accident or harm, even physical, brings with it despair, or that one begins to doubt God's will as He carries it to us. For this reason, we must guard and strengthen our hearts in all temptations, so that when we are afflicted and punished, we do not think that it is because of God's wrath that He wants to condemn us eternally. As when the Turk and the Pope rage against us in such a terrible way, we are justly afraid and terrified of it, all of us with one another. But where you have the word and the holy sacraments, close your eyes and only despise their cruel tyranny, so that you also say to them, "Rage and rage, and be only foolish, as much as you yourselves desire, and tear me also in pieces: yet I know that Christ, my Redeemer, still lives and sits at the right hand of the Father; therefore I also will live and will trample you underfoot again.
But this same confidence and spiritual hope comes not from the things of the present, but from the things of the future. Reason follows only that which is visible; but it must be killed here, so that the word and faith may have room. But reason cannot be killed except by despair, disbelief, hatred and grumbling against God, so that finally, when everything that can happen externally has been put aside, the heart may cling to the Word and the sacraments alone, hold on to them and be satisfied with them. For God is incomprehensible, and we consider Him to be nothing in all His deeds and miracles, so that He leaves us, according to our feelings, in suffering and tribulation, and gives us only the Word, so that He may bring us, as a fish is pulled by a rod, through this sea of danger and temptation to the shore or land.
V.23. And the Lord said to her, "Two peoples are in your body, and two kinds of people.
shall separate from thy affliction; and one people shall be superior to another, and the greater shall serve the lesser.
So far it has been said how God hid himself, even lost himself, from the holy woman Rebekah, even from Isaac himself and Abraham, and from all who were in the same congregation: so that she had to run and take refuge in the congregation and the patriarch Shem, and seek help and counsel there. Now Moses describes how this lost God is found again and lets himself be seen: for us as an example, so that we do not despair in our temptations, if the prayer keeps to the certain promise; but should be sure that God must certainly appear, let himself be seen and give an answer, even if heaven and all creatures should already threaten the fall and destruction.
(125) Although this waiting is almost burdensome, we should be so instructed and taught by the Holy Spirit that we know that God must surely hear our prayer, because it is impossible for Him to lie. He had promised Isaac the blessing. But with such a promise there were many difficulties and obstacles, so that a weak heart might doubt whether the promise was true. And even though Rebekah had no special promise, she still prayed. And if the prayer is right and true, as Rebekah's prayer undoubtedly was, it must of necessity keep the divine promise.
For who would be so bold of himself as to lift up his hands and eyes to God if he were not certain of God's will? Therefore, all prayer adheres to the commandment and promise of God. For in the other commandment is God's word, which teaches us to pray, namely, since God says in Exodus 20:7, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain"; item Psalm 50:15, "Call upon me in time of need," and so on. But when the prayer has been made, you should know that you need not doubt that it will be answered, just as you cannot or should not doubt that it has been promised. For the foundation or reason of the prayer
is the promise, not our will, not our worthiness or our merit. And we have a good example of this teaching in the prayer of Rebekah, who, after so many obstacles, is miraculously heard at last. For in the beginning, when she became pregnant, she did not doubt that she had now been heard and that she had been helped by God: but this faith and confidence was soon hindered because of a new danger, of which she had made no provision. For the children were bumping into each other in her womb, so that she was again brought to despair. Since she is now terrified, God raises her up again with the word and shows that she has truly been heard. So that he may testify that he loves those who pray in faith and wait for him in prayer, that is, where the prayer remains unanswered for a long time, and wait for his help.
The papists do not recognize or understand such examples, for their prayer is nothing else than mocking and ridiculing God. An earnest and fervent prayer, however, which does not cease and does not grow weary, but waits and waits until the last moment, finally breaks through heaven and earth, and it is impossible that it should not be heard. For then it is the most pleasing sacrifice to God when we pray in such a way that the prayer surpasses our sense and understanding. As St. Paul says in Eph. 3, 20: "God" is powerful and "can do exceedingly above all that we ask or understand" 2c. When the matter is lost and all counsel and diligence are in vain, be strong and take care that you do not fall away from God, for God calls all things from the dead and from nothing; where there is no more help or hope, only divine help begins. And this is a righteously perfect prayer.
(128) But we should not despise weak prayer and the prayer of weak men. But this prayer, which is so earnest and fervent, is held up to us in the highest degree and as a perfect example, so that we may make an effort to follow it. For as children in school first learn the ABC and the Donat, so we also first stammer at the
imperfect prayer, which should certainly not be despised. For as it is with the boy who does not first learn the alphabet or Donat, that he will never learn to speak Virgil or Latin, so it is also with prayer. He who does not first pray with weakness will never come to perfect prayer. Therefore, the teaching in this place should be diligently noted, which shows how prayer has its great power, and how it is such a pleasing sacrifice to God if one perseveres in it; just as Rebekah also perseveres to the end, since there is no more counsel available except to ask the church or congregation of God for advice.
129 But Moses describes very extensively how it was heard. "For we have said above that God also spoke through Adam. As Christ interprets it Matth. 19, 4. f.: "Have you not read, that he who made man in the beginning made man to be male and female, saying, 'For this reason shall a man leave his father and mother'" 2c. These words were spoken by God, and yet Moses writes in Genesis 2:24 that they were spoken by Adam. Therefore Adam was full of the Holy Spirit and of God, who spoke through Adam. Therefore Adam's words are God's words. Thus, even now the Church and congregation of God is full of God, and everything it says is not to be understood otherwise than as if it were spoken by God Himself. Thus, God commands that we be obedient to the parents and the authorities and hear His word from them. In the same way, God the Lord also spoke to this very holy old mother Rebekah through Shem, who, besides the common sense of faith, was also full of prophecy.
130) But a very great and rich comfort is held out to us in these words, since the text says: "Two nations are in your womb" 2c. For Shem means to say, You have prayed, and your husband and Abraham also have prayed with you; but do you think that your prayer has not been heard, and that you will die? No, fear that at
least of all! And Shem comes right into the middle of the matter and to the right consolation. For he saith, So far is it from thee that thou shouldest be in danger of thy life, that two nations should come out of thy womb. Thou hast been but a little challenged, and thy prayer hath been tried, whether thou wouldest persevere. Therefore know that more has been heard or obtained than has been asked, and that more has been given to you than has been desired or understood. For you have not been able to understand what or how much God will give you. He has understood your prayer better than you yourself.
This example is well to be remembered and we should also follow it. For we also pray against the Antichrist, the Turk and the mobs. And we certainly have very important and desperate matters, so much so that we cannot think or understand any comfort or help, except that we call upon God for mercy, that he may hasten with the future of the last day. Therefore, one should not stop praying, but the strong should cry out fiercely and the weak should call out to God even in their weakness; as Christ Himself says Luc. 18, 7. about the godly who call out to Him day and night.
132 Now our distress and cause is greater and more burdensome than it has ever been at any time in the church. For we have against us the host and the end of the world, the utter fierce wrath of the Pope and the Turks, who want to devour us and will devour us. Therefore pray, and so pray, that we may keep the commandment and promise of Christ. For though it may be seen that shortly all things shall fall upon one heap, what is the matter? Let it always fall. Your prayer will still obtain more than you ask. For he has promised it to us. And we ask in our prayer before all things, and before our calamity itself, that God's name may be hallowed and His kingdom preserved. Even though everything is lost and a desperate matter, and even if we should all be killed here, I still know that the adversaries shall perish. They shall perish, for the prayer has been heard.
133 Therefore comfort Shem Rebekah thus: O dear Rebekah, your prayer has been answered abundantly and beyond all your understanding! You have asked the Lord for a son, and now, in this danger, you only desire that you may give birth happily and keep your life; yes, you would gladly be content with that, if you would know that your prayer has been answered. But be of good cheer for the sake of the birth, for God has heard you and understands your prayer well. You have asked for a son or a daughter, and he will multiply and increase this request. But how is this to be done? Answer: "Two peoples are in your body" 2c. This means that the prayer has been answered. For there are not only two sons whom you will bear, but two very great patriarchs. Therefore your prayer is not only answered that a son will be born from you, but also that you will have descendants or heirs from two sons and that you will give birth to two great nations. Therefore do not dispute, do not despair, you do not bear a monster or a devil, as you feared because of this, that the children have bumped into each other in the womb: but now you are already a mother of two great nations.
So she alone has asked for her life and the life of a son, and thus obtains the life of two patriarchs and their descendants. She asked for a penny and obtained a golden mountain, which she had neither dared to hope for nor to believe. For she made her prayer humble, and was content with little; as we are wont to ask for small and little things, and think not that we speak with such great majesty when we pray. For if he would have given only small and little things, he would not have prescribed for us such a great and glorious form and manner of praying, since he has thus called us to say: "Our Father, who art in heaven, let thy name be hallowed; let thy kingdom come" 2c. God is not a meager Euclio, or a poor Irus, but puts before us and offers us great goods and the highest gifts in heaven and on earth, and wants you to ask the same from him and wait for it.
shall. For in every petition, when we say in the Lord's Prayer, Thy name be hallowed; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; Give us this day our daily bread 2c., heaven and earth, and all that is therein, are comprehended. For what is it that his name is hallowed, that his kingdom comes, and his will is done? Answer: It is as much as laying down innumerable devils and swallowing up the whole world in one prayer. But we have narrow hearts and are of weak faith: therefore let us diligently observe this example, and learn how God is not content to give us little, though we ask for a little; but He gives more than we can understand or ask, Eph. 3:20.
Now let us examine the words of the patriarch Shem. For they contain four parts, which we want to understand only according to the law. First, he says: "Two peoples are in your womb," and they are already as great before God as they will become. But when they are born and grow up, then they will be divided. This is the other part: a promise that Edom and Jacob will be two peoples, divided according to the flesh, namely, the Edomites and Israelites; as the holy Scriptures testify. They will not be under one head, but each will have his honor and glory as the ruler of his people. They will also have ordered and set up house and world regiments, and also churches: but there will be a difference in them. For they will be divided into various religions, police, worldly rights and laws. For it is well to be believed that Esau of the house of Abraham took with him circumcision and other ways of sacrifice. So his people will have a special police, ceremonies and church. But Jacob also received his special order in the police and church, the like of which was not in the world, and at the same time had the succession and inheritance of the promise. Therefore these nations will be divided from each other both according to the police and according to the church rule. And the same has also been fulfilled bodily.
For St. Paul in the epistle to the Romans Cap. 9, 10. f. has set the spiritual interpretation, of which has been said in other places. The last two pieces are where he says: "And one people will be superior to another, and the greater will serve the lesser."
(136) Edom, or Esau, was greatly increased and multiplied, as we shall see hereafter, when he met his brother Jacob with four hundred men, Jacob having none with him but four wives. And in the thirty-sixth chapter eleven princes are told, which had the country Edom. From this it can be assumed that Esau had very great power. But Jacob still wandered in the land of Canaan, and after that he came down to Egypt as a stranger, where eleven children and great princes were born from his brother. Therefore this prophecy was also fulfilled outwardly according to the letter. But in the time of David the lesser grew and multiplied, that is, Israel, and took kingdoms and subdued Edom also; as it is written in the 60th Psalm v. 10, "My shoe I stretch out over Edom." But afterwards Isaac, in the blessing of Esau, will interpret and mitigate this promise, that such servitude will last until a certain time. For he says thus, Gen. 27:40, "And it shall come to pass, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." And the same thing happened in the days of Ahab, when Edom apostatized and chose its own king.
137 This is the sum of the promise and the abundant fulfillment. For thus she comforted Shem: Behold, my dear Rebekah, thou hast given for thyself, and hast desired only that thou and thy child might be preserved alive: but I promise thee far greater things. You will have not only one son, but two sons and princes of two nations. And about this God also shows you what kind of status and office they will both have, so that you may know what kind of descendants and heirs you will have even after your death. One will be stronger, the other somewhat weaker in police and religion; but the smallest nation will remain the rightful heir and lord. The stronger one will not even overthrow the weaker one.
The lesser will rule over the greater. Therefore, you have heard that not only your person and the children you will bear will remain healthy and alive, but also that the history of these two parts is described here until all descendants without end.
138 This then is described to us as a lesson and comfort, that we learn to pray confidently and with full trust, and that we do not despair or doubt that it will be answered. For even though prayer is against and above our understanding, it is not in vain. For God does not want the shame to lie upon Himself that we should think that He is not true. For this reason he commanded us to pray, and not only commanded it, but also promised that he would hear our prayer, so that we would certainly believe that he would give us what we ask for. Therefore, this is the highest worship and religion, to believe that God is true.
139. over this also we have a fine, simple, and certain form, wherein he hath prescribed unto us what and how to pray. Therefore, when you pray, "Our Father, who art in heaven," 2c. think, "Lord, you have called me to pray, and you have promised that you will hear him who prays; and do not doubt the faithfulness and truth of God, nor his promises. For even if the devil were to turn the whole world upside down in a moment and even throw it over a heap, the name of God will still be sanctified. And even if we all have to die, we will undoubtedly be kept and preserved for the resurrection to come. Yes, in this life we also see the power and effect of our prayer. For surely through prayer the government of the world is preserved; our life and all the goods we use in this world are preserved by it.
140 Furthermore, St. Paul has handled this text Rom. 9, 10. ff. somewhat more gloriously, and draws it to the right spiritual and true history, since he cites from the prophet Malachi Cap. 1. v. 2. 3. where God speaks: "I love Jacob, and I love him.
hate Esau"; item Rom. 9, 12: "It was said to her, not from the merit of works, but from the grace of the caller, thus: The greater shall serve the lesser" 2c. There he touches and remembers not the temporal, but the right true promise. The Jews understand this only according to the flesh, as when they were brought out of Egypt and took the land of Canaan. But in these bodily promises the spiritual ones are also understood. For out of the same weak part the Son of God was to be born, so that salvation would not come from the Gentiles, nor from the Idumeans, but from the Jews, as John 4:22 says. It is all written for the sake of Christ, who came from the line of the lesser people.
Therefore St. Paul treats this text in such a way that he makes two births, namely, of the flesh and of the promise. Esau was also a son of promise, but then he was separated and divided into a great nation and a small nation. Then Paul interprets it according to his great and apostolic spirit, that the greater will not be the heir, but the lesser, namely Jacob. So all the others will be heirs who follow the promise and keep it, as has been widely said above. Therefore the bodily promise belongs to Esau, but according to the spirit it belongs to Jacob, who was the lesser son of Rebekah according to the flesh, but according to the spirit he was the lord and the greater.
142. Now as I have said of the Cain and Ishmaelite churches, namely, that they were rejected, but that such rejection was intended to humble them, that they might renounce the inheritance which they had presumed to have by reason of the fleshly birth; but they are yet saved through repentance and faith in the promise: So also the text testifies that many who came from Edom were saved, not because they were children of Edom (for the same lineage is rejected), but because they obtained the promise by faith.
and kept to it, according to the saying of Paul, Rom. 9:8: "These are not the children of God, which are children after the flesh: but the children of promise are counted for seed. For this reason they joined the Ishmaelites and said, "Sarah is our grandmother and Abraham our father, but by this we will not be saved, for bodily birth is of no use; but we believe in the seed promised to the fathers, just as Isaac and Jacob believed and were saved. And all who have had this faith have obtained the inheritance of eternal life. But those of this generation or descendants who remained in such presumption that they were the greater by reason of bodily birth were all lost and condemned.
So we Gentiles cannot boast as the Turk boasts of his many kingdoms, or as the Pope boasts of the proper succession and supreme power in the church. But of this we boast that John 1:12, 13 is written: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the children of God, who believe on his name. Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." To this knowledge we all must come, as Paul Rom. 4, 12. calls Abraham a "father" "of the circumcision, not only of those who are of the circumcision, but also of those who walk in the footsteps of faith, which was in the foreskin of our father Abraham." So also Christ says John 8:39: "If you were Abraham's children, you would do Abraham's works." For he believed in God and obtained righteousness and salvation through the promised seed. Thus, those who believe in God also become Abraham's and God's children.
(144) Therefore it is to be learned from this text that all honor or glory of the flesh is rejected and condemned by God, and that we cannot be justified by it. Just as the fathers were not justified by such glory of the flesh or blood, which this example clearly shows.
teaches and proves, and is a very excellent example, which is also worthy of being written with golden letters.
But these brothers quarreled with each other in their mother's womb, and when they were born, they quarreled with each other all the days of their lives. So we also must always quarrel with the pope and the Turk, and can never have fellowship or peace with them. Ishmael and Edom, that is, the same greater and stronger, who far surpass us in money and goods, in power, in great quantity and also in wisdom, the same are against us, who are the younger and weaker. But this is our consolation, since we have to fight with each other and wage such a constant war with the Edomites, which cannot be tolerated or cancelled, namely, that we are certain of victory. For the word or the promise will have to win without any doubt.
146. But if some of the adversaries are saved, let it be known that they are not saved because they are Papists, monks, or Turks, but because they go to us, that is, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And though they are not of our seed, yet they are grafted in. So not the whole dough is rejected, but only the pride and hope of the dough, which boasts of the fathers, the ceremonies and the law; and where it wants to be grafted in with us, it will be a holy dough with us and with the whole generation of godly people. But this is by grace, not by righteousness of the flesh or by merit of works, wherein the world seeks its salvation and righteousness.
Fourth piece.
From the birth of Esau and Jacob; from their way of life, and from the conduct of Isaac and
Rebekah against these her sons.
V. 24-26 When the time came for her to give birth, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first one that came out was reddish.
He was all smoke like a skin, and they called him Esau. Then his brother came out, holding Esau's heel with his hand, and they called him Jacob.
The miraculous and dangerous birth is described here, by which the mother will undoubtedly be very frightened, since the children have thus bumped into each other in her womb. For such a birth is described here that if Rebekah had not received the promise, she would have died immediately in childbirth. And I truly do not understand it, nor have I ever read or heard an example that is like it. For thus reads the text: "When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb." For the women who were present had only hoped for one child, but soon, as they watched, they understood and realized that they were twins.
Now it is common for twins to be born, so that the mother is in no danger: but here there is great danger, since the first, namely Esau, was born, that there Jacob will also soon come out, and so that he has held his brother's heel with his hand. We know, however, that it is an unfortunate, difficult birth, where a child is not born properly, so that first the head comes out: but when the one hand or foot first comes out, there both, mother and child, come into danger of life and limb. In such distress, the fruit is often torn and pulled out in individual pieces. So this birth is also described as being miraculous and full of danger, as much as it affected the mother and Jacob. The first one comes out fresh and healthy, but the other one comes out in danger of his life. But the promise was given to Rebekah, in that she had heard that she would give birth to two peoples or two heads of peoples. Therefore she did not despair in such great distress and danger.
149) Moses describes the two children: "The first one," he says, "who came out was reddish. There in the Hebrew admoni is written. From it Adam has his name;
for it was made of reddish earth, which Pliny and Josephus say is the best earth. After the same the black earth is praised; but the yellow and dun earth is somewhat inferior. Edom means reddish. There must have been a special redness in him. For otherwise all children are born red, and after birth they are also reddish, but Esau will have been very reddish, more than his brothers or other children.
150 Then he also has another mark, by which he was also distinguished from his brother. For he is rough as fur, not only on the head, as other children are, and especially as infants are wont to have much hair; but over and above the fact that Esau was reddish, he also has rough skin like fur. In sum, he is rough on his hands and feet and all over his body. For Moses adds this simile and says: like addereth, as the Hebrew word reads, that is, like a skin. It is truly a wonderful description of a child who was so reddish and rough, the like of which is hardly found in the histories of the pagans, in which unusual births are often reported.
151 The Hebrew word means a coat or a rough mantle; as in the other book of Kings in chapter 2 v. 8 the garment of Elijah is described, which was a rough mantle, so that it was beaten into the water of Jordan, so that it was divided on both sides 2c. And in the book Joshua in the 7th chapter V. 21: Vidi inter spolia addereth schinear, which is called here in Hebrew sear, that is: "I saw under the robbery a delicious Babylonian coat" 2c. But whether they made garments of wool at that time, I cannot know. This kind and shape, I think, was the leather garment, beautiful and long, like a coat or a long skirt, which was the clothing of the prophets. But this can also be well understood, that after the figure, called hyperbole, is spoken, as one makes a thing so even large; as we have in our German language of the parables also, as, as we of those, so
have long, hideous, tangled hair, say that they are shaped like a hedgehog or an owl of hair. So the women of Esau may also speak, as one is wont to speak in the house, and to make a thing greater than it is in itself.
Since Esau was born, the birth of Jacob is also described. He was in danger both for his own life and for his mother's life. For he followed his brother so soon that he took hold of his heel and clung to it. And one might think that they were born in the blink of an eye. That is why these are wonderful things, the like of which is no longer found in any histories. For it is absolutely and truly a divine work, which God works here, and that is why Moses also wanted to describe these things so precisely and actually, so that every story would be diligently noted, and that the reader would be awakened and reminded to consider the greatness of these things.
For here the foundation and the basis of the whole Christian doctrine is confirmed, and God wants to pronounce the judgment of the whole world in advance by the birth of these twins, yes, to cut off and suppress all righteousness of the flesh with it. He wants to teach with this that all wisdom and glory and advantage of the flesh is lost and in vain; this, I say, He wants to have taught and indicated by this alone, that He said: "The greater will serve the lesser." Therefore this is not a disputation of kingdoms and dominions of the world, much less of other small and useless things, in which nothing is interested, or of old-Vettelian fables: but these words lay the right foundation of our Christian doctrine. And the same is also enormously confirmed by this, namely, that before God the flesh is dead and condemned, but the spirit is made alive. And thus the inherent sin and corrupt nature is shown, so that no one should rely on the flesh, but everyone should put his trust in the Lord and in His promise.
The same cannot be sufficiently said or impressed upon the people. For it is the highest courts and the most unsearchable
God's ways. I am not speaking now of the judgments of God a priori, as they are called, which He has with Himself in His inner and secret counsel, namely, why He counsels in this or another way, does this or that, governs, helps, destroys 2c.: but I am speaking of God as He calls people by grace, speaks with them and reveals Himself a posteriori; as He said to Moses, "You will see behind Me," Ex. 33, 23. 33, 23. For we see here such ways and such judgments that no man can understand or comprehend, as it is said in 1 Cor. 2, 14: "The natural man hears nothing of the Spirit of God; it is foolishness to him, and he cannot know it," so that even the saints cannot understand what they ask. So even these judgments and ways of God are inscrutable to us, a posteriori, as it is called, that is, of the God who calls us and reveals Himself to us in words and outward works. If we cannot understand these things, how can we understand them, since God is hidden from us in Himself and in His divinity? Therefore, you have enough to do by making an effort to understand how God works and calls us. It is not necessary for you to seek or investigate the great mysteries and such things that are too high for your understanding.
For is this not the greatest blindness of the flesh of man, that it so hardly resents this example of divine judgment, that Esau, the firstborn, is not to be the heir, but Jacob, who is the lesser and was born after him? You will never understand this with human reason, although you hear that God calls him and clarifies these words of his himself, since he says: "The greater will serve the lesser", yes, that he also destroys the kings and kingdoms of this world for the sake of the same words: nevertheless, this judgment of God will be condemned by reason, since he says: "The greater will serve the lesser". You will never persuade the Turk that he is condemned before God, nor the Pope that the throne of Rome is the devil's throne, nor the Emperor Charles the Fifth,
Ferdinand and the King of France. For the flesh, that is, the greater, prides, conquers, and is, as it were, everything in the world. On the other hand, the spirit is sad, dead and nothing. As Esau thinks: I am the firstborn, therefore I am also the church, I am the son and the people of God; but Jacob is rejected, is without honor and has no name at all. As we experience in our times, that our adversaries also take the title or name of the church by force, when they are nothing less than the true church.
Therefore, Esau is the firstborn, Jacob is the last. But God reverses this order and says: "The flesh is proud and hopeful; the spirit is sad and sorrowful. For all men are not only liars, but are also too fond of themselves, always persuading themselves of this, and are very presumptuous, as always wanting to know better, and also despise and hate this judgment of God and this teaching. Start from the beginning of the world and look at the examples of all times. Cain, the firstborn, is lord, Abel is servant. The kingdom of Egypt is like a beautiful flower in the world, yet it is the devil's dirt. After that the kingdom of the Assyrians, Babylonians and the Greeks, in addition also the Romans, rules: the Israelites however and the people of God also in the New Testament are pressed almost hard with heavy servitude.
Against this insurmountable hope of the flesh, this is written, that we may know how we are to hold ourselves in such great inequality of fortune, how we may have and keep a right certain judgment, and also a steady and strong courage to bear such odious things. As if I see the Turk or the Pope sitting in the greatest majesty and glory, I should say: You have no word of God, the word is not with you, therefore you may boast as much as you can, you may be mightier than all the angels, but you are still damned. For the flesh or the greater shall serve the lesser.
158. but the turk and the papal
say against it thus: What word! What Elijah, Elisha! What Luther or Philip! I have a kingdom, money and goods, power, great fortune, a beautiful form, and also wisdom, of which the whole world boasts and rules over others. Therefore, they say, I am blessed and am God's people; but you are poor beggars and are afflicted, and for this reason you are also rejected by God.
We oppose this so great a vexation with this and say: We belong to God, who calls us by grace, who reveals himself and clearly says: "The greater shall be the least," that is, the flesh, which rules, shall become servant, and the spirit, which is servant, shall become lord. This is our glory, which is indeed laughed at by the world and mocked by the mighty of this world; as soon as Cain ruled in the beginning, but Abel was servant. But Cain was rejected, but Abel lives. The Assyrians and Babylonians also ruled and destroyed the Jewish land, Jerusalem and the temple. So the Persians also ruled, but the Jews were captives. But the Jews remained, but those were corrupted and perished. Also, the Romans ruled with great hope, but the apostles had to wander in misery and become fugitives, suffer hunger and thirst, were naked and condemned to death, as it is written in 2 Cor. 4:11. At present the Turk rules and reigns, but the Christians are servants; the pope is proud and hopeful, the church is miserable and sad. But at last the pope will fall and be killed with the spirit of the mouth of Christ. It is true, says God, that the world is greater, the church and my people are smaller, but I judge that the greater will become the smaller and the smaller the greater.
This is a doctrine of faith, hope, comfort and love toward God and man. There is no other difference, except that here in the church God is calling us through His word, but there in the world and with the wicked God is silent. The Turk also does not have one letter to prove that right is right.
be what he does. There is no God who calls. So the pope and the emperor hear nothing, they are silent: but we have a God who calls us. For he has revealed himself to us, so that in him we have such a God whom we can see, feel and grasp. We have the Word, the baptism, the keys, and yet we must suffer persecution. Well, it is good, let us suffer what we should, after all, at last the servants will become masters and again the masters servants. We will remain, but they will perish. Our descendants, who are truly ours and belong to us, will also remain here on earth; just as some prophets have always remained from the beginning of the world, and have bequeathed and taught us, as it were as hereditary, the voice and word of God.
God wanted to hold this argument up to the whole world and prove and confirm it with this history. Therefore, we should not read it as drowsily or industriously as we would read a secular or pagan history. For if it is not read diligently, it is cold, bad and dead, just as if I were to read a story about the birth or the deeds of a Turkish emperor. God, out of special counsel, wanted to show his teaching with this example and reveal his work in these two brothers, so that we should see how the greater would have to serve the lesser. Esau is the firstborn, and for this reason he is very proud, he rides high: he is a Chaldean, Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman emperor, and in sum, he is the pope and a lord of all lords. But he has no God who calls him, but who condemns him with this word, saying, "The greater shall be servant," though he does not believe this voice. But Jacob has GOD calling him and giving him dominion over the greater: but he is not mighty, wise, or holy. However, because he is called, he will have the rule, as the prophets have diligently stated, and from this they have also taken manifold comfort; as in the 41st chapter, Isaiah v. 14. Isaiah v. 14: "Fear not therefore, O little worm of Jacob, ye poor multitude of Israel" 2c.
God wanted to show this immediately in this birth. Esau comes out first, is a right Edom, is reddish and quite rough like a fur. But the other has a smooth skin, and is not redder than other children are when they are born. There seems to be nothing about him that is particularly excellent. But Esau, who is the first, is said to be excellent in front of his brother because of two great signs, and not only his parents, but also his friends and neighbors who are with him, have called him Esau with one mouth, because they were moved by these two signs. For human wisdom cannot judge otherwise than that Esau shall be the heir, because he is the firstborn, and is marked with two excellent signs, namely, that he is so reddish and rough.
163) But he has the name of working or doing. As if they wanted to say: This will be the man who will do everything gloriously, and as it is customary to say, he will be Factotum, who will do everything all by himself. Just as Cain got his name from the fact that his mother thought she had gotten the man, the Lord, Gen. 4:1, of whom God had promised that he would overcome sin and the serpent. This is what the world is like when it judges such high things. Therefore we should learn to judge better from the divine judgments, which are foolishness in the sight of the world. For she is the right Esau and Factotum as the Turk and Pabst is Esau. We are despised and rejected. But in the word and calling of God, all this can be finely distinguished.
They have three reasons why they praise Esau so highly. First, that he is the firstborn; second, that the parents hoped and waited for the child with great eagerness and desire for twenty years, and finally obtained him with great pleading; third, that he is reddish and rough. All this contributed to the fact that they all expected something special from this child, and the same against the divine judgment.
165 Thus we take care of the signs that are against us, and so that God may be the God of all things.
We threaten to point to the opposite, as if they were for us. We caress ourselves and comfort ourselves, as if nothing bad could happen to us; as the Jews did before the destruction of Jerusalem, when the temple was opened in the night without the hands of men, which was a sign that the city would be destroyed with the temple, and that the Gentiles would enter the temple without any hindrance: this they took for the very best and for a good sign. The Lord, they said, will be with us now, he will enter us of his own accord. Our reason is so fond of itself, and everything that is said that is good draws it to itself. As when one is praised, he immediately thinks that it is true and that he is worthy of what is said about him: so man is the worst hypocrite who can flatter himself so finely. From evil signs we take something good, and what is evil we always draw on other people.
166 Thus these two signs, which they think are given to honor and praise the firstborn, are very evil signs, namely, to be reddish and rough. For redness in the holy scripture means bloodthirsty justice, but being rough means tyranny or cruelty; just as being white and light means something good. Thus it has been signified and indicated here in this birth that all who are of the blood find unforgiving, bloodthirsty and cruel, without all mercy. After that, the rough skin is deceitful and means hypocrisy. These are truly very evil signs and are contrary to reason, therefore it draws them to its benefit and interprets them for the very best.
But we are to know that the rough and vile hypocrites are in the body of Satan. For the rough skin is a false, lying skin; but the natural skin should not be rough. After that, the reddish color belongs to the death-slayers. These are two abominable marks on the church and on the body of the devil, namely, lying and murder. But they do not recognize these signs, but boast because of their justice and mercy; as Christ says
Joh. 16, 2: "Whoever kills you will think that he is doing God a service. Is he then who kills Christ and his own considered to be rough and reddish? Yes, he is considered to be as white as the sun and to shine brighter than all the stars. There is nothing outwardly rough about the hypocrites, but the highest righteousness, godliness and truth. Therefore, it should be diligently noted that Esau bears the right, true marks, which actually belong to the devil's church, since he is described as being the head of the same devil's church. The other one, Jacob, is not reddish, but smooth and white.
In this way God has painted this history not only with promises but also with signs to confirm this opinion and understanding, namely that the flesh is subject to death and the devil, however mighty, glorious and a thousand times greater it is than the Turk and all other kingdoms. But Jacob and the true godly people are nothing in the world, those are everything. But this is the difference: on our side is the voice and the word, on their side is the silence. But God calls that which is nothing to be, and breaks that which is something to be nothing. For God's word is greater than countless worlds. Therefore, it is not without special counsel that God has presented us with these two very clear signs, which should be before the eyes and ears of all people. Esau is the deed and work that God has done: we are not Esau, in sum, we are nothing. This history, however, teaches the opposite, and confirms and assures us of it, namely, that everything that is in the world and in Esau is nothing, and that only God's word is everything.
169 In this place it should also be noted that because Isaac does not understand the signs and birth of his children so soon according to the right understanding of the promise, the saints or believers cannot learn and understand everything at once; as we also heard above that Abraham and Sarah also had to increase and always progress, and that they did not understand the divine promise as soon as.
Therefore the saints must always increase from clarity to clarity by common use or daily practice. Abraham thought that he would have children and heirs from Sarah, but when he saw that she was old and barren because of her age, he took Hagar as his wife and considered her to be the mother of the seed, until the promise was interpreted to him anew by the Holy Spirit, namely, that Sarah would be the mother of the seed that was promised to him. So the fathers were exercised more and more from day to day, so that they increased; as St. Peter admonishes 2 Epist. 3:18: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." They did not come to a perfect and complete knowledge as soon as they had it, but they were instructed and taught by various exercises, experiences, challenges and dangers.
(170) So Isaac and Rebecca heard here that there would be two peoples and that the greater would serve the lesser; so they thought, "He who is the firstborn will undoubtedly be the greater," and they thought that the conflict had now ended in the womb. That is why they call the firstborn Esau, that is, such a poet who will settle everything. As if they wanted to say: Jacob should have been the greater, but he was overcome in his mother's womb by his brother, who came out first and is adorned with these two signs. Therefore it is not said of Jacob, "They called him," 2c., as the firstborn is called Esau by the consent of all of them, but the father gave him the name.
And indeed, he has the name from the sole of the foot, as if one wanted to say, a transgressor. But this naming is more a wish, than a certain statement. Esau's name, on the other hand, is only a certain statement, not a wish. The same one will do such things. Because Jacob, who was the greater in his mother's womb, became the lesser in his birth and was overcome by the greater, the father thought, "God grant that you may become a true subordinate, as in the outward appearance.
It can be seen from your actions that you wanted to tread under the greater one, because you took his heel; but the divine voice has reversed it. Therefore he desires to be what he wanted to be, that is, a subordinate, not to his brother, the firstborn and the overcomer, but to be a subordinate of the Gentiles and other nations.
Thus, I think, Isaac initially understood the promise and birth of his two sons. For the fathers were not so holy and perfect as the monks dream of St. Augustine and other saints, of whom they write that they were completely perfect. And this is an example that proves that the holy fathers have always grown and increased in knowledge; just as all the godly must also grow for and for. For this reason God caused them to fall and err, so that we should know that knowledge, faith and love were imperfect in them, as a very grave case of Isaac is described hereafter.
By such examples we are taught that no man, however holy he may be, should be believed, but that we should look only to God, who calls us, and to His word. But that one studies and learns the word should not last only one or two years, for the word of God is an infinite thing.
The adversaries cry out: Ambrose, Augustine have taught thus or otherwise. But they do not concern us unless they bring the word of Christ. Whichever of them has the word and voice of God more clearly, I would rather follow him than Augustine or any other, whoever he may be. As Augustine teaches somewhat more clearly and more clearly and interprets the Scriptures better than Ambrose, and for this reason it is also more useful to read Augustine than Ambrose.
175. but in general we should hold this of all, as the 119th Psalm v. 105. says: "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path"; and 2 Peter 1:19: "We have a firm prophetic word, and you do well to take heed to it, as to a prophet.
Light shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. For it is impossible to learn everything so perfectly and completely, as it is perfect and pure in itself, because it still clings to us that we are carnally minded: but the same thing is being worked out in us through the challenges we have to suffer, so that the light in us may become clearer and clearer.
Isaac was sixty years old when they were born. And when the boys were grown up, Esau became a hunter and a husbandman, and Jacob a godly man, and abode in the tents.
176 Therefore Moses tells how old Isaac was, so that his very pure chastity, in which he lived twenty years with Rebekah, might be shown and praised. After that it is also shown how they hoped and waited for the children for a long time, until they almost despaired of them. Because of this, these so holy married couples were tried and exercised with many temptations. They have not been so idle and sure that they should have gone so senselessly into fornication or carnal lust, as the lazy people of today are wont to do in these last days. Likewise they were strangers and had nothing of their own, but went to and fro with great patience and humility, as was said above about Abraham, which is the reason for all this.
Until now Abraham lived and lived for fifteen years with his children, but his life was much shorter than the other patriarchs. I do not doubt, however, that they will have been children of a good kind and well behaved. For they were both well brought up and instructed by Abraham himself in obedience, fear and due respect not only to their parents but also to the patriarchs. And perhaps Abraham also interpreted this promise, and considered it with the others, that Esau would have become the greater, because God would have given him in his mother's womb.
the victory, since he was the smaller one. He did not understand or see more of it. For he died before he had seen the customs and life of both, and also what they had been doing.
Now the holy scripture begins to describe the difference between these two brothers and to prove which of them is truly the greater and the lord, so that this promise may be rightly understood: "One people will become superior to the other"; item: "The greater will serve the lesser. But when they have grown up and become great, this difference begins to divide them from one another, and then each is recognized by the works in which he has excelled; as the old saying goes: Curvum se praebet, quod in uncum crescere debet, that is, What wants to become a hook, bends at times. For at that time there was no doubt that Esau should not be the firstborn, and that the promise should be made to him that he would be the greater and have the rule, but Jacob would have to serve as the lesser.
(179) But this is the description of the two brothers, as they say per antithesis, that is, comparing one with the other, in which Esau is described as having deprived himself of greatness and dominion through his own fault and merit, and that he will soon become the lesser. But Jacob shall have dominion and greatness; for Esau is a hunter and a husbandman. Yes, he is the lord, the right poet, the factotum, who is sure and puffed up because of the firstborn, and falls away from the promise and from the spirit to the outward and carnal honor; because he hears that he is the priest and the lord: from this arises with him soon contempt of his brother and spiritual gifts, and follows thereupon the hope of the flesh. Jacob, on the other hand, is refined, humble, quiet and simple, does not exalt himself beyond measure more than is proper, and does not seek his own honor; in sum, he is the sack-bearer and water-bearer.
180And is this the beginning of the abominable fall which Esau hath done, and is a right image?
the whole world, which thus falls from the spirit to the flesh. For people despise that which is little, small, miserable and dangerous, and also subject to punishment and much trouble, and seek only great honor, seek peace and good days, wealth and friendship of great, powerful people.
But Esau did not feel his fall at first until he was deprived of the blessing; meanwhile he is proud and hopeful, does not ask anything about his father, does not honor him, takes a wife from the family of the Cananites, and is too defiant and relies on it, as if he could not be deprived of such great goods. Which way for and for all hypocrites, and those who are so very presumptuous, are wont to have; as it is written in the 10th Psalm v. 6-11. "The wicked saith in his heart, I will never lie down" 2c. "God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it." But of the godly they say: They are heretics, they are cursed and damned; but we are the children of the kingdom, we are the church and God's people.
Thus all heretics, all opponents of the word, are at all times quite certain and certain that their thing shall please God. Yes, this affliction spreads so far that it cannot be sufficiently explained in words. Thus, in the beginning, the sacramentalists also cried out: "What we teach is the most certain truth. For all these are puffed up and proud of happiness according to the flesh, and of those things which the flesh seeks first of all, such as great honor and majesty, power, and that the mob acclaims them and praises them highly, but they are offended at the foolishness and weakness of the spirit.
For this reason Esau arrogated to himself the episcopate, and that he should have the chief rule in the church or congregation of Abraham; he did not much esteem obedience to his mother, as Jacob showed himself obedient. For it seemed almost a servant thing to be obedient to his mother in such small and domestic works, which are the duty of servants to perform, and also of Jacob. I, he thought, am the master of the house, Jacob must be the master.
I am the master in both states, Jacob is my servant. Therefore he is quite secure, and chooses such a station to live in, which is not arduous or difficult, but joyful and glorious. Esau, says Moses, is a hunter and a husbandman, not that he is really a husbandman in the field, although he undoubtedly had fields and other land, but it is a comparison of the work that the two brothers have done. Esau has practiced himself in the field with hunting, with riding and wars. But what did Jacob do? Answer: He was a simple, pious and upright man, and dwelt in the tabernacles, in sum, he was a man who kept himself quiet.
But it is impossible that Esau should not have fallen into many other vices. For a hunter, though he beware of other sins and vices, yet often sins with wrath and blasphemous cursing, if it be not according to his will in all things; and if we have great honor only outwardly according to the flesh, we are in certain danger. That is why the 62nd Psalm, v. 11, admonishes the rich and says: "If riches come to you, do not hang your heart on them"; and Job also says of himself in the 31st chapter, v. 24. V. 24: "Did I put gold for my confidence and say to the gold nugget, 'My comfort'?" That is, I was not proud and hopeful because of my abundance of money and goods, nor did I despise others. Item Job v. 17: "Have I eaten my morsel alone, and have not the orphan eaten of it also? 2c.
Therefore it is dangerous to have great money and goods, and in the gospel riches are called "thorns and unrighteous goods," and where the Holy Spirit is not present, the rich man is not in the number of those who suffer, but walks in his riches, and certainly falls into arrogance and contempt of God and man, Luc. 8, 7, and takes flesh for his arm, Jer. 17, 5, and takes good for his god and worships it, and thus wealth becomes a true idol. This is why Christ also says Matth. 6, 24: "You cannot
Serve God and Mammon." And it is an old saying among the Germans that they say: Good makes courage. This is not, however, as if the fault were in riches, but comes from our sinful flesh, which is so proud and hopeful, and always despises others.
186) Secondly, the flesh also commits theft and robbery over and above this piety and idolatry, namely, when it does not follow Job's example of not giving its goods to the poor, not clothing the naked, and not performing other works of love. For the flesh is so very fond of money and goods and keeps them, that even the rich do not use or enjoy their wealth properly.
For this reason, first of all, the rich become idolatrous against the first table; secondly, they also become unjust and sin against their neighbor, becoming robbers and thieves. For they should give of their goods to the poor, and yet they give them nothing. There are indeed some who give something, but on condition that those who receive something from them should also be subject to them, that is, they give wickedly and only out of hope, not with simple eyes or hearts, but only that they want to be worshipped and highly praised.
Therefore it is very difficult for a rich man to be righteous and godly, because wealth is always associated with idolatry and contempt for one's neighbor. Yes, what can be said of the fact that they often do not abstain from public sin and vice, namely, that they steal other people's goods and food secretly, do violence and injustice to the poor orphans, and not only deprive the poor of the benefits they owe them, but also seize by force what they have left? Hence come the miser and usurer; which vices are also criminal in secular laws.
But I speak only of the rich, who outwardly abstain from stealing, so that they do not take from others what is theirs by force, and yet commit theft by giving nothing of their goods to the poor,
and do not realize that their wealth is a gift of God, are not grateful to God for it. The same is the nature and characteristic of all rich people, where the Holy Spirit is not present; as it was in Job, David and other pious, godly kings, who all had money and goods in full. But David says in Psalm 62, v. 11: "If riches come to you, do not set your heart on them."
190. but there is a common danger in which the rich stand, namely, the sin of neglecting or neglecting to help the poor and needy with their goods, when God has earnestly commanded Isa. 58, 7: "Break bread for the hungry, and bring into the house those who are in misery" 2c. If you do not do this, you will hear the sad judgment Luc. 12, 48: "To whom much is commanded, of him much will be required." That is why it is very dangerous to be rich. And Isa. 53:9, the rich are put in the place of the wicked, so that there is no difference between the rich and the wicked, since they are without the Holy Spirit and are not godly and faithful. An ungodly person robs God of His glory, does not thank God for His gifts, and then refuses to help the poor. The same is done by a rich man who is without faith; therefore he is also ungodly.
191 So Esau always has a fierce desire and craving for carnal honor, for great power and wisdom for the sake of the firstborn. He does not want to be satisfied with the lowly servant status, as his brother Jacob does. He chooses the status of hunter and horseman, in which he could not live without sin, not even without committing sin, especially in hunting.
Not only do our princes sin by not doing enough in their office and by not taking care of their poor subjects, but they also sin quite seriously by burdening the poor with their much intemperate hunting, by spoiling the fruits of the poor peasants and farmers, and by making their fields completely desolate. And one may in no way drive the game away from the gardens or fields, but it may freely do harm, and spoil the field, which has been cultivated and sown with great effort and work.
and the fruits are cut off. There, not only is the protection down, so that they do not help their subjects, but they also do them great harm, which they should help. Because of this, the Turk or another hunter will finally come, who will take both their net and spear, which they use in hunting, from the hands of the German princes by force.
193 I say this so that we may know that hunting is not without great sin, and it has been disputed by many: Whether hunting is also a proper work? It is not in itself evil, and the fact that it is practiced can be Christian and good, as we have seen in the case of our most gracious lord, Duke Frederick of Saxony, of blessed memory. He hunted in such a way that he did no harm to anyone, and even benefited many. Whenever he heard that even a small damage had been done, he paid for it twice. He also often gave out several bushels of grain to the farmers, which they were supposed to have in exchange if the game ate something away from them. The same is fitting for a pious, praiseworthy prince. For we do not want to deprive the princes of their princely regalia and justice, which they have, as the peasants were subject to in the uprising in 1525.
194 Then this shall be the final cause, that the hunt shall be directed to drive away the horrible and harmful wild animals, such as wolves, bears and wild pigs, and that both, men and cattle, may be free and safe from them. The hunt should be done in such a way that the poor sheep and other innocent animals are protected. For a prince is officially obliged to do the same. The pagan poet also said: Parcere subjectis et debellare superbos, that is: He should spare the poor subjects, protect and shield them, and punish and exterminate the unruly and proud, by whom the subjects are damaged. According to this, the pleasure and enjoyment that one has in hunting is also honest in itself, which is permitted to those who
The hunter may use the same without harm or damage to his subjects. But where things are different, hunting is a very bad and harmful thing.
I am concerned because there is a suspicion that Esau was completely drowned in the flesh, that he often forgot about it and committed many sins, so that he did both harm and forgot to protect others. But because he is the firstborn and his father loves him especially, he does not sin and, in his opinion, does nothing evil or wrong, even in those things that are wrong in themselves. However, where he has sinned and done wrong, he will undoubtedly have concealed it from the Father. And he was able to do this because he was the highest ruler or regent in the house, so that he ruled over the household.
Now let us look at the other part of the comparison, where these two brothers are held against each other. "Jacob was a pious man, and abode in the tabernacles." They have all interpreted the Hebrew word tham in Latin, simplex, in German, silly: yet the text in Hebrew does not mean that. For the word tham does not mean one who is foolish of mind, that is, in whom there is no skill at all, but means one who is simple-minded, pious and sincere. And the same word is in the 119th Psalm, soon in the beginning: Beati immaculati etc., that is: "Blessed are those who live without change" 2c. For Jacob was not foolish or foolish of mind. As the same is to be seen afterwards, since he bought the firstborn from his brother. Lyra interprets it thus: sine plica dolositatis, that is, without all falsehood or deceit; and not foolish because there was no skill or understanding in him.
197 Esau was not such a pious, upright man, but was much more unstable and treacherous in will; for he took pagan wives in marriage and thus mingled with the Canaanites. The hunters are not sincere, they often do their thing so that they go around according to the time, things and persons; Jacob
but is pious, sincere and constant, does not allow himself to be moved by any person, does not change his mind even when things happen differently, and yet is not foolish. This is a beautiful comparison of the two brothers.
Secondly, Jacob is not a man of war. He did not engage in any worldly or carnal dealings. However, the worldly government and all that belongs to it can be administered in a Christian and proper manner. Jacob, however, was very careful to stay in the huts, that is, he stayed at home with his father and mother and served them. And Lyra tells an opinion of the Jews about the tents, which pleases me very well, because it came from the fathers. For they say that the tabernacles are not only to be understood of those in which they dwelt, as in their houses, but that also the tabernacles are meant by it, in which they had their churches, as the tabernacle of Moses is called, by which also a holy tabernacle is understood. We call it churches and schools. At that time there was no difference between the holy tabernacles and the other ones in which they had their dwelling. Abraham had a house of God and a church in his tabernacle, just as every pious and godly householder nowadays teaches his children and servants the blessedness of God. Therefore such a house is a proper school and church, and a householder is a bishop, priest and pastor in his house. Thus the tabernacles in which Jacob dwelt were also holy, and in them he first sought the kingdom of God.
But Esau sought the kingdom of the world, and therefore he lost both the temporal and the spiritual kingdom. For this is a common rule that is true for all, namely, those who seek first the kingdom of God, to them the other will also fall. But again, those who first seek their own benefit and daily bread, before they seek the kingdom of God, will encounter the opposite, namely, that they will lose the kingdom of God with the external kingdom at the same time.
For this reason Jacob was for a time smaller and lesser than his brother. But
His heart and trust were completely devoted to God, and he was a good, pious, godly young man, went to church and school diligently and gladly, learned God's word and good customs, heard the sermon of the patriarch Shem and the others; as the Hebrews indicate and took from the fathers, namely, that this text should be understood from the tents of Shem and Eber, who lived eighty years with Jacob.
There have been very holy and pious men who have been inflamed with love for God's word, and have had much greater regard for religion and worship than we have. And we may rightly call our houses and churches huts, if someone has a church or congregation in his house, and teaches his children and servants in it, teaching them right godliness and good virtues. But the more fervent and joyful the spirit with which the word is acted, the more fruit it bears. Therefore, in this place of the Jews, I am pleased with the gloss and interpretation, and this is a good example of a pious and godly young man who does not get involved in worldly affairs first and foremost, who does not concern himself with things that the flesh is primarily concerned with.
(202) He did not forsake the worldly things; but he set his mind on the things that he might cleave unto the fathers, Shem, Salah, and Eber, and follow them in their doctrine. And from the annual account it is to be taken that Jacob lived with Eber eighty years, with Shem six and forty years, and with Salah three and thirty years. To the same fathers Jacob will have kept himself without doubt diligently and with due reverence, particularly to Eber. Because when Shem became old, he ordered the boy Jacob to the patriarch Eber. For Shem was the father of all the churches, as it is said above in Cap. 10, v. 21: "Shem, who is the father of all the children of Eber": therefore all the people and the whole church looked to him in his extreme old age. But Eber provided for and taught the church, for he bore the burden of government.
can. Therefore I gladly applaud the words of the Jews or rather the fathers, since they say in this text that Jacob was not only at home in the hut, but also in foreign huts, and especially with Eber and Shem.
But Jacob abstained from the marriage state almost unto the seventy years. Esau, as the lord and even a man of the world, took Canaanites as wives when he was forty years old. These circumstances all indicate that Esau was exceedingly proud for the sake of the firstborn, that he despised his brother, that he did not respect the huts at all, and that he only devoted himself entirely to riding and hunting.
204 But this is not to be understood as if Esau had never been in the tabernacles, but that he had sometimes visited them with his brother and others. Just as the hypocrites diligently watch for it, and want to be thought holier and more pious than those who are truly holy, pious and godly. Therefore he was also a listener in his father's church, and sometimes of his own free will he also visited the other churches or common assembly, where Eber and Salah taught; but secretly and in silence he did not pay much attention to them: as with us the common crowd of Christians despises the ministry and the service. Why, they say, should I go to church? I can certainly read at home; and so they generally begin to despise the word, until they get into worldly affairs and become worldly and godless.
But pious and godly people should always diligently remember: He who seeks the kingdom of God shall find both; but he who despises the kingdom of God shall lose both. Therefore let them imagine this Jacob, that they may follow him, and that they may diligently hear and learn the word of God; in which place it is taught, there are the tabernacles of God. And each one shall certainly have it, if he has the word first of all, then all things will be given to him afterwards. For God was before the world was created, and He created all things through the Word.
For this reason, the Word also does and brings about everything.
This is the description of the two brothers. The holy scripture praises Jacob, and exalts him in religion and godliness, but Esau in worldly police; for he sought the kingdom of the world, which is justly punished in him. And there it may be seen how he fell and lost his firstborn, because he was so worldly and ungodly; and how Jacob received it, because he was devoted to religion and godly. From this we should learn that we should seek the kingdom of God first and foremost, and that we should not subordinate it to the efforts and desires of this world.
V.28. And Isaac loved Esau, and did eat gladly of his woad; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
This part of the history is very dark, difficult and confused; because Moses sets here a strange difference between these two brothers: the father loves Esau and the mother Jacob. And the same comes from the fact that they both did not have the same nature, nor did they apply themselves to the same work. For all mothers have this in their nature, that they delight in children who are of a fine, quiet nature and of good manners; for the women who are pious and honorable are also by nature timid and gentle. As St. Peter 1 Ep. 3, 6. strengthens the women as weak instruments, and admonishes them that they should not be timid, and that they should not be afraid of anything. And by nature there is a difference between the nature of sons and daughters. The boys have a somewhat unruly nature about them; but the daughters are more sweet and are friendly to their parents.
(208) Therefore Rebekah loved Jacob by nature; for he had fine manners, kind and quiet; he was of a good, chaste, and shamefaced disposition, being also somewhat timid and fearful; for he feared his mother with all reverence, he heard the word and the sermons, kept the holy
Fathers in honor. All these things in young men are exceedingly pleasant and pleasing to their mothers, and they take special delight in them.
(209) But Rebekah was somewhat offended at the coarse manner and hard, unkind manners of Esau. But just as mothers love sons who are quiet and friendly more than those who are a little boisterous and bold, so fathers love sons who are a little quick and brave, and they are therefore considered to want to become clever and quick to accomplish something. And it is also fitting that the sons should be quicker than the daughters. Such was Esau also. And Isaac had the understanding that a brave and fresh courage belongs to the regiment, therefore he was favorable to Esau.
(210) But above that, which was the nature and manner of these brothers, they both had something in themselves, for which they were especially praised. Jacob was sincere and without falsehood, was holy and devoted to godliness, was even inflamed with great love and desire for the kingdom of God; this pleases his mother Rebekah well, for she is a pious, godly woman. Therefore she wishes and desires that Jacob should be the firstborn, and what was most noble was her desire that the promise should be fulfilled, that the greater should serve the lesser. In addition to the fact that Esau had a fine, sharp mind, he also had a special gift, that he was a good shot, as was said above (Cap. 21, v. 20) about Ishmael. This pleases the father, and he thinks that it is a beautiful ornament for the firstborn son, who should have and administer the reign: because the law of nature, which is known to all pagans, assigns the reign to the firstborn.
Now it is decreed differently in secular laws. But Esau, above the law of nature, also relied somewhat on the authority of the fathers and on the divine law, according to which the firstborn son was lord, but the other brothers were servants. This is the difference of the things, which this
two brothers, and also of the unequal love of the parents towards these twins. The fact that Jacob was godly brought him favor with his mother, but the father's reason is God's law that he is favorable and favorable to Esau for the sake of the firstborn. Although the mother is not so much interested in the firstborn as in him belonging to the line of pious fathers and being an heir to the promise, since Genesis 22:18 says, "Through your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed"; she desires to apply this inheritance primarily to Jacob.
At this point, however, a difficult question comes to mind, which I touched on a little above. The promise clearly says, "The greater shall serve the lesser." But now everyone knows that Esau is the greater, just as Jacob is the lesser; as everyone has to recognize and say. Whereas Isaac knew the promise according to which Jacob was to be the greater, he deliberately, knowingly and wickedly sinned against the manifest promise of God. What do we want to say here? For even though he has God's law for himself, which makes all the firstborn lords, God still has the power, as the founder of the law, to annul the law and to exempt from it those whom he wishes. Therefore Isaac is not excused because he has the law for himself and acts according to it, but he is to give the firstborn to Jacob and not to Esau, according to the promise; just as he is shocked afterwards, because Jacob has deprived Esau of the firstborn, as he knows himself guilty of sin.
(213) After this there is another question, whether Isaac knew or did not know this promise. For almost all of them interpret this text in such a way that it appears as if they are of the opinion that Rebekah kept this promise with her and concealed it from her husband. For that is why Isaac so constantly and wholeheartedly assigns the firstborn to his son Esau and not to Jacob.
214. however, i cannot keep it well with these; for we have heard above (v. 21.) how Isaac asked for Rebekah and sent her to
to the patriarch Shem. Therefore, it is not true that Rebekah should have secretly kept the answer she heard from Shem, especially because she did not know at that time which one would come out first. Therefore I do not doubt that she talked with her husband about the answer she heard from the patriarch Shem, who said that the greater should serve the lesser. But when they are born, Isaac goes on, and applies the firstborn and the blessing due to his son Jacob to the godless Esau: the same is very poor and almost heavy, and there is still the question; and I do not know how we are to resolve the same. But I would like to follow this opinion, that Isaac, after he had heard the answer, how the two children would meet in the womb, thought that this was to be understood in such a way, that the one who would come out first, would have overcome the greater in the womb, because he was the lesser, and that therefore the dispute would now have its end and the promise would be fulfilled with it. Jacob was the greater in his mother's womb; but the divine promise has changed this order, so that Jacob, the tramp, has become the lesser and the last in birth.
This is what occurred to me to answer this question, although I am not allowed to say anything certain about it, nor do I want to. But it can be seen that it is very credible and almost in accordance with the truth. And I am moved by the example of Ishmael, of whom Abraham also thought that he would be the heir, since he still knew nothing of Isaac. V. 10: "I will multiply thy seed, and it shall not be numbered for multitude." There he understood the promise in no other way than that Ishmael would be the heir. For the promise is spoken in a very general way, and no clear and certain understanding can be taken from it until God Himself has interpreted His word. The promise, he says, is not to be understood by Ishmael, as you think, but by Sarah and her son.
216 It can therefore be seen as if Isaac was completely of the opinion that the
He did not object to or be moved by the fact that Esau was almost unruly and wild in nature and also in his manners, which unruliness and wild nature his mother used to punish in him, but thought that the same was fitting for the firstborn as the future lord and ruler. And if there was a fault in him, he hoped that when he grew older and made an effort to carry out his office diligently, such a fault in him would be corrected and fall away, and he would be able to get used to becoming a little more gentle.
217 I allow myself to think about this deed of Isaac's or to guess about it; but if his heart and opinion were different, and that he turned the blessing on Esau with knowledge and will, then he is not to be excused. Just as Rebekah cannot be excused for concealing from her husband the answer she heard from the patriarch Shem. Therefore one must remain on the middle road.
218 But because they both insist so firmly on their opinion (for the opinion that the man fasts is even directed to that he wants it so, but the mother's opinion is that she wishes and desires that it should go so as she would like it to go, and the same opinion is truer), therefore they dispute still further that Rebekah, by a strange and divine inspiration, had this understanding that the lesser would become the greater. Here I also admit that it is so. For so it was also given to Sarah by the Holy Spirit that the son Ishmael should be cast out. For it is not written or publicly commanded in any place that he should be cast out, but Sarah decided this on her own initiative and spirit, because she found many things in Ishmael that were contrary to the firstborn, and saw that he was persecuting the one who was born according to the promise. So Rebekah will also have had a special inspiration, which Isaac did not have.
219. but one should not lightly and without
It is dangerous to assume a certain cause for any giving, because it is dangerous with it. The pope says that the giving in of nature and the devil should sometimes be equal to the giving in of grace, and uses the history of the temptations of Christ as an example, Matth. 4, v. 1. ff. But this opinion is better, that the devil can disguise himself into an angel of light and change into the divine majesty, 2 Cor. 11, 14. Therefore God's word must come to such giving in; as Sarah's giving in arose from the fact that she knows that she has a promise, and that according to the same promise she is the mother of the right seed, which promise Ishmael did not have. Then she judges the tree from its fruit, because Ishmael pursues her son and the right heir, seeks only what is carnal, and teaches idolatry. This giving of Sarah is certain.
(220) In this way it may have been that Rebekah heard from the fathers: Your son Esau is a wild, untamed and cruel man, therefore he will not inherit the blessing; indeed, he goes to the temple or tabernacle, but he does not take godliness seriously to heart; but Jacob is pious and godly; therefore it will happen that he will become the greater. In addition, there is the example and experience of himself, because Esau becomes ungodly and increasingly angry; whereas Jacob strives for the kingdom of heaven, grows and increases in godliness and other virtues. The same giving in is also good and certain.
So we must always make sure that we have a certain word, or, since the commandment of God does not always precede it, we will see after the fact what the giving was. Just as David killed the lion, the bear, and Goliath, the Philistine, but the Spirit fell on him, this was the inspiration that was seen only after the fact. And what such inspirations are, they have God's word as their basis, or if they are without word at first, they are recognized afterwards and considered to have come from God. As it is also known to us
went. We attacked the pope without a word; but now we see that it was a divine statement, without our thoughts and advice. But more of that another time.
222 Now Rebekah continues to advise how Jacob can have the firstborn. Esau is quite sure and thinks that he has now escaped the danger altogether, since he is the firstborn and the lord; but now an opportunity follows by which he loses the firstborn altogether.
Fifth piece.
How Esau sold his firstborn and how Jacob took it.
V. 29, 30: And Jacob cooked a dish. And Esau came from the field, and was weary, and said unto Jacob, Let me taste the red dish, for I am weary. Therefore he is called Edom.
Moses has described up to now how the two brothers have been unequal in the works they have done, namely, that Esau was a farmer and a hunter, that is, that he asked little about godliness, about the preaching and teaching of the fathers, who were still alive at that time. But it happened to him, as it tends to happen to everyone when they despise the little things, that they also tend to lose the big things. For he considered it a small thing, that in matters concerning godliness he was somewhat more negligent and lazy than Jacob; that he was not so eager for divine things, for the knowledge of God and for the service of God. But because of this he has generally become colder and more careless, and has come to despise even the firstborn.
After that he fell into such security and pride that he thought he could cheat his brother with impunity, as if he had not been serious about selling him the firstborn. For he thought that it could not or would not happen that the firstborn should come to his brother, but the same was due to him, and also hoped that he would keep the blessing forever. So he mocks his brother, and
thus becomes even a godless man against GOD, against the people and his own brother.
Such an ungodly nature and certainty tends to follow from it: where one despises God's word and does not practice it diligently, people become atheists, epicureans and even foolish, that they have neither sense nor reason anymore. The examples of even the greatest people testify to the same. David was a very holy man, was very fervent in worship, but see how easily and quickly he fell into adultery, death and blasphemy. For where one is drowsy and indolent in the word of God, and also secure, it is just as much as where one opens the devil's door and window. Therefore we are commanded to watch, as it is written in 1 Pet 5:8: "Be sober and watchful, for your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour"; item Eph 5:15, 16: "Watch therefore how you walk carefully, not as the unwise but as the wise, and prepare yourselves for the time to come" 2c. Because of safety and being careless and diligent in godly matters, great grievous cases and abominable sins have often come to pass.
Yes, even in worldly matters it is important to be brave, and whether one takes the opportunity or misses it. As the Turks are eager to do, they always know how to take advantage of the opportunity. That is why they have won many a victory against us in a short time. In 1532 our emperor also had a good opportunity to attack the Turks splendidly, namely before Vienna in Austria. But since he missed it, we are now looking for another opportunity in vain.
For this reason we should accustom our hearts to love the first table with all our hearts. Wherever one is to go into the field, or take up any other office in the household or in the world, the first and foremost care should be to attend earnestly to the kingdom of God; but where this is neglected, we can see how miserably Esau falls away, so that he does not even have a heart for the kingdom of God.
mermehr again looks. On the other hand, Jacob grows and becomes the firstborn by very fine opportunity. Esau has the name and the glory of being the firstborn, but in the meantime he soon and grievously falls away and is robbed of all honor and glory. Therefore remember that thou be not drowsy, but that thou take heed to all occasions, lest by carelessness thou lose thy gifts and the kingdom of God. For this reason the Scriptures have set before us this example, not as a cold and dead history in vain, but to teach us and remind us how all things and persons are now and at all times.
The Holy Spirit wants us to have these two brothers always before our eyes and to make a daily saying of them. For at all times we are either Esauites or Jacobites. Esau is holy and spiritual before all others in outward appearance, and allows himself to be regarded as an heir of the kingdom of heaven, and as already possessing it, and yet is nothing more than a true Esau, that is, a saint of works and a hypocrite, who does not take religion seriously, is only outwardly pious for the sake of pleasure and belly, and cannot be deprived of the name or title of the church. Just as we do not have the name of the church in the eyes of the world, but are considered heretics and those who are born afterwards. But the Papists know how to boast that they are the firstborn. And even if we were to overcome the pope and his followers, and win with this doctrine of ours, which is actually the doctrine of the true church, there would still arise among us papists or Turks who would arrogate to themselves the title and name of the church, as the Anabaptists and sacramentalists have been until now; and it cannot be otherwise. Thus, since the pagans who persecuted the church were overcome, the Arians soon arose, who seized the name of the church by force, and the true church was even despised. Thus Cain or Abel, Esau or Jacob, always come from the same tribe and also from the same salvific gospel.
229 So Esau is the bishop, the factotum, and is the church, and yet nothing of this is due him. For the whole blessing is turned by divine command upon Jacob, who is the rightful heir of all honors and of the kingdom of heaven; but hitherto he has been deprived of the name and glory due to him, until his brother Esau himself gives him a wonderful opportunity to attain this glory; which opportunity surpasses all the hopes and thoughts of Jacob. And in sum, it rises badly above the mush. Jacob does not think that he wanted to deceive his brother. But it all happens by divine order and counsel, since no one, neither Jacob nor Esau, thought of it or was willing to do so.
230 Jacob is doing common ordinary works, he is with his mother Rebekah in the hut cooking a porridge; God turns this simplicity into a wonderful opportunity. For Esau comes back from the field and is weary that he had been so diligent in the hunt. The same diligence pleased his father Isaac well; and he lets himself be seen as having brought nothing to eat, because he was not only tired, but also hungry and thirsty. And therefore he asked with such eagerness that Jacob would let him taste the red dish. For he repeated it twice: "Let me," he said, "taste the red dish, yes, the very red dish." This indicates how he had such a great desire and craving for the food. As if a hungry person would say, "Let me eat the carp with you, and the very carp that I crave. Moses wanted to show in him that he was not only hungry and tired, but also had a great desire to eat, because he looked at the red dish with special pleasure and desired it.
But I want to have ordered this text to the Hebrew grammarians that they interpret it a little more diligently. For it is impossible that one should interpret a language in such a way that one could retain the emphasis in all places, as well as the figures in all words and sentences.
232 The Hebrew word that Esau uses when he addresses Jacob, halitheni, is
nowhere else but in this place. But what it means, the Hebrews themselves do not know and I cannot know it either. The conjugation and construction, as it is called in grammar, indicates the meaning to some extent. He wants to say: I ask you, feed me, feed me, give me to eat. The holy scripture did not want to speak in this way without a reason; it could have used another word that means to feed or nourish or something like that, but it wanted to use a special word. Rabbi Solomon writes that Esau was so tired that he could not bring his hands to his mouth and put the food in himself. I do not know, however, whether this rhymes with what follows, since the text says: "He ate and drank, and got up and went away. But this is the opinion and the right understanding, that Esau wanted Jacob to give him the meal that he had cooked for himself, and said to him, "Feed me or refresh me with this red meal.
The fact that in the text is added: "Therefore he is called Edom", is not in vain or in vain added, although it can be seen that the cause of this name is ridiculous and inconsistent enough, namely, that he should have the name of the lentil mush or of the red dish. But there is no doubt that something greater is hidden under it. For above (v. 25), when he was born entirely reddish, he was not called Edom because of his reddish skin, which would be a more important and legitimate cause of the same surname; but there his name is Esau: now that he has become full of the red dish, he is called Edom.
234 And he hath three names. Esau is his right name, which he received when he was born or when he was circumcised. The surname is Edom of the red court. The third name is Seir. Above the two names are put together, Edom and Seir, and yet he is called Esau. He received the name Seir either from the mountain on which he lived, which was called Seir before,
or from the roughness, because he was reddish and rough, and perhaps also the country, so he had, was hard and rough. Therefore the Idumeans are called the people Seir just from Esau, who had the mountain Seir in possession, or that in the same country the seirim lived, that is, the hardly and pilosi, whom we call the wild rough men. But whether in the country such wild rough men have dwelt or not, I cannot know. Otherwise, in the Bible, the seirim are understood by the devils, who tend to appear in the form of wild men.
V.31-34. But Jacob said, Sell me this day thy firstborn. Esau answered, Behold, I must die; what then shall my firstborn be to me? And Jacob said, Swear unto me this day. And he sware unto him, and sold Jacob his firstborn. Then Jacob gave him bread and the lentil dish, and he ate and drank, and rose up and went away. So Esau despised his firstborn.
There is a great question here about the buying and selling of the firstborn, for it is a spiritual good that must neither be bought nor sold. Therefore it is asked whether both have sinned, the one with selling, the other with buying. Lyra says that Esau sinned by selling the firstborn; but of Jacob he says that he did not sin by buying it, therefore he was the firstborn according to the divine order; as the saying goes, "The greater shall serve the lesser."
236 Esau had the firstborn, which was not his; for though he took it by birth, yet by God's will he did not have it, but, as it is said, he that possesseth and hath possession of an estate hath it so much the better. Therefore Jacob could not disturb him in his possession, and Esau also protected himself with worldly and divine right, and in addition also with the birth; which pieces all assign the possession and the property to the firstborn twin with all peoples. Above this, the law also gives him two shares in the father's estate.
goods. Therefore, if God had not changed and revoked this right, Esau would have retained the firstborn. But because Jacob knows from the divine voice that it is due to him, he does not sin by claiming his right, but he has done well in this, that he has watched for every opportunity, so that he might obtain the firstborn, which is due to him by right.
237 But this could not have been done in any other or better way than that his brother sold it to him. For although the dish he had cooked, or the soup, is not worth so much as to pay for the firstborn with it, it nevertheless serves to prevent him from being accused or plagued before the court. For this often happens, that one is unfairly plagued by sycophants and slanderers, who accuse him in court, and try, either by false witnesses, which they bring in, or by other cunning tricks, which they have invented and devised, to take away his goods and chattels, under the pretense that he did not rightfully possess and hold them. Those who would like to have peace there, even though they could defend and preserve their rights, would much rather give money to such sycophants who have so falsely accused them than to quarrel and wrangle with them for a long time in court, so that they can be rid of their false accusation. There the common saying applies that one must put two candles on the devil. In this way Jacob gave the red judgment and saved himself, so that his brother, who boasts of being the firstborn, was not allowed to torment him in court, so that afterwards he might possess his property and his due right with good peace. This is about what Lyra said in this place, well and godly enough, considering the time in which he lived.
238] But I have said above in the history of Abraham of simony, who bought a field for burial, Gen. 23. v. 16, namely, whether Abraham should be called a simoniac for this reason, because the burial is also among the spiritual goods.
and where one buys or sells such spiritual goods, such is called simony? But we have heard that the same purchased field was a worldly property, and that was subject to its physical lord. And where a field is sold, it is a civil transaction, as one citizen buys and sells with another. Therefore Abraham did not sin when he bought the field and made a burial there; for otherwise it would all be mere simony what the Christians buy for their daily needs, as bread, meat, wine, all of which the saints or believers use for their own use; which is a very unreasonable thing if one were to judge it in this way.
The laws and canons call it simony, where one buys spiritual goods for money. For example, when a churchyard or burial ground is sold, they say it is simony, because among Christians it is ecclesiastical property. Item, where one sells a part of a parish, for example, or property belonging to the ecclesiastical benefices or fiefs, which they also call ecclesiastical fiefs.
240 This was the great sin, for which the theologians and canonists unanimously scolded so vehemently before this time, and condemned the bishops and Roman curtisans (courtiers), who bought and sold the bishoprics. But they could not achieve anything with their great clamor and are now mocked by the whole papacy; which papacy with its substance and essence is full of simony, and if you take away the simony from the papacy, you have already taken out the sun. For the Curtisans have nothing else to do but buy and sell spiritual fiefdoms.
Therefore, if one wanted to reform the Roman Church from simony, it would be nothing else than to destroy it to the ground and even to exterminate it. Where will the glory and great splendor of the cardinals at the court of Rome remain if you take away the simony there? Yes, then the whole court of Rome will go down to the ground and fall away. For there are too many cardinals, all of whom are now spiritual.
The Cardinals have devoured and consumed the church property. The Cardinals have seized and consumed the monastery of St. Agnes in Rome, in which a hundred and sixty people have been nourished and maintained. Therefore, everything is full of simony according to the pope's spiritual right, and whoever wanted to take away simony from the papacy would do as much as if he wanted to put the devil in heaven.
242 Johann Huss and others who led the teaching office at that time almost punished this vice severely, but it was all in vain and in vain. For the court of Rome is a damned thing, from which everyone should beware and curse it; what good can it teach from faith and good works? The papacy is an assembly of devils and the most shameful people. They condemn simony and yet live from it themselves, and therefore have their livelihood. That is why St. John admonishes us in his Revelation at the 18th Cap. V. 4. 5, when he says of Babylon: "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, that ye receive not any of her plagues: for her sins reach unto heaven, and God remembereth her iniquities" 2c. They are all the devil's pens or churches, therefore we should flee from them so that we do not share in their plagues.
But we could excuse this theft of theirs with a gloss, that it is not called simony; for it is a worldly robbery, and there is no difference between such simony and where one otherwise takes an estate in a worldly way with injustice: not differently, as we see now in our time, that those of the nobility quarrel with each other, and take the lying goods, fields, carriages and villages from each other; to that our fiefs and salaries, which we use, are also acquired by simony. They are collected from whores' wages, as it is written in the prophet Micah in 1 Cap. V. 7. But when they seize the church goods, they do not use them to maintain pious priests or church servants, but use them only for abundance, for their splendor, and that they may live on them in luxury. We who
They are for the right use, namely, that the church servants are nourished, and the schools are appointed and maintained. For this reason we do not pay attention to simony, but because they complain about their spiritual right, we say to them: "Out of your mouth I judge you" 2c., Luc. 19, 22.
This is true simony, where spiritual things are bought and sold for money. As if one wanted to buy God's grace, faith, love, miracles, gifts and power of the Holy Spirit, so that the church and congregation of God would be adorned, and deal with it, as Simon undertook in the stories of the apostles in the 8th chapter. V. 19; not that such a spiritual thing in itself could be given to one who buys or sells such a sanctuary. For the Holy Spirit does not give His gifts for money, nor does God take gold or silver for the forgiveness of sins, for life, for the eyes, senses and reason, and for all the other benefits He has bestowed upon us: But according to his divine goodness he scatters and distributes his gifts to both the grateful and the ungrateful, demanding of us only thanksgiving, that we say, Praise be to God the Lord in his gifts; so that the Godhead may be ascribed to him, that is, that we may recognize him as our God, whom we should also confess with all our heart, mouth and works, that he is the Creator. Otherwise, we cannot give him anything else for such great gifts or pay him for them.
But one should see what is the intention and the will of those who buy or sell spiritual gifts. The intention of Simon in the stories of the apostles is simony. For he desires that it may happen to him, that he may receive the Holy Spirit for his money. This is also the meaning of the words when we ask that God be honored and praised, and that His kingdom be preserved. God cannot be dishonored or reviled, for He is essentially the glory, the power and the goodness Himself. But our purpose and will is so done that we desire that there be no God, and that His glory be only to be honored.
become disgraceful. And we prove the same against His word and sacraments. Thus, if we could insult or revile God as we revile His Word and Sacraments, we would not refrain from doing so.
This, then, is true simony, namely, such buying and selling as is practiced and practiced with God's Word and the sacraments, with the church and the saints. The pope did not understand this simony and still does not understand it today; although the whole papacy is drowned in it, and was afflicted with simony long before it got into it according to the spiritual laws. For they have sold heaven, forgiveness of sins, God's grace and the Holy Spirit for their works. That is why so many churches, monasteries, masses, indulgences and monastic orders came into being, with which works we wanted to earn God's grace.
In this way they have made of God a merchant, who does not want to give the kingdom of heaven for free and by grace, but for money and human merit. For even though he offers to give it out of grace, they throw away such gracious and undeserved benefits and spend a hundred or a thousand guilders to build monasteries and churches and such like things, so that they may redeem and take possession of the grace and benefits of God. Doesn't that mean buying grace and forgiveness of sins and dealing with them? And the pope has been such a companion, since he was also the best of all, and with such simony he has filled the whole world, so much so that the world is now nothing else but such an impure place, which is full of true simony. For what else do the monasteries and convents do but take money and deal with godliness.
248 But to speak of it in fact, it is impossible to buy God's grace; and if you were to subject yourself to it, it would be just as much as if you wanted to milk a goat, that is, you would do it in vain and only a lost labor. The pope milks the goat, the people
keeps the sieve under, as they say in Proverbs. Now if it were possible that the pope might be reformed and the very gross simony might be swept out, yet they cannot be cleansed from the right simony. For this is the heart and soul of the pope. As the soul is the substance and essence of the body, so the pope is a Simonist with body and soul. But if the simony were to be taken away and abolished, all the splendor, honor and glory of the pope would soon fall away, and he would remain only a bishop of Rome.
Therefore, one can see how much great danger and evil is in the papacy, what a maw it is, and how the whole world is so horribly devoured by the primacy of the pope, since he alone wanted to be the supreme bishop and head of the church. That is why we must fight this beast with complete seriousness. And yet they fight even more for the Pope to keep his primacy, which he has arrogated to himself, completely and perfectly. But what would that be but to give back to simony its soul and life? It is truly an abominable blasphemy and shameful abuse of the name of God, which will be punished with eternal damnation. For they have taken the word, the name of God and the church by force, and yet nothing has been bought. They only pretended that God was such a God who wanted to sell grace. Their intention and will was Simonian. But actually it is in itself all only the goat and the sieve, that is, vain lost and futile thing, with which they have gone around.
But this error is planted by nature in the hearts of all people, namely, if God wanted to sell His grace, we would accept it much sooner and more willingly, because He offers it to us for free and without our merit. Before, when simony reigned and was in full swing, all people were very eager and eager to build innumerable monasteries and churches. Because they wanted to buy and sell the kingdom of heaven with it. Now, since it is given to the people for free and without any
and since it is said: God sent his Son into the flesh and made him man, so that he might give eternal life to all who believe in him; you have earned nothing at all, these goods are given to you by grace, namely, salvation from death and sins, the Holy Spirit and the kingdom of heaven: the world despises this mercy and kindness of God. Before, when we were taught how we could earn the grace of God by our works, people often ran to it, and everyone spent everything he could on it. How this small town of Wittenberg gave a thousand guilders annually to the monks.
251 The saying of Ambrose, which is very harmful, was highly praised everywhere: Regnum coelorum est pauperum, that is: The kingdom of heaven is for the poor, namely, from the saying of Christ Luc. 16, 9: "That they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles. The saying has gone through the hearts of all men like a sharp shear rattle. Then they cried out, "If the rich want to be saved, they must buy it from the poor; but the poor are the Franciscans or the barefoot friars (fratres minores) and the other spiritual brothers, who have the kingdom of heaven in their hands; from them you must buy it.
What then is this abomination and monster, that the world so shamefully despises the redemption from sin, death and hell, which is offered to us by grace through Christ? If simony were to reign again and become prevalent, people would generously turn all their goods over to it; but if we now teach from God's word and Christ's command and say: "Dear man, accept the benefits of God by grace, and also give the pastors, church and school servants again for free, so that you do not ask for anything in return: no one wants to hear that, people are even deaf, yes, they rob those whom they should help cheaply and whom they should hold in honor. Is not this a frightening madness of darkness? So all men are afflicted with the vice of simony, and yet one cannot sell such things. For God has never given
The monks were not given anything else for their monastic vows, except hellish fire and eternal torment and torture.
253 But now it may be seen what a miserable and dangerous thing it is, where one has fallen away from the right main doctrine, from the justification of faith and how one must be saved without works. For where this doctrine is darkened and extinguished, the whole world is afflicted with simony. Thus, the Turks also subject themselves to propitiate God with their works, and to buy the spiritual gifts for money and their own merit. Therefore, it is a simony by name, like the one described in the spiritual law of the pope. For they do not solve or obtain anything with money or their own merit, but the intention and the will is so deeply ingrained in the heart of man that all men are by nature afflicted with the vice of simony that they would like God to be such a God who could be reconciled with the works and merit of men, to whom they could rise up and reproach: I have done much good, I have fasted much, you must see that and sell me blessedness and eternal life for it. But God does not know or hear such evildoers, and holds His will before us in the apostolic teaching. As St. Paul says in Eph. 2, 8. 9: "By grace you have been justified" and "have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest anyone should boast." Where this grace is abolished, there is no longer any difference between Turks and the pope, between Gentiles and Jews, so they are all afflicted with simony, are real caprimulgi, Bockmelker.
254 Simony, of which the canonists write, is something lighter and only bodily, which is to be drawn on external and worldly robbery: but if the pope takes crowns, cities, and land from kings and other monarchs, that he may commemorate them in the mass; if he puts on the appearance of godliness, and wants to be regarded and held as the most pious and holy: there he is the most wicked, and is altogether a
Simonist. For there he only does harm with his example and confesses simony with outward or worldly robbery; but here he does not confess sin, but praises and extols his righteousness and religion.
For this reason, I wanted to remind you that you can understand what true simony is, and that we remain with the pure doctrine, which teaches us how God gave us His Son, and through Him all heavenly and spiritual goods, which the world wants to buy for money and the merit of works, and not receive and accept for free and by grace.
Now let us return to the history. It can be seen as if Jacob had insisted on the purchase, so that he cannot be excused and absolved from the vice of simony. For he clearly says, "Sell me your firstborn." But by what right does he demand the same, and commit such a great sin, that he may presume to buy the blessing, which is spiritual, and pertains to Christ and things to come, which are all holy and pertain to the life to come?
In this life all things are worldly, unholy, and defiled; but the sacraments and other holy things are not instituted and ordained for the sake of this present life, but that they may be a holy preparation for things to come. For by the gospel I am prepared, born again, and changed unto the life to come; it is not given unto me that I should be enriched thereby. But he that is a minister or preacher, and preacheth the gospel that he may get riches and honor of this world thereby, is afflicted with the vice of simony. So this is the use and benefit of baptism, that by it I am transferred out of my mother's womb and out of the grave and placed in paradise, and out of death into life. For this reason I do not seek the pleasure and joy of this world, but need spiritual gifts, so that when the bodily gifts cease, I may then be led out of this life into eternal life and immortality. Whoever is a priest for this reason, absolves or administers sacraments, so that
he who wants to gain honor and power from it, he is afflicted with simony according to the rough definition, as the Canonists have described simony; but he is not in the number of those who find something more subtle and bending, and want to earn eternal life with works.
258 But why does Jacob ask that the firstborn be sold to him? And because he wants to buy it, it follows that it is a bargain. To this I answer: Jacob has regard to the opportunity by which he would obtain the firstborn, and he has wanted to make use of this opportunity.
259 Then his brother Esau is counted among those who are grossly and outwardly burdened with simony, that is, he has sought nothing else in spiritual blessings but to fill his belly with them. For he did not go into the tabernacle, but despised the service. He first despised the small things, until he fell into contempt of the greater goods, as Cain, the firstborn, also did. Esau did not understand how great the blessing was, so he sold it for such goods and pleasures as pertain only to this present world, so that he was truly deprived of the firstborn and all goods before God. Therefore Jacob diligently took care of the present occasion, and became one with his brother, that he should give him certain payment, that hereafter his brother might not make a noise or other displeasure to him for the sake of the firstborn, and that for this cause he might not impose or reproach him.
So today the pope has the name of the church and we do not have it, but we know that we are truly the church. For we have the word, the holy sacraments, and the keys which Christ left and commanded to be used, not that they should serve our power and lusts of this life, but that they should prepare us for the future of the Son of God. Therefore we are the true church.
261 But the pope appropriates this title and name because he is in possession of it, and boasts that he is the successor and heir to the chair of Peter and Paul. If I now
would make such a contract with the pope and say to him: I will give you so many thousand florins annually that you will let me preach the gospel freely, purely and loudly, would that also be simony? Answer: No, because I do not buy what I already have, namely, the right use of the holy sacraments, the pure teaching of the gospel, of faith, of hope, since I am waiting for the life to come, all of which is already permitted to me even against the will of the pope and without his power or authority. But I seek only this, since I offer to give him a thousand florins to buy myself out of his torment. Therefore I do not buy anything from him, but only throw a soup and a red lentil dish to the adversary, so that I may deprive the pope of the name he bears, that he wants to be the church: otherwise I do not respect his bulls and letters of indulgence at all. For this reason, I would advise the princes of our part to give him several thousand crowns annually for the sake of the cause, so that the bloodshed and other troubles may cease more and the gospel may be spread in peace. This is not a simony, but a redemtio vexationis, that one buys it from him, that he should not plague us like this.
262 Therefore when Jacob says to Esau, "Sell me your firstborn," this is not a true purchase. For the firstborn had already belonged to Jacob, and Esau was deprived of it. With Jacob is the possession, but he does not have the name. With Esau is the name and not the right possession. But because Jacob sees that Esau has no other mind, or does not seek anything else in your blessing except to fill his belly, just as the priest seeks only his honor and power under the pretense that he bears the name of the church, he throws soup into the mouth of Cerberus, so that he will not trouble him with it later.
In this way I would wish that our princes would give twenty thousand florins annually to the emperor, so that the teaching of the gospel might be preached in peace and quiet. Yes, someone would like to say, so I hear, you want to give money for such spiritual gifts? Ant-
Wart: By no means; for what we already have, we do not buy, nor can they take it from us, but we want to spend the money so that they will leave us unattended and that the pope and emperor will give us peace.
But, dear pope and cardinals, you should know that these spiritual goods are not yours, but ours. And even if the pope would never give them both in the sacrament, we still have them from God, and they cannot sell them; or, if they would, they will milk the goat and maintain the sieve. We have both forms against the will of the pope and with God's permission. But if they will not cease to persecute, choke and rob us, we will make such a treaty with them that they will eat the red judgment; but they shall not retain the honor of having given or bestowed upon us both forms of the sacrament and other such spiritual gifts. For that would be as much as if we would consent to their power, which they arrogate to themselves, and confirm it. And this is a divine and holy good, which I cannot buy for any money. That is why we do not want to have it given or given by the pope.
Thus Esau (as well as Ishmael in Genesis 21:9) will undoubtedly have done much to displease his brother Jacob and will have ruled over him defiantly, so that he would be the lord and firstborn; Jacob, however, must be considered a servant and a fool. From such persecution, and that his brother caused him such vexation, Jacob wanted to free himself and save himself, so that he could safely claim the spiritual blessing.
Thus, many devout Christians are found today who leave the cities for the sake of the confession of the gospel, so that they do not have to suffer the tyranny of the papists. And St. Paul also says Romans 12:18: "If it be possible, as much as is in you, be at peace with all men." If the adversaries will not keep the peace, give them a red judgment, that they may let thee have peace; that is, that they may let thee use with peace the goods which thou hast already.
Now follows Esau's answer to his brother's request. "Behold," he says, "I must die; what then shall the firstborn be to me?" Then the wicked man despairs, and has betrayed himself with his own testimony that he had a godless heart. Shall one then deal with religion, with godliness and the firstborn? Should we no longer think of it? For now he publicly confesses that he does not understand the firstborn, and that he does not consider it an inheritance of the future life and a holy thing.
But if the firstborn were of no use but for the great honor and riches of this life, where would faith be, where would hope and waiting for eternal goods remain? So let us now say with the ungodly and Epicureans, as they are wont to say. When they hear that heaven is called, they answer and say: What heaven! would we have flour here. As the pope also thinks nothing more of the church and keys: What sayest thou to me much about keys? I must use them, that with them I may gather money and goods, and conquer kings and princes. These are the Esauitic words of the wicked, who think that godliness consists only in having great profit and enjoyment from it; and would soon say good night to Christ and his gospel and let them go, if they could not have great happiness and much money and good from it in time.
269 Therefore this is a very brave testimony from the holy scripture, that Esau has already lost the firstborn. For he is judged out of his own mouth, though no doubt he will have thought thus: I am the LORD; I will sell the firstborn, but I will mock my brother with it. For though I will sell it to him, yet can I bring it again to myself. So he mocked his brother and despised him. Just as the pope with his larvae mocked the whole world and deceived it when he sold his good works and indulgences; and he thought that it should remain so for him and that everything would go out freely for him, and that no one would have to punish him for it, or else he would finally be able to repent again.
270 And today there are also many who disgracefully abuse the teaching of the gospel, and can nevertheless caress themselves and say: Although I now lie in sin and am ungodly, I will finally repent again and come to life. Just as some say of Duke George, "Well, he may well have been converted at his last end, when he was supposed to depart from this life. But all of them will finally hear this sad verdict from the saying that is written about Esau in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Cap. 12, 17: "But know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no room for repentance, even though he sought it with tears.
-So the antinomians also enjoy the goods of this world, that it may go well with them only in this life, and say that they want to convert and repent in his time; thus they despise their blessings, the church, baptism, the keys, forgiveness of sins, eternal life and God's grace; they receive them all in vain; they miss the pleasant time and the day of salvation, of which St. Paul says 2 Cor. 6, 2. Paul says 2 Cor. 6, 2. But afterwards they will seek in vain such an opportunity as they have now missed and despised, and will then have waited too long; as the bride in Solomon's Song of Songs laments in 5 Cap. V. 6: "When I had opened the door to my friend, he was gone and gone away."
272 Therefore, when Esau says, "Behold, I must die; what then shall the firstborn be to me?" he indicates that he had thought only of the belly, how he might fill it, and that he had rejected the promise as vain and of no use to the life to come; even as the Epicureans of this day also say, Why is it necessary that one should hear the gospel, use the keys, or the Lord's supper?
But Jacob is of a much different mind, and knows that such holy things serve as preparation for the life to come. That is why he holds them in high esteem, and he is completely filled with great love, which he bears for such divine things. But those who want to use them only for this life, the same as those who do not.
The people are deprived of them by divine right and power. For there it is their free will that they sell or reject such divine goods with good knowledge and will.
274 Now that Jacob sees that the right time is now, he stops with his request and wants the contract to be confirmed and executed. "So swear to me," he says, "today," or now, soon in this hour. For one should not miss such an opportunity. "Then Esau sware unto him, and so Jacob sold his firstborn." We should also deal with the papists in the same way, if they would swear and set up guarantors, and also give a letter and seal that they would not start a war against us, then we would immediately give them a red lentil dish.
Now there is still another question left, which is suggested by others here. We will deal with it so that it does not mislead the reader, namely, whether the red judgment was the price for which Jacob bought the firstborn from his brother? To this they answer, saying that it was not the actual purchase price Jacob gave for the firstborn, because the firstborn was a very great and precious thing. Therefore, they say, it is not according to the truth that Esau should have taken this bad judgment as payment for the firstborn. Therefore they say that this dish was only a pledge to confirm the purchase, which Esau received as a sign that he had sold Jacob the firstborn; just as in our country it is customary to place a jug of wine or two between the buyer and seller as a sign that one has bought something from the other. The Germans call it a Gleichkauf.
This opinion came from the books of the Jewish rabbis, and we reject it and do not accept it, as one must do with all their opinions, namely, that one should keep the good that is in it, but reject and beware of what is evil and wrong. For this opinion here is directly contrary to the clear text in the epistle to the Hebrews Cap. 12, 16.
It is clearly stated that Esau sold his firstborn for the sake of food.
For the Holy Scriptures have intended to illustrate the nature and customs of the false and hypocritical church, which one must learn to recognize and understand by its customs, of which Esau was the model and figure. For this church is accustomed to boast of the name of God almost highly and wants to be the church and be held for the church by force, and it is also before the world, as Esau has the firstborn; but he despises it and through such contempt he has also lost it. For he is again despised, rejected and robbed. Therefore his boast is nothing, just as the boast of the papists is nothing, who may boast that they are the church and successors of the apostles. For he who wants to be the church must truly esteem the firstborn great, not only here in this life, but also after this one.
278 And this quarrel endures in the world for ever. As Esau quarreled with Jacob, so we also have such a quarrel with the papists, and before us the Jews also quarreled with the apostles. The Jews fiercely argued that they were God's people, and St. Paul Rom. 2, 17 and 9, 24 also confessed that they were the church. But because they only kept the mere name, but despised the true church in themselves, therefore they were rejected and the Gentiles were called and accepted; as in the prophet Hosea in 2 Cap. v. 23: "I will say to that which was not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God"; and Deut. 32:21: "With their idolatry they have provoked me to anger. And I will provoke them again in that which is not my people; in a foolish people will I provoke them to anger."
Therefore, this is the first sign, indeed, a very nasty evil color of the hypocritical church, namely, that it is very proud and hopeful, and fiercely defies the name of God, the church, the keys, the church office, the sacraments, and can do no more than boast only of God.
280 But the other sign is that in truth they despise things, and
The church does not ask much about its firstborn. As the pope and his bishops neither teach nor baptize, nor administer any church office. They have only the name, but the fruit and the work they do not prove. Therefore Christ says Matth. 7, 16: "By their fruits you shall know them." Because the pope despises the church, he also loses the church, and the vain boast that they say, "We are the true Christians, we are the church, we are bishops," is of no value. If the truth is not also there, then you will not keep the name for long, yes, you are already rejected, and what you have, you do not have. So the heretics who will come after us will also lose the church. For it is a pillar and foundation of the truth, 1 Tim. 3:15, which they will reject, and their boasting will not help them at all, and that they have the name without truth.
281. When they cry out and say, "We are the church, we have power and authority to command and forbid, and we want to force ourselves to obey their statutes and bylaws," we will answer them thus: Dear sirs, you ought to know that there are two kinds of churches, namely, the one which is commonly thought to be, and the other to which the name rightly belongs; item, the one which has the appearance of the church, and the other which is in truth the church; or, the one by name, the other by essence, as they themselves teach. Esau is the church only in name and outward appearance, but has not the essence, as do all idolaters and heretics, who also arrogate to themselves the name of the church.
I can suffer and admit that one is only a Christian in name and yet outwardly administers the office of the church. Even if one is already secretly godless and a wicked man, where he only baptizes, visits the sick, and comforts and strengthens the poor afflicted consciences, this does not prevent him from being counted outwardly among the Christians and to the church, but only not by right. But the pope and his bishops do not do the same. Therefore, they cannot even be counted with the Christians.
The pope and his bishops do what is contrary to the ministry of the church: they blaspheme the word, persecute the godly and pious Christians, that is, the true church.
There are many servants in our church, in name only, but not in law. But the pope is publicly a renounced enemy of the church, he suppresses the pure doctrine of faith, fills the world with vain idolatry, simony and many countless abominable things more. That means to be nonsensical and to rage against the visible and invisible church, as the Turks do. Therefore the argument of the papists is not valid when they say: We are the external church, therefore you should tolerate and suffer us. If they wanted to be such people as they want to be called and called the church, they would have to be one with us in doctrine: they would have to teach and administer the church office rightly, which is due to right and pious bishops. But they are the descendants of Esau, are adversaries and destroyers of the church, as heretics are.
But those who pretend to be godly and pious, and yet are hypocrites, as many of them are found among the assembly of the godly, we tolerate that they also be counted among the faithful, provided they teach nothing contrary to the confession of the true doctrine.
The third sign of the false hypocritical church was also depicted by Moses in this example. For because Esau was so sure, and with great defiance neglected the spiritual goods or gifts, namely, faith, love, patience, kindness, which are in the church, and even despised all these things, it now follows that he gains a lust and a fierce desire for the red judgment. This is said: Because he does not ask for the knowledge of Christ, does not care that the spiritual gifts may be increased in him, does not care for eternal life, he becomes a miser and such a man, who only strives for pleasure, honor and glory of this life.
286 Yes, that's it, that he's from the lentil
He thinks more of the judgments than of the firstborn. This much is said: He belongs to the outward church; but he follows flesh and blood, seeks only bodily gain and enjoyment in godliness. Thus the false church pretends to be godly only so that it may enjoy the pleasures and honors of this world. But the true church seeks eternal life through patience and true faith, but those are true servants of the belly and the belly is their god, Phil. 3, 19.
This is the secret with the red dish, which the holy scripture holds out to us in this place, so that the dispute between these brothers is decided by the firstborn. The lentils, however, are not red, but rather yellow. Therefore I think they must have been seasoned with saffron or some other spice, so that they might make a desire to eat. But this is how it is with the present goods of this world, for which men have a great desire, that they much rather go after gluttony, drinking and eating, than that they should eat and drink the flesh and blood of the Son of God, that is, believe and strive for the heavenly goods. They seek only their gain or pleasure and the honor of this world; which things are so utterly pleasant and merry that they make men not only hungry, but also lust and desire. That is why Esau repeated twice that he desired his brother, saying, "Dear, feed me, let me taste the red dish, yes, the red lentil dish.
Therefore the holy scripture wants to indicate that all men become more and more stingy, hopeful and carnal, where they lose the blessing, as they were before, because they all have flesh and blood. Therefore they seek nothing but what is carnal, and with abominable lust they desire the red lentil dish. But all this is done under the name of God and Christ, under the title of the church. Jacob also eats the red dish, but is not so eager; he does not repeat "the red" twice, as Esau does. This is said so much: The godly do not use the present goods as for salvation, but only for their need.
289. At last Moses adds, how Esau esteemed it so low, that he had sold the firstborn. There also the great defiance and hopefulness is shown and punished. For he thought that he would be well secured by human help, that he could easily maintain his right against his brother, regardless of the fact that he had made a contract and purchase with him.
Thus the hypocrites and false brethren do: they carry the tree on both armpits, and are treacherous and cunning; now they pretend to give way and yield a little, soon they again seize what is not rightfully theirs, and yet they have their glosses to cover their hypocrisy and excuse themselves that they may keep the lentil mush at the same time as the firstborn. For they want to serve God and the belly or mammon at the same time.
291 So Esau also thought, Though I have sold the firstborn, yet item, ge
If I have sworn and eaten the soup, and it looks as if my brother, who was despised, has taken away the firstborn, then I will keep it and not believe him. For he has not sold it in earnest, but has mocked his brother and wanted to deceive him, as if he had sold it to him, and yet wanted to receive his right.
But the epistle to the Hebrews Cap. 12, 17 indicates that he was subsequently rejected. And though he undertook to restore the firstborn to himself, because he repented that he had sold it, yet he accomplished nothing by such repentance. I do not say that he should not be saved, but that he could not regain the blessing he once lost with any tears. So now I understand that he sold the firstborn for this soup, and I do not accept the Jewish rabbis' gloss. For they are carnal men, who have no understanding in the holy scriptures.