Behold, praise the Lord.
This is the last psalm among those which have the title: "Songs in the higher choir." In them you have heard many important and useful teachings, almost of all the articles of the whole Christian religion, of justification or forgiveness of sins, of the cross, of love, of matrimony, of authority, etc., just as if the prophet had set out to compile in these very short psalms an epitome of that which he had taught.
But now, in this psalm, he seems to conclude what he has set out to treat. This is also what we do when we pray at the end of the sermons that God may preserve His word for us and grant us that we may persevere in it. For if the word is pure, then all is well, holy and pure, no matter how much the gates of hell rage, and we do not believe in
We will not only suffer damage to our property, but also to life and limb. For what harm can that do us, if only our souls are saved? The word is therefore, that I say so, the quite general epitome (genus generalissimum) of all goods, since it preserves all goods. But if this is lost or corrupted, then all goods are lost at the same time. For just as, when the sun and the light of the world are gone, he who walks walks in darkness, so, when the word is darkened, danger also follows for the worldly government. For then neither rulers nor subjects, neither maidservant nor servant, know what they should do, but all is in error and thickest darkness.
Therefore, this psalm exhorts us to pray for the preservation of the word and 1) to strive each one among us to assist the church through this service. For although the church is never without heretics, just as the secular government is never without rebellious people, it cannot be otherwise if the word is still intact than that there are still many goods and at the same time also many pious people left. I therefore take this psalm to be a summa of the previous ones, in which he prays and exhorts that one gives thanks to the Lord for the gift of his word, so that it may also be preserved in the future, especially since, when the word is preserved, there are always some pious people to be found who live holy and pure lives. Therefore he says:
V. 1. Behold, praise the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which stand by night in the house of the LORD.
"To praise" does not only mean to thank God in particular (privately), but also to praise God publicly and to preach the Word of God. For this cannot be done without at the same time praising the mercy of God, who is at the same time our Creator, our Sustainer and our Savior, who brings with Him and has laboriously brought about everything that serves our life, not only this bodily life, but also the life to come and eternal life. But although the word
1) et is missing in the Erlanger.
Although the term "servants of God" is actually used of the church servants, it generally refers to all those who confess and follow the right doctrine. For even those who are not in the ministry of preaching have the duty to confess the word and to acknowledge and praise the benefits of God. Therefore, he says, all of you make an effort, one as well as the other, persevere in the word, confess, praise, teach, exalt it, so that, since all the rest of the world blasphemes and desecrates God, you at least may be those who praise him, that he is merciful. Then it will happen that you, even though you are the weaker in number and strength, will still defeat all your enemies.
But why does he explicitly add: "You who stand at night in the house of the Lord"? Did they observe certain hours in the temple after the manner of the papists? It is a Hebrew way of speaking. For it denotes the same thing as we say in German, early and late, that is, continually, as it is also said above [Ps. 130:6. Vulg.], "From morning watch until night." Paul expresses this opinion in other words [Col. 3, 16.], "Let the word dwell among you richly all the time," and Christ says [Luc. 18, 1.], "Pray without ceasing." For since the time of night is appointed for sleep, he that praiseth by night shall do the same by day, and so praise always. There is also in the word "ye stand" a Hebrew way of speaking. For it does not denote the posture of the body, as the Carthusians used to pray standing, but the profession. Therefore, when he says, "You who stand," it is the same as when he says, "You who are ordained and called to the house of the Lord, that you should praise and preach the Lord there, not only by singing, but also by interpreting the word of God, by exhorting the faithful to faith, patience, love. 2c.
V. 2. Lift up your hands in holiness and praise the Lord.
Not unwillingly I would like to translate: Lift up your hands in a pure and holy way; but grammar is against it, although it comes out to the same opinion. For he who prays in the sanctuary must pray purely, that is, lift up pure and holy hands, as Paul says
2148 L. xx, S04-Z06. Au[1. on d. 15 songs in high choir. Ps. 134. W. iv, Wgi-E. 2149
[1 Tim. 2, 8.] otherwise he will pray in vain. But clean hands signify innocence, especially of blood and robbery. Now the prophet indicates that there are two kinds of people who come to the temple and pray; some come and pray in innocence and holiness, others pray in hypocrisy, and have hands stained with blood, since they are inflamed with hatred against the right doctrine and the whole preaching ministry. Their prayer is sin, as the Psalm says [Ps. 109:7]. In this way Paul also commands from prayer [Phil. 2, 14.]: Pray without murmuring and without doubting, Haesitatio [hesitation] is the same as dubitatio [doubt], namely where there is not the right trust in the mercy of GOD. "Murmuring" is the impatience that the delay or postponement of the answer brings. This is generally connected with the desire for revenge. Likewise Christ says [Matt. 5:23], "If thou wilt offer thy gift upon the altar, and there thinkest that thy brother hath aught against thee, go and be reconciled to thy brother, and then offer thy gift." For this is a common thing, that hypocrites, after having heaped every kind of insult upon the brethren, not only are not conscious of any wrong, and excuse their doings, but also feign a peculiar zeal for religion and holiness, and boast of the gospel more highly than the true Christians, and are sure of being inflamed with hatred and envy against their neighbor.
Against these people the Psalm reminds them that if they want to pray in the holy place, they should be pure and holy. For whosoever prayeth, and is possessed and entrapped either by covetousness, or unchastity, or wrath, or some other devil, unto him saith the Lord, Why declareest thou my statutes, and takest my covenant in thy mouth, when thou hast had discipline, and castest my words behind thee? When thou seest a thief, thou runnest with him, and hast fellowship with adulterers. "2c., Ps. 50:16-18. Such was the prayer of the Pharisee who went out of the temple unjustly [Luc. 18:14.]. For this is a very common pity, that those who are the most impure, should more and more persistently
more glorified than the truly godly. This is why the Scriptures explicitly state that some use the name of God uselessly, who are nevertheless defiled and godless in heart and life, and the prophet attacks the hypocrites at this point, who think that God, when they pray, does not see the impurity of their heart. Therefore, it is a necessary request that God first give the word and keep it against the swarms and heretics, and then also that He keep us in innocence and guard us from hypocrisy.
V. 3. The Lord bless you from Zion, who made heaven and earth.
We have mentioned Zion several times in these lectures. For God wanted that not only the customs (ritum) and the persons, but also the place of worship should be certain, so that the hearts would not wander in uncertainty and choose for themselves certain places for worship. But because the matter was not without trouble (for what could be more inconsistent than that the God of heaven and earth should be shut up in that darkness?), therefore, to strengthen the hearts, he says that the Lord who dwells in Zion is the Creator of heaven and earth. This we have often said, and it is useful that it be often inculcated, lest we choose peculiar worship. For just as in the Old Testament there was a certain place, certain persons, certain times, to which God had, as it were, bound His divine service, so with us we find the Father in Christ alone. In Christ the Father is worshipped and found; apart from Christ he can neither be worshipped nor found, but everything is condemned that is worshipped apart from Christ.
Therefore the summa is: To you priests I say, to you I exhort, that you follow the word, and execute your office purely. For if the word and the ministry remain unharmed, there is nothing that can harm you. For even if the devil and the world set themselves against us, what is the matter? For, "If GOD is for us, who can be against us?" [Therefore, let this be your first concern, that you teachers take care of the preservation of the word.
may God help you 1) in this! For this is the right and noblest blessing of God. This could be explained even more extensively, but it may be enough that we have pointed it out. Our task today is that, because the Word shines so brightly to us, we also apply ourselves to the same care and spend all our effort on it, and take care in every way that we do not lose the Word again through our ingratitude. This will happen when also
1) Erlanger: vos; Wittenberger and Jenaer: nos. Only in the following Luther goes over from the present time, therefore Ww have preferred the former reading.
we pray for the churches that God may bless them through His Son, our Savior, Lord and God, Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther finished the songs in the higher choir at Wittenberg in the year of the Lord 1533 on October 27. However, they were written down in Nuremberg and finished in 1540 on January 26.
2) Instead of "so" in the editions, either eas or üs should be read, referring to eeelesüs. In later writers, benkäicere also occurs with the accusative.