Беседа 54 на псалом 144 120

Ps.144:1. Praise David. I will exalt You, my God, my King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever. A Christian, as having become a son of the heavenly Father, must constantly glorify Him in words and deeds, following the example of the psalmist. – The Lord is worthy of the greatest praise both for His countless benefits and because of the infinite greatness of His Being. – “From generation to generation they will praise Your works” (Ps. 144:4). The greatness of God is proclaimed by both beneficial for us and terrible, destructive phenomena of nature. – His goodness to everyone and everything is higher than any word. “The glory of Your kingdom shall be recited” (venerable ones) in order to teach others and make them partakers of praise (Ps. 144:11). – What does it mean: “Reverends” – Divine mercy for those who fall. – “You give them food in due season” (Ps. 144:15). – Special benefits given to the faithful who fear God. 1. Special attention should be paid to this psalm. It contains those expressions that those initiated into the mysteries often repeat, such as: “the eyes of all trust in You, and You give them food in due time” (Ps. 145:15). He who has become a son and eats a spiritual meal must glorify the Father. “The son honors his father, says the prophet, and the servant his master” (Mal. 1:6). And you have become a son, you participate in the spiritual meal, you eat the flesh and blood of the One who reborn you; Therefore, repay with gratitude for such a benefit, glorify the One who gave you such benefits and, repeating these words, attune your soul in accordance with them. Saying: “I will exalt You, my God, my King,” show great devotion to God, so that He may say about you, as about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:6). If you say: “My God, my King,” and not only speak, but also show great love for Him, then He will also say about you: “my servant, my servant,” as it is said about Moses. “And I will bless your name forever and ever.” Do you see how the prophet reveals the future life? And he means blessing not only done in words, but also in deeds. Thus God is both exalted and blessed. So in prayer we are commanded to say: “let him be holy,” i.e. Let Your name be glorified" (Matthew 6:9). “I will bless You every day and praise Your name forever and ever” (Ps. 144:2). Another translator (unknown, see Orig. Ex.) says: “forever without ceasing” (διηνεκως). This is especially characteristic of a pious soul - to renounce the affairs of life and sing songs of praise to God. Yes, and it would be a shame for man, a rational being and superior to everything visible, to be lower than other creatures in the matter of glorification; and not only shameful, but also reckless. Isn’t this really reckless, when other creatures praise the Lord every day and hour? “The heavens,” says the Psalmist, will tell of the glory of God, and the firmament will tell of the work of His hands. Day pours out word to day, and night to night proclaims knowledge” (Ps. 18:2, 3). And the sun, and the moon, and the varied choir of stars, and the harmonious composition of everything else preach about their Creator. Therefore, he who is superior to all creatures and does not do this, but even leads such a life that God who created him is blasphemed by it, can he be worthy of forgiveness? What justification can one have who was created to please a man-loving God and enjoy the blessings of the future kingdom, but does not care at all about this, but indulges in everyday affairs and worldly concerns? But that was not the prophet; all his life he praised God - both in words and in deeds. Truly, we owe Him a lot: He created us non-existent, created us this way, after creation He preserves us and every day provides for everyone in general and each one in particular, both secretly and openly, both noticeably and imperceptibly for us. Is it possible to count everything visible that He created for us: the service that visible creatures provide to us, the structure of the body, the nobility of the soul, daily care for us through miracles, laws and punishments, His varied and incomprehensible providence, the most important of all blessings - that He did not spare for us the Only Begotten Son, the blessings already given to us through baptism and other sacraments, and those ineffable the blessings that will be given - the kingdom, the resurrection, a life filled with all bliss? Whoever began to count all this separately would plunge into the immeasurable sea of ​​blessings and would see how much he owes to the man-loving God. And not only for this, but also for the greatness of His glory and the immutability of His being, praise, blessing, constant gratitude, service and unceasing worship are due to Him from us. The prophet also expresses this when he says: “Great is the Lord and very glorious, and His greatness has no end” (Ps. 144:3). Having said: “I will bless and praise,” he explains that God has no need of either our praise or blessings, that nothing is added to His glory from the praise of those who serve Him, because His being is unchangeable, all-sufficient and has no need for anything else; but those who glorify themselves become more glorious from this. However, not only for this reason should we praise Him, but also for the excellence of His glory, which the prophet also points out when he says: “Great is the Lord and very glorious,” i.e. having no need for anything. What does it mean: “very glorious”? Worthy of praise, glorification, praise; song and not just “glorious”, but also “very” - this was also added by the prophet - and to what extent “glorious”, he could not express this in words, and therefore added: “and His greatness has no end” or, as another translator (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.) says: “inventions” (εζεύρεσις). The meaning of these words is as follows: having a great Lord, be high yourself and renounce the affairs of this life; nourish thoughts above the insignificance of real things, not in order to become proud and arrogant, but great in soul and high in mind. One is arrogance, and another is generosity: he is arrogant who boasts of unimportant things and despises slaves like himself; but the generous one is humble in soul and considers all the splendor of real life as nothing. 2. Where are those now who say that they know God as He knows Himself? Let them listen to the words of the prophet: “His greatness has no end” - and be ashamed of their madness. “From generation to generation they will praise Your works and proclaim Your power” (Ps. 144:4). As the prophet usually does in other places, so he does here. Having expressed surprise at the greatness and glory of God, he proceeds to reveal His works. He does the same thing here: “from generation to generation,” he says, “praise deeds,” proving the greatness of God by deeds; those. it did not appear at just one time and then pass away, not for two or three years, but continues throughout the present age, so that every generation sees His actions. This is what the words mean: “from generation to generation,” i.e. the present generation, and the next after it, and the next after that, and again the next and each of the subsequent ones, namely: creatures that continue their existence at all times - sky, earth, sea, air, lakes, springs, rivers, seeds, plants, herbs and the beneficial consequences arising from them; the flow of nature, never interrupted, the rains, the seasons constantly repeating, night, day, sun, moon, stars and everything else; in addition, the deeds that take place in each generation, and in particular and in general for the correction and for the good of the entire human race, the miracles, signs and providence of God that were constantly happening among the Jews, which were revealed in the abundance of fruits, in victories over enemies, and in everything else; also the miracles that happened at the time of the coming of Christ, during the time of the apostles, during the persecution, the most numerous miracles and much greater in their grandeur than the ancient miracles, or finally the deeds happening in our time. Truly, there is no time that, apart from the general works of God, does not present the signs of His providence. “And I will proclaim Your power”; both through blessings, he says, and through punishments, because at all times God does not cease to provide for our nature in every way. “I will speak of the splendor of Your glorious holiness and proclaim Your wonders” (Ps. 145:5). Another (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex): “the beauty of your praise and the words of your wonders will proclaim” παραδόζων ). Having spoken about the “power” of God, the prophet shows how great it is. She did difficult and unusual things, but she did them so wonderfully and unusually, so above human nature, that His works were filled with miracles and glory. Imagine what happened in Egypt, in Palestine, under Abraham, under Isaac, under Joseph, again in Egypt under Moses, in the desert, upon entering the promised land, then in captivity in Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar, in the cave (of Babylon), in the lion's den, upon returning from captivity, under the prophets. All this proclaims the power, glory and greatness of the Creator, and inspires great surprise and amazement. “And they will speak of the power of Your terrible (deeds), and they will tell of Your greatness” (Ps. 144:6). By this the prophet shows that the power of God is completely sufficient for both, both for goodness and for punishment, and that everything counted includes both. However, not only in the events of that time, but also in nature one can see many instruments for these and other His actions - for example, for terrible actions: thunder, lightning, whirlwinds, hurricanes, pestilence, snow, hail, epidemic diseases, frosts, droughts, floods; also among reptiles - dragons, scorpions, snakes; between the flying ones - locusts; between the low ones are dog flies and caterpillars. All these are instruments of Providence that correct people, drive away laziness, awaken them from deep sleep, and lead them from carelessness to wakefulness. And not only in these actions, but also in the opposite ones, His power is perfect. Therefore, wanting to instill this in us, the prophet, having said: “They will speak of the power of Your terrible (deeds), and will tell of Your greatness,” adds: they will proclaim the remembrance of Your great goodness, and they will joyfully sing of Your righteousness” (Ps. 144:7). Another translator (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.) says: “of your kindness” (αγαθωσύνης). “And they will gladly sing Thy righteousness.” Another (Symmachus): “and your mercies will be praised” (ελεημοσύνας σου ευφημήσουσιν). And we, after we have counted the terrible deeds of God, must also talk about their opposites; such are the things visible and surrounding us - changes of seasons and days, gardens, meadows, various flowers, water fit for drinking and pleasant, beneficial rains, fertility of the earth, various fruits, various trees, favorable winds, a sunbeam, moonlight, a varied chorus of stars, the silence of the night; of the dumb - sheep, oxen, goats; from the wild: chamois, deer, hares and many others; among birds - Indian birds; In general, in His deeds one can see not only punishments, but also benefits, and benefits are much greater than punishments. Moreover, He inspires fear with punishments, and if sometimes He actually carries them out, it is because of the great insensibility of those who are not corrected by fear; He sends good deeds with love, boasts about them, and actually extends them not only to the worthy, but also to the unworthy. 3. Thus, arranging our salvation in different ways, God sends now blessings, now punishments, and the former more often than the latter, because he only desires the former. And He threatens Gehenna not in order to plunge us into it, but so as not to plunge us; He prepared it for the devil: “go..., he says, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil” (Matthew 25:41); and He prepared the kingdom for people, suggesting that He does not want to plunge man into Gehenna. “The Lord is generous and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are in all His works” (Ps. 144:8, 9). Do you see how the prophet dwells on the good deeds of God and talks more about them? He clearly knew that this is especially the wealth of God. It would be impossible for us to be saved if His love for mankind were not great; It would be impossible for us to exist without taking advantage of His great goodness. Therefore, He Himself said: “I will blot out your iniquities,” I will protect you in your sins (Is. 44:22). “The Lord is generous and merciful.” Look how the prophet shows His inexpressible love for mankind. God not only has mercy on those who sin, but also shows another significant type of love for mankind - long-suffering, so that sinners come to repentance and, with God’s love for mankind, achieve salvation through their own efforts, thus receiving boldness before Him through their deeds. He is not only “merciful,” but also “abounding in mercy,” says the prophet, expressing that His great mercy cannot be measured, but surpasses every word. Further, as much as possible, he explains this, adding: “The Lord is good to all, and His compassions are in all His works.” What does “to all” mean? And to sinners, he says, and to those living in iniquity. Not only the righteous, those who do good deeds, or those who repent, but all, by the very thing to which they are exposed, proclaim His mercy and goodness. If anyone asks me: to whom has God shown goodness? - then I will say: not only to Abel, but also to Cain, not only to Noah and his children, but also to those who perished from the flood; He gives everything out of love for mankind. And so that you can be convinced that He is good to everyone, consider these events. Was it not a matter of great goodness, tell me, that He gave the fratricide, who dared to commit such a murder, desecrated his hand with blood and trampled upon the divine laws, to such punishment, which is more of an admonition than a punishment, in order to cleanse the sinner himself from the sin he had committed over a period of time, and to teach others by what he was subjected to? Was it not a matter of great goodness, tell me, that He kept the contemporaries of the flood, who were incurably sick and were not corrected by threats, suggestions, or anything else, from evil, using the common duty of nature instead of medicine, and bringing upon them the easiest death through water? However, the expression: “in all matters” can be applied not only to people, but also to everything visible and to dumb animals; even if someone ascended to the angels and archangels, then even there they would see the great goodness of God, great mercy. His great love for mankind extends to every creation. The prophet was aware of this and therefore added: “Let all Your creatures know about You, O Lord, and let Your saints bless You” (Ps. 144:10), i.e. let them thank You, let them send praises to You, both those who have received the gift of speech and those who do not have a voice. Each of the voiceless creatures was created in such a way that, despite its voicelessness, it can glorify God with its own nature, through people who see it and use it. These creatures glorify the Creator with their nature, and people glorify them with their behavior and deeds, as the prophet also points out, adding: “Let your saints bless you.” “Reverend” here he calls holy people, fulfilling the commandments of God, inaccessible to sins and wickedness. “The glory of Your kingdom will be spoken of and Your power will be told” (Ps. 145:11). What does it mean: “glory from rekut”? Those. perfection, love for mankind, care, lack of need for those subject to Him, such great providence for them, the inaccessibility of light, the ineffability of the being, His incomprehensibility. “And they will tell of Your power,” i.e. They will sing about Your invincible and irresistible power - not because You need these songs and praises, but both for the benefit of those who sing them, and in order to teach others and make them fellow members of the praise. That’s why he continues: “to make known to the sons of men about Your power and the magnificent glory of Your kingdom” (Ps. 144:12). By this he shows that God allows praise so that others may know His power. Thus, great is His power, great is His glory, great is His beauty, great and ineffable, surpassing every word and conquering every mind; but His very greatness and ineffability requires that someone teach people, due to the madness of many. And the sun is the brightest star, but those with sick eyes do not see its light; Likewise, God’s providence is clearer than any sun, but people with perverted thoughts and closed hearing need great care so that their minds open. 4. So, you need to constantly repeat and instill in them the teaching about this. Further, since the prophet, having spoken about the glory of the kingdom of God and splendor, left it without explanation, he again returns to the same thing and, if possible, explains what this glory is, and says: “Thy kingdom is the kingdom of all ages and Thy dominion is in all generations. The Lord is faithful in all His words and holy in all His deeds” (Ps. 144:13), - not only the present, but also the future; it is infinite, limitless, and alone eternal. “And Your dominion is in all generations.” Look how the infinity of the kingdom of God is expressed here too; it extends to the entire universe, to all ages, to all times. “The Lord is faithful in all His words and holy in all His works.” Having spoken about the infinity of the kingdom of God, about its strength, firmness, steadfastness, he also speaks about the immutability of His sayings. The word: “faithful” means: firm, true. If God is faithful, then what He says will certainly come true. Just as His kingdom is indestructible and limitless, so His words are firm and unshakable; the former never ceases, and the latter never ceases to act. If they do not remain without action, then they must certainly be accompanied by action. Even if when God said something it did not come true, then this also serves as proof of His truth. “Sometimes I will say about a nation and a kingdom that I will uproot, crush and destroy it; But if this people, against whom I have spoken this, turn from their evil deeds, I will put aside the evil that I thought to do to them” (Jer. 18:7-8). In the same way, he says about good deeds: I will say good things, and if they change, then I will change what was said about them (Jer. 18:10). “And holy in all His works.” What does "holy" mean? Impeccable, right, pure, immaculate, giving no one any reason to condemn Him. “The Lord strengthens all who fall and restores all who are cast down” (Ps. 145:14). Having said about the kingdom of God that it is limitless, about His sayings that they are true, about His works that they are irreproachable, about glory and splendor, the Psalmist speaks again about His love for mankind, since this very thing constitutes the greatest glory of His kingdom, that He not only supports those who stand, but also watches over those who are ready to fall, so that this does not happen to them, and raises those who are lying, and, moreover, what is especially amazingly - it raises everyone, not just one person, but everyone, even if they were slaves, even if they were poor, even if they were ignorant, even if they came from ignorant people. He is the Lord of all; He does not pass by those who are lying down and does not despise those who waver. This is what He does with all of nature, and this is what He does with each individual. If some of those lying do not rise up, it is not through the fault of Him, who wants to restore everyone, but through the fault of those who do not want to get up. So the Lord wanted to restore the fallen Judas and for this purpose he did everything on His part, but he himself did not want this. So He restored the fallen David and made him strong; He also restored Peter, who was ready to fall; but how, listen. “Simon! Simon! Behold, Satan asked that he might sift you like wheat, but I prayed for you, so that your faith would not fail” (Luke 22:31, 32). Next, the Psalmist speaks of another type of good deed, because God’s care is varied and varied. “The eyes of all trust in You, and You give them food in due time” (Ps. 145:15). Do you see how he showed that “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are in all His works”? As the Gospel says: “He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), so here he also expresses it with the words: “And You give them food in due season.” Indeed, it is not the rain, the earth and the air, but the command of God that always bears fruit. The word “timely” means that everything is distributed over time and done at different times. And this greatly proves His wisdom, that He does not produce everything all at once and all at once, but divides the food according to the seasons of the whole year, so that the farmer has rest and the produce of the earth does not spoil. So, the word “timely” means either what we said above, i.e., that everything is distributed according to seasons, or that God gives food to those in need and those who lack. But will you say, as he says: “The eyes of all trust in You,” when there are many people living in wickedness who claim that everything exists by itself? He speaks here about the essence of the matter, just as in another place he says: “and the raven’s chicks calling on Him,” although these chicks are dumb animals (Ps. 146:9); and again: “young lions roaring for prey, so that you ask God for food for yourselves,” although these are also dumb and cannot ask themselves (Ps. 103:21). Here he speaks to the essence of the matter; this must be said, meaning not their desire, but the essence of the matter. “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing according to (Your) good pleasure” (Ps. 144:16). “Hand” he calls activity and giving power, instilling in you in every way that the growth of fruits depends not on the elements, but on the providence of God; and at the same time shows how easy it is for God: “You open, he says, Your hand.” Since the people of that time, leaving the Author of everything, worshiped the air and the sun and thought that fruits came from this, the Psalmist, wanting to raise them to the supreme principle, the Author and Lord of all this, often speaks like this, instilling that everything depends on His right hand, that all good things come from His providence. 5. “You satisfy,” the prophet says here, “with good pleasure,” i.e. welfare, so that each animal is satisfied, according to its desire, with what it needs. God does not just give food, but how much is useful to each, how much each desires, how much is needed for satisfaction. The meaning of these words is as follows: You give to the dumb, to people, and to everyone in a way that pleases everyone, as everyone pleases, and you satisfy in such a way that there is no shortage of anything. That’s why he says: “You satisfy every living thing out of good will.” “The Lord is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works” (Ps. 145:17). “Ways” here he calls the orders of God, the providence, the care with which He arranged everything. All His deeds, he says, are praiseworthy, full of miracles, and do not give anyone any reason for condemnation, although others are rabid and mad. His works in essence are such that they shine, shine, preach the Creator, His providence, care, love for mankind, truth, holiness. “The Lord is close to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Ps. 145:18). Here is another type of industry, the main benefit. Having spoken about the common blessings given to the unbelievers, about food, about rains, the prophet now speaks about the benefits given especially to the faithful. What are these benefits? The fact that the Lord is “near” them, i.e. protects them, cares for them and provides for them much more than for others, favors them, is merciful and favorable to them, reveals benefits to them preferentially. “He will do the will of those who fear Him, and He will hear their prayer, and He will save them” (Ps. 145:19). But, you will say, Paul wanted the angel of Satan to depart from him, i.e. temptation, tribulation, persecution, and yet God did not do it. No, he did, because when Paul learned that he had asked for something that was not good for himself, then, through the action of God, he again began to desire and strongly desire sorrows, and therefore said: “I am content in weaknesses, in insults, in needs, in persecutions” (2 Cor. 12:10). If before he wished the opposite, he wished it out of ignorance; and when he found out that God wanted this, he himself began to find pleasure in it. The will of God desires no other, nor the will of those who fear Him; if sometimes they themselves, as people, desire something that does not agree with the will of God, then they correct themselves afterwards. “The Lord protects all those who love Him, and He will destroy all sinners” (Ps. 145:20). And this is no small matter of providence - to protect, to provide security, to demonstrate its providence. The prophet calls “sinners” people who are terminally ill and do not want to improve. If He allows one of those who love Him to undergo death, then this is also for their preservation, as happened with Abel, because although their bodies are destroyed, their souls become brighter, and after that they will receive incorruptible bodies. Thus, having depicted the different types of God’s providence, as much as could be depicted in words, general, particular and special for the saints, care for those who waver, providence for those who are lying down, long-suffering, correction of sinners, preservation of the saints, the Psalmist concludes his speech again with a doxology, calls the whole universe to fellowship in praise and says: “My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let him bless all flesh is His holy name forever and ever” (Ps. 145:21). You see how, driven by a reverent disposition, he calls not only those receiving blessings, but also those undergoing punishment - after all, this is a sign of providence - not only people, but also dumb animals, and the elements, and all soulless creatures - because everything is filled with the goodness of God. Let us not cease, in words and deeds, to constantly glorify God, so good, so loving of mankind, who spreads His blessings everywhere, so that we may receive both present and future benefits through the grace and love of mankind 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: