Беседа 9 на псалом 11 32

Ps.11:1–2. To the end. About the eighth (day). Psalm David a. 33 Save me, Lord, for the venerable one is no more, for the truth has diminished among the sons of men. 34 The difficulty of the virtuous path when piety among people is impoverished. – What does it mean: “the truth has diminished among the sons of men”? – The great evil is duplicity; The Psalmist's prayer for the destruction of hypocrisy. “Not everything that we own is ours.” – The suffering of those unjustly oppressed attracts divine help. – What does it mean: “I will be salvation, I will be revealed in it” (Ps. 11:6)? - The certainty of this divine promise. – What does it mean: “the wicked walk around ...” and: “according to Your height” (Ps. 11:9)? – The admonition is to protect the high honor given by God to man. 1. Virtue in itself is difficult and difficult to perform, but especially when the person practicing it is among a small number of good people. Just as travel can be difficult, especially when the traveler is alone and has no one as a companion, so it is the same here. Indeed, the participation and consolation of the brethren is an important matter. That is why Paul says: “let us be considerate of one another, encouraging one to love and good works” (Heb. 10:24). Therefore, the ancient righteous especially need to be blessed not only because they performed virtues, but also because they performed them during a great scarcity of virtues, when the virtuous were nowhere to be seen. Scripture also expresses this when it says: “Noah was a righteous man and blameless in his generation” (Gen. 6:9). We are surprised at Abraham, Lot, Moses because they were like stars in the dead of night, roses among thorns, sheep among many wolves, they walked along the path opposite to everyone else, and did not stop. If this is difficult in a crowd, and when many go in the opposite direction, then one who goes against the crowd encounters numerous difficulties; if during navigation, when the waves rush in the opposite direction, it is difficult to direct the ship towards them, then even more so in virtues. That is why this righteous man, who followed the path of virtue, while all others walked along the opposite path, resorts to the providence of God and says: “Save me, Lord.” He expresses nothing more than the following: I need the highest right hand, heavenly help, divine assistance, because, following a path opposite to everyone else, I need great providence. He did not say: save me, because there is no venerable one, but: “the venerable one is no more,” expressing that those who were there also perished, since evil began to dominate and the disease intensified. Paul also warns against this: “Don’t you know, he says, that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Cor. 5:6). And again: “bad communities corrupt good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33). What does it mean: “the truth has diminished”? There are many truths. Just as between flowers and other objects, some are true and others are false, for example, there is real purple and fake purple, so also in saffron, and in precious stones, and in fragrances and other similar things - so it is with virtues. Truth is what is real. So, the truths have become distorted and darkened, not in the sense that they were damaged in their very essence, but in the sense that they were rejected by people; Therefore, he not only said: “the truth has diminished,” but, wanting to express precisely this, he added: “among the sons of men.” Look: there is true decoration, and there is also false. Which decoration is true? Spiritual. Which is false? Corporeal. There is true wealth, and there is false wealth. The false consists in property. And the truth is in good deeds. There is false and true joy, as well as beauty, power, and glory. But many people, having abandoned the true, pursue the false. Just as a person himself can be true and false - the true one is the one who lives and acts, and the false one is the one depicted in the picture - so it is exactly the same with virtues. 2. “Each one spoke vain things to his neighbor: flattering lips came from the heart, and from the heart they spoke evil” (Ps. 11:3). Another translator (Symmachus) says: “they spoke in another and another heart.” The Prophet speaks of two kinds of evil: that they spoke vain things, and that they spoke to their neighbor; and by vain he means either false or unnecessary and useless. Paul also expresses it when he says: “Do not tell lies to one another” (Col. 3:9). And what is especially difficult is that He did not say: so and so, but: “every one.” Evil was not only outside, but also inside, in the heart: “from the heart, and from the heart,” or, as another translator says: “in one heart and another,” suggesting that in their heart is great. duplicity. This is worse than any enemies. There are obvious and open enemies that can be easily guarded against, and there are enemies who outwardly represent one thing, but within themselves contain another, who are difficult to catch for those whom they attack, and who are much more dangerous than people who carry swords secretly with them. “The Lord will destroy all flattering lips and arrogant tongues, those who say: “Let us magnify our tongue, our lips are with us; who is our Lord?” ( Ps. 11:4-5 ). Another translator (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.) says: we will “have dominion. Our lips are with us." Another (Akilah): “The essence is with us. Who is the Lord to us? Another (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.): “Who will rule over us?” Do you see how the prophet cares about them too? This is not said against them, but for them. He did not say that they would perish, but that evil would be destroyed; He did not say: the Lord will consume them, but: “flattering lips.” 3. Here again he wants not their being to be destroyed, but their tongue, pride, deceit, so that their arrogance should be destroyed; and, laughing at their madness, he says: “Our mouth is with us, who is our Lord?” Words characteristic of the rabid and crazy! That is why Paul, speaking contrary to them, inspires: “Know ye not..., for ye are bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19, 20), and commands us to live not for ourselves (Rom. 14:7). These lips, he says, do not belong to you, but to the Lord: He created them, He arranged them, He breathed life into them. But do you own them? Not everything that we own is ours: so we own the money that others have entrusted to us; We own land that others have rented to us. So God gave you a mouth not so that you could produce thorns, but so that you could scatter useful seeds, so that through them you would spread not vanity and deceit, but humility, blessing and love. And He gave you eyes not so that you could look with voluptuousness, but so that you could decorate them with chastity; and he gave you his hands not so that you could strike, but so that you could give alms. How can you say, “our lips are with us,” when you make them instruments of sin, adultery, and impurity? “Who is our Lord?” Oh, the devil's word, oh, the demonic soul! Do you not see, man, how all creation proclaims the power, wisdom, care and providence of your Master, how your body, soul, life, visible, invisible, and almost everything proclaims and preaches the power of the Creator - and you say: “Who is our Lord?” These are words of madness, frenzy, mental corruption; hence comes countless evils. Such people say: “Who is our Lord?”; and others, although they confess the Lord, reject the doctrine of judgment and punishment, acquire great torment for themselves for a short pleasure, and, wanting to calm themselves by forgetting about Gehenna, imperceptibly, through such fearlessness, plunge themselves into the abyss of destruction. Therefore, I exhort you to remember Gehenna and talk about it, and decorate your soul in such a decent way, because there are many benefits from such a conversation. It is not in vain that God threatens us with Gehenna, and through this makes it certain, but in order to make us better through fear. That is why the devil is trying and using all measures to destroy the memory of Gehenna. So, do not forget about her, do not say: why should I grieve myself untimely? Is this grief untimely? It will be timeless when you are tormented in Gehenna; The time of destruction is here, not there. This is proven by the rich man who lived under Lazarus, for whom countless sufferings did not bring any benefit. And if he had lamented at the right time, he would not have suffered what he suffered. “Because of the suffering of the poor and the groaning of the needy, now I will arise,” says the Lord, “I will appear as salvation, I will reveal myself in it” (Ps. 11:6). Another translator (Symmachus) says: “I will arrange a clear salvation.” See what the power of humility is. The power of the poor—and by poor I mean the brokenhearted—is God’s intercession for their suffering. The Prophet does not speak here about their life, about virtues, but their suffering, he says, bows to God and encourages them to punish and take revenge. This is what it means to endure insults courageously; This is how God cares for those who are unjustly offended! Misfortune and suffering serve as their greatest protection. Great is the power of sighing: it calls for higher help. Be afraid, you who wrong the poor. You have power, wealth, money, the favor of judges; but they have weapons that are stronger than anything else - sighs, tears and patience with insults, which is how they attract heavenly help. These weapons destroyed houses, overthrew foundations, destroyed cities, drowned entire nations: I mean the sighs of the unjustly offended. God Himself looks upon their complacency when, experiencing suffering, they do not utter a single bad word, but only sigh and mourn their own misfortunes. What does it mean: “I will be salvation, I will be revealed in it”? Boldly, openly and clearly, he says, I will defend them, so that everyone will know. But does He ever save in a way that is not obvious? Sometimes not openly, but secretly, because He does not need human glory. Now, when the enemies obviously attacked them, insulted and dishonored them, as if they did not have God as their helper, so that the enemies themselves would come to their senses and become better, having learned from experience the help of the Lord, I will arrange, he says, their salvation is obvious. “The words of the Lord are pure words, like molten silver, tried in the earth, purified seven times.” (Ps. 11:7). What is the sequence between these words and the above? Great and direct. Do not think, he says, that this was said in vain, that this threat is in vain: His words are pure, alien to lies. Just as molten silver has nothing alien or unclean, so the words of God, whatever He says, must certainly be fulfilled. That’s why he says: “molten silver, tested in the earth.” Another translator (Aquila) says: “molten, walking on the earth.” And in Hebrew, instead of “tested in the earth,” it is said: “Baalil laares,” i.e. molten, flowing in the ground. "Seven times purified." 4. Do you see how the prophet expresses the unfalsity, the truth of God in the image of matter? Just as silver, molten, kindled and subjected to this repeatedly, is free from any foreign matter after thorough purification, so is the divine saying. “You, O Lord, will preserve us and keep us from this generation and forever” (Ps. 11:8). Another translator (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.) says: “you will preserve them.” Third (Aquila and Theodotion): “You will preserve this and keep us from this generation and forever.” Fourth (unknown translator, see Orig. Ex.): “together with the eternal generation.” “The wicked are walking around. According to Your height, You have increased the care of the sons of men” (Ps. 11:9). Another (Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion): “they will walk.” Third (unknown, see Orig. Ex.): “The wicked will walk around them.” “According to Your height, You have increased the care of the sons of men.” Another (Symmachus): “when the lowliest of the sons of men are exalted.” Third (Aquila): “in height, having become of little value to the sons of men.” In Hebrew: “harm zollo levni adam.” “You, Lord, will preserve us and keep us.” See how he often, or better yet, constantly resorts to God and seeks help from Him, because this help is omnipotent and is not limited by any time. We, he says, have no need for anything human; You preserve us continually. What does it mean: “the wicked walk around”? According to the translation of the seventy (interpreters), it should be understood as follows: even if the wicked surround us, we will not tolerate anything, because You preserve us, elevate us and make us glorious. According to another translation, it should be understood as follows: the wicked will depart when You exalt the humble sons of men; those. when you, who are considered despicable and base, will glorify us, remove them and drive them away. What does it mean: “according to Your height”? In other words: You have made them as similar to You as it is possible for a person to be like You. “Let us make man,” said the Lord, in our image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26). As He is in heaven, so are we on earth; and just as in heaven there is no one higher than Him, so on earth there is no being similar in dignity to man. “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). He even told us his name: “I said: you are gods and you are all sons of the Most High” (Ps. 82:6); and again: “I have made you God to Pharaoh” (Ex. 7:1). He even made man the creator of the corporeal and the incorporeal. So Moses transformed one element, and others - other elements; He commanded us to build ourselves into His church. Although you do not build heaven, you build a church for God. And heaven itself is glorious because God dwells in it; much more are we through Christ; “And he raised up with Him,” says the apostle, “and made him sit in heaven” (Eph. 2:6). He gave us the power to do more than He himself did: the signs, he says, “which I do, he will do also, and greater things than these he will do” (John 14:12). And in the Old Testament one changed the course of the sea (Exodus 14:21), another held back the sun and commanded the moon to stop (Joshua 10:13), the third returned the sun's rays (2 Kings 20:11); the youths in the furnace held back the power of the fiery element and the raging flame was inactive and groaned as if bound (Dan.3:49-50); and the animals knew how to honor the friends of God, and, despite the hunger that tormented them, they remained prudent (Dan.6:22). Let the gluttons be ashamed of such abstinence of animals! The lions saw Daniel and became wise; but we, seeing the Son of God coming to us, do not become prudent. They decided to die of hunger rather than touch the body of the saint; and we, seeing Christ naked and exhausted from hunger, do not give even from our excesses, but, living in abundance, we despise the saints. To another friend of God, the earth grew its gifts from its own depths with such fertility as it had never grown before (Job 42:10). And is it surprising that they themselves were revered when their clothes and shadows were terrible for demons, death and illness (Acts 5:15; Acts 19:12)? Even the angels respected such people and showed them special honor (Gen.18:5; Gen.19:3). And how could they not respect those whom the Lord himself honored? This happened in both the old and new testaments. That is why the prophet says: “According to Your height, You have increased the care for the sons of men.” Therefore, considering the greatness of this honor, let us reward Him for it in a worthy manner, so that the advantage of honor does not serve as a reason for us to punishment, from which may we all be freed, both those who teach it and those who are discipled, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is due all glory, honor and worship forever and ever. Amen. The psalms in the text are translated by P. Yungerov - Editorial office of the ABC of Faith Another translator (Akilah) says: to the winner about the eighth. In Hebrew it says: aseminif. Another (Aquila): “because the faithful are diminished from the sons of men.” You might be interested in: