Собеседование 30 на псалом 118

Ps.119:132. Look upon me and have mercy on me, as you do to those who love your name. 1. Blessed David has the custom, brothers, to use various methods to express what he prophetically sings. So in this psalm he expresses the same thoughts about the same objects in many ways. His goal is to move away from sin and aversion to evil, and on the other hand, to observe and preserve the commandments of God, as well as to expose the lawless, turn away from them and pray for God’s help and mercy: these are his main and general thoughts in this psalm. The real expression also answers this: “look upon me and have mercy on me.” Sometimes God looks down in anger, as the prophet Habakkuk said: “he looked and made the nations tremble” (Hab. 3:6); and when he looks at those who love Him, he bestows mercy and salvation. This is what the prophet asked about, which is why he added: “as you deal with those who love your name.” This means that he asks to receive divine mercy not simply, but as usual, he says, You give mercy to those who love You. “How do you deal with those who love your name,” he said, which means: I ask for the same sentence for myself as they do. “Order my steps according to Thy words, and let not all iniquity possess me” (Ps. 119:133). When we show zeal, and God provides help and directs our path, then the power of sin does not matter. So, when God directs us on His paths and we show zeal, then neither sin nor iniquity has power over us. In another psalm, the Lord promises those who fear Him: “not You will be afraid of the horror of the night, of the arrow that flies by day, of the disaster that befalls at night” (Ps. 90:5-6); “Deliver me from the slander of men, and keep Your commandments” (Ps. 119:134). As you know, David suffered many temptations from people, from Saul and others. So in the next psalm he says: “Lord, deliver my soul from the lips... of the unrighteous and from a flattering tongue. What will be given to you or what will be added to you with a flattering tongue?” ( Ps. 119:2-3 ). And again in another psalm: “sons of man! Their teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword" (Ps. 56:5). So, the prophet prays for deliverance from them. And the Lord Christ, on the one hand, called those who endure reproach and slander happy and blessed (Matt. 5:10-11), and on the other hand, taught them to pray so as not to fall into misfortune (Matt. 26:41). The prayer of the prophet also coincides with the gospel law. And Saint Athanasius, revealing the meaning of these words, calls the daring and insane thoughts of heretics and lawless people as human slander. So, brothers, following this father, we will also avoid all heresy, as well as those that are now spreading among us, i.e. the heresies of the Iconoclasts, Paulicians and Manichaeans; and if they say to any of us, “Come with us,” let him turn away his foot and go away, according to the proverb (Prov. 1:11, 15), and not walk with them. “Make Thy face shine upon Thy servant, and teach me Thy justification” (Ps. 119:135). The Divinity is incorporeal, simple and alien to change; Holy Scripture depicts it with more coarse and corporeal features, in relation to human nature, since the Son is the image of the Father’s hypostasis and the radiance (of His glory), as blessed Paul expresses this truth ( Hebrews 1:3) So, the prophet wants to see His appearance for the salvation of the human race; then He, having appeared, taught us all truth. Then, the appearance of the face of God can be understood as the resolution of evils and the granting of blessings. “The springs of water... my eyes have failed, for I have not kept Thy law” (Ps. 119:136). And this is the apostolic law, because “if one member suffers,” says the apostle, “all the members suffer with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). This means that the prophet rises to evangelical perfection, grieving over the iniquities of other people; he called many tears emanating from the waters: he shed streams. I weep at the sight of human iniquities. The saints also grieved when the people of Israel, having idolized the calf, turned away from God; he then said to God: “Forgive them their sin, and if not, then blot me out of Your book, in which You wrote” (Ex. 32:32). I myself would like to be excommunicated from Christ for my brothers, my relatives according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3). “You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are just. In Your revelations x... You have commanded... righteousness and perfect truth" (Ps. 119:137-138). O Lord, You arrange everything justly: You take care of people and attract workers of righteousness. You have given the law, and revealed to those who break it what punishments they will incur on themselves, and you promise good rewards to those who keep it, and you confirm your promises with deeds; the latter is precisely expressed in the words: “the perfect truth.” The Lord has appointed a day when He will judge the universe and reward “everyone according to his deeds: to those who by constancy in good deeds seek glory, honor and immortality, eternal life; and to those who persist and do not submit to the truth, but indulge in unrighteousness, wrath and wrath. Sorrow and distress to every soul of a person who does evil” ( Rom.2:6–9) With the expression: “perfect truth,” he denoted the immutability of the work. “Zeal for You has consumed me, for my enemies have forgotten Your words” (Ps. 119:139). The prophet mourns those given over to lawlessness, and seeing the legislator insulted, he is rightly indignant. Such jealousy made Phinehas famous; she made the great Elijah famous; flaming with it, the valiant Stephen exposed the unbelief of the Jews. This verse expresses the same idea as one of the previous ones: what he said there: “The springs of water... my eyes have failed, for I have not kept Your law” (Ps. 119:136), and here he means: “I have faded away... zeal for You, for my enemies have forgotten Your words.” Such was, as I said, Phinehas, who struck the fornicator: “and (it) was counted to him as righteousness” (Ps. 105:31). Such was the divine Paul, who bore the whole of Christ within himself, which is why he said: “Whoever faints, with whom would I not faint? Who is tempted, for whom would I not be inflamed?” (2 Cor. 11:29)? And blessed Luke says about him that in Athens he was indignant “at the sight of this city full of idols” (Acts 17:16) “Your word is very fiery, and your servant loved it” (Ps. 119:140). 2. Your word is tested, he says, and is pure and free from all corruption, and I have ardent love for it. And in another psalm he says: “the words of the Lord are pure words, molten silver, tested in the earth, purified many times over” (Ps. 11:7). So, among the judgments of God there is nothing unworthy, doubtful or unclean, but everything is alien to any vice. So, with their purity, brothers, let us conform our lives. “I am young and humiliated, (but) I have not forgotten Your justifications" (Ps. 119:141). David was small and the least of his father’s sons; but for the love that he had for God, he was chosen and received royal dignity and prophetic grace. Of course, after all, God knows how to reward those who love Him in the present century; and even more so in the future. And so, when God commanded the great Samuel to put the kings of one of the sons of Jesse, then the other sons, adorned with strength, stature, and physical beauty, the prophet recognized all of them as unworthy, but asked Jesse: did he still have children? in the opinion of my loved ones, the weak - You have honored me with such grace, and made me a prophet and at the same time a king. For this reason, I strive with all zeal to observe Your justifications. “Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and Your law is truth” (Ps. 119:142). He who obeys human laws will not receive such an honor even in this life, but he who fulfills the commandments of God has eternal life as a reward for his labors. And besides, human laws do not all contain truth, but God’s law shines with truth. Therefore, the prophet rightly said: “Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and Your law is truth.” So, God’s truth and law are truth forever. Therefore, blessed Paul also said to the Jews: “not understanding the righteousness of God and trying to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:3). “Troubles and needs have befallen me; Your commandments are my comfort” (Ps. 119:143). The phenomenon is inevitable for doers of virtue. This reminds us of what Paul said: “Who will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? as it is written: For Your sake we are put to death every day; we are counted as sheep doomed to be slaughtered” (Rom. 8:35, 36; cf. Ps. 43:23). Such are the exploits of the saints, such are their victories. “Your commandments are my comfort.” Studying them maintains my courage, and I endure tribulations with courage. “Thy revelations... are truth forever: give me understanding and live forever” (Ps. 119:144), that is, through them we acquire eternal blessings. “Give me some sense and I will live.” Enlightened by You, I will enjoy eternal life. “I cried with all my heart: hear me, O Lord! I will seek Your righteousness" (Ps. 119:145). Again, he calls the invocation the mood of the soul, which is why he added: “with all my heart.” So Moses cried out in silence, but in response to his secret prayer the Lord said: “Why are you crying out to Me?” ( Ex. 14:15 ). The addition of the words: “with all my heart” shows that what is meant is spiritual zeal, and not a cry emitted by the lips. The divine Paul also spoke in this way: “speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). “I cried to You: save me! And I will keep Your testimonies” (Ps. 119:146). Receiving salvation from You, I will be the keeper of Your laws. Thus, those who keep the revelations of God, in any case, receive salvation from Him. “I went before without time and cried out, (for) I trusted in Your words" ( Ps.119:147). The Prophet, being a king, burdened with countless worries, and on top of that - undertaking campaigns and wars, not only offered prayers to God during the day, but also in the middle of the night, without waiting for the roosters to crow: so much did he love his Creator - God, so earnestly he asked for help from above. The Prophet did not have a specific time for praise and thanksgiving to God, but day and night (this exactly means “in no time”), he did this, teaching us to always have God in our memory. You need to remember God more often than breathing, as Gregory the Theologian said. “Have my eyes preceded the morning, that I may learn Thy words to them” (Ps. 119:148). Not only at the time when sleep is most pleasant, but also early in the morning he reflected on divine laws. And we, living in poverty, free from all worries, spend the whole night lying in bed, and even at the beginning of the day we do not offer a hymn to the Giver of good things. So, the prophet warns us that in the morning from time to time we learned from the words of God. And the Lord said: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this life” (Luke 21:34). And one of the prophets, mourning such people, said: “Sleep all night” (Hosea 7:6). “Hear my voice, O Lord; according to Thy mercy, according to Thy judgment quicken me” (Ps. 119:149). Possessing such great benefits, he seeks mercy; and does not ask for mercy in general, but for mercy that is useful according to the judgment of God. And so he asks and begs God to direct his life according to the judgments of God, and by his example he teaches us to pray for the same. “They who persecute me without law have come near, but they have departed from Your law” (Ps. 119:150). Those who want to persecute the righteous are far from the divine laws. Thus, the scribes and Pharisees went straight into lawlessness, pursuing the apostles, to whom the Lord said: “And he who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” ( Luke 10:16), as it is said: “I will be an enemy of your enemies and an adversary of your adversaries” (Ex. 23:22). Therefore, they departed from the law of the Gospel, not obeying the teaching of the apostles: “Thou art near, O Lord, and all Thy ways are truth” (Ps. 119:151). 3. You, he says, Lord, see everything, because You are not far from us, but fill the entire universe and govern creation in accordance with the truth. This is what God Himself says through the prophet: “Am I God only near, says the Lord, and not God far away?” (Jer.23:23). He knows and tests everything, even the depths of our hearts (Ps. 47:2). And blessed Paul says: “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). “From the beginning I knew from Your revelations that You established them forever...” (Ps. 119:152). Here he calls heaven and earth testimonies or revelations, because out of condescension to people the Lord sometimes brings heaven and earth as witnesses; so the great Moses at the beginning of his song said: “Listen, O heaven, I will speak; and listen, O earth, to the words of my mouth” (Deut. 32:1). Providence is constantly seen in them. God, because everything in them is accomplished in great order. From here, he says, I learned for certain that You are close and present in everything that exists, and nothing of Your creations hides You. Or else: from ancient times, he says, I knew that Your words, Lord, are constant, and Your commandments are constant. The laws of the king and state change, but this does not happen with God’s laws, but like heaven and earth they remain. forever, so are the commandments of God. Nothing can be added to them, and nothing can be taken away from them. The Lord also said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). “Look at my humiliation and deliver me, for I have not forgotten Your law” (Ps. 119:153). “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted,” according to the word of the Lord (Matthew 23:12), and: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The Divine Prophet added this to his other virtues, and referring to it, he asks for God's help. There are many types of humility; of course, sometimes humility is acquired through sorrows and misfortunes and oppression from people. But true humility occurs when we turn from our sins - for example, David himself discovered such humility in word and deed: “every night I wash my bed with my tears” (Ps. 6:7); and for my weakness, and forgive all my sins" (Ps. 24:18). In the same way, let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, loving and keeping His commandments, about which the Lord says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). “Judge my case and deliver me; for the sake of Your word, revive me” (Ps. 119:154). Since through the Fall, through the temptation of a malicious enemy, the human race fell away from God, the prophet prays that judgment be carried out and people receive salvation, which was accomplished through the word of the Gospel. When the gospel was preached throughout the whole world, the devil was cast down and the human race was saved by receiving life from the Spirit. So, the prophet reminds the Lord of his promises, asks Him for salvation and begs Him to judge between him and his enemies. “Salvation is far from sinners, for they have not sought Your justifications” (Ps. 119:155). The champions of iniquity themselves, he says, have deprived themselves of Your salvation, not wanting to know what You have ordered to do. The reason for destruction is, therefore, that we do not seek God’s justifications. And he did not just say that they did not believe, but that “they did not seek Your justifications “Consequently, when we despise the commandments of God, He removes salvation from us. “Great are Thy tender mercies..., O Lord, according to Thy judgment, revive me” (Ps. 119:156). The idea of this verse is clear and does not need explanation; it says: great is the riches of Thy love for mankind, and Thy judgment is righteous, relying on them, I ask for salvation. “I have many persecutors and oppressors, but I have not strayed from Your testimonies” (Ps. 119:157). For many, he says, overcome by misfortunes, I did not even make an attempt to transgress anything of what was established by Your law. Starting to explain this psalm, we said that the divine David collected in this psalm everything that he experienced in his life, and therefore, one corresponds to what he suffered from Saul, the other to what Absalom inflicted on him. These words, for example, obviously he said during the persecution from Saul, because then he did not yet feel sin behind him. So, many persecuted the saints and brought them to death, but they did not shy away from the revelations of God, because they remembered what the Lord said: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10), as well as what the Apostle Paul said: “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). For this sake, the blessed and glorious martyrs went through fire and water and gave up their bodies for their confession of God and love for Him. But (for their exploits) they have reward, having become fellow members of the one body of Christ our God. “I saw the foolish and I grieved that the words... They did not keep them” (Ps. 119:158). So blessed Paul grieved for the Jews, so the Lord Himself mourned Jerusalem, so the divine Jeremiah shed tears for the iniquity of the people. So should we, brethren: we too should be upset and grieve for those who are unguided in their ways, we should reprove them and exhort them, having first given the right direction to your own life, because “he who converts a sinner from the wrong path will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20), but if they remain incorrigible, then do not have fellowship with them, as the apostle teaches: “move away from every brother who acts disorderly” (2 Thess. 3:6), and also: “do not communicate with those who being called a brother, he remains a fornicator, or a covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or a predator; he does not even eat with such a person” (1 Cor. 5:11). God! According to Your mercy, revive me” (Ps. 119:159). He constantly remembers the commandments, justifications, laws and revelations, showing his love for them. This same word teaches us that we, as the ap. John, loved not in word and tongue, but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). Then we will be able to receive life by the grace of God. “The beginning of Thy words is truth, and all the judgments of Thy righteousness endure forever” (Ps. 119:160). 4. Your promises are not false, You adorn Your promises with truth and You confirm Your words with deeds. Even in the early days of the world, God said to Adam: “You will eat from every tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:16–17). This word has gained power forever, because disobedience to God introduced death. A different meaning appears in connection with what is written (in the same book of Genesis): God spoke to Abraham: “In your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). His seed is Christ. There is truth in it forever for the human race. He calls the promises that were to Abraham the beginning of words. In him alone the Jewish people were once contained, but the Lord fulfilled His promises and multiplied the people like the stars of heaven in abundance, and through his seed he blessed, according to the promise, all languages. This is what the words of the psalmist indicate: “And all the judgments of Thy righteousness forever.” Being a prophet, he contemplated the eternal kingdom of Christ, which is why he said that truth adorns the beginning of God’s words. And in another psalm he says: “The work of His hands is truth and righteousness” (Ps. 110:7). “The princes pursued me without guilt, but words... My heart was afraid of them” (Ps. 119:161). I, he says, was not afraid of enemies and persecutors, but I was afraid of Your laws. Therefore, I did not dare to kill the enemy when I found him sleeping. And then, pitying the unfortunate son who raised his hand against his father, he said: “Spare me not a boy” (2 Samuel 18:5). This was spoken by David, who was being pursued by Saul. In the spiritual sense, princes are evil spirits, as Blessed Paul teaches us: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). They attack us, wanting to deceive us, but we are supported by the fear of the word of God. It was the Lord who said: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). “I will rejoice in Your words, as one who has found great prey” (Ps. 119:162). Since he mentioned persecution from the enemy, he rightly remembered the prey. He wants to say: if I killed them all and received the richest booty, then I would not rejoice as much as I rejoice in Your laws. What he said above, he repeats here. There he said: “The law of Your mouth is better for me than thousands gold and silver" (Ps. 119:72), and: "I loved Your commandments more than gold and topaz" (Ps. 119:127). This is a lesson for us to put joy and joy in the commandments of God above all joy. this word. He who is ardently attached to the divine hates the opposite. And on the other hand, he who hates untruth, in any case, takes the side of truth. After all, it is completely unnatural for two contradictory words to be true about the same thing. Meanwhile, the Lord said: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). “Seven times... I praised You for the righteousness of Your judgments” (Ps. 119:164). Some – “seven times” – translated: many times. But both equally signify the ardent love of the prophet. He did not know the extent of glorifying God. Likewise, we need to continually praise God for His righteous judgments. The more zealous and pious come before God seven times at night and during the day. First, at the end of the night, which we call matins; secondly, at sunrise - they give thanks for the beginning of the day; at the third hour, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles; at the sixth hour, when Christ our God was nailed to the cross in his flesh and tore up the handwriting of our sins; at the ninth hour, when He shed blood and gave up the spirit and freed us from the power of the devil; at sunset - what we call the sunset - when we give thanks for the end of the day; finally, when we go to bed. What is calculated here constitutes the seven. “There is great peace for those who love Your law, and there is no temptation for them” (Ps. 119:165). Those who are flaming with divine love and, through keeping the commandments, gain peace with God, those who, even if all people turn against them, lead a pleasant life. The divine Paul testifies to this, saying: “We are oppressed on every side, but not oppressed; we are in desperate circumstances, but we do not despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; We are cast down, but we do not perish” (2 Cor. 4:8–9). And the Lord, having sent the holy apostles throughout the universe like sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16), said to them: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). They accepted the gospel law and preached it everywhere. This is precisely what the expression “great” alludes to. “And there is no temptation for them,” because Satan has been cast under their feet. “I longed for Your salvation, O Lord, and for Your commandments and loved them” (Ps. 119:166). Even oppressed by misfortunes, I did not lose good hopes, but continued to expect Your salvation and follow Your commandments, precisely because those who love God’s commandments seek reward for keeping them and their love and expect that they are destined for the enjoyment of heavenly blessings. “My soul kept the revelations Yours and loved them greatly. I have kept Your commandments and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You, O Lord” (Ps. 119:167-168). Knowing that You see everything, and living as if under Your supervision, I not only fulfilled all Your commandments, but also did it with ardent zeal. The prophet speaks this for our edification and instruction, so that we keep all the commandments of God and His revelations. So, those who do good, not out of calculation or self-interest, and not in order to be seen and praised by people, say: “All my ways are before You, Lord.” “Let my prayer come close to You, O Lord, according to Your word, give me understanding” (Ps. 119:169). 5. Having expressed all his requests, the prophet begs that his prayer be accepted and not left unsatisfied. He asks for understanding, not human, but consisting in the knowledge of the words of God. A person who is in sins and attached to them cannot, of course, say: “Let my prayer draw near to You, O Lord.” God said through the prophet: “Your sins turn His face away from you” (Is. 59:2); This means that it is necessary, first of all, to give up sins, and then it will be possible to say: “Let my prayer draw near to You, O Lord.” And a sinner cannot even use psalms, because it is written: “Praise is unpleasant in the mouth of a sinner” (Sir. 15:9); and: “God said to the sinner: why do you preach My statutes and keep My covenant... with your lips? After all, you He hated instruction and turned back My words” (Ps. 49:16–17); “Let my petition come to You, O Lord, according to Your word, deliver me” (Ps. 119:170). He calls his prayer a petition. I find this in other translations, so the meaning will be this: let my prayer and my supplication arise before Your face. And since You will accept my prayer according to what You promised to repentant sinners, then deliver me from my sins. The prophet resorts to such various words in order to soften the Master. “My lips will pour out song when... you teach me Your justifications” (Ps. 119:171). Belching corresponds to food (in modern translation - the mouth will pour out). Having learned, he says, Your justifications, I will bring a song to You, their Teacher. So, when we strive in the virtues and commandments of God, then we find ourselves in a position to lift up this song of praise; when we remain in sins, then we cannot sing it in any way. “My tongue guides Thy words, for all Thy commandments are right” (Ps. 119:172). I will devote my tongue to the study of Thy words, knowing that Thy commandments are adorned with all righteousness. These are edifying words that teach us what kind of condemnation are worthy of those who sing lewd songs, flatter and please people, engage in idle talk and gossip and false denunciations, and resounds with frantic cries of the horse lists. Meanwhile, nothing else should leave our language except the words of God - this is what the following words say: “for all Your commandments are right.” “Let Your hand be for my salvation, for I have loved Your commandments” (Ps. 119:173). “Loved” - Symmachus translated - “chose”, Aquila and Theodotion - “chose”. Hand refers to the divine action, which he begs for to help himself achieve salvation. This is the hand of God. Whoever chooses the commandments of God, undoubtedly, God assists in his salvation. “I have desired Your salvation..., O Lord, and Your law is my teaching” (Ps. 119:174). With all my soul, he says, I strive to achieve Your salvation, and therefore I constantly study in Your law. What kind of salvation? That which was accomplished by the incarnation of the One of the Most Holy Trinity, Christ our God. It was then that we were saved from the violence of the enemy and learned to love the commandments of the gospel. “My soul will live and praise You, and Your judgments will help me” (Ps. 119:175). Here the prophet speaks of a life in God, devoted to praising Him, and then asks that he be helped by the courts of God. I know that my hope in You will not deceive me, but I will achieve true life and praise You, the Giver of blessings. “I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant, for I have not forgotten Thy commandments” (Ps. 119:176). This was fitting for the prophet to say after the Fall, and for every human being. “Seek Thy servant, for I have not forgotten Thy commandments.” When Adam deprived himself of paradise by disobeying the commandment, his sin spread to all people, as the apostle said (Rom. 5:12), and they, like sheep that had fallen behind the flock, wandered through the mountains, rapids and gorges of sin, moving away from God and serving demons and idols. But the good Shepherd came, laying down His life for the sheep (John 10:11), to find and save what He had lost (Matthew 18:11), and having found the lost sheep, He found and called it and laid it on His shoulders and returned it to His flock (Luke 15:5). He reconciled the earthly with the heavenly by His appearance in the flesh. Why did the shepherds, together with the angels, glorify His birth with these words: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.” “For I have not forgotten Your commandments.” Although he violated some of them, he never reached the point of completely forgetting them. So, the prophet once offered this prayer, and now every human being has received the opportunity of salvation. As said above, the Good Shepherd came for the lost sheep, found it and, taking it on his shoulders, carried it to Himself - and rejoiced over it more than over the ninety-nine who were not lost. This gives a different light to the words of the prophet: no matter how much we forget His commandments, God seeks us and calls us to Himself. Let us compare the beginning of the psalm with the end. The psalmist begins like this: “Blessed are those who are blameless in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Ps. 119:1), and ends: “Seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.” Obviously, those who walk in the law of the Lord, in any case, do not forget His commandments, and those who do not forget the commandments walk in the law of the Lord. However, we, having explained this psalm in the main features, we invite those present not to be satisfied with what has been stated and not to think that these things are related only to the prophet, but let everyone benefit from this for themselves and find here a saving medicine for their ailments. After all, these, brethren, are the covenants and instructions of the fathers, from which we also drew with due diligence to pass on to you, so that the commandments of God may prosper in you. A Christian's duty commands that, in accordance with the purity of our faith, our deeds should be good. May the Lord God strengthen you in them, granting you His rich mercies and His bounties, preserving you from all evil and worthy of His heavenly kingdom, through the intercession of our immaculate Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin, and all His saints to the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the 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: