Собеседование 39 на псалом 91

Ps.91:1. Psalm of songs. On the Sabbath day. 1. This psalm is unnamed, but not without an inscription. It has an inscription indicating its contents, but does not indicate the name of the psalmist. The reason for this is shown by the inscription. Since this psalm was supposed to be sung on the Sabbath and therefore all the psalmists sang it, it is natural that it is not attributed to David, Asaph, the sons of Korah, or anyone else; it was common. There is no doubt, however, that this prophecy, as in the other psalms, belongs to David. “It is good... to confess the Lord and sing to Your name, O Most High” (Ps. 91:2). Truly, how is it not good to confess to the One who is good and does good to those who confess and does not punish them at all? Although God knows our needs, it pleases Him to learn about them from those who confess, in order to take away from our enemies a reason to reproach us, and to justify us through confession, for “the righteous accuses myself of... the first words "ah" 8 (Prov.18:17). The Prophet rightly commands to first confess and then sing, because one must sing to God from a pure heart, and how else can anyone be cleansed of sins if not through confession? What does it mean to “sing to Your name”? Those. useful and fruitful. “To proclaim Your mercy in the morning and Your truth every night” (Ps. 92:3). The Prophet commands to remember God day and night. With the word "morning" he indicated the day. At the same time, he instructs us to remember the truth at night, wanting to arouse fear and contrition in us at this time. Since most people use the night for pleasure and bad intentions, the prophet wants them, remembering how terrible the truth of God is for sinners, to refrain from any reckless deed and criminal thought, and if they sin in anything, then so that when they reach the morning, i.e. When the day came, they did not despair at all, but, remembering the mercy of God, turned to repentance, through which only sinners can gain mercy. How should we sing, how should we proclaim? “On a ten-stringed psalter, with singing, on a harp” (Ps. 92:4). The Prophet wants the singer to remember the mercy and truth of both covenants: the gospel and the legal, which is why he mentioned the psalter and the harp. Pointing here to the ten-stringed psalter, he pointed to the legal covenant, because there are ten commandments in the law, and when he learned the song harp, undoubtedly pointed to the new covenant, about which the same psalmist in another prophecy said: “I will sing to You a new song, on a ten-stringed psalter ... I will sing to You” (Ps. 143:9), thus pointing to the gospel covenant. But why does he use instruments of two kinds for singing? “For You, O Lord, have made me glad with Your creation, and I will admire the works of Your hands” (Ps. 91:5). I, he says, have double blessings, so I need two kinds of instruments for praise. God's creation, the beauty of the sky, the diversity of the stars, the blessings of the earth, the gifts of the sea bring us joy. By this name, divine Scripture usually designates all things seen, as Solomon confirms in the book of Ecclesiastes: “I saw all this, and set my heart on every work that is done under the sun” (Eccl. 8:9). We ourselves are the works of God's hands. “Thy hands have created me and formed me” (Ps. 119:73), says the same prophet in another psalm. In the same way, Isaiah says: “Lord, You are our Father; we are clay, and You are our teacher, and we are all the work of Your hand” (Is. 64:8). So, we rejoice in creation because we receive benefit from it, and we rejoice in ourselves. The latter is greater than rejoicing; and quite rightly, because, being mortal, we possess such a great creation, and, in addition, we are called the sons of the Creator. “How majestic are Your works, O Lord! Wonderfully deep are Your thoughts!” (Ps.91:6). 2. The works of God were magnified not in the sense that they themselves increased in their greatness, but in the fact that our knowledge of them increased and that we could, as far as possible, comprehend their greatness - or rather, we could learn that they are incomprehensible. Likewise, His thoughts, i.e. His plans for us, which He determines and fulfills for us, are so deep that Paul exclaims: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His destinies and unsearchable His ways!” (Rom.11:33). If the righteous glorify God for them and are extremely surprised, then sinners, due to their foolishness and the lack of understanding that comes from foolishness, are seduced by them, as can be seen from the following words: “a foolish man does not know, and a foolish man does not understand with him” (Ps. 91:7). Truly, only a fool can not admit the wisdom of God and does not know that God governs everything justly, arranges it correctly, does it with benefit, even if we temporarily did not know the reasons for what was happening, where the stumbling comes from for the foolish, the prophet further indicated: “whereas sinners have grown like grass, and all the workers of iniquity have appeared to disappear in the age of the century” (Ps. 91:8). unreasonable and makes them think that God seemed to have left the world without his care - people who do not understand that even if sinners arise, then like grass, which as soon as it blooms, immediately withers. However, all the wicked are proud of their well-being, they boldly rely on themselves, but their confidence is the cause of eternal destruction, because to be arrogant is a much greater crime than to do evil. “You are the Most High forever, Lord!” (Ps.91:9). It has been said many times that this prophet usually calls the present life a century, in which, he says, God is the Most High, i.e. incomprehensible. This is what he means by height. God is always incomprehensible, and especially now, because in the next century we will comprehend, if not all, then much more of the divine plans compared to present knowledge. That is why Paul says: “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; But when that which is perfect comes, then that which is in part will cease. Now we see as if through a dark glass, fortune-telling, but then face to face; Now I know in part, but then I will know, even as I am known” (1 Cor. 13:9-10, 12). “For behold, thy enemies, O Lord, for behold, thy enemies shall perish, and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered” (Ps. 91:10). Therefore, says the prophet, we cannot comprehend the destinies of God, because His enemies, i.e. sinners will perish in the next century and all those who practice iniquity will scatter, but now, when they are gathered, they stand firm and have not yet suffered the destruction that befits sinners; some deceive them and falsely suggest that they will not suffer punishment, while for them it is already sufficient punishment that they are called enemies of God, and, in addition, the greatest threat is given that they will not only perish, but will also be scattered. Therefore, they in vain acquire family and friendly ties among the wicked, not knowing that all this cannot be durable, since God will scatter the entire assembly of the wicked. “And my horn will be exalted like a unicorn, and my old age will be anointed with fat oil” (Ps. 91:11). Unicorns are righteous, and Christ is preeminent, because he defeated hostile forces with one horn - the cross. He (Christ) gave us a horn against our enemies - faith in Him, which has a height similar to the Master's horn, i.e. cross. Just as the cross was glorified by suffering, so the faith of the saints is exalted by persecution and glorified by suffering. Likewise, our old age, i.e. the last days, rise “at the anointing with fat oil,” because in the last times the Generous and Merciful One came to us with love to call sinners and tax collectors into His kingdom. “And my eye looks on my enemies, and on those who rise up against me, the wicked ones, in the hearing and the like” (Ps. 91:12). Since demons are often called our enemies, our eye “looks” at them, seeing the fall of idols, the burning of churches, the destruction of altars, where they caught us to death. Regarding them, our ear heard what would happen to them in the future according to the terrible prediction of Jesus. That precisely? That the devil and his angels are destined for eternal fire (Matthew 25:41). Well, the prophet called them rebels, wanting to show that we differ from them in the same way as masters from slaves. If we are careless, weak or completely asleep, then they will rise up against us, just as slaves rise up against weak and sleeping masters. Lebanon, will multiply" (Ps. 91:13). 3. It is not without reason that the prophet compares the righteous man to a date tree, but because the latter has only a small part in the ground, the rest is on top of the ground, and also because its fruit cannot be plucked by animals due to the inaccessibility and height of the tree. Moreover, the date tree has nothing unnecessary, and everything in it is useful. If you attribute all this to the righteous, you will marvel at the exclusivity and closeness of this image. Then, date branches are given as a symbol of victory to fighters and racers; so in the future life we ​​can be rewarded with crowns in no other way than through truth. That is why Paul said: “Now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day” (2 Tim. 4:8). But why, you may ask, is it said: “It will multiply like a cedar in Lebanon”? Because although Lebanon, due to the barrenness of the cedars, serves as an image and symbol of the pagans, the truth of God is multiplied among the pagans. Many prophets, many patriarchs and other God-bearing and righteous men came from Israel, but their number was surpassed by the martyrs who came from among the pagans, among whom the truth of God multiplied. And how it appeared in abundance, you will learn from what follows. It may be, however, that the prophet compared the righteous man to a date because the latter is white in color and hides its fruit while it is unripe, and when the latter is ready to ripen, it reveals it; The same is true for the righteous: at first he tries to hide his virtues, and when he reaches perfection, they reveal themselves. “Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God” (Ps. 91:14). Instead of: “planted,” other translators said: transplanted, so that it would be clear that they mean not just cedars, but those which, having been transplanted out of error, are in the house of God, about which Paul speaks in his letter to Timothy: “so that... you may know how you ought to walk in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Perhaps, however, the prophet mentioned Lebanon because while it was a mountain of idolatry, having cedars on it, Scripture condemned them, and when they were used to build the holy church (since Solomon took some of them for the church), it began to praise them. “They bloom in the courts of our God,” that is, in private churches, because the prophet in general, the universal church, called the house of God. Perhaps, however, the house of God is called the law, into which the pagans were transplanted from the wickedness that prevailed among them, and began to prosper and bear fruit in the courts of God, i.e. in the commandments. “They will multiply in an honest old age and will be blessed” (Ps. 91:15). Their well-being, says the prophet, is not fleeting, lest anyone think this about the pagans after they prosper; on the contrary, they will reach old age and will be fruitful in it, because the piety of the pagans increases more and more over time. “Let them proclaim that the Lord our God is just and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (Ps. 91:16). Note that from well-being, i.e. from being in full strength and abundance, they increase in their zeal. Perhaps, however, what we mean by well-being in relation to believers is that it is easy for them to suffer for the One in whom they have believed. Thus, by suffering they proclaim the truth of God, and that there is no unrighteousness in Him, because He, as just and righteous, crowns those who suffer for Him and gives them excellent rewards. And since we also know the truth of God, we will be fair both to ourselves and to our neighbors, we will not perform virtues feignedly and plot intrigues against our brothers, because in our Judge there is no untruth, but He judges each one in accordance with his deeds. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and in the Patrology of Min, classified as Spuria The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” In the Synodal translation and translation by Prof. Junger's meaning is completely different, so here we use our own translation, which agrees with the Slavic text and with the interpretation of Chrysostom. – I.N. You might be interested in: