of the royal prophet David,
To quench the anger and displeasure in the challenge of the wicked and the wanton.
V. 1. Do not be angry with the wicked enemy; do not let the wicked anger you.
How immediately the prophet takes hold of and strikes the heart's concern in this challenge and points out all the causes of it, saying, first of all: "O man, you are angry, you also have cause to be angry, as you think. For I confess, they are wicked men, and do thee wrong and much evil, that nature is eighth, a just cause of wrath. But not so, dear child, let grace and not nature rule here, break the wrath and quiet yourself a little while; let them be evil, let them do evil, hear me, it shall not hurt thee. So the man says: Yes, when will it stop? who can hold the length? He answers:
V. 2. for like grass they will be cut down in haste, and like the green herb they will wither.
A fine likeness is this, terrible to the glorifiers and comforting to the afflicted. How finely he lifts us out of our face and sets us before God's face! Before our face the multitude of the gleamers green, blossom, and multiply, and cover the whole world, that they alone may appear as the green grass covers and adorns the earth. But in the sight of God, what are they? Hay, which is to be made sheer, and the higher the grass grows, the nearer to it are the scythes and pitchforks 1). So the higher, farther, stronger the wicked green and hover above, the nearer is their subjection. Why would you then be angry, if their mutiny is such a short being? So then you say: What shall I do in the meantime? What shall I do until this is done? Listen, great promise!
1) The accuracy of the Weimar edition goes so far that here, where the text of the first edition reads "hewgablen", four variants are given, namely: "hewgabelen C hew gabelen H hew gabeln K hewgabeln L".
V. 3. Put your hope in God and do good, stay in the land and nourish yourself in faith.
Then he takes away all worry completely and sets the heart at rest, 2) as if to say: Dear child, let your worries go, don't think how you will take revenge, how you will let her see a piece again, how you might do something to displease her. Put away such thoughts! They are human and evil thoughts. Put your hope in God, wait what he will make of it, you go for yourself, for no one's sake leave doing good, remain in doing good, as you have begun, where and to whom you may, and give them not evil for evil, but good for evil.
But if you think that you would flee and go to another place, that you would be rid of them and come from them: No, not so, stay in the land, live where you are, do not change or alter your dwelling or land for their sake, but nourish yourself in faith, do your work and trade as before. If they hinder you or damage you and give you cause to flee, let go, remain in faith and do not doubt; God will not let you. Only do thine own, work and feed thyself, and let him rule. [Thou shalt not cease from nourishing thyself; though they hinder thee in one thing, God, if thou hopeest, will give thee in another, as he did to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, who also were thus tempted.
V. 4. And have your desire in God, and he will give you the desire of your heart.
That is, do not let it grieve thee that God thus deals with thee; let such a will of His be well pleasing to thee, yea, be satisfied thyself in it, as in the very best and divine will, behold, then thou hast
2) Weimarsche: "to rebuke".
*) In the original: six.
you this comforting promise: He will give you everything your heart desires. What more do you want? Only see to it that you, instead of the annoyance, so you are exhausted by them, practice this pleasure and good pleasure in divine will, so they will not only do you no harm, but your heart will also be full of peace and joyfully wait for this promise of God.
V. 5. Command God your ways and hope in Him, and He will do it well.
Not that thou shouldest walk idly, but thy ways, works, words, and doings, command God, judge not thyself. For only God must be commanded so that we do nothing; but whatever we do, whether it is promised, spurned, blasphemed, or hindered by the oppressors, we must not therefore become soft and desist, but always continue, and let them exercise their courage, commanding God the matter; who will do well on both sides, which is right.
V. 6. and will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
This is the greatest worry of the weak-minded, that they will become displeased with the courageous. For they fear that their cause will be destroyed and darkened, because they see the adversary's rage soaring high and hovering above. Therefore he comforts us and says: "Let it be, dear child, that you and your cause are swept away with clouds and downpours, and that they are utterly destroyed in the eyes of the world and buried in darkness, while their cause soars upward and shines like the sun. If you command God to do your business, if you hope and wait for him, be sure that your justice and righteousness will not remain in darkness. It must come forth and be known to everyone as publicly as the bright noon, so that all those who have suppressed and darkened you will be put to shame. It is only a matter of waiting, so that you do not hinder God in this by your anger, displeasure and annoyance. Therefore he admonishes again:
V. 7. Keep God quiet and let him do with you; do not be angry with the man who is happy in what he does and does it according to his will.
As if he should chase: It wants to annoy you that you feel unhappiness in the right thing, and does not want to go as you would like, and yet see that [it] goes to the wrong according to all his will, that a saying has flowed from this: The greater roguery, the better happiness. But be wise, dear child, do not let this move you, hold out for God; your heart's desire will also come abundantly. But it is not yet time. The happiness of the shawl must proceed and have its time until [it] comes to pass. However, you must command God, be satisfied in Him, let His will be done, so that you do not hinder His work in you and in your enemy, as those do who do not cease to rage, because they have brought their thing either through with their heads or to ruins.
He needs here a fine Hebrew word: Sile Domino et formare ei [XX XXXXXXX XXXX XXX],
Be silent, and make yourself beautiful. Just as a fruit in the womb is made by God, so in this case you are also conceived in God, and He will make you into a proper form if you keep still.
V. 8. Be still thy wrath, and cease thy anger; be not angry, that thou do evil.
Behold, how diligently he warns that we not repay evil with evil, as nature is wont to do. And what is the use of such anger? It does not make things better, but only leads them deeper into the mud. And even if it turns out for the best that you lie on top and win, what have you won? You have prevented God, thus losing His grace and favor, and you have become like the evil doers and will perish like them, as follows.
V. 9 For all who do evil will be cut off, but those who wait for God will possess the land.
It does not help you that you have not started, or that you are irritated. For it is a bad, free judgment: Whoever does evil, irritated or unirritated, will be exterminated. This can also be seen in all the world, in all history. But he who waits for God remains, so that the evil-doer perishes next to him. Who could wait so long! The evil
Men are so ripe that if no one drives them away, they may not abstain themselves, they cause a wanton calamity upon their necks, which by and by destroys them. For the ripe grass must become hay, and shall wither in it even on the stem. It is an evil man nobody so untrustworthy and disturbing, as he himself. We see this in the murderers, thieves, tyrants and the like.
V. 10. there is still one of mine, so the wicked is no more, then you will notice his place, and it is no more.
This explains what is said above [v. 2], that they are like grass that is cut down quickly, so that our concern may be satisfied, which fears that the wicked remain too long. But may you say, "Yes, I see that the wicked commonly remain long, even coming to the grave with honor. Answer: This is certainly because the other party has not kept to this psalm, but has prevented and spoiled the matter with anger, raging, grumbling, complaining and shouting. Therefore, because there was no one to command his cause to God and to wait for his work, the judgment of the next verse passed over both parties, and all those who did evil were destroyed. But if one part had turned to God, the other part would certainly and quickly have perished alone, as this verse says. Therefore, we do not see this example of the Psalms in the world, for each one of them forsakes God and submits to protect himself with rights or fencing. Thus God is prevented from doing the work that this Psalm praises Him for. Solomon also says Ecclesiastes 7:16: "The righteous perishes in his righteousness, and the wicked lives long in his wickedness," which must be said of the righteous and the unrighteous, who are not partial to one another, as this Psalm says, but as is also written in the Book of Wisdom, Cap. 4, 10. f., that the righteous is often quickly taken away, so that he is not deceived, and the unrighteous remain long in their sins. But there is more to be said of this, for now [the] time gives.
V.11. But the meek shall possess the land, and shall prosper in the multitude of peace.
This also confirms what is said above [v. 9], how the righteous remain after the destruction of the wicked. Not that they remain on earth forever, but that their cause comes to an end and peace with honor, even on earth, which peace they have earned with meekness and inner peace.
V. 12: The wicked rages against the righteous, and gnashes his teeth at him.
But this is said for the comfort of the sissies who worry and complain about how angry and malicious their adversaries are. I call impium an ungodly man, because it actually means the one who neither trusts nor believes in God, who still lives in nature out of himself and his free will, as especially are the gleamers, the scholars and seeming saints, as in distant times are popes, bishops, clergymen, monks, doctors and the like people, who by nature must rage against the holy gospel, as we see that they also do viciously. But what does their raging and blustering help? Listen to what follows:
V. 13. But God laughs at him, for he sees that his day is coming.
How could we be given greater comfort that the raging enemies of the Gospel use all their power and malice, mean to tear the righteous (that is, the believer in God) with teeth with all their earnestness, and God so utterly despises them that He laughs at them, because He sees how briefly they will rage, and their day is not far off? Not that God laughs like a man, but that it is ridiculous to look at in truth, that the foolish men are so nearly raging and doing great things, which they may not accomplish a hair's breadth. Just as a ridiculous fool would be, who would take a long spear and a short sword (as we saw from one of them the other day) and would stab the sun down from the sky, and would shout once at it, as if he had done an honest stabbing. 1)
1) Hieronymus Emser. Compare Col. 9.
V. 14: The wicked bare their sword, and draw their bow, to cut down the lowly and the poor, to slay them that are in the way of righteousness.
The wicked put on the sword, as one opens a door or mouth, to show the sword of their tongue in their poisonous, harmful mouth, which they open wide, pouring out great lies and blasphemy. With it they strike at the righteous, whether they want to cut him down and slaughter him (that is), not only kill him, but according to their will they burrow and swarm in him. 1) He also calls the righteous "the lowly and the poor," because they are despised and lowly before the 2) great, arrogant swearing and blowing of the wicked. But what do they judge? Listen:
V. 15. Their sword will go into their heart, and their bow will be broken.
That is, their evil words must devour them again and strangle them forever, so that their conscience, pierced with them in death, is tormented forever. The bow will be broken, so that everything will be in vain, and they will not be able to do anything with all their rage, but to bring such misfortune on themselves forever, the poor, wretched people! Therefore, no one should be afraid of their blasphemy and defilement. So it must be that they themselves prepare for them the bath in hell, although nature does not like to suffer such heavy blasphemies. But the spirit, judged by this psalm, laughs at them with God and looks to their end.
1) Instead of "sudeln", which the Jena edition offers in the second adaptation, the Weimar edition has: "schudlenn", the Jena edition in the first adaptation: "schüdlen". The Wittenberg has: "in jn wüten vn endlich verschlingen".
2) Weimarsche: "for the".
V. 16: It is better for the "righteous" to have little than all the hands of many wicked.
This also is grievous in nature, that the wicked are rich, and have much, and are mighty; but the righteous is poor, and alone, or little. Therefore the Holy Spirit comforts his dear child and says: "Do not let it grieve you that you have little and they have much; let them be rich and full here. It is better for you to have a little with God's favor, than to have great heaps of goods, not only of one, but of many and of all the wicked, with God's disfavor, as they have. Hear also what judgment is made of thy poverty and their riches:
V. 17. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but God contains the righteous.
The arms or hands are the attachment of the wicked, that they hold together a lot, and through this they are great, mighty and strong, just as now the arm of the pope are the kings, princes, bishops, scholars, priests and monks, on whom he relies and therefore does not respect God. So every godless man has the heap, the powerful, on his side; for wealth and power have never been on the side of the righteous, or even a little. But what is the use? Only trust in God! Everything must be broken, you must not be dismayed by it, nor let yourself be annoyed. God contains you, you will not sink, his arm and his hand is over you and has firmly grasped you, over their arms and hand he lets them hold 3) themselves.
V. 18. God knows the days of the innocent, and their inheritance will be forever.
The innocent, in Hebrew Themimim [XXXXX], St. Paul used to call of a sound faith, that is, who do not deal with patchwork in works and laws of men, but have a sincere, firm faith, which teaches them that they need nothing but such faith, whereof they are full of health and riches, and know and judge all 4)
3) So the Jenaer. Wittenberg and Weimar: "itself". If the latter reading should be correct, then instead of: "over" (vber) well "but" would have to be read.
4) Weimarsche: "allen".
Afflictions in all things. God knows their days, their times, their opportunities, that is, because they believe in Him freely and do not want to know when and how to help them, God takes care of them. And even if it seems to the wicked that God has forgotten them, it is not so; God knows when it is their time to help them, as Ps. 9:10 [Vulg.] says: "God is a helper in due time," and Ps. 31:10: "In your hands are my times." As if to say, They are poor and few, those are rich and mighty. But let them go, they will still have enough and suffer no need. God knows well when it is time to help and advise them, whom they also trust, without seeking help and counsel of their own. In this way their inheritance will be eternal, not only in that world, but also in this world. For they shall and must always have enough, though they have not superfluous supplies, as the wicked have; God is their storehouse and granary, wine cellar and all their goods, therefore also follows:
V. 19. They will not stand with shame in the evil time, and in the good time they will have enough.
When war or troubled times come, all those who have placed their comfort in their granary and wine cellar or estate will be disgraced, for it will soon be devoured and destroyed. So they stand in disgrace and with shame, who before were so brave and proud. But the righteous, because God is their comfort and supply, may not be in want; before all the angels come down from heaven and feed them. For they shall not lack the provision in which they trust, neither for time nor for ever. But what about the wicked? Listen:
V. 20 For the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of God, though they be as the pleasant pasture, yet shall they become all, even all, as the smoke.
Ei, that is ever close talked, and contemptuously judged the great, powerful, rich Junker!
1) Wittenbergers and Jenaers: "stand". Weimarsche: "see".
He says: Even if they were the richest, most delicious meadow, since enough grows inside, as they are, because they have enough, they are the golden, rich meadow in the world: nevertheless they must perish, yes, perish and all become like the smoke. Where are they who were before and had great good?
None of them is remembered. But the righteous are well remembered and honored.
Therefore, dear child, let them be rich as they wish; look to the end, and you will find how all their things are smoke, because they are God's enemies and do not trust him. Let this also comfort you, that he calls them God's enemies, when until now they have only been called your enemies: that you may know how God takes care of you, that your enemies are his enemies.
V. 21: The wicked borrows and does not pay, but the righteous is merciful and gentle.
But this is a difference of goods, that the goods of the wicked are not only perishable and have an end, but are also evil goods and damnable, because they are gathered only from heaps and are not shared with the poor, which is contrary to the nature of goods. But the righteous man's goods not only have no end, because he trusts in God and waits for his goods from him, but they are also very useful goods that are shared with others and not gathered into a heap. Thus he has enough without all temporal supply, and gives enough to others; that is, a right good. But that he says, "The wicked borroweth," is not to be understood that the rich borrow from men's goods, but it is said in a similitude and proverb: As he that borroweth much and payeth not, striveth not to sit long in the goods: So all the rich and wicked receive much from God, and gather and borrow of him, and yet pay him not, that they may distribute to the poor, wherefore it is given unto them; therefore their goods shall come to an evil end, and be consumed as smoke. That this is the opinion proves that he holds them both against each other, the wicked and the righteous, the one giving and the other not giving, and yet both receiving from God. Therefore is the
Unholy receiving compares to borrowing and not paying. But the good of the righteous is not borrowing, nor is it debt, but is freely received from God and put to good use, for him and his neighbor.
V.22. For his giving rulers will possess the land, and his giving rulers will be cut off.
Behold, he calls the godless rich: God's reprobates, and the faithful: GOD'S GIVING RIGHTEOUSNESS, lest their great goods and your poverty 1) make you sorry or hinder your faith. What more do you want? If thou hast not superfluous as they have, yet thou shalt have enough and possess the land. Not that thou shalt be a lord of the race, but thou shalt have good enough upon the earth, and shalt dwell in the land with good peace. For God gives you temporally and eternally, so that you may trust in Him, even though you may be destroyed and damaged by the wicked. Again, the ungodly rich, though they have a time to spare, yet shall they perish, and not sit down in the land and estate; they shall surely be cast out, and another set in them, because GOD hath forsaken them, and withheld his grace from them, both for time and for ever; for they believe not in him, though they be forsaken and endowed of men. Therefore, where the righteous are, they have enough on earth and remain in the good. Again, the wicked are rooted out where they sit in goods. This is proved by all the principalities, kingdoms, and great estates, which we see passing to and fro from one generation to another. Behold, thus you have the judgment of temporal goods, which has recently been decided: the righteous must have enough, and the unrighteous must perish, because the righteous trusts in God and has good use of goods; the wicked does not trust, and has no good use of them. Thus we read that Abraham and Lot were rich, and gladly lodged the pilgrims: therefore, though they had no land and store of their own, yet they sat down in the land, and had enough.
1) Thus the Wittenberg, and the Jena in both adaptations. Weimar's: "according to your".
V. 23. This man's walks are directed or encouraged by God, and his way is pleasing.
Behold the consolation! Not only will you have enough good in time, but everything you do, your whole life and way of life, even against the wicked, will be swift and proceed, because you trust God and surrender yourself and your cause to him, being at his disposal in all your life. By doing this, you make him pleased, desirous, and even eager to further your way and walk. For the Hebrew word [XXXX] allhie means not only to have pleasure and to watch, but also to have a fervent desire to create within, so that it is indicated how great God's desire is to promote such a man's way and walk and to create with him, so that we may be willing to trust him, and to command all our things to him, to place them freely at home and to wait for him, to let him do it. But it is against this that such a godly way is not promoted, even prevented and rejected by the wicked; for this upsets nature. Therefore, we must take comfort in the fact that God is pleased and our nature is promoted by Him, not the obstacle and rejection of the wicked.
V. 24. Even if he falls, he will not be thrown away, for God holds him by the hand.
The falling would like to be understood that the righteous sometimes sins, but gets up again, as Solomon [Proverbs 24, 16.j says 2c. But let us leave that now and stay on the course, that "fall" here means as much as if he once succumbed and the wicked succumbed, as David did when he was chased by Saul and Absalom, and Christ did when he was crucified. For such a fall does not last long; God does not leave him lying and cast away, but takes hold of his hand and raises him up again, so that he must stand and remain. With this the Spirit comforts and answers the secret thoughts that someone might have and say to himself, "Yes, I have seen that the righteous man has fallen, and that his cause has been reduced to ashes.
2) Weimarsche: ansehen; Jenaer: angesehm. In the Latin Wittenberg: nullo Uadito respeetn.
fall before the wicked. Yes, he says, dear child, let that also be. He will fall, but he will not remain lying there and be rejected. He must rise again, even though all the world has despaired of it, for God catches him by the hand and raises him up again.
V. 25. I have been young and grown old, and have never seen the righteous forsaken and his child go after 1) bread.
Behold, he putteth his own experience for more assurance: and it is true, daily experience is, and all men must confess that it is so. But if any man be left to seek for bread, it is certain that his faith is broken, wherefore he is rightly left. But this seeking bread, or "going for bread," must be understood to mean that he will not go hungry or die of hunger, even though he is poor and has nothing before. He will certainly be fed, if he does not have anything else until the next day; if one does not give him, the other will. His food must surely come, even though those who do not give and help him sin. For poor Lazarus, Luc. 16:20 ff, though the rich man gave him nothing, yet he was fed, though it was with poverty. God does not take poverty from His saints, but He does not let them perish or perish.
V. 26. All the days he is merciful, and leans, and his children shall be given.
This is what is said of the righteous man who has, whether or not he has children; if he already gives out, gives and lends daily, he and his children will still have enough. For the promise of giving is that they will have enough here and there, and will have no lack of food for the body and salvation for the soul, even if there is sometimes not enough. So we have how God deals with the faithful in temporal food and their things, that we are sure in both things that He will not leave us, and we will have enough food. And so it will certainly be, if we believe, and do not let the ungodly displease us or move us. Therefore he repeats and concludes again, saying:
1) Weimarsche: "yet".
V. 27. Depart from that which is evil, and do good, and abide only forever.
As if he should say: Let God take care, do only what is good, and let nothing move you to do evil; remain only as you are forever, and let go what goes, as also St. Peter says [1 Petr. 5, 7.], "Cast all your care upon him, for he is the caretaker of us," and Ps. 55:23, "Cast your concern upon God, and he will well provide for you or supply you, and not leave the righteous to be moved forever."
V. 28. For God loves justice and does not abandon His saints; they will be preserved forever, and the children of the wicked will be cut off.
You must not worry that your right will perish, it is not possible; for God has right love, therefore it must be preserved and the righteous must not be abandoned. If he were an idol who loved injustice or was hostile to what is right, like godless men, you would have cause to worry and fear. But now you know that he loves right: What careest thou? what fearest thou? what doubtest thou? Eternally, not only temporally, his saints shall be exalted, and the wicked with child and all theirs shall be cut off. The saints here are not called those who are in heaven, of whom the Scriptures seldom speak, but commonly those who live on earth, who believe in God and through the same faith have the grace of God and the Spirit, from which they are called holy, as we all are, if we truly believe.
V. 29: The righteous shall possess the land, and shall dwell therein for evermore.
That is, as it is said above [v. 26], they have enough on earth, they must not wait anywhere but with God, where they dwell in the world. For God does not leave them, but if He leaves them, they are certainly unrighteous and godless, without faith and trust in God. And so it is decided that we should only do well and remain on the path and in the land, letting Him take care and do His work. Now follows what the cause of the righteous is, so that such a being rises up between them and the wicked.
2) Weimarsche: nu.
V. 30: The mouth of the righteous sheds wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is right.
There is strife over this. The wicked do not want to hear the divine wisdom and right, persecute, condemn and blaspheme it for foolishness and injustice, and the same scoundrels are well off. This, then, vexes and naturally moves the righteous, and they are provoked thereby to evil and revenge 1) or vengeance. Therefore this psalm teaches them to keep still and always continue, always to teach, to do and to speak such wisdom and justice, to let God command the matter, to let those bite, rage, gnash teeth, blaspheme, revile, bare swords, draw bows, pile up and strengthen 2c., as said [v. 14]. For God will do it well, if we only wait and always stay on track and do not stop or slacken for their sake. In the end, the verdict of this verse must remain and be known like the bright noon, that the righteous has spoken rightly and wisely, and the wicked have been fools and unrighteous.
V. 31. The law of God is in his heart, and his footsteps will not slip.
Therefore he speaks rightly and sheds light on wisdom, so that God's law is not in the book, not in the ears, not on the tongue, but in his heart. No one can rightly understand God's law unless it is in his heart to love it and live by it, which is what faith in God does. Therefore, though the wicked speak much of God and His law, though they boast of teachers of the Scriptures and of experienced men, yet they never speak rightly nor wisely, for they have it not in their hearts, therefore they do not understand it; they are deceived by the appearance that they lead the words and the Scriptures, and they rage and persecute the righteous. The footsteps of the righteous do not slip, but walk freely and confidently, because he is sure of his faith, and cannot be deceived by the law and doctrines of men. But the wicked fall and slip back and forth all the time, having no certain footing, because they do not rightly understand God's law apart from faith. And
1) To give again -against payment.
So they go to and fro, as their conceit leads them and teaches men law; now is the work, now this work, now they are taught otherwise, now therefore, and slip where they are led with the nose, one blind man to another. Therefore, as they do not understand rightly, so they do not walk rightly, so they do not teach and speak rightly. Nor do they rage about their slippery doctrine and life against the certain doctrine and life of the righteous, ever wanting to confirm their thing alone.
V. 32: The wicked looketh out for the righteous, and seeketh how he might kill him.
It displeases him and he cannot bear it that his teaching and life are punished as an unjust, unwise being, therefore he thinks no more than how to fortify his cause. Now he cannot stand before the righteous man, who does not let his wrong go unpunished, therefore his false nature drives him to get rid of the righteous man, to kill him, so that his nature remains righteous and unpunished; as the pope and his followers always do and still do, whom we can well see that they do not have God's law in their books, let alone in their hearts. Nor do they want to be the ones who teach wisdom and right, raging and running over it like mad dogs, without stopping.
V. 33. But God does not leave him in his hand, 2) and does not condemn him, whether he is condemned.
God lets the righteous come into their hand, but he does not leave him inside. They may not dampen him, if they kill him at once. Their judgment does not help, even if they boast that they do it in God's stead and in God's name, for God judges the opposite judgment. We see this also in our times. The Pope and his followers have condemned John Hus. No condemnation, no shouting, no blubbering, no raging, no bull, no lead, no seal, no ban will help them; he has always remained and been praised; no bishop, no university, no king, no prince has been able to do anything against him that has never been heard from a heretic. The some
2) Weimarsche: "seyner hend".
3) Weimarsche: "he for".
The dead man, the innocent Abel, 1) makes the living Cain, the Pope, with all his followers heretics, apostates, 2) murderers, blasphemers, should they tear themselves apart and burst. He uses a fine little word here, which serves the cause well, "lo jarschiennu"[XX XXXXXX], non impiabit seu non impium declarabit, that is, whether they judge him a heretic, apostate, rebel, as is now the custom of the papal see and its sects, the papists, God does not respect it, he does not condemn him according to the judgment. How evenly the prophet of the papists meets judgment and sentence in this verse, as if he had only spoken of them! For they cannot cry more than heretic, heretic, heretic, but if they should come on the scene and prove such, they catch the rabbit's foot and hold themselves to the mice's chariot.
V. 34. Wait on God and keep His ways, and He will raise you up to possess the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see.
But once he exhorts to trust in God and to do good, so that the unruly, 3) stupid nature hardly surrenders and considers God, that it waits for what it neither sees nor feels anywhere, and expresses what it visibly feels. Now it is also sufficiently said how the possession of the land is to be understood, namely, that a righteous man remains 4) and has enough also on earth, in addition, where he has too little temporally, he has all the more spiritually, as Christ teaches and says [Marc. 10, 29. f.]: "Whoever relies on one thing shall see it again a hundredfold in this world, and in addition, eternal life." Although I do not deny that this possession of the earth should be understood, not by any righteous person in particular, but by the multitude and the congregation, although some may be destroyed in time, nevertheless their seed remains above, as the Christians have remained in the world, and the Gentiles have passed away, even though they may be
1) Compare Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XVIII, 1270.
2) In the editions we have, the comma after "apostate" is missing.
3) serene - devoted, godly.
4) Weimarsche: bleyb.
much of the Gentiles were martyred and destroyed in time, as Ps. 112, 1. f. also says: "Blessed is the man who fears God and is eager in His commandments. His seed shall reign on the earth, and the generation of the righteous shall be multiplied" 2c. But, as I said, over all this each one also has enough for himself, and God also gives him what he may and asks, and, where He does not give it, the righteous is certainly so willing that he does not want it from God, and forbids God not to give it to him; so completely is he one with God that he has and does not have, as he only wants before God, as Ps. 145, 19. says: "God does the will of those who fear Him, and hears their petition and helps them."
That he says here: "You will see when the wicked are cut off", is not said of a bad seeing, but according to the custom of the scripture it means, seeing according to his will, or that he would have liked to see long ago, as we say in German: Das wollte ich gern sehen. In this way Ps. 54, 9. says: "You have delivered me from all evil, and my eyes have seen in my enemies", 5) that is, I have seen my will in them, that I am delivered and they are destroyed. Item, Ps. 112, 8. "The righteous will not be moved until he sees in his enemies." Item, Ps. 91, 8. "Thou shalt see with thine eyes, and the punishment of the wicked shalt thou behold." Again, of the enemies Ps. 35, 21. says: "They have opened their mouth wide, and said, Yea, yea, our eyes have seen", that is, he lies down, it has happened that we would have liked to see long ago. So also Micah [Cap. 4, 1.]: Aspiciat in Zion oculus noster, "O that our eye would see in Zion", that is, o that Zion would pass over, that we would gladly see. So here also: You will see what you would have liked to see when the wicked are cut off. This way of speaking is almost mean in the Scriptures.
V. 35. I have seen an ungodly man, who was abominable, and had made himself as a green laurel tree. 6)
But he sets his experience as an example and sign. Above [v. 25.] he has a
5) Thus the Jena. Weimarsche: "ynn meine feynden". 6) Weimarsche: "lorbaum".
Experience said of the righteous that he had never seen anyone abandoned. Here he tells an experience of the adversary, of the wicked, how he had passed away, and says: He was rich, powerful, great, that everyone was afraid of him, and what he said, did, left, that was said, done, left, because such a one means the Hebrew little word "Aritz" [XXXX], which I have translated: "abominable".
This also means that he does: he boasted and was noble, he stood out, he was something special in front of everyone, he grew wide and high, just as a laurel tree always grows green in front of other trees and is something special in front of everyone, especially in front of the trees or garden trees, it is also not a bad bush or low tree, which also has to be maintained and cared for, which is not done to the wild trees and cederu. So one must also look and speak to this ungodly squire: Gracious lord, dear lord.
V. 36. I passed by, and behold, he was there; I asked for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
David saw such examples in Saul, Ahithophel, Absalom, and the like, who were fearful in their wickedness. 2) And before they were looked round, they were gone, that they might ask, and say, I will not go. And before one looked around, they were gone, so that one might ask and say: Where have they gone? Is it not true that in our time Pope Julius was also such a man? What an arrogant and dreadful gentleman was he? But did he not disappear before we knew it? Where is he now? Where is his defiance and pomp? So we should just keep quiet. So they will all disappear who now rage and want to destroy heaven and overturn rocks. Let us be silent for a little while and pass by; we will look around and see none of them, if we only trust in God.
V. 37. Only keep yourself innocent and see what is sincere, for the last thing of such a man is peace.
This innocence is laid out above in the 18th verse, let it be a sound faith that is in him
1) That is: tame, cultivstten trees. In the original: "tzambewmeu".
2) Weimarsche: "yren".
has enough by itself and has no need of the hospital-like righteousness that helps itself with human laws or works and such beggary. Therefore it is said as much as Paul Titus 2:12: Only be healthy and righteous in simple faith toward God and walk uprightly and honestly; then only see and judge thyself, let the ungodly be ungodly. Behold, then thy last shall be peace, and it shall be well with thee; that is, in dying and after dying it shall be well with thee. The Hebrew language has the way that where I say in German: Es geht ihm wohl, er gehabt sich wohl, es steht wohl um ihn, and in Latin valere, bene habere etc., it means: have peace. So Gen 37:14 Jacob said to his son Joseph, "Go to your brothers in Sichern and see if they are at peace and if the cattle are at peace, and tell me again," that is, if they are well. Hence the greeting in the Gospel [Luc. 24, 36. Joh. 20, 19. 21. 26.] comes in the Hebrew way [XXX XXXX]: Pax vobis, peace be unto you, which we say in German: GOtt gebe euch guten Tag, guten Morgen, guten Abend! Item, in parting we say: Farewell, have a good night, be well! This means vobis. So when the last hour of the righteous and faithful comes, it is well with him, and all his last things are peace.
V. 38. The apostates will be destroyed one by one, and the last of the wicked will be cut off.
This is the contradiction. The righteous remain and prosper, the apostates perish and suffer in their last. "Apostates" here means those who are not sound in the faith, whom the apostle calls "Apostatas" (1 Tim. 4:1), those who fall from the faith to works and laws, as the papists do now. Therefore their last will not stand, it must be unholy, peaceless and be eradicated; because only the healthy, fresh faith stands.
These two verses should also be well understood by both parties, heirs and estates, so that the opinion is: The righteous, what they leave behind, the
3) Weimarsche: "Gang".
and it is well with him, as it is said above in verse 26, that the children of the righteous will also have enough. But all that the wicked leave behind disappears and perishes, as Ps. 109:13 says: "His memory shall be cut off in one member of the family. This is also seen daily in experience.
V. 39. The salvation of the righteous is from God, who is their strength in the time of their distress.
The salvation of the wicked is from themselves, and their strength is their own power. They are great, much, rich and powerful, may not have God's strength and salvation. But the righteous, who must turn away their face from all that is seen and felt, and trust in God alone, have neither salvation nor strength, because from God, who also does not leave them, and does as they believe and trust him, as this following last verse concludes and says:
V. 40. And God will help them and save them; He will deliver them from the wicked and make them blessed, because they have trusted in Him.
Behold, behold, what a rich promise, great comfort and superfluous exhortation this is, if only we trust and believe. First of all, God helps them in the midst of the evil, does not leave them alone in it, is with them, strengthens them and sustains them. Moreover, not only does he help them, but he also saves them, so that they come out. For this Hebrew word actually means: to escape from misfortune and to get away. And if the wicked should be displeased, he expresses it by name, saying, "He will deliver them from the wicked," whether they are sorry or not; and if their raging does not help them, though they think that the righteous shall not escape from them, he must be destroyed. Third, not only does he save them, but he also makes them blessed, so that they will no longer come to harm, and all because they have trusted in him. He also says Ps. 91:14-16: "Because he trusts in me, I will save him and protect him, for he knows my name. He has called upon me, therefore I will hear him. I will be with him in his affliction and bring him out of it.
And I will set him in honor, and fill him with the length of days, and shew him my salvation. O of shameful unfaithfulness, disloyalty and damned unbelief, 1) that we do not believe such rich, mighty, comforting promises of God, and so easily fidget in little impulses, if we only hear evil words from the wicked. Help God that we may one day have the right faith, which we see demanded in all the Scriptures. Amen.
This Psalm I have sent to you, dear friends, 2) for your comfort and admonition, according to the teaching of St. Paul Eph. 5, 19. 20. where he says: "You shall speak to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and sounding in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father always, above all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" 2c. Which I do only for the sake of the weaklings; for the strong ones who are among you (by God's grace) I myself would rather listen to and learn from them. Therefore be of good cheer, and abide in the doctrine which ye have heard and still hear. Do not let the wicked frighten you with their raving, for we have so far beaten them, praise God, that they can do no more than rave, and are found to understand nothing at all in Christian matters, and the more and longer they cry, write and rage, the more blind they become and show greater foolishness.
You may notice this in the Lovonians, in the Parisians, in the Romans, also in our neighbors, the Leipzig Sophists. Behold, how foolishly they pretend that a stone would have mercy on them. The other day, one of them 3) told me to cite a saying from Scripture and prove that the people who are commonly called priests are called sacerdotes, priests, in Scripture: if he did that, he should have won; I have defied him, Pope and all papists, and I still defy them. But what does the poor man do? With great raging, blaspheming and shouting, he rages, and proves that he is so utterly
1) Weimarsche: "unglawben".
2) In the original: "frunden"; in Latin: kratres earissilni.
3) Emser. Cf. Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. XVIII, 1282 ff. De Wette, vol. II, p. 27.
is stone-blind and stone-deaf, that he also does not understand what I ask and what he answers. I ask him for writing, and he answers me with the teacher's sayings. I ask for the sun, he shows me his lantern. I ask: Where is the scripture, he says: Come forth, Ambrosi, come forth, Cyrillus, and the like. Behold, is not this a play of the builders of Babylon [Gen. 11:9], who bring wood when water is called? and yet they cry out as if they had almost hit it. Who can be afraid of such rough heads?
Item, this is even more mocking. Christ says Matth. 5, 13: "You are the salt of the earth"; he also calls this saying, and is supposed to prove with it that they are called priests in the Scriptures. If people are so foolish that salt of the earth means as much to them as "you are priests," what can one do but let them rage and rage and despise? I hope that when he writes more, he will say that the sprinkler and the censer in Scripture are also called priests. All his books are full of foolishness. Therefore do not be afraid, and be of good cheer, for you have the advantage that the pope and his papists know nothing in the Scriptures, nor do they understand their own things. This has been proven enough
First, Sylvester of Rome, after him Johannes Eck, then Rhadinus, then Catharinus, then Cologne and Louvain, then the Pope with his bull, now also Paris and Latomus of Louvain prove it; and finally also the two paper molesters at Leipzig troll. 1) None of them wants the Scriptures. They bring forth the teachings of men and their dreams, and sing their song-dance: Step forward, step forward; but always remain behind.
But if any of them touch you, saying, The interpretation of the fathers must be false, that the scripture is dark; ye shall answer, It is not true. There is no clearer book written on earth than the holy Scriptures, which are to all other books as the sun is to all lights. 2) They speak such things only because they want to lead us away from the
1) Einser and Alveld. Cf. Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XVIII, 957.
2) Cf. Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. XVIII, 1293 ff.
Scripture, and elevate themselves to masters over us, that we should believe their dream sermons.
It is an abominable, great dishonor and vice against the holy Scriptures and all Christianity, if one says that the holy Scriptures are dark, and not so clear that anyone can understand them to teach and prove his faith. Mark this: Should it not be a great shame that I or you should be called a Christian, and not know what I believe? But if I know what I believe, I know what is written in the Scriptures, because the Scriptures contain nothing more than Christ and Christian faith. Therefore, if faith only hears the Scriptures, they are so clear and light to it that it says, "That is right, and I believe it," without all fathers' and teachers' glosses. They would gladly obscure such light and truth from us, and have invented from their minds fidem implicitam, fidem explicitam, that is, a folded-in and folded-out faith; they say that the common man has the folded-in faith, but they, as our masters, have the folded-out faith, and both are lies. Nor can they indicate an article of folded faith.
For where is it more clearly written that God created heaven and earth, Christ born of Mary, suffered, died, rose again, and all that we believe, but in the Bible? Who has ever been so crude as to read such things and not understand them? The fathers' books and the papists' doctrine are ten times more sinister than what they have said about it without Scripture. It is true that some of the sayings of the Scriptures are dark, but in them there is nothing different from what is in the clear, open sayings. And this is where heretics come from, that they take the dark sayings according to their own understanding, and fight with them against the clear sayings and the foundation of faith. Then the fathers fought against them with the clear sayings, enlightening the dark sayings and proving that what is said in the dark is said in the light. This is also the right study of the Scriptures; so these foolish people make vain new and imaginary articles of faith out of them.
Therefore, when they urge with the fathers, and pretend to believe them, let them
keep these two rules. The first: Shall you ask whether the fathers also ever erred? But if they have erred, as they must confess, their sayings are of no account; they must have a higher proof, that is, a clear saying from the Scriptures. If this is not the case, let them go with the fathers. So you may urge them to the Scriptures. This they will do unwillingly; there you will see that they will stand like the pipers who have spoiled the dance. But if they will write, it will be like him who writes, "You are the salt of the earth," [Matt. 5:13] that is, you are priests. 1) Item [Psalm 150:1], "Praise GOD in his saints," that is, the pope has power to raise up saints. 2) For this is the reason that they hold so tightly to the hare's paw, and do not like to hear me, nor do they want to appear or make me appear. They feel well where the shoe pinches them: the quiver is empty, the sword is wooden; the armor is paper and poppy leaves.
The other rule. Shall you say that the fathers do not want anyone to believe them, if they do not lead clear scripture; and the papists do injustice to the dear fathers, that they want to have all their sayings kept. Nor do they seek the honor of the fathers, but their own tyranny, that they may lead us out of the Scriptures, obscure the faith, set themselves above the eggs, and become our idols. This rule is well to be remembered. For thus says St. Augustine lib. 3 Trin. in prologo: I will have such a reader of my books as I am of other books, free and uncaught. Item, Epist. 8. ad Hieronymum: 3) I do not respect that you would have held your books as if they were prophets' or apostles' books; for I believe only the holy Scriptures, that they do not err. I read all the others in such a way that I do not believe that they are true because they have said so, but they prove it to me with bright veracity.
1) Emser in his "Quadruplica". Cf. De Wette, Vol. II, p. 27. Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XVIII, 1356 p.
2) Emser in his book: Wider das unchristliche Buch Martini Luters Augustiners, an den deutschen Adel ausgegangen, Verlegung. I52t. (If. ed.)
3) ,,^NANKtmiopp. VknstnKtoin. II(1729)Sp. I90f. (exmiolu IXXXIl, 3)." (If. ed.)
nnnft, or from the holy scripture. Behold, notice that Augustine wants to have Scripture in his own and all other books.
Item, St. Jerome Matth. 23, 4) since he tells many of his ancestors opinions, he gives a verdict, and says: But this has no reason from the Scriptures, therefore it is as easily despised as accepted. Behold! Say whoever says, If he does not bring reason from Scripture, then say, It is as easily despised as accepted. In the same way St. Hilarius lib. 2 Trin. says: This is the best reader, 5) who does not bring his opinion into Scripture, but from Scripture. Item, in another place: It is not fair to teach anything further than the Scriptures give; but he who lacks this certainly does not understand what he teaches, or those who hear him do not understand it. 6) Haec ille. And if they had not already said that 7) St. Paul would be enough, who says of all doctrines [Thess. 5, 21]: "Try everything, what is good, that keep." There he undoubtedly wanted that one does not believe the song dancers who say: Come forward, Cyrille, come forward, Ambrosi, and the like.
Behold, herewith ye may easily publish all the papists' writings, if every one of them wrote an hundred thousand books; for, as I have said, they are all scripture-less, naked, unlearned scribes, who would much better be bath attendants than men of war. Do not let yourselves be led by and out of the Scriptures, however diligently they turn to them. For if you step out of it, you are lost; they will lead you as they please. But if you stay inside, you have won, and you will respect their raging no differently than the rock of the sea respects waves and bulges. It is vain waves and weaving, what they write. Only be sure and without doubt that there is nothing brighter than the sun, that is, the writing. But if a cloud has come in front of it, it is still
4) IIiSroiivlni opp. sä. Martiunu^ tom. IV, pars I (Paris 1706) sp. 112. (Weim. ed.)
5) In all editions except the Weimar one: "teacher" instead of: "reader", as it should read according to Hilarius. I>6 Irinitate lid. I e. 18, Opp. eä. Odertdür toin. I p. 18. (Weim. Ausg.)
6) Hilurii opp. e<l..Odertdür torn. I p. 215. 1)6 Irin. lid. VII. e. 38. (Weim. Ausg.)
7) Weimarsche: "des".
There is nothing else behind, but the same bright sun. So, if there is a dark saying in the scripture, do not doubt, there is certainly the same truth behind, which is clear in the other place, and who cannot understand the dark, let him stay with the light.
Hereby I command you to God, and see that you also practice faith among yourselves, and do not let our thing hover in words alone. He who has, let him not leave another; he who has not, let him rely on God, as this Psalm says. I command all of you who present the word of God to you, because they
are worthy of two honors, says St. Paul [1 Tim. 5:17]. Pray also for me, that I may one day become devout. For I must be of you, if I would not love the papists and harm our Lord Christ, that I should care a hair's breadth about it. By the grace of God, I am still as courageous and defiant as I have ever been. I have a small infirmity in my body, but it does no harm. It should bite me where I should be justified. Be of good cheer and fear no one. May the grace of God be with you. Amen.