Psalm 78 verse 7, Like a hundredfold of marbles

AELW 11:45

7. That they should set their hope in God and 

not forget the works of the Lord, but keep His commandments.

Here begins the fertility of words in this psalm. For this reason the Lord commanded the Gospel to be preached, that men might learn to believe and hope in God, to love heavenly things and despise the earthly, and that we might always have in memory the works which He did for us in the flesh. They increase hope and faith in a wonderful way. One who has forgotten and has no interest in such great things that the Lord has done for us, one who regards them as small and does not constantly give thanks, he, it is true, neither believes nor hopes in God and has truly forgotten His works. But he puts his hope in other things, namely, the creature, serving the creature rather than the Creator, “who is blessed forever! Amen” (Rom. 1:25). If he had regard for the works of Christ and valued them and believed them to be true, he would undoubtedly understand that they had been set forth for him as an example and as a testimony of things to come, and he would certainly try to imitate Him by believing and hoping in Him and by despising all earthly things as He did. [If anyone would meditate on the suffering of Christ that was done for him and be unmoved by it, he would truly be like marble a hundredfold.]"

Psalm 77 verses 12-14 - The Blind See

AELW 11:28

"13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? 

14 You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples." 

"13–14. Who is a great God like our God? Thou art the God who workest wonders. He is great because He does great and wonderful things, namely, the ones on which the psalmist said he would meditate. But the question is asked, “How are all His works great and wonderful.?”All the works which He does in the saints must necessarily be great and wonderful, because they have been prefigured by wonderful and great things. But if the literal and deathbound and transitory works were wonderful, how much more will their truth and the realities signified be wonderful and great? But since these were perceptible to the senses, they were thought about, and they were praised with the physical mouth. But here he says that he will treat of them inwardly, namely, in spirit, by contemplating their spiritual elements, where the physical eyes cannot see. And why do we delay? All things done in the past become wonderful to the present day through faith. Faith enlightens the blind, strengthens the halt, and causes the deaf to hear. So the Lord in the Gospel never did a miracle unless He first had the people’s faith, so that He did not simply do a shadowy miracle, but also a true one. Thus we read in the last chapter of Mark (Mark 16:17): “These signs, however, will follow those who believe in Me”; and in Matthew (Matt. 11:5): “The blind see.” And it is truly a great thing to heal and justify the soul, so that it despises everything visible and pins its hope on what is in heaven. Great mighty works!"

Psalm 77 - Verse 6 - Strive to chew the cud

AELW 11:23

6     I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;

let me meditate in my heart.”

Then my spirit made a diligent search:

"this happens most fittingly in the night, both literally and spiritually. The night is spiritual. It means to forget everything external and to be snatched up inwardly, and then neither to consider nor to see anything visible. Wherefore they are foolish who say, “What do I have to do with the Bible and the Gospel? I know those things.” O vanity! One must meditate on this, for it is necessary not only to have a cloven hoof, but also to chew the cud;* then, indeed, you will get the point. For this is the garden of nuts (Song of Sol. 6:11)."

*That is, one must get the whole message. Cf. Lev. 11:3.

Psalm 77 - Shifty Eyes

AELW 11:20

 

Psalm 77:4 You hold my eyelids open;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

"4. My eyes awaited the night watches, that is, so that they might not be watchful in conformity with the devil, by having them wickedly open. The Hebrew puts it better, “I prohibited the upward look of my eyes,” that is, “I did not dare lift them up to heaven because of the knowledge of my vileness and unworthiness,” because he is thoroughly humbled, he also casts down the eyes of the flesh and makes his way as a humble and quiet man. This is the sign of the most genuine remorse and recollection. [But much more does he incline his eyes in the spirit (that is, he does not lift up his thought); see the gloss.BELOW] Just so, on the contrary, the unprincipled and vagrant man scatters his most shifty eyes in every direction. But the sense of our translation is that he who is remorseful also wakes up early and is ready for the works of the Lord. He always tries to be the first and is thoroughly prepared and in this way always anticipates the watches and what must be done."

 
GLOSS - A marginal addition. The gloss adds: “I forbade my eyes to look up to keep them from being on the lookout according to the flesh, lest I think thoughts of arrogance.” Cf. WA 527, 9–11.

Psalm 77 - The terror of the Law, the sweetness of the Gospel

AELW 11:19

Psalm 77, verse 2

In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;

in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;

my soul refuses to be comforted.

"This is the trouble of remorse and the total wretchedness of this life, as suggested by blessed Augustine on this passage. [But the fact that he says “my” seems to express the trouble which he stirred up for himself in his meditation.] For the remorseful man understands his wretchedness and sees that he is in the midst of trouble and trial, since in fact the life of man on earth is trial and warfare (Job 7:1). But this salutary knowledge in a wonderful way makes a man remorseful and turns him away from earthly things and turns him toward God. "