(1) I consider that the former part of this chapter must be connected with the preceding words, that the opinion is this: Though the king of Assyria rages against Judah, yet, notwithstanding his raging and blustering, the kingdom shall remain and endure, and that in the highest flourishing, quite otherwise than Sanherib thinks. A king will reign in righteousness, he says; I will give the righteous king to Hezekiah, and others after him. But one must pay attention to the order here, that he first gives a righteous head; from the same also follow righteous princes and other limbs in the worldly regiment.
V. 2. That every man shall be as one preserved from the wind.
2 Here note the excellent praise of the authorities, that they are like a wall that shields from the violence of the winds and the rain. Likewise, that it is "like a brook in a dry place, and like the shadow of a great rock. Consider these parables diligently, and you will see what a glorious thing it is about the authorities, that they are rightly called by Christ ευεργέται [benefactors] 1).
have been named [Luc. 22, 25.]g ) For the
1) In our Bible it is translated by "gracious lords."
g) From here to § 9 (exet.) is found in the edition of 1532: But all this will seem greater if you consider all the circumstances. For if it is the office of the authorities to honor good works and punish evil ones, they must necessarily provoke Satan with all his members against them. But to stand firm in this and not to become fainthearted is a divine power. They therefore wear crowns, as conquerors of all evils, of Satan and of the world.
The office of authority is that it is "for vengeance on the wicked and for praise to the pious" [1 Petr. 2, 14.], that is, that it is, as it were, a protection against the devil and all of his limbs, who think of nothing else but sedition, theft, adultery, death etc. Against these winds, against these storms and tempests, God has established the authorities in the world.
(3) If the princes observed this, they would be blissful; but they do not, except for the godly who fear God. Thus they are to be called gods on earth, heroes and saviors of the people. The others, who use the sword and the power they have against God and their neighbor, and only think of how they want to disturb the common people and plague the people, are like a madman who has a sword in his hand. But a righteous authority is full of mercy and good works, therefore it also arouses Satan with all his limbs against it.
Like the streams of water in the arid place.
4 This is a very lovely image, that the authorities are, as it were, a fountain in the dry place, and to him who suffers thirst, because by their protection they control all adversity, and refresh the oppressed.
Like the shadow of a big rock in the dry land.
(5) It is not only a cooling, but also an umbrella against heat, for it is a hard evil to suffer heat without shade. But he calls a good authority a rock, and a firm mountain, which is immovable, and giveth constant shade, and cannot be bribed by gifts or entreaties not to execute justice and judgment.
(6) But what a great virtue it is to practice this, you can explain at length according to the secondary circumstances. For if the authorities undertake to behave as they are described here, they stir up hell against themselves with all the devils, with their entire citizenship or principality. In this great apparent danger, she has very few loyal friends. The rest of the crowd hates her, even those who are close to her either through blood friendship, or kinship, or
service are closest to her. Here, she is deceived by the dissimulated services of friends, by the cunning plots of adversaries, by flattery, by slander, and by a thousand other arts by which they seek to harm her.
Whoever, as a single man, can stand against so many adversaries, against so many deceptions and flatteries, must be a pious man who will often think that he alone bears the burden and stands as a single man against all his own. If he is now fainthearted, he will throw away his shield and flee, and full of anger say: Let whoever wants to rule, he does not want it. It is such a miserable thing to be a ruler that they would have to be moved by impatience and the evil nature of the matter to let down all courage if they were not upheld by God.
For this reason, he portrays the authorities as a rock with a stony heart that cannot be moved by pleading, threats or flattery. Just as that woman of David said, 2 Sam. 14, 17: "My lord the king is like an angel of God, that he may hear good and evil." For she confesses that there were people who spoke evil of him, the most happy and praiseworthy king, and others who spoke good of him; however, he did not turn to all this, but broke through, as it were, with closed eyes, and did what was right. This requires not only immense courage, but also great wisdom and patience, because everyone who rules is, as it were, a target at which Satan and the world aim all their arrows. Therefore, whoever accepts an office of authority, let him take courage, not from his own strength, but let him pray with bended knees, like Solomon, that God Himself will rule. Therefore, it is rightly said: Regiment shows what kind of man a person is, and godly kings wear crowns, as conquerors of all evil.
V. 3 And the eyes of those who see will not be blinded.
9. there will also be godly teachers and disciples. And here behold, that good authorities
The Roman Empire served the religion and the Gospel so that it could be spread further. Thus, in the time of the apostles, the Roman Empire served the Gospel, so that people had the opportunity and time to know God.
The ears of the listeners will pay attention.
10 This is a promise that the word of God will not be taught in vain.
V. 4. And the careless will learn prudence.
When the word of God is taught purely and loudly, the evil teachers are eradicated. And the preaching of the Gospel is always followed by the improvement of the ungodly teaching and ungodly life that preceded it. "Careless ones" (praecipites corde) he calls those who are quick to teach, which is the common error of false apostles. "Those who stammer with their tongues" are the useless teachers, who, although they do not know how to teach, nevertheless teach, as the whole papacy does. Thus, Thomas and the Summists wrote nothing but their tribal tales. But nowadays there are people "who speak finished and pure.
V. 5. 6. No longer will a fool be called a prince.
12) There follows also an improvement in the secular regiment. "A fool shall no more be called a prince," that is, those who preside over others evil, whether in the secular regiment or in the office of the word, shall have their dominion taken from them.
V. 7: For the miser's rule is vain harm.
13 [What is given in Latin: Fraudulenti vasa pessima sunt, we translate:] Avari marsupium malignum est, that is, he does no one good, he seeks only his own; that it is, as it were, a proverb by which he describes a wicked authority, whether secular or spiritual. For both benefit no one by seeking only what is theirs and being stingy. A wicked teacher misuses his science, his judgment, his knowledge of languages and other gifts he has only for his own benefit. This is also the way those do it who work in the courts of the
Princes are. The following resolution is, as it were, an explanation of this. For just as he described above [v. 2 ff.] the benefit of a good authority, so here he also describes an evil authority that does not do its office, whether in the church or in the secular government, but does harm under the best of appearances, as the examples in the courts of princes and in the church teach.
If he is to speak the poor man's right.
14 This is ambiguous. The first opinion, which seems to me to fit best, is this: When he should speak to comfort or protect the poor, he uses lies to deceive him. But the other is this: The poor man speaks right, but he is oppressed by the tyrant etc. I do not follow this opinion.
V. 8. But the princes will have princely thoughts.
This is the opposite of the preceding, and means: he has noble (liberal) thoughts, how he may create benefit and advantage for all. For he knows that he was appointed for this purpose, so that he might be of more use than to sit on top, so that he might serve rather than rule. And he remains with such thoughts. For what the Latin interpreter has given: Super duces stabit, that reads according to the Hebrew: Perseverat in liberalitate [he persists in the nobility of mind].
V. 9. Arise, you proud women.
16 Here begins a new main part. As if he wanted to say: Everything is fine now: Religion and the worldly government have been restored. But our ingratitude and security will make us fall again into the old ungodliness in time, and heap wrath and punishment upon us until this kingdom is utterly destroyed. And this also happened after Christ's suffering, after the gospel was spread by the apostles. For he points not to the Babylonian captivity alone, but to all other calamities until the future of Christ, who will pour out his Spirit into the hearts of the faithful etc. "Women" he calls the secure cities and commonwealths, according to a common figure of speech.
V. 10: It is a matter of year and day.
17. he indicates the future desolation by the Chaldeans, in which he includes all other calamities except Christ.
V. 11. It is present undressing.
(18) This is coming upon you, that ye shall be stripped of the kingdom, and of the peace of the world, and of all your possessions, etc., and be made bare, that is, miserably desolate, and be girded about, that is, with sackcloth.
V. 12-14. People will complain about the fields.
19. he declares the nakedness. As if he wanted to say: All this will become a desert, that there will be no one to cultivate it.
That the towers and fortresses become eternal caves.
20 This is a clear passage that the word "eternal" means an indefinite time, not eternity. For eternity, that is, for a long time.
V. 15 Until such time as the Spirit from on high is poured out on us.
21. by our ingratitude we will deserve that this city and the whole kingdom be destroyed until the end of all calamity, Christ, comes and his spirit is poured out on us, namely on the day of Pentecost, Apost. 2, 1. ff. Others draw the word "until then" to Cyrus; but I understand the rest of this chapter to be about the kingdom of Christ.
So then the desert will become a field (in car- melo), and the field will be counted for a forest.
(22) The wilderness, that is, the remnant of the Jews and the Gentiles, will be like a field well cultivated. They will bear very abundant fruit in the faith of Christ. And "the field" (carmel = the orchard), that is, the synagogue, which now flourishes, will be made a forest and desolate.
V. 16-18. And the fruit of righteousness will be peace (et erit opus justitiae pax).
This is a well-known Hebrew expression: Triticum est opus agri, that is, the field brings forth wheat, that thus "work" (opus) is put for "fruit." But here he speaks of the work of faith, the peace of the conscience; like Rom. 5, 1: "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace" etc. This was not fulfilled under Cyrus after the Babylonian captivity, therefore I have been compelled to refer it to the times of the gospel.
24 But there is an emphasis on the pronoun: "my people". For he thereby indicates that it will be a new people. But he makes a threefold assurance against a threefold terror: that the law requires of us a righteousness which we cannot perform; then sin bites us; finally death corrupts and kills us. Against these things he promises us a threefold security.
V. 19. But hail will be down the forest.
25 He calls Jerusalem a "forest" because it was built of wood from the forest of Lebanon. But he calls it descensionem saltus or a sloping forest because of its location, for it was sloping toward midnight. As if to say: There will be a terror of consciences in the unbelieving Jerusalem, which is sloping, and by its position indicates its future ruin and fall.
V. 20: Blessed are you who sow.
The synagogue spurned the gospel. Therefore "well unto you," O apostles, "which sow in every place," that is, preach the word everywhere. "By the waters," that is, among all peoples, as you let the feet of oxen and asses go out to pasture (for by the waters are fertile oers, and fit for pasture), that is, you teach, practice, instruct both the perfect teachers and the weak and imperfect disciples.