Беседа 51 на псалом 141 114

Ps.141:1–2. In for teaching. David, when he was praying in the cave. With my voice I cried to the Lord, with my voice I prayed to the Lord. The words: “voice” and “voice” express the firm desire with which the psalmist cried out to God. – The double benefit of sorrows. – Why are some people overcome by despair or murmuring during times of grave disasters? – A high example of courage in times of greatest danger and – trust in God. – Strengthening the psalmist’s prayer by pointing out his grave sorrow and the treachery of his enemies. – “The righteous wait for me until you reward me” (Ps. 142:8). – The exhortation is to pray and not lose heart during disasters, as they have a beneficial effect on people and other creatures. 1. Do you see how the prophet often does this - he begins his speech in this way, and repeats it twice here: “with a voice” and “with a voice”? He does not do this in vain, but in order, through twice repetition, to instill in us two actions, lively zeal and intense attention, and, in addition, so that we cry out with our own voice. Not everyone calls out with a “voice,” not everyone calls out to God, not everyone calls out with their own voice. And it all needs to be together. He who calls out against his enemies utters the voice not of a man, but of a wild beast and a serpent. He who is careless and inattentive to what he says does not cry to God, but speaks in vain and in vain. He who does not stir up his soul, even if he shouted loudly, also does not cry out. “Voice,” as I have often said before, does not mean the power of breathing, but intense attention. But that is not what a prophet does; he combines these three circumstances and expresses that he calls out with a “voice”, both to God and with his own voice; That’s why he says it twice: “with my voice” and “with my voice.” “I will pour out my prayer before Him, I will declare my sorrow before Him” (Ps. 142:3). Do you see a soul free from everything worldly? He did not resort to people, he did not seek help from them, but to irresistible help, assistance from the highest. Further, wanting to express the intense attention and fiery zeal that he had, he uses the expression: “I will pour out,” i.e. with great abundance. From here we learn that sorrows contribute no little to wisdom. This is the fruit of sorrow. Therefore let no one avoid her. It brings two benefits: firstly, it makes us more zealous and attentive; secondly, it gives us a considerable right to be heard. That is why the prophet did not say: my truth, or my good deeds, but: “my sorrow,” since it served as no small protection for him. That is why Isaiah says: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God, speak to the heart of Jerusalem and tell it..., for she has received double for all her sins from the hand of the Lord” (Is. 40: 1, 2). And Paul: “to hand over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved” (1 Cor. 5:5). And in his letter to the Corinthians he says: “That is why many of you are weak and sick, and many are dying. For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. Having been judged, we are punished by the Lord, so that we are not condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:30-32). And Abraham said to the rich man: “Son! remember that you have already received your good in your life, and Lazarus received your evil; now he is comforted here, but you suffer” (Luke 16:25). And David, when Shimei cursed him, said: “If my son, who came out of my bowels, seeks my life, how much more is the son of Benjamite; leave him alone, let him curse, for the Lord has commanded him; Perhaps the Lord will look upon my humiliation, and the Lord will reward me with goodness for his current slander” (2 Samuel 16:11-12). And everywhere in the Scriptures we find that those people who endure sorrows with gratitude not only blot out many of their sins, but through this they also acquire no small boldness before God. “When my spirit disappeared from me, You (then) knew my paths: in this path that I walked, they hid a snare for me” (Ps. 142:4). When cowardly people especially fall, and many utter blasphemous words, then he is especially wise, learning this disposition of spirit from grief. Therefore, when you see that someone despairs during grief, or utters some obscene words, then consider the reason for this not grief, but the cowardice of the speaker, because grief in its essence usually produces the opposite: attention, spiritual contrition, deep reflection, advancement in piety. That is why Paul says: “from tribulation comes patience, and from patience experience” (Rom. 5:3, 4). If the Jews grumbled during sorrows, then this grumbling did not come from sorrow, but from their madness; the saints, undergoing tribulations, became more glorious and wise. That is why the prophet himself said: “It is good for me that You have humbled me, so that I may learn Your justifications” (Ps. 119:71). And Paul: “But the Lord said to me: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. Therefore I am content in weaknesses, in insults, in needs, in persecutions, in oppressions for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9, 10). Do you see how, during times of sorrow, a prophet becomes more encouraged, runs to God, cleaves to Him with greater strength, and in the very depths of evil (this is meant by the words: “when my spirit disappeared from me”), then he becomes especially zealous? Another translator (Symmachus) translated the words: “You (then) knew my paths” as follows: because “you know” (σὺ γὰ οιδας). “I looked to the right and saw: and there was no one who knew me, there was no place where I could run, and no one cared about my soul” (Ps. 142:5). Here he shows great misfortune, many disasters and the machinations of enemies, how they approached and approached, wanting to overthrow him, and, what is especially difficult, he not only had no assistants or collaborators, but even “there was no one who knew.” 2. This expresses complete desert, the extreme alienation of everyone. And truly, few people decide to be present and help in misfortunes, especially when misfortunes threaten dangers. However, this not only did not harm the prophet, but even more benefited him, bringing him closer to God. So you, beloved, when you see multiplying disasters, do not lose heart, but be even more encouraged. God allows them to be in order to drive away your carelessness, in order to awaken you from sleep. Then everything superfluous is cut off, then everything worldly is forgotten, then a person becomes more zealous in prayer, more zealous in almsgiving and in contempt of the belly, and every passion is more easily overcome, turning to flight from sorrow. So in the beginning, God subjected us to labor and sorrow, not wanting to punish us, although He pronounced a sentence in the form of punishment, but to enlighten us and make us better. If even now, when sorrows surround us and life is full of toil, such wickedness reigns, then to what extent would evil not reach if they did not exist? And is it surprising that grief is good for the soul if it is also good for the body? Saturating the body with pleasures is harmful. Likewise, disasters, when they surround us on all sides, force us to be vigilant; and if we are careful, we do not suffer any harm from them. That is why someone says: “Know that you are walking in the midst of nets and passing along the battlements of city walls” (Sir.9:18). And the Psalmist says: “My paths: in this path that I walked they hid a snare for me.” If anyone takes these words in a figurative sense, he will understand that this is what the devil does, not plotting from afar, but hiding them close. This is why great vigilance is required on our part. He hides his network, in almsgiving - vanity, in fasting - pride, he hides it not on other paths, but on the very ones along which we walk, which is especially difficult. “There was no place for me to run.” Look at the new increase in disasters. The Prophet shows that not only were there snares placed on his paths, not only was there no one who could help or even know about it, but the remaining means of deliverance—to seek salvation in flight—was not easy or convenient for him. So he was plunged into the depths of disasters, was in inevitable misfortune - and yet did not despair. “And no one cared about my soul,” i.e. there was no protector, no helper. What is he? In the midst of such calamities and difficulties, did you despair of salvation? No. He immediately runs to God and says: “I cried to You, Lord, and said: You are my hope, You are my portion in the land of the living” (Ps. 142:6). Do you see the cheerfulness of the soul? Disasters did not suppress him, but inspired him even more; and being in difficult circumstances, he found an invincible right hand, omnipotent strength and relief from difficulties. “He said: You are my hope.” Everything human, he says, turns out to be in vain, the storm so exceeds all help that it is impossible to avoid shipwreck by any art; but, although there is no hope for people and we are all in a desperate situation, everything is easy for You, and therefore we do not weaken in hope for You. “You are my part in the land of the living,” i.e. You yourself are my lot, my treasure, my wealth, my everything. "In the land of the living". He calls his fatherland here the “Land of the Living”; On the contrary, he often calls the Babylonian captivity hell and death. Since ordinary worship was not performed in a foreign land, but sacred rites were performed here, he says: “My part is in the land of the living.” You, he says, are always inherent in me, you adopted me for Yourself on the land of the living, and my closeness to You was great. “Attend to my prayer, for I am greatly humbled; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than me” (Ps. 142:7). You see how here, too, he presents in his defense what he said above, i.e. that he was “greatly humiliated” and received abundant punishment for his sins. The expression “very” does not mean a complaint about events, but the grief and exhaustion of the sufferer. If we look at the importance of sins, then this humiliation will not be “very”; and if it is due to the weakness of the sufferer, then it is “very”, excessive. God never demands punishment equal to the importance of sins; if for those who suffer it seems unbearable, then this depends not on the essence of the matter, but on the weakness of those enduring it. “Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.” Here is another reason for his deliverance - the unrighteous machinations of the attackers, while he is in great exhaustion. “Bring my soul out of prison to confess Your name; The righteous wait for me until you reward me” (Ps. 142:8). “Confess” is said here instead of “give thanks.” The meaning of his words is as follows: deliver me from disasters. Here he refers to extreme misfortunes as “prison.” 3. “Profess your name.” It is also important that, while you are in happiness, you do not forget about the benefits you have received. Many people are zealous during sorrows, but careless in happiness; others are careless in happiness, but in times of sorrow they despair and lose heart. But the prophet, under those and other circumstances, invariably maintained piety; grief did not bring him to the point of falling, but even more disposed him to petition and prayer; and happiness did not relax him, but even then he prepared to thank him. “The righteous wait for me until you reward me.” Another (Symmachus): “The righteous will be crowned when you do me a favor” (στεφαώσοντα ... ευεργετήσης με). What does it mean? And the righteous, he says, will benefit; they will rejoice, have fun, rejoice, seeing my deliverance from disasters. The souls of the saints are such that they sympathize with those who suffer and do not envy the happy, but rejoice, are glad, and are comforted when they see those receiving good deeds, just as Paul commanded: “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). This is no small virtue. Many rejoice when others fall and envy when they rise, indulging in both passions of cruelty and inhumanity. But the righteous are not like that; free from both passions, merciful and humane, they acquire the opposite virtues; just as the former, out of their cruelty, fall into one and the other passion, so the latter, out of their love for mankind, will have compassion for those who suffer and rejoice with those who rejoice. Why did he say: “You will repay me”? Another translator (unknown translator) says: “when you do me a favor.” Still others: “You will repay and reward me” (ανταποδως καὶ αμείψη με). Meanwhile, above he pointed to sorrow and humility, and not to his good deeds, not to the boldness that comes from works. Why is he asking for retribution? For days of humility. And this is no small matter - to endure grief with gratitude. That is why he calls the reward for this retribution. So we will not lose heart during sorrows, but pray so as not to fall into temptation; and when it has come upon us, we will accept it; through this we get rid of our inherent sins, and if we have any virtue, then we make it brighter. This was shown by Job, who then shone especially brightly. This is also good for the body, good not only for people, but also for dumb animals, and not only for animals, but also for plants. And farmers do not allow the vineyard and other trees to grow excessively with branches, but prevent their further growth and, pruning with a knife, turn all their strength to the root, so that they, having exhausted all their strength on the leaves, do not produce worthless fruits. This happens with people too. When zeal is spent on unnecessary deeds, then the soul becomes powerless to produce the mature and perfect fruit of piety. The same can be seen on the water. Standing and still water can be harmful; and moving, scooping and flowing water is not only healthy, but pleasant to see, touch, and drink. Constraint often overcomes nature. So water, tending and flowing downward, being constrained, rises upward. This definitely happens with people. Those who generously endure sorrows become higher, even if they were very low, the most earthly and humiliated, and thereby gain great benefit. Knowing this, let us endure with gratitude the calamities that befall us, so that they too may become easier for us, and we may achieve future blessings, which may we all be worthy of, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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 You might be interested in: