We read the Psalter. Psalm 49
Audio |
Conversation with Archpriest Alexy Ladygin about the Psalter.
– Dear brothers and sisters, we will analyze the 49th Psalm. Like the others, it has the inscription: “A Psalm to Asaph,” one of those who leads the psalmists. It echoes Psalm 48 - it also speaks about the last times and about man’s responsibility before the Lord, about the Judgment before which he will appear and be responsible for his past life. “The God of gods, the Lord, spoke and called the earth from the east of the sun to the west.” What gods? We must clearly understand that gods here are called righteous people who follow God, and those leaders who head the courts, rule the people and listen to the word of God, fulfilling His Law. “The God of gods is the Lord of the verb...”, that is, the Lord addresses all people living on earth. "...and called the earth from the east of the sun to the west." When it is said “from the east of the sun to the west,” this shows that the Lord embraces the whole earth and addresses everyone living on the earth.
“From Zion is the splendor of His beauty.” It speaks of spiritual beauty and of Zion as a place where the Lord takes special service, where the house of the Living God is built. Jerusalem, Zion are all synonyms for a place of grace, and in the Old Testament the most grace-filled place is where the Temple of Jerusalem was as the seat of the Living God. What kind of beauty are we talking about here? We always say that the Psalmist is not just sharing some impressions; he is a prophet, prophesies about future times - here he also prophesies about the Christian Church, which will be spread throughout the entire earth: it is also the place where the Living God dwells.
“God will come, our God, and will not be silent: a fire will kindle before Him, and a storm will surround Him.” “God will clearly come...” - here the psalmist David speaks about the Coming of Christ the Savior to earth: He “visibly” came, but at the same time His First Coming was secret, hidden both from man and from the enemy of the human race, who could not see Him to know. “Are you the Son of God?” he asks Him. “If you are the Son of God, then do such and such.” That is, the appearance of Christ was also hidden for him. But the Second Coming of Christ will be obvious: “God will come…”, that is, God will come clearly, “… and will not remain silent,” because He is our God. What will His appearance be like? Truly obvious to everyone - all nations and ends of the earth, the whole universe will see our God. The Lord will appear like lightning, from one end to the other, His Coming will be clear and visible. “...a fire will kindle before Him, and a storm will surround Him.” Just as it is impossible to pass by a storm without seeing it, so it will be impossible not to see the appearance of the Lord. His Second Coming will be like thunder, lightning, shaking of the air - all this attracts the attention of a person, like the shaking of the earth itself: there will not be a single person who will not see Christ coming to earth.
“Heaven will call from above and the earth to judge His people.” To expose people and bring judgment on them, the Lord will call Heaven from above and earth. The Holy Fathers differ slightly or complement each other in their interpretation of this passage of Holy Scripture. That is, the Lord will call both the righteous and sinners as a testimony to condemn people, Heaven and earth - nothing will be hidden from God, but everything will be obvious and will testify about a person’s life, about his good deeds or his untruths committed by him in the past. earth. Remember, the Holy Scripture says: “If a person remains silent, the stones will cry out about the works of God”? Even inanimate objects will speak about human deeds; they will testify to the good deeds performed by man. There are many different allegories about this in the Church, when even a brick placed in a church building for a person will testify to prayer for this person and for a good deed done in his name. That is why the Church has a tradition of personalized bricks placed in a church building or church fence: the name of the person is written on them - in the name of whom this brick or this stone is being placed. And these stones will testify. There is a legend that a certain good man did a good deed - he cleaned the church, washed the church floor and walls, which then testified to this good deed, done in the name of the Lord and the salvation of his own soul. That is, all the good that a person does and the evil that he does - all this is absorbed by the inanimate, material world, and it will also testify at the Last Judgment about our lives, about our deeds, and nothing will be hidden from the Lord . The Lord, in order to correctly convict a person and judge him, will call Heaven from above and earth. All the holy fathers say that if Heaven and Earth calls, then the angels of God will also testify about our life and all the deeds accomplished throughout our lives. Guardian angels, constantly staying with us, will testify to a person’s life.
“Gather to Him His venerables who have made His covenant concerning sacrifices. And the heavens will proclaim His righteousness, for God is the judge.” Whom does the Lord call venerable here? Righteous people who were like God in everything, lived and fulfilled the Law of God in everything, “who made His covenant about sacrifices,” that is, they fulfilled God’s covenant about sacrifices and acted as prescribed by the Law. If we note that this psalm speaks more about the life of the Jews, then naturally we must clearly understand what was holy for them, and the fulfillment of the Law was holy for them. He ordered sacrifices: if you do not offer sacrifices, then you should not talk about any righteousness. But if you do all this, then you become like God.
“And the heavens will declare His righteousness, for God is the judge.” Why will heaven tell the truth? Yes, because God is a judge, He has the right to judge man, everything is in the power of God, He is the Creator and Creator, and the whole universe obeys Him. He can change laws, He asks for the fulfillment of the Law. And if He is a judge, then we must tell God about our lives. Through all this we are dedicated to God. If we are dedicated to God, then we must live according to the vows we make.
“Hear, my people, and I will speak to you Israel, and testify to you: God, your God, I am.” Here God speaks to people. It is very important, and the Lord always pays attention to this, that everyone hears God: “Everyone who has ears, let him hear.” And it is not by chance that God addresses people: “Hear, my people...”, that is, do not just listen and let this phrase pass by your consciousness, but hear - we must accept every word when it is not someone, but God, who addresses us . “Hear, my people...”, and emphasizes that you are My people. He does not address those who have not known Him, He does not address the pagans, the infidels, those who bring filth into this life, but He does not address His people. In this case, if God is speaking through the prophet David to today, then He is speaking to each of us. And who are the people of God? Those who have received the sacrament of Baptism. We are the people of God, it is the Lord who speaks to us. He wants to tell us something important, and we must heed this word.
“...and I will say to you...” To whom shall I speak? Israel. The Lord very clearly emphasizes through the psalmist David that His people are Israel: “...and I will testify to you: God, your God, I am.” “It’s not just anyone reaching out to you. Why should you pay attention, strain your hearing, listen? You are My people, you are My Israel, and I am Your God, Creator, Maker. I am the one who does good to you throughout your life. I brought you out of captivity, saved you from the hands of the enemy, delivered you from slave labor. I do good for you on a private level, for everyone personally. I send you mercy and forgive your sins. I am your God. Therefore, I will speak now, and you pay attention to this as My creation, because the Creator Himself speaks to you.”
“I will not reprove you because of your sacrifices, but your burnt offerings will be taken away before Me.” What will the Lord talk about? Not about victims. Yes, God needs sacrifices, and you make them, you do everything according to the Law, correctly; these burnt offerings actually burn before Him, and He sees them. But that is not the importance. And what?
“I will not accept bulls from Your house, nor goats from Your flocks.” The Lord says that the pagans also make sacrifices - with a cold heart, without any attention, without working on themselves. He does not need such fulfillment of the external law, He will not accept just such a sacrifice: it must be offered, but not in this way. God commanded the Old Testament man to sacrifice not because God needed it, but so that man would not forget God, so that he would follow the outer path, but would apply greater zeal to it, that is, he would continue to improve. It's like prayer: if it is done outwardly, then it is not accepted by God. “They honor Me with their lips,” says the Lord in the New Testament, “but the heart is far from Me.” The external sacrifice must be accompanied by the internal work of everyone who believes in the true God and reveres Him - he must strive to fulfill His Law, but fulfill it in all truth, in purity, making every effort.
“For all the beasts of the oak trees, the cattle of the mountains, and the ox are mine. I know all the birds of the sky, and the beauty of the countryside is with Me.” “Everything is Mine,” says the Lord. – Do you think I feed on these sacrifices that you make? No, I am the Master, I am the Creator of this world, and everything that you bring to Me, I myself can take. Everything you sacrifice belongs to Me.” It must be said that the Old Testament man sacrificed sheep, goats, calves, and birds of the air to God. “...and the beauty of the countryside is with Me” - these are the fruits ripening in the field. And they sacrificed oil to God and burned it, so the Lord listed all this so that people would not think that He feeds on it; everything already belongs to Him.
And further He says: “Even if I hunger, I will not tell you: for the universe and its fulfillment are Mine. Do I eat the meat of yuncha or drink the blood of goats?” That is, the Lord says: “If I were hungry, then everything that is on this earth, I could take for myself at any moment - it belongs to me.” The Old Testament sacrifice is a prototype of the One Sacrifice, our Pascha, when the Lord already offers Himself as a Sacrifice. Therefore, the sacrifice is preserved, and until the end of the Old Testament the Lord does not abolish it. Seeing temptations and temptations, seeing the bias of the Old Testament man only in one direction, that he fulfills the external Law, but does not grow spiritually, the Lord still does not abolish it, but wants more from man. And through the prophet David he says: “Do not look for external sacrifice, do not think that I feed on this, I am the Lord of the universe and everything in this world belongs to Me.”
“Consume the sacrifice of praise to God and render your prayers to the Most High. And call upon Me in the day of your tribulation, and destroy you, and glorify Me.” What does it mean to “devour the sacrifice of praise to God”? God needs His glorification and service. God is glorified through our deeds and actions. “And give your prayers to the Most High”—an intense, earnest prayer is needed. The Holy Fathers say that prayer here means not only prayer as communication with God, but also those good deeds that a person should do. After all, prayer is the good that we bring to life. When do we glorify God? When we reveal Him to people. When we do good deeds, then we begin to communicate with God in fullness, truth, and truth. And the service itself must be true, deep - only in the fullness of serving God do we receive justification. And the fullness of service - through good deeds, through praise, praise, thanksgiving - should be to the true God. And who is God? What is the name of God? What God should we serve? And here the Psalmist prophesies about the Holy Trinity, saying: “Consume the sacrifice of praise to God and render your prayers to the Most High. And call upon Me in the day of your tribulation, and destroy you, and glorify Me.” That is: “Serve God the Father and render Thy prayers to the Most High (that is, God the Son). And call on Me (the Holy Spirit) in the day of your tribulation, and destroy you, and glorify Me.” This is how the deepest meaning of serving the Holy Trinity is revealed here. God will always help you and never leave you, and you can always glorify God when you truly honor Him.
“But God said to the sinner: How will you tell My justifications and accept My covenant with your lips?” The Lord says to the sinner: “Why do you honor Me only with your lips? You say one thing, but act differently, only outwardly you honor Me, but inwardly you do not serve Me at all? You say one thing and do another.” Here, of course, there is a denunciation of both the scribes and the Pharisees - they said one thing, but lived a completely different life. And the Lord condemns all this and warns us so that we never fall into the sin of unrighteousness. The Lord condemned even some small word of the Pharisee, who pointed at the tax collector. You should never point out a person who commits sin and untruth.
“But you hated punishment and you rejected My words.” What does “hated punishment” mean? That is, the mandate, what the Lord gave: the study and fulfillment of the Law of God. “It is one thing for you to make a sacrifice to Me, but another thing is for you to strive in every possible way to fulfill the Law that I gave you. This is the meaning of your ministry."
“If you saw your aunt, you flowed with him, and you considered your participation with the adulterer.” The Lord denounces not the one who himself commits theft and adultery, but the one who saw and did not stop this, remained silent, thereby committing this sin with him. Here the holy fathers also say about the New Testament times that we must strive in every possible way to fulfill the Law of God ourselves and to stop a person who commits a sin, that is, not to hide it before the confessor, the priest, so that the person is stopped before he makes a sacrifice of serving God.
“Your lips multiply malice, and your tongue weaves together flattery.” That is, your mouth has multiplied all unrighteousness, and your tongue also speaks all deceit.
“When you sat down, you slandered your brother and caused offense to your mother’s son.” Here the Psalmist very clearly says that each of us should not laugh at our brother’s sin and not disclose it - each of us is responsible for the word spoken, but disclosing the sin of another can cause him spiritual defeat, and not correction. Here everyone should care more about himself than about revealing his brother’s sin.
“Thou hast done this, and kept silent, thou hast abhorred iniquity, for I will be like thee. I will reprove you and bring your sins before you.” The Lord says very well in these words that he hated lawlessness and for the time being remains silent, seeing that a person sins, does not talk about sins, but waits for the person to bring correction. Not because He does not see, does not want to emphasize human sin, but waits for the person to correct himself, understand his sin and move away from this path.
“Understand this, you who forget God, lest he snatch away, and never deliver.” The Lord, even if a person sins, still cares about him, strives for him to come to repentance, to correct himself, so that the enemy does not kidnap him or destroy him, so that it is possible to bring repentance. God also cares about sinful people.
“The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me, and there is the way in which I will show My salvation.” It says more here that the Lord accepts every sacrifice from a person, but an internal, spiritual sacrifice, and this sacrifice must be associated with contrition and humility of his spirit. “The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me...” What sacrifice of praise is the Lord talking about? Of course, this speaks of the One Sacrifice that our Lord Jesus Christ offered for the whole world and for all humanity. “...and there is the way by which I will show him My salvation” - and in this Sacrifice lies the path of every person. Whoever accepts this Sacrifice, who unites with it, receives salvation and will be glorified for all ages.
An amazing and wonderful psalm. He gives us spiritual courage and speaks of our responsibility for our lives. So that we do not accept our service to God as external: for God it is not external service that is important. For Him, the most important thing is our inner life, our contrite and humble heart.
Recorded by Elena Kuzoro
Psalms, Psalm 48
48 This psalm preaches about the Divine judgment of all people, and about the day in which God will bring every creature into judgment. The sons of Kore can represent the person of the Apostles, who led the mysteries in the heavenly places.
48:1 Finally, son of Korah, psalm.
48:2 Hear this throughout the nations, teach it to all who live throughout the world. Just as the entire human race calls to salvation, so the word calls everyone together to the doctrine of Divine judgment.
48:3 And the sons and sons of mankind. He calls earth-born people more rude, barbarians, inhabiting desert places, not governed by the laws of society, while sons of men lead a more educated life and are governed by laws.
48:4 My mouth shall speak wisdom. Just as he divided his listeners into many categories, so he divides his teaching into different types. This is what the face of the Apostles says, having in their mouth Christ, Who is the Wisdom of the Father. For the Apostles, having Christ in their mouths and always learning about Him in their thoughts, acquired understanding, and so sharpened their minds for understanding that they understood the Savior’s parables proposed in the Gospels. Why, when Christ asked them: Do you understand all this? saying to Him: to her (Matthew 13:51).
48:5 I will incline my ear to the parable. Having sharpened my mind to understand saving parables, I am able to comprehend the mind contained in them. And for those who, due to infancy, are unable to do this, I will reveal what is concluded, I will explain the fortune-telling and parables. And I will do this with the help of My psalter, that is, a body emitting a voice like an organ with which the soul is tuned to song, skillfully moved by every feeling, every member, every part of the body.
48:6 Whom do I fear on the day of cruelty? This begins the word on judgment, setting out the first part of the teaching as if in the form of a preface. He begins with a question in order to have an answer to it. The question is: why am I afraid? The speech must be stopped at the word “I’m afraid” so that the following meaning comes out: if anyone asks what I’m afraid of, wanting to find out from me the reason for my anxiety, then let him listen without mistrust that there is a fierce day that I fear and am terrified of. I am terrified, because on that day the iniquity of my heel will pass over me, that is, the deviation from the divine path that I made in life, through entertainment and deception, transgressing the law of God, will pass by. Therefore it is said: this wickedness will pass over me, whereas it should be said: my evil deeds that I have done will appear before me, surrounding and besieging me from everywhere and not giving me the opportunity to escape torment. He calls the day of judgment a cruel day, because it will be cruel for those who are subject to torment. And the Apostle called it the day of wrath, saying: store up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath (Rom. 2:5).
48:7 Those who trust in their own strength. In general, this means: listen to this, relying on wealth and strength. What should they listen to? Of course, it is not otherwise, but that on that day wealth will not benefit them. For no one can deliver them from the wrath that threatens them for sin.
48:8 A brother will not deliver. He calls a God-loving and honorable person brother. And therefore, like a brother (add: God-loving), so no other person will be able to deliver anyone on that day. If a brother, and a God-loving one at that, is not able to do so, then he will even be unable to make this wealth.
48:9 And the price of the deliverance of his soul. Having taught that wealth will not be used in the least on the day of judgment, he also teaches what is useful. What is useful? - to acquire a life that is exhausting and difficult. For those who acquire it will be worthy of the life promised in the next century. He who troubles himself with activity to the end will live by knowledge, and will rest forever, and will live victorious. And work hard forever.
48:10 And he will live to the end. He will not see harm,
48:11 When the wise man sees him dying. They will be so far from the wicked that they will not even come close to their destruction. Who are these dying wise men, besides those about whom it is said: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and destroy the understanding of the prudent (1 Cor. 1:19)? So, Scripture in this place instructs in every possible way that on the day of judgment neither the rich nor the imaginary wise man will deliver himself, but he alone will receive eternal life who has exhausted himself in this life. Together the mad and the senseless will perish. Together, he says, both the wise and the foolish will be given over to destruction, because they did not differentiate from each other, serving idols equally. And they will leave their wealth to strangers. For they did not want to make it their own, providing benefits to those in need.
48:12 And destroy their dwellings forever. The graves mean the deadness in which they clothed their souls, not thinking anything true and right about God. Their settlements are from generation to generation. The villages in which they lived during life will move from one clan to another. For he said this above: they will leave their wealth to strangers. I named my names on the lands. They had to work through faith and bright life so that their names would be written in heaven, and they gave themselves names on earth, creating cities of the same name for themselves.
48:13 And this man is in honor without understanding. The reason why they fell into a high opinion of themselves is called carnal desires. And this means not understanding your honor, that you were created in the image of God. They exchanged heavenly villages for living on earth like senseless cattle, and life from God for coffins.
48:15 This way is their temptation. The Divine Scripture usually names the life of everyone and the time of life of everyone. This path, he says, they made for themselves harsh and hostile, as if they did not reason about anything right. But when they stumbled on it, then they did not notice the temptations. And to this day they are pleased in their mouths. As if he were saying this: they will confess, repenting of having embarked on this path, but will no longer have time for repentance.
48:15 As sheep are in hell. Since they did not want to have a good shepherd over them, but renounced their honor, they corrupted their bodies like cattle, and for this they became the sheep of hell, and the one who shepherds them will lead them to his pastures, some into eternal fire, others to where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. , and others into pitch darkness. And they have the taste of the morning. They will no longer rise up against the pious, as they did in this life; on the contrary, those who are worthy of the morning time and the new light will prevail over the wicked. And their help will be promised in hell. Any help or strength for them that glory gave them will be destroyed by death, for it is said “it promises” instead of “it will be destroyed.”
48:16 Otherwise, God will deliver my soul from the hand of hell when He accepts me. But I, who say this, will be delivered by God, and my soul will not be taken away and left with these sheep in hell.
48:17 Fear not when a man becomes rich. Having learned what the end of the wicked will be, do not please those who are enriched in life, do not be afraid, as if abandoned beyond all hope, do not lose heart, as if, deprived of real blessings, you are deprived of great blessings. Know firmly that deliverance from death and eternal life await you. And the one whom many call happy because of wealth, fame and false wisdom, he will no longer have anything for himself, he will even be taken away naked from everything that he had in the world.
48:18 For if he ever dies, he will not take it all away. Godless people thought that they could derive one benefit from wealth, so that their soul would be blessed in mortal and temporary life, when people praise and call them happy for the blessings that they apparently possess. Below his glory will fall from him, because everything is temporary. Such a one will then give thanks to You, the Creator, when You increase his wealth.
48:20 He will go down even to the generations of his fathers. He will imitate the jealousy of his fathers and, coming from evil fathers, he will inherit wickedness. He won't even see the light until a century. Those who are wise in this way have become spiritually blind, neither in their mortal life were they enlightened by the light of knowledge, nor in the future will they be worthy of eternal light.
49 Asaph sings this psalm, introducing the person of the lawgiver, and both abolishing the Old Testament sacrifices and introducing the sacrifices of the new covenant - gifts of praise. The leaders among the Jews, neglecting virtue, placed it in reading and proclaiming the Law, as well as making sacrifices. But reading the Law and making sacrifices are only the fruit of virtue in a person. To do this alone without virtue means the same thing as anointing yourself for the struggle, but not caring about the struggle itself, for which the crown is given. Therefore, blessed David denounces those who do this, and imagines how God reproaches such and declares to them that He abhors sacrifices offered without virtue, which He also said through Isaiah: the wicked man eats the bulls, as if he were killing a husband, and so on. (Isa. 66:3). David clothed his speech in images, and introduced God coming from heaven, sitting in the judgment seat, and pronouncing judgment on the Jewish rulers.
49:1 The God of gods is the Lord of the word, and he called the earth. With God, saints are gods. Give God to Pharaoh (Ex. 7:1); and: Az rekh, bozi este (Ps. 81:6). When are they called by God? Was it not then that he became human and spoke and called upon the whole earth? What did he say if not this: Go and learn all languages (Matthew 28:19); and: is it fitting for this Gospel to be preached throughout the whole universe (Mark 13:10)?
49:2 From Zion is the blessing of His beauty. God will come. By saying: from Zion, he means the first, and by saying: from Zion, he means the second coming. At His first coming and glorious theophany, He was silent, judged by men, and did not openly reveal His Divinity. At His second coming, He will not come hidden, as in the first, but in reality, and, as He himself says, like lightning passing from the east to the west (Matthew 24:27). He will come and will not remain silent, but will expose the sin of the world. If God comes in reality, and Christ is God, then of course the phrase “appearance” points to the flesh. The fire will kindle before Him to burn those worthy of Him for their wickedness. This is similar to what was said: a river of fire flowed before Him. For blessed Daniel saw the same thing, who says: a river of fire flows before Him: His throne is a flame of fire, His wheels are scorching fire (Dan. 7:9.10). And fire either means the light emanating from Him, because the knowledge of Christ is preceded by the mental light acquired by faith, the image of which was the pillar of fire that led the Israelites at night, or it means that the Savior kindled us, who had grown cold in every sin, with zeal for all that is good, like mental fire by putting into us the communion of the Holy Spirit. For he said: fire came to the earth (Luke 12:49). And all of us who were granted such grace became alive in spirit. Therefore, with the grace-filled gift of the Holy Spirit, the manifestation of fire is introduced. For, according to the word of John, we are baptized in Christ with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16). One of the prophets said: He enters like the fire of a furnace, and like the soap of those who feather. And he sits, boiling and purifying like silver and like gold (Mal. 3:2, 3), because the power of the Holy Spirit destroys all filth in us. This did not bring the slightest benefit to the Jewish Synagogue, because those about whom God spoke in Jeremiah did not accept the grace: the skin of the fire is empty, the tin is rotten, the forger forges silver in vain, for their wickedness is not exhausted (Jer. 6:29).
49:4 Heaven will call from above. Those who live on earth, as it is said somewhere in the psalms, were formerly part of the fox (Ps. 62:11), serving unclean spirits, and in every place honoring as god whatever was presented to whom. But the Savior who appeared illuminated us with the light of true knowledge of God. Like a good shepherd, He converted the lost, bound the sick, drove away the beasts from the sheepfold, sanctified them with the Spirit, protected them with angelic powers, and placed holy secret guides throughout the earth. And therefore it is said that He will call the heavenly angels and the chosen ones on earth for the apostleship, to judge His people. For the Apostles brought those who believed to God, but delivered those who did not believe to Satan, saying almost like this: go to the light of your fire, and into the flame with which you were kindled. To the unbelieving Jews they say: it is not right for you to speak the word of God first: but having rejected it and made it unworthy for yourselves to live eternally, behold, we are turned into tongues (Acts 13:46). And that the angels assist those who lead the mysteries and their disciples, this is explained by Paul, saying: Isn’t this the essence of ministering souls, we are sent to serve for those who want to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14)? This was also depicted by the ladder Jacob saw, ascending from earth to heaven, on which the Lord established himself, and along which the Angels ascended and descended (Gen. 28:12). This is also what is said: the Lord will encamp around those who fear Him and will deliver them (Ps. 33:8). And thus the Angels, by the same token that assist people, judge them. Heaven will call from above, that is, the righteous who are leading a heavenly life will be gathered to the heavenly abodes. And the earth, judge for their own people, that is, sinners. And he will gather all those living on earth to separate the righteous from the unrighteous.
49:5 Gather unto him his venerables. The speech is addressed, as it were, to the Angels, in accordance with what was said: His angels will come and gather the righteous from the four winds of the earth (Matthew 24:31). Bequeathing His covenant about sacrifices. This means spiritual sacrifices.
49:6 And the heavens will declare His righteousness. That is, the heavens will glorify God for having honored humans with heavenly abodes. He wants the saints of the people of the first, before the future judgment, to stop the sacrifices consisting of the slaughter of dumb animals, and to accept the sacrifice according to reason and knowledge. Moreover, the heavenly powers sing praises to the Judge for having begun with the monks. And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, rejoicing over their salvation. The earthly home will be left to the rank that has not been worthy of the heavenly title. For God is the judge. Here he clearly calls Christ God. For the Father gave all judgment to the Sons (John 5:22). And if the Father gives all judgment to the Sons and God is the judge, then Christ is God.
49:7 Hear ye my people, and I will speak unto you. Introducing new laws, so that no one would mistake them for a human word or the word of some angelic power, he introduces the words: God thy God is I. I am the same one who from the beginning and until now has shown great miracles to your family. From the fact that I now establish different laws, do not conclude that I am different. On the contrary, I am the One who through Moses gave the laws regarding sacrifices. I testify to you that you will not be accused of breaking the laws of Moses. For I myself, who commanded my servant there what was useful, now testify that there is no need for you to preserve what was legalized about sacrifices. Even if you don’t make sacrifices, then in this case they have already been made. (8). Your burnt offerings will be taken out before Me, although they are not offered by you. If, by all means, you try to make a sacrifice to Me, as something worthy and necessary, then listen with all confidence that I will not accept anything from you, because all this is unnecessary for Me. And the animals grazing in the fields, and the oxen, and the cattle, and the birds of the air, and the beauty of the countryside - all this is Mine, and I have no need for anything. And even if I ever needed food, I would not be so meager as to ask something like that from you. (12) Mine is the universe. What kind of sacrifices will you offer Me? Praise, chant, theologians. When you fulfill this, then, as one who has fulfilled the Divine law, you will receive as reward that you will be heard as soon as you call. And showing to what people he was addressing this speech, he added: To Israel, and I will testify to you. Then he points to His own dominion: God is your God. I am the God who delivered you from Egyptian slavery, who turned the sea into a path, who dwelt in the desert, who gave you that Law. For do not consider Me to be another lawgiver, seeing the difference in laws.
49:8 It is not because of your sacrifices that I will rebuke you. “I do not blame you for being careless about sacrifices,” he says, because you make them constantly, but I command you not to make an excuse for them.
49:16 But God said to the sinner: What kind of justifications will you tell me? Here he calls the interpreter of the divine Scriptures a sinner. And this is similar to what was said: praise is not red in the mouth of a sinner (Sir. 15:9). For if he transgresses all the commandments, is given over to every vice, and has made his tongue flattering, then why does he have the divine Scriptures in his mouth?
49:21 I felt iniquity, because I would be like you. Before, he says, I was long-suffering, but now I will not do so. For to reprove you I will present your sins, which you thought would no longer appear and would not come to anyone’s memory. But I, as God, will bring them into the light, and they will stand before you. I will not hide them as you hide them, and I will not become like you. But I will bring them out on Wednesday so that, by making them famous, I will cover you with shame. I will reprove you and bring your sins before your face.
49:22 Understand this, you who forget God. As one who loves mankind, after reproof he also adds advice, giving room for repentance. Understand that I endure for a long time, not because I rejoice in your deeds, but because I give time for repentance. But if we do not understand, then the wicked or iniquity snatches us away, because there is no one who delivers us. For I deliver those who understand how bad they are, and cease to be bad, and say: they have sinned, they have sinned, they have committed unrighteousness (2 Chron. 6:37). It is impossible to confess to someone who does even worse things. Yes, not when he steals, and there is no deliverer, that is, so that death does not steal the soul, bring repentance, because there is no deliverer for those held by sins in hell. And the soul is kidnapped as having completely fallen away from God.
49:23 The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me. He repeats what was said before, commanding him to perform verbal service. After a strong accusation, he showed a cure for sin, namely the use of the sacraments. For this is truly a sacrifice of praise, glorifying God, because then we stand, offering praise together with the Angels and with all creation. And there is the path by which I will show him My salvation, that is, in the sacrifice of praise lies the path of salvation prepared by God.
50
50:1 In the end, a psalm of song to David, always bring Nathan the prophet to him,
50:2 Whenever you come down to Bupcabiu.
50:3 David sings this psalm, which contains a confession of two crimes: the murder of Uriah and adultery with Bathsheba. He shows all people the saving path of repentance, as a kind of art of constantly winning victory over the enemy. For the one who always cares about repentance and commits it turns out to be the winner of the incessantly attacking (enemy). He introduces into the psalm a prophecy about the future general deliverance from sins in holy baptism, saying: sprinkle me, and the teaching about serving with the spirit. Finally, he shows that he has retained the gift of prophecy, because he does not ask for it to be given to him, since he has already been deprived of the gift, but begs only not to take the gift away, saying: “Don’t take it away from me.”
50:3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy. Since the sin is great, it asks God for great mercy. And according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse my iniquity. Only God's bounty can wash hands defiled by murder. But to further clarify what has been said, he says:
50:4 Washed me especially. And here he asks for complete purification, so that the importance of the sin can be seen from everything. Or: since Nathan had already told him about the forgiveness of sin, and various disasters had greatly reduced it, he now says: I need cleansing and washing, so that the deeply rooted defilement may be completely destroyed. Most of all, wash me from my iniquity, that is, from the lawlessness of murder, and cleanse me from my sin, that is, from the sin of adultery. One must know that sin is a fall from goodness, and lawlessness is a sin against the Divine law. This is the beginning of both sin and lawlessness. This is where they are similar to each other. For the one who sins deviates from the goal, which is in his nature and in accordance with it, and the goal of human nature is to live according to reason, avoiding foolishness. But the lawless person also, by living incontinently, sins against the law that was given to him in nature. And therefore, the disciple of Christ, the Apostle John, rightly brings into one both sin and lawlessness, saying: everyone who commits sin also commits lawlessness (1 John 3:4). In other words: sin is similar to lawlessness, because everyone who acts lawlessly sins.
50:5 For I know my iniquity. And he said this about murder. And I will take away my sin before me. Everywhere he carries with him the remembrance of the sin of adultery, because this sin does not leave him and does not retreat from him, but always remains with him and torments him.
50:6 You alone have I sinned, and I have done evil before You. That is, having hidden himself from the eyes of every man in iniquity, he was not hidden from Your eyes only. That is why he says: I have created evil in Your sight. Having taken advantage of many things from You, I rewarded them with the opposite. However, he does not mean that he did not do injustice to Uriah: for was it possible to say this? But he says that he dared to commit the greatest iniquity before God, Who chose him and made him a King from a shepherd, or, since, having hidden himself from the eyes of everyone, he did not hide from the eyes of God, but, on the contrary, was convicted by a prophet, or, since, as a King, he did not was subject to the law of man, but, as a godly man, he was obedient to the one God, or, since none of the people convicted him, but the only God admonished him, he says: You, the only one, have sinned: so that you may be justified in all your words. You, who transgressed the law, convicted me through the prophet. You are righteous, You have always delivered me from enemies, You have honored me with the kingship and the gift of prophecy, but I am vile and a murderer. And win and never judge Ti. This is a confession or confession of sins.
50:8 Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. God’s original intention was that we should not be born through marriage and corruption, but the transgression of the commandment introduced marriage as a result of Adam’s iniquity, that is, as a result of deviating from the law given to him by God. So, everyone born from Adam is conceived in sins, subject to the condemnation of the progenitor. And what was said: and in sins my mother gave birth to me means that the mother common to all of us - Eve - was the first to give birth to sin, as one who desired pleasure. That is why it is said about us, who fell under our mother’s condemnation, that we too are born in sins. David shows how human nature initially fell under sin in the crime of Eve, and how birth became subject to a curse. The word dates back to primitive times, wanting to show the greatness of God's gift.
50:8 For Thou hast loved the truth, Thou hast revealed to me Thy unknown and secret wisdom. The meaning of the speech is this: You, Lord, You Who are the truth, love the truth, and want us to remain in the truth, cleanse us from ancient sin, and cleanse us with hyssop, so that we will be convinced more than snow. He likens hyssop to the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit, as warming us and cleansing all filth in us. And the cleansing will be accomplished by hyssop, that is, by the Holy Spirit; because hyssop grows and cleanses. Finally, with the words: You have revealed Your unknown and secret wisdom to me, makes it clear that God revealed to him by the Holy Spirit everything that would happen, and that He laid down in His wisdom.
50:9 Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Having said: You gave divine laws and statutes, he adds even more: You bestowed certain purifications in the laws and through the sprinkling of hyssop. For the same purpose, now grant us something similar, since You are the same God. Or, perhaps, he secretly talks about some kind of sacrament. Moses in Egypt was commanded to sprinkle the blood of a sheep with hyssop on the pragues (Ex. 12:22), and we were redeemed with the most honest blood. So, since the sprinkling of blood served as a protection so that those living in the house would not suffer anything from the destroyer, then David rightly, making a mysterious reminder of that blood, says: sprinkle me with hyssop, secretly meaning the future cleansing of all by the blood of the true lamb of Christ, desiring to be worthy of this cleansing, which alone can cleanse completely and make it whiter than snow.
50:10 My hearing brings joy and gladness. By the Spirit you will prepare me again so that I can hear the joy and joy that will be in the last times. What is this if not the knowledge of the future resurrection, about which he taught, saying: the bones of the humble will rejoice? When will our rotten bones rejoice? Is it not after the resurrection, when, as another prophet says, our bones will languish like grass (Isa. 66:14)? Humble bones will rejoice. The strength of my soul will rejoice, because before it was weak under sins.
50:11 Turn away Your face from my sins. Again he turns to confession.
50:12 Create in me a pure heart, O God. Renew, he says, my worn-out soul, upset by sin. And renew the right spirit, that is, confirm it, in my womb. This means the same as if to say: bring my mind into safety, so that it will no longer be easy for it to fall into sin.
50:13 And do not take the Holy Spirit from me. Again he prays for the Prophetic Spirit to come upon him. For He left him because of sin.
50:14 Give me the joy of Your salvation. This applies to the entire human race. He calls the coming of the Lord the joy of salvation, according to what Simeon said: as my eyes have seen Your salvation (Luke 2:30). He prays that he too may be a partaker of it. And strengthen me with the Lord's Spirit. The Spirit, Whom he previously called upright, is here called sovereign.
50:15 I will teach the wicked your way. As soon as You deliver me from sin, and then give me Your Holy Spirit, I will again teach those who break the law to walk in Your ways.
50:16 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation. Again he offers a prayer to get rid of the defilement into which he fell by the murder of Uriah, or better to say, to get rid of blood, that is, from bloody sacrifices, as the subsequent words of the psalm show, which say:
50:18 For if you had desired sacrifice, you would have given it, and so on. My tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Symmachus translated it this way: “my tongue shall speak of Thy alms.” Having received remission of sins, I will not remain silent, but I will not stop praising You and will tell Your mercies. Since You have abolished the sacrifices under the law, which cannot grant remission of sins, therefore I myself have offered You the sacrifice that You loved; and this is a sacrifice made by repentance and a contrite heart.
50:20 Bless Zion, O Lord, with Thy favor. The Church here calls it Zion. For when God the Father was pleased to preside over all things concerning His Son (Eph. 1:10); then He gave His good promises to His Church. And may the walls of Jerusalem be built. He calls the holy clergy who protect His Church the Walls of Jerusalem.
50:21 Then favor the sacrifice of righteousness. When, he says, you make Zion happy and the walls of Jerusalem are built, then sacrifices will be made, not bloody sacrifices, but sacrifices of righteousness, that is, praise. The offering is both burnt offerings, and by burnt offerings we mean the offering of righteousness and a bloodless sacrifice. Then they will place bullocks on Your altar, that is, bullocks of righteousness, so that everything will be from righteousness, there will be sacrifices of righteousness, and offerings of righteousness, and burnt offerings of righteousness, and bullocks of righteousness.
