Собеседование 7 на псалом 51

Ps.51:1–6. To the end. In for teaching. David. When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him...: David came to the house of A. Why do you boast about evil battles, O mighty one? Iniquity all day long, your tongue has invented lies...: you have made (its) deceit as if it were a sharp razor. You loved evil more than good, untruth more than telling the truth. You loved all sorts of disastrous speeches, insidious tongue. Psalm 33 was spoken by David, “when he changed his face before Abimelech, and he let him go, and he went away” (Ps. 33:1). According to history, the present psalm should follow that. The book of Kings says: “There was one of Saul’s servants there that day before the Lord, named Doeg the Edomite, chief of Saul’s shepherds” (1 Sam. 21:7). This is refers to the time when David came to the house of Abimelech and ate the showbread, taking it from the bishop; then he changed his face before Abimelech, and he sent him away, and he left. At that very time, it is said, one of Saul’s servants, Doeg the Syrian, was tending Saul’s mules, who immediately went to Saul and said to him: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Nob. Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord about him, and gave him food, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. And the king sent to call Ahimelech the son of Ahitub the priest, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob; and they all came to the king” (1 Samuel 22:9-11). Then, by order of Saul, this same Doek “attacked the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod; and Nob, the city of the priests, he smote with the sword; And men and women, and young men and children, and oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, he smote with the sword" (1 Samuel 22:18-19). Having learned about the events that had taken place, David uttered these words, which do not constitute a song, a psalm, a hymn or anything like that. And could he, of course, sing songs or psalms on the occasion of the misfortune of so many priests? Therefore, in the inscription of the psalm there is no name; here it is only said: “to the end” and – “to the teaching”, because the last words of the psalm, namely: “I am like an olive tree fruitful in the house of God: I trusted in the mercy of God forever and ever” (Ps. 51:10), - contain some consolation. So, when, while visiting Abimelech, David ate sacred food, and as a result of this his taste changed, or, according to other interpreters, his character, then he praised and thanked God with these words: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise is always on my lips” (Ps. 33:2) and so on. Now, when he learned about Doik’s betrayal and the devil’s destruction of so many priests, he turns to him with the following words: “Why do you boast about evil battle, strong one? Lawlessness all day long." What is mentioned here is much earlier in time than the events of the fiftieth psalm, because it happened and was said during the life of Saul and before the accession of David. Much later, after the death of Saul and towards the end of his own reign, David brings the repentance contained in the 50th Psalm. But due to its connection with the 49th Psalm, which we have already explained, he placed this psalm before the others. Meanwhile, the psalms following the 50th, belonging to David, numbering twenty - from 51 to 70, in their content refer to other events, so, apparently, they were uttered during the life of Saul and before the accession of David. So the psalm we are considering was written during the life of Saul, “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him: David has come to the house of Abimelech.” Yes, and the fifty-third said, “When the Ziphites came and said to Saul...: Behold, did not David hide with us?” (1 Sam. 23:19) In the same way, the fifty-fifth is inscribed: “when foreigners held him in Gath.” And this was precisely before David’s accession to the kingdom, during Saul’s lifetime. And the fifty-sixth is inscribed: “when he (David) ran away from Saul into a cave.” Likewise, the fifty-eighth - “when,” he says, “Saul sent to keep his house to kill him.” Further, the fifty-ninth psalm, although uttered after the death of Saul, already during the reign of David, but still before his act with Uriah, which is clear from the inscription, in which the time is indicated as follows: “when he burned the Middle East of Syria and Syria of Sobal, and Joab returned and smote Edom in the Valley of Salt, twelve thousand.” This precedes in time the repentance of the fiftieth psalm. Finally, the sixty-second psalm was spoken by David - “when he was in the desert of Judea,” while Saul was still alive. And note that almost all the psalms of the second part of the book of David’s psalms, after the fiftieth, turn out to be spoken by him earlier, before the time of his act with Uriah. The first part of the book, from the first psalm to the forty-ninth, has a different character, because it relates to the events that followed the repentant fiftieth psalm. Thus, the third psalm was said by David, “when he fled from... Absalom his son.” And he ran from his son after the event with Uriah. 2. And in the sixth psalm he laments the same crime, saying: “I am weary with my groanings, every night I wash my bed, I water my bed with my tears” (Ps. 6:7). And the seventh - “regarding the words of Husai the son of Jemen,” could have been said at the same time. Hushai, David's closest friend, was then with Absalom. Further, the seventeenth refers to the last times of David's life. And the thirty-seventh is inscribed: “in remembrance” - and contains the same thought as the sixth; it even begins with the same words: “Lord! Do not rebuke me in Your wrath, and do not punish me in Your anger.” Thus, this psalm also precedes the fiftieth psalm in expressing the same repentance, both in other respects, and in that it says: “My iniquities have gone beyond my head, like a heavy burden they have weighed me down.” Do my wounds stink and bend because of my madness” (Ps. 37:5-6). However, you yourself, having taken up this matter, can find that most of the psalms in the first part of the book were spoken after the event with Uriah, and those following the fiftieth precede the criminal case in time. Why, however, in accordance with the sequence of time, the first psalms in time are not placed in first place, and the later ones in second place, but the first ones, compiled during the life of Saul, are in the second part of the book of psalms, and the later ones in the first part. I think that this order was adopted for the purpose of not moving from better to worse, because few psalms, namely those signed: “to the end”, “do not destroy” (Ps. 56 and Ps. 74), seem to retain their place in the order of the psalms. In general, the sad ones are put in first place, so that the more joyful ones can be left in second place, so that (the impression of) the worst ones would be redeemed and smoothed out thanks to the good ones that follow them. It is plausible that David himself wanted to somewhat diminish his later sin by comparison with his previous exploits. Or maybe someone will say that with great foresight he put his penitential psalms in the first place, since “he who is first in his litigation is right” (Proverbs 18:17). However, we have already sufficiently discussed the indicated order (of the Psalms); Now it’s time to move on to the above words of the fifty-first psalm. So, the psalmist writes these words after learning what Doik the Syrian did in his anger against him. Therefore, he turns to him with the words: “Why do you boast about evil in battle, strong one?” So, not strong and not rooted in evil, preserving the remnants of good, like the weaker in his malice, will hide his sins, and, feeling the pricks of conscience, can repent and find a cure for his malice in confession (of sins) and sincere repentance; and the strong in malice is blinded by it and boasts, proud of it as if by a great feat. And it seems to me that this word describes people of a character opposite to that depicted in the fiftieth psalm. In fact, there a person who once slipped into sin repented and castigated himself, making confession (of sins) and mourning his crimes, but here the strong in malice is not afraid of outside accusations, but, adorned with it as if by virtue, is proud of vice, losing shame even before his own conscience. That is why lawlessness plots “all day long,” or even “every day,” according to Symmachus; but words of untruth do not leave his tongue; he does not hide them in the recesses of his soul, but proclaims them loudly, which is why it is said: “your tongue has invented lies.” Such are people who shamelessly and openly slander, or uncontrollably spewing blasphemous words, or abusing lies of all kinds and false oaths, or openly slandering their neighbors. One of these was Doeg, who slandered David and Abimelech. As a man strong in malice, he carries ungodly plans on his tongue. He is not free from such thoughts and is weak in anger, but he at least hides them, and as far as he can, he tries to reconcile and drown them out in himself. And, besides, the strong in anger sharpened flattery like a sharpened razor, deceiving with gentle speeches the one against whom he was plotting, and secretly preparing his death. This is what Doeg the Syrian (Edomite), who was in the priestly city at the very time when David came to Abimelech, did: he insidiously observed what they were doing, and did not openly declare anything then, perhaps even showing a hypocritical friendship both to David himself and to the priests. But soon afterwards he showed himself for what he was, and like poison he spewed out the cunning that was hidden in him. So, when presented with a choice between good and evil and it was necessary to choose the better of them, he preferred evil, and when he had to do good, he chose unrighteousness. He acted unfairly by slandering the priest and attributing to him something that he did not do. In fact, the fact that the high priest asked God about David was a lie and untruth; Scripture does not testify to anything of the kind. He could even tell the truth, explaining to Saul that the high priest did not know the reason for David’s removal: he received him as a friend of the king and gave the messenger with the royal commission a reception in honor of the sender. Then, the high priest did not give David supplies: he did not have enough bread to supply David for the journey. This is precisely what the high priest apologized to David for, saying: “I have no simple bread under my hand, but holy bread” (1 Sam. 21:4). So, he did not give provisions, but out of need he decided to do more than was required by law, giving him, as a God-fearing and righteous man, showbread. 3. Having explained this and the like, Doik would have told the truth if he wanted, but he, having decided on false slander, preferred a lie to telling the truth. And in general, he “loved all sorts of disastrous speeches, insidious tongue.” And indeed, he tried to do everything to slander, kill and kill the high priest and all the others killed with him. That’s why Doik’s lying speeches are called flood verbs. As if in a well, he drowned the entire priestly city with his speeches at once. However, Doik is not the only one who can do this, but anyone strong in anger, freely using the power of evil. And what awaits such a person according to the judgment of God, this is taught by further words: “for this God will destroy you completely, I will uproot you and remove you from your village, and your root (will be removed) from the land of the living.” Change of tone. “The righteous will see and fear, and will laugh at him, [and will say]: ... here is a man who did not make God a helper for himself, but He hoped in the abundance of his wealth... and was strengthened by his vanity” (Ps. 51:7-9). Just as the preacher of truth, through the medium of the word, becomes the author of the salvation of countless people, in the same way, the strong one in malice, through the same word, caused death and destruction to many, spreading flood verbs and using the sword of the word to destroy people; especially when he not only kills bodies with his slander, but also plunges their souls into false and godless opinions with his flattering tongue. That is why it is said in one place: “You sons of men! Their teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword” (Ps. 56:5). These need to be protected more than those who cause (external) misfortunes. Among them is Doik, who destroyed the priests of God with his lies and slander. What kind of judgment of God will befall such a person, this psalm explains, turning to the strong in anger the following words: “for this God will destroy you completely. Since you have loved malice, then for this the Judge of all, God, will first of all strike you in your arrogance and arrogance and humiliate you so that you no longer boast of your malice; Then he will uproot you and move you from your village, and your root will be removed from the land of the living.” And according to Symmachus: “He will strike you,” he says, “and sweep you out of your dwelling and uproot you from the land of the living forever; so that, seeing this, the righteous would be horrified and laugh at him, saying: “Here is a man who did not put his strength in God, but put his trust in his wealth and strengthened himself in his wickedness.” This is said regarding Doik, who, being a Syrian by birth, lived among Israel, and perhaps in a crowd of people came to the holy city and hypocritically participated in the service of God. But this also applies to every person who is strong in malice, causing the destruction of souls with his tongue like a sword; let the farmer of souls pluck it out, like some bitter and destructive root, even if it somehow happens that for a short time it grows in the village of God and in His Church. Such a person, deprived of honor and rejected far from the dwelling of the saints, will present a pitiful spectacle for the benefit and admonition of those who look on, who, having before their eyes the decisive judgment of God against him, will be afraid and beware, so as not to be subjected to the same thing. So, bringing to mind the former boasting of the strong in anger, his arrogance and arrogance, seeing his subsequent humiliation and death, they will begin to laugh at him, comparing from what height he fell into such disasters, and they will accept the judgment of God, recognizing it as fair. 4. Then they will reflect on the reasons why the wicked suffered this, justifying the judgment of God. In fact, one should not be proud of wealth and arrogant with the vanity of real life, relying only on God alone as one’s hope and helper, and on this hope one should be established. And he abandoned this good hope of his salvation, placing his hopes on vain wealth, deserving nothing but laughter at his vanity and insane boasting. “But I am like an olive tree fruitful in the house of God: I have trusted in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will confess to You forever and ever for what You have done, and I will trust in Your name, for it is good among Your saints” (Ps. 51:10-11). What end befalls the strong in wickedness, we are taught by what has already been said. I, says David, instructed in this by the Holy Spirit, was never exalted either by the abundance of this transitory wealth, or by the vanity of this corruptible life: “vanity of vanities,... vanity of vanities - all is vanity!” ( Eccl. 1:2 ); but, avoiding the paths of the strong with malice, I sharpened my tongue and words not for the destruction of others, but for the benefit of souls: I will be like a fruitful olive tree for their salvation. And in all my deeds I could become so flourishing and fruitful that my soul became like an ever-blooming and prolific plant planted in the house of God. That’s why I say: “I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God.” Or, according to Symmachus: “I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God.” I did not stray from the house of God, but was planted in it, as if in the field of God, and, fed by the streams of the spring in the house of God, I became fruitful and blossoming like the olive tree, which is counted among those who bloom forever. Note that, when David says this, was neither in Jerusalem, which the descendants of the Jews considered the house of God (because it had not yet been built), nor in the tabernacle built by Moses, which then still existed among the Jews, because, hiding from Saul, he was in other places. However, nevertheless, he did not cease to consider himself planted in the house of God, meaning by the house of God a community of people who honor God. And since he was fruitful, and not barren, and did not bear bitter fruits, but pleasant ones and filled with great love for mankind, he was rightly likened to a fruitful olive tree; This example shows his mercy towards his neighbors and philanthropy towards everyone. Abounding in such blessings, he further says: “I will trust in Your name.” He has already shown what the end of the strong in malice will be, his destruction and uprooting, namely, that he will be plucked up by the Wise Farmer of all, like a root producing bitter fruits. And the psalmist, like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, trusts in the mercy of God forever and ever, appropriating for himself immortality and eternal life through the power of good hope, which he never lost, because “hope,” according to the apostle, “does not put one to shame.” (Rom. 5:5) Then, on top of these benefits, having depicted his good hopes, he attributes the very reason for them To the Giver of all blessings: “I will confess to You forever and ever for what You have done.” Not by myself, he says, I became like a fruitful olive tree, but You made me, because such was Your mercy. Therefore, I will never cease to feel gratitude to You and confess to You; Having once placed my trust in the mercy of God, I will abide in His name. With good hope we need patience; which is why he says: “I will trust in Thy name, for it is good among Thy holy ones,” or according to Symmachus: “Because Thy name is good before the face of Thy holy ones.” So, knowing that it is good and brings blessings, not with those who prosper near and not with those rejected from among the living, but together with Your saints, I will hold on to Your name, firmly hoping never to lose mercy. I have placed my hope in her forever and ever, who, by grace and love for mankind, arranges everything for the benefit of Christ Our God, to Whom be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. 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” You might be interested in: