Martin Luther on Psalms 125:1

The 125. Psalme. They that trust in the Lord, &c.

The Psalme going before is a thankesgiuing or a sacrifice of praise, The argument of the Psalme. because the godly see and by experience feele that the Lord is faithfull and helpeth them in the time of neede. This Psalme following conteineth also, in a maner, the same matter: For it perteyneth to the doctrine of faith, and exhorteth the faithful likewise to a sure trust and affiance in the helpe of the Lorde in all their necessities. Whereunto he stirreth them vp with great and excellent promises. It may also be easily vnderstand by that which we haue sayd before. For herein consisteth all this heauenly wisedom, that we doe vtterly remoue out of our sight what so euer flesh can comprehend, and beleue that which the word onely telleth vs, euen against all that which either we know, feele, or see: And therefore this wisedome is against all humane wisedom and reason. For by reason and all that reason can comprehend, we feele, see, and conceiue all things contrary to that which faith leadeth vs vnto.

He that lyeth sicke and at the poynt of death, can by reason conceiue nothing els but y• imagination of death. But a christian man leauing that imagination, knoweth that in death there is true life. But thou wilt say: he seeth and feeleth death in deede, but life he can not feele: I aunswere, that because he resteth vpon the word, and after it he iudgeth, and not after his owne feeling, therefore euen in death he seeth nothing but life, and in the middes of darkenes most cleare light. The power of the word. For like as God maketh all thinges of nothing; and of darkenes light: so he worketh by his word that in death there is nothing but life. They then which sticke to the word and promise of God and follow the same, doe finde it true which Dauid sayth: Psal. 33. He spake the worde and it was done, &c. But before we can come to this experience, we must abide some trouble, & therefore haue neede of such exhortation as this psalme here setteth forth.

Verse. 1. They that trust in the Lorde, shall be as Mount Sion which can not be remoued, but remaineth for euer.

The Prophet vseth here a similitude of Mount Sion, because Ierusalem wherin Sion stood, when the temple was builded had most ample & notable promises of God (as appeareth in very many places of the Prophetes) that it should stand sure & inuincible for euer against all troubles and calamities, for that the Lord had his abiding and dwelling there, according to that promise where he sayth: here is my rest: here will I dwel, &c. And therefore Dauid in an other Psalme glorieth on this wise: Psal 48. Loe, the Kinges were gathered and went togither, when they saw it, they marueled: They were astonied and suddenly driuen backe. As we may see it came to passe vnder Ezechias in that great destruction of the Assyrians and other Kings, as the stories witnesse, which shewe that Ierusalem remayned safe in all daungers, not by the strength and pollicie of the inhabitants, but by the miraculous worke of God dwelling in it, and thus mightely preseruing and beautifying his owne common wealth.

Nowe therfore, sayth he, like as Mount Sion and our holy citie Ierusalem is neuer moued, but remaineth sure and safe by the mighty protection of the Lord in all extremities: so he that trusteth in the Lord shall be defended against the furious rage of the world and the gates of hell for euer. Note howe he commaundeth no worke here to be done, as in popery, in the time of trouble men were taught to enter into some kind of religion, to fast, to goe on pilgrimage, & to doe such other foolish workes of deuotion, which they deuised as an high seruice vnto God, and thereby thought to make condigne satisfaction for sinne and merite eternal life: but simply he leadeth vs ye plaine way vnto God, pronouncing this to be the chiefest anker of our saluation, onely to hope and trust in the Lorde, To hope and trust in the Lorde, is the greatest [illegible: 1 letter]eruice that we can doe to him. and that this is the greatest seruice that we can doe vnto God. For this is the nature of God (as I haue sayd) to create all thinges of nothing. Therefore he createth and bringeth forth in death life, in darkenes light. And this to beleue is the very nature and most speciall propertie of faith. When God then seeth such a one as agreeth with his owne nature, The nature of faith. that is, which beleueth to finde in daunger helpe, in pouertie riches, in sinne righteousnes, and that for Gods owne mercies sake in Christ alone, him can God neyther hate nor forsake: For he serueth and worshippeth God truely which putteth his whole trust in the mercie of God. With this seruice God is highly pleased, because he deliteth of no thing to make some thing. So he made the world of nothing: so he rayseth vp the poore and oppressed: so he iustifieth the sinner: so he rayseth the dead: and so he saueth the damned. Who so then consenteth to Gods nature, and obeyeth his will, there hoping for some thing where nothing is, he it is that pleaseth God and shall neuer be moued.

But thou must beware that thou imagine not to thy selfe a false hope, contrarie to the word of God and thy vocation. Whereof if thou be certayne and abide in the same, if troubles rise trust in the Lord, and if he helpe not in his good time, take me and Dauid also for lyars. Satan will trouble, vexe and discomfort thee, yea and peraduenture make thee to beleue that thou art vtterly forsaken: but if thou trust in the Lord thou shalt feele his helpe with ioyfull victory. So in the councell of Auspurge when the Princes were bent against vs with one consent, our cause seemed to be vtterly ouerthrowne. Notwithstanding yet we liue and enioy such peace and libertie as we would wish, maugre the rage and malice of the Pope and all the aduersaries of the worlde. With such conflictes we must be exercised lest we be discouraged when we see our cause begin to quale. But the greater the daunger is, the more stedfastly we must trust. So shall it come to passe that when we are ouercome, yet we shall ouercome, and the conquerer shall yeeld vnto vs triumph and victory.

This is it that the Psalme here setteth forth: They that trust in the Lorde shall be as Mount Sion, which can not be remoued, but remayneth for euer. And here we haue a singular promise, whereby we are assured that we shall stande and abyde for euer. If then we doe not continue it is our owne fault, because we abide not firme and stable in our fayth: For this promise must needes remaine sure and infallible. Yea as it is impossible that God should deny him selfe and not be God: so is it impossible that he should forsake those that put their trust in him. But we may not thinke the time longe, but patiently abide the Lords leasure. For Gods power taketh no place in vs vntill we be vtterly (to speake after the maner of the Scripture) exinanited that is, stript naked of all worldly hope and helpes that man hath in him selfe, and brought to nothing: like as when he saueth a ship from drowning, now ready to perish and past all remedy: As the two storyes of the Gospell, one of the shippe, the other of the daunger of Peter, doe testifie.