This psalm is about the kingdom of Christ. For it was fitting that he should add a psalm of consolation after so many trials of the faithful. And the first verse teaches that the kingdom of the Lord Christ is in the word and a spiritual kingdom. Likewise, that it is not in one corner alone, nor in Germany alone, but on the whole face of the earth.
V. 2. O Lord our ruler, how glorious is your name in all the earth 2c.
2. this kingdom of Christ, he says, stands in his name; for the gospel is taught and preached.
In all lands.
3) This indicates the power of the gospel, which is spreading throughout the world.
The name and the kingdom of Christ are carried into all the earth.
Since you are thanked in heaven.
The other power of this kingdom is praise, that there is no other worship but to praise, believe and give thanks to this name. Further, dll should notice the contrast in this first verse. Here he speaks, "In all lands." In the law it was said [Ps. 76, 2.], "GOD is known in Judah." Likewise, praise was offered in the temple alone; but now, as far as the heavens reach. For this is how the word "heaven" is often understood, that it means, everywhere under heaven. But it can also be translated: above heaven, that is, one praises him who is above heaven. As if to say: on earth he is blasphemed.
V. 3. From the mouths of young children and infants.
5 Here he adds who they are who do this and praise the name of God. "Out of the mouth of the young children thou hast wrought a power." 1) He uses neither swords nor weapons to strike his enemies. He uses only the mouth; by the tongue, by the mouth, by the word alone he directs his power. Thus Paul calls the gospel a power of God [Rom. 1, 16]. The dear preachers keep their fist inside, and leave the sword to the emperor, they only need the tongue.
(6) The "young children" are to be understood generally of those who are children either by age and understanding at the same time, or by understanding alone. Young and old, which are Christians, must yet become children, if not by age, yet by understanding, that we understand no more than the young children; for as soon as they would rule with wisdom, they fall away. Therefore, if a man wants to be a Christian or a preacher, let him only take hold of his head and give himself up, so that he is not a man, nor old, but a young child. My Hans Luther does not study much; as he is told, so he goes, is badly led by words, and does not ask much whether it is right or not. But the enthusiasts go on, wanting to argue for a long time, when our Lord God tells them, "This is my body," as it rhymes. This is not to be. That is why they never teach anything right. Christians, however, are all children and infants, as Peter also calls them [1 Pet 2:2]. He admonishes us finely that we feed with the teats; the same do it. By their mouth and their simple preaching it is evident that it is a divine power.
For the sake of your enemies.
7) This is that you put to shame the wisdom of the wagers; as we heard yesterday in the Gospel: 2) "The Holy Spirit will
1) Here the old translation has: "prayers". But that the reading of the Latin: "buildings" is correct, proves the second interpretation, K 6.
2) The pericope Joh. 16, 5-15. is intended for the Sunday Cantate. Since in 1530 Cantate fell on May 15, this interpretation of the 8th Psalm is to be moved to Monday, May 16.
punish the world for sin, for righteousness, for judgment" [John 16:8], that is what the world is able to do, and knowing how wise it always is, it shall become a fool. I have the mouth of young children, therefore they are so hostile to me; nor do I oppose them with words, and that your foolish words; as it is written [1 Cor. 1:27.], "What is foolish in the sight of the world, that God hath chosen. "2c. They must become fools because of his foolish word, however wise they are.
That you may destroy the enemy and the avenger.
This is a promise. The adversaries of the word of God shall not lead it out. One must carry the cross over it: but here is the promise that they shall go to ruins. But here the enemies of the word are delicately portrayed; for they are so hostile to no other thing than Christ, therefore all their hearts are set on vengeance, vengeance. The reason is, the gospel does not attack bags, it attacks the highest righteousness and wisdom of the world, which it wants to make foolish and sin. This makes evil blood, therefore they cannot and will not suffer it, as can be seen in the Jews against Stephanum. Thus it is written, how it shall be with us: we shall have enemies, and such enemies as are the most cruel, burning with insatiable vengeance; yet it shall not help them. This is an excellent promise against Eck and Cochläus and their kind. But the contradiction is before our eyes until we learn it, as follows.
V. 4 For I will see the heavens (coelos tuos), the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you prepare.
The prophet is now in another world. So he does not speak of this heaven, which we see. He says: "Your heavens", as Paul says [Phil. 3, 20.]: "Our walk is in heaven", there will be moon and stars, that is, teachers. Therefore he does not remember the sun, because in these heavens Christ is the sun. Up to this point he has spoken of the kingdom of Christ, of the nature of the kingdom, of the sacrifice, of the servants, of the enemies, of the cross, of the place and the location of the kingdom. Now he also says about the head of this kingdom.
V. 5. 6. What is man, that you remember him, and the child of man, that you take care of him? You will let him be abandoned by God for a little while.
This agrees with the second Psalm. This king, he says, is called one crucified and transfigured, one dead and raised again. What a king this is, who is nevertheless abandoned by God! How wonderful it is that God remembers him, of whom the whole world judges that God has turned his face away from him and does not see him, because he does not remember him. It is astonishing that you take care of him who appears before the eyes of all men as the most abandoned one; who is regarded not as if someone took care of him, but as if he was cast out; not as if he was remembered, but as if he was forgotten. So we can now also remember and say to Doctor Justus Jonas 1) that God has not forgotten him, that he is not rejected, but that God remembers him and takes care of him. In every challenge it seems as if there is nothing else but forgetfulness and rejection. But in truth it is a remembrance and acceptance. And it is strange that "remembering" should mean when one is forsaken by God, angels and all the world; these are temptations of death, despair and sin. Well then, we shall not fare better than our king.
A little time.
11) As he says in the gospel: "About a little one", namely, about three days, Joh. 16, 16.
With honors and ornaments you will crown him.
12. you will raise him from death, and lift him out of shame and disgrace.
1) He had a son who died at that time. (Note of the original.)
respect. With this he indicates that he has been in the highest shame, disgrace and distress.
V. 7. You will make him Lord over the work of your hands.
13 In this Psalm St. Peter saw, when he says Apost. 2, 36 that God has made this Christ the Lord. But Christ is actually God because of the work he does. For since he assigns to him the right and authority over all creatures, he indicates that this Christ is equal to God in authority. This is unbelievable, and yet it is a comfort to us that Christ has all things in his power and hand; as St. Paul deals with extensively in the epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians.
You have put everything under his feet.
14 They shall be obedient. But such things we see not, but believe: for it is a kingdom of faith; one must believe, or else nothing is true.
V. 8. 9. sheep and oxen in general, and also the wild animals. The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and the things of the sea.
15 He adds this for the sake of the text Gen. 1, 28 and Cap. 2, 19. about the dominion of Adam, so that we do not think that Christ has no right or power over the things that were given to Adam.
V. 10. O Lord, our sovereign, how glorious is your name in all the earth!
These are words of wonder. This is a strange Lord. The second and this eighth Psalm are among the most distinguished in the whole Psalter, but they must be believed.
About the same Psalm.
V. 1. ad victoriam pro torcularibus. Psalmus David.
1. XXXX [Githith] is a musical instrument, so called either from the shape of a winepress, or from the city of Gath (Gith), as.
for the instruments are wont to have different names; unless thou wilt say that XXXX, torcularia, [winepress], is the same thing, as that this psalm should be sung at a merry time, because the time of winepressing is the dear-
is the time of the grape harvest. But I like the first opinion better, as we also understood in the sixth Psalm of the instrument with eight strings.
Lord, our sovereign, how glorious is your name in all the earth, where they give thanks to you in heaven.
The summa of the psalm is this: He sings with joy that the gospel shall go into all the world; then how the fruit and power of the word, namely the kingdom of Christ, shall prosper through the cross. Furthermore, he depicts the king himself, and the head of this kingdom, the Lord Christ, with joy and wonder. Finally, he says that Christ's people will also be provided for temporally. And therefore he says:
(3) O Lord, who now, when we are under the law, are our ruler, and we, thy servants and thy people, are worthless in the sight of the world, so that thou also art not esteemed among the heathen, and thy name is small, and is counted as it were among the lesser gods. But what will happen then, when the time of grace comes, and all gods, idols and temples will be put down by the gospel, and their names will be destroyed, and you alone will be praised as a god in the whole world? Help God, how great and mighty will then be your name, which the world will not be able to grasp, although it is now considered as if it could not even fill this corner sufficiently. This glory of your name will come through the word of preaching, by which you will be praised under the whole heaven, or everywhere where the heaven extends, that is, everywhere. For this is what the Hebrew text wants to say: "Since your praise will be heard in the heavens, that is, your praise will be proclaimed everywhere under the heavens.
4 Here you should notice that the Hebrew way of speaking indicates that the sacrifice of the new law is to praise God and to praise His name through the word. For he uses words with which Moses used to speak of sacrifices in the Law [Ex 30:10, Deut 1:11, Deut 12:27]: You shall put incense (dabis) on the altar, and put blood (dabis) on the horns of the altar. So also
here: They shall offer (dabunt) unto thee, that is, sacrifice, not incense or blood, but thy praise. And not merely in a certain place of the altar, but as far as the heavens stretch.
(5) You should also know that the gospel preaches God's name and praise, therefore it will necessarily punish our works, wisdom, righteousness, and all that is ours, so that it may take away our name and glory, humiliate us, and make us guilty of sin and death, reproach us with our shame and dishonor, so that we may be ashamed, Rom. 3:19, so that all the world may be guilty of God. But see how he uses such a kind and trustworthy word, calling God a ruler, as if he were one of his servants; so that he not only distinguishes him from all other gods, but also confesses him and opposes him to all foreign gods, no matter how weak, foolish and void he is to be regarded. Therefore this is a fervent word of a believing heart: "Lord, our ruler", which is said out of a fervent faith against all aversions.
V. 3. out of the mouth of the young children and infants thou hast prepared a power for the sake of thine enemies, to destroy the enemy and the avenger.
From this praise and exalted name of God, the church arises, a mighty kingdom in the Lord, firmly established, "a pillar and foundation of the truth of God", 1 Tim. 3, 15. This kingdom and this well-founded power, masters or builders and builders, by which such a kingdom is established, are quite strange, namely, the mouth of children and infants, who are the apostles and church servants, who by their conversion before the world became children, fools and weak. Other kingdoms are appointed, not by the mouths of young children, but by the fists of mighty giants. Therefore Christ Matth. 21, 16. also understands minors and children according to the letter. Just as in truth they belong to these master builders of the church because of their youth and the simplicity of their faith. The 68th Psalm also says about this power of the gospel,
V. 34. 35.: "Behold, he will give power to his thunder. Pray to God for power! His glory is in Israel, and his power in the clouds." And in the 45th Psalm, v. 6: "Sharp are your arrows." Item, in the 110th Psalm, v. 2. "The LORD shall send the scepter of thy kingdom out of Zion."
For the sake of your enemies.
Here is a promise and an urging. To the faithful he promises to defend his word, to give victory in weakness, and then to destroy the enemy. And if you should ask: Why does he choose such weak preachers, underage and foolish, before kings and wise men? You have the answer here: He does this for the sake of the enemies, so that he has the opportunity to comfort the oppressed and to push the enemies to the ground, and thus shows his mercy on the faithful, but his power and anger on the unbelieving enemies; as he says in the other book of Moses Cap. 9, 16: "I have awakened you, so that my power may appear in you. Therefore I have struck down the children of Israel, that I might show them my grace and power to save. For if he chose the wise, the mighty and the holy, it would seem as if they had accomplished such great things by their wisdom, might and holiness, and so there would be no room left for the glory and knowledge of God.
(8) You see here how this mighty kingdom is in the midst of tribulation, and is under the cross, being exercised and perfected. Nor does he describe lazy enemies of it, but fierce, vehement and bitter enemies, because they not only inflict tribulation and evil, but are also enemies who are ardent and unforgiving with all their heart, even making themselves believe that they are doing God a favor and acting justly out of zeal against God; They are avengers who save God's honor, avenge the violation of God's nature, defend the truth, expel heresies, and perform other such great works of godliness. For they fight for God, and hope for the crown of victory for strangling the faithful of Christ; but their end is destruction, as he says here:
V. 4 For I will see the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you prepare.
9 So far he has described the church, what it is, namely, a foundation of truth, 1 Tim. 3:15; what its form is, namely, the cross; by what it is, namely, through the word; what this word is, namely, that praises the name of God; what kind of servants it has, namely, underage children and fools. Now he describes further where it is and in which place it is to be found. Therefore it will not be a kingdom on earth, or at Rome, or at Jerusalem, but a kingdom in heaven, as Paul says [Phil. 3, 20.]: "Our walk is in heaven." But what the kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven is, it is known, namely, an invisible kingdom in the spirit within us, not in outward gestures. Therefore he says, "Thine," "thy heavens," that is, in which thou shalt reign; and makes a distinction between these and the old heavens, as if to say, Wherever thou reignest, there is thy heaven, and the place of thy kingdom. This place cannot be measured or ordered by the hands of men; but "the works of thy fingers", that is, the Holy Spirit judges and orders this place. Therefore it is most seen at night, when, in the absence of the sun, the moon and stars shine, that it may show that this kingdom is not in the light of this world, but is in darkness, and is hidden from the world, because, as the world sleeps in its night, the church shines with its stars in the kingdom of heaven. This heaven, this moon, these thy stars, will I see in thy kingdom; for it is proclaimed by the word, and seen by faith. Therefore he is silent about the sun; for he speaks to him who is the sun himself, whose fingers have made this heaven, who founded this moon and these stars; therefore he does not make another sun, but is it himself.
(10) So then we have that this kingdom is hidden in faith, and, being invisible to the eyes, is seen with faith. Therefore he boasts of a new and strange vision, as if to say, "Now I see the heavens in the flesh, as they are before our eyes.
1426 xvii, 76-78. Interpretations on the Psalms. W. iv, isss-iM. 1427
But I will see new heavens when the young children preach, that is, which will be visible to all who believe, but invisible to unbelievers.
V. 5: What is man, that thou art mindful of him; and the child of man, that thou art mindful of him?
11 He says this after the manner of all prophets, who, when they have preached about the church and the kingdom of Christ, finally add the doctrine of the head himself, of the King Christ. So here he also portrays Christ wonderfully, as a crucified and glorified king, and says: "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?" He speaks this out of great amazement and horror. For it is also in truth astonishing, and to reason inconceivable and incomprehensible, that this King should be a man, and the Son of man, and not only a man, but also miserable and afflicted, yea, forsaken by God Himself, that is, crucified, dead, who nevertheless reigns as God over all. This is the highest article of Christian faith and wisdom, at which even the spirit of the righteous is horrified, but all flesh and the whole world is angry. All and every word is spoken in the most emphatic and powerful way. For "man", in Hebrew Enosh means an afflicted one, and "man's son" at the same time also means an afflicted man, born on earth. But nevertheless, in order that he might be considered a true natural man, he adds: "son of man," that is, born of a man, with true flesh and blood, born of the mother.
12 "Remember him", "take care of him". He is horrified at such words. Who would believe that you could remember him whom you so trusted, and that you would accept him whom you so cast down from you under the cross? This is quite contrary to each other: to remember him, and that he is such a man; to accept him, and that he is a son of man. For what manner of man this is, that thou rememberest and receivest, the following verse declares:
V. 6. You will let him be forsaken by God for a little while.
(13) Hear, hear what it is, to remember this man, and to accept him, that is, that it is called forsaking. If then thou wilt look upon such abandonment, thou shalt find nothing less than remembrance and acceptance. Therefore it is such a miracle that one must be astonished to remember and accept him who is so forsaken. But it follows:
With honors and ornaments you will crown him.
V. 7: You will make him Lord over the work of your hands. You have put everything under his feet.
14 Here, at last, the remembrance and acceptance comes to light and is declared, namely, that he is not abandoned under such abandonment, but it is declared that he is GOD above all. For no one can be set over everything except God alone. What else these verses have in them is otherwise abundantly dealt with. These verses are also written for our comfort, so that we may believe that we will be remembered and accepted when we feel that God has forgotten us and abandoned us.
V. 8. 9. sheep and oxen in general, and also the wild animals. The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and the things of the sea.
(15) This dominion was given to Adam in Genesis 1:28, but here it is also brought under Christ, because Christ reigns over all things in spirit, and is not thought to reign over angels and men alone, and not to be able to feed His own in this life, because He has another kingdom than the kingdom of Adam and man. But he says that he also reigns in Adam's kingdom, so that he can also feed and provide for his own in a bodily way, in that he does not abolish the dominion that was given to Adam and his children, nor does he destroy the word of God, which is written in Genesis 1:28, but also submits to this dominion, so that he can use it to provide his believers with bodily needs. For cattle, sheep, birds,
1428 L. xvii, 7s-so. Short Au[1. on the first 25 Psalms. Ps. 8. 9. w. iv. 1939-1942. 1429
Fish are things and goods of the human kingdom, and through these animals we build the earth and subdue it, drive our food, gain goods. Therefore, believers in Christ's spiritual kingdom under him shall also have temporal food. For temporal goods are also subject to Christ, that they may serve him. As Paul says [1 Tim. 4:8], "Godliness is profitable for all things, and has the
Promise of this life and the life to come." Likewise [1 Tim. 6, 6.]: "It is a great gain who is godly" 2c.
V. 10. Lord our ruler 2c.
16 He repeats this to indicate that the kingdom of this divine man and human God is not only beyond all wonder, but also overcomes horror.