V. 1. You must not rejoice, O Israel, nor boast as the nations do, for you are hurting against your God.
This is also a sermon of repentance, in which he condemns the idolatry of the kingdom of Israel and threatens desolation. Therefore, everything is clear.
The sermons so often repeated by the prophets show not only the greatness of this sin, but also the obstinate stubbornness of the idolaters; therefore we should not be surprised today that our adversaries so stubbornly defend what is theirs, and are not satisfied with any of our admonitions. For Satan keeps his old ways, and holds those who are once entangled in ungodly opinions and worship so tightly that they cannot wriggle out of the manifold snares of ungodliness, for they have indeed, as Paul says of his Galatians [Gal. 3:1], enchanted minds. We should thank God all the more diligently for the light of the Word and apply ourselves to it with all the greater zeal, so that we may keep it.
In the beginning of this chapter is a threat of punishment and an accusation of sin. The kingdom of Israel flourished under Jeroboam, whereas before it had been plagued with many and various calamities. For the neighboring enemy, the Syrian, had waged war against Israel continually and with great success. But Jeroboam broke the power of the Syrians, so that they kept within their borders. When the power of the kingdom of Israel was strengthened, as it is wont to do in long peace, their hearts became lush, and they dreamed that they would have this prosperity forever. But the prophet warns them that they should not rejoice nor boast, for the gravest sin was upon their necks, namely, that they had fallen away from God through idolatry. This sin, he says, will be followed by the certain punishment of desolation.
That thou mayest seek whores' wages, that all the threshing floors may be full of grain.
The prophet makes sin twofold, as above several times. For the worship of the kingdom of Israel was a deviation from God and a shameful adultery. But the priests kept this worship for the sake of the bodily benefits, because it served, as the Greeks say, προς τά άλφιτά [to the
livelihood. For godlessness always seeks profit. That is why even the papists keep the mass and other religious services, not both because of the worship of God, but because they bring abundant profit.
In Hebrew the particle causes a darkness, you look for the reward at all threshing floors full of grain, but the sense cannot be doubtful. Now he says of the punishments.
V. 2. Therefore the threshing floors and winepresses shall not nourish thee, and the must shall fail thee.
This is the first punishment, that they will be deprived of these advantages and suffer lack, even though all things are in the greatest abundance. For it is true what the Germans say in Proverbs: If all the mountains were nothing but flour, the famine could not be averted if the sins of men deserved it. This proves that everything depends on the Lord's blessing, and not on the abundance of goods itself, which the world seeks with such great zeal, care and effort, as if it alone were enough.
V. 3. and shall not abide in the land of the Lord: but Ephraim must return into Egypt, and eat in Assyria, which is unclean.
The second punishment is the captivity among the Gentiles. He names Egypt and Assyria, so that it may be seen that the kingdom of Israel was oppressed by those through whose alliance and friendship it hoped to be secure. This is the nature of human advice, and this is how it goes with trusting in people. About "what is unclean" the prophet will explain himself soon after.
V. 4: There they cannot make a drink offering of wine to the Lord or do anything to please him. Their sacrifice shall be as the bread of the afflicted, whereof all they that eat thereof shall be unclean: for their bread they must eat for themselves, and shall not be brought into the house of the Lord.
This is the third and most bitter punishment, that they will have no public worship, but will degenerate with their offspring into pagans, like our people who are imprisoned in Turkey. They will not hear sermons, they will not be able to bring their children to baptism, they will not be able to use Holy Communion, they will not come to the gatherings of the people who have come together to offer their prayers. These are the penalties for the neglect of worship, as we see in this passage. Therefore, we are to learn to use these so great gifts holy while we can.
What he says about the "bread of the afflicted" is known from Deut. 26, 14. For by burying the dead one became unclean under the law. Therefore no one dealt with those who were in mourning. And God also wants the heart to be full of joy and hope, He wants us to rely on His goodness, He does not want us to be sad, in fear and sorrow. This is therefore a twofold evil, that he threatens that there will be no services, but if there were, people would be defiled by them, not sanctified.
What now follows: "Their bread, which they eat for themselves, shall not be brought into the house of the Lord," is the same as saying, "They shall eat common, unsanctified bread, as they were sanctified by the offering of the fruit that grew out of the ground.
In Hebrew it says: XXXXX XXXX, their bread
for their soul shall not be brought or come into the house of the Lord. We have rendered this simply, "The bread which they eat for themselves," though it is more emphatic in the Hebrew. For this is to say: They will have no bread from which to offer anything, as they used to do in the land of the Lord. They will have only bread with which to nourish themselves, not with
They will have no temple, no ministers of the sanctuary, so they will not be able to honor the Lord and serve the ministry.
V. 5: What then will you do in the seasons and feasts of the Lord?
"Seasons" he calls the certain feasts celebrated at a certain time of the year, as the Passover, the Pentecosts etc. But it has the same opinion as the preceding: You will be captives among the Gentiles, keeping no temple, no worship, none of the customary feasts.
V. 6. Behold, they must depart from before the destroyer. Egypt shall gather them, and Moph shall bury them. Nettles will grow where their dear idol silver now stands, and thorns in their tents.
He combines both captivity among the Gentiles and desolation. The word
XXXX, "they must go away," the prophet uses the word οιχεσ&αί almost as the Greeks do, "they
are gone".
"Moph" is thought to be Memphis in Egypt.
It is certain that the silver idols are called "silver", as he said above several times, that idols are made of gold and silver, which he calls XXXX, a "dear", because they delighted in this worship and trusted in it. The exceedingly gloriously flourishing empire got into this trouble because of its idolatry. With all the greater zeal we should seize the light of the Word and hold it in all the greater honor.
V. 7 The time of visitation has come, the time of vengeance; Israel will know it.
This is related to the preceding. But there is a special emphasis in the fact that he calls it a time of visitation and retribution. For as long as the punishment is far away, the wicked dream that God is a blind Cupid, as it were, and will never pay attention to it. But soon after [v. 9] 1) the prophet says: "He will remember their iniquity, and will punish their sin.
1) There is a comma after xaulo xost in the outputs by mistake.
seek." Therefore, they should have laid aside this security and returned to the right path while the plague abates and they are given time to repent. But those who let this time of repentance pass by without fruit, afterwards seek in vain a mitigation of the punishments, as the prophet says: "Israel will realize it," that is, they will feel that what I have proclaimed before is true.
The prophets are fools, and the rotten spirits are mad, for the sake of your great iniquity and for the sake of the great hostile idolatry.
After he has punished everyone in general for idolatry, he now speaks especially of the teachers. He calls them "fools", because they did not teach the word but their dreams, likewise "insane", because they defended obvious sins, which could be judged by common sense, as well as promised better times, since everything was already going downhill. Thus in the papacy today the use of one form is defended, the marriage of priests is condemned, a service is made of certain food, of certain clothing etc. For even children can judge this. But these senseless people, who have no sense at all, defend this also by shameful murder of the godly.
In Hebrew, XXXX XXX means the man of the Spirit, that is, he who boasts of the Spirit, who boasts that he has the Holy Spirit. Micah calls [Cap. 2, 11. in Hebrew) the lying and false teachers "men who walk in the Spirit" or in the wind. But in this passage the verb "walk" is missing, so here is another meaning.
However, it must be noted here that the prophet explicitly states that the godless teachers are punishments of sins and signs of the highest displeasure 1) on the part of God. In contrast, godly teachers are a glorious testimony of God's mercy and grace. Therefore Paul calls the apostles, evangelists and prophets [Eph. 4, 11.]
1) Erlanger: inäiAnitalioQSlli instead of: inäiAriutionsm.
gifts of Christ, who sits at the right hand of God the Father, and Micah [Cap. 5, 6.] compares the teachers of the Gospel to a fruitful rain.
The word XXXXX means hate. But he calls idolatry so, because the Lord hates it and cannot stand it.
V. 8. the watchmen of Ephraim kept about my God; but now they are prophets, laying cords in all their ways through the hostile idolatry of the house of their God.
The brevity makes this place dark. I think that the prophet uses here the figure of the antithesis 2), which we wanted to indicate to the reader by adding the circumstances of the time. For the opinion is that the earlier times had right prophets, Elijah, Elisha and others, who punished idolatry with great courage and taught the right worship. But the watchmen and bishops who are now (he says) are a cause of error and ungodliness. For they lay ropes for the people, and invite the people to idolatry, and defend the ungodly worship with great effort.
V. 9: They will run away, as in the days of Gibeah; therefore he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sin.
Above in the fifth chapter, v. 2, I said about the word. Here it is also put in the same meaning, that godlessness and the endeavor to deceive the people have taken such deep roots that the godless teachers cannot be set right by any admonition. However, I have used a different image in the translation, which, however, indicates the same meaning.
Thus the word XXXX means to spoil, to falsify, to ruin, to ruin a thing, but even this we have not been able to render by a suitable word, so we have indicated the sense: they act wickedly. The Historia of Gibeah is known from the Book of Judges, Cap. 19, 22. ff. Such an abominable and terrifying sin
2) Compare Crull, "Lehrbuch der deutschen Sprache," p. 149.
He compares the protection of idolatry, which today, unfortunately, is quite common in the Church of the Pope. But also we should consider that people like Eck, Pighius, Wicel, when they defend the masses, the invocation of the saints, purgatory, indulgences, the merits of works and other plagues of religion, do nothing better than if they were the protectors of the most abominable lusts.
V.10. I found Israel in the wilderness like grapes, and saw your fathers like the first figs on the fig tree; but afterward they went to BaalPeor, and vowed themselves to the vile idol, and became as abominable as their wooers.
He makes the sin of Ephraim great by mentioning the previous sins, as if he wanted to say: The people always remain the same. Even in the wilderness, when they daily experienced my benefits and my wonderful guidance, they still departed from me and surrendered to the pretensions and worship of the Gentiles. They still continue in this ungodliness and cannot be corrected.
Known is the story of the fornication of the children of Israel with the daughters of Moab in Sittim and of the service of the idol BaalPeor, of which Jerome thinks that it was Priapus, and the name is certainly correct, because the Hebrew word Peor means nakedness. That which we have translated, "They vowed themselves to the shameful idol," means in Hebrew, "They set themselves apart to shame or to shamefulness," but we have preferred to indicate the sense. For although the word means "to set apart," it is really a word that refers to worship, just as the Nazarenes got their name from the fact that they set themselves apart, that is, that 1) they did something special in relation to worship.
XXX But without doubt he calls the idol Peor, a shameful and obscene image. But this very name also fits the idol, because it is with the people, for the sake of the service of this shameful idol,
1) Erlanger: <4110 instead of: yuoä.
The result was such that it became a disgrace and was even afflicted, as history shows that twenty-three thousand fell in one day [Num. 25:1, 9, 1 Cor. 10:8].
In the word XXXXX there is a common way of speaking for the Hebrews, because the abstractum is put instead of the concretum, the courting instead of the courting, the love for the beloved. But he calls "wooers" the idolatrous Moabites, whose worship Israel followed. For so says Moses, 4th book, 25, 1. ff: "The people began to fornicate with the daughters of Moab, who invited the people to the sacrifice of their gods. And the people ate, and worshipped their gods. And Israel attached themselves to BaalPeor" etc.
But here it is useful to consider how easy it is to fall away from the true religion, and how great is not only the wickedness of Satan, but also his power. For the Lord does not say a small thing when he compares the people of Israel, as they are called out of Egypt, to a bunch of grapes in the wilderness and to a precocious fig. For he indicates that this people accepted the words that God spoke to them with great desire and walked beautifully in the fear of God, so that God took special pleasure in them, who was especially pleased with the service, the godliness, the faith, and the calling of this people. For the first bunch of grapes and the first fig give the gardener extraordinary pleasure.
But the people, who walked so beautifully in the fear of God and in faith, fall into the most abominable idolatry, to which the forbidden unchastity gives the occasion, as history shows, that they, invited to the sacrifices, ate and worshipped the idol. Hosea said above [Cap. 4, 11] quite rightly: "Fornication, wine and must are maddening," that is, they make people nonsensical, they instill in their hearts either neglect or contempt for religion, and seduce them to godlessness, as the example of the Pabst shows quite clearly. For unchastity has followed the impure life of celibacy, and has also brought about much idolatry. Therefore Daniel connects these two pieces when he prophesies of the Antichrist [Cap. 11, 37] that he will not respect the God of his fathers and the love of women.
In this passage, we rightly consider our weakness and Satan's power and cunning plots, which careless and negligent people cannot possibly escape. Constant prayer is needed that the Lord may govern us by His Spirit. Special care is needed so that we ourselves keep our desires and evil inclinations in check and do not in any way take our eyes off the Word. Those who do not exercise this care and also neglect prayer cannot stand for long, but are suddenly carried away by Satan, and the gifts with which they are adorned by God, no matter how excellent, are of no use to them.
Since Paul reminds the Corinthians of this danger, that the apostasy from the true religion and the fear of God can easily happen, he uses this history of the people who were fooling in the wilderness, 1 Cor. 10, 8. And Christ did not admonish in vain that we should pray daily that we would not fall into temptation [Matth. 26, 41]. For a fall happens very easily, as the examples of David, Peter and other saints, but especially of this whole people show. But the power of the enemy is immense, while we are indeed, as Panlns [2 Cor. 4:7] calls it, earthly vessels that are broken by a light blow, if we do not take refuge in humble and earnest prayer, supported by the Word.
V. 11, 12: Therefore the glory of Ephraim must fly away like a bird, that they should not bear, nor carry, nor conceive. And though they bring up their children, yet will I make them without children, that they shall not be men.
"The glory" he calls, as above, the kingdom and all that this people had in gifts; this, he threatens, will fly away like a bird. But he indicates with this image that the defeat of the kingdom cannot be made good, because if one lets a bird out of the hand, it cannot be seized again.
What is added is very short in Hebrew: from birth, from mother's womb, from
Conception, but the meaning is undoubtedly that it should neither give birth, nor bear, nor become pregnant. This must not be understood as if the people of Israel in captivity should not have the gift of fertility, because they had to remain remnants until Christ, but that they, oppressed by constant bondage, will lie low. But also the punishment is included that the children shall be taken away by an early death.
Woe to them, too, when I have departed from them!
Here he speaks of the time of captivity, that they would live hard and miserable among the Gentiles. And these are punishments of idolatry and ungodliness, which we will only consider with benefit when we set out on a diligent study of the Word and repent. For Hosea, no less than John the Baptist, goes about exhorting the people to repentance, reminding them that the axe has already been laid to the root of the tree if they do not amend their lives.
V. 13. Ephraim, as I look at it, is planted and beautiful like Tyre; but now must let her children go out to the death-striker.
Tyre is known both from the histories and from the poems of the pagan writers. For it was a very famous commercial city, which flourished there by wealth and power. And although it was destroyed by Alexander, the conquest was very difficult, and Alexander, which I believe he did not encounter anywhere else, more than once despaired of the conquest. Therefore, we must consider it no small price that he compares the kingdom of Israel to this so rich and powerful commonwealth.
But here learn how great is the misfortune of men. Those whom God had showered with every kind of good deed, so that they, thus provoked, might learn to worship and love Him and obey His word, became, as it were, nonsensical through their good fortune and such great prosperity, and despised God and His word all the more stubbornly, thinking that these benefits were not the same as the good deeds.
The people said that their idolatry was the reward for their deeds. Therefore, no matter how prosperous their empire was, it could no longer exist, but finally perished. But the kingdom of Judah, even though it was not equal to it in power and wealth, was nevertheless preserved because the seat of the church was in it. This is how God uses to break the power of the wicked and to show His strength and power in weakness.
We are also witnesses to the abundant bodily gifts that Germany and other nations received when Pope's reign was in full bloom. We did not see the Turk raging within our borders. Grain was very plentiful. There were not so great occasions for revolt and discord on all sides as there are now. We cannot assume that this happiness comes from anything other than the immeasurable goodness of God, who does not punish us immediately according to merit, but gives us room for repentance, and also invites the ungrateful world to the word and right worship with many kinds of goods.
But God does little in this way. For just as He said above [Cap. 2, 5.] of the kingdom of Israel: "I will go after my servants who give me bread, water and wool", so we still hear today that the blessedness of former times is praised by the papists as if it had been the reward for their worship, and therefore they lay all the more stubbornly on idolatry.
But what will finally happen? Since the punishment of idolatry can no longer be withheld, the Lord now gives his word to Germany, so that the godly, before the punishment comes, may learn how to comfort themselves in common misfortune, which is the punishment of past idolatry. For these evils also come upon the godly, as the histories of earlier lines show. But because the godless papists neglect and persecute the Word, but insist on their idolatry, the punishment will befall them, and without consolation they will perish, like Israel. But why does God threaten even the innocent infancy with the weapons of the enemy? "Ephraim," He says, "must let her children go out to the slayer."
Do innocent children have to pay for the sins of their parents? I answer: It is true that when evil punishments come, they also take hold of the innocent. Thus Daniel and his comrades, although it was only a punishment of the wicked, were nevertheless led captive to Babylon. And when wars or pestilence rage, how many children perish who are still innocent, that is, who have the forgiveness of sins promised in baptism and have not yet fallen from grace through sin!
This happens not only for the sake of the example, that the descendants, warned by the terrible punishments, learn to fear God and flee idolatry, but also for the punishment of the parents, for whom the death of the children is more bitter than their own death. Although it seems hard that the innocent are taken away, nothing bad happens to them, since their body is otherwise also subject to death. And for this reason it is better for them to die than to live, because they could not preserve their innocence if they were not soon taken away by death, for they, too, would be swept away by the example of the parents, as if by a torrent, into an ungodly being. Therefore, nothing bad happens to the children, and the example benefits others, so that they, warned by the terrible punishment, learn to fear God and flee idolatry.
The children of the Gentiles, who are outside the church, are to be judged differently, even though they will perhaps be judged more mildly than adults. But this will be revealed by the life to come. We must be careful, however, not to assert something that is not revealed by the Word. But there is a certain revelation of the word about the baptized, as before Christ's future about the circumcised, that they are accepted by God in grace.
V. 14: Lord, give them! But what will you give them? Give them barren bodies and dried-up breasts.
The meaning is the same as above. Because he does not want that the gift of fertility is completely denied to them. For the remnant of Israel remained until the kingdom of Christ; but
that they should not give birth as they had given birth until now, where the born children followed the parents while the kingdom existed, the worldly regiment, the customs of the fathers etc. Now the kingdom will cease, he says, the citizens will be driven from their homes, and dwell among the heathen in the position of servants; never will they rise, never will they hold a position in the commonwealth. Therefore, children will be born to them under different circumstances than they themselves were born, since they received the kingdom, which was ordered by the ancestors, handed down, as it were, from hand to hand. But also according to the word and letter this prophecy is fulfilled, because as punishment of sin in the fifth book of Moses [Cap. 28, 18.] also the curse over the fruit of the womb is enumerated, that is, that it happens unhappily and sadly in the birth, that the mothers either give birth more rarely and more heavily, or the fruit perishes before the time.
But here the question arises, why the prophet wishes this for the poor people, since we have the commandment that we should also love our enemies, and Christ Matth. 5, 44. expressly commands that we should bless those who curse us and pray for those who offend us. You will say, "How does this seemingly cruel wish fit with this saying? For although the sin of the parents deserved this, what was the fault of the innocent child? How much better it would have been for him to ask that the Lord would enlighten their hearts by his grace, and that at least the offspring would not be entangled in the punishments of the parents. The misery is great enough that one has to suffer a cruel enemy, to be expelled from the kingdom of the fathers and ancestors, to be deprived of the right service of God, why then does he ask that the blessing on body and breasts be taken away from him as well? These are words of the heathen [Ps. 137:7], "Pure off, pure off, even to their ground." The prophet should certainly have spoken differently; it would have befitted him to have been moved by such an extraordinary calamity of his people, and to have wished them better. Now, however, he has forgotten himself, as it were, and imposes still more misfortune on the afflicted,
since he himself does not grant them these goods that are in the household etc.
To this I answer: In this passage two things are to be considered, just as two different persons are held up to us, namely the profession of the holy prophet and the sin of the people. When Christ preaches Matt. 5:20 ff, he does not refer to a particular and specific profession, but as the holy ten commandments are a very general law, so he indicates that all are obligated to love. Love, however, does not permit anger, strife, wishing evil, striking back, or revenge for insults, but commands that one should love one's neighbor, even one who has wronged us and is an enemy. Therefore, whoever does not show this love in a pure and genuine manner on all sides, transgresses the holy ten commandments. In this passage, Christ rightly condemns anger, evil curses, angry gestures, strife, revenge, and swearing. For what else could he do, since the holy ten commandments are a general law that is laid down for the whole human race?
But God, who has subjected all men to one and the same law, makes distinctions among men according to their profession. He does not want the king and his subjects, parents and children, lord and servant, commander and soldier, to have equal authority. Therefore, he commands the children to honor their parents, that is, to obey their command; he does not give the children the power to rule over the parents, indeed, he commands that the parents should resist the will of the children even by force. Therefore, parents are not only allowed to be angry if the children do not do their duty, but also to lay hands on them and to correct them with blows. And yet they do not transgress the fifth commandment, but do according to their profession, and would be disobedient to God if they did otherwise, as the Lord says of Eli, 1 Sam. 3:13: "I will be a judge of his house for his iniquity, because he knew that his children did corruptly, and saw not that they did so."
Thus, the authorities have the right to decide on the er-.
The people of the country are the children who despise the authority of their parents, or even injure them. But as the rule of the authorities extends farther, so also their punishments are more severe than those in the household, for they have power over life and death. Therefore it is not said of the authorities that they act against the fifth commandment when they hang thieves, when they cut off the heads of murderers. For it has the special profession by which it is commanded to do what others are forbidden to do.
In this way, we must answer in relation to what the prophet does. He has a special calling. He is not commanded to speak to the people of Israel, not to pray for them, as others do, but he is commanded by God to curse this people and to wish them evil. Since he does this, he does not act contrary to Christ's teaching, which does not have an individual profession in mind, but rather, in general, as the law is a general one, it prescribes what all must do who do not have their particular and specific profession. The prophet, however, has his special calling, and since he carries it out, he does right.
In this way one can answer with reference to the other sayings [Matth. 5, 39. 34.]: "You shall not resist evil"; "you shall not swear in all things." These sayings are all general, as the law is general, therefore those must not resist evil, must not swear, to whom it is not permitted by a special profession. But the authorities are a guardian of good discipline, to honor the good and to punish the bad. Just as the authorities have the right to punish, so they also have the right to establish courts and to enjoin oaths. Those who have to do with the law do so at the command of the authorities, who are ordained for the sake of protecting the good and punishing the guilty. Those who confirm their testimony in a doubtful matter by an oath do so by order of the authorities, and do not sin. Therefore, this is to be considered a public and lawful vengeance, not a private one, because it is exercised by the authorities, who want the unjust to be denounced and accused.
does not want their wickedness to be strengthened by covering or carrying.
But afterwards Christian patience has a place, if the right, which you seek, cannot be obtained and preserved. And also Christ does not impose anything else on his own. For since he did not come to abolish the law, he does not want to abolish the worldly rule, as can be seen from other sayings of the Scriptures.
Therefore this is the answer to the presented question: Christ speaks in the fifth chapter of Matthew generally of all private persons. But he does not abolish the special profession, as he certainly does not abolish the vengeance of the authorities. But the prophet has a special profession, therefore he does not act against Christ's commandment, since he rightly curses the people, because this is commanded to him by God.
But one must also consider the sin of these people. It is of such a nature that even if one thinks that one should not wish them evil, one cannot pray for them. The merciful God acts in this way with sinners, instructing them by His word about His will, condemning idolatry, and exhorting them to repentance. He commands this office to certain people, because he does not want to speak to us through angels, as he did to Moses, nor, as at the baptism of Christ, through his voice from heaven. But since the wicked reject and persecute the word, and when they are admonished only persist in their idolatry, what more can be done by us? Shall we pray that God will strengthen their power, and not rather that he will come as the righteous judge and destroy the wicked from the earth, who only deal with all being entangled in their ungodliness.
The papal crowd today not only does not allow the word, but hates and condemns it in a cruel way. And not only are abuses not stopped, however obvious they may be, but every day new beautiful appearances are invented with which the godless being would like to be adorned. What is to be done here? We have taught in the hope that they should mend their ways; daily we also pray for success for the Word and against Satan's lies. But
The more diligently we teach and the more fervently we pray, the angrier ungodly men become, doing, undertaking and trying everything that seems to serve the downfall of our teaching and the spread of their idolatry. Shall we then pray that they may prosper, that they may have peace from enemies? that they may not be deterred by any punishments? since it is certain that they would abuse their prosperity to the dishonor of God, and of peace to the extirpation of the churches that keep the pure doctrine and the right worship.
Yes, rather we are to pray that God's name be sanctified. We know that this prayer will be answered only when the Lord overthrows the protectors of ungodliness and dampens them with misfortunes of all kinds, so that they cannot accomplish what they have undertaken with such great zeal.
Thus, the prophet can also be excused if one considers the sin, since the sanctification of the name of God must be more important to him than the welfare of his people. He would like the people to prosper, but since this could not be done in any other way than by constantly blaspheming the name of God, since they do not want to be reformed by the word, he would rather that his people perish than that God's honor, the word and the right service of God be endangered. In this way Moses prays [4 Mos. 16, 15] against the rebellious Korah and his comrades, and Jeremiah is forbidden [Jer. 7, 16] to pray for the people, and John says [1 Ep. 5, 16] that there is a sin unto death for which one should not pray.
If you raise the question: Where is the Holy Spirit, who is a spirit of love? Where is love? Because that is how the protectors of the Rotten answer us nowadays, the answer is: Sin is such that it excludes all love, because our first concern must be for the name of God, and only then comes the welfare of others. If one of these two must perish, then may the pope perish, may the godless authorities perish, may the protectors of godless doctrines perish, may
1) Erlanger: nuNus instead of: nuHis.
the whole world will perish, and God will receive his glory, his word, his church, his worship, amen.
V. 15 All their wickedness is done at Gilgal, there I am an enemy to them.
We have said about Gilgal at the end of the fourth chapter [v. 15] that it was a very highly respected place because of the memorial of twelve stones, which the Lord ordered to be erected there to commemorate the amazing miracle that the Jordan stopped its course while the people were passing through; likewise that the people, who were born in the desert, were circumcised there and celebrated the second Passover. For then the people first began to eat that which had grown on the ground, while they had used the heavenly manna for forty years.
God wanted all this to stand as special testimonies of His goodness to this people and also to be seen by the descendants, so that they, reminded by this, would trust in the goodness of God and learn to fear Him. For so says the text Jos. 4, 22. 24.: "This you shall teach your children, that all the nations of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, how mighty it is; that ye fear the Lord your God always." And therefore also the Lord himself gave the name to the place, and called it Gilgal, because there he had turned away from his people the reproach of Egypt, or, as the word [XXX] is, rolled it away, that is, that he had commanded the people, who were uncircumcised, and therefore like the Egyptians and other heathen, to be circumcised there, and had received them into his covenant.
And this is what the prophet actually has in mind here, when he says: "All their wickedness happens at Gilgal, there I am an enemy to them." As if he wanted to say: O! how much the place has changed against the one who has the name of sin removed and rolled away, since now the people heap up sins by idolatrous worship. Therefore, just as God loved the people who came through the Jordan, He now hates and detests this one.
2) In the Latin editions erroneously: 86xti, probably by confusing Gilgal with "Gilead", Cap. 6, 8.
Thus we are taught by experience that what we Germans say in Proverbs is true, that the devil tends to build a drinking house where God has a church. For the Oter, which were the most famous because of religion and the glorious works of God, Satan always defiled with the most shameful idolatry, until he even turned the temple itself, in which God wanted his worship to be preserved, into a pit of murder and made the holy land the dwelling place of the most godless people. Greece had the best-ordered congregations, and there were bishops there who were distinguished by scholarship and godliness; now the cruel Turks entangled everything in the hideous godlessness of Mahomet. Thus at Rome there was a very great multitude of the holiest people, all of whom proved with their lives and blood their zeal and love for the true religion. Now there reigns "the man of sin" [2 Thess. 2, 3.], the Antichrist, who from there, as from a castle, has challenged the true religion for many centuries, pouring idolatry and manifold superstitions over the whole world.
But such examples teach us about the immense wrath of God, which tends to follow the contempt of the word and certainty. Therefore, we should learn to use the word sacredly, not to snore safely, as if the enemy did not prepare any reenactments for us. He is truly careful on all occasions, and usually causes tremendous evil from very small beginnings. Therefore, we must watch carefully and not disregard any occasions; the beginnings must be resisted, for the histories testify that from small beginnings the most dangerous discord has arisen in the church, and that idolatry has been advertised to men even under the appearance of sanctity.
For that I say of the present place, the false prophets persuaded the people that their ancestors had sacrificed in Gilgal, therefore it could not be blamed if they themselves also sacrificed there. The reason is acceptable on the face of it, but to him who is attentive to the word which says that Jerusalem is the place for the sacrifice of God, it is not acceptable.
service, it is easy to see that the services performed in Gilgal were nothing but idolatry. Therefore, God pronounces at this point that He has an abomination both for their sacrifices and for the authors of the sacrifices.
In the New Testament, no specific place is designated for the services. The children can be baptized at home, if the matter requires it, or in the church; under the open sky or under a roof. The place, even the person who performs the baptism, does not give anything to the baptism. Thus Holy Communion is properly administered to those who wish to partake of it, whether in the home or in the church. Only one thing is required, that all trust be based solely on the Son of God, who gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins and reconciled us to God. Where this trust is present, all works of the profession are pleasing to God, even those that seem to be the least. But if this trust is not there, God hates and detests even the most holy and difficult works to perform, if they are to be considered a service of God; according to the rule: "What does not come from faith is sin" [Rom. 14, 23].
And I will also cast them out of my house because of their evil nature, and will no longer show love, for all their princes are apostates.
"Their evil nature" he calls idolatry, which is devised by men without the word. But this is a very harsh word, that God threatens to expel them from the house, because until now the people of Israel had been the household of God, as it were. For although there was an infirmity in the service of God, and it maintained idolatry, it was nevertheless visited by the Lord through the prophets. When they did not care for them and continued in idolatry, the Lord threatened that they would be cast out of the house as disobedient children, that is, that they would be taken away as captives from the land of promise, which had been given to them by the Lord, among the Gentiles, without any hope of
Return. For this is what he says, "I will show them no more love." For he speaks only of corporal punishment. This did not cancel the promise of future blessing through Christ, as other testimonies show.
The word [XXXXX ----- "apostates"] which he attaches to the princes means sedition, as he says above [Cap. 4, 16.) Israel XXXX XXX called, a cow that cannot be tamed and shakes off the yoke.
But it is easy to see what he punishes the princes for, namely, that they, proud of their power, did not respect the word and wanted to be higher than the word, as the examples of the godless kings show, who persecuted the prophets with tremendous hatred, who made known the right worship and the pure doctrine. Wherever godlessness finds such patrons, religion fills up completely, and punishment can no longer be withheld. But this punishment always hits the tyrants harder than the common man, as the examples show. And the reason for this is that the authorities are to be the guardians of the whole law, that is, they are to take upon themselves the care of religion, to ward off idolatry and godless teachers, and finally also to put an end to other offences against the second table. Not only did the kings of Israel not do this, but they were also instigators of idolatry for their own people and kept their subjects from the right worship by force.
V. 16 Ephraim is smitten; her root is withered, that she can no more bring forth fruit. Though they bear, yet will I kill the dear fruit of their womb.
He interprets what he said above [v. 15]: "I will no longer show them love" and compares the kingdom standing in high blossom to a tree whose root has withered. Not only does no fruit come forth, but not even any leaves.
Of the "killing of the fruit of the body" we have said above [v. 11. f.) that thereby the constant bondage among the Gentiles is indicated. But this punishment is also carried out, as the letter sounds, that the best
heads have been taken away before they reached maturity.
V. 17. My God will reject them because they will not hear Him; and they must go astray among the Gentiles.
This is a noteworthy saying, and worthy to be written on all walls: "My God will reject them, because they do not want to hear him," etc., because it reminds us that if we want to keep the blessing of the Lord, with which he has adorned us, we must hear him, that is, that we accept the word and follow it with all diligence. For God will make glorious those who honor Him, whereas those who do not honor God, that is, who would rather follow their thoughts than the word of God, will be XXXX
XXXX, that is, "they must go astray among the Gentiles."
Now the truly miserable example of Hungary is before our eyes, which the enemy, notorious for barbarism and godlessness, devastates and either strangles the old inhabitants with the sword or leads them away to distant places, where they live as miserable people without any hope of a certain residence. For this is what the Hebrew word means. But it is not necessary to search far for the cause of this misfortune, for it is indicated by the idolatry that has been in use for so many years, not only by the negligence but also by the extreme impiety of the bishops who have zealously protected idolatry.
Therefore, those to whom God has kindled the light of His Word should see to it that they cherish it with all diligence, that they cherish this great gift and walk worthy of it, otherwise we too will fall into the same misfortune. The people of Israel undoubtedly also had other vices, as Hosea also indicated above, and Micah punishes their tyranny, avarice, injustice and unchastity. But the prophet only remembers this sin that they do not want to hear God when he speaks to them, because this is such a sin that it destroys whole kingdoms.