Беседа 40 на псалом 130 97

Ps.130:1. Song of Degrees. God! My heart was not lifted up and my eyes were not lifted up: I did not enter into the great and wondrous things that are above me. 98 I did not enter into the great and wondrous things that are above me. 99 What and when is it reasonable to boast and unreasonable? – It is no small matter to avoid arrogant people. - “If I have not been humble... like a suckled child to its mother.” - Encouragement to trust in God. What is this? Paul calls it foolishness to praise oneself even when necessary, which is why he says: “I have come to the point of foolishness in boasting; you forced me to do this” (2 Cor. 12:11). And the prophet, did he really not know this, now boasting not before two, three or ten people, but before the whole universe, and boasting like this: I am humble and moderate, overly humble and meek? This is exactly what the words mean: “If I was not humble, but lifted up my soul (to You) like a suckled child to its mother, then reward my soul in the same way” (Ps. 130:2). Why is he doing this? Because this matter is not always impermissible, but sometimes it is necessary, and it even happens that we are unreasonable not because we boast, but because we do not boast. That is why Paul says: “He who boasts, boast in the Lord” (2 Cor. 10:17). Thus, he who does not boast of the cross is the most foolish and unjust of all; He who does not boast of faith is the most despised of all; whoever does not boast and exalt himself in this will certainly perish. That is why the apostle said with boldness: “I do not want to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). It is also said: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty boast in his strength, let not the rich man boast in his wealth. But he who boasts, boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord” (Jer. 9:23, 24). And when is it bad to boast? When we do it like the Pharisee. Why, you say, did Paul say: “I have reached the point of foolishness in boasting; “Did you force me to do this”? Because he talked about matters of his life and behavior that should not have been talked about unless necessary. But in another place he says: “If I want to boast, I will not be foolish, because I will tell the truth” (2 Cor. 12:6). Thus, he who speaks the truth when circumstances dictate is not mad. Consequently, when a prophet boasts, he is not mad, because he speaks the truth. Why did he turn his speech to this subject? In order to teach listeners, after getting rid of evil, not to return to madness, after being freed from bonds, not to go on a rampage again and not to fall under the yoke of another captivity. Narrating about his qualities, he admonishes the listener, and does not say: I was arrogant and kept this passion, but what? “My heart was not lifted up,” i.e. this vice did not even touch my soul. His heart was like some kind of storm-proof harbor that did not allow the waves of vice, which is the source of all evil and the root of extreme wickedness. What does it mean: “My heart was not lifted up and my eyes were not lifted up”? I didn’t raise my eyebrows, he said, and I didn’t raise my neck. From the internal source of passion, the disease spreads to the outside, bringing the body into a state consistent with internal infection. “I have not entered into the great and wondrous things that are above me.” What does it mean: “to greatness”? With arrogant, rich, proud, vain people. Do you see true humility? Not only was he himself free from this disease, but he also avoided those infected with it, and avoided such meetings, out of his great hatred of arrogance; turning away from this vice, he not only avoided it himself, not only made the area of ​​his heart inaccessible to him, but also ran far away from those devoted to him, so as not to receive any infection from them. It is no small matter to avoid the arrogant, to hate the proud, to turn away from them and abhor them; this is the greatest support of virtue, the greatest fence of humility. "What is higher than me". Another: “and in that which exceeds me.” “If I was not humble, but lifted up my soul (to You) like a suckled child to its mother, then reward my soul in the same way.” Another (Symmachus): “so may my soul be rewarded” (ανταπδοθείη). This is an enhanced expression. If, he says, I was not humble, like a suckling child before its mother, but was proud in my heart, then let my soul be rewarded. The meaning of his words is as follows: I was not only clean from this vice, i.e. pride, and not only moved away from those who had it, but also acquired to the highest degree the opposite virtue - humility, moderation, contrition. Christ also commanded the disciples: “Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3). I have acquired, he says, such humility as that of a suckling child; how it clings to its mother, is humble, alien to any arrogance, simple and meek, so I was in relation to God, holding on to Him constantly. However, it is not without reason that he mentions the infant child, but he wants to depict his grief, difficulty, despondency, and the greatness of his evils. Like a child, being weaned from the breast, does not lag behind its mother, but even though it cries. grieves, laments, annoyed, gets angry, but clings to her mother and does not lag behind her, so I, he says, in sorrow, in difficulty and in all the numerous misfortunes, was devoted to God. If I was not like that, he says, then let my soul be rewarded, i.e. let her suffer the utmost punishment. “Let Israel trust in the Lord from now on and forever!” (Ps. 130:3). You see, as I said at the beginning, that one must constantly boast in faith and doctrine without reason, and the one who does not boast about it will perish; and as for the affairs of life, one should not refuse - boast of them as required by circumstances. What are these circumstances? Many and various, of which one for example is to teach the listener. So the prophet, knowing this and wanting to show that he is talking about his good qualities in order to position the listener for competition, adds: “Let Israel trust in the Lord from now on and forever!” Even if, he says, you beset by misfortunes, sorrows, wars, captivity, and any unexpected disasters, you hold on to hope in God, trust in Him, and you will certainly receive a good end; God will reward you with deliverance from disasters for this good hope, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. The psalms in the text are translated by P. Yungerov - Editorial office of the ABC of Faith Another translator (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.) says: “and they were not exalted” (ουδε υψω᾿ θησαν). Another (Aquila and Theodotion): "in splendor" (εν μεγαλωσύναις). Third (Symmachus and Theodotion): “in greatness and in that which exceeds me” (εν μεγαλειότησιν, ουδέ υπερβάλλουσιν υπέρ εμέ). You might be interested in: