V. 9. 10. [Vulg.] Gather yourselves together, you nations.
Here we can most easily begin the eighth chapter. But this also belongs to the previous chapter. For at the end of the seventh chapter he had said about the flooding up to the neck. But it was the intention of the king of Assyria not only to flood up to the neck, but to destroy the whole kingdom of Judah. Accordingly, here the prophet comforts the godly, and mocks the arrogance and haughtiness of the Assyrians, who came dressed with such great presumption. "Gather yourselves together," he says, "ye nations, and yet give flight." s) But this scolding serves the
s) Instead of the following sentence, the 1532 edition has: "Thus he chides the enemies and bids them evil, lest the pious despair."
Enemies for the uplifting of the pious, so that they do not despair in the present danger. For the whole chapter is arranged for the comfort and instruction of the godly. But we too, at this time, when we are terrified by many a war cry and attacked by innumerable plots of the enemies of the gospel, should comfort ourselves with such rich promises that the plots of the wicked will be destroyed, and nothing will come of what they say etc.
[For God is with us.
This is the reason why he does not want the godly to despair of the victory against king Sanherib. And this passage shows us who will be the warriors who will win the victory, namely the quiet ones
not those who are presumptuous of their strength, like the Assyrians. But the weapons by which they have the upper hand are faith in the promise and fervent prayer. When we have overcome Satan with these weapons, it will be easy to defeat the Turk as well. In this way, we have overcome many cruel attempts that Satan has made against us through prayer, and have escaped them.
V.11. Then he took me by the hand and instructed me.
Now he warns the godly against the trouble of weakness, saying: "Although your strength is nothing, and you cannot resist such a strong enemy, beware that you do not put your trust in human help and covenants, as the godless are wont to do. Your trust should be in God, otherwise you will perish.
V. 12. 13. You shall not say, Covenant.
4. this is imitation way (μιμητιχως) to
understand. As if he wanted to say: You have focused your thoughts on nothing but covenants; and in dealing with them, you despise God and do not remember Him. The Scriptures in many places reject covenants because they give rise to presumption on human powers, whereas one should rather rely on God. But there are also other worldly (politicae) causes for which the covenants are rightly rejected. For, as the Duke of Saxony, Frederick, of blessed memory, who has never been praised enough, said: "The alliances bring with them this disaster, that they often provoke the parties to start wars by relying on their allies, which they would not otherwise start if they were alone and not in alliances with others. After that, it generally happens that when one starts something in the hope of help from others, one is finally abandoned by the confederates when danger is imminent. This led the very wise prince to renounce all alliances.
[Do not fear as he does.
(5) "As he does," namely, King Ahaz and his councilors, who put the people in fear by increasing the danger and seeking outside help. Fear not the power of the enemy, as they did; trust in me, fear me, and ye shall be saved.
V. 14. Thus he will be a sanctification.
That is, only then will you be holy when you believe God and fear Him; then you will be safe from all danger, as it says [Ex. 23:22]: "I will be the enemy of your enemies. Likewise [Ps. 105, 15.]: "Do not touch my anointed ones" etc.
A stone of offence.
But they that believe not, and take refuge in human help, shall fall and perish. This saying is also found in Rom. 9, 33. and 1 Petr. 2, 7. f. in a slightly different form. For the apostles used this general saying for a specific matter. But it is a general saying: "As soon as one has departed from the faith, then we are offended by all the works and words of God and perish. Just as now the heretics take offense at all things, because they have once fallen away from simplicity.
V. 16. Bind up the testimony.
(8) I take all these words in general, that they apply to all times and to all ungodly men. Therefore, they are also quite rightly addressed in the epistle to the Hebrews [Cap. 2, 13]. Because the godless Jews do not want to believe, they consequently do not understand the law and the word of God. For without faith the law cannot be understood. Therefore he says: "Bind up the testimony", that is, take away your word from them, and keep it for me and my children, that is, the believers. Thus Christ says in the Gospel: "It is given to you to know the secret of the kingdom of heaven, but it is not given to these," Matth. 13, 11. and in the letters to the Corinthians, 2 Cor. 3, 14.: "Until this day the same cover remains uncovered over the Old Testament, when they read it" etc.
V. 17: For I hope in the Lord.
9 Here the unbelievers bump into each other. He wants us to wait for help and power, but not to grasp it with our hands or to see it. On the other hand, the wicked do not want to believe in help, but to feel it. Therefore they despise the doctrine of faith and seek the arm of the flesh. Thus in these two words, "I hope in the Lord," is contained the summa of the whole Christian doctrine, which is not in feeling but in hoping. Hence the author of the epistle to the Hebrews [Cap. 2, 13.] has rightly adduced them: "I will put my trust in him," that is, I will not walk according to Mosaic righteousness.
V.18. The children whom the Lord has given me for signs and wonders in Israel.
10 This teaching of faith that I lecture is not invalid. For I have disciples. These are children before God, that is. Innocent, and the most pleasant race among men; but before the race they are monsters, wonders, and an abomination, before whom the whole world hath abhorrence. Thus Christ says Ps. 22:7, "I am a worm, and not a man." And Paul says in 1 Cor. 4:13 that he and all Christians are a curse and a sacrifice in this world.
V. 19. You must ask the soothsayers.
To the doctrine of faith he now adds a warning like that of Christ and the apostles: "Beware of false prophets" [Matth. 7, 15]. For here he imitates the words of the false prophets. But he calls "soothsayers" those who are in the teaching office, as Annas, Caiphas etc.
Or should we ask the dead for the living?
12. so one must translate instead of: Provivis ac mortuis [in the Vulgate]. But he calls dead those who cannot teach. As if he wanted to say: You, my children, will be challenged by the false brothers to go over to their unbelief; but beware and answer them: Rather believe the living than the dead. Say: You are dead teachers.
rer. Therefore, we want to hear God's voice and word that makes alive, not you dead teachers and your doctrine that kills souls etc. So we say today: We want to hear Christ, not the Roman pope. etc.
V. 20-22. Yes, according to the law and testimony.
Some make an oath out of this, but we want to stay with the simple understanding that it is, as it were, an interjection. You will say that one must expect and ask for help from God, but how will we get to Him? How are we going to do it? Now, lest they think that God will answer them by inspiration (speculationes) and send a new word, he refers them to the written law and testimony, that is, to oral preaching, lest they become too spiritual, like our heretics today, who cry out: Spirit, Spirit. Not so, says the prophet, but "according to the law and testimony". That is, if you do not follow the word of God, you will perish, and the light, that is, the word of the Gospel, will be taken away from you, by which the hearts will be enlightened, pacified, and made serene. Thus he calls us back to the Word, so that we should not expect any special revelations. Thus says Christ [John 5:39], "Search the Scriptures." Thus saith Paul [2 Tim. 3:16], "The Scriptures are profitable for doctrine." So says Peter [2 Ep. 1, 19.], "We have the prophetic word," to this we are to pay attention. It is the word that changes and moves hearts, but the revelations blow up and make presumptuous people.
(14) I have not been taught by signs or special revelations, nor have I ever asked God for signs; rather, I have asked for the opposite, so that I would not be lifted up, nor be drawn away from the oral word by Satan's deceit. For there is no danger in the word, but it is powerful, and changes the hearts that are not wicked. But the spirits of the wicked are wicked, who read all things not as disciples, but as masters, that they may confirm their error.
(15) Therefore, this passage of the prophet is to be diligently remembered against the mob and the swarm.
spirits that prophesy from their heads. "According to the law", says the prophet, that is, according to the law one must rather ask. For God speaks to you through the Scriptures, and through men who teach the Scriptures; he who hears them is not deceived. But special revelations of faith must be fled, for they are Satan's deception.
16 Now although this is a general threat, it is understood primarily by the Jews of Christ's day, who have lost both the light of the Word and the peace of heart, and, being blinded, are angry with our Lord Christ their King. "They are hungry," that is, they, as hardened ones, are tormented by eager desire for the Messiah, and become more longing, eager, and hardened day by day. "They shall gape upon themselves." They have cried out, he says, and I have not heard. Even on the earth they see nothing but loud tribulations. These are terrifying threats against those who forsake the word of faith, which are to remind us that we may humble ourselves and be willing to be instructed by the word of God, against the papists' slander, who cry out, "Church, church! But we cry out, "Law and testimony!" and put the church, which has accepted the gospel, under these. For it does not follow that the church has the power to accept the gospel, therefore it also has the power to change the gospel as it pleases, as they impudently assert.
You will not have the dawn.
17 He calls the doctrine of the gospel, which enlightens the heart, enlightens the mind, and enlightens the soul.
comforts and consoles. Thus Peter calls it [2. Ep. 1, 19.]: "the morning star that rises in the hearts". The following images are known, that he calls fear and tribulation darkness and gloom in the same way.
Cap. 9, 1. At the previous time, when it was easy.
18 He makes these tribulations greater by comparing them with the previous tribulations. As if to say: The unbelieving Jews will be afflicted much more severely than they have been afflicted so far: First, since the land of Zebulun and Naphtali was made small by Tiglathpilesser the Assyrian, who carried away a good part of Israel; then, since the ten tribes were carried away by Salmanasser, along with a good part of Judah, 2 Kings 17:3 ff. Matthew has taken this passage Cap. 4, 15 from the Septuagint. He has not changed anything, except that he has taken the saying, which here refers to something special, in a general way, and draws this light, of which it is said here, to the presence of Christ in Capernaum. For where Christ is, be it where it will, there is light. But such interpretations and citations [of scriptural passages] are not for argument, but for exhortation, like Paul's word in the epistle to the Galatians [Cap. 4, 29. ff.] of Ishmael and Isaac. Many things of this kind were put on by the apostles, not for the sake of argument, but to make the matter larger and more graceful. For not only did those who are in Naphtali walk in darkness, but it is easily drawn to them.