When the Lord will redeem the captives of Zion.
Theologians argue about what kind of captivity this psalm is talking about. Some understand it of the Babylonian captivity, others, like the Jews, of the Roman. Some cry that it is to be taken in general terms of all captivities and redemptions of this people, according to the promise of Deut. 4:29 ff. which promises that when they are led away captive because of their sin and repent afterwards, the Lord will have mercy on them again and bring them to their own land. Those who give this word [prison] this arbitrary interpretation (catachresi uti) will apply this psalm to all captivities. But in my opinion, those understand this psalm more correctly who interpret it as referring to the greatest general redemption of the human race, which took place through Christ. For the prophet uses a far too powerful way of speaking to fit the special captivities that belong to only one time. For what is it great that this handful (that I say so) of Jewish people is redeemed, compared to that glorious and greatest salvation, by which the whole human race is saved, not only from temporal enemies, but from eternal ones, from death, from the devil and from hell? Therefore we hold that this psalm is a prophecy of the salvation that was to come through Christ, and of the proclamation of the gospel, by which the kingdom of Christ is extended, death and the devil are overcome, and all evil is done away. If this general conception is held, it is then free to apply the psalm to any salvation, both physical and spiritual.
Furthermore, it is known from the prophets that the word of the gospel, as well as Christ Himself, will come from Zion, that is, from the people, who, as it says in Rom. 3:2, were entrusted with what God had spoken, such as
For the Psalm [Ps. 147:20] also gloriously praises this benefit of the word, saying, "He does not do this to a Gentile. For although the promise also included the Gentiles, the promise was not made to the Gentiles, but to the Jews alone. Therefore, since this promise is peculiar to the Jews, it follows that Christ was necessary to them against the spiritual captivity in which they lay while their kingdom still existed and was in bloom. For it was not Moses or the prophets who redeemed them and brought them into the eternal kingdom. Hence the 14th Psalm, v. 7. at the very time when the kingdom was in bloom under David, utters the wish, "Oh that help would come from Zion." A strange speech to ask for this when the kingdom existed and the priesthood was in its highest bloom. But he answers, "If the Lord would redeem his captive people, Jacob would rejoice and Israel would be glad." Here you hear that this people had not yet been blessed, nor saved, nor redeemed, when the law and the service of the law were going on; yes, the law held them captive under sin, death, and the devil. Therefore he says: When the Lord will redeem this captivity, then Jacob will rejoice. Thus it is said in Ps. 68, 19: "He has gone up on high and has taken the prison captive." There he also speaks of the captivity of which this Psalm deals, namely of the captivity of sin and death, which will continue among that people, although they had the law, and divine services, instituted by God Himself. Therefore, let us leave aside the particular captivities and explain this Psalm about the general captivity of the whole human race, and about the redemption that has taken place through Christ's blood and is proclaimed in the Gospel.
V. 1. When the Lord shall redeem the captives of Zion, we shall be as those who dream.
1892 xx, 24-26. Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 126. w. iv, esss-Ms. 1893
These are noble words, not as they are used in the comedies and low. Therefore the word "Zion" has an emphasis, so that you should understand that he is talking about the people who have the promise of Christ. For redemption and salvation were first shown to the people of Zion (Sionico) and to the children of Abraham according to the flesh. These were kept closed by the law, and were prisoners of death and sin by the law. If now this people laments because of its captivity and sighs for redemption, what shall we then judge of the Gentiles, who lived without law, without worship, in idolatry and their lusts? He could not, therefore, indicate a more general and severe captivity than by saying that his people awaited this redemption in Zion, which was very holy in appearance and flourished most beautifully under David and Solomon.
But see how he pictures the joy that will follow this redemption. He says, "We shall be as those who dream." For with a new word he expresses the greatness of the thing, to indicate that the joy and gladness will be so great that the human heart cannot contain it, as if to say: When we shall hear this redemption from sin and death, yea, when we shall experience and feel it, we shall be as it were stupefied and senseless with joy. For this is how it tends to happen: lighter emotions cause either joy or sorrow, but great ones cause consternation, as that Egyptian testifies in Herodotus. When he was asked by Cambyses why he was crying now, since it concerned his friend, while before he had been able to look at it with dry eyes, that his son had gone to his death and his daughter had been treated shamefully, he answered: the friend's misfortune allowed tears, but the misfortune of his own relatives had been too great for him to cry about it. Just as a great sorrow cuts off the way for tears, so too an overflowing joy, when it comes suddenly above expectation and hope, so overcomes the hearts that they think they do not know, and doubt whether what has happened is true or whether, as it were, a dream is deceiving them.
This image, then, indicates the unspeakable grace by which we are redeemed through the blood of the Son of God, who spared not his life nor his own, that we might be free from the power of the devil, from the wrath of God, from the rage of the world, and from our faintheartedness. And truly, the human heart is far too narrow to grasp these things. But the more it grasps, the more courageous and stouthearted man becomes in all dangers; but the less it grasps, the more man is wearied by terror, until at last, like the Israelites in the desert, he looks back to Egypt and seeks the righteousness of works, in which at last he will find nothing but toil and labor. Therefore, one must strive to make the heart abandon all other endeavors and be satisfied with this redemption, and we also attain a part of this taste, which the prophet compares to an exceedingly sweet dream.
Furthermore, he who wants to prove himself as an orator here has an exceedingly rich material when he emphasizes this benefit of Christ or this redemption by talking about the person of the redeemer, about the person of the redeemed, about the crowd, about the things or dangers themselves, about the power of the devil, about the greatness and the terror of death, about the power of sin etc. For these things have engulfed the whole human race, and could not be overcome otherwise than by the Son of God. This is the glorious and unspeakable redemption, which makes the heart overflow with joy. Those who do not feel joy have not received this blessing, but the word is as foam in their hearts.
V. 2 Then our mouth will be full of laughter and our tongue full of praise. Then they will say among the Gentiles: The Lord has done great things for them.
As I have said, this psalm has a peculiar sublime way of speaking, therefore it uses many images. For "laughter" he calls here the voice of the gospel, as the gospel should be nothing else than laughter and rejoicing, especially if we compare it with the law.
For the law terrifies and kills, because it actually belongs to it, that it crushes and softens the hearts of the impenitent, 1) as Ezekiel [Cap. 11, 19.] speaks. For these must be crushed with this iron scepter [Ps. 2, 9.] and led into hell, as the 9th Psalm, v. 18., asks: "Oh, that the wicked might be turned to hell, all the heathen who forget God." For because they have a heart of iron and, as the prophet says, a forehead of brass, they must be terrified with the lightning of the law, that is, made to fear God and filled with the terror of death, as happened to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai when the law was proclaimed by the voice of the Lord. But those who have a heart of flesh, that is, a very tender heart without bone and hardness, and a mere mass of flesh, must not be killed with the law, but made alive and raised up by the other kind of teaching, which the Holy Spirit here calls laughter and rejoicing, that is, with the Gospel. This is what Paul reminds us, that the word should be rightly divided [2 Tim. 2, 15], that hard things should be presented to the hard, but soft things to the broken and soft, so that those who are secure without fear begin to fear, but those who are more than sufficiently oppressed by fear begin to trust and hope.
This is the well-known difference between the law and the gospel, but in use it is not so common. For we are so weak that we more easily follow the feeling of sin and death than this laughter and joy of the gospel. For, to speak of myself, my heart is not so struck by salvation and the life given by Christ, as the heart is struck by a word of the law, or by a remembrance of sin and the judgment of God. This is because this difference between the Law and the Gospel cannot be sufficiently learned by experience. It is written and taught, but it is not felt in the heart, otherwise it would happen that frightened hearts would banish all sadness from their minds.
For, as we have heard, it is the voice of laughter and joy that appeals to such people, not the voice of terror and sadness. But here we also feel our adversary, the devil, who disputes with us most sharply about the law, and uses such grounds of proof that we cannot deny. For we must confess our sins; though we sometimes cover them before men, yet our conscience speaks against us as a thousand witnesses, and suffers not that they be forgotten or covered. Doubt therefore often arises even concerning holy works; I am silent concerning those which are manifestly shameful.
With these thorns the devil pierces soft hearts and wounds them exceedingly severely, only because we do not know this difference in custom and practice as well as it is known to us in our thinking (speculative). For if we had the practice, we would distinguish between the teaching of the Law and the Gospel, likewise between disciples of the Law and of the Gospel, and would refute the devil in this way, that the devil as a lying spirit confuses and entwines hearts with lies, since, where there are stony hearts, he does not kill them, but flatters them, so that they become more hardened, and fills them with promises and hope that do not belong to such hearts. This is sophistry, for in a lying way the kinds of doctrine are thrown together. On the other hand, where there are such hearts that are more than sufficiently frightened, they should be raised up with the promises of God, but then the devil makes the greatest effort to frighten them and is bent on completely shattering the minds that have already been shattered before. Therefore, a Christian must strive to get into the habit of making this distinction clear in his heart, and answer the devil: Lift yourself away, Satan, with your lies. When I am without fear of God, sure and hard, then come and inculcate the law in me, then I will gladly hear you, for then it is in the place to teach the law. But now that you come with the law, when my heart is already terrified by death and sin, I will not hear you. For your teaching does not concern me, but
1896 XX, 28-30. Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 126. W. IV. 2595-2598. 1897
Laughter and rejoicing, not terror and death. Therefore lift yourself away etc.
This is how one should answer the devil when he frightens. But we learn that the heart cannot give such an answer when it is most needed, no matter how often it has heard these things. The reason for this is that by nature the opened jaws of hell frighten us more than the open heaven delights us, that a thought of our sin causes us more grief than all the preaching of the merit of Christ as a whole delights us. 1) Therefore, we must strive to learn to practice this, at least to some extent, and to establish ourselves with these words, namely, that the gospel is a laughter and rejoicing that belongs properly to the captives, that is, to those who feel the captivity of sin and death, to the hearts of flesh that are terrified by feeling the wrath and judgment of God. These are the disciples in whose hearts laughter shall be planted, and who alone shall hear the voice of joy in the tabernacles of the righteous [Ps. 118:15.], by the operation of the Holy Spirit, which this verse indicates. For it indicates that this people is in Zion, and according to the outward appearance of the kingdom and the priesthood, is in beautiful flourishing. But if someone looks at how it is according to the spirit, he will see that it is in miserable captivity, and therefore the tongue is full of sadness and weeping, because the heart is frightened by the feeling of sin and death.
This is the tongue of Moses, or the mouth of Moses, which is full of wormwood and bitterness of death, with which he must kill those who are too animated and secure, and despise God. But those who recognize their captivity, let their mouths be full of laughter and rejoicing, that is, let the redemption from sins and death, which was brought about by Christ's blood, be preached to them through the gospel. This is the opinion of the Holy Spirit, that the mouth of such people should be filled with laughter, that is, that
1) The old translator already correctly added the words: "uns erfreuen".
he should preach and make heard nothing but the supreme joy and songs of triumph of Christ, who overcomes the devil and death and pays for our sins. For the fact that he says, "Our mouth will be full," indicates not only that there will be a voice and a sound, but that the mouth will sound nothing but the laughter and consolations of the Gospel. Thus our tongue, that is, the preaching, will be full of rejoicing, that is, the whole preaching ministry will be full of consolation. This is said first to the Jews, for this laughter had to be offered first to this people who had the promises. Now he comes to the Gentiles, whom he also calls to the fellowship of this laughter.
"Then it will be said among the Gentiles: The Lord hath done great things for them." He calls Gentiles those who by nature hated and detested the Jews, and could suffer nothing less than their worship of God. These, he says, will be amazed when this laughter is preached, and will praise the great deeds of God. Namely, this miracle will be caused by the laughter that is preached through our mouth and tongue. Furthermore, the Gentiles would not do this in any way, nor would they consider it a benefit, if they themselves were not also partakers of this benefit. Therefore, because the Holy Spirit says that we would praise and admire this blessing, that the captivity of the Jews was lifted, He clearly indicates that we will also share in this salvation, as Christ says in the Gospel [Marc. 9, 39.]: "Whoever does a deed in My name is not against Me, but for Me." In this way he says that also the Gentiles will praise this redemption from death and sin, as also the testimonies of all other prophets generally testify the same. In the prophet Zechariah, Cap. 8, 23, it is written that ten men from all the languages of the Gentiles will seize a Jewish man by the tail and say, "We will go with you, for we hear that God is with you." This passage seems to be copied, as it were, from this Psalm. Thus it is said in Isaiah Cap. 2, 2. f.: "All the Gentiles will come to the
And many nations shall go and say, Come, and let us go up into the mountain of the Lord, unto the house of Jacob the God, that he may teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths" etc.
This serves to comfort us, who are not Abraham's seed according to the flesh, that although the promise did not happen to us, we will be made partakers of it after it is fulfilled, but still through the Jews, according to the words of the promise [Gen. 22:18]: "Through your seed all nations shall be blessed," and Christ says [John 4:22]: "Salvation comes from the Jews." Therefore it is certain that we Gentiles belong to this salvation, even though God did not owe it to us. For it was not promised to us, but came to us out of mercy through the laughter that was preached, not only in Zion, but also among the Gentiles, who will praise and have all things with the holy people, as follows:
V. 3. The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoice.
Here you see that one church is established from Jews and Gentiles, who praise God's benefits with one voice, so that, as Paul says Rom. 15, 6, with one mouth God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ are praised. For that which the church of the Jews sings, "The Lord hath done great things for us," the same also the church of the Gentiles sings, and the same fruit follows on both sides, and the true sign of the people of the gospel, namely, that they are a people of rejoicing and gladness, as they say, "Of this we are glad." Now, see for yourselves how terrible an abomination the kingdom of the pope was, in which nothing else was heard, seen, taught, read, nothing else was practiced but the statutes of men, which by their nature can do nothing but cause sadness and torture the heart. One rule gives birth to another, one observatio to another, and these all become, what is worst, cords of the conscience; they do not remain mere burdens for the body, as they should be, where they are used in a useful way. Therefore, in the realm of the pope, there was also
Not a drop of this teaching that could have produced joy and gladness. Therefore, if there are frightened hearts, they will not find comfort. If they are in fear and doubt, they cannot make the distinction we said above.
Therefore, we should give thanks to God for this immeasurable benefit, so that we know that now the teaching of the Gospel is actually a teaching of salvation and comfort. Now as much as everyone feels joy in his heart according to this word, so much life and salvation he also has. But if you still feel sadness, it is a sign that the devil has not yet ceased to torment you. Therefore the heart is to be instructed in this exercise, that thou mayest know that the law is to be used against the impenitent and hardened. For there it is in its right and proper use, but in wrong and improper use, when it torments and afflicts the hearts that are already terrified. Therefore, the frightened hearts must not hear the law and not allow it. For to them belongs laughter and rejoicing, that is, the preaching of the gospel or the forgiveness of sins, which is given in Christ. By these also we are sanctified; by the law we cannot be sanctified, but rather become guilty, as Paul says in the Epistle to the Romans [Cap. 3, 19. [J says.
V. 4. Lord, turn our prison, as you dry the waters at noon.
So far, the prophet has prophesied of the kingdom of Christ and of the redemption that would be established through Christ and then spread over the whole human race and the whole world, so that Jews and Gentiles would become one church, in which nothing would be preached but laughter and rejoicing, praise and thanksgiving. Now he goes on to describe the same church and shows what follows this fruit of redemption and this fellowship of Jews and Gentiles, namely that prayer is necessary, just as Zechariah [Cap. 12, 10] connects the spirit of prayer with the spirit of grace, that is, with the redemption that has come about through Christ, the prayer of the faithful and already redeemed. For even though redemption has taken place
1900 A XX. 32-Z.]. Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 126. w. iv. 2601-2604. 1901
and we are truly redeemed by the blood of the Son of God, it is necessary that we daily ask for redemption, just as Christ commands in his prayer that one should ask that the name of God be sanctified, of which it is certain that it is holy and sanctified; that the kingdom of God come, which has come and is here etc. Likewise Christ says [John 12:28], "Father, glorify thy name," and the Father answers, "I have glorified him, and will glorify him again." Likewise Paul [Phil. 3, 13.]: "I count not myself yet to have apprehended it" etc.
For it is as I have reminded you above, that the blessing of the gospel and the immeasurable gift of our redemption and eternal life is easy to speak of, but difficult to believe in, because in this life we have not the tithes, but only the firstfruits of the spirit, but the fullness of the flesh is still alive almost entirely and intact. We do indeed enter God's kingdom, and, that I say so, with one foot we are sure to attain the promise; but one must not stand still like this, one must also drag the other foot, that is, grow and increase daily in this knowledge of grace and in faith. Therefore, says Zechariah, the spirit of prayer is poured out, which requires this increase, and Paul says [Rom. 8, 26. 22.] that the spirit groans with inexpressible groaning, yes, that the whole creature also groans for the deliverance of the children of God. Therefore, as long as we live in this body, which weighs us down and holds us back so that we cannot fully grasp this, we have not only the spirit of grace, but also of prayer, so that we at least know that we are in grace for the sake of Christ, in whom we believe, and yet we should pray constantly that God may accomplish what He has begun in us [Phil. 1:6].
Therefore, no one should be so presumptuous as to think that he is a theologian when he has heard this once and knows it completely. For this presumption makes swarming spirits, which, like the dog in Aesop, chase after a shadow, and lose what is true. 1) True
1) ktiLsün lad. lik. I, kak. IV.
the word, baptism, even Christ himself, are complete, perfect and whole; but we are not dealing here with the things themselves, but with the grasping of them. Thus eternal life is in truth perfect, as Christ says [John 14:2], "In my Father's house are many mansions," but as long as we live here we do not yet sit in these mansions, but possess them only in hope, and in the meantime are plagued with sins, with despair, with sorrows, with toils etc. And sometimes faith is quite firm, but again it happens that it is exceedingly weak; there we are sunk, as it were, into the deepest mire, from which we cannot work our way out without sullying ourselves of all ropes. Such is the life of Christians who have already received the firstfruits of the Spirit. These learn by experience that these things cannot be so fully grasped, nay, that it often happens that they fall, get into danger, and need lifting up, as Christ answers Paul [2 Cor. 12:9.], "My power is mighty in the weak." The weakness is ours and remains ours as long as we live, but the power is Christ's alone.
We did not know this under the papacy. For we also believed about the saints, although the histories of the holy scriptures show it quite differently, that they were completely pure, and we thought about ourselves that if someone, I say, had only one small piece of grace, he would be blessed. And truly I do not deny the latter, and yet it is true, especially in the struggle and in the temptations, that such people often fall, and that the little spark of the spirit is completely extinguished, as happened to David with the adultery. Therefore, this opinion of the papists must be abandoned, by which the hearts become secure and think that it is enough once this has been started. But Christ says [Matth. 10, 22.]: "Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved." Now if someone were taken away immediately after being baptized with water and the Spirit, he would be blessed. But because we live longer, it cannot happen otherwise than that we are very often challenged by the devil, who seeks to destroy and make unstable the hope, faith and best virtues that are in us by the grace of God.
But the devil has the advantage here that grace has begun in us, but is not yet fulfilled and perfect. The things are indeed whole and perfect, but we are not yet whole and perfect. Therefore we cannot take hold of the whole and perfect things, as Paul says [Phil. 3, 12.]. But the devil attacks these beginnings for this reason, because he fears that they will become complete, and fights against hope, faith and love.
In this danger, the Church takes recourse to prayer, saying: "Lead us not into temptation"; likewise: Give the victory that my faith may not cease, that my hope may not be put to shame, accomplish the good work which thou hast begun in me etc. Such people are the Christians who have a perfect salvation and the certain hope of eternal life and the forgiveness of all sins, and the right deliverance from the devil, death and hell. These things they have, and of the things there is no lack, but the lack is in me and in you, that we do not yet fully grasp these things. For flesh and blood and the remnants of sin still live, therefore St. Paul exclaims [Rom. 7:23], "I see another law in my members, contrary to the law of God." This is the reason why a Christian cannot be sure. For he sees that he has not yet overcome all the dangers which the enemy daily devises. But as for Christ, whom he takes hold of in faith, it is true that he has everything. For in Christ the devil is cast down, the law is fulfilled, the wrath of God is taken away, sin is paid for, and death itself is overcome. This is how it is with these things when we look at Christ in whom we believe, but when we look at ourselves afterwards, we must confess that we are not yet pure, because faith is not yet perfect, which could take hold of these gifts perfectly. Therefore, we fear in battle, give way to the enemy, suffer that hope may be taken away from us, allow ourselves to be moved to sadness, to impatience etc. Thus, Christians are warriors and true soldiers of God who are in the line of battle and cannot be sure; therefore, they pray diligently and implore God for help. In contrast
Those who are sure do not pray, because they think the devil is far away, and so they also lose faith without realizing it, and after that they are like a dry leaf in temptation.
This is what this verse says, namely that in the church one must always stop with prayer, if not with the mouth, then with the heart and sighing, according to the commandment of Paul [Col. 3, 16.Let the word of God dwell among you richly", so that it is not only sharpened daily by public and special teaching, but also by praying and, as Moses says in the fifth book [Cap. 6, 6-9], talking about it, whether we stand, walk, watch, eat, etc., or not, Not because there is any doubt about the matter, but because our adversary walks about like a lion, seeking whom he may devour. But we are weak, and carry such treasure in earthly vessels [2 Cor. 4:7], yea, are still weighed down with the flesh, which is full of sins, in which faith is like a young rice, which is not yet ripe, and may easily be moved by the winds, or be plucked up. Those do not know this who, before they make the attempt in battle, think that they are Christians and believe. These will either become heretics, by sacrilegiously taking hold of everything, or become completely nefarious, as is already the case with the large number who can recite our doctrine to some extent according to the words, but they are like a sow turned toward the fire; in truth, they ask nothing of the word, but are even angrier now than they were before. These people do not understand that it is necessary to grow daily, so that we can stand in the daily battles against the arrows of Satan, who drives us to despise God and man. Therefore, one must watch and pray according to the command of Christ [Matth. 26, 41].
In this way, I understand this prayer not in the person of the prophet, as if he were praying for the revelation of the future redemption, but in the person of Christians, who need to pray and say this verse daily: Lord, you have delivered me from captivity, deliver me also further; you have only forgiven sin, forgive it also further; you have slain the devil, slay him also further,
1904 XX- 37-39. Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 126. w. iv. 2607-2609. 1905
you have abolished the law, abolish it also further. For that must be required which we have before, until we are made perfectly clean, which will be when this body of ours is dead, in which sin reigns here. It is therefore the opinion: "Lord, turn our prison," that is, redeem us, who have begun to be the beginning of a new creature, so that, as the redemption through Christ has taken place completely and perfectly, so also we may grasp and feel the same completely and perfectly. For there are many things in this life that oppose this redemption, therefore it is necessary that we be so defended that we do not fall back into captivity, lest our faith be overthrown by the devil. For the flesh is weak, but the devil is powerful; therefore, if God did not defend us and keep us, we would have begun to be redeemed in vain. In this way we must always pray, so that the firstfruits of the Spirit may be increased in us, and we may be renewed day by day, until the old man is completely destroyed by death. For then it shall come to pass that the captivity shall be utterly turned away, as the rivers or the waters are dried up at noon; whether thou understandest the Red Sea or the Jordan, for there is little in that. For the same is this: As thou by thy hand didst marvelously cause the sea to be dried up by a dry wind, so dry up completely all that is still in captivity in us, that it may be taken away completely, like the streams which overflow their banks in winter, but dry up completely in summer. For it indicates a drought, regardless of whether one wants to understand the one that was in the Red Sea and in the Jordan, or the one that tends to occur with streams.
This is why I exhort that we get into the habit of constant prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. Those who have not fought against the devil do not know how necessary the spirit of prayer is. For gradually carelessness and certainty grow, like rust on iron, and the word, as it were, gradually slips from our hands before we realize it. If this
then the devil has already won half the victory. For he does not sleep, but watches every moment and then attacks when he notices that the heart is empty of words. Then he easily stirs up a tremendous conflagration in the conscience, as it were from a tiny spark. Before this can be extinguished again, and Christ and the Word are seized again, we are oppressed by pain and torture, or completely killed. For he is a murderer, and all his counsels are directed toward killing us. It is necessary, therefore, that we continually press on (ruminare) the word, and pray, whether we rise or go to bed, lest the enemy find us idle and unequipped, and snatch away this salvation from us altogether.
I am also a theologian who has gained quite a bit of custom and experience in the holy scriptures through various dangers. But because of this gift, I do not raise myself in such a way that I should not daily pray the Catechism together with my children, that is, the Ten Commandments, the Christian faith and the Lord's Prayer, 1) and contemplate them with a devout heart, not only running over the words, but also paying attention to what each individual word means; and truly, if I do not do this, and am burdened with other business, I certainly feel a disadvantage from it. For the word is given by God for us to sharpen it, as Moses says, and to practice it. Without this exercise, our hearts become as it were rusty, so that we lose ourselves. We see it, and daily life is ample proof of where men are to go and what dangers they are exposed to. But what else is the cause of this than that they are secure, do not pray, do not hear the word nor consider it again and again (ruminant), and are content with having it in books and being able to read it. The devil gradually instills in them a contempt for the Word. Then he throws them either into sudden despair or into other dangers. For what is left when the word is lost, by which man can
1) Instead of: Neeei" praeoexta mccura we have assumed <Iow> Meam orationkiQ, which must stand here without doubt.
could fortify or defend himself against this enemy? Therefore, it is incumbent upon a theologian to learn constantly, to practice constantly in word and prayer, not only because the matters are so great that they cannot be completely enclosed in the heart, but also because our adversary tempts not once, but constantly. Therefore, we must constantly fight and pray against him with the word. Thus, prayer belongs to Christ's people and the Church or the redeemed and sanctified. For the unbelievers and the wicked do not pray.
V. 5: Those who sow with thirst will reap with joy.
This is also a part of those who actually belong to the redeemed, that they are subjected to many trials according to the saying Apost. 14, 22: "We must go through much tribulation into the kingdom of God." Therefore, theology is rightly called a state of the holy cross. Thus Christ, the Head of the Church, had to suffer; and the prophets, as Peter says, 1 Pet. 1:11, "have testified beforehand by the Holy Spirit of the sufferings that are in Christ, and of the glory that follows." And how would it be possible that Christians should not suffer, since there is no office in the world which is without the cross? To be a person in authority and to govern others, is it not the most miserable state? so that Demosthenes, an exceedingly wise man, after having endured very many dangers and hardships in the Athenian state, said: if two ways were presented to him, one leading to hell, the other leading to the government of the state, he would rather go the one leading to death and hell. Therefore Bias said that this state is the most certain rule by which one can judge about the nature (ingeniis) of any man; regiment shows (he says) what kind of man one is. For if you are not a man, and have unconquerable courage, you cannot endure all the dangers and hardships that this life entails. For how many are there who, rather than incur hatred and cause offence to others, deviate from right and truth! Hence it comes that very few in authority
are good in their office. But if some are good, they generally reap ingratitude and extremely great dangers for their laborious work. For a just administration always arouses hatred and envy. So, if you take a wife, what a multitude of troubles you will encounter! what a swarm of worries (των φροντίδων άορυβός), for the sake of the bias words
The man is in danger of being attacked, whether by the servants or the children, or by other inconveniences in the trade, or even by the neighbors. What shall I say much? You will not find a state that is not exceedingly full of complaints, if you do not want to be unjust. But if thou strive earnestly to live righteously and holy, it cannot fail that the devil will soon lay the cross upon thee and afflict thee.
But these things, as we see, are temporal; how much more, therefore, will the same thing happen in the church, where one must fight with the teusel because of righteousness and eternal life? For if the devil cannot suffer civil righteousness, how should he suffer eternal righteousness, by which, as he knows, he will perish for eternity? Christians therefore have the devils as their bitterest enemies, who persecute and torment them day and night. Therefore their life is very miserable, more than that of all men, whether one looks at what they suffer in the flesh or in the conscience. In civil affairs there is at least some semblance of happiness and pleasure, but those who want to be Christians are and remain in sins that make both the body and the conscience guilty before God. In the sight of the world, however, they are worms, an abomination and filth, subject to the hatred of the devils and the whole world; therefore, the world rages against them with every kind of torture. Therefore, whoever wants to see the true image of a Christian with his eyes, let him look at Job, who was possessed and plagued by devils, with tortures of the body and hideous swarms. What shall we do now? If we want and desire to attain eternal life, this must be borne. If we want to confess salvation and that Christ Jesus is our Redeemer, we must know that devils are be-
1908 xx> "-44. Au[1. on the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 126. w. iv, mis-ssis. 1909
We are not afraid of those who pursue our righteousness and our lives.
Therefore, as Sirach reminds us [Cap. 2, 1], we should send our souls to the temptation and offer our backs to the plows, as the 129th Psalm, v. 3, says. For every one that confesseth that he is baptized, and rejoiceth that he is called by Christ's name, let him also confess that he is no better than his Lord Christ. For they must be conformed to the image of the Son of God. If Christ wore a crown of thorns, we should not hope that wreaths and roses will be placed on our heads. We may seek peace and tranquility, and give the world no just cause to rage against us, but the hatred of the devil is not quenched in this way, but only inflamed more.
Behold, therefore, this miserable figure of a Christian who is yet redeemed. He is full of sins, sadness, death, therefore he displeases himself completely. Then he is like Lazarus at the rich man's doors, he is, like Job, overwhelmed by innumerable dangers and evils. Here you may say: Who should wish to be a Christian? Hear therefore what Peter says, 1 Pet. 4:12, 13: "Beloved, let not the heat," or the temptation, "which befalleth you, 1) that ye be tempted, alienate you, as if some strange thing did befall you; but rejoice that ye suffer with Christ, that ye may have joy and gladness even at the time of the manifestation of his glory." For this is the image of Christ, the Church, and all the brethren, that they suffer. But look not only at the suffering and the tribulations, but also at the fruit that tends to follow, namely, that those who sow with tears reap with joy. What can be more sweet than this consolation to those who bear the cross of Christ and are tormented in spirit by the devils, but in body by the world? For the devil challenges faith and makes us murmur against God, or oppresses us with sadness so that we do not know what we are doing or where we are, and yet it is true that we are holy and saved.
the Vulgate, yuae vodis üt should be read.
are redeemed. But salvation is hidden, and temptation is felt in the spirit and in the flesh. Then temporal things are added: the adversaries of the word slander ours, and belittle it lyingly, and seek a thousand causes to harm us.
When this is felt, the heart wriggles and cries out with David: Lord, have mercy on us, have mercy on us! The Holy Spirit calls all this "sowing in thirst, walking and weeping and bearing seed. It cannot be otherwise than that a Christian should be such a sower, sowing, not with laughter, but in the bitterest sorrow and with tears.
But, you say, where is the laughter that is preached to those who are redeemed, of whom David said just before? In spirit. For as much as you have faith, so much laughter you have. But at times the laughter is taken away, yet we are not left entirely, because the promise is there that we shall reap with joy. Furthermore, this does not mean that we should understand the word "sow" only from the ministry of teaching, as Paul uses it [1 Cor. 9:11]: "As we sow to you spiritual things," but indicates the whole way of life of all the pious, and all the actions they perform, on the basis of their calling. For they are, as it were, seeds of the life to come, which we have and possess in hope. For we are blessed and victorious over death, but in hope. Meanwhile, however, as long as we wallow in this life, we are in tears, as Christ says [John 16:20.], "The world shall rejoice, but ye shall weep and wail; but your sorrow," he says, "shall be turned into joy." This must be expected, and the sadness and the plagues are to be borne and overcome in this hope. For we are in the eyes of God like wild beasts which he causes to be afflicted by hunts, so that we seem to be nowhere safe; for a Christian without afflictions is of no use. Thus we see how he has Peter, Paul and other saints persecuted by the hunters, that is, by the synagogue, the emperors, the princes, so that they might learn to be humble and patient in themselves and not to become hopeful.
1910 L- xx, 44-46. interpretations on the psalms. W. iv, Wis-E. 1911
Since all who want to live godly in Christ must suffer persecution [2 Tim. 3:12], we must hold on to this consolation, by which we as it were season these plagues, namely, that the Holy Spirit here indeed prophesies that it will happen that we sow in tears, but we must have confidence. For the more abundant and bitter the tears are, the greater laughter and joy they will bring forth, as the opposite example also shows. The world sows in laughter, but afterwards it reaps in eternal sadness and pain, but we are only challenged here for a little while. Therefore, we should endure and hope that we will reap eternal joy for the laborious sowing of this short time.
Then there is also comfort in the fact that, although the whole of life is very sad and in truth a sowing with thorns, yet God in the meantime does not allow any affliction to be a constant one, but, as the seasons change, so always after fog follows clear weather, and after hardship comes rest. Thus, when we have been plagued in our hearts with thoughts of despair, mistrust, impatience before God and before the world for one, two, three days or more, we learn that after this follows that the hearts are again aligned with intimate spiritual comfort. For just as parents, after chastising their children with the rod, then speak kindly to them again and entice them to themselves with sugar or other stimulants, so God also acts with us, so that, if there were no refreshment, we would not flee from Him forever. Therefore, Paul also reminds us that children should be chastened in such a way that they do not become shy [Col. 3:21], that is, estranged from their parents; and parents who keep a moderate temper are therefore wont to add friendly speeches and small gifts to the rod, which prove their love, so that the children, feeling the blows, do not think that there is no longer any place for forgiveness. This is the way God uses to do it. For if the temptations continued on and on, who could bear them? Therefore, they are mixed with consolations, so that we may realize that God does not want us to be completely consumed by sadness. He wants to chastise, as the Psalm [Ps. 118, 18.] says, but
not handed over to death. He lets us stumble, but he also offers us his hand with which he lifts us up [Pf. 94, 18.]; he leads us into hell, but he also leads us out again [1 Sam. 2, 6.]. In contrast, the devil and the world burn with endless hatred and insatiable anger. These say [Ps. 137, 7.], "No off, pure off, down to the ground." This is not the nature of God's wrath, which chastises to blessedness.
We should therefore learn that we must bear the temptations, and sow with thirst, so that when a temptation comes, we may not be vexed and despair as by a new and unusual thing, but retain this consolation, that we have the harvest in eternal life, which we shall accomplish with joy, besides that also in this life the temptations are so relieved that one can bear them, according to the words of Paul [1 Cor. 10, 13]: "God is faithful, who does not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability," but with the temptation He also provides an exit or an entrance.
an escape. It is true that it seems to us that we can no longer bear the danger, but God's power is mighty in the weak [2 Cor. 12:9].
V. 6. they go and weep, and bear noble seed, and come with joy, and bring their sheaves.
How could the situation of the Church and the way she walks under the holy cross be more clearly depicted? So that we may fortify our hearts, so that we do not lose that laughter which we have grasped through faith, but grow through the cross, and feel that this laughter is increased. For the faith and life of Christians is not a hypocrisy like that of the monks, who also presume to reach perfection through their thoughts of spiritual union (unionis spiritualis), as they call it, but, as I have learned from my own example, in vain. For although I have dealt with them seriously, I have never felt any taste of such thoughts. They are therefore nothing but dangerous fables and hypocrisy. But this is the Christian life that is described here.
1912 n> Au[1. about the 15 songs in the higher choir. Ps. 126. w. iv, M7-M24. 1913
that is, to be exercised through the cross and temptations and to take hold of the word. This is the true and real union we have with God, and in this union we must daily increase for the sake of the flesh, the world, and the devil who daily tempts us. For if we did not have recourse to the Word and prayer in these dangers, we would be defeated. Therefore, the cross is the means by which God wants us to be exercised, but not devoured, so that we may be purified more and more every day.
Furthermore, as far as the text is concerned, it matters little whether one interprets this verse in such a way that it is a repetition of the first verse, or whether one makes the difference that this verse speaks of the consolation of this life, but the above verse of the consolation of the life to come. But it seems to me that he actually also wanted to indicate that the tribulations do not just happen once. For although consolation comes in between, one trial follows another, so that the whole life is, as it were, a chain of trials. So it is in the church: when one heresy is overcome and eradicated, another has arisen; when one tyrant is subdued by the hand of the Lord, another has followed. So also in private life: when one despair is overcome, another follows etc. This uninterrupted continuation the prophet, it seems, also intended to indicate by the doubling that he says [in Hebrew], They go walking; for there is no end of tears before we descend into the grave, though we are allowed a time to breathe again.
That one translates "noble seed", there may watch those who are masters in the Hebrew language. For this image is too far away. It seems to me that it rather indicates the "lengthening", so that the prophet expresses the continuation of the challenges, of which I have already said, or the emphasis. Otherwise XXX, as we said above [Ps. 120, 5.], are the Tartars. But this does not fit this passage. Now the sense is, They bear a long-drawn or wide-spread seed, that is, they lead a toilsome life; from day to day they are plagued with new dangers and calamities, without ceasing, so that the long-drawn seed is the same as if it were said, persistent, successive, or alternating, afflictions. But what is the end of this long duration? Certainly that they will possess eternal joy, as the epistle to the Hebrews gloriously says: "All chastening, when it comes, seems to us not to be joy but sorrow (here you hear the tears), but afterward it will give a peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are exercised by it" (here you hear that they will soon come with joy). Therefore, even though the seed is long and prolonged, it is not eternal; but the joy will be eternal. Thus the kingdom of Christ is not in the power of the world and treasures, but in eternal redemption, which we must obtain under great afflictions and countless crosses, but in which we are nevertheless sustained by the word and prayer until we are saved. Amen.
1) Instead of: paratl88iiLa.ni in the Erlanger is to be read paeatissiLiaiL according to the Vulgate.