1. this is also one of the right Psalms, because it does nothing else than to punish the whole world, as Paul explains it in the epistle to the Romans, Cap. 3, 19, that the whole world is guilty before God, that no one is righteous before God, and that if one has lost Christ, there is no salvation nor grace; it is all evil and damnable.
V. 1. The foolish say in their heart: There is no God.
The whole human race says in its heart that there is no God. But against this they say: No, rather we teach much about God and Christ. But against this the Scripture says Isa. 29, 13: "With their lips they honor me."
The word Nabal (XXX), which has been translated by Thor, means any man who is without the wisdom of Christ and without the Word. The Turk, the Pabst and the most prudent in the world, everything that does not believe in God from the heart, is XXX [a fool]. This they show by their works, because they condemn God's word. They call our Lord's teaching and word heresy, and say in short: 1) It is not God, but the devil; not God's word, but the devil's word. But he who denies the Word denies everything, even God Himself, Whose is the Word. This is never lacking. What do they do? They deny God and make their own God, as follows.
1) In the Latin edition: "In short" is added to the speech.
They are no good, and are an abomination with their nature.
(4) All their doings (studia) he puts upon them, saying not, They are an abomination in their sins and iniquities, but in their doings. In the best of their ways there is corruption, they corrupt themselves, and are an abomination even to God; for they are without the word, and corrupt with unbelief. And before our Lord God they are not worth a damn. Nevertheless they say that they are the right Christians (catholicos) and the dearest children. So the whole psalm must be put in a strong contrast (antitliesin). But before God they are stinking, and in addition, when they do and find the best.
There is no one who does good.
5 And yet they fast twice a week, and what more the Pharisee boasts of himself, Luc. 18:12. But the psalm saith, "There is none that doeth good." For he also addresses the Jews, that their works should not be called good. Now he sets up a painting to confirm what he has said.
The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if any are wise, and to inquire of God.
(6) That it is true, saith he, Our Lord God himself hath seen it. As many as are the children of men, they all ask not after God. All that are not the children of God (for he makes a clear distinction between the children of God and the children of men),
They are not wise, they do not respect our Lord God. And the same word is in the prophet Daniel: "He will not respect the love of women or any of the things of God", Dan. 11, 37. But especially you should notice that he says of all the children of men that they not only do not ask about God and His word, but also pursue it. Therefore, he does not ask about their fasting, sacrifices, masses and religious orders, but asks whether anyone looks and pays attention to God's word and pursues how he may serve God and do what he can to please God. This is a great and serious saying, but they do not respect it.
V. 3. But they all deviated.
7 Isaiah took this verse over into his prophecy [Jef. 53:6, 56:10]. As much as there is of the whole human race, it all departs from the word, and seeks its sects and works; as all monks do.
And all of them inept.
8. Αδόκιμοι, unfit, in Paul, Tit. 1,
16 [Vulg.]: "They have fallen away from the faith, but with their works they are good for nothing." These two things always follow one another. All, none excepted, who are without faith are sinners, and very grievous sinners at that.
There is no one who does good, not even one.
9 This is a mighty sentence. The following three verses [in the Vulgate] are taken from different passages, especially from the Epistle to the Romans, Cap. 3, 11-18. 1) For they are not found in the Hebrew. Now further on he especially blames the teachers. For until now he has generally said that they do not ask about God etc., which are beautiful, praiseworthy virtues. Now he attacks the teachers 2). Do they not have teachers and bishops? What do they teach?
V. 4. Will no one notice the evil-doer?
10. in Paul 2 Cor. 11, 13. and Phil. 3, 2. these are the evil and deceitful ar-.
1> Cf. in Luther's "Works on the first 22 Psalms" the 14th Psalm, K 89 ff., where this inserted passage is dealt with more extensively. In this volume Col. 904.
2) In the original: teaching.
employees. They do evil work; they teach well and work, but nothing but evil deeds. And in addition, when it is preached to them, they do not want to accept it, they do not allow themselves to acknowledge it. The Lord has not spoken through you," they say in Jeremiah.
Who eat my people, that they may feed.
(11) They devour it as bread, both bodily and spiritual, bodies and souls. Thus all the wicked are stingy; they must have income from their worship. Man's heart must have a god, they take it wherever they want; if it is not God's word, it is mammon.
But they do not call upon the Lord.
(12) They do not believe, they are satisfied with their works; they do not want to hear, therefore they do not believe; but if they do not believe, they do not call. Yes, they say, we call; for why else would we cry out so wearily in the churches? But this is not an invocation, for no one has no good confidence in our Lord God.
V. 5. There they are afraid.
Thirteen, "There," where they call not, there they fear. I think he is talking about the fear of worship; for where one has lost faith, one always makes a conscience where there should be none. So Paul says 2 Tim. 3, 6: They lead captive the women etc. There they fear, since God does not want to be feared: as we see in experience. If a monk should have walked or slept without a barn, or eaten meat on Friday, that would have been sin upon sin, although our Lord God is not interested in it. Again, where they should fear and honor the word, they fear nothing. It shall be so: If he will not honor the word of God, let him honor lies; as Paul says 2 Thess. 2, 11. If he will not fear God, let him fear his own star in his eye. Neh-
3) In the original: "Staaren"; likewise in the old translation. The reading we offer in this saying is found in Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XIX, 855, § 89; also in the Weimar Edition, Vol. VIII, p. 170.
If they take up the word, they must not do all this, for he speaks of those who despise the word.
But God is with the generation of the righteous.
14 This is with those who have God's word. The adversaries do not believe this, but say they are heretics. Should our Lord God be with Philippsen, or Duke Hansen of Saxony?
V. 6. You desecrate the poor man's council.
(15) You condemn them; when they open their mouths, you call them heretics. Our Lord God is there, but he must not be called God. "Counsel" is also there, but it must be called heresy. Here it is clear: if our teaching is right, then it must be called disruption. They are bad boys who have the word and yet do not want to recognize it.
But God is his confidence.
16 This is the cause of all disagreement. He does not preach differently, the same righteous one, because God's grace. This is the Hadermetz, over this the fight rises. We preach the doctrine of justification, that is the core; there they clash, that the Lord is his confidence; that one insists on grace alone, over that he must be condemned. That is why they are justly called like
They are condemned for doing no good, and what they do, that it is nothing; grace cannot be suffered. That is a miserable bargain.
V. 7: Oh that help would come to Israel!
17 This is what is said about spiritual imprisonment. But I think it is a prayer for the Lord Christ. Oh, how we have been preaching for so long that the right Savior would come one day!
From Zion.
This is the gospel, as Isaiah says, Cap. 2, 3. 2, 3. That he would let the gospel go, otherwise we cannot get along with the boys.
And the Lord redeemed his captive people.
19. that is held captive by the law. We pray this verse for the last day.
Thus Jacob would be joyful, and Israel would rejoice.
20 He would rejoice, not because of works, but because of the redemption from prison, and because of the salvation granted. Thus he defends grace against works and merits. Therefore, this psalm is one of the glorious psalms that masterfully establishes the article of justification.