A manual of the book of Psalms · Martin Luther
PSALM LV.
_David in his prayer complaineth of his fearful case.—He prayeth against his enemies, of whose wickedness and treachery he complaineth.—He comforteth himself in God’s preservation of him, and confusion of his enemies._ To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil. _A Psalm_ of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me; and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! _for then_ would I fly away and be at rest. Lo _then_ would I wander far off, _and_ remain in the wilderness. Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm _and_ tempest. Destroy, O LORD, _and_ divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof; mischief also and sorrow _are_ in the midst of it. Wickedness _is_ in the midst thereof; deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
For _it was_ not an enemy _that_ reproached me: then I could have borne _it_: neither _was it_ he that hated me _that_ did magnify _himself_ against me; then I would have hid myself from him; But _it was_ thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, _and_ walked unto the house of God in company. Let death seize upon them, _and_ let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness _is_ in their dwellings, _and_ among them. As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle _that was_ against me: for there were many with me. God shall hear and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him; he hath broken his covenant. _The words_ of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war _was_ in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet _were_ they drawn swords. Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee. This Psalm is a prayer: and although it may in the 10th and 11th verses, be understood of Christ himself, praying against his betrayer Judas, when he says, “If it had been mine enemy that reproached me,” &c. yet, it is manifest to me, that it is a general prayer of the godly against all the craft of insidious and deceitful men, and against the artful Italian flattery of some persons, who are friends as far as their tongue goes, but who have one thing on their tongue and another in their heart, and consider craft and dissimulation in all things to be the highest wisdom; as if they could deceive God also! They know how to promise, and do promise all things to your face: so that David justly describes them thus, “Their words are smoother than oil:” but when you have turned your back, they blacken your character; and their mouth is more destructive than arrows and coals of fire; and their tongue is a sharp sword, and a drawn dagger. And this is what David complains of in verse 12;—that they deceive effectually with their countenance, their look, and their eyes, and cover, under these fox-like arts, Satanic bitterness and virulence. They eat and drink with you, and pretend to be your friends and intimates, (as Judas did with Christ;) they keep holy days and go to the house of God with you.
This is the reason, therefore, that David so utterly execrates them, and says, “Let them be taken out of the way suddenly, and let them descend into hell alive.” For virulent, outside-show hypocrites, like these, distress the hearts of those that fear God in a manner that is beyond description. This very judgment which David threatens in this Psalm we see executed, in our day, upon many tyrants and originators of sects; who are taken off in a moment. For this execration is prophetic; foretelling the end of all hypocrites, who will not listen to those that admonish them in a godly manner, nor regard their advice; as it is expressed in verse 19, “But they (says David) will not regard; they are not changed; nor will they fear God; they go on in their course, till they are taken out of the way suddenly.”
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.