The Weak Confound the Strong
Out of the mouth of babies and infants, You have established strength because of Your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
PSALM 8:2
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The Weak Confound the Strong
[Christ] did not bring about this destruction [of our foes] by the sword or by force, but entirely by the opposite. For it is not a matter of force against force, but He chose the "infants and sucklings" against the great and wordy legal experts and scribes. And through humility He fought and brought low whatever was high. "He chose the weak things to confound the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27). And throughout, whatever is worthless in the world He chose and by it destroyed whatever amounts to anything in the world. Hence He has done these things "out of the mouth of infants," but not by their strength. . .. In vain, therefore, do the Jews look for their Messiah to destroy their enemies by physical strength and power. For the warfare of Christ was not of this kind, nor by equal strength with equal, nor by greater strength against lesser, but altogether by the opposite. Whoever heard of strength being destroyed by weakness? Who has seen glory crushed by shame and not rather by greater glory? But this is what Christ did. In lowliness, weakness, and shame He stripped the whole world of its strength, honor, and glory, and altogether annihilated it and transferred it to Himself.
From First Lectures on the Psalms, on Psalm 8 (Luther's Works 10:89)
February 8
PSALM 8:2
+
The Weak Confound the Strong
[Christ] did not bring about this destruction [of our foes] by the sword or by force, but entirely by the opposite. For it is not a matter of force against force, but He chose the "infants and sucklings" against the great and wordy legal experts and scribes. And through humility He fought and brought low whatever was high. "He chose the weak things to confound the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27). And throughout, whatever is worthless in the world He chose and by it destroyed whatever amounts to anything in the world. Hence He has done these things "out of the mouth of infants," but not by their strength. . .. In vain, therefore, do the Jews look for their Messiah to destroy their enemies by physical strength and power. For the warfare of Christ was not of this kind, nor by equal strength with equal, nor by greater strength against lesser, but altogether by the opposite. Whoever heard of strength being destroyed by weakness? Who has seen glory crushed by shame and not rather by greater glory? But this is what Christ did. In lowliness, weakness, and shame He stripped the whole world of its strength, honor, and glory, and altogether annihilated it and transferred it to Himself.
From First Lectures on the Psalms, on Psalm 8 (Luther's Works 10:89)
February 8
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