Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help
me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep: seek thy servant; for I do not
forget thy commandments.
This Psalm is the most extended in the whole Psalter. It contains
prayers, consolations, doctrines, thanksgivings, and repeats all these
with a varied fulness. It is however given forth with a deep and
blessed intent: namely, that by this repetition and fulness, it may
invite and exhort us to hear and diligently to treasure up the word of
God. For throughout the whole Psalm the Psalmist exalts unto the
heavens, with the highest praises, the pure doctrine of God’s holy
word. He sets it forth as to be preferred before all gold and precious
stones, and before all the riches of the world; as Solomon also
beautifully speaks of it in his Proverbs.
On the other hand, the Psalmist earnestly warns against all false
doctrine and against all security and contempt of the word. For no
pestilence is more destroying than false doctrine, or human doctrines
without or contrary to the word of God. And knowing that Satan without
cessation assaults the church of God with all kinds of heresies and
false doctrine; the Psalmist takes up a great part of this Psalm in
consolations.
The principal, and indeed whole foundation and truth of godliness lies
in the pure teaching and hearing of the word of God. For where that
word is purely taught and heard, there, to a certainty, will be
begotten pure and prevailing prayer, calling upon God, diligence in
reading, teaching, and exhortation, consolation for the weak that are
afflicted and tried, strengthening of heart and spirit, joy, peace of
conscience, thanksgivings, prophecyings, an abundant understanding of
the scriptures; and, in a word, true religion, and the true worship of
God; and also, confidence in God under the cross and afflictions, and
perseverance unto the end; and, finally, all the blessed operations
and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and all those things which please God
and displease the Devil.
On the contrary, where the pure word is not taught, or where there is
a weariness and loathing of the word, there the true religion becomes
extinguished, and all true worship of God perishes. For where the true
word of God is not taught, there is not any truth of God; there is
found a great noise of external holiness, and the form of godliness,
and hypocrisy;[1] there, indeed, is psalm-singing, prayer, doctrines,
consolation, thanksgiving, and all the varieties of the worship of
God, with all interpretations of the scriptures. I will add, also,
that there you may find sufferings and martyrdoms. But all is outside
show; all is the form of godliness only; all is false; all is feigned,
and nothing but lies; all is full of the poison of the devil. Nor
without true faith in the heart, nor without the divine word, nor
without the worship of the First Commandment, is there, or can there
be, any true and real worship of God.
[Footnote 1: Luther is here deeply opening up the extent to which the
“form of godliness” may be carried, yet without the truth and “power”
of it.]
How many thousands of priests and monks have sung this Psalm at their
first, third, sixth, and ninth hours, in their temples.
But what did they do during all their singings? They did nothing else
but call down God’s judgment and indignation on their own heads! For
the design of this Psalm, in every word of it, is to glorify the word
of God, and to confound, put to shame, destroy, and blot out all
hypocrisy upon the face of the earth.