Беседа 60 на псалом 150 126

Ps.150:1. Hallelujah. Praise God in His saints, praise Him in the firmament of His power. 127 "Praise God in His saints." – “Praise Him in His strength” (Ps. 150:2). – How can a Christian fulfill the psalmist’s admonition regarding the glorification of God through various musical instruments? – What does it mean: “on loud cymbals” (Ps. 150:5)? Here the prophet speaks either about the people, or about holy life and holy men. See how he ends the book with gratitude, teaching us that this should be both the beginning and the end of our actions and conversations. So Paul says: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17). This is how our prayer begins. Saying “Our Father” is characteristic of those who give thanks for gifts received, meaning all gifts with this one name. He who called God “Father” confessed adoption; and whoever confessed adoption announced justification, sanctification, redemption, remission of sins, and the gift of the Spirit. All this must happen in advance so that we may have adoption and be worthy to call God Father. However, it seems to me that the prophet is pointing here to something else: “in His saints,” he says, i.e. through His saints. Thank Him for ordering life this way, or for making people angels. Therefore, having said in advance: “in the saints,” the prophet adds “praise Him in the firmament of His power,” expressing what I said, since God desires this more than that, and heaven was created for man, and not man for heaven. Another translator (Symmachus), instead of: “in the firmament,” says: “in the indestructible” (τω ακαθαιρέτω). Third (Aquila): “in establishing his power” (κράτυς). It seems to me that the prophet points to something else, as in the previous psalm. Just as he said there: “Praise Him, all your angels” (Ps. 149:2), so here: “Praise Him in the firmament of His power,” i.e. those who are in His firmament. He constantly calls upon the fire of strength to participate in the praise. “Praise Him according to His strength, praise Him according to His exceeding greatness” (Ps. 150:2). Another (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.): “through his powers” ​​(διὰ). In Hebrew: “vegevurofav.” The meaning of his words is as follows: praise Him for His strength, for His power, for His miracles, for the power that He shows in everything, above and below, general and particular, over everyone and incessantly. “Praise Him according to His exceeding greatness.” But is it possible to offer praise corresponding to the multitude of His greatness? The Prophet does not say: appropriate, but such as you can exalt, representing the multitude of His greatness; offer such praise as is possible for you, such as a person should offer to the great and immeasurably great God; but no one can offer praise worthy of Him. Do you see the yearning of the soul? Do you see a fiery soul, striving and strengthening to overcome its own weakness and finally fly to heaven itself, a soul united with God and devoted to Him with great love? “Praise Him with the voice of the trumpet, praise Him with the psaltery and harp.” Another (Symmachus): "by the sound of a horn" (ὸι ηχσυ κερατίνης). “Praise Him with psaltery and harp.” Another (unknown, see Orig. Ex.): “with a sword and a lyre” (διὰ νάβλας καί λύρας). “Praise Him on the tympanum and choir, praise Him on the strings and the organ.” Another (unknown, see Orig. Ex.): “with strings and harp” (διὰ χορδων καὶ κιθάρας). “Praise Him with good cymbals, praise Him with loud cymbals.” Other (unknown, see Orig. Ex.): “in the cymbals of a sign” (σημασίας). “Let every breath praise the Lord!” . Another (unknown, see Orig. Ex.): “sigh” (αναπνοη) (Ps. 150:3–6). The Prophet sets all musical instruments in motion and commands them all to sing a harmonious song, igniting and exciting the soul of the listeners. Just as the Jews were commanded to glorify God with all musical instruments, so we are commanded to glorify Him with all our members: eyes, tongue, ears and hands. Paul expresses this when he says: “I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). The eye glorifies Him when it does not look shamelessly; and the tongue when it sings; and hearing, when it does not listen to shameful songs and slander against one’s neighbor; and the heart, when it does not plot, but exudes love; and legs when they run not to commit evil, but to perform good deeds; and hands when they extend not to theft, covetousness and beatings, but to almsgiving and protection of the offended. Then a person becomes a euphonious psalter, offering up to God the most harmonious and spiritual song. Those tools were then allowed to the Jews, both due to their weakness, and in order to dispose them to love and harmony, to encourage their minds to do with joy what is beneficial, and with such delight of the soul leads them to greater zeal. God, knowing their rudeness, laziness and carelessness, wanted with such a wise order to awaken them from sleep, facilitating the work of prolonged prayer with the pleasure of musical singing. What does it mean: “on the cymbals of goodwill”? This is what the prophet calls the psalms; the Jews did not simply strike the cymbals, did not simply play the harp, but, as much as possible, expressed the meaning of the psalms through cymbals, through trumpets, and through harp; To this they applied diligence and diligence, which brought great benefit. “Let every breath praise the Lord.” Having called the inhabitants of heaven, awakened the people, set all musical instruments in motion, the prophet finally extends his speech to all nature, inviting every age, elders, husbands, youths, youths, wives, in general to all inhabitants of the universe, to sing, and thus in advance scatters the seeds of the new covenant for people spread throughout the entire earth. So, let us constantly praise God and unceasingly thank Him for everything, both in words and in deeds. This is our sacrifice and offering; This is the best service and worthy of angelic life. If we constantly glorify Him in this way, then we will spend our present life without any stumbling, and we will achieve future blessings, which may we all be worthy of, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. The psalms in the text are translated by P. Yungerov - Editorial office of the ABC of Faith Another translator (Symmachus) says: “in his sanctuary” (ἐν τω αγίω). Third (Aquila): "in his sanctuary" (ἐν τω ἠγιασμένω). You might be interested in: