Изъяснение псалма 24-го.

Finally, “a psalm to David.” This psalm has the appearance of a prayer. Therefore, the inscription probably does not call it a psalm. Some writers claimed that it predicted captivity, and explained it as spoken by the captives, bearing in mind one ending of the psalm, which says: “God deliver Israel from all their sorrows.” But I think that this psalm was spoken by blessed David, when he saw many uprisings of enemies. Therefore, he brings to mind previous and new sins, and begs for deliverance from them. He also teaches advice that is useful to people. Ps.24:1. To You, Lord, I lift up my soul. “To Thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul,” “My God, I trust in You, may I never be ashamed, may my enemies laugh at me.” Surrounded from everywhere by thousands of those who are hostile to me, I offer my soul to You, Master, and I rely on Your help, begging that I not spend my life in constant shame and not be a laughing stock for my enemies. Ps.24:2. My God! I trust in You, lest I be ashamed [forever], lest my enemies triumph over me. Ps.24:3. Let not all those who trust in You be put to shame; let those who do wrong in vain be put to shame. “For all those who endure You will not be ashamed. Let the wicked be ashamed in vain." I have, says the Prophet, sufficient guarantee of hope - those who have already believed in You and have taken advantage of Your help. For it is customary for You to provide for them, and to shame those who live in lawlessness. It should be noted: not just about those who sin, but about those who are lawless “in vain” the Prophet said that they will be filled with shame, because not everyone sins equally, but some crawl due to some circumstance, or due to natural weakness, while others delight in iniquities and invent new ones. Ps.24:4. Show me, O Lord, Your ways and teach me Your paths. Ps.24:5. Guide me to Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I hope in You every day. “Tell me Thy ways, O Lord, and teach me Thy paths.” “Guide me into Your truth and teach me that You are the God of my Savior, and I have endured You all day long.” And I ask, first of all, that I recognize Your ways, study the paths leading to You, and constantly walk the infallible and true path; and then I also ask that I really know that You are my Savior, because I constantly expect Your love for mankind. The Prophet said: “all day” in the meaning: “always,” and wants to show that it is not his custom to sometimes have such an intention, but sometimes to accept another instead. Ps.24:6. Remember Thy compassions, O Lord, and Thy mercies, for they have been from everlasting. Ps.24:7. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my crimes; by Thy mercy remember me, for the sake of Thy goodness, O Lord! “Remember Thy compassions, O Lord, and Thy mercies, as they have been from time immemorial.” “The sin of my youth and my ignorance do not remember: in Thy mercy remember me.” Always meekly and philanthropically, says the Prophet, You rule people; I beg you now to let me experience this goodness, and remember Your love for mankind, and not my sin; and remembering me, Lord, deal with me according to generosity, and not according to truth. For this I asked in the above words: “according to Thy great mercy, remember me”; not my sin, but remember me kindly. "For Thy goodness' sake, O Lord." I beg you to grant me this, not because of my dignity, but because of Your love for mankind. Ps.24:8. The Lord is good and righteous, therefore he guides sinners on the path. Ps.24:9. He guides the meek to righteousness, and teaches the meek His ways. “The Lord is good and right.” It was not without reason that I used these words, says the Prophet, but knowing that the Lord is not only truthful, but also philanthropic. Divine Scripture teaches us this everywhere. This is the following saying: “I will sing to You of mercy and judgment, O Lord” (Ps. 100:1); and another: “The Lord is merciful and generous and righteous” (Ps. 112:4); and: “Our God has mercy” (Ps. 115:4); and again: “God is a judge, righteous, and strong, and long-suffering, and does not bring wrath on every day” (Ps. 7:12). “For this reason he will give a law to those who sin along the way.” “He will guide the meek in judgment, He will teach the meek in His way.” Symmachus translated this more clearly: “therefore he will show the way to those who sin”; because, guided by goodness, he does not suddenly punish those who sin, but shows them the right path and teaches them the law of repentance, and those who are led by meekness and simplicity, teaches them to distinguish the properties of things and leads them to knowledge of all their economy, so that simplicity, becoming a parting word to ignorance, does not cause them great harm. Then the Prophet shows the properties of the paths he mentioned. Ps.24:10. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to those who keep His covenant and His revelations. “All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, to those who seek His covenant and His information.” For those who continually study the sacred words learn from them exactly that every dispensation of God and our Savior is fused with mercy and truth. To those who repent of what they have sinned, He grants mercy and forgiveness; He proclaims and crowns invincible ascetics of virtue, pronouncing His sentence with truth; and on those who live lawlessly and do not repent, he imposes punishments according to the statutes of truth. Ps.24:11. For the sake of Your name, Lord, forgive my sin, for it is great. “For the sake of Your name, Lord, and cleanse my sin: there is much.” Therefore, says the Prophet, I beg You to be lenient towards my sins, not for the sake of my zealous repentance, but for the sake of the name that You have through your love for mankind, and because I have based my hopes on Your name. Ps.24:12. Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will show him the path to choose. Ps.24:13. His soul will remain in goodness, and his seed will inherit the earth. “Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will set a law in his path according to his will.” “His soul will dwell in good things, and his seed will inherit the earth.” From here the Prophet begins his instruction, offers useful advice, and promises all kinds of providence for those who fear the Lord. And since there are many different kinds of pious life, monastic and communal life, desert and urban life, private and military life, royal and industrial, seafaring, agricultural and other many different kinds of life; in every kind of life one can please God: it is not without reason that the prophetic word was spoken: “Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will lay down laws for him on his path according to his will,” that is, in the kind of life that a person decides to lead, he will give him decent and appropriate laws. So the divine John the Baptist, who asked publicans what to do, advised them not to take more than what was established, and to soldiers not to offend anyone, to be content with taxes, that is, certain food (Luke 3:12-14). Thus, the divine Apostle prescribed laws in relation to each other for slaves and masters, children and parents, husbands and wives (Eph. 6). Therefore, to those who fulfill these laws, the prophetic word promises both the enjoyment of the soul and the blessing of the seed. For “his soul will dwell in good things, and his seed will inherit the earth.” And since childbearing and leaving heirs are most desired by the Jews, and the same thing is desired by those now choosing social life, the Prophet encourages us to ascend from this to the practice of virtue. Ps.24:14. The secret of the Lord is to those who fear Him, and He reveals His covenant to them. “The Lord is the power of those who fear Him, and He will show His covenant to them.” Symmachus and Theodotion translated this more clearly: “The secret of the Lord is to those who fear the Lord, and His covenant will be revealed to them.” We hear that the Master Himself says through the Prophet Isaiah: My sacraments are for Me and for Mine 7 . For not only does this reveal to everyone, but to those who fear, and indicates the purpose of His divine words. And according to the translation of the Seventy, “the power of the Lord is of those who fear Him,” making them invincible and overcoming their enemies. Ps.24:15. My eyes are always toward the Lord, for He brings my feet out of the snare. “I will lift up my eyes to the Lord, for He will pluck my eyes from the snare.” Here again he calls the eyes of the mind, which the Prophet, according to him, raises to the Lord, clearly knowing that with His care he will avoid the machinations perpetrated by his enemies. Ps.24:16. Look upon me and have mercy on me, for I am lonely and oppressed. “Look upon me and have mercy on me, for I am the only begotten and the poor.” The word: “only begotten” was translated by other translators as “lonely.” The Prophet says: “I am deprived of all help, therefore I beg you to grant me Your intercession.” He expressed himself very touchingly: “look at me and have mercy on me,” that is, look at my loneliness and the many enemies besieging me; for when you see this, you will undoubtedly have compassion. Ps.24:17. The sorrows of my heart have increased; bring me out of my troubles. Ps.24:18. Look at my suffering and my exhaustion and forgive all my sins. “The sorrows of my heart have increased, deliver me from my needs.” “See my humility and my labor, and forsake all my iniquities.” From everywhere, says the Prophet, many sorrows surround me, therefore, contrasting this humility and misery with my iniquities on the scales, grant remission of sins, and forgive me. Ps.24:19. Look at my enemies, how many there are, and with what fierce hatred they hate me. “My enemies have seen that they have multiplied, and they hate me with unrighteous hatred.” If, says the Prophet, I seem unworthy of philanthropy, struggling with so many disasters, then, looking at the unjust hostility of my enemies, show me Your philanthropy. For I have sinned before You, transgressing Your commandments; They are hostile against me unfairly, having nothing to accuse me of. Ps.24:20. Preserve my soul and deliver me, so that I may not be ashamed that I trust in You. “Keep my soul and deliver me, so that I will not be ashamed, because I called Thee.” Even if I have transgressed some of Your laws; then I did not separate myself from Your providence; That’s why I beg you to preserve and save me from those at war. Ps.24:21. Let integrity and righteousness protect me, for I trust in You. “I cleave to me in kindness and righteousness, for I have suffered Thee, O Lord.” This is also characteristic of virtue - to hate the treatment of bad people, but to have close ones and friends who respect impartiality, are guided by righteousness and are free from vice. The Prophet said about himself that he, too, did this, thinking to please that Lord. Ps.24:22. Deliver, O God, Israel from all their sorrows. “Deliver, O God, Israel from all their sorrows.” This prayer he brought to God is fitting for the king. For the one who is appointed ruler must take every care of his subjects. That is why blessed David offered prayer not only for himself, but also for the people entrusted to him. Moreover, the salvation of the ruler truthfully and successfully constitutes the common benefit of the people. But these words also have a different meaning. Israel was divided under Saul, Mephibosheth, and Absalom. Therefore, the Prophet says: if I use Your help and overcome those who are hostile to me, then Israel itself, having stopped the internecine war, will gain peace and enjoy Your blessings. These words are not read in currently known publications, but according to Concord. Gr. 70 vers. Interpr. Abrahami Trommii are indicated in Isaiah in ch. 24, art. 17. You might be interested in: