About man and society in the psalms
The concept of salvation plays a dominant role in the Psalter. At the same time, the person looks very impartial - he is presented as a kind of nest of evil and vice. Sin accompanies him from the very moment of birth until his departure to another world. Throughout life, sin is also a constant companion of a person, paralyzing his soul and body, taking away his will and spiritual peace. The fact that people become enemies to each other is also a harmful effect of the same sin, a constant companion of man.
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In many psalms, relationships between people are given great importance. But from the very beginning it becomes clear that without the presence of God, humanity would be a crowd of evil, aggressive and deceitful creatures. In the psalms, such people who live outside of faith in God are called enemies. The enemies oppressed the authors of the psalms and longed for their defeat and death. For enemies, the most favorable atmosphere is the atmosphere of lies, slander, vanity and chaos.
These atheists can be identified by their way of life - they do not suffer from anything, strange luck accompanies them, they do not work at human work, and they do not experience attacks from others. Their character traits include pride, insolence, an irresistible love of gossip, and contempt for others. It is also specifically mentioned here that even the closest friend, a person who has been given unlimited trust, can become a traitor. And this is even worse than the machinations of the most fierce enemies.
The result of all this is that the author of the psalms becomes an outcast, loneliness in the crowd is his lot, because the righteous is always alone. Even in those psalms where this is not directly mentioned, it is clear that a feeling of loneliness always accompanies the author. He has no support or protection. If somewhere it is said about the gathering of the righteous, then these are only moments of presence at divine services where the glory of God is preached. But even here one can see a complete detachment from warmth, sincerity, good healthy emotionality, a lack of support and friendly participation.
Only in the only psalm number 127 is the idyll of family life described, and in 132 - the friendly life of two brothers. There is nothing surprising, because the Bible said, “look for the enemy in your house” - this means that a traitor and enemy can always lurk in the family.
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In many psalms one can trace utter despair and darkness, the hostility of others, but this is the reality. The author describes the traps and snares into which his enemies want to lure him; they slander and gossip about him.
The author turns all his experiences and sorrowful thoughts into prayer, expressing with all this that God is his only possible protection and support. And not only him.
Often in the psalms it is made clear that even in such hopeless darkness one can maintain holiness and righteousness. However, the author understands that he cannot hope to be justified by God, he simply hopes for it. This is expressed in the seven penitential psalms, where the author expresses the hope of receiving forgiveness not by merit, but by grace.
After repentance, the author’s life seems to be an effort to maintain his righteousness. He understands that you can expect God’s support only when you yourself act righteously towards the people around you, even if they are hostile.
The theme of freedom of choice for man is often seen in the psalms. His responsibility for the perfect choice is also emphasized separately and very clearly.
Protective prayers
Human life is unpredictable. Because no one can know what exactly Fate has in store. Moreover, trying to find out about the future is also impossible. Because such an action is sinful. But due to the fact that a person cannot find out about the events that will happen in his life, he begins to experience fear. This fear very often gives rise to doubts.
But what frightens Orthodox Christians most of all is death. And only the righteous believe that there is no need to be afraid of death. After all, after the death of a person, his soul goes to the heavenly kingdom. That is, it returns to where it should be. And so the priests also insist that the fear of death is completely unfounded.
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But sometimes it can be quite difficult to deal with it. Of course, we can say that a Christian must be strong in spirit. But many cannot understand where to get this strength. And this is the root of the problem. To understand this, it is necessary to remember the existence of so-called protective prayers. Unfortunately, many have forgotten about them. But it is with the help of these texts that you can protect yourself from all evil.
The end of the world and the afterlife in the psalms
The terms thanksgiving and praise are used very often in the psalms. Not every person is able to distinguish between these concepts, considering them synonymous. However, it's quite simple. Thanksgiving comes from a person to God for some of His gifts, while praise is unconditional worship of Him, almost ecstasy. Thanksgiving glorifies the Almighty for some blessings, praise - for the fact that it is God.
The Book of Praises describes the topic of the afterlife in a very mysterious way, one might say that this is the most mysterious topic here. Life after death is covered in a veil of mystery. Even the author himself asked the Lord a question: who will praise him after the death of the psalmist? This moment gave rise to the fact that for a long time in Israel there was no belief in the existence of an afterlife. It appeared to people in the form of non-existence.
The theme of non-existence is often raised in the psalms. Even in the Old Testament, the topic of the afterlife is not fully disclosed; the prophets did not even establish the specific place where human souls would live after death. In the Psalter there is also no heaven and hell familiar to everyone; instead, there is a certain kingdom of the dead Sheol - a land of oblivion and silence. Those who the Lord will never remember again, those who could not glorify Him, end up there.
Researchers in their reasoning argued that Sheol cannot be called complete non-existence; a weak form of life is still present there. It is useless, joyless, aimless, but it is there. This must seem to many a suffering even more terrible than complete non-existence. Consequently, everyone must do everything in their power during their lifetime to get rid of the power of Sheol in the future.
Psalm 90
This prayer was written by David during difficult times. It should immediately be noted that the kingdom over which he ruled lived in peace for very little time. However, one cannot deny the fact that David still had peaceful days. On such days he preferred to praise the Lord. However, one day such a rare calm day turned into a real nightmare for him.
The reason for this was a serious illness that the ruler suddenly caught. The doctors who arrived at the palace at the first call informed the monarch and members of his family that he had contracted a pestilence. This disease was extremely dangerous because it could take a person’s life. Moreover, during the fever the patient experienced terrible agony.
Worldly healers tried their best to help David. They were looking for a way to rid him of his illness. However, their efforts were unsuccessful. Every day the ruler grew weaker and weaker. Soon he became so weak that he could not even get out of bed. Then people in the palace began to whisper that the king would soon die. But this did not happen. One fine day, David got out of bed, and the amazed doctors saw that he was completely cured. As it turned out later, the king regularly read his prayer every day.
He realized that his only hope was the Lord. That is why he began to selflessly pray to beg heaven for help. And heaven did not remain deaf to his prayer.
Psalm 41
Psalm 41 has two parts that are separated from each other by the chorus, “Why are you discouraged, my soul?” In the first part, the author shows his mental suffering because God left him. In the second, his hope is that he will soon be freed from all misfortunes.
The authorship of this psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah, who were the gatekeepers of the Jerusalem temple. However, the existing inscription “psalm of David” confuses many. In fact, the psalm is dedicated to King David and all the difficulties that befell him in life.
The sons of Korah were close and faithful companions of David, who did not turn away from him even in the difficult moment of fleeing from the rebellion. They dedicated this psalm to him, which began to be considered in Orthodoxy as the song of an exile. In the song, David laments that he has become an exile outside his country. Despite all his despair, the king does not lose faith in God, and only this keeps him from despair in a foreign land.
Therefore, reading Psalm 41 is recommended for those who are currently in a foreign land and suffering from separation from their native land. In addition, Psalm 41 helps all those who suffer from unrequited love.
History of writing
Psalm 43 speaks of a time when a king suffered because of the betrayal of his own son. It was difficult for the prophet to believe that Absalom, his own blood, rebelled against him, luring the ruler’s close associates to his side. In this difficult moment, David constantly prayed, asking God for protection and help. He perceived the trouble that the king faced as a test that he must pass, like any other righteous person, without losing his dignity.
The psalmist did not try to change his destiny, he entrusted it into the hands of the Almighty. The song of praise, judging by the inscription at the beginning of the text, was written by one of the sons of Korah, who were David’s devoted subjects.
Interpretation
- The sons of Korah teach the Israelites the right attitude towards God.
- David grieves over those blessed times when he had the opportunity to express his prayers to God in the temple, and is very sad that he is currently deprived of this. But despite everything, David does not allow despondency to penetrate his soul.
- David's melancholy reaches such an extent that God appears to him everywhere - even in the sound of waterfalls.
- For a heart that sincerely loves God, there is no need to express its feelings in any special way; love flows from the heart itself, like the stormy streams of a river.
- David's sadness turns to the fact that the Lord's enemies revile Him and make false accusations.
- In conclusion, David expresses the hope that someday everything will return to normal and he will again be close to God.
Interpretation of Psalm 43
- Verses 1-2: It tells about the people who plotted against the king. All conspirators are wicked, heavenly punishment awaits them. David asks the Lord for protection, he believes in his help. All disasters befell the king. He experiences feelings of suffering and sorrow.
- Verses 3-4: Even though he expresses all his sorrow, he believes in the miracle of the Lord. He continues to read prayers day after day. The Almighty will definitely send David prosperity and happiness. And the king will ascend the great mountain. He will not tire of thanking God for all the miracles sent.
- Verse 5: David turns to his sorrowing soul, having received no help. He tries to validate his actions with the Lord's word.
Psalm 42
This text is the shortest in the entire Psalter. There are arguments that Psalms 41 and 42 are actually one psalm. The authorship also belongs to the sons of Korah, and it is also dedicated to King David. It covers that period of the king’s life when the uprising of his son Absalom took place. That is, it was one of the most difficult moments of his life, when many seemingly faithful people turned away from him.
The sons of Korah were among those who remained with David to the end. Their father was considered a well-known rebel and was credited with fomenting an unsuccessful rebellion against Moses. He was a rich man, he despised the rule of Moses and was always dissatisfied with something. There is an opinion that the authors of the psalms were not his sons, but their parent was some other Korah, but there is no reliable confirmation of this.
Psalm 42 is most often read for the release of captives.
Psalm 50
The author of this psalm is also David. But if the previous prayer, which was mentioned in the article above, was written by David the righteous, then this one has a completely different story. The fact is that the king wrote this psalm after he fully realized the severity of the sin he had committed.
There is a mention in history that the king committed adultery. The woman he liked so much that he took her into his harem turned out to be married. But this circumstance did not stop the monarch. He committed a sin, as a result of which the girl became pregnant. When it turned out that she was the wife of the famous commander, the king decided to hide his guilt. It is believed that it was on his orders that the beauty’s unfortunate husband was killed. And although sin was hidden from the human race, the heavens were angry. They showed their anger to the unfortunate king. David's children began to kill each other in the struggle for the throne, and the peace in the country suddenly turned into war. In order to beg the Lord for forgiveness for his sin, David repented. During his repentance, he used Psalm 50, which he wrote in his own hand.
The clergy strongly recommend reading this prayer every day. Because some people may not even notice that they are sinning. Moreover, we should not forget that it is extremely important for a righteous Christian to pray not only for himself, but also for other people. If we look at history, it becomes clear that the Lord has always been tolerant of sinners. This is confirmed by the story of King David. Because he could very well pay for his sins with his life. However, due to the fact that this sinner was able to find the spiritual strength for sincere repentance, he was pardoned.
Interpretation
As already mentioned, Psalm 42 is a complement to Psalm 41, and in some manuscripts they are a single whole. But more often Psalm 41 is considered as an independent song.
- The psalmist prays to God for help against the people who are plotting evil against him.
- Verse 3 contains hope and prayer for a return to Jerusalem, Mount Zion. The light described in the psalm is a symbol of life and understanding, and truth is the word of God. At the end there is an expression of hope and the same refrain as in the previous psalm.
How to read the psalms correctly?
This question is asked by many believers. But the answer is quite simple. The Church insists that the psalms be read in the same way as other prayers. Firstly, a person must be alone, unless we are talking about reading a prayer in a temple. Secondly, his thoughts must be pure. Thirdly, it is important to tune in correctly and try to completely get rid of negative emotions.
When reading a prayer, a person should be calm. Every word of the prayer must be felt. It is extremely important that a Christian understands exactly what meaning is inherent in prayer. If something remains unclear, then it is imperative to ask a spiritual mentor for clarification.
