Изъяснение псалма 84-го.

Ps.84:1. To the head of the choir. Korean sons. Psalm. “To the end, son of Korah, psalm.” This psalm foreshadows both the shadow and the truth, because the God of all, in what happened to Israel, foreshadowed the salvation of all people. And He freed the Israelites, both from the slavery of Egypt and from the slavery of Babylon, and He delivered the entire human race from the prevailing torment of the devil and from corruption. Therefore, the psalm predicts both the return of the Jews from Babylon and the salvation of the entire universe. Ps.84:2. God! You have had mercy on Your land, You have returned the captivity of Jacob. Ps.84:3. Forgave the iniquity of Your people, covered all their sins. “Thou hast been well pleased, O Lord, with Thy land.” To favor means to wish for some good. since God determined the desolation of Judea for the iniquity of the inhabitants, and as a punishment for Adam after sin, he placed a curse on the earth - it is said: “thorns and thistles will grow for you” (Gen. 3:18) - then the prophetic word expressed the abolition of the sorrowful with this saying: “good will.” “Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.” “Thou hast forsaken the iniquity of Thy people, Thou hast covered all their sins.” You have resolved the deplorable bonds of slavery, and granted freedom to the captives, desiring to despise their sins. And that the entire human race was a captive and received freedom from our Savior God, He Himself is a witness to this, crying out through the mouth of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for the sake of My anointing, to bring My ambassador to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind” (Is. 61:1). For the Master, having read this prophecy in the congregation, said to the Jews: “Today this scripture will be fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). Ps.84:4. I have taken away all Your wrath, I have turned away the fierceness of Your anger. “Thou hast tamed all Thy anger, thou hast returned from the wrath of Thy wrath.” He stopped his indignation against us and showed us mercy. Ps.84:5. Restore us, O God of our salvation, and end Your wrath against us. “Bring us back, O God of our salvation, and turn away Thy wrath from us.” Both of them seem to have received the gospel of freedom, but have not yet received it, and therefore they beg that they may be completely worthy of love for mankind. Ps.84:6. Will you be angry with us forever, will you spread your wrath from generation to generation? “Are you angry with us forever? or will you sweep away Your wrath from generation to generation?” And it is fitting for those freed from disasters to express themselves in these words and not rely on the remission of sins, but to remain in fear and appease the Judge. Therefore, they also beg not to extend this anger to the point of continuing in another way, but to stop it soon. Ps.84:7. Will You not revive us again, so that Your people may rejoice in You? “God, You turn us into life, and Your people will rejoice in You.” We know, Master, Your love for mankind, and we are confident that You will grant us both return and life, and we, having enjoyed this, will sing Your song with joy. Ps.84:8. Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy, and grant us Thy salvation. “Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy, and give us Thy salvation.” During the reign of the Persian Cyrus, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, who gave permission to return, the Jews hasten to their fatherland, and therefore they beg God, out of love for mankind, to grant them speedy salvation. As soon as possible, they say, show us, O Lord, Your goodness, so that we may achieve salvation and liberation from here. So the Prophet, as if offering a prayer on behalf of the Jews, receives an answer from God and says: Ps.84:9. I will listen to what the Lord God says. He will speak peace to His people and His chosen ones, but let them not fall into folly again. “I will hear what the Lord God says about me: for He speaks peace against His people, and against His saints, and against those who turn their hearts to Him.” The humane-loving Master heard my request, says the Prophet, pronounced a definition of peace, and granted it to those who resorted to repentance and taught their thoughts to turn to God, because turning the heart to God is liberation from sins and the beginning of truth. What was said later agrees with this. Ps.84:10. Thus, His salvation is near to those who fear Him, so that glory may dwell in our land! “His salvation is near to those who fear Him, to bring glory to our land.” For salvation is near to those who fear God, and those who decide to fulfill the Divine laws enjoy it. A similar change has granted us a return, which we will accomplish with glory, and we will see the former celebrity of the fatherland. Ps.84:11. Mercy and truth will meet, truth and peace will kiss each other. “Mercy and truth have met; truth and the world have stopped." To those who sin and resort to repentance, the sources of philanthropy bestow mercy, and for those who love the truth, streams of mercy abound. That is why the Prophet said: “mercy and truth have been found.” For the Jews and the entire human race brought the knowledge of the truth as a gift to God, and the Lover of Mankind rewarded them with mercy. So, even when they brought the truth, he granted them peace, showed mercy and stopped the previous hostility. And peace and righteousness flowed together, and mercy and truth. And the Prophet expressed this more clearly in the addendum: Ps.84:12. Truth will arise from the earth, and truth will come from heaven. “Truth came up from the earth, and righteousness came from heaven.” As soon as people loved the truth, the God of all people took His righteous care for them and overthrew the tormentor the devil. Ps.84:13. And the Lord will give good things, and our land will give its fruit. “For the Lord will give goodness, and our land will yield its fruit.” The Prophet again used the same combination, for he said that God would act out of mercy and love for mankind, and they would bring God fruit corresponding to this, but by this he meant not the abundance of earthly fruits, but the fruitfulness of virtue. Ps.84:14. Truth will go before Him and set its steps in the way. “Righteousness will go before Him and set its steps in its path.” The end of the psalm makes it especially clear to us that the prophecy it offers predicts the general salvation of all people. For he says that the Lord, acting in truth, like some kind of strange leader, controls our procession, paving the way for virtue, and with his own feet making it obvious to us. And the Master Himself confirms this thought, saying to John: “Leave it now: for this is fitting to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15), then to His disciples: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). On another occasion, after washing the disciples’ feet, he said this among other things: “I washed your feet, Lord and Teacher. I have given you an image, so that as I do, you do also” (John 13:14–15). Therefore, He Himself was the first to walk the path of righteousness, and changed “the slow into the right and the sharp into the smooth” (Is. 40:4), and became the path for us, as the Master Himself says: “I am the way and the truth and the life: no one will come to the Father except by Me” (John 14:6). You might be interested in: