A manual of the book of Psalms · Martin Luther
PSALM CXXX.
_The Psalmist professeth his hope in prayer, and his patience in hope.—He exhorteth Israel to hope in God._ A Song of degrees. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD: Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But _there is_ forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the LORD; my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul _waiteth_ for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: _I say, more than_ they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD _there is_ mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. This is a very blessed Psalm and a prayer unto God, proceeding from a spirit and feeling of heart truly Davidical: for this Psalm confesses that none is righteous before God on account of his own works and merits, but only through grace and by faith in the promise of God, freely giving the remission of sins and peace by Jesus Christ: on this promise of God the Psalmist relies; and with this word of promise he supports and comforts himself when struggling in the depths of sin and hell.
And he exhorts all Israel with a loud voice, to learn and to do the same. “For (says the Psalmist) with thee only is mercy, and with thee is plenteous redemption, that thou mayest be feared:” that is, that thou mayest be worshipped with the worship of the first and greatest commandment,—with the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. “And he (continues the Psalmist) shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities;” that is, neither Israel, nor any man, shall be delivered from sin, from the power of the devil, and from death, in any other way than by the grace and the free remission of sins: but he shall, without these, remain in the deep; that is, in the kingdom of sin, death, and the devil, and under the wrath of God. Behold in how few words this Psalm expresses the most glorious things! The Psalmist is a truly great teacher of divine truths, and of the whole sum of godliness. He has a clear and thorough view of those glorious promises. “I will put enmity between thee and the serpent, and between thy seed and his seed: thou shalt bruise his head:” and, “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” The Psalmist wraps up both these promises in that one verse, “And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.