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."