Изъяснение псалма 97-го.

"Psalm to David." And this psalm contains the same thought; because it foreshadows both the coming of the Savior; but speaks more about the first coming. Ps.97:1. Sing a new song to the Lord, for He has done wonders. His right hand and His holy arm brought Him victory. “Sing a new song to the Lord.” since the Prophet announces a change in the ancient order of affairs, and predicts a new way of life; then he rightly commands to offer up to God a “new song.” “What a wonder the Lord has created.” What is supernatural and extraordinary is what is accomplished by the God of all. “Savior” is His 29 “right hand, and His holy arm.” We have said more than once that the Prophet calls action by hand, and good action by right hand. He says that the salvation of people is the work of His power. Driven by immeasurable love for mankind, the Lord considers the life of people to be a gain for Himself. Therefore, the Prophet did not say: “His right hand saved” them, but: “He saved.” Him." For, having freed them from the charms of idols and shown the height of His kingdom, He taught them salvation. And the Prophet expressed this more clearly in the addendum. Ps.97:2. The Lord revealed His salvation, revealed His truth before the eyes of the peoples. “The Lord has spoken His salvation: reveal Your truth before tongues.” He offered saving waters to all people, and revealed His righteous kingdom to the pagans. Ps.97:3. He remembered His mercy [to Jacob] and His faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. “I will remember my mercy to Jacob, and my truth to the house of Israel: seeing all the ends of the earth the salvation of our God.” This is very similar to the predictions of the Prophet Isaiah; for through him the God of all spoke to the Lord Christ: “I gave You for a covenant of generations, for a light of the tongue, so that You may be saved, even to the last of the earth” (Is. 49:6). since the God of all promised to the wonderful patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the divine David, from their seed according to the flesh to raise up Christ and through Him to grant salvation to all people; then the Prophet Isaiah called the promise to the fathers a covenant; because the word: “covenant” was translated by other interpreters as “agreement.” But Israel called Him “the race”; because, as the Apostle says, from the Jews “Christ according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:5). Therefore, “I gave You as a covenant of the generation,” that is, to fulfill the agreement with the Jews, but “for the light” no longer of the Jews, “but of the tongue”; because the pagans, through faith, became involved in salvation, but the Jews loved the darkness of unbelief. Blessed David said this here too: “I will remember My mercy to Jacob, and My truth to the house of Israel”: because I fulfilled the promises given to them. But “seeing all the ends of the earth the salvation of our God”; because, not for the Jews alone, but for all people, the light of truth shone. Ps.97:4. Shout to the Lord, all the earth; rejoice, rejoice and sing. “Shout to God, all the earth: sing, and rejoice, and sing.” since everyone is freed from the bitter torment of the devil; then lift up a song of victory to the God who saved you. Exclamation is the clique of those who are victorious. And we fulfill what we are commanded; because, exclaiming and calling, they used to offer this song to God during the sacrament, and rejoicing with all complacency, and chanting and singing. Ps.97:5. Sing to the Lord with the harp, with the harp, and with the voice of psalmody. “Sing to the Lord with the harp and the voice of psalm.” It can be seen that this law is constantly being fulfilled in the churches; for, by rattling the spiritual harp, we emit divine sweet singing. We make our bodies spiritual harps, teeth serve us instead of strings, lips serve us instead of brass, and faster than any clanging, a moving tongue produces harmonious sounds of clanging, and the tongue is moved by the mind, like someone knowledgeable in music and skillfully performing its transitions. These harps are more pleasing to God than inanimate harps. And He Himself is a witness to this, when through the Prophet he cries to the Jews: “Leave the voice of your songs from Me,” and the voice of “I will not listen to your organs” (Am. 5:23). Ps.97:6. At the sound of trumpets and horns, rejoice before the Lord the King. “In forged trumpets and with the sound of trumpets they are born.” Divine Scripture is often called a trumpet proclamation; So the Lord says in the Gospel: “Whenever you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do” (Matthew 6:2), that is, do not proclaim it, and do not make it obvious to everyone, so as not to damage the fruit of philanthropy with vanity. That is why here, too, the Prophet calls the teaching a trumpet, from which we recognize the benefits shown to us and study the laws that are useful to us. He calls forged pipes copper pipes, and forged pipes - those made from horns, and such pipes were usually used by the Jews. And what was introduced among them served ours. Therefore, they sacrificed a dumb lamb, and we offer the saving Lamb, “who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). So they used inanimate pipes, but we have animate and verbal ones. And our trumpets are the divine Apostles, the godly Prophets, and after them those who were granted the gift of teaching. “Sound the trumpet before the king of the Lord.” Raise a victorious song to the King and Lord of all. Ps.97:7. Let the sea roar and what fills it, the universe and those who live in it. “Let the sea and its fulfillment, the universe and all who live on it, move.” Symmachus translated it this way: let the sea and the universe and those who dwell in it give out a voice with its fulfillment. The fulfillment of prophecy is mainly seen in crowded cities; because the multitude of godly people in the churches is like a troubled sea. The voice of those singing is similar to this. And according to the translation of the seventy, the prophetic word depicted the movement and change of those inhabiting the sea and land; because that which moves vibrates, and that which changes comes into motion. Ps.97:8. Let the rivers applaud, let the mountains rejoice together. Ps.97:9. Before the face of the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the nations with justice. “The rivers will braid together with their hands.” Again the Prophet called the participants in the grace of teaching rivers, like rivers pouring out divine currents. He said about them that they applaud and sing songs to God; because applause is also characteristic of those who are victorious. “The mountains will rejoice” “It is from the presence of the Lord that he comes, as he comes to judge the earth.” Here the Prophet called mountains those who have a high and soaring way of thinking, and on which the city of God is based. For it is said: “a hail cannot be hidden from the top of a standing mountain” (Matthew 5:14); and: “its foundations are on the holy mountains” (Psalm 86:2). The Prophet spoke about them; that they rejoice and are glad, knowing the coming of our God and Savior; for, expecting rewards for their labors, they rejoice, knowing the truthfulness of the Judge. “Judges” 31 “the world with righteousness, and the people with righteousness.” For at the first coming much mercy was shown; and at the second righteousness will be revealed. It is said: “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10), “let everyone receive what he has done with the body, either good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10). And the Prophet also said: “God has spoken alone, these two have I heard: beyond the power of God, and Thy Lord mercy: for Thou hast rewarded each according to his deeds” (Psalm 61:12-13). In glory translation reads: “Save Him.” More precisely: let it shake. 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