Изъяснение псалма 31-го.

"Psalm to David, understanding." And this psalm contains the same thought: because it was spoken after the fall among the disasters that befell. Having seen with prophetic eyes the grace of the New Testament and the remission of sins granted to believers through all-holy baptism, David pleases them as those who without difficulty receive deliverance from sins, and says at the beginning of the psalm: Ps.31:1. Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered! Ps.31:2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile! “Blessed are those who have abandoned iniquity, and those who have hidden behind sin.” “Blessed is the man; the Lord will not impute sin to him; there is flattery in his mouth.” Having been exhausted in lamentations and incessant tears about sin and having fallen into calamities of all kinds for it, I call those worthy of surprise and blessed who, according to the Lord’s love for mankind, without difficulty accepted the remission of sins. For God is so generous to them that he not only leaves, but also covers their sins, and not even a trace of them remains. Ps.31:3. When I was silent, my bones grew old because of my daily groaning. «Яко умолчах, обетшаша кости моя, от еже звати ми весь день» . David, when he committed this sin, did not immediately use the medicine of repentance, but after reproof by Nathan. That’s why he cries out here: since I didn’t show the doctor the scab at the very moment I was wounded, but kept silent, trying to hide it, I grew old, crying out and blaming sin. Ps.31:4. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; My freshness disappeared, like in a summer drought. “As Thy hand is heavy upon me day and night.” I complain and cry, having been subjected to torture and punishment of all kinds. For the expression: “Your hand is heavy on me”, the Prophet takes it in a figurative sense from a person who strikes with his hand and does not stop striking for a long time. “Return to passion, when unze mi turn.” But Your punishment, says the Prophet, is not unjust, but on the contrary, very fair, because the cause of my troubles is sin, which I grew up instead of a grape, and I am constantly hurt by it. For he called sin a thorn, like an unprofitable plant that grew to cause injury. Ps.31:5. But I revealed my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my crimes to the Lord,” and You took away from me the guilt of my sin. “I have known my sin and have not covered my iniquity, I have said: let me confess my iniquity to the Lord: and you have forsaken the wickedness of my sin.” Although I kept silent about how quickly I sinned, after that I accuse myself day and night. And I have already reaped the great fruits of this accusation, because you granted me remission of sins. It should be noted that the Prophet did not say: “forsaken thou art my sin,” but: “thou hast forsaken the wickedness of sin,” that is, he has not punished according to the merits of iniquity, but he has forgiven the excess of sin and healed it with proportionate punishment. This is also shown by history. For to David, when he said, “Those who have sinned against the Lord,” Nathan answered: “And the Lord has taken away your sin, and you will not die” (2 Sam. 12:13); although he threatened that the Lord would fill his house with disasters of all kinds. So here he says: “And You have forsaken the wickedness of my sin,” that is, according to the law, I, who dared to do this, should have been immediately put to death: but You, having shown love for mankind, did not put me to death, but healed me with moderate punishments. Ps.31:6. For this reason, every righteous person will pray to You at the time of need, and then the flood of many waters will not reach him. “For this reason every saint will pray to You at the time of need.” The prophet calls New Testament life “a time of need,” in which those who believed throughout the land and sea honor God with David’s songs. Therefore, he foreshadows this here, and says to the Master: I am not the only one begging You about this sin, but everyone in the universe who has accepted the knowledge of God will bring this prayer for me, because by pronouncing David’s sayings, it is as if we are adopting David’s language for ourselves in order to sing songs of praise to God. “Even in a flood of waters many waters will not come near him.” Symmachus translated this as follows: “every saint will pray for this, taking time, so that many flooding waters will not approach him.” Whoever brings you earnest prayer will take advantage of all kinds of providence for him, so that even if he falls into various disasters, like the waters that drown him, he will overcome them and overcome all that is sorrowful. Ps.31:7. You are my cover: You protect me from sorrow, surround me with the joys of deliverance. “You are my refuge from the sorrow that besets me: O my joy, deliver me from those who have bypassed me.” Having spoken above about sin, he begs for deliverance from the disasters caused to him, and is worthy of an answer, because the Lord says to him: Ps.31:8. “I will admonish you, I will guide you on the path you should follow; I will guide you; My eye is upon you.” “I will admonish you and guide you on this path, in which you will go: I will fix My eyes on you.” That is, you, who have been seduced and have known error, will again lead you to the right path and impart into you the knowledge and knowledge of it; I will return your former favor to you. And this expression: “I will fix My eyes on you,” the Prophet took from a person who is favorably disposed towards someone and wants to constantly look at him. For just as someone who is angry apparently turns away his face, so a person shows his favor by being attentive. Therefore, in another place the Prophet said: “look upon me and have mercy on me” (Ps. 85:16); and again: “Do not turn Your face away from Me” (Ps. 26:9). And God himself speaks through the prophet Jeremiah: “Turn to Me, and I will return to you” (Zech. 1:3). After this, the prophetic word offers advice to those who live lawlessly not to imitate the foolishness of beasts, and to the righteous to always have divine joy. He says this: Ps.31:9. “Do not be like a horse, like a foolish mule, whose jaws must be bridled with bridle and bit so that they obey you.” “Do not wake up like a horse and a horse that has no understanding: with bridles and bridles you will bind their jaws, those who do not approach You”; that is, I give you advice not to compete in foolishness with a horse and a horse. And if you do not obey, then, like them, you too will have bridles and bridles on you. They mean punishment, which is why he added: Ps.31:10. Many are the tribulations of the wicked, but mercy surrounds him who trusts in the Lord. “Many are the wounds of the sinner.” So, having offered them this instruction, he moves on to another host. “Whoever trusts in the Lord will receive mercy,” because every person, although adorned with excellence in virtue, has a need for God’s grace. Why does the divine Apostle cry: “Salvation is by grace through faith: and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). Ps.31:11. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous; rejoice, all you who are upright in heart. “Rejoice in the Lord and rejoice in the righteous, and rejoice, all you who are upright in heart.” Therefore, let no one rejoice in his own successes, but let him philosophize about God, and in this take pleasure for himself. And this is similar to the apostolic sayings: “Let him boast in the Lord” (2 Cor. 10:17); and: “Be sure to stand and be careful, lest you fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Therefore, the Apostle commands admonition with a spirit of meekness. “He who is careful for himself,” he says, “lest you also be tempted” (Gal.6:1). You might be interested in: