Chapter 17

Ps.17:1. In the end, to the servant of the Lord David, even the words of the Lord said this song, on the day on which the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and said: This psalm describes the uprising of enemies, the calling of God to help, the descent and ascension of the Only Begotten, also what was done against the demons after the ascension, the rejection of the Israelites and the calling of the pagans. What was said: “from the hand of the enemy” and “from the hand of Sauli” can be applied to mental enemies and to their prince. Ps.17:2. I will love You, O Lord, my strength. Ps.17:3. The Lord is my strength and my refuge. Conscious of God's blessings, he brings to God the greatest of gifts, namely love, which the Savior put in first place in the commandments. Ps.17:4. With praise I will call on the Lord, and I will be saved from my enemies. From this we learn how to confess gratitude for the blessings that we have already enjoyed, and to ask for more blessings that we need. Then David describes various uprisings of enemies. Ps.17:5. Mortal diseases have taken hold of me. He does not mention here any battle with mortals, but about the invisible forces that internally surrounded his soul. And the sweat of lawlessness crushed me. Ps.17:6. The diseases of hell have overcome me, having preceded me to the snares of death. The thoughts of iniquity are lawless thoughts; these same ones, if they remain in us for a long time, are called diseases, and if they kill us by the sin operating in us, they are also called snares. Ps.17:8. And the earth moved and trembled. Describes what happened when the Lord descended. For then all those living on earth were moved, and every country was filled with the news of Him. The foundations of the mountains were crushed. Mountains are evil powers that exalt themselves before God's glory. “Their foundations” are what David calls the thoughts hidden in the depths. And she moved, as if God was angry with her because for a long time they deceived those living on earth with a polytheistic faith. Ps.17:9. Arose the smoke of His wrath. Having become angry, he extinguished their fire, which had been used to burn people since ancient times; and as a sign of this the Psalmist uses the word: smoke. And fire will ignite from His face. The Son of God invisibly accomplishes this against the opposing forces, extinguishing their fire with another better and stronger fire. For the demons, seeing the Lord at His coming, were burned at His presence. The coals were kindled by Him. These are the essence of those enlightened by communion of the Divine fire. Ps.17:10. And bow down the heavens and below. In the clearest way he prophesies about the condescension of the Lord. And this is almost the same as what was said: “he humbled himself... even to death” (Phil. 2:8). Makes us understand the hiddenness of the economic coming and the invisibility of God, so that what he says does not carry us away into carnal concepts Ps.17:11. And climb up the Cherubim, and fly, fly on the winged wind. This depicts His ascension; He calls cherubim and windy wings either the cloud that took Him and about which it is written in Acts: “and this river was taken to those who saw it, and the cloud was lifted up from their sight” (Acts 1:9), or the speed of the appearance, the speed of the coming and help. Ps.17:12. And cover Your darkness, - that is, the invisible and invisible presence of the Savior with people. The words “His settlement” means the holy Church in which he promised to dwell. “Surrounding Him,” according to what was said: “where... two or three are gathered in My name, I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). The water is dark in the clouds of air. He says this because of the darkness of what was said about Him by the Prophets, who are also called clouds. Ps.17:13. From the leafing before Him the clouds came forth. The light of his coming made the prophecies clear. And since there are also threats in the prophecies, he presented this too under the image of “hail and coals.” Just as, from the illumination of the sermon, the Apostles passed before Him like clouds and watered the world, so the hail serves as an image of various executions determined for unbelievers, which, after the Ascension of the Lord, actually befell His enemies, I mean mental enemies. For just as, freeing the Israelites from Egypt, he rained hail and fire, so, freeing all nations from working for demons, he rained hail and coals of fire. And these were the punitive forces with which he overthrew the mental Egyptians. Ps.17:16. And the springs of water appeared. After the overthrow of the enemies, springs of water appeared, that is, the saving gospel word, which became the foundation of the universe, because we were built on it. Or again: by “sources” understand the holy prophets as exuding the saving word. For this is what is written about them: “and draw water with joy from the fountain of salvation” (Is. 12:3), and under “my foundations of the universe” are the writings of the all-wise Moses; because in them we first find the laid foundation of faith and knowledge of God and, like the writings of the Prophets, containing in images the mystery of Christ. Therefore, “appeared” means “clarified.” Or, under the sources and foundations of the heavenly realms, consider the holy Apostles; because they too exuded the saving word and laid faith as the foundation of the heavenly world. Also, under the springs of water and the foundations of the universe, also understand saving baptism. From Your prohibition, O Lord, – should imply: the above-mentioned enemies have been overthrown. From the inspiration of the spirit of Your wrath. God does not punish those who sin at the same moment, otherwise they would completely perish; but foretells the punishments of wrath. For it is said: “I will punish their sorrow in hearing” (Hos. 7:12). And this means the inspiration of the spirit of His wrath. Ps.17:17. They will take me from many waters. He calls temptation waters. David says: “They will accept me,” that is, human nature. For on the day of Pentecost, “three thousand souls were baptized” by the Apostles (Acts 2:41). Ps.17:18. He will deliver me from my mighty enemies and from those who hate me. David proceeds to describe what he did after committing sin and during repentance. The meaning of his speech is this: the Lord had already heard my confession, and became my support when I was ready to cast myself down and suffer a great fall, if only after sin I had fallen into complete apostasy. But the Lord will completely deliver me and give me remission of sin, at the time of His coming foretold by the Prophets, and the Lord, who is good to me, will do this, Ps.17:20. as you please me. And if he had not wanted to, he would not have sent his Prophet to me. Ps.17:21. And the Lord will reward me. I am confident that the Lord, during His righteous judgment, without remembering my sins, will reward me with justice. For in truth, as if on a scale, contrasting my other deeds with my sin, he will find that these deeds greatly outweigh the sin I have committed. This word teaches that if someone suffers from some weakness, they can support themselves with other good deeds. Truth in general refers to virtue, cleanliness of hands when doing something, and good skill to bring active forces into a non-defiled state. Ps.17:23. As if all His fate is before me. Although the judgments of God are unsearchable and in their incomprehensibility are like an abyss, nevertheless, everything is before the eyes of the lover of God. Ps.17:26. You will be with the venerable reverend. You have justly vouchsafed me Your good deed, because You are righteous and know how to be reverent with the venerable. For if I had remained in sin and given myself over to complete corruption, then I know that You yourself, the great Judge, would have pronounced Your judgment on me, according to the extent of my sin. But since I kept Your ways, You, Who are reverend with the reverend and innocent with the innocent, did not stop your gaze on the deviation from the truth that happened to me for a while, but rewarded me in Your judgment for the life that I led after, and for the deeds I committed in truth. Ps.17:28. For You have saved humble people. Refers to the face of the Apostles. This goes to the Pharisees and the scribes. Ps.17:29. For You have enlightened my lamp, O Lord, My God, enlighten my darkness, - you will dispel my ignorance. Ps.17:30. For through You I will get rid of temptation, and through my God I will cross the wall; - because my enemies have surrounded me and are keeping me prisoner. He calls pleasures “temptation”, and the devil “wall”. Ps.17:31. My God, His way is blameless. Here he condemns the ingratitude, malice, stubbornness and cruelty of the unappreciative, ungrateful and hard-hearted Jews. For they reproached our Savior Christ for acting contrary to God’s Law; They slandered His words and slandered Him, as if He were blaspheming, saying among themselves: “The word of blasphemy: who can forgive sins” (Mark 2:7)? And these dispositions and thoughts about the Lord of all and God were nourished in oneself with an evil conscience and an evil thought. The Word of the Lord is kindled. And His words about this, like kindled silver, are pure from all reproach, tempted and tested. Ps.17:32. Who is God, except the Lord? Or who is God, is it our God? For the one Word of God is true God and the Only Begotten, because He alone is also God, like the Father. Having said about Christ that he is God by nature, he now says: “or who is God?” We have one God the Father, and there is no other God, so that one fulfills the request of one, and another the request of another. But perhaps the two verses are placed in mutual correspondence. Thus, the true God girded me with strength to gain victory, and laid out my blameless path to accomplish good deeds. Ps.17:33. God gird me with strength. This is similar to what was said: “until you are endowed with power from above” (Luke 24:49). And make my path blameless, - that is, he taught me with the principles of the Gospel how to walk the blameless path. Ps.17:34. Do my best. For saints are destroyers of poisonous passions, because they have received strength against mental serpents; which is why they are likened to deer that destroy sensual snakes. For they received the power to “tread on the serpent and the scorpion and all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). And place me on high places; - the mountain one teaches us to philosophize. Ps.17:35. Train my hands to fight; - because by lifting them up in prayer, I overcome the hostile. And you put the onion of my copper muscle. He teaches how to be prepared for battle, likens the muscles to a bow, and makes them as if copper in strength. Or it makes it clear that he made the spiritual forces courageous, like a copper bow. Copper is a symbol of active force. In this sense, Ezekiel says to Jerusalem: “its copper will burn up” (Ezekiel 24:11). But just as by the image of copper he means strength and invulnerability, so by the image of a bow he represents the very shooting of arrows by our muscles. Ps.17:36. And you gave me the protection of salvation. Protected me with Your salvation; and this is the coming of the economy. And Your right hand will receive me. And Your punishment will correct me in the end. He understands the Gospel teaching, or speaks about the Old Testament teaching through the Law, as if reasoning like this: having benefited me in everything, he also gave me the laws by which I was taught what I should do. For, having learned from them that one should not do unrighteousness, I abstained from this. But in order not to suffer harm from such love of truth, he granted sufficient help, extending it to the latitude. Or, he calls punishment a punishing teaching, according to what is said: “have... punishments” (Prov. 4:13), or a lifestyle that requires work, according to what is said: “do not despise the punishment of the Lord” (Prov. 3:11). And Your punishment will teach me. These words: “Your punishment will teach me,” in Theodotion replace what was said in the Seventy: “Your punishment will correct me in the end.” Ps.17:37. You have made my feet wider. Having removed the temptations and snares that were prepared by the enemies, You made my procession free. He says about the feet that when a person goes from vice to virtue, at first it is difficult for the person passing this narrow path, but with success the path widens. And by the fact that a person, after the labors of virtue, accepts peace, his “mold” is strengthened; because his feet are set on stone. And this is our faith. Ps.17:38. I will marry my enemies. As prepared for life by divine grace, he is firmly confident in victory. Ps.17:39. I’ll insult them, and they won’t be able to. Insulting our enemies makes us dispassionate. Ps.17:40. And you girded me with strength. Again he attributes the entire victory to the Giver of strength. Ps.17:41. And you gave me a backbone to my enemies, - that is: he put the enemies to flight, because those fleeing from us turn their ridges towards us. Our enemies, demons, give us a backbone when they cannot put passionate thoughts into our souls. And you consumed those who hated me, - that is, Saul, Ahithophel, Absalom and thousands of others. Ps.17:42. You cried, and don’t save. He says this about sensual enemies as if on behalf of the Lord. For the foreigners, calling on their gods for help, did not take advantage of their industry; and Saul, Absalom, Shimei and the other warring Israelites did not have God as their helper. Ps.17:43. And I will fade away like dust. They will completely disappear with Your grace assisting me. Ps.17:44. Deliver me from the bickering of people; - while the Lord turns His face away from the Jews for disobedience and asks the pagans to be His inheritance. Put me at the head of languages. But we do not know that David reigned over the pagans. So, this prophecy is fulfilled by Him who was born of him according to the flesh. For He who was born of David according to the flesh, who himself, according to the words of the divine Ezekiel, is called David, that is, the Lord Christ, reigned over all languages. He always, as God, rules over everyone, but after becoming man He accepts voluntary service from those who believe in Him. People, I don’t even know them, are Mi’s work. These are the words of Christ himself; because, turning away from the rebellious Jews, to ask the pagans as an inheritance for Himself. And these words do not mean ignorance, because He knows everything as God; have the following meaning: since these people did not participate in intimacy with Me for a long time, they became alien to Me, outsiders and very far from intimacy with Me. Ps.17:45. Alien sons of the lie Mi. Israel, who was called the firstborn son, is called a strange son because of unbelief. Ps.17:46. Sons of strangers vowed. Everything that is decaying is close to destruction. Ps.17:47. As the Lord lives, and blessed is my God. Very opportunely he exclaimed: “As the Lord lives”, because he mentioned the quarrel between people, in which they cried out, saying: “Take him, take him, crucify him” (John 19:15). And may the God of my salvation be exalted. Although He “humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7), He was exalted. This is similar to what was said: “God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name above every name” (Phil. 2:9). Ps.17:48. God grant me vengeance, - that is, punishing the unfaithful people - the Jews. And subjugating people under Me, that is, the pagans submitted to Christ. Ps.17:49. My Deliverer from My wrathful enemies, - that is, from an infidel people. The angry enemies were the Jewish people, who called Him a Samaritan with abuse. And the unrighteous husband is Judas and Pilate, who innocently condemned him to death. Ps.17:50. For this reason, let us confess to You publicly, Lord. Because You have done both; then, says the prophet, when You yourself, Lord, call the pagans, through them “we will confess to You,” because they will sing the hymns I have composed. And not only will we confess, but also “great is the salvation of their king, that is, the king of the pagans. “I will magnify,” that is, I will loudly proclaim to everyone the salvation that “I have done... in the middle of the earth” (Ps. 73:12). And this you have done, showing mercy to your anointed people; because we are anointed into the “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). By showing mercy to the people and to me, David, you are preparing it for Him and for my seed. For the people of the Gentiles are David’s seed; because they also became children of Him who was of the seed of David according to the flesh. You might be interested in: