Vanavond houd ik een lezing in de CGK Spijkenisse, in het kader van de gezamenlijke Hervormingsavond van de HHK Abbenbroek, CGK Spijkenisse en Zuidland en GG Hoogvliet en Spijkenisse.
Onderstaande tekst uit de voorrede op Luthers werken vormde het fundament van de lezing. Daaronder enkele literatuurverwijzingen.
‘ First, you must realise that the Holy Scriptures are the kind of book that turns the wisdom of all other books into folly, because none of them can teach about eternal life except this alone. So you should immediately despair of your own reason and understanding. With them you will not attain eternal life. Instead, with arrogance like that, you will hurl yourself, and others with you, from heaven, like Lucifer, into the abyss of hell. Rather, kneel down in your room and pray to God with true humility and earnestness, that through his dear Son, he would give you his Holy Spirit, to enlighten you, lead you, and give you understanding.
You can see how David keeps on praying in Psalm 119, “Teach me, Lord, instruct me, lead me, show me”, and so on. Even though he knew the text of the Pentateuch well, and many other books, heard and read them daily, he wanted to have the true teacher (master) of the Scriptures for himself as well, so that he would not tackle them with his understanding and become his own teacher (master). That produces spiritual rabble-rousers who fancy that the Scriptures are subject to them and are readily grasped with their own understanding, without the Holy Spirit and prayer, like the tales of Markolf, or Aesop’s fables.
Secondly, you must meditate, not only with your heart but also externally, by always studying and rubbing, reading and re-reading the spoken word and written text in the Bible, with diligent attention and reflection on what the Holy Spirit means in it. Take care that you do not become bored and think that if you have read, heard, and spoken it once or twice, that is enough for you to understand it fully. You will never become much of a theologian like that, but will be like immature fruit that drops down before it is half-ripe.
Thus you see how David constantly boasts in Psalm 119 that, day and night and always, he would not speak, compose, say, sing, hear, and read anything except God’s word and commandments. For God will not give you his Spirit without the external word. So be guided by that, since not for nothing did he command that it should be written, preached, read, heard, sung, and spoken, externally.
Thirdly, there is temptation (tentatio), ‘Anfechtung’. This is the touchstone that teaches you not only to know and understand, but also to experience how right and true, how sweet and lovely, how powerful and comforting God’s word is, wisdom above all wisdom.
Thus you see how David, in Psalm 119, laments so often about all the different enemies, arrogant princes or tyrants, and about all the false spirits and hordes that he has to suffer just because he meditates; that is, because he deals with God’s word, as we have said, in many different ways. For as soon as God’s word shoots up and spreads through you, the devil persecutes you. He makes you a true doctor (of theology); through his temptations, he teaches you to seek and love God’s word.
Bayer, Oswald, Martin Luthers Theologie. Eine Vergegenwärtigung, Tübingen 2007.
Kleinig, John W., “The Kindled Heart. Luther on Meditation”, Lutheran Theological Journal 20/2&3, 142-154.
Nicol, Martin, Meditatio bei Luther, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: Göttingen, 1984.