A manual of the book of Psalms · Martin Luther
PSALM CXLV.
_David praiseth God for his fame, for his goodness, for his kingdom, for his providence, for his saving mercy._ David’s Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great _is_ the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness _is_ unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And _men_ shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD _is_ gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD _is_ good to all and his tender mercies _are_ over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom _is_ an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion _endureth_ throughout all generations.
The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all _those that be_ bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD _is_ righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD _is_ nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. This is a very blessed Psalm of thanksgiving for the kingdom and dominion of Christ, which God was about to raise up among the people of Israel: for it was on account of Christ, that this whole people was from the beginning chosen out of all other nations; and on account of Christ also that the law was given unto them, and the whole Mosaic worship established. This Psalm also most especially urges forward that highest and most excellent of all works, the peculiar and most glorious worship of God, which the first table of the decalogue demands; that is, the sacrifice of praise. The Psalmist in the most exalted expressions proclaims the power of God, and his infinite mercy; which is above all his works.
The whole Psalm presents to us a wonderful display of the eloquence of the Holy Spirit; setting forth, by a great depth of feeling, and by a luxuriant abundance of words and expressions, the glorious height of the worship of God embraced in these words of the first commandment of the decalogue, “I AM THE LORD THY GOD!” And the Psalm prays that men may acknowledge the kingdom of Christ, “That thy power,” says David, “may be known unto men, and the glorious majesty of thy kingdom:” that is, that it may be known by the gospel, that there is no other deliverance from the power of the devil, and from sin and eternal death, than by faith in the word of thy mercy and grace, given unto us in Jesus Christ. The power and kingdom of Christ lies hidden under the outward appearance of the cross and of weakness; and the word of the gospel is a contemptible doctrine with the wise and powerful of the world; for “the gospel,” as Paul saith, “is the wisdom of God hidden in a mystery.” And again, saith he, “Christ crucified, is, unto the Jews, a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.” But when this kingdom is, by the preaching of the word, and by the teaching and the confession of the saints, made known before the world, it is proved to be the kingdom of God and the power of God.
That which the Psalmist saith, (verse 14) pertains especially unto the kingdom of Christ, which is a kingdom that “upholdeth all that fall, and lifteth up all them that are down;” for Christ is the king of the afflicted, of the poor, of the fallen; and the king who justifies sinners and raises the dead: by whom God is reconciled unto us, and hears us as a father; fulfilling the desire of them that fear him, and feeding and clothing us whom the world hateth, and guarding and defending us against the gates of hell. From a worshipping admiration therefore, of the largeness of the grace of God, the Psalmist breaks out into this fervent wish and prayer, “and let all flesh bless his holy name;” as if he had said, the blessings and riches of the kingdom of Christ are immense and unsearchable; as Paul also saith, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.