A manual of the book of Psalms · Martin Luther
PSALM XIV.
_David describeth the corruption of a natural man.—He convinceth the wicked by the light of their conscience.—He glorieth in the salvation of God._ To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, _There_ is no God. They are corrupt; they have done abominable works; _there is_ none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, _and_ seek God. They are all gone aside, they are _all_ together become filthy: _there is_ none that doeth good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people _as_ they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD. There were they in great fear: for God _is_ in the generation of the righteous. Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge. Oh that the salvation of Israel _were come_ out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, _and_ Israel shall be glad. This Psalm is a prophecy; and it also teaches us, that all human doctrines and works without faith are an abomination in the sight of God; and that the God of all such hypocrites (of which kind are the pope and his papists) is their belly; for they serve their belly, not God or Christ, and devour widow’s houses.
But such hypocrites, although they have always in their mouth the name of God, and boast of the law and the works of the law, know not what the true worship of God is, but always hate and persecute the name and word of God, but the true doctrine, concerning faith and the fear of God, they will not hear. Against such characters as these we must fight by prayer; which prayer will certainly be heard, as is intimated in the last verse of this Psalm, which promises the kingdom and dominion of Christ. For this Psalm especially strikes at those seemingly holy pharisees, those teachers of the law, who, before the coming of Christ, by enforcing works and the righteousness of the law, were cruel torturers, and tormented men’s consciences. And this Psalm promises that wished-for day of Christ, and the redemption that should be wrought by his coming. For the gospel was revealed from Zion, and the Spirit was poured out upon the apostles at Jerusalem. This Psalm has reference to the First and Second Commandment: for it gloriously exalts the word of God and promises the day of salvation, that is, of Christ: but it rebukes hypocrites who despise the true worship of God, and his faith and fear, and who serve not God but their own belly. And it refers also to the first and second petition of the Lord’s Prayer: where we pray, “Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come.”
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.