Изъяснение псалма 89-го.

Ps.89:1. Prayer of Moses, the man of God. "The Prayer of Moses the Man of God." Some writers claimed that this prayer was composed by the great Moses, while others said that its blessed writer was David, and he wrote it in relation to the divine Moses. However, this psalm contains a double prophecy, because it foretells not only the misfortunes of the Jews, but at the same time shows the corruption and mortality of the entire human race, and, moreover, predicts a change for the better for the Jews and all people. Ps.89:2. God! You are our refuge forever and ever. “Lord, you have been our refuge throughout all generations.” The Lord was the refuge of the Jews not only in Egypt, but also in the wilderness, and under Joshua, and under Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, Sampson, Samuel and David; He honored them with all His care through the Prophets, and under the control of kings gave them all kinds of help. And the entire human race utters these words, remembering to God all His good deeds, how He betrayed Enoch, how He preserved the divine Noah - this spark in the race, when everyone loved the brutal life, how, having chosen the patriarch Abraham, he promised blessing to all nations. For the Lord of all, not through any repentance, as some of the unbelievers dare to say, began to do good to the pagans, but always continued to provide for all people. And the prophecy taught us to say this: “Lord, you have been our refuge throughout all generations,” because we have always had hope in You, Master. Ps.89:3. Before the mountains were born, You formed the earth and the universe, and from everlasting to everlasting You are God. “Before even the mountains were not and the earth and the universe were created, and from everlasting to everlasting you art.” For You have existence before all created things: the mountains, the earth, and the whole universe, because You are eternal, beginningless, endless, not limited by any limit. And what was said: “before even the mountains did not exist” should be read in connection with the words: “Thou art.” Ps.89:4. You return man to corruption and say: “Return, sons of men!” “Do not turn a person into humility.” Therefore, I beg You, the Ever-Existing One, who is eternal and has always been our refuge, do not completely despise us, overwhelmed by so many disasters. since God Himself condemned Adam to the shedding of sweat and toil, saying: “By the sweat of your brow you will bear your bread, until you return to the land from which you were taken; for you are the earth, and you will go back to the earth” (Gen. 3:19), then, in accordance with this, the prophetic word teaches us to beg so that we will not be completely turned away into the humility and misery that we have received to us. And the Jews, forced to be in slavery, offer the same prayer, mourning their captivity and enslavement. “And you said: turn to the sons of humanity.” Aquila translated it like this: “and you will say: turn, sons of men”; that is, we do not beg in vain, but knowing firmly that you will accept our prayers, and in our present misfortunes you will make a change, advising us to turn and get rid of our former wickedness. Ps.89:5. For in Your sight a thousand years are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. “Like a thousand years before Your eyes, O Lord, like yesterday, those who pass by, and the watch of the night.” The idea contained in these words is not presented in a strict order; the last words are placed in connection with the previous ones: “do not turn man away into humility, for a thousand years are before Your eyes, O Lord, like yesterday, those who have passed by, and the watch of the night”; in the middle between these and other words it is placed: “and you said: turn, sons of humanity.” The Prophet says that human life is short and extremely painful, and for You, the Ever-Eternal and Eternal, a millennium is equal to one day, or better yet, a small part of the night, because the Prophet called the fourth part of the night the night watch, since those who were entrusted with the night watch divided the night into four parts. So in the fourth watch the Lord came to the Apostles (Matthew 14:25). Ps.89:6. You carry them away like a flood. They are like a dream, like grass that grows in the morning, blooms and turns green in the morning, is cut down in the evening and dries up. "The humiliations of their summer will be". For a long time, says the Prophet, You gave them over to this misery. This simultaneously means the rejection of the Jews, after the suffering of our Savior, and their future abandonment without Divine care for them, not for a short, but for a very long time. “The morning passes by like grass; the morning flourishes and passes away; in the evening it falls away, becomes hard and withers.” For the Jews, having received God’s care for them, soon grew, prospered and acquired great glory; not wanting to give the farmer the timely fruit, but having hardened their hearts, they became completely withered, because they no longer used the previous irrigation. In the morning the Prophet calls the beginning of care for the Jews, and in the evening - the end of God's care for them. They lost it after the cross. Ps.89:7. For we are consumed by Thy wrath, and by Thy wrath we are dismayed. “As I have perished by Thy anger, and been troubled by Thy wrath.” This befits both the Jews and all people. For the human race, suffering punishment for iniquity, is subject to disasters and overwhelmed by all sorts of troubles, and the Jews, for the deceit of their hearts, were deprived of their freedom. Ps.89:8. You have placed our iniquities before You and our secrets before the light of Your face. “Thou hast laid down our iniquities before Thee: our age is for the illumination of Thy face.” And Symmachus translated this: “I have laid our iniquities before You, so that our negligence may be revealed to Your face.” You handed us over to these punishments, seeing that we had neglected Your laws and preferred to live without the law. Ps.89:9. All our days have passed in Thy wrath; we are losing our summers like a sound. “For all our days have come to nothing, and have perished through Thy wrath.” Sin brought anger upon us, and anger brought punishment, and punishment brought with it suffering, for we spent our short life in suffering. Ps.89:10. The days of our years are seventy years, and with greater strength - eighty years; and their best time is labor and illness, for they pass quickly, and we fly. “Our summer is like a spider.” Human nature has nothing solid, nothing permanent; like a web it is conveniently dissolved. “The days of our years are seventy years, but if we can, eighty years, and we multiply their labor and illness.” This is similar to what Patriarch Jacob said: “My days were small and evil; I did not reach in the days of my father” (Gen. 47:9). Therefore, although others live longer than what has been said, this happens to a few, but here the Prophet shows that in general and for the most part it is common. For just as he did not mention those who suffer a premature death, so the longevity of those who are very old passed away in silence. However, he says that even this short time is filled with suffering and labor. “For meekness will come upon us, and we will be punished.” This is how many disasters we are overwhelmed by even from Your little wrath! For the Prophet called the meekness that came upon them a moderate punishment. Ps.89:11. Who knows the power of Your anger, and Your wrath according to the measure of Your fear? “Who knows the power of Your wrath? and because of Thy fear is Thy wrath?” And Symmachus translated it like this: “Who knows the power of Your fury and Your anger according to Your fear?” If Thy moderate indignation imposed such a punishment on us, who is able to imagine the execution imposed by Thy wrath? The prophetic word implies eternal torment. Ps.89:12. Teach us to number our days in such a way that we may acquire a wise heart. “Purge your right hand, say this to me, and bind your heart in wisdom.” I beg that I too may enjoy Your goodness, count and tell the gifts of Your right hand, and imitate those who have become wise by Your grace, who show others the path to knowing You. Ps.89:13. Turn, Lord! How long? Have mercy on Your servants. “Turn, Lord, how long? and pray for Thy servants." No longer despise the sick, O Lord, but accept prayer, and grant Thy servants love for mankind. Ps.89:14. Fill us early with Thy mercy, and we will rejoice and be glad all our days. “We were filled with Thy mercy in the morning, and we rejoiced and were glad all our days.” The time of the seventy has changed, because Aquila and others expressed it this way: “Fill us in the morning with Thy mercy, and we will praise and rejoice all our days.” In the morning and early time they call a change after disasters and pray that this darkness will dissipate and light will shine upon them, not for the sake of their own virtue, but by God’s mercy. And when this happens, says the Prophet, then, filled with all joy, we will lift up the appropriate song. Ps.89:15. Make us glad for the days in which You struck us, for the years in which we saw disaster. “We rejoiced, for the days, in nyazh you humbled us, summer, in nyazh I saw the evil.” And here the time has changed in a similar way, for Symmachus and others translated: “make us glad,” that is, instead of despondency, give joy, and make a change in our present evil fate. Ps.89:16. May Your work appear on Your servants and Your glory on their sons. “And look upon Thy servants and Thy works.” From this it is clear that they speak about this not as about the past, but as about the future. They did not say: “Thou hast looked upon Thy servants and Thy works.” We are Your creatures and servants of Your dominion, therefore we beg you to grant us Your providence. “And instruct their sons,” that is, Your servants, because those who offer prayer in Babylon ask God to return the sons of His deceased servants, and the human race begs to guide those people who will live at the coming of our Savior to the truth. Ps.89:17. And may the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and make us prosper in the work of our hands, prosper us in the work of our hands. “And may the Lordship of our God be upon us.” And the light of the knowledge of God made us famous and glorious, and the Jews, upon their return, became famous again. “And restore the work of our hands against us, and restore the work of our hands.” This addition is wonderful: “on us,” because the gain of truth is something of ours. Although God promotes those who love virtue, He gives them success in it, but those who sow collect the fruit from this. God does not need anything, but nevertheless rejoices in the well-being and success of people. You might be interested in: