The psalm is private and of private matters, for there is nothing in it about public preaching or worldly rule, for it is simply a prayer of the conscience of an individual, in which he asks that God may be merciful to him, forgive sin, and make him pious, guide and lead him. It is therefore a confession of sin, and he complains about his enemies and asks for wisdom and justice.
V. 1. After you, Lord, I long (Ad te, Domine, levavi animam meam).
2. "Lifting up the soul" is the right power of prayer, which is not a useless babble, nor of many words. And they have not spoken rightly who have said that prayer is an ascension of the heart to God; but it is, as the Psalm says here, an elevation of the soul. "But the soul" is the longing and groaning of the heart, which is weary with great desire. He says: "I lift up my soul" 2c., that is, my soul sighs for you, and desires something.
There is a great emphasis on the words "after you", as if he should say: I have nowhere else to go. It seems that his sins have pressed him, and he has felt the wrath of God; and yet he turns with his prayer against the wrathful God. Now, if one can sing the "after you" when he feels God's wrath upon him, and can desire something against God, that is, against how God makes himself feel, that is an art.
(4) Either the sins or the terrors that afflict us, be it whichever, one feels God no differently than an angry God. Hence it comes that one seeks refuge here, the other out there, and one invokes the Virgin Mary, the other St. Peter; but it all helps nothing. This is the best advice, that you break through these clouds of God's anger, and remember how God is in secret, and yet is favorable to you, as he says here: God, I rely on you; my God, in you I trust.
V. 2. Let me not be put to shame, lest my enemies rejoice over me.
(5) There we see what his matter is, namely, that he is oppressed by terror and his conscience. But this is both the face of the wrathful God; as now at Augsburg our sins oppress us, which each one feels for himself, and the adversaries afflict us. But we pray for both, that God may forgive us our sins and put to shame and destroy our enemies.
6 "That they rejoice not." All their thing is to triumph, and to make us ashamed, that we must succumb with shame. With this he confesses that there is shame, and that he feels the shame, but he desires that the shame not endure, and that he not be left in the shame: Dear Lord, do not leave me in it. He also feels that his enemies rejoice.
V. 3: For no one will be put to shame who waits for you.
7 Here he consoles himself with a glorious promise that flows from the first commandment: I am the God who does good in a thousand ways. There is a strong emphasis on the words: "He who waits for you"; yes, it does. "But hope, when it is consumed, troubles the heart" [Proverbs 13:12]. Our people, who are now at Augsburg, would not like to be put to shame, but they must "wait". For the promise is faithful and certain, God does not forsake. Who? He who waits. He does not strike quickly with a club, for he gives room for repentance, and is by nature kind, patient, and suffers the wicked. Such things must be known and understood, therefore we must wait. Finally, he will not let the wicked go unpunished, and he will not abandon those who wait for him.
8. "None." There has never been anyone on earth who lacked it, therefore we will not lack it.
9 "Becomes a disgrace." He suffers well, but is not put to shame. Now he adds
In the first commandment, he also connects the promise and the condemnation with each other.
But to shame they must become, the loose despisers (qui contemnunt te frustra).
10 Boged means to despise, and not only that, but certainly to despise, that they do not remember the despising; as v. Eck despises me and others, whom he does not consider worthy to call by their name; those who go there so surely, and are so certain, that they do not ask anything about it. Those who are most certain of triumph, who are not sure of it, who fear nothing less than that they should be lacking, become disgraced. But why? Because the first commandment says so, and yet they do not believe it, but laugh at it.
11 Frustra, without cause. Yes, they have great causes; but he says, "Without cause," by which he means that one becomes hostile to them. For why do Eck and others puff themselves up like this? Because they have the causes that D. Usingen writes: We have the emperor entirely on our side, we surpass them in power, quantity 2c. These are quite respectable causes of their contempt; and yet he says, "Without cause," for they lack One Cause, namely, GOD and the Word and Work of GOD. If this is not there, let the cause be as great as it will, it is still nothing. For what is Caesar? what is the world against God? This he says against those who frighten him.
Now he turns to God and entrusts himself to his protection, so that he will guide him on the right road. This prayer is necessary for us, both in our special and in public affairs, because our adversaries want to oppose and defy us, and they dare badly to force us into their ungodly ways. Therefore he asks and says:
V. 4. Lord, show me your ways and teach me your paths.
13) Here he looks at their ways and says: Beware, dear Lord, they are shameful ways, show me "your ways". This pronoun s "your"] always expresses a contrast and excludes all other ways. Yes, dear Lord
God, do not let me fall into any other way. For we are weak, and "carry such treasure in earthly vessels" [2 Cor. 4:7], and "have to fight with the mighty in the air" [Eph. 6:12]. The devil, when alone, can soon overpower a man. Therefore he asks, "Show me thy ways."
V. 5. Guide me in your truth.
(14) Not only do I desire your ascents, that is, your word, but I also ask, after I have the word, that you yourself be my master, and give me right knowledge and understanding in doctrine, that I may remain pure in it.
15. in your truth, not in false appearances. Beware that I do not grasp it, as the hypocrites do. The papists have the pope's decree concerning the celibate state of priests, after which they also have Scripture to prove it, but not in truth, for they misrepresent Scripture.
And teach me.
16. inside the heart.
For you are the God who helps me; daily I wait for you.
V. 6. Remember, O Lord, thy mercy, and thy lovingkindness, which was from the world.
(17) I know not any other helper, where thou wilt not keep me in thy word. Therefore I call upon thee, and wait, though thou consume, and leave me in the glue. This is one request, that he make him devout. Now follows the other request, from the conscience.
V. 7. Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgression.
18. one should not forget the sin done before, as Sirach says [Cap. 5, 5.]: "Be not sure if your sin is not punished yet." And Ps. 51, 5. "My sin is always before me." And Moses [5th Book, Cap. 9, 7.]: "Remember that ye have provoked the LORD to anger from the day that I brought you out of Egypt," and tell afterward where they provoked him to anger. So, what a man has done evil, he shall not forget. The cause
is this: if we forget our sins, grace will also be considered little in us; as Peter also says in 2 Peter 1:9: "He forgets the cleansing of his former sins," and if we forget our sins, we do not thank God. But if we do not thank God, we are sure and ready to commit greater atrocities. Therefore, we should remember the sins we have committed and say: "I have lived in such and such a way, I have done such and such a thing. Then praise God that He has forgiven you for all of it. In this way grace becomes glorious, and one remains fine in devotion.
19 "The sins of my youth" 2c. Do not remember my sin, but remember your mercy and good deed, which you have shown not to me alone, but to everyone else. The "mercy" is that he forgave the sins. But "goodness" is that he has given many other goods; there is no merit in it. Remember, O Lord, that thou hast given me so much, and forgiven my sin. So when one remembers his sins, God also remembers His mercy.
Do not remember the sins of my youth and my transgression.
20 This is a prayer for the sins. He explains the previous verse, what he means by mercy. I beg you to stay on it, on the mercy. And he says quite significantly about the "sins of youth," for youth is not at all capable of virtue, the blood is still too young and too fresh, and is not able to govern itself, nor does it think what is necessary and good for it. Therefore he confesses that he sinned in his youth. One whores, the other drinks 2c., because the blood is still too wild and fresh. Therefore, if a boy is allowed to grow up in his sod, he becomes a pure devil. Before one learns what he is doing, it is already done.
21 But he asks for the sins of his youth, so that he knows that our Lord God can avenge old sins; for this he should be asked. If one wants to forget the previous sins and his grace, he can pull out the register and say: You know what you have done. It shall be forgiven, but so far that thou shalt not forget it; for if thou art the
If you forget your sins, you will also forget grace. Christ also reminds us of this: "Do this in remembrance of me" [1 Cor. 11:24]. When we remember our Lord God, we must also remember our sins; just as we pray for our sins in the Lord's Prayer.
Remember me according to your mercy, for your goodness' sake.
22. not according to your anger; remember that you are a kind God, you are very good; he knows nothing to allege, except that God is kind and gracious, benevolent and kind-hearted. So we should pray to provoke God, not by our works, but by His grace: "Oh, dear God, do not look at my works, but see that You are good and kind, not that I am evil. If nothing can be imposed on our Lord God but mercy, he is glad to hear it. Now he prophesies and promises.
V. 8. The Lord is good and pious.
23. is a promise that the prayer is answered. "The Lord is good," that is, kind, gracious and right. It can be seen that the word "pious" (rectus) is opposed to hypocrisy, as is the word truth. Therefore he says, "The Lord is good"; but yet he is not a ruler of persons. For he looks at no man's righteousness, wisdom and power. He 1) is a sincere, honest man, and yet kind; he is good, he does much good, but not to those who want to earn it from him.
Therefore he instructs the sinners on the way.
(24) This is a necessary addition, which is condemned in all the wicked, namely, that God teaches sinners or makes them blessed. That is why the interpreter of this Psalm got angry and said: He lays down a law, for "he instructs". But this is the cause that the whole human race can make no distinction among sinners. God is hostile to sinners, but to sinners who do not want to be sinners. For we are all sinners, but we do not all want to be sinners. Those who
1) In the original: It.
now recognize for sinners, they have a God. Again, God is hostile to those who do not want to be sinners; as Christ says Matth. 21, 31: "Truly I say to you: The publicans and harlots may enter the kingdom of heaven sooner than you" 2c., and Joh. 9, 41.: "If you were blind, you would have no sin" 2c.
(25) "The Lord is righteous," he is not hypocritical, he is righteous. But you say he is not righteous, because he accepts sinners. As in the prophet Malachi, the Jews dispute. Mal. 2:17: "Ye make the Lord displeased with your speeches, saying, Wherewith do we make him displeased?" 2c.
(26) "Sinners," that is, those who know sin; but he speaks this especially for himself and for others. He will teach those who want to be taught.
V. 9. He guides the wretched rightly.
(27) This is the other request, that as the prayer of teaching is answered, so also the prayer of help may be answered.
(28) For the word humiles, wretched, the interpreter put mites, meek, in the Latin text, because he was offended by this word. "Right," that is, not in wrath, as it is written in Jeremiah [Cap. 10, 24.], "Chasten me, O Lord, yet with measures, and not in thy wrath, lest thou wear me out." And Isaiah calls the Lord "a God of judgment" [Isa. 30:18]. He punishes so that he keeps a measure, he makes it modest, and as Paul says 1 Cor. 10, 13.: "He makes the temptation to gain such an end that you can bear it." For this purpose he used the word "guide" as if he wanted to say: He afflicts in such a way that he guides, so that they can come out and have a right way before them to come out. He does not do as men do or as the devil does, who corrupts from the beginning.
And teach the wretched his way.
29 The word "teach," which he always used, comes to a teacher. But here it is written of those who learn. As if he should say: He makes them disciples (discipulat), he makes them experience it, and thus learn; he trains them. For the cross instructs, and creates that one has to learn, and
The cross is a right rod (flagellum judicii), or a moderate rod. Thus God now makes us suffer at Augsburg, but will do it in such a way that it will not be a wrath. Thus he teaches through the cross; there are people who can speak of it,
V. 10. The ways of the Lord are goodness and truth.
30 With this he praises the Christian and godly life, that it is pure goodness and faithfulness; for "the ways" or paths mean the commandments of God, or the life in God's commandments. "Goodness and truth", that is, benevolence and sincere mind, that there is no hypocrisy. We can understand this more easily from the contradiction. In the ways of the wicked there is nothing but doing harm and being false; it is all sin and iniquity; for they are incapable of all good works; no wicked man can do no good work. But all that a godly man does is a good deed, for all is well done, sleeping, walking, and standing; for they abstain from sins, and keep the ways of the Lord. So a godly person is skilled and capable of all good works, as St. Paul says [2 Tim. 3:17]. On the other hand, an ungodly man, like Eck, who preaches, gives alms, prays, or does whatever he wants, is a devil, because he does it either for the sake of honor, or righteousness, or for the sake of glory. So all the ways of men, even when they are best, are vain and hypocritical. If they are ways, and not errors, that is, their best works, they are not good.
To those who keep his covenant and testimony.
(31) That is, to those who fear God, that is, who live their lives according to the word, everything they do is goodness and truth, because the word they live by is of this kind.
The covenant belongs to the first commandment which we made there with God, that He should be our God and we His people.
33 This is now half of the psalm. In the first part he asked for help against his enemies; item, taught and instructed, and finally asked for forgiveness of sins. Now he says about other sins.
V. 11. For your name's sake, O Lord, be merciful to my iniquity.
34. he does not say here about the sins of youth, he still wants to remain a sinner, and says he has even more sins than the sins of his youth. For [Ps. 19, 13.], "Who can tell how often he lacks?" We are always in sins. This the sophists cannot understand, that a Christian is righteous, and yet at the same time still has sins. But the prophet says, "I was a sinner in my youth, and you instructed me; now I am an old fool, and have been taught, and yet I do not do as I should. So also Paul says that sin is in the flesh. Since Paul says this, we will certainly also have to say it, because as much as we carry in us flesh, so much we also have of sins; as Paul says of himself that he is half a saint, half a sinner, Rom. 7, 23.
(35) Now this sin, of which he complains here, is original sin; for this word "iniquity," which is here written, almost always signifies the ingrained and principal sin, and at the same time indicates that the man is bad, and the sin is evil; as we are wont to say, This is a vice of a man. For the former sins concern works; but here he says of the original sin, which we cannot do without because we live, for it does not depart from us except through death. And in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Cap. 12, 1, it is called "the sin that always clings to us." Circumstans is as much as adhaerens, it sticks as dirt to the wheel.
36 But against this sin there is no remedy, but that we live under grace. For though sin is present, yet we are not under sin, and sin has no dominion over us. Therefore we should learn that our life is a constant struggle against inherent sin, because everything else we have in knowledge and righteousness is too little.
37. for the sake of your name. A mercy seat has been created for sin, so that our Lord God must close his eyes and say, as Ps. 32:2 says: "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not reprove iniquity.
net." And in Jeremiah, Cap. 31, 1) 34, it says: "I will remember their sin no more." Our Lord God reserves the imputation of sins for us, so that we may learn that He gives us forgiveness of sins and does not impute sins to us, so that if we do not want to recognize that we have sinned, He will impute them to us. This is our theology, as we pray, "Forgive us our trespasses"; that we may know that we live in grace alone. Grace not only takes away sin, but also tolerates it; this is called the mercy seat.
38. "Be gracious." The word, Salach (XXX) means: not to cancel, or not to impute; but it actually belongs to original sin, which is accepted with mercy, as if a prince had in his court, for instance, a man who had committed a death-blow, and therefore kept him prisoner, after which he said: Well, I will impute the death to you until you confess that you have done it, and that I do not impute it to you out of grace alone, and not either out of merit or duty, as if I had to release you. This is now our mercy seat, Christ, as Paul says to the Romans [Cap. 3, 25].
Which is big there.
(39) Much, or great in all things, and in every respect. We feel this well, and especially a strong man, who is easily overcome by anger, avarice, fornication. We feel all the horrible sins, murder, fornication, adultery, in us. The papists call them a weakness; but here the prophet says that they are sins, and great sins at that, as Paul also calls them [Rom. 7:23.]: "A law that opposeth and taketh captive." For the flesh rages and lusts, but the Spirit resisteth him, saying, Fie on thee; there thy mercy seat belongeth; as he saith here, "Be merciful to my iniquity."
40 Now come promises again for those who fight and struggle against sin. Then our Lord God must send boys upon us, and we must pray and do so until we come under the earth.
1) In the original: In here. 3.
2) Here we have deleted "not". In the original and in the old translation: "nicht zurechnen".
For the sake of your name.
41. 1) Is a short but very great prayer, in which he asks that he be received into the kingdom of grace; for sins are great and many, for the whole man is half sin.
Now he speaks from a very great and violent movement. Oh that one could teach the people and make them know their sins! For this is to fear the Lord. But for this we must bite ourselves; for they do not want to be sinners, and despise God. We would like all people to know that they are sinners. And as the prophet says here:
V. 12: Who is the one who fears the Lord?
43 As if to say, Oh that men knew these things, and knew their sins! how few they are. But those who fear him have this first: He teaches him the way he has chosen. This is the first privilege and gift of those who recognize their sins, and of those who give glory to God and seek mercy, that he teaches them the way he has chosen, namely the way that is most pleasing to God. But this is a great blessing, that one can be sure that his way and life are chosen before God, and that everything he does is pleasing to God. 2c.
44. But the security of the wicked is an abomination. They take it upon themselves to do something, but when they are asked, "Do you think it will please God? I do not know. But whoever feels himself to be a sinner, and that he is nothing in his nature, let him think that God will instruct him in his way, that is, in such a way that he may know that it pleases God. Now, of all the benefits that God gives, this is the greatest, that a conscience can be certain.
V. 13. His soul will dwell in goodness.
(45) This teaching is followed by many gifts; as Solomon says of wisdom [Book of Wisdom, Cap. 7:11], "All good things came to me with her." So, too, he who has the spiritual desire and goods will, of course, have enough in other respects. This is what the word entails.
1) Note of the original: "September 25".
And his seed will possess the land.
46 He prophesied to the wicked that they would perish, but to the godly he promised that they would remain forever. The wicked, says the text, will not take root. But these words can be understood either of the spiritual seed or of the physical seed; for God blesses both. Thus, to St. Augustine the spiritual seed has been given for the bodily. As the first Psalm, v. 3. says, "Its leaves do not wither." Their word must not fall, they must have disciples.
V. 14: The secret of the Lord is among those who fear him.
That is, his secret conversation; for the word of God is in two uses: first, in public appearance; so all the ungodly have the word of God. But they are only the shells, they do not have the core, that is, the locum of grace, the fruit of Christ's suffering 2c., although they have painted the history on all the walls. But no one knows the benefit of Christ's suffering; it always remains a secret. The reason for this is that they do not want to be sinners, but Christ suffered for sinners. Hence it is that they know how to speak much of the suffering of Christ, but do not understand it. When we say, Christ suffered for thee, therefore thou art a sinner, they will not go near.
48 Secondly, the godly not only have the word in public manifestation, but also understand it. For the mystery is revealed to them, as Christ says John 14:23: "We will come to him and make our abode with him"; for he opens the Scriptures to them, so that they must know all the secrets of the Scriptures.
And his covenant he lets them know.
49. namely, the covenant that he promised to be their God. This Eck and the sophists do not understand; for it is written Ps. 14:1: "The foolish say in their heart, There is no God. When it comes to the meeting, they say: There is no God; therefore this covenant remains hidden to the wicked, and is only open to the godly.
bar. Here he complains again that they do not want to recognize their sin. Oh, that people do not want to recognize their sin and do not want to be sinners!
V. 15 My eyes always look to the Lord, for he will pull my foot out of the net.
(50) Hitherto therefore hath he disputed against the hypocrites, and against the righteousness of works, as we also do: therefore must we also contend with them. We would gladly have them recognize their sins; but they would gladly have us accept their lies. And besides this strife we have other enemies. Therefore he pleads now to the end of the psalm against the tribulations. Because we teach such fear and lead people to the knowledge of sin, we must suffer over it. It is called patience. Likewise, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," Heb. 10:30. We do not want to do more than call upon God and say: I know that you will drag my feet out of the net. They are after our blood; what shall we do? Our Lord God will pull us out one day.
V. 16. Turn to me and be merciful to me (miserere mei).
51 Miserere, that is, make it well with me, have mercy on me.
For I am lonely and miserable.
I am a unifier, that is, lonely and forsaken.
V. 17 The anguish of my heart is great; lead me out of my troubles.
(53) It grieves me in my heart; this causes terror. I think that Philippicha 3) also knows what this means, for this is the most fearful thing, that in every challenge there is tribulation and terror of heart. This is an inevitable conclusion. The heart always remembers: You have offended against our Lord God in some way. Thus, conscience and faith always fight against the terror and wrath of God.
1) Erlanger: vinäiotam instead of: vindtota.
2) Erlanger: äst instead of: äslaciuso; a misprint.
3) This is Melanchthon. Compare Ps. 20, K5.
V. 18. Behold my wretchedness and misery.
54) Behold, dear Lord, how I am afflicted, how I labor and wallow. 4)
And forgive me all my sins.
55) This word Nasa (XXX) means to cancel sin, as in the 32nd Psalm, v. 1: "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven." Does not speak of atonement for sin, 5) but [says]: Whether I have transgressed, let a good conscience overtake me, after that save me also from my enemies.
V. 19. Behold, mine enemies are so many, and they hate me for iniquity.
I am alone, and they have no right to me. With this he confesses that he has sinned, and asks for forgiveness, and yet says, "They hate me out of iniquity." Against GOD I am a sinner, I have done them no harm; he complains of them as one innocent. Look at me for righteousness' sake. Know? Of the sinner. In the same way, if I were among a bunch of murderers, I could say: I deserve it against God, but not against them. One should confess righteousness before the world. If H[erzog] J[örg] attacks me, I may well say that he does me wrong; for H[erzog] J[örg] does not sit in the judgment seat where GOD sits. God can say to me: You are a knave; H[erzog] J[örg] and the whole world cannot say it.
57 "For sacrilege," because I teach the truth, and help them with my teaching; they should thank me, so they hate me. Thus we are the protection of the papists; thus they give us this for that they redden against me.
V. 20. Preserve my soul and save me; do not let me be put to shame, for I trust in you.
Here he comes to the end. I command you my soul, do not let me become a disgrace. You are long-suffering, and you must be with
4) "si<H wallow" - to work off. Cf. Walch, St. Louis ed. vol. ill, 58, Z10. In the original: "suhle".
5) In the original: ds^ropitiationis peaeato and also in the old translation: "from the sin of reconciliation". We think that äs propitiatione peeeati should be read. After that we translated.
await punishment, you are slow with punishments, but protect me. Thus we have surrendered our confession; what does it matter, he will also prove himself again that he is our God, so that we will not be disgraced with our faith.
V. 21. Bad and right, that keep me.
(59) This saying has been badly understood by the papists, and attracted by the saints. "Bad and right" is that I am sincere and without blame in my life. "Right" is that one is without hypocrisy, who says it out as it is for their heart, goes through freely with life and speech, does not let themselves be
bend on persons, favor, choice 2c. So now he asks, keep me that I may have a pure and right life.
For I am waiting for you.
60. Harrens is valid. This is the resolution of the prayer.
V. 22. God, deliver Israel from all their troubles.
61 He adds this for all the people. Do likewise to the whole kingdom, to those who sit in the priesthood and in the temporal government. Here we see how this kingdom has always been in tribulation.