Изъяснение псалма 72-го.

“When the songs of David the son of Jesse are ended, a psalm to Asaph.” And we have already said before that Asaph was called by others a writer of psalms, and by others a singer and instructor of the choir of singers; others argued that David spoke these psalms, and Asaph wrote them. But as anyone pleases, let him accept it. For no harm will come from this to those who receive it one way or another. And we, with the illumination of grace, will explain the meaning of this psalm. The people taken captive to Babylon were plunged into many different kinds of disasters. Seeing that the Babylonians, living in wickedness and lawlessness, enjoyed prosperity and great well-being, and they themselves were in difficulty and suffering, the Jews turned their thoughts to Divine providence, reflecting and reasoning why the wicked in everything do not experience anything sorrowful, but enjoy every happiness, carried by a fair wind. The grace of the All-Holy Spirit, foreseeing this from afar, and arranging for the benefit of both the captives in Babylon and all people, wrote this psalm, clearly depicting their thoughts, and offering a solution to their questions. Therefore, the teaching of the psalm is suitable for all those who reason in this way, or speak like the captives in Babylon; It is offered in such a form, as if those who returned from captivity were retelling their former bewilderments about the providence of God. Ps.73:1. How good God is to Israel, to the pure in heart! "How good is the God of Israel." The saying: “kol” was used by the Prophet not comparatively, but showing an excess of goodness; He also says that God shows great care for Israel. "With the right heart." But not everyone knows this, only those who have right and sound thoughts. Thus, having praised those who are right in heart, he announces the storm of his own thoughts. Ps.72:2. And I - my legs almost shook, my feet almost slipped. “My nose doesn’t move in the slightest.” Not much was needed to turn me away from my path. “For a little while my feet were not shed.” And Symmachus translated this: “that which supported me was almost crushed,” that is, I was in danger of abandoning my sound and supporting thoughts, and being subjected to the greatest creep; this is expressed by the word: “shed”, as if spilled, disintegrated, flowed away. The Prophet allegorically calls thoughts legs and feet. Then he states the reason. Ps.72:3. I envied the foolish, seeing the prosperity of the wicked. “Because I was jealous of the wicked, the world of sinners was in vain.” It burned me like fire when I saw that those living wickedly and lawlessly were in peace and great happiness. Ps.72:4. For they have no suffering until their death, and their strength is strong. “For there is no joy in their death.” Aquila translated this: “there is no suffering in their death.” And Symmachus: “they did not think about their death,” that is, the subjects in danger did not deny themselves. The word: “rejoicing” (ἀνάνευσις) means renunciation; for when we intend to renounce something, we usually bow our heads. “And the affirmation is in their wound,” that is, the sorrowful thing does not approach them for long. Ps.72:5. They are not present at human work, and they are not subject to blows with other people. “The work of men is not the essence, and men will not receive wounds.” All their affairs are going well, they do not suffer any work, no disasters, no punishments, like other people. Ps.72:6. That is why pride surrounds them like a necklace, and insolence dresses them like an outfit; “For this reason I have restrained their pride to the end: clothed in their unrighteousness and wickedness.” That is why they fell into arrogance and arrogance and, not fearing punishment for previous sins, were carried away into greater lawlessness. In a word: “dressed” the Prophet depicted a multitude of untruths, as if surrounding them from everywhere. Ps.72:7. their eyes have rolled out of fat, thoughts are wandering in their hearts; Ps.73:8. They mock everyone, viciously spread slander, talk down to them; Ps.72:9. They raise their mouth to heaven, and their tongue walks across the earth. “Their iniquity shall come forth from the fat.” Fat, as we have said many times, means prosperity and well-being. Therefore, says the Prophet, being in such prosperity, with all fearlessness they dare to do injustice. “I have entered into the love of their hearts.” “I thought and spoke in wickedness, untruth in the height of the verb”: “He set his mouth in heaven, and his tongue went over the earth.” It is not good for them to do lies to people, but with words and thoughts, like arrows, they try to hit the sky itself. By this the Prophet means blasphemy against God, slander against the people of God and desecration of the divine church. But he expressed this more clearly in the forty-first psalm: “My tears were bread to me day and night, and I was always told, “Where is your God” (Ps. 41:4). Ps.72:10. Therefore His people turn there and drink the water full of the cup. “For this cause my people will be converted, and the days of fulfillment will be found in them.” The prophetic word, consoling those who give in to cowardice, offered this to us as spoken by the God of all. While they were blaspheming God and subjecting us to suffering, the God of all gave a good decree about us, promising us a return and a certain life by nature. From this it is clear that the psalm is appropriate for those who have already returned from captivity and retell what happened in Babylon. For it is said: “For this reason my people will return,” that is, to Judea. Therefore, those living in Judea say “semo,” which would not be at all appropriate to say to those living in Babylon. The Prophet called old age fulfilled days, meaning that they would return and live until old age. Thus, having pointed to God's promise, he again returns to the story of the blasphemy of the Babylonians and the confusion of thoughts. Ps.72:11. And they say: “How will God know? and does the Most High have knowledge?” “And deciding: what will God lead? and is there any understanding in the Most High?” Symmachus translated more clearly: “They said: How did God know? Does the Most High have knowledge? That is, God promised this, but they reasoned with themselves that God neither looks nor sees what is happening. Then, having shown their wickedness, he declares his own thoughts. Ps.72:12. And behold, these wicked prosper in this age, increasing wealth. “Behold, these sinners and gobblers have retained wealth forever.” Living in lawlessness, they enjoy abundant benefits and enjoy unchanging prosperity. The Prophet uses the word “for an age” in relation to present life, because he often calls human life an age; so says: “Our age is for the illumination of Your face” (Ps. 89:8). Ps.72:13. And I said: Was it not in vain that I cleansed my heart and washed my hands in innocence, “And I said: food has justified my heart in vain.” And I, seeing that they were feasting and vainglorious about their wealth, thought: the acquisition of truth is not useless. “And washed in my innocent hands.” Therefore, I found benefit for myself by staying away from those who live in wickedness. For the expression: “witted in the innocent” means: he kept himself innocent and did not associate with the evil. Ps.72:14. and subjected himself to stripes every day and to reproofs every morning? “And I was plagued all day long, and my reproof was in the morning.” Having taken care of the truth and avoided contact with vice, every day I am subjected to insults and reproaches. Ps.72:15. But if I said: “I will reason like this,” then I would be guilty before the generation of Your sons. “Whenever we speak, let us say this: behold, you have transgressed the generation of your sons.” Abandoning other thoughts, I thought to myself about the following: has God really broken His covenants with us? For “you have transgressed” (ὴσυντέθεικας) it is said instead: have you really broken the established covenants? They call themselves sons; because this is what God calls them: “My firstborn son Israel” (Ex. 4:22): “they begat and raised up sons” (Is. 1:2). Ps.72:16. And I thought how to understand this, but it was difficult in my eyes, Ps.72:17. until I entered into the sanctuary of God and understood their end. “And the Nepschevs understand: this work is before me,” “To the end I entered into the sanctuary of God: and I mean to their last.” But abandoning other thoughts, I reasoned that as punishment for my sins, God had given me over to labor and misfortune. However, I will return, I will see His consecrated church, I will see their evil end. Then he first learns this Divine grace. Ps.72:18. So! You have placed them on slippery paths and are casting them into the abyss. Ps.72:19. How they accidentally fell into ruin, disappeared, died from horrors! Ps.73:20. Like a dream upon awakening, so You, Lord, having awakened them, will destroy their dreams. “Besides, because of their flattery, you brought down evil on them; you brought down me, having at times become proud.” “What about Bysha in desolation? suddenly disappeared, perished for her iniquity.” “Like the sleep of those who rise.” All this came true to the Babylonians under Cyrus, because he enslaved the Babylonians into captivity and granted return to the Jews. The Prophet rightly compared their prosperity to a dream, because the phenomenon of real life is no different from a dream. And this is not difficult to see in the Babylonians themselves. For not long before those who had boasted and conceited themselves as the owners of the entire universe suddenly lost their dominion and fell into extreme slavery. “Lord, in Thy city make abase their image.” The image has color for a while. Therefore, the Prophet likens the dominion of the Babylonians to an image that lasts for a short time. He says: “humiliate” him, punishing him for his wickedness in Your city. Ps.73:21. When my heart was boiling and my insides were tormented, “Like my heart was kindled.” This is how I reasoned, as if a fire was kindled by their iniquity. The prophet returns to what was said at the beginning: “I was jealous of the wicked,” and what he called zeal there, he here calls the kindling of the heart. “And my bowels were changed.” “Wombs,” as I have said many times, are what the Prophet calls thoughts. Having pious thoughts, I was almost led astray, he says, because of their arrogance. Ps.72:22. Then I was ignorant and did not understand; I was like cattle before You. Ps.72:23. But I am always with You: You hold my right hand; Ps.73:24. You guide me with Your counsel and then You will receive me into glory. “And I was humiliated and did not understand.” Symmachus expressed this more clearly: “I was unskilled and ignorant.” I was subjected to this deficiency out of ignorance, not knowing Your judgments. “And I will take it out with You.” But I will no longer be subjected to this, and I will not agree to enter into any kind of research and be curious about what is being organized by Your wisdom; on the contrary, like a beast of burden, I will follow Your calls. For in this case I will not lose Your providence for me. Just as a beast of burden follows the leader, without being curious about where it is being led, so I will follow, guided by Your grace, without entering into research about Your providence. “Thou hast restrained my hand on my right hand”: “And with Thy counsel thou didst instruct me, and thou didst receive me with glory.” This is where the speech about returning from captivity begins, namely: just as a condescending father, having found his lost son, and taking him by the right hand, leads him into the house, so You returned me to my native land, freeing me from slavery, giving me the convenience of passing through the countries of many nations, making me famous and glorious. Ps.72:25. Who is in my heaven? and with You I want nothing on earth. “What is there in heaven? And what did You want on earth?” Aquila translated more clearly: “Who is in my heaven? I did not desire anyone with You even on earth.” The speech is interrogative and has the following meaning: I have hope in heaven. And I expected and expect that you will be favored towards me in heaven and on earth, because in heaven I have no other God and trustee besides You, and on earth I cannot compare anyone with You; but in heaven and on earth I recognize You as God, and with love I surrender to Your sovereignty. Ps.72:26. My flesh and my heart fail: God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. “My heart and my flesh are gone.” That is why I desire and thirst for You with both soul and body, and I expect Your help. “The God of my heart, and my portion, O God, endures forever.” You are my destiny, my inheritance and enjoyment of blessings. Ps.72:27. For behold, those who remove themselves from You perish; You destroy everyone who turns away from You. “For behold, those who separate themselves from You will perish: You have consumed everyone who commits fornication from You.” Those who make themselves far from Your care and choose to serve idols will have destruction as the fruit of apostasy. For the Prophet here calls idolatry fornication. This is what God says through Jeremiah: “I went to every high mountain and under every leafy tree, and went astray there. And he said: “She will always commit adultery among all of these, turning to Me, and not returning” (Jer. 3:6-7); and again: “and she committed fornication with wood and with stone” (Jer. 3:9); that is, leaving Me, the groom, she served non-existent gods. Therefore, here too the Prophet called serving idols fornication. But he said this not about the Babylonians, but about those who became captives for their wickedness. For they, having God as their bridegroom, committed adultery, loving slavery to demons. But, having learned chastity from experience, they cry: Ps.72:28. And it is good for me to draw closer to God! I have placed my trust in the Lord God, that I may proclaim all Thy works [at the gates of the daughter of Zion]. “It is good for me to cleave to God, to place my trust in the Lord.” Having actually experienced it, I will not be separated from the God who saved me, and I will be strengthened by my trust in Him. “Tell me all Your praises in the gates of the daughter Zion.” For this hope, I have gained the advantage of returning, and I will tell Your wonders in Jerusalem. For the Prophet called the city the daughter of Zion. As she calls men sons of men, so does Zion call the daughter of Zion. The city had two names; because in the Divine Scripture it is called both Zion and Jerusalem. You might be interested in: