Thursday, August 6, 2009

Psalm 71 - Strengh of Christ

AELW 19:398-399

"My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure."
Psalm 71:15

"My mouth shall show forth Thy righteousness, as if to say: “I add to all Thy praise in this way, that I proclaim Thy righteousness and invisible salvation, for according to what is seen everything appears unjust and lost. For we are struck down and killed, and yet we are saved by that very fact. And as we praise Thee while we are being struck in this way, we confess that this is for our benefit. Others, who praise only the good that they see, do not think so. Thus we are even regarded as unjust, and yet this is our righteousness. And so, always hopeful in evil times, we add praise to total praise.” What follows says the same thing: Because I have not known learning, as if to say: “I do not, like them, make my way in the letter and visible righteousness and the Law, which Moses, or a man, wrote. But I will enter, I will go inside, I will approach inwardly to spiritual righteousness, which is the strength of Christ, which cannot be written in letters like the law of Moses. And this is the whole reason why I am regarded by them as unrighteous, since they have only the letter and the written righteousness. But because of this, the more righteous I am, the more lost I am regarded by those who know only the literal and external salvation and who praise God only in it. But, this having been despised, I do not acknowledge it, and it does not please me. Therefore I will add to all this Thy praise, and I will enter into the power of the Lord.”

But these words seem obscure. Yet when they are taken with reference to the Jews, they will first appear easily understood. Then follows: Thou hast taught me, O God (v. 17), namely, “Thou Thyself, in all these things, so that I may not acknowledge the letter but enter into Thy power, etc.”

No comments: