Псалом 35

The first half of Psalm XXXV (Ps. 35:1-5) describes the wicked who constantly plots against the righteous and plots against him; he cannot calm down even at night, which he spends thinking about evil plans. This characteristic is very suitable for Saul, the restless pursuer of David, which is why this psalm, in the absence of any other specific indications in it, can be considered written in the era of persecution from this king. True piety is possible for one in whom there is the fear of God, therefore the wicked, as someone who does not have this fear, always strives only for evil (2-5). But no matter how great the power of the wicked, the mercy and truth of the Lord towards man is the true and indestructible support of the latter, since only from Him comes the light of life (6-10). This mercy of Yours, O Lord, extend to the upright in heart, and the wicked will perish (11-13). Ps.35:2. The wickedness of the wicked says in my heart: There is no fear of God before his eyes, Ps.35:3. for he flatters himself in his own eyes, as if he were looking for his iniquity in order to hate it; David clarifies for himself the main, psychological source and cause of the wickedness of the lawless. This reason is the absence in him of “the fear of God before his eyes.” The fear of God is a reverent feeling before God, obliging a person to strive not to offend the Last with any bad thought or deed. The basis of such fear lies in man’s recognition of the purity of His commandments and their high and beneficial significance for man. If a person has such consciousness and such fear of God, then all his efforts will be directed towards coordinating his actions and inner aspirations with the commandments of the Lord. If there is no such mood in a person, there can be no concern in him about the purity of his actions: his personal good and the satisfaction of his earthly desires become the guiding principle and the beginning of his activity. Therefore, the slight self-restraint that the wicked imposes on himself, or more precisely, a certain moral self-assessment of his actions, to which he can sometimes surrender, cannot be understood as a concern for moral regeneration, this is self-deception, the flattery of the wicked before himself, as if he “seeks out his iniquity in order to hate it.” Ps.36:4. the words of his mouth are untruth and deceit; he does not want to come to his senses in order to do good; Ps.35:5. on his bed he plots lawlessness, takes the evil path, and does not disdain evil. The fact that all his words, actions and thoughts are directed towards untruth, deceit and evil depends on the absence of the fear of God in the wicked. Since the activity of the wicked is aimed at personal, petty interest, then the methods of his actions are based on lies, the construction of intrigues, to which he devotes himself even at night - a time of rest for other people. Ps.35:6. God! Your mercy reaches to the heavens, Your truth reaches to the clouds! Ps.35:7. Your truth is like the mountains of God, and Your destinies are like a great abyss! You protect men and animals, O Lord! God rules the world according to the laws of mercy and truth. “His mercy and truth reach to the clouds and heaven; truth.., like mountains.., and fate is a great abyss!” The comparisons used by the author are intended to show that in God is all the truth and all the truth and that only by them does He rule the whole world, man and cattle. Ps.35:8. How precious is Your mercy, O God! The sons of men are at rest in the shadow of Your wings: “Sons of men” are all people. “In the shadow of the wings” - under the canopy, the protection of God - the same as under the wings of a hen who jealously protects her chicks. So God cares for all living things and especially for man. Ps.35:9. they are satisfied from the fatness of Your house, and from the flow of Your sweets You give them to drink, “The fat... of Thy house”, “the flow of... sweets” are images pointing to the rich gifts of nature that are given for man’s use. Ps.35:10. For with You is the source of life; in Your light we see light. “In Your light we see light.” Since we previously spoke about the external rich sources of a happy existence on earth, which are obtained from God, the said expression should, in accordance with the context of the speech, be understood as follows: we owe our well-being (“we see the light”) to Your mercy (“in Your light”). Ps.35:12. Let not the foot of pride come upon me, and let not the hand of a sinner drive me out: “Let not the foot of pride come upon me.” The source of man's righteousness lies in the fear of God. Pride is the opposite property. It supports in a person the desire to live according to his own will and desires, and not in accordance with the commandments of the Lord. The meaning of the expression then will be this: save me, Lord, from self-will, as the cause of man’s alienation from You, for then You will not protect me. One can understand by pride in general a wicked person, and the entire verse represents a prayer to God for salvation from unrighteous enemies. Ps.35:13. there the workers of iniquity are fallen, cast down, and cannot rise up. If the Lord comes to the defense of the righteous, then where He defeats the wicked, the latter “will not... rise,” that is, they will be completely destroyed. You might be interested in: