V.1-10. And the words of the children of Laban came before him, saying: Jacob has brought all our father's goods to himself, and from our father's goods he has brought such riches. And Jacob looked upon the face of Laban, and, behold, it was not against him as before. And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto thy fathers' land, and to thy friendship; and I will be with thee. So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field by his flock, and said unto them: I see your father's face, that it is not against me as before. But the God of my father has been with me. And ye know that I have served your father out of all my strength. And he has deceived me, and now he has changed my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to harm me. When he said, "The colored ones shall be your reward," the whole herd wore colored ones. But when he said, "The mottled ones shall be your reward," then the whole host bore the mottled ones. So God took your father's goods from him and gave them to me. For when the time of the run came, I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the goats leaped upon the mottled, spotted, and multicolored sheep.
(1) Thus we have heard how Jacob served for twenty years, which was a long service for such a man, who had a wife and children, and received no wages of his own without what God gave him in the end. The two children also suffered much, even though they were his own daughters. Rachel, even though she was Jacob's favorite, had to be a Cinderella compared to her sons' wives. For seven years they had to be maidservants and had no right in the house. What many a wicked trick and trick they have had to suffer, and keep silent! For the other wives were heathens, proud butchers, and lived according to the law.
Flesh and blood, so that they all lived a hard, miserable life with Jacob.
(2) But he did not escape, nor did he hurry away, but waited until God told him that He had called him to go into the country and promised to bring him home in peace. He waited for this every day, but it took a long time.
(3) Whoever reads this chapter must pay attention to the fact that the word of God that follows was spoken earlier. The text begins as if he had called the two wives to him before God spoke to him; but it happened a good while before, at the time when the affair with Laban began, in the fourteenth or fifteenth year; as he then [vv. 11. 12.] when he says: "The angel of God came to me in a dream, and said, Lift up thine eyes, and behold, the goats leap upon the speckled and spotted and colored sheep" 2c. The dear saints, what they have done, they have done in the word of God; what they have not done, they have not done. Therefore, when the word comes here and tells him to go away, he follows it and sets out, always following the word, but full of suffering and cross.
004 The words of the children of Laban came before him, saith Moses, saying, Jacob hath taken all our father's substance unto himself. What an envious, stingy people they were; he has taken everything to himself, they think; they are sorry that Jacob should have a penny of his own. He had to hear that, and if he had not had God's word, he would have thought they would take his wives and all his goods. But he does not look at the property, but speaks afterwards [v. 31.] to Laban: "I feared that you would snatch your daughters from me."
5 They go on to say, "And of our Father's
*) In Buchwald's "Andreas Poach's Handwritten Collection" 2c. we meet p. XXXIII the note that from the postscripts of Stephan Roth m Zwickau Hervorgehe, "that Luther stood on Sunday Judica <13. March) 1524 at chapter 31".
Good he has brought about such wealth." What fine thoughts are these! Jacob had made Laban rich, as he himself confesses that God had blessed him for his sake; nor may they say: If his father's goods were not, he would not have a penny. So he still has to suffer the humiliation of all the injustice and violence they had done to him. What he now says further, when he speaks to the women, is easily explained.
V. 11-16. And the angel of God said unto me in a dream, Jacob. And I answered, Here am I. And he said, Lift up thine eyes, and, behold, the goats leap upon the speckled, spotted, and multicolored sheep: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the stone and made a vow to me there. Now arise, and go forth out of this land, and return unto the land of thy friendship. And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, We have neither part nor inheritance in our father's house: for he hath kept us as strangers, because he sold us, and consumed our wages. Therefore God hath delivered unto our Father his riches unto us, and unto our children. Do therefore all things whatsoever God hath said unto thee.
(6) These things are told one after another, so that we may know that the good father Jacob did right, and had God's command; for "God took the goods of Laban (he says) and gave them to me. And here you see that God does indeed try His dear saints, leaving Jacob in anguish and distress for twenty years; but at last He comes and comforts him.
007 Therefore we also shall learn to hold fast the word with patience, and not forsake it, though it endure an hundred years. For that he consumeth, he doeth by grace for our good, that faith may be strong and great, and that he may the more abundantly give that which he hath promised. For this is his way, that he comes slowly; but he comes well; as he also punishes slowly, but punishes grievously, giving time and space enough to be known and to amend. Therefore the elect must wait and be patient for the sake of the wicked, so that he may stand with his glory, that he is long-suffering and does not punish soon. So endures
The patience of the pious, and the shrewdness of the wicked for a long time, but God comes in due time and repays both sides abundantly.
(8) Then he said, "I have seen all that Laban does to you. In one word God condemns all that Jacob has done, and condemns all that Laban has done. Now let anyone say that Jacob deceived Laban. For it is ever so much as to say, Thou hast done him right, and he thee wrong. The two sisters, Rachel and Leah, hear this and also complain, "We no longer have any part or inheritance in our father's house. Should the daughters speak of their father in this way? But they have tried so much that they were allowed to say freely, "He has kept us as strangers"; [we] also have no part in the good anywhere; he tears it all away from us and gives it to others. Which will often have hurt them, and they 1) will sometimes have grumbled and been impatient. But Jacob admonished and comforted them, so that they let it go.
9. for this, they say, he has not kept us as children, but has sold us, that is, taken us for handmaids to be bought and sold, keeping them like cattle, that all they wear and work is not theirs but the Lord's, giving them nothing but food and clothing. "Therefore (they say) GOD has taken it from our Father" 2c. The word also indicates that they were pious children who recognized GOD and His work. This is how far this history goes. Now follows another piece, how they fared on the journey.
(v.17-35) So Jacob arose, and loaded his children and his wives upon camels, and carried away all his cattle, and all his substance, which he had purchased in Mesopotamia, to come unto Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan (Laban having gone to shear his flock); and Rachel stole her father's images. So Jacob stole Laban's heart in Syria, 2)
1) "they" is missing in the Erlanger.
2) Marginal gloss: steel the heart. Stealing the heart is Hebrew for doing something behind another's knowledge, but it means that the faithful grasp the right core of God's word, which the works saints never realize.
so that he did not tell him that he was fleeing. So he fled, and all that were his arose, and passed over the waters, and went toward mount Gilead. On the third day Laban was told that Jacob was fleeing. And he took his brethren, and pursued after him seven days' journey, and caught him in mount Gilead. And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not unto Jacob otherwise than good. And Laban came near to Jacob. Jacob had pitched his tents on the mountain. And Laban and his brethren pitched their tents in mount Gilead. And Laban said unto Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen my heart, and hast taken away my daughters, when they were fallen by the sword? Why hast thou hid this, that thou hast cried, and hast stolen away from me, and hast not told me, that I might have led thee with joy, with singing, with timbrels, and with harps? And didst not let me kiss my children and my daughters. Thou hast done well. And I had so much power, praise God, that I could do you evil; but your father God said to me yesterday, Beware that you speak no other words to Jacob than good. And because thou wouldest go, and hast so nearly desired thy father's Hans, why hast thou stolen my gods from me? Jacob answered and said unto Laban, I feared lest thou shouldest take thy daughters from me. But with whom thou shalt find thy gods, let him die here before our brethren. Seek thine with me, and take it. But he did not know that she had stolen Rachel. So Laban went into Jacob's tent, and Leah's tent, and the two maidservants, and found nothing. And he went out of Leah's tent into Rachel's tent. Then Rachel took the images and put them under the litter of the camels, and sat on them. And Laban searched the whole tabernacle, and found nothing. Then she said to her father, "My lord, do not be angry with me, for I cannot stand up to you, for I am after the manner of women. So he searched, and found the images nothing, 1) as almost he searched.
1) The following words, which are in the Bible and in the Jena, are missing in the Erlanger.
(10) To steal the heart is a Hebrew way of speaking, when one does a thing behind one's back, so that another knows nothing about it. But there is guilt in Jacob's stealing away secretly with his wife and child, and in Rachel's cheating and stealing his father's silver idols. But is it ever asked whether it was done right? The father did not give her anything as he owed, so she thought: I am also a child in the house; [she] had to bring some of it, could not come to the other. But whether it was done, I do not know. It is said that she did it so that she made less idolatry in her father's house, but I do not know. It may well have been a female mistake, but there is no power in it; even if she had stolen more, it would not have done any harm. If she has done wrong, we do not want to excuse her.
11 Now this is to be seen, that Laban hurried after them; in which however a piece of Jacob's 2) faith is indicated. For it must have been bold courage and defiant faith for him to set out with so many, wife, child, servants and all the cattle, to go so far through the land, especially because he does it behind Laban's back. [He must have thought: He will make up his mind and follow us, so that he will take everything that is here and catch it, and he will go with us in the most horrible way. But nothing but God's word contains and protects him, even though everything can be seen differently. That was a bold, strong faith, which will become weak afterwards. So now he commands God so strongly that he leads his wife, child and servants across the foreign land, because he knew for certain that Laban would hurry after him. Because he trusts in God, he does not let him go, since Laban is angry with him and wants to attack him and cool his temper with him. For if he had not meant it that way, God should not have warned him in his sleep and commanded that he harm him; so he comes himself and accomplishes so much that Laban must leave him in peace.
(12) Thus, behold, how God makes His saints stand alone in wonder; but when it comes to the
2) Erlanger: his.
When the need comes, he is there so soon. Before, he left Jacob twenty years and acted as if he did not ask anything about him; now he comes unexpectedly and helps. When we think that he has forgotten us, he comes so soon that we could not wish it better. Therefore he said unto Jacob, I have seen all that Laban hath done unto thee. How is it that you have seen, and yet have kept silent? Yes, now I come and will protect you. So also Christ in Matthew [Cap. 10, 30.], "All the hairs of your head are numbered." In spite of him who bends a hair of our head, he still poses as if he wanted to tear us away. Now this is the art of knowing God's work.
(vv. 36-55) And Jacob was wroth, and quarreled with Laban, and answered and said unto him, What have I wronged, or sinned, that thou art so hot against me? Thou hast touched all my household goods: what hast thou found of thy household goods? Lay it before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge between us. Twenty years have I been with thee; thy sheep and thy goats have not been barren. I have never eaten the rams of thy flock. What the animals tore, I did not bring you, I had to pay it, you demanded it from my hand, it would be stolen from me by day or by night. By day I pined away with heat, and by night with frost, and my sleep departed from my eyes. So I served twenty years in thy house, fourteen for thy daughters, and six for thy host; and thou hast changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had not been on my side, you would have let me go empty-handed. But God looked at my misery and work, and punished me yesterday. Laban answered and said unto Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the herds are my herds, and all that thou seest is mine. What can I do to my daughters today, or to their children whom they have borne? So come now, and let us make a covenant," I
1) Marginal gloss: fear. Jacob calls the God of Isaac "fear", because Isaac was God-fearing and God's servant.
And thou that art a witness between me and thee. Then Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a mark, and said unto his brethren: Read stones to them. And they took the stones, and made a heap," and ate upon the same heap. And Laban called his name Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called his name Gilead. 2) And Laban said, Let the heap be a witness this day between me and thee (therefore it is called Gilead), and let it be a waiting place. For he said, The LORD look between me and thee, when we come from one another, where thou hast offended my daughters, or taken other wives. There is no man here with us: but, behold, God is a witness between me and thee. And Laban said further unto Jacob, Behold, this is the heap, and this is the mark, which I have set up between me and thee; the same heap be witness, and the mark also be witness, where I pass over unto thee, or thou passest over unto me this heap and mark to hurt. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, and the God of their fathers, be judge between us. And Jacob sware unto him by the fear of Isaac his father. And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mount, and invited his brethren to eat the bread. When they had eaten, they stayed on the mountain overnight. And Laban rose up early in the morning, and kissed his children and his daughters, and blessed them, and departed, and returned unto his place.
Cap. 32:1, 2. And Jacob went his way. And the angels of God met him, and when he saw them, he said, They are the armies of God: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
13 Then Jacob recounts his life, which he led for twenty years, in which we see once again what the life of the dear saints is: nothing but misery and heartache, as he says, that he had no rest day and night, was famished from heat and frost. This is his legend; there is still nothing of great, holy being, since we say of. [They are the vain works of a poor, afflicted shepherd, who has had to oppress and oppress, and suffer much from his lord and servants, and otherwise all kinds of accidental things. For though he had certain
2) Marginal gloss: Gilead means a cluster of witnesses, and means the Scriptures, since many testimonies of God are often inside.
God had promised to protect him and be with him, yet he let him go like another man, so that even the wolves devoured his sheep, and he suffered all kinds of hardships. 1) Although it all seems to be man's doing, as God leads His saints, so that it is not seen. That has been his shortcoming, that he has not had many happy days in his lifetime.
14 So he tells his misfortune, and comes to the promise of his God, and calls him a God Abraham, and the fear Isaac; this is spoken in Hebrew language way, which fear of God is actually called worship. We have interpreted it too sharply and pointedly when Scripture speaks of the fear of God, that we have always made a great distinction de timore filiali et servili; but in the simplest way it is nothing, but to serve God with the heart inwardly, and with a hearty nature, which is to hold him in honor, and to shrink from him, to do and leave nothing, without which one knows that [it] pleases him. Therefore he must have the name here, that he is called Isaac Fear, that is, Isaac held before his eyes, and shunned him, did and left what pleased him; though he did not always do so. For they must also be allowed to remain human beings, but in such a way that they have served God in part by pure faith. So the fear in Scripture must be understood, that it does not indicate fear or terror that lasts for a moment, but that it is the whole life and being that goes before God in honor and fear; for no one will serve God except he who fears Him. This is the most understandable thing to be seen in this chapter, after which there is nothing more special, except how they make a covenant and give the last 2) to one another.
(15) Now we must also seek the spiritual or secret interpretation of history, if we can find it otherwise. So I said before: Whoever wants to interpret the Scriptures spiritually, or in a hidden sense, should first of all make sure that he does it in such a way that it rhymes with faith, or, as St. Paul teaches [Rom. 12:7], that it rhymes with faith.
1) Walch and the Erlangeners: suffer.
2) Last Letze, Valete, Farewell.
If it is not, it is no good. What then does it mean to be similar to the faith? This is what it means when people are not led away from faith and are taught nothing else but that faith remains. For it is with faith, just as Paul (1 Cor. 3:10-13) says: "I laid the foundation as a wise master builder. But let every man see how he builds upon it. No one can lay any other foundation except the one that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if any man build thereon gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest."
16 All this is said of the office of preaching, that he who wants to go through the Scriptures and interpret them well should do so in such a way that he teaches nothing else, except that which is the doctrine of faith, which alone is based on Christ. Now if someone approaches and preaches a human dream, as any of St. Barbara, as she has acquired from God, who fasts and celebrates her, who shall not die without the sacrament, (that) is also preached and built on faith, as on Christ, because one cries her out as a martyr of Christ, and wants to teach the Christians with it, how one should live; but there see how it rhymes with faith.
(17) Now how does it rhyme? So that my fasting should be my consolation; so faith wants to know no consolation but the one Christ. Now such a doctrine may also be preached by holy men, for St. Paul does not deny that they leave the foundation; indeed, he says of those who have the foundation, whether they build hay or stubble upon it; as St. Bernard, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and many others, who still stood on the fool's work that monasticism was something, and went around with it (though they otherwise preached rightly about Christ). That was straw and stubble built on faith. But God could finely burn it away with fire, as happened to St. Bernard. When the fire came upon him, that is, the temptation and death, he said, "Alas, I have lived shamefully, and spent my life sinfully; but I know one consolation, that God will destroy a broken and bruised heart.
3) Wittenberg and Jena: similar.
will not despise [Ps. 51:19]. Item: You have won the kingdom of heaven by two rights: firstly, you are entitled to it because you are the Son of God; secondly, you have also earned it through your suffering and death, since you did not need it, and you gave it to me. This man had long been living a hard and severe life and working; but now, when the hour came, everything withered away and fell free, as that which was lost; but he remained on the ground, and was saved, but by the fire; so that it must come to pass, that is, he must be terrified before death, so that all that fell to the ground and became powder, but he alone remained on the ground.
18 Thus St. Augustine also led a fine life, rule and law, of which the monks still boast; but at the end of his life he felt that nothing helped, and had to sing the seven penitential psalms; then he forgot his life, as if he had never done nothing good. We do not see this as the good works of the saints in temptation, just as 1) the straw and stubble is consumed by fire, so that they finally crawled to the cross and had to remain on the bare ground. What should St. Barbara or other saints help us in times of death? What would help me if it were true that this virgin had obtained that I would not die without the sacrament? Just as much as the monstrance in which it is kept.
(19) I have said this in order to see how all preaching should be similar to faith, as it rhymes; that it is always the way of teaching that it drives faith. Thus, from the beginning of this book we have found nothing but that everything is directed to faith and word; even though other things and new histories are always presented, it still always follows them, so that faith remains the main part through and through. Thus both histories and figures are nothing but gold and silver, built on the same foundation, that always one thing is taught, although person, history, 2) time and manner are different and different. So we must now also deal with the history of Jacob, and first of all the two main characters
1) The words: "The saints ... gleichwie" and immediately following: "durch das Feuer" are missing in the Erlanger.
2) Erlanger: "obs wohl persönlich geschicht".
look at what it all refers to, namely Jacob and Laban.
20. Jacob (as is heard) is called a transgressor because Christ (which figure and image is Jacob) runs such a regiment that he tramples underfoot everything that is not God's word, all the world's wisdom, prudence, godliness, authority and power.
21 In contrast, Junker Laban is called bright or white in German, glistening, as the light looks, or shines in a pool. Thus, the name itself indicates what he is and means, namely a beautiful glittering hypocrite, like the armor shines when the sun shines on it.
22 Therefore he interprets the perverse kingdom as having been the Jews, who had the law of Moses, and high priests, who were to teach and govern the people according to that which Moses wrote; which, because it could give no more than to control and ward off outward sins alone, and they fell upon it with works, had to become vain gleamers of it. Even though there are so many spiritual people who force themselves and lead an outwardly beautiful, honorable life that shines brightly and shines before the eyes, they are still desperate boys inwardly in their hearts, for the heart can never become pious by works and commandments. Thus Laban is an image of the shining people, has the name and figure of the people of the law, especially of the Jewish people.
23 You can see this in the man's behavior, where you will find two things. The first is that he has gods, which his daughter steals from him. The other, that he so dishonors his son-in-law and his daughters. For all glittering and hypocritical saints must be like this, and do so. First, they want to serve the right God in the most diligent way, and only have the appearance that they are God's servants. For the good Jacob has no idols, his worship is not in any outward gesture or manner; [he] is nothing but a shepherd tending sheep. But this man has his own chapel and special idols, and yet he worships the right God, as he says in the text itself: "The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, and the God of
3) The words: "glistening" and (immediately following) "of the law" are missing in the Erlanger.
of their fathers be judge between us." This is how all idolatry among the Jewish people should be interpreted. For the people were not so foolish as to think that the images, wood and stones, were the right God; especially the Jews, who did much idolatry; but that is what they meant, to serve the right, natural God with them. But this is the error of it, that they had no command to do it, but did it out of their own, false delusion; they dare to do such a service to God, that it should please Him; and because it pleases them, and everyone considers it delicious, they stand on it, and think that they have earned something, and are almost happy about it.
024 And he saith thus: I will not worship which I have not commanded; I will not have thy work, nor be unbaptized of thee, nor sell unto thee. If thou shalt have my grace, and spirit, and goods, thou shalt have them freely, and have nothing else to trust in. Nor are they so foolish as to buy, not only for themselves, but also for other people, as our ministers have done; which is not serving God, but is most shamefully blasphemed and profaned. This is Laban's rot, who want to serve God alone, but have only the appearance of it, that everything must go under the name of the right God.
(25) Therefore, you must be accustomed to such a way of writing, which interprets all idolatry as meaning that the images are nothing but an outward way of serving God. And even though we do not have such images and idols now, it is still the same. For I am also idolatrous when I go to a monastery and prescribe such rules for myself, binding myself to my own way of living and serving God, which God has not commanded nor ever spoken about. I do not serve God, but the rule that I have invented, and yet I admit it to God. The world is full of such idolatry, so full that each man portrays God according to his own fancies and desires, and wants to honor Him with self-invented service.
026 So Laban remains an idolater, and maketh his own idols. [It is also to be thought that he will not have drawn his daughters well. If Jacob had not come, then
they would have remained in idolatry, but he pulled them out and taught them to know God. For that Rachel understood that it was fool's work, proves that she put the idols under the litter, and sat upon them. [It is also a great thing that she can thus despise the glittering worship of God. For we see how sour it still becomes us to trample underfoot the pope's clergy. This is spoken of the first part, which the man practices against God in the glittering nature, for the sake of the fictitious worship. Thus he acts first against the faith.
Secondly, such saints cannot refrain from acting against love. For as they blaspheme God through false worship, so they also offend their neighbor. So you have two examples against each other: Jacob goes in pure faith, Christian love, and carries the cross; Laban goes in a fine glittering nature, without faith and love, and does not want to carry a cross, so that he also breaks off his own children and withholds theirs. 1) With this, the Scripture has just shown what kind of people they are, the false saints. He has so completely forgotten love that he not only deceives Jacob ten times for his wages, but also takes from his daughters what they have and makes them serve him with their sweat and labor. This is why the false saints do nothing but seek their own belly and enjoyment, and oppress the true saints.
Let us see an example of this. Give me a monastery, yes. A monk, where one lives Christian and brotherly toward one another, or one means the other faithfully. One sees before one's eyes how one has given so much to the devil up to now; yes, that we could only give much to the mad people, we have snatched and scraped everything to ourselves, not helping our neighbor with a penny; after that we have made so many wills, if we should die, only to fill our bellies. So did the priests, who had to be full and have enough so that they never lacked anything, ate poor people's sweat and blood, and served no one in vain.
1) In the old editions: "fürhelt".
2) Erlanger: "these" instead of: the wrong ones.
29 And notice especially that Laban not only takes everything to himself and gives nothing to the daughters, but also forces them to serve him and makes maids out of them, as he bought them for money. This is the tyranny of the laws of men, as the Jews also did when they brought the Gentiles under them, and urged them to keep their laws as were convenient for them. When that was, of which Christ [Matt. 23:16] says: "Woe unto you, blinded leaders, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is guilty." Item, v. 18: "Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the sacrifice that is above, he is guilty." The sacrifice, they say, is a great, delicious service, much better than the altar; for for the sake of the sacrifice it was made. So also the gold is much more delicious than the temple, for it adorns the temple. They did this for their own benefit, and made the people think: Now I would much rather give gold and sacrifice than to the altar or temple.
30 So also to our lines: How we have had to suffer and be tortured, because nothing was preached but what served them to give here and there. This they have thus laid down and ordered with laws, so that whoever did otherwise would be in God's disgrace. So we were their prisoners and had to do what they forced us to do. But the Holy Spirit has preserved some, and the others have had to suffer. None but Laban enjoyed this; he became rich with our loss.
031 But when Rachel and Leah saw it, they said: Go ahead, and take us with you, for we are no more here than captive maids. This is what we are preaching now, that we should run away and escape from the teaching, so that they have forced us and made us useful to them. The prophets have also lamented from time to time how the false prophets have sucked the people dry and corrupted their bodies, goods and souls, and how they have become fat wests.
32. behold, this is what God has indicated in this Laban, that it rhymes, as I [§ 27] have said.
I have said, on faith, how both faith and unbelief act, especially how unbelief always wants to have its fill, serve no one, and suffer nothing; but faith acts according to God's words, serves everyone through love, and goes through suffering and the cross.
33 Further. The two daughters and maids must also be interpreted as the Jewish people, so that they are, as we have heard above [Cap. 17, § 11. Cap. 25, § 26] of Sarah and Rebecca, a figure, and also members of the Christian church. For Jacob must bear a figure of the king who rules without laws, therefore he is also a poor king on earth in his kingdom, although he has all things in his hand, but leads his people into poverty, weakness, death and all misery. Power and riches hinder his kingdom; therefore he saves it in that life, practices and drives us here with sorrow and misfortune, as he lets Jacob serve twenty years and suffer much adversity.
034 So then the four wives, the people, are taken from among the Jews. For I would gladly make of the four but one; for Christ shall have but one bride, as we profess in the faith: I believe one common Christian church. And Paul [Eph. 4, 5. 6.] says that all is One Faith, One Baptism, One Lord, and One God, and the one faith is virginity and purity, and the treasure with one another of this Bride, has also no other food, seed, milk 2c., than the same one Word of God, that it may nourish all Christians. Therefore, we must include the four together in one.
35 First, Rachel is the most beloved and the most beautiful; she was promised to him, and for her sake alone he served: but Leah is not the most beloved, yet she is the first. We want to interpret this as best we can; I don't know if we can be so precise; it is enough if we keep the reason. Rachel means in German a sheep; Leah means tired, sorrowful, miserable, which was pale, lean, scrawny and pointed in the face, but Rachel fat and complete. This is what Christianity is supposed to be, according to two natures, inward and outward. Therefore we are called old men and new men, but not that man is two things; as much as we have faith, we are two things.
new, as much as we do not believe, we are old. Therefore, I cannot interpret the old man as if he were flesh and blood alone, because he, like the new man, is the whole man. Outwardly I am different if I am Leah, inwardly I am different if I am Rachel. But both are one person, because I feel both, faith and unbelief, in the bottom of my heart, and it breaks out in the whole person. Therefore it is only so much spoken: As much as you believe, you are a new man through and through; and again.
36 Therefore let Rachel be the inward being through faith, who had the promise of God, is the promised bride, wherein Christ reigns; as Paul says Eph. 3:17, that he dwells in our hearts through faith. He loves this bride, and is kind to her, and serves for her sake, that is, lays down his life for her; as Paul says Eph. 5:25, 26: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify her" 2c. But he does not love Leah in this way; that is, Christianity according to the outward appearance, as one looks at it, is weary, sorrowful and miserable, lies in poverty and misery. There goes the lamentation, as it leads: "I am hated," and must bear the cross, and be Cinderella. For although he loves us through and through, it does not seem so. Inwardly we have peace, pleasure and joy, we are in his arms, and he is kind to us, but outwardly he acts as if he did not know us, and causes us much unhappiness and heartache.
(37) Nevertheless Leah must have the first children with him, and bring forth fruit; that is, though it seemeth that he is not kind to her, yet he forsaketh her not, but comforteth her; lest we think that he hath forgotten ours; giving that the more works and good fruits may be obtained. For the suffering life, which is thus tempted and driven, brings forth many more good works than the inward life, and can do much, advise, and be of use to others; which an inexperienced man cannot do. Therefore Leah must be the most abundant and fruitful, because of her misery; as the text says, "God saw that she was hated, and made her fruitful."
(38) Rachel also brings forth fruit at times, but not so much, and it becomes sour and heavy to her, [it] goes slowly, [she] must finally leave life over it. [It is all spoken for this reason: because God sees that we are so stupid as to lead the unkind and laborious life, he comforts us thus: You shall do much good and be fruitful, you must be Leah; therefore suffer yourself, and be confident; if I always comforted you and played with you, you would become lazy and remain unfruitful. Therefore he tempts her, and makes her sore, lest she seek vain pleasure and joy in him. So he has done many works for the weak, suffering Leah, in the outward nature of the cross; but for the other, as Rachel, in the inward nature, little. 1) For the inward being must not break out much, but both must go as it is ordered, inwardly in conscience toward God, outwardly before the world, so that others may also come here, and Christianity may be increased. She probably thinks she wants to remain the first and have the best days with him, but she must be lacking.
(39) All this is based on experience, and rhymes well with faith. For we are all so minded that we would gladly have peace and joy in our conscience, and reach for Rachel; but God turns it around, that we must first remain with Leah, as Jacob first sleeps with Leah, when he had only served Rachel. [But it is done secretly, so that he knows nothing about it; for God also needs bad boys for this; as Laban puts Leah to him with cunning and deceit. Now when we have this, he also gives Rachel to us; that is, when we are thus tempted, thereafter comes comfort and rest of conscience, which then remains constant and firm. So we must have both in succession; otherwise, if Jacob had had Rachel alone, he would not have looked at Leah. So the two wives become one Christianity, which is right, both inwardly and outwardly.
(40) What then shall we make of the two maidservants? We have heard how the father gave each daughter a maid, both of whom they gave to their husband. Now this indicates
1) Erlanger: "of the weak, suffering beings, of the others little".
The outward man, of which Paul says (Rom. 8, 14. Gal. 5, 18.]: The flesh must be subject and obedient to the spirit; the body must serve and walk under compulsion. For though life is spiritual in faith, yet it is not directed except through the members. Now the maids also bring forth children, that is, every man has works, both of which come from comfort and from sorrow of heart (for fruit or children we must always point to works). To Leah and her maidservant he gives many children, that is, the limbs of the body must also do many works; but Rachel and her maidservant do not have many of them, that is, when we suffer much outwardly and are tempted, we do more works than when we rest and stand inwardly in faith. So all four wives become one church, as it is formed outwardly and inwardly.
41 This is the summary: Christ, the King, reigns in such a way that he allows us to be afflicted and again comforts us. From this comes good works, makes us bear much misfortune and sorrow, that he may try us and make us strong. But he is not such a fool as to be deceived, and to know nothing of it, as Jacob is deceived in the text; but it is nothing more than that he so sets himself, and is not known by us otherwise.
42 This is the interpretation of Jacob and his wives. Then follows the description of how he brought the sheep to himself by the art of putting the sticks into the watering troughs, so that the sheep received over them, and got the colored or plain ones as he wanted them; so that Laban got the latelings, but Jacob got the springs and best sheep. Therein is signified the ministry of preaching, what this accomplishes in the world. We have heard how Laban is a gleaner, who also boasts of God's word, pretending that it is true that he preaches God's commandment; but he does not preach the right faith and gospel, but leads the people to works and self-chosen worship. So the two kinds of preachers quarrel with each other in the world of works and of faith; no resistance, no fire, no force will help; one must let it go, as these and all other figures show. For, if one could bring it about that only
If there were one kind of preaching (as is often attempted), then various sects would arise from it, as we have seen under the pope. They may have preached the same sermon, leading us all from faith to works, but so many sects have broken out, among which every one has wanted to be the best, and has preferred its own thing, that it has been broken up.
(43) Therefore the best way is to let it go, and preach against one another, false and right preaching, as Paul says [1 Cor. 11:19], "There must be sects or divisions, that they which are righteous may be known and made manifest." So it goes here also: Jacob creates so much that he puts colored sticks in front of his sheep in the watering trough, from it he gets colored sheep; but because Laban sees that the colored ones are so much, he wants to have the colored ones, and thus changes ten times for his wages. This much is said: When the Spirit preaches, the flesh always wants to imitate and imitate, and yet does not meet it. When the gospel preaches colorful things, the flesh also wants to make it colorful; and again. So the devil always wants to be God's monkey, and yet never meets it.
44 We see this through and through in the world. The apostles preached only faith in Christ and love for one's neighbor. This is the right preaching, and the staffs of which souls are colored, that is, adorned and decorated by various ways and works that go on in Christendom. For the Christian church has through and through only one word, faith, love and hope, and one good; yet it remains variegated in outward walk, that they have various offices and gifts from God; one has grace to preach, the other to govern 2c. [Rom. 12, 6. f. 1 Cor. 12, 5. f.] For we cannot all be alike in outward appearance, though we are all alike and one in faith. According to this God distributes His gifts, otherwise or so, according to this we are multicolored and speckled, and yet remain all sheep in unity. So then, to water sheep in the troughs above the staves is to present such sayings, whereof one faith is apprehended, but diverse gifts and works.
45 Now the other group wants to follow this, and when they see that many gifts have been given, they will be given to them.
If there are no Christians in the outward walk, he also wants to do it that way, and sets up various classes and sects; one becomes a priest, the other a monk, and so on. But it does not turn out that way, nothing comes of it but separation from the unity of faith; for their thing is not God's word and gift, but man's handiwork, made from their own heads. Now Jacob lifts up the colored sticks, that is, when people are led to works and sects, they throw away the sticks and preach the contradiction that works without faith are not valid.
46 Thus our saints have interpreted to us the 45th Psalm, v. 10: Astitit regina a dextris tuis in vestimento deaurato, circumamicta varietate, the queen stands at your right hand, in precious gold, clothed with multicolored work. They interpreted this as follows: The Christian church has a golden skirt, that is, faith, or love, as they wish; but the colorful skirt should be that in one diocese so many masses are said, in the other so many lections are read at mass; these have the choir caps above, the others below; in the convent or order it is held otherwise, in the other so. If one pulls such antics in the church, what they desire, that is called Buntwerk here. This is Laban's multicolored work. It is not valid that you create it according to your dream, but it must come from God, as Jacob had it from the Holy Spirit. Now this is the right coat of gold, when we all have one faith; next to it is the coat of many colors, that in one faith we may have many graces, that all works and gifts may be in faith and love. [It is not that [it] be of a variegated color; but that [it] be variegated in the sight of God, that is, that [it] thus please God. That is the best thing about it.
(47) Therefore Laban's confusion here, and Jacob's deception ten times, is that the false teachers always want to master it and make it better, colored or plain. Since it is supposed to be variegated, it is the devil's variegated work, because they should have a simple faith. If then we reject such things, and preach of simple faith, they also want to have it plain, and do no work. But this is not true. For so we say:
Faith is of such a kind that it does multicolored work. So we must always change, and preach differently, resist on all sides; yet they never want to go up right, only deceive the world and themselves with their preaching.
(48) This is why Laban keeps the latelings, that is, the last sheep that come in the fall, but Jacob keeps the springlings. The latelings are the weakest sheep; these are the people who are raised by the teachings of men in these and those works; they are poor, wretched souls. But those who walk by faith are the right, strong consciences, where Christ is preached so that the people increase and Christianity is multiplied.
(49) So all this is to be interpreted of the ministry of preaching, so that the staves are nothing else than the sayings of the holy scriptures, especially those that comfort, as of the holy gospel. For it is not in vain that the sheep, when they came together to drink in the heat, began to receive it. For so we have it in the Scriptures, that to nourishment belong two things, eating and drinking. Both must be together; where one is without the other, life cannot be sustained. As we see an example of what happened to Mary, the virgin, who conceived that her son should be a king, that was the food; but if it had remained vain, it would have been harmful to her; therefore he must also give her to drink, which happened when he was hanging on the cross, then she acquired a different taste.
(50) Drinking is no different than when we are in great pain of heart and he comforts us. As when he tells us that we shall be free from sin, and death shall not hurt us; that is food, which is good for us. But we must also have something to drink; this happens when he comes and wants to choke me, then I need comfort, that I hold fast to the word, and make the food useful to me; this is the drink in addition, so that one cools and refreshes oneself.
(51) Behold, this is what the text signifies, in that the sheep run together in the heat, and drink over it. For there the word first gives a right taste; as it is said: A good morsel is followed by a good drink, then body and soul come together.
men. Therefore the cross must also be there, and make such food tasty and sweet for us. This also means to drink Christ's flesh and blood, as it is written in John [Cap. 6, 54, 56]. So understand it through and through in the Scriptures and figures, in which much is said about eating and drinking. Thus we have the figure of Laban, that is, of hypocritical saints, and the sheep, and of the whole kingdom of Christ.
52 Lastly, Laban hastened after Jacob and seized him on Mount Gilead, seeking his idols, which his daughter had stolen from him, but she had sat on them, pretending to be sick and unable to get up. This is that the holy Christian church confesses that she is a poor sinner, but nevertheless steals the false doctrine on which the hypocrites rely, and so hides it, that she may put aside the offense that the false teachers come for it. For this is seen: when one preaches God's word, that deceitfulness perishes, that no one knows how; and yet the Christians seem weak and sick, confessing also that they are poor sinners; but through the weakness that one sees, and we feel, nevertheless, because we cling to the word, the false doctrine perishes with its confidence.
(53) Therefore, false doctrine is not to be greatly advised, for it is only to be despised, and nothing is to be held to it; though we are weak in the faith, yet that must perish if we do not hold to it. Thus it happened in the first Christianity, in the time of the holy martyrs, that the Christians increased daily more and more, and the devil's service fell away and went to the ground, just as it still happens today with those who have no true faith. For how many there are who do not believe the gospel, and yet think nothing of the papacy, so that it is despised by all the world.
54 Then he speaks of the mountain on which they made a covenant. The same is to be noted here, because the prophets have spoken much of it, especially Jeremiah, who refers to it in chapter 22, v. 6: Gilead, tu mihi caput Libani. [It was a small mountain when he sacrificed there, but afterward it became a great land, so that everything was called Gilead from the mountain, and from the story that the two became one with each other; and he gives it the name because he told his brothers to read stones and make a heap to be a witness to the covenant, and a sign that no part should pass over it, and an arbiter that no one should harm the other. For the word Gilead is called a heap of witnesses, made of two little words: Gal, that is, a heap, and Ed, a witness. The heap of witnesses means the holy scripture.
(55) Hitherto, all matters that arise concerning the faith, between right and wrong doctrine, have been referred to a council, or to the pope at Rome, or to the high schools, which are to be arbiters. But they are not Gilead, they have deceived and deceived us, but the holy scriptures, wherein sayings lie one upon another with heaps, as there are stones; therein shall we get the judgment, who teacheth right or wrong. For although the Holy Spirit himself teaches everyone in the heart that he knows what is right, yet the Scriptures must be used to prove that it is so as we believe in the heart. So then it judges and separates what is rightly and wrongly believed. Therefore one must not seek further testimony, neither from fathers nor from concilia, but should remain only with the clear and plain Scriptures. These are the three chapters, as Jacob went with his cousin Laban for twenty years, with their interpretation.