Изъяснение псалма 39-го.

Ps.39:1. To the head of the choir. Psalm of David. “At the end, a psalm to David.” Some interpreted this psalm about the blessed Jeremiah, and others about the wonderful David, because both were thrown into the ditch, but the beginning of the psalm mentions the ditch; and having paid attention to one saying, the interpreters turned to this understanding. Others argued that this psalm was appropriate for the captives who lived in Babylon. But I think that the psalm was written about what happened to David, and, moreover, figuratively; This also applies to the entire human race, which has received the hope of resurrection from God and our Savior. And the divine Paul leads us to this understanding by mentioning some words from this psalm in his letter to the Hebrews. Ps.39:2. I firmly trusted in the Lord, and He bowed down to me and heard my cry. Ps.39:3. He brought me out of the terrible pit, out of the miry swamp, and set my feet on a rock and established my steps. “I was patient with the Lord, and he listened to me and heard my prayer.” “And raise me up from the pit of passions, and from the clay of the mire.” These words also befit blessed David, because they agree with the previous psalm. There the Prophet said: “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and inspire my prayer, do not silence my tears. Weaken me, so that I may rest, before I even leave, neither will I be with anyone” (Ps. 39:13-14); and above he said: “And now who is my patience? isn't it the Lord? And my composition is from You” (Ps. 39:8). Here, as if upon acceptance of the prayer and fulfillment of the petition, he says: “I have endured the Lord, and have heeded me.” For, turning away from sin, God showed me his favor and heeded my request; and what did you do when you heard it? “Rise me from the pit of passions, and from the clay of the mire.” This is how divine Scripture, as we have already said before, usually calls the greatest dangers. But what else did he give you, freeing you from danger? “And set my noses on stones.” He did not allow me to waver and bark here and there, but made my standing firm. For he says: “On this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). “And mend my feet.” He arranged it in such a way that I freely follow the path of truth, because, having freed me from error, he showed me the straight path of truth. Ps.39:4. And he put a new song in my mouth - praise to our God. Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord. “And put into my mouth a new song, singing to our God.” Instead of wickedly serving idols, I learned to sing songs of the true God, and to lift up not an ancient song, but a new one, corresponding to new good deeds. I no longer beg with lamentable songs, but I will sing songs for good deeds. Although this, as I said, is figuratively befitting of David’s sufferings and the blessings revealed to David, but primarily for the human race, which was brought down to the very bottom of sin and put to death, but through the incarnation of our Savior was drawn out and accepted the hope of resurrection, it is fitting to say: “Having endured the Lord, and listened to me, and heard my prayer: and raised me up from the pit of passions.” Death is rightly called the ditch of passions, filled with corruption, and sin is called the clay of mud, as it produces a great stench and prevents people from pursuing the straight path. “Many people will see and fear, and trust in the Lord.” Since the Prophet says this about persons who have received salvation, he rightly said that those who have not yet tasted the blessings, looking at them, will fear, as if they have not yet achieved, and, strengthened by hope, will receive salvation from God. Ps.39:5. Blessed is the man who places his hope in the Lord and does not turn to the proud or to those who turn to lies. “Blessed is the man, for the name of the Lord is his hope, and he will not despise false vanity and confusion.” The Prophet mentioned these vanities in the previous psalm: “Either way every living man is all vanity” (Ps. 39:6), and also: “Either way he is troubled in vain” (Ps. 39:7). Therefore, here too he pleases the one who neglected the present, and instead of everything else acquired divine hope. Ps.39:6. You have done much, O Lord my God: about Your miracles and Your thoughts about us - whoever will be like You! – I would like to preach and speak, but they exceed the number. “Thou hast done many, O Lord my God, Thy wonders, and by Thy thought there is no one like Thee. Announced and verbs, multiplying more than the number." The miracles performed by Your power, says the Prophet, surpass number and any description. For there is no one who could do anything like You. Although Thy creations are very great and beautiful: above the praises of men is that which by Thy providence was arranged at all times, both in Egypt, and in the desert, and under Moses, and under Jesus, and under Samuel, and what happened long before them with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and this kingdom, which Joseph reaches through slavery, and everything else (I will not list this in detail): but what has happened now is more wonderful than all this, because it brings about the salvation not of one person or one people, but of all nations, and, having ceased the legal service, adapted to the weakness of the Jews, it bestowed new grace, legitimizing the verbal service. Ps.39:7. You did not want sacrifices and offerings; You opened my ears 11; You did not require burnt offerings or sacrifices for sin. Ps.39:8. Then I said: here I come; in the book scroll it is written about me. “You did not desire sacrifices and offerings, but you completed the body for me. You did not require burnt offerings or sins.” “Then reh: behold, I will come.” The apostolic instruction agrees with this: “I pray you, brethren, by the tender mercies of God, present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, verbal service” (Rom. 12:1). Instead of the sacrifices under the law, the Lord commanded that our members be dedicated to Him. Knowing this Thy grace, says the Prophet, I sacrificed myself to Thee, saying: Behold, I am before Thee. But Blessed Paul interprets this saying about the Lord Christ (Heb. 10:5-9), and very rightly; because He is the firstfruits of our nature, it is fitting for Him to be the first to say what is required of us, and to prefigure in Himself what should be done by us. So He was the first to begin baptism, showing us the grace of baptism. Thus he washed the disciples’ feet, offering us the prototype of humility. Therefore, he said to John: “Leave it now: for it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Therefore, it is fitting for us to say what is required of us, as the head of the body, as the firstborn of many brothers according to the flesh. “In the main book it is written about me.” From ancient times, he says, this was predicted about Me in the prophetic books. The word: “chief” Aquila and Symmachus translated: “scroll”, because the Jews to this day have the custom of storing the Divine Scriptures in scrolls. Ps.39:9. I desire to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is in my heart. “I was willing to do Your will, O my God, and Your law was in the midst of my belly.” Having come to You, says the Prophet, I make every effort to fulfill Your commandments and live according to Your will. The expression: “in the middle of my belly” is taken in a figurative sense from a person towards someone well-disposed, who would like to contain his loved one inside himself. This does not apply to Jeremiah, nor to Daniel, nor to blessed David, because at that time the law was in force, and burnt offerings and sacrifices were offered to God, and the prophetic word, rejecting everything like this, indicated a verbal sacrifice. Ps.39:10. I have proclaimed Your righteousness in the great assembly; I did not forbid my mouth: You, Lord, know. Ps.39:11. I did not hide Your righteousness in my heart, I proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation, I did not hide Your mercy and Your truth before the great assembly. “I will not withhold the gospel of the truth in the great church; behold, I will not forbid my lips: Lord, you have understood.” “I have not hidden Your righteousness in my heart, I have not hidden Your truth and Your salvation, I have not hidden Your mercy and Your truth from the multitude.” And blessed David, in the great Church, gathered by Divine grace throughout the entire universe, promises to preach the truth of God, the truth of prophecy, miraculous salvation and immeasurable mercy. And the saved nature itself promises to inflict this very reward for its salvation, to form a Church, to move its lips to song, to announce God’s truthful judgment, to convey ineffable charity, to prove the truth of the prophetic promises. Symmachus translated the expression: “from a multitude of many”: “in a multitude,” and Aquila and Theodotion: “in the great Church,” so that from this it would be clear that they are talking about one and the same Church. Ps.39:12. Do not withhold, O Lord, Thy compassions from me; May Thy mercy and Thy truth protect me unceasingly. “But You, Lord, do not remove Your compassions from Me: I will take Your mercy and Thy truth and intercede for me.” And having received salvation, the Church of God again needs the same providence for her, due to all kinds of human and demonic uprisings, which the Prophet mentions in the words that follow. Ps.39:13. For innumerable troubles surrounded me; My iniquities have come upon me, so that I cannot see them: they are more numerous than the hairs of my head; my heart has left me. “As if the evil one has possessed me, they have no number; My iniquity befell me, and I was not able to see. You have increased more than the hair of my head, and leave me my heart.” Let no one consider what was said to be inconsistent with what was interpreted above. For the three youths, who had reached the very height of virtue, and adorned with a victorious crown, when they prayed in the cave, said: “We have sinned, been lawless, untruthful, we have departed from Your commandments, we have not kept Your justifications” (Dan. 3:29-30). This is what the wonderful Daniel, and the godly Jeremiah, and the divine Isaiah, and the wise Paul said: “Christ Jesus,” says Paul, “came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first” (1 Tim. 1:15); and again: “I am not worthy to be called an Apostle” (1 Cor. 15:9). Therefore, the Church of God, having been subjected to troubles raised by the wicked, does not become arrogant, like one who strives, but attributes what is happening to her to sins and misdeeds, and begs the Savior to grant her help. Moreover, not the entire Church of God consists of the perfect, but there are in it those who live carelessly and love a careless life and want to serve lust - and since the body of the Church is one, it is as if both are pronounced from one person. Ps.39:14. Deign, O Lord, to deliver me; God! hurry to help me. Ps.39:15. May all who seek the destruction of my soul be ashamed and disgraced! May those who wish me harm be turned back and consigned to ridicule! “Please, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, come to my aid.” “Let those who seek my soul be ashamed and put to shame and take it away.” For they do not want to hurt, but to put them to eternal death. “Let them turn back and be ashamed of those who wish me evil.” Put them to flight, make sure that they do not achieve what they want, because they are plotting evil against me. Ps.39:16. Let those who say to me, “Good! Fine!" “Let those who speak with me accept their abiye, it is good.” For those who mock and laugh at me, let shame be the fruit. Ps.39:17. Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You, and let those who love Your salvation continually say: “Great is the Lord!” “Let all who seek You, O Lord, rejoice and be glad in You, and let them all say, May the Lord be magnified, who love Your salvation.” And those, says the Prophet, who seek, sing songs and always love You, fill them with constant joy; and remaining unchanging in Your love, may they have unchanging joy, because I ask for joy not just for those who love, but for always and constantly having love worthy of Your favor. Ps.39:18. I am poor and needy, but the Lord cares for me. You are my help and my deliverer, my God! don't slow down. “But I am poor and needy, the Lord will take care of me; You are my helper and my protector, O Lord, do not become obdurate.” As I mentioned above about sins, he calls himself a beggar because he is left without help, has a need for Divine assistance, and begs for help as soon as possible. This befits especially blessed David. For I think that, having this prediction and abundance of grace before his eyes, David called himself poor and wretched, and asked to be part of the Divine providence. He begs the predicted salvation not to be delayed or postponed until distant times, but rather to bestow it on people. According to the translation of the 70: “he has prepared a body for me.” You might be interested in: