Psalm 51:11. Cast me not away from Thy face, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.

AELW 12:382

"He confesses that he has the Holy Spirit, but not perfectly or totally. These are only the first fruits of the Spirit (Rom. 8:23). After this life it will come to pass that we shall attain the fullness of the Spirit, and shall be as He is (1 John 3:2). Thus these two things should be combined, that through the Holy Spirit we might be saved from all iniquities, inwardly and outwardly, in the spirit and in the flesh, that our hearts might become a pure dwelling place (Eph. 2:22), in which no entrance is open for the return of the unclean spirit, as Christ teaches in the Gospel (Luke 11:24)"

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my inwards.

AELW 12:377

"The forgiveness of sins depends simply on the promise which faith accepts—not on our works or merits, but on the fact that by the sting of the Law God graciously calls us back to Himself so that we might acknowledge Him to be the giver of grace. The gift or the χαρίσματα are what is given to the believers after the forgiveness of sins by the God reconciled through Christ."

Psalm 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

AELW 12:368-369

"When you become sad or feel divine wrath, do not look for any other medicine or accept any other solace than the Word, whether it is spoken by a brother who is present or comes from the spirit remembering a word you had heard earlier—like the passages: “I do not want the death of the sinner, but that he turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11); “Life is in His will” (Ps. 30:5); “God is God of the living” (Matt. 22:32); “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). These and similar passages bring the hearing of gladness, whether they come from the mouth of another or from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This, too, is hidden truth and wisdom, which inexperienced men cannot grasp."

Psalm 51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

AELW 12:358-359

"Why does he say, “Make known to me the hidden wisdom,” when it is already known to him? I reply: A godly man feels sin more than grace, wrath more than favor, judgment more than redemption. An ungodly man feels almost no wrath, but is smug as though there were no wrath anywhere, as though there were no God anywhere who vindicates His righteousness.

The godly always talk as though they were sinners, as indeed they are; but because they are in the truth, they are loved by God and are in grace. This feeling of grace is weaker on account of the flesh. Therefore though they have the forgiveness of sins, they still  pray and sigh for the forgiveness of sins. On the other hand, smug sinners say, “I thank Thee that I am not like other men,” as that man in Luke (18:11) did."

Psalm 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil din your sight...

Pretty Tense...From Past tense to present...

" Against Thee only do I sin...."

AELW 12:337-341

"What the translator rendered in the past tense ought to be in the present tense: “Against Thee only do I sin.” That is: “I acknowledge that in Thy sight I am nothing but a sinner.” And again: “I always do that which is evil in Thy sight.” That is: “My whole life is evil and corrupt because of sin. In Thy sight I cannot boast of my merit or righteousness, but I am completely evil. Before Thee this is my name, that I do evil, that I have sinned, that I am sinning, that I shall sin forever.” In this way the change of past tense into present takes us from the actual sin to universal sin.

The issue here is not the essence of sin or sin metaphysically considered, but the knowledge of sin, that it is recognized and felt when the voice and sentences of God come and say in our heart, “You are a sinner, you are under the wrath of God and death.” When this happens, then at last there begins that battle in which David admits he succumbed and was defeated. In the battle human nature struggles with God over whether this Word is true which declares that all men are under sin but God alone is righteous. Human nature rejects this statement and will not agree to it, that all its works are evil and sinful in the judgment of God. Thus the scholastics bitterly defend the statement that man has the right light of reason and his natural powers intact. This means not only a denial of sin, which has been divinely revealed, but also a denial that God alone is righteous when He declares that we are sinners."

Ps 51:3 For I know my inquity, and my sin is ever before me.

AELW 12:334

"In this way David prays, too, that he will be forgiven; “for,” he says, “I know my transgressions.” “What is it to me,” God could say, “if you acknowledge your sin and are sorry for it from your heart? You have the fruit of your works.” The Law would answer this way and let a man perish in this sense of sin. A judge customarily attaches a punishment to a confession of guilt. But God does not want to be a judge. He has replaced the Law with the preaching of the Gospel, in which He attests that He has extracted a satisfactory punishment if a heart is afflicted and desperate which previously was smug in its sins. This is not because there is some merit in the acknowledgment of sin. It is because He Himself has promised that He wants to forgive those who make such an acknowledgment. And He wants to be wrathful to those sinners who do not feel their sins, but either are proud of their own strength and want to be justified by their own merit, or sin smugly according to the lust of the flesh, without the fear of God. These coarse sinners are still better than those who cover their sin with a double covering, trusting in their own powers and spurning mercy."

Psalm 51:2 - Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

AELW 12:331

"These are the two parts of justification. The first is grace revealed through Christ, that through Christ we have a gracious God, so that sin can no longer accuse us, but our conscience has found peace through trust in the mercy of God. The second part is the conferring of the Holy Spirit with His gifts, who enlightens us against the defilements of spirit and flesh (2 Cor. 7:1). Thus we are defended against the opinions with which the devil seduces the whole world. Thus the true knowledge of God grows daily, together with other gifts, like chastity, obedience, and patience. Thus our body and its lusts are broken so that we do not obey them. Those who do not have this gift or do not use it this way, but fall into the uncleanness of either the flesh or the spirit, so that they approve of all doctrines without discrimination—they are dominated by the flesh, and they do not know the bath of the Holy Spirit for which David is asking here."

Psalm 51 "Have Mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love..."

Psalm 51:1     "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. "

AELW 12:324

"Now look how beautifully David combines these two things: first, that God is merciful, that is, that He freely blesses us undeserving ones; second, that He gives us the forgiveness of sins, which we accept by faith through the Holy Spirit and His promises. If God did not freely forgive, we should have no satisfaction and no remedy left. Not by our fasting nor by other works, not by angels nor by any other creature, is there salvation. Our only salvation is if we flee to the mercy of God and seek blessing and forgiveness from God, asking Him not to look at our sins and transgressions, but to close His eyes and to deal with us according to His steadfast love and abundant mercy. Unless God does this, we are not worthy of being granted one hour of life or one morsel of bread."

Psalm 51 - More of Luther's Introduction

AELW 12:306-307

"David’s sin is a very moving example of grace and sin. Indeed, if the Holy Scriptures had not told this story, who would ever have believed that such a holy man could sink so low? Through the Holy Spirit he had instituted the worship of the tabernacle. He had adorned this worship with holy songs. He had waged wars with great success. God had declared him to be a chosen man. He had a most glorious promise about the future Seed, Christ, whom the Prophets called the Son of David and the King of David. Why say more? There is no reason why he could not be rightly compared with Moses and Samuel. Yet such a man fell, not into some peccadillo, but at one time into a whole mass of sins. What is even worse, he fell into impenitence and deep smugness, so that if Nathan had not come, David might have sinned against the Holy Spirit.

The fact that such a great man—filled with the Holy Spirit, with the highest good works and divine wisdom, and famous above all for his outstanding gift of divine prophecy—should have fallen so miserably is an example for us, to comfort us when we are beset by sin and fall, or when our consciences are touched by a sense of the wrath and judgment of God. Here in a glorious example there shines the goodness and mercy of God, who is ready to forgive sins and to justify us, just as long as we do not add to our sin a denial that we have sinned."

Psalm 51 - Luther's Introduction

Luther's introduction to Psalm 51

AELW 12:303-304

"A knowledge of this psalm is necessary and useful in many ways. It contains instruction about the chief parts of our religion, about repentance, sin, grace, and justification, as well as about the worship we ought to render to God. These are divine and heavenly doctrines. Unless they are taught by the great Spirit, they cannot enter the heart of man. We see that our opponents have expended great effort and discussed this doctrine in many huge volumes. Yet none of them really understands the nature of repentance, sin, or grace. These words are like a dream to them, which leaves some traces in the mind but itself has utterly disappeared from the mind and the eyes. The reason for this blindness and ignorance is that true knowledge of these doctrines does not depend upon the intelligence and wisdom of human reason, nor is it born, so to speak, in our home or our hearts. But it is revealed and given from heaven. Where is there a man who could speak about repentance and the forgiveness of sins the way the Holy Spirit speaks in this psalm?"

He is a Theologian which carries the same implication for them...He is a moron

Psalm 45:16  In place of your fathers shall be your sons;  you will make them princes in all the earth.

AELW 12:298-300

"Yet in God’s eyes, where there are infinitely greater princes than the princes of the world, there one is a count, another a duke, another an elector. To be sure, the powerful of the world ridicule us when they hear such things from us. If they want to make fun of the poverty of our pastors, they call them “Lutheran bishops,” just as when someone wants to be facetious and say something especially contemptuous of us, he says, “He is a theologian”—which carries the same implication for them as if they were to say, “He is a moron,” or I don’t know what. They may experience good fortune. They may accumulate wealth and be well thought of. In their time they will face God’s judgment and see that what the prophet says here is true: “Thou writ make them princes.

...Meanwhile we princes rule simply by preaching and the ministry of the Word, as well as the care of souls and the Sacraments; this is “to remember the Lord’s name.” Meanwhile let the world despise us, since we have nothing but the simple Word and are afflicted and miserable. But we await our King. And when His wedding is ended, we shall see. We shall be led into His chamber and remain with Him there and live to eternity. Amen."

"...they know they are in the service of this King and are being led to Him in splendor"

AELW 12:295-296

Psalm 45:15. With joy and gladness they will be led along as they enter the palace of the King.

"Change the tense from the future to the present. He is sketching how the church and the people of God are led into the palace, to Christ Himself, as if to a dance and royal banquet. Therefore here, too, spiritual eyes are required, such as Saint Agatha had. When they were taken off to torture on account of their confession of Christ,  she said they were being led to the dance and sumptuous feasts. So the church is exposed to all misfortunes and torments, and individual Christians are either thrown into prison or overwhelmed by sorrow, temptations, and martyrdom. Yet they suffer all these things with a joyous conscience, because the Holy Spirit is with them, making them despise the wrath and fury of the world and the devil with all his terrors, so that they even enter into danger with joy. How is it that Christians remain steadfast in so many temptations, tortures within and without, and still do not deny Christ? Because they know they are in the service of this King and are being led to Him in splendor."

"He comforts the church here"

PS 45:12      The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people.

AELW 12 291-292

“Wherever there is a nation and wealthy people, there will be some who adore Christ because of this Word. Though it seems incredible, I will nevertheless give you people from every nation who will come and hear you preach with the greatest joy and will honor the Word.” We see today that even at the courts of godless princes there are many good men who honor the Word in true piety, attend to its ministry in humility, and aid the brethren in every service of which they are capable. That is what it means to confess Christ with external gifts and services. From the outset of this preaching in the church it occurred, and it still occurs today. It is a great comfort that in the midst of tribulations and persecutions the church will also have an external comfort and that the Word will be extended and maintained by the rich, too. So we see that today there are few princes without someone at their courts who fosters the Word and honors it. 

If God were to give no place where the Word could be taught, if He provided no one who loved the Gospel, the church would not last long. Therefore, while the rest raged and the greater part of the world persecuted the Gospel, God raised up David, Josiah, Hezekiah, and even on occasion a king of Babylon (Dan. 3:28), that there might be rest and peace for the ministry and extension of the Word. Necessarily, then, He comforts the church here, that there will not be lacking holy men and daughters of the church, also among the powerful and rich of the world, to maintain and defend the church, so that the statement of the psalm may be fulfilled (Ps. 110:2): “Rule in the midst of Thine enemies.”

"In theology one must simply hear, believe, and hold firmly in his heart: God is faithful, no matter how absurd what He says in His Word may appear to our reason.”

Psalm 45:11b: Since He is your Lord, bow to Him

AELW 12:287-288

"Therefore you who devote yourselves to Holy Scriptures should above all be sure of what you must believe in the Christian religion, that you may have the articles of faith defended with good texts of Holy Scripture and have considered them well. Then when either Satan or his instruments, the heretics, wish to dispute with you, hold these texts up to them and let them go, saying: “I do not wish to hear your sophistries and speculations. For this is what the Holy Spirit says. He has warned me to hear and incline my ear. A new and powerful teaching is coming, at which many will be offended:   that we must let all righteousness go and simply confide and depend on Christ alone and His righteousness; moreover, that this Christ is by nature God and must be adored. So I am certain I do not err, and the argument is refuted that is raised from the First Commandment and the Prophets regarding one God.” If they object: “Then you make many gods,” I reply: “I do not make another or many gods, but I say that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one and the same God. There is a unity of substance and one Essence though there are three Persons. I do not want to have many gods, because many gods contend among themselves. Nor can there be many gods. But here is unity. If I do not understand how the Persons are differentiated, it is enough for me that Holy Scriptures say this and call Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by name (Matt. 28:19). If I could grasp this with my reason or senses, what need would there be for faith? Of what use is Scripture revealed by God through the Holy Spirit? If I believe nothing but what I can comprehend by my reason, I must reject Baptism, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Word, grace, original sin, and everything. Reason understands none of these things.” So we see that the Sacramentarians and Anabaptists have given up an of these, for they understand none of them correctly. For that reason this should be the first concern of a theologian: that he be a good textualist, as it is called, and that he hold fast to the first principle of not disputing or philosophizing about sacred things. If reasonable or apparent arguments were in place here, I could distort every article of faith as well as Arius, the Sacramentarians, and the Anabaptists. But in theology one must simply hear, believe, and hold firmly in his heart: “God is faithful, no matter how absurd what He says in His Word may appear to our reason.”

Psalm 45:11b "Since He is your Lord, bow to Hiim

AELW 12:287

"...the miserable Zwingli first roused his hearers with the thunderclap that it is idolatry to believe the bread is the body of Christ, who is God and man. When the simple minds heard this, they first reflected for a short time and then they assented—captivated by its appearance of truth. For when the devil has taken the Word from our hearts and eyes and has led us to reflect on the articles of faith without the Word, then we are finished. You should say: “I will not be drawn into deliberations as to whether it is true or not, but I simply believe as Christ says: ‘This is My body.’"

The Scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness

Psalm 45:6  Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

AELW 12:237

"Plato and Cicero come to the conclusion that kingdoms cannot be administered without injustice and lying. But in Christ’s kingdom there is no offense, there is no wrong; injustice is not tolerated, not even in a little point. In the kingdoms of this world these injustices take place not in little points but in great heaps. There we see infinite oceans and monstrosities of injustices that cannot be avoided, not even by those who rule well

To state the matter briefly, it is impossible for people in power not to sin; neither are they able to administer justice to everyone. The reason is that the magnitude of affairs and Satan’s artfulness exceed their strength. It is enough, however, if they do not sin willfully and intentionally, but have the will to administer their office faithfully. What takes place accidentally other than they intend is wiped out as though by a sponge and absorbed by the remission of sins. Otherwise who would be willing to undertake the administration of public affairs? But we are commanded in Sacred Scripture to forget and cover the sins of those in authority, and we are forbidden to see these specks in the eyes of princes (Matt. 7:3)."

If the devil wants to cast you into sorrow and destroy faith, then rise up in faith and say to him:Go away satan, and be quiet. My Christ lives.

Psalm 45:66. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.

AELW 12:233-234

"...we must read the Word, hear and meditate on it, go into our chamber and pray on bended knee. That is really what it means to suppress sin, which keeps springing up, fighting against us and taking us captive. Therefore a Christian must fight back this way. If we do not fight back this way, but are lazy and denounce neither ourselves nor others, we cannot find out whether we really believe or not. This is the sign that Christ is exercising judgment and is active among us, that the voice of reproof and reprimand is heard, the voice that rebukes the devil, the voice that distresses and overthrows the sects, the voice that impedes and restrains scandals. These thunderbolts proceed from Christ’s throne and are sure indications that Christ is present and judging. Faith and the other fruits of faith grow through this judgment which Christ exercises in us.

Therefore learn to open your eyes, to recognize the church, and to believe that it is holy. All wise men today are offended by this aspect of the church. Since reason hears that the church is holy and without spot, it thinks that Christians are spotless.

For that reason it is necessary to state here definitely what “holy” means. The church is not called holy because it has no sin. Paul says (Rom. 6:12), “Do not let sin reign,” namely, “that you obey it.” He confesses that there is sin and lust in Christians, and he admonishes them not to let sin reign. Therefore the church is holy, and it is called holy according to its first fruits, not according to its tithes and fullness. It is holy through faith in the name of Christ, in whom it has purity. This it does not have in itself, but because of His name it is holy. Sins lie hidden in the saints, but these are sins that have been brought into subjection, not sins that rule. From time to time they break forth, to be sure, so that even the saints are disturbed by impatience, sorrow, or despair. These are the desires of sin, but not its lordship. Although they attack me, I still lay hold of Christ. I stamp this impatience and sorrow under foot and hold in check the remnants of sin. The church, therefore, is holy in Christ, its head, and it is pure in Christ’s name. It is not holy and pure in itself, in its hidden and roaring sins, which are like chained beasts roaring and threatening. For our sin is bound in chains and imprisoned. Indeed, it would like to be released from chains and free, but we must battle against it. If the devil wants to cast you into sorrow and destroy faith, then rise up in faith and say to him: “Go away, Satan, and be quiet. My Christ lives."

Psalm 23:1 I shall not want

AELW 12:158-159

"I am sitting in the midst of the wolves, I am not sure of my life for a moment; but I do not see any shepherd who would protect me.” Again: “Why does He permit the devil to harm me so greatly with terror and doubts? Besides, I find myself quite unfit, weak, impatient, still laden with many sins. I feel no security but only doubt, no comfort but only fear and trembling because of God’s wrath. When will He ever begin to manifest in me that He is my Shepherd?”

Such strange thoughts and many others will come to you if you fail to heed His voice and Word. But if you hold fast to them, you will be tempted neither by the devil’s wile, the world’s disfavor and raging, nor by your own weakness and unworthiness. You will go straight forward to speak freely: “Let the devil, the world, or my own conscience oppose me as violently as they may. I will not for that reason grieve myself to death. It must be so and it shall be so, that whoever is the Lord’s sheep will surely be assailed by the wolves. Be it with me as it may, let them boil or roast me, it shall be my comfort that my Shepherd has given His life for me. Moreover, He has a sweet, kind voice, with which He comforts me and says that I shall never perish, neither shall any man snatch me out of His hand; I shall have eternal life (John 10:28). And He will keep this promise, no matter what happens to me. If because of my weakness some sin or other fault by chance is still found in me, He will not reject me on that account. For He is a friendly Shepherd, who watches over the weak sheep, binds up their wounds, and heals them. And so that I may be all the more sure and not doubt, He has given me, as a token, His holy Sacraments.”

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

AELW 12:153-154

"It is the function of a faithful shepherd not only to supply his sheep with good pasture and other related things, but also to keep them from suffering harm. Moreover, he takes good care not to lose  any of them. But if one of them should go astray, he goes after it, seeks it, and returns it (Luke 15:4). He looks after the young, the weak and the sick very carefully, waits on them, lifts them up and carries them in his arms (Is. 40:11) until they are grown and are strong and well."

Luther's introduction to Psalm 23 - Sighing for the Means of Grace

AELW 12:151-152

"If they are not far from places where God’s Word is preached and the Holy Sacrament is administered according to Christ’s command, they may, of course, travel to such places and make use of that treasure—as indeed many do and, on that account, are punished in body and possessions by their godless governments. If they live far away from such places, let them not stop sighing for the means of grace; and our Lord Jesus Christ will surely hear their sighing and in time restore their fortunes. But unhappy and more than unhappy are those that have this treasure at their doorsteps in abundance and still despise it. In the case of such the Word of Christ will be fulfilled (Matt. 8:11): “Many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven”; in the case of others: “The sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness."

Psalm 23:1-6

Psalm 23
1. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
2. He feeds me in a green pasture and leads me to the fresh water.
3. He restores my soul, He leads me in the right path for His names sake.
4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
5. Thou preparest a table before me against my enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil, Thou pourest my cup full.
6. Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

AELW12:148-149

Expounded One Evening After Grace at the Dinner Table
by Dr. Martin Luther
1536

"...whenever God’s Word is preached properly and purely, it creates as many good things and results as the prophet here gives it names. To those that hear it diligently and seriously—and they are the only ones whom our Lord acknowledges as His sheep—it is pleasant green grass, a cool draught, by which the sheep of the Lord are satisfied and refreshed. It keeps them in the paths of righteousness and preserves them from suffering misfortune and harm. And it is to them an ever happy life, in which food and drink and all kinds of joy and pleasure abound. In other words: these sheep of the Lord are not only instructed and guided, refreshed, strengthened, and comforted by God’s Word; but they are also continuously kept on the right path, protected in body and soul in all kinds of distress, and finally they conquer and overcome all tribulation and sorrow, of which they must endure only as much as verse four mentions. In short, they live in complete safety as men whom no sorrow can befall, because their Shepherd tends and protects them."

Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

AELW 12:144

"That is: If I do not give approval to the ungodly and they do not overcome me, I shall keep the Word of God; then my preaching, worship, and my other conduct will please God....

... May God, the Father of all grace and mercy, grant this for the eternal comfort and salvation of us all in this perilous time.
To Him, with His only Son, our dear Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, be thanks, praise, and honor forever. Amen."

Psalm 19:10 - More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

AELW 12:143
"That is, the Gospel is kind, comforting, and sweet, for it rejoices consciences."

Psalm 19:7 The Multiplicity of works and worship

Psalm 19:7 - The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making the wise simple.

AELW 12:141-142

"Here David departs from symbolic language and speaks in simple, direct words to show what great things God’s Word creates and effects.
Now he says, “the Law of the Lord.” If the Law of the Lord does it, then human statute and invention do not do it at all.

Thus he also indicates that the Word that will be preached in the new kingdom will be the Word of God and not the word of man.
“Is perfect”: that is, it is salutary and has no hypocritical additions or false ideas about the false worship of God.
From this praise of the Word of God one should understand that the Word of God makes healthy men, that is, men who do not have pharisaical notions about false worship.
For the word “law” is used for God’s Word, as is common and customary in Holy Scripture. “Reviving the soul”: that is, the Word of God refreshes, revives, and comforts the weak, burdened, and disturbed consciences that were previously troubled by the multiplicity of works and worship."

Psalm 19:7 ....Chirst is ALWAYS Lord of the Church

Psalm 19:5b-6

"Which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hid from its heat."

AELW 12:141

"This is what these two verses mean: Christ the Lord is loving and friendly, He confers great comfort upon the conscience, and He will reign and have the upper hand from shore to shore,(see note) so that no one will be able to stand up against Him."

(Note - Luther’s phrase is an allen enden.)

Psalm 8:9 - O Lord, our Ruler, how glorious is Thy Name in all the lands!

AELW 12:135-136

"This verse is the end of the song. David concludes this psalm just the way he began it. He thanks the Lord, our Ruler, for His great and inestimable blessing, for establishing such a kingdom and calling and gathering His church, which gloriously praises His name throughout the world and thanks Him in heaven. Let us follow the example of this singer of praises as he prophesies to us. The Lord is our Ruler, too, and His kingdom is established and founded from the mouths of babes and sucklings. We entered it by Baptism, and we are called to it daily through Word and Gospel. With David we also hope to come to where we shall see the heavens, the work of His fingers, the moon and the stars which He will prepare. He won the kingdom with great trouble and anguish. Now He is crowned with honor and adornment and has everything under His feet. For this we give God our praise and thanks, but especially for the fact that He has brought us to a light and knowledge that does not spring up out of human reason but out of Christ. He is our Sun, who died for us and was raised from the dead, lives and reigns, so that through Him we might be saved. To this end may God help us all. Amen."

Psalm 8:8 - The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea.

AELW 12:135

"This is the last part of Christ’s dominion, a dominion that Adam also received in Paradise...Therefore everything in the wide world belongs to Christ, the Ruler. What emperors, kings, princes, government and subjects, believers and unbelievers, godly and godless people have and own—all this is Christ’s. It is all subjected to Him, all men must be under this King and Ruler, whether in grace or disgrace. Thus Christ has everything in His hand and power. Because He does have everything in His power, His Christians are richly provided for and will get along well, so that they may remain in the world; they will also have enough to eat and drink on earth."

Psalm 8:6 Thou wilt make Him Lord over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet

AELW 12:132

"So Christ is now true man and true God. He is man through temporal birth, born of the Virgin Mary. He is God through eternal birth, born of the Father in eternity. According to His humanity He suffered, was forsaken by God, died, arose from the dead, and by His glorification was made Lord over all. According to His deity He is Lord from eternity. According to His humanity He was made Lord temporally and not from eternity. Therefore all the angels of God also worship this Man. For He is one single undivided person with the deity, and also true God, not two persons. He is true, natural man. For He is called אֱנוֹשׁ, that is, a suffering man and son of man. He is true God. For He is made Lord over all that God’s hands have made. This belongs only to God, as Isaiah says (45:3); therefore He is God and Lord over angels, men, and devils. Emperors and kings on earth are like the king of spades12 in comparison with this King, but Christ is the true King and Lord over everything that God has created. Because He is now to be put into the same power, might, and honor as the Father, it must follow that He is true, almighty God."

More Psalm 8:1

AELW 12:105-106

"This is what it really means to live in heaven, not with the body but with the heart and the soul in faith and hope. By faith in the Word, our heart has taken hold of life in heaven through the power of the Holy Spirit. But we must still wait till the Last Day, when our old “bag of worms”4 will finally be purified and come along, too.   V 12, p 106  Now the flesh still clings to us, and our soul is still languishing in a dark prison, so that it cannot see the glory of our homeland and inheritance in heaven. When the prison is shattered, then we shall see it, not in part through a mirror darkly, but perfectly and face to face, as St. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 13:12."

Psalm 8:1 - How glorious is Thy Name in all the lands!

Psalm 8:1 - How glorious is Thy Name in all the lands!

AELW 12:102-103

"Indeed, the greatness and the glory of this name call for such amazement. If a physician were to be found on earth who could cure one or two incurable sicknesses or diseases, or could even rescue a man from death, what praise and fame do you think such a physician would have throughout the world? If a prince or king had the might and power to make a blind man see, to cast out a devil, or to raise a dead man, everyone would sing and say about him, “This is a lord.” If the Roman emperor could cleanse a leper of his leprosy—if he were not emperor already, they would soon crown him. Yet what would all this be in comparison with what this King and Ruler has done for the children of men, and still does daily and will do throughout the world until the Last Day? He has forgiven many sinners their sins and still forgives them daily. He has made many blind to see and has cleansed many lepers. He has raised many from the dead and made them alive, and on the Last Day He will  raise all men and make them alive. Therefore this is an excellent and glorious name, at which everyone might well be amazed; the richer the spirit and the higher the understanding, the greater will be the amazement among Christians."

Psalm 8 - O Lord, our Lord,

 8:1       O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

AELW 12:98

"This psalm is one of the beautiful psalms and a glorious prophecy about Christ, where David describes Christ’s person and kingdom and teaches who Christ is; what kind of kingdom He has and how it is formed; where this King rules, namely, in all lands and yet in heaven; and the means by which His kingdom is founded and regulated, namely, only through the Word and faith, without sword and armor."

Psalm 2 - Two Worlds

AELW 12:92-93

"There are two worlds, as it were. The one is the devil’s, in which men are secure, proud, neglecting God and the Gospel. The Holy Spirit warns them that they must get rid of their false security, or they will perish on their way. The other is Christ’s. In it are the afflicted and miserable men who are disturbed by the sense of their sins and fear punishment for their sins, eternal death, and the wrath of God. And yet, because they see that the Son of God was made a sacrifice for their sins, they have hope for mercy. The Holy Spirit comforts them with the marvelous word: “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him,” or hope.

...this psalm describes the heavenly religion and true worship together with the true church and Christ, its Head. It shows that although the church lies hidden and concealed in the world and Satan and the godless seem to rule, yes, even in our own flesh, nevertheless through faith in this King the church conquers at last and triumphs against Satan and the whole world, according to this thought: “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” And so in the very great difficulties with which the church must battle, suffering and oppressed, as it were, on all sides, we also should hold to this comfort with both hands because, hoping in Christ, the Son of God, we are blessed. Amen."

The Holy Spirit will come to our aid, especially when we pray.

Psalm 2:11 "Serve the Lord with fear"
AELW 12:78

"David understood this art, as his sermons testify. Then, too, experience shows that he did not abandon hope when he was punished, for he continues to call on God. But even if his joy was exceedingly weak, still he overcame fear, because he saw the end of the chastisement. Nor was he entirely overwhelmed, as happens to the godless. If you look at the flesh, it is almost overloaded with fear also in David, so that he does not feel any joy. And yet, as Paul says (Rom. 7:25), “he serves the Law of God with his mind.” Even when suffering the punishment of exile, he calls on God. He does not feel that there is no place for mercy, as in the case of a jailer. Even while he receives the blows, he thinks to himself: “He is my Father; He will not be angry forever....

...It is, therefore, easy to say that the true fear of God is a filial fear, that is, a fear mixed with joy or hope. But if you follow your feeling, you will perceive that joy is all but overwhelmed and extinguished by fear. But you must not on that account let your heart sink or despair, but trust in the Lord and lay hold on his Word, which declares that God’s anger is but for a moment (Ps. 30:5) and His favor is for a lifetime. That is, God wants us to live. He does not want us to perish. And for this very reason He sends us blows. And so it happens that you feel at least some small drop of joy. It will grow little by little until it finally overcomes fear. The practice is difficult, but is nevertheless of the kind which the saints of God learned to do, as their examples show. We, too, must follow in their footsteps and learn this art also. Moreover, the Holy Spirit will come to our aid, especially when we pray."

Ps 2:11 More from Luther on vocation...

Psalm 2:11   Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
AELW 12:72

"Consequently you should simply put out of sight whatever has to do with religious practice and rites, even those which God instituted through Moses. For this new King has come, and a new service will also be established accordingly....

...I usually distinguish these two aspects for myself in this way: the “worshiping” is done by a man converted to God, but the “serving” is done by a man sent by God...

...For whoever worships, falls on his knees and shows signs of submission. This is a sort of passive service; in turning to the Lord this way in firm faith in His mercy for Christ’s sake, he receives forgiveness of sins and is justified. And after he has thus been received into grace, he goes out from God, turns to men, and carries out the commandment of God pertaining to the service of men. Now that he has been justified by faith, Paul does just works, that is, he fulfills his duty by teaching; the pious official by governing; the head of a family by working. And so they serve God. They certainly do not do what pleases them, like the monks, but what God commands....

...To serve God, therefore, is nothing else than to do what God demands and to acknowledge this as the obedience owed to Him."

Psalm 2:11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psalm 2:11. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

AELW 12:70

..."what is the point of those commandments of which the books of the Apostles are full, about the love of spouses toward each other, the obedience of servants, the fairness and moderation of lords, and conscientious care in administering the government? Do not these very commandments show that the Gospel recommends all these stations in life? Was it not folly, then, to teach that to serve God meant to flee these positions in life, to change not only one’s dress, but even nature itself and sex? For what else does a monk do than wish, contrary to God’s order, to be something else than a real man? Is this not utter nonsense?....God does not mean you should change your clothing, change your sex, abandon civil and domestic duties, and hide yourself away in a monastery. All these things are external and can be feigned."

Psalm 119:148 My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise

Psalm 119:148 My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise

AELW 11:512-513

"...they seek to be filled here with the riches, the empty glory and pleasure of the world, not that they might meditate on His words. But the faithful people seek spiritual things, which are the greatest things given us in faith and in the Gospel, so that they might not only hear His words (in which He has conferred every good thing upon us) but also meditate on them and make them their own through increase...

...so it is clear that this verse prays literally not for the future church and her goods but for the present church and her good things, which are nothing but the Gospel of grace itself, which is the sign and word of things to be hoped for and not seen (Heb. 11:1). And with such food Christ nourishes us."

Psalm 119:65 - You have dealt well with your servant,O LORD, according to your word.

Psalm 119:65 - You have dealt well with your servant,O LORD, according to your word.

AELW 11:458

"Therefore, since there is such a mixture among us, if we say that we are good and have no sin, the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8), since only God is good, righteous, and truthful. But no one is altogether evil, unrighteous, and untruthful, for he cannot in any way be exclusively evil. Therefore we are always in the middle between the goodness which we have from God and the evil which we have of ourselves, until in the future all evils are swallowed up and God alone is all in all (1 Cor. 15:28), so that we are not our own but God’s, and He is ours."

Psalm 119:43 - Take not the Word of truth utterly out of my mouth

Luther's translation

119:43 Take not the Word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for in Thy judgments I have hoped exceedingly.

AELW 11:449-450

"That is to say: “Do not let the word of faith be silenced by me because of the opposition of the adversaries, but help me to speak and preach it all the more, because in Your judgments, etc., that is, in the very words of Your promise of things to come I have set my hope.”

Psalm 119:41-42 - every man who regards as shame what God turns into glory is a liar.

Psalm 119:41-42
       Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD,
      your salvation according to your promise;
      then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
      for I trust in your word.

AELW 11:449

"And I will have an answer for those who reproach me, because I have trusted in Thy words. Namely, for those who say, “Where is your God?” Or, “You are stupid in looking for mercy and a salvation different from salvation in earthly things.” Thus the shame of the cross is made a matter of reproach and abhorrence for the faithful, not only before Christ would come and sanctify, dignify, and make most precious in God’s sight the cross and all evils of punishments in this world through His blessed suffering, so that this mercy is better than all lives...

Therefore, having obtained the mercy and salvation of God, who is Christ, they easily despise the shame of the cross, yes, they glory in the cross and have a word of response for the reproachers. These are not reproached in return, but they are admonished and gently taught that every man who regards as shame what God turns into glory is a liar. Faith and hope in things to come accomplishes this. If they did not have faith and hope, they would not respond, but keep silent and agree with them, fleeing the cross and seeking only the good things in this life, and thus the Word of truth would be removed from their mouth."

Psalm 119:27 - Make me to understand the way of Thy precepts, and I will be exercised in Thy wondrous works

 Psalm 119:27 - Make me to understand the way of Thy precepts, and I will be exercised in Thy wondrous works  

AELW 11:437

"Words cannot be exercised in any other way than with the tongue, since it is certainly something else for works to be exercised. Therefore “to be exercised in wondrous works” means to discuss, speak, and debate the words of Christ and “chirp” them to each other sweetly and swiftly, like the little birds in May. This is what the church did in its early days."

I don't know what the Bible says, but I believe....

Psalm 119, verse 24 - Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors

AELW 11:431-433

"24. For Thy testimonies are my meditation, and Thy statutes my counsel. This is again directed against those who hold their own opinion, for neither their counsel nor their meditation is the law of Christ, but their counsel is the invention and thought of their own head, after they have disregarded the study of Scripture...

Yes, it is as if Scripture ought to say to them: “Your meditation is My testimonies,” when it ought to be the other way around; our reason should be taken captive, and the testimonies of God should be our meditation...

Those people, on the contrary, want the commandments of God to be meditated and considered in their own commandments, yes, they want the meditations of men and their own teachings to be the commandments of God...

They do not consider the ways of God, but the ways of God should leave themselves behind and consider the ways of those people, that is, the ways of God should become what those people are thinking. Thus they do not meditate on the statutes of God, but they want the statutes of God to meditate on theirs, that is, become their meditations. All of this is that they impose their meaning on Scripture and do not permit its sense to be imposed on them...(See Note below)

But with them, on the contrary, it is “Your statutes,” “their counsel,” that is, “whatever they themselves have decided, this these exceedingly vain men want Your statutes to be...

So likewise do all the proud when they impose their own meaning on the Scriptures and want them to bear witness to what pleases them, not what they themselves in truth testify."

Note - The reference may be to De Trinitate, II, 3, where Hilary says: “Many have given to the plain words of Holy Writ some arbitrary interpretation of their own … Heresy lies in the sense assigned, not in the word written; the guilt is that of the expositor, not of the text.”

Psalm 118 - Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

Psalm 118:1 - 1. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

AELW 11:410

" It is goodness when someone does good to the undeserving and unworthy. One does not impart benefits to those who are deserving, but it is done justly, and good is returned for good, and it is due to be returned to them. But to those who are worthy, it is not rendered to them as to the deserving, but as something justly owed to them as superiors and equals. God, however, imparted benefits through the incarnate Christ to the unworthy and undeserving, in fact, to those who deserved much ill, for also through this He showed Himself to be not an imaginary God, but a true and living God, in that He received nothing good and meritorious from us, but granted it altogether without charge."

Psalm 116 - It is better to take refuge in the Lord, than to trust man.

Psalm 116

116 I love the LORD, because he has heard
      my voice and my pleas for mercy.
            2       Because he inclined his ear to me,
      therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
            3       The snares of death encompassed me;
      the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
      I suffered distress and anguish.
            4       Then I called on the name of the LORD:
      “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!”
            5       Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
      our God is merciful.
            6       The LORD preserves the simple;
      when I was brought low, he saved me.
            7       Return, O my soul, to your rest;
      for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
            8       For you have delivered my soul from death,
      my eyes from tears,
      my feet from stumbling;
            9       I will walk before the LORD
      in the land of the living.
            10       I believed, even when1 I spoke:
      “I am greatly afflicted”;
            11       I said in my alarm,
      “All mankind are liars.”
            12       What shall I render to the LORD
      for all his benefits to me?
            13       I will lift up the cup of salvation
      and call on the name of the LORD,
            14       I will pay my vows to the LORD
      in the presence of all his people.

AELW 11:403

" Verse 12 -  What shall I render to the Lord for all He has rendered to me? What is this rendering of God to us? What have we earned? Did He not give it gratis? Otherwise how will it be grace? But the Lord renders good for evil, which is an excellent and divine repayment. For even men return good for good. In fact, the heathen do good to those who do good (Luke 6:33). But this is what it means to be God: Not to take good but to give it and therefore to render good for evil. Since He gives gifts before He takes them, what else does He do but return good for evil? If, therefore, He gave the good before, then it was not there, but only evil was. What, therefore, shall I render, since He has rendered to me faith and truth, by which I am truthful in His presence, and thus I am now not a man but God and the son of God, and a child like the Father?"

The Pelican

Psalm 102:6 - Similis factus sum pelicano solitudinis" - "I am like a pelican of the wilderness"

 AELW 11:306

The pelican, which in Lev. 11:18 and Deut. 14:18 is called “bittern,” is cited here for no other reason than that of its loneliness, although, according to Jerome, it has another quality, namely, that of reviving its young with its own blood, struck from its breast by its beak when the young have been killed by a serpent.(Jerome records this legend in his Regula monachorum. The Pelican-in-Her-Piety has become a striking symbol of Christ’s Atonement)*

And Cassiodorus most suitably to the theme describes it thus: “The pelican is an Egyptian bird, similar to the stork in the size of its body, which is always affected by a natural leanness, since, as the physiologists claim, with its bowel stretched throughout the inner organs, whatever it eats it passes on without any digestion. The result is that it is very little fattened by its own fat. It does not fly in a flock like other birds but consoles itself in solitary pleasure. There is said to be one kind that lives in swamps, and another that lives in deserted and secret places.”

And for that reason it is regarded as unclean in the Law, because it digests nothing that it eats, like a man who hears the Word of God and does not assimilate it."

*Note to the Note - The Rev. Dr. Stephen Starke Steve Starke also notes this in the LSB hymnal in Hymn 640 verse 3. I would show verse but need permission....

Psalm 102:4 Your daily bread...

Psalm 102:4       My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;   I forget to eat my bread.

AELW 11:297

"I am smitten as grass, and my heart is withered, because I forgot to eat my bread. Until now he is speaking in the person of his part, which savors the flesh; they are grass, as was said Ps. 90:6, and they are cut down by the scythe of death. And then the carnal heart, which flourished in the flesh and with the flesh, dries up and withers with it at the same time. Why? Because he does not eat his bread, that is, the Word of the Lord which endures forever. For Is. 40:6, 8 says: “All flesh is grass … The flower has fallen, and the grass has withered, … but the Word of the Lord endures forever.” These things will not befall him, but those of whom the people here speaking are a part."

Psalm 102 - Hear my prayer O Lord, let my cry come to you!

Psalm 102:1-2
      1       Hear my prayer, O LORD;
               let my cry come to you!
      2       Do not hide your face from me
                    in the day of my distress!
                Incline your ear to me;
                    answer me speedily in the day when I call!

AELW 11:295-296

"O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to Thee....

...and what does my prayer and my cry want? Turn not Thy face away from me (v. 2)

...Therefore he here seeks his good things, which are the very face of Christ, and he has the mind and the spirit in his prayer at the same time, for he understands what he prays, and he knows what he desires.

After this, he prays that his evils might be removed, saying: In whatever day I am in trouble, incline Thy ear to me. For we do not yet possess our good things in reality, but in faith and hope, and therefore it is necessary to be in tribulations and evils. For if those blessings were here in this life, we would not have evils. But we do not have those blessings now; and we still hope for those others. Nothing is left but that we have these evils. However, lest we fail in these, we cry to the Lord that He would not forsake us in tribulation."

Psalm 98:9 "He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity"

Psalm 98:9 "He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity"

AELW 11:274-275

"Thus the good things that are preached have to do with Christ glorified and with heavenly things, while the things that reprove our evils have to do with Christ crucified. To preach Christ crucified is to preach our evils that must be crucified and us who must be reproved.

....We want to rejoice with the saints, but we do not want to hear our sins reproved. The future joys please us, but we do not want to disturb our sins.

...suffering is common to all, but men do not want to receive doing good from God, because they boast of their own strength. Nothing is to be preached, indeed practiced, so much as knowing that we are nothing of ourselves and that we have everything only from above"

Psalm 96:6 Presence of God, Therfore, all saints are in one place, in one view...

95:6  Splendor and majesty are before him;  strength and beauty are in his sanctuary

Here again in verse 6 is the word   פָּנָה  transliterated pâneh, meaning: face, presence, in sight of, before

AELW 11:260 

"Presence of God here as well as in Ps. 100:2 is understood passively rather than actively, that is, in the sense that God is seen. Hence Israel has his name because he saw the Lord face to face.1 So also in the preceding psalm (Ps. 95:2): “Let us come before His presence,” which comes about through our active vision. And in this vision is the true place and seat of the church. So Ps. 68:3 reads: “Let the righteous exult before God”; and Ps. 5:8: “O Lord, direct my way in Thy sight.” Here, therefore, all saints are in one place, in one view, however much they may be distant in place and separated in the sight of men. For they are here not with the feet of the body but of the soul, that is, with the eyes of the soul through the sight of faith."

Psalm 95 Verse 3 - For the Lord is a great God...

95:3 For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.

AELW 11:253-4

"Here he removes the impulses that get in the way and adds those that move forward. And they are so wonderful and powerful that he who is not moved and freed from his hindrances is without doubt beyond hope and a son of unbelief. By these impulses he makes void all four emotions of the flesh, which are fear, hope, joy, sadness. These arise out of love and hate, two from each. Love produces hope of future good and joy in present good. Hatred begets fear of the future evil and sadness in present evil. By these emotions man is hindered from approaching Christ, for because   V 11, p 254  by them he clings to earthly things. Therefore he here attracts love and excludes fear. And he tries to introduce the opposite. But I am venturing into a great sea. This passage is deep indeed"

Psalm 95 - Oh Come, let us sing to the LORD

Psalm 95:2

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

AELW 11:252

"For it has often been said, on the basis of the apostle’s teaching, how we behold the glory of the Lord with open face (2 Cor. 3:18). Therefore in this life no one sees the face of the Lord except by faith. Therefore “to come before His face” means to come before by faith in His divinity, as Ps. 4:6 says: “The light of Thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us.” Briefly, then, “the Lord’s face” is the very revelation of the divinity of Christ, which was veiled under the letter and the humanity, as was the face of Moses under a veil (2 Cor. 3:13). But after His ascension into heaven He revealed it through the Holy Spirit, as He promised, saying: “He will glorify Me” (John 16:14). Hence he rightly adds “with thanksgiving” (in confessione), to express how His face could be taken hold of, namely, not in clear sight, but by faith and thanksgiving. Faith confesses to the Lord."

Psalm 92:4 - “The wise man will know and the prudent will understand..."

AELW 11:230

"The first iniquity of all is certainly that of preferring the flesh to the spirit and working in the vanity of this life, while the solidity of eternal life has been cast aside. People build visible structures and put away spiritual ones, only to perish forever. Why? Because they do not want to die in a saving way in this life, they only want to live healthy according to the flesh, to flourish in happiness. But the righteous die and dry up in this age, so that they may live forever."