Chapter 115

Ps.115:1. Beliefs, the same words. Having said: “with faith, with the same words,” as if having already thanked the Lord and having reached the heavenly abodes, he says that he would not have uttered these words if he had not been firmly confident in God’s promises. These promises were full of mercy. “The blessed ones who weep now, as they” will rejoice (Luke 6:21). If their eyes were full of tears, then, obviously, they would receive joy in those monasteries. The words of the Psalmist are quoted by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, saying: “having... the same spirit of faith, according to what is written: “With the same words we have believed,” 13 and we believe, and with the same words we speak” (2 Cor. 4:13), and by the spirit of faith he means either the state of our spirit into which faith leads us, or the Spirit given by God to those who have faith. With these words: “they believed, they also spoke” in agreement with what was said: “if you do not believe, you will not understand” (Is. 7:9). First a person believes, then he understands, and after this he speaks. But when, says the Psalmist, I believed, I spoke great things, then seeing that I myself was nothing, “I humbled myself greatly.” Similar to this is what John said about Jesus: “It is fitting for him to grow, but for me to grow small” (John 3:30). For he prayed, not putting aside anything from the greatness that he had, but only in comparison with the excellent teaching and life of Christ. So now he said: “I have humbled myself,” not because of diminishing heights, but at the discretion, in comparison with myself, of the highest. Ps.116:2. Az Rekh in my frenzy: every man is a lie. Having become higher than man, I despised everything human. For frenzy means change. Having said: “I will please the Lord” (Ps. 115:8), then seeing that “every man is a lie” (because human thoughts are deceptive), I humbled myself and subjected myself to suffering so as not to fall from the height of my standing. Ps.115:6. The death of His saints is honorable before the Lord. No, he says, we have no other reward for what we have received from God, except to endure death for Him, and in this to imitate our Master. Such a death, of course, will be honorable before God. Ps.115:7. O Lord, I am Thy servant, and the son of Thy handmaid. He boldly calls himself a slave, like the Apostle, and calls himself the son of a slave, that is, of the Old Testament leadership of the Law. What kind of bonds are these, besides the bonds of sin, according to what was said: “everyone is burdened with the captivity of his sins” (Prov. 5:22)? Ps.115:8. I will devour a sacrifice of praise for you. As one who has succeeded, he sweeps aside bloody sacrifices and promises to offer sacrifices of praise. Ps.115:9. I will give my prayers to the Lord. He calls vows “prayers.” What vow did he make, besides this - taking the cup of the Lord, calling on the name of the Lord? This is what I will do, he says, when I am “in the courts” (Ps. 116:10) of God, that is, in the Church of Christ or in heavenly Jerusalem. “For with the heart he believes the truth, but with his lips he confesses for salvation” - Rom. 10, 10. You might be interested in: