1. I called to the Lord in my distress, and he heard me.
2 Lord, save my soul from evil mouths and false tongues.
(3) What shall they give thee, and do unto thee, against the false tongues?
4. sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
005 Alas for my sorrow, that my wandering is so long! I dwell among the huts of Kedar.
6. my soul must so long dwell among those who hate peace.
7 I kept peace, but as I spoke they stirred up strife.
The first verse teaches us where to run when disaster strikes us; not to Caesar, not to the sword, not to our own counsel nor wisdom, but to the Lord, who is the right, single helper in trouble. "I called (saith he) unto the Lord in my trouble." And that we should do this boldly and cheerfully, and not fail, he indicates by saying, "And he heard me"; as if to say, The Lord is pleased to have one run to him in trouble, and is willing to hear and help.
2. the other verse presents the request, showing what the need is; not that God does not know beforehand, but that by this we are provoked and driven to be the more diligent.
to ask. But it is the very need that has come upon you in Miltenberg and your like in German lands, namely, that the evil men and false tongues do not want to suffer the word of God, but maintain their humanity and lies, and keep silent, so that their evil, false, poisonous teachings alone are preached.
The third verse gives advice on how and with what one should help the cause. For human stupidity desires and would like to have help and protection in the world, and many deal with it; this verse indicates this with its advice. But the spirit throws all this away, and wants no help; as follows.
The fourth verse names the right case, namely, sharp arrows of the mighty, that is, if God would send strong preachers who would confidently speak His word, which are the arrows of God. And they are sharp, because 2) they do not pierce and spare, but shoot and wound everything that is human. Thus the false tongues are overcome and changed into true Christian tongues.
5. but "juniper coals" are the true Christians, who prove the word of God, which is signified by the sharp arrows, also with their lives, and set fire to it in fervent, ardent love, shown in works. For it is said that
2) Erlanger: if. Very often, the old editions say "if" or "when" instead of: denn.
1280 Erl. 4i, IL4-IL6. Interpretation of the 120th Psalm. W. v, E-iM. 1281
Juniper coals keep the fire well and truly. So that this verse desires fine preachers, who lead the word of God mightily in faith, and strike down everything that is the devil's thing, and with works of love let their faith burn and shine. For there are many preachers of the word now, but they are not mighty, neither do they lead it mightily. And even though they lead it, they do not sharpen it, for they spare where there is no need to spare, namely, the great men; in addition, they are so cold of love and crude of life that they annoy more than they improve, and thus make the arrows of God blunt and dull.
The fifth verse laments and shows how such preachers fare, namely, that few believe the gospel, and they throw it to the winds. This grieves the Spirit, who would so gladly have everyone receive it with joy. Therefore he says, "Alas for me! "I must stay here so long and be a guest, for I do not find God's kingdom among them. They also will not go in, [I] preach so long, and help not; they remain yet as they are, and I also must be among them, and dwell among the tents of Kedar. "Kedar" is the name of Arabia in the Hebrew language, and in German it means, sad or gloomy, like those who go here bearing sorrow. The Arabs are a wild, impudent, naughty people, therefore he calls the disobedient of the gospel "Kedar", because they do not let themselves be chastened by the gospel.
The sixth shows that he is not only despised but also persecuted for the word, and yet he must remain among them. They hasten peace," he says, "namely, divine peace, since we have peace inwardly with God in good conscience, and outwardly with all men, harming no one but doing good to everyone; peace they hasten. For they persecute the word that teaches and brings such peace, and defend their doctrine, which makes evil consciences before God, by their own unbelieving works and sects and discord, set up in various ranks among the people.
8 The seventh answers and excuses the false accusation which the wicked lay on the true Christians. For they say,
Such teaching is seditious and causes dissension in the world. Then he said, "It is not my fault, for I kept peace and did no harm to anyone unless I preached true peace; they could not stand it, and they stirred up strife and persecuted me. So Helias also had to hear about king Ahab, as if he had misled Israel, when, as Helias also answers, he himself, and not Helias, misled Israel [1 Kings 18:17, 18].
(9) Then you see, dear friends, that your case is pictured right here, and go as it is written in this psalm. You must have the name of being rebellious, when you have done nothing but hear the word, speak it and let it be spoken. Therefore the temple servants and hunters of the Mainz have made war upon you, and have hated and persecuted the peace which ye taught, and must still dwell and dwell long with such enemies of peace, for God's sake, and are among the tabernacles of Kedar, strange sojourners and evil kept.
(10) What will you do now? You cannot avenge yourselves; even if you could, it is no good. Nor is wishing evil valid, because Christ says Matt. 5:44: "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who insult and persecute you." What then shall you do? Nothing better than to take your eyes off the people who hurt you, and look at the scoundrel who possesses and drives them, how you may take revenge on him and cool your troubles. But he has neither flesh nor bone, he is a spirit; therefore, as St. Paul says, you must not fight with flesh and blood, but with the spiritual skulls above in the air, with the ruler of the dark, blind world. What should the wretched Mainzian whoremongers and fattened bellies do otherwise; they must well do as their god, the devil, chases them; they are not with themselves, therefore even they are to be heartily pitied. They pretend to receive Christian doctrine, so they live more shamefully than whores and knaves, just as if the Holy Spirit should work something to his honor through such devilish dishes; he does it without their knowledge and will, as through Judam, Caipham and Pilatum.
11. so now the some piece is still left,
That you, as this psalm instructs, in this distress turn to the Lord, and cry out before him about such an evil tongue, and with earnestness and with all your heart ask for strong archers, who shoot sharp arrows at the devil, hit, and do not miss, and for fiery juniper coals, which with fervor and fire set the deceived, blind people on fire, and enlighten them with good life, to the praise and glory of God's name. If you do this, you will shortly see how abundantly you will smell the devil and his scales, so that your heart will laugh at them. But see to it that you do such supplications with all confidence, and do not doubt that God, for whose word you are afflicted, will hear you, and send out his arrows and coals with heaps, so that where they have suppressed the word in Miltenberg in one place, it shall arise in other ten; and the more they blow into the fire, the stronger it shall burn.
(12) For the fact that the word of God is not yet so strong as it should be, and that we would like it to be (although they think it is too strong), I cannot blame anyone else, but that we are too lazy to ask for sharp arrows and hot coals. He has commanded us to ask that his kingdom come, and that his name be sanctified, that is, that his word and the Christians increase and become strong; but because we let it lie as it lies, and do not ask with earnestness, that is why it goes on so lazily, and the arrows are blunt and dull, the coals cold and raw, and the devil is not yet almost afraid of us.
13 Therefore let us make up and be fresh; the time is here. He does us many evil tricks everywhere; let us also once
prove to him something that annoys him and avenge ourselves; that is, let us pray to God without ceasing until He sends us armed archers with sharp arrows and coals enough.
Behold, dear lords and friends, I have refrained from writing such a letter of comfort to you, although others might have done it better and have greater cause. But since my name is also involved, and you are being persecuted as Lutherans, I think it would not have done me any harm to accept you firing me as myself.
(15) And although I do not like it that the doctrine and people are called Lutheran, and must suffer from them that they so profane God's word with my name, yet they shall let Luther, the Lutheran doctrine and people remain, and come to honor, again, they and their doctrine perish and become disgrace, even if it would be sorry for all the world, and would displease all the devils. If we live, they shall not have peace from us; if we die, they shall have still less peace. In short, they shall not be rid of us; they shall go down, and willingly give themselves to us; and their wrath and raging shall not avail them. For we know the word which we preach, and shall not take it from us all. Let this be my prophecy, which shall not fail me, God have mercy upon them.
(16) I hereby commend you, dear friends, to God's grace and mercy; and also pray to God for me, a poor sinner, and let your preachers be commanded to preach Christ, and not the pope or the temple boys of Mainz. May God's grace be with you. Amen.