THE WEDDING PRAISE FOR THE MESSIAH, THE WARRIOR KING A royal Messianic psalm:: It is one of the royal psalms, which include several stages in the royal life; and describe a celebration of a royal wedding, that could not be applied to any human wedding; but only to the spiritual wedding between the Lord Christ, the King, and His church. The three previous psalms – the psalms of sufferings of individuals and the congregation, are followed by this royal psalm of glory; whose prophetic goal is to reveal Christ the King, and the church, His bride. It came after the psalms of suffering, for the Holy Spirit to proclaim that the suffering is the way to the eternal wedding. In the last psalm, we hear a collective lamentation, in which the whole congregation feel as though they have been rejected by God, brought to reproach, did not go with them to war, and delivered them to their enemies. In the present royal Messianic psalm, we see the congregation united with the Messiah, the warrior King, and enter into an inner glory, as a heavenly adorned bride, whose spiritual beauty, the king desired; we see her enter into His palace and enjoy Him. In the last psalm, the people were a byword among the peoples, an object of ridicule, and shaking of the head. Here, the people are presented as a queen, coming to the King, followed by fellow virgins, her companions. https://coptic-treasures.com/ In the last psalm, the people feel as though God has sold them for no price. Here they feel as though God has sold everything, and fought mighty men to acquire this people, to grant them his riches, and to flood His blessings on them. In the last psalm, the people present themselves sacrifices of love, as sheep to the slaughter. Here, the people enjoy the gladness of the resurrection, its strength, and eternal glories. In the last psalm, we find a call to God, saying: “Awake”. Here, we find the call addressed to the people, saying: “Forget your own people and your father’s house; So the King will greatly desire your beauty” (10, 11). The Messiah King: In the ‘Tergom’ – the old Jewish interpretation – the word “Messiah” has been added to the word “king”; saying: “O King Messiah, You are fairer than the sons of men”. The early Christian writings and liturgies, came to interpret this psalm, as being a praise of the wedding between the Lord Christ and His church. It is a mutual song of love between the Savior Messiah and His queen bride; in which the church meditates in her Groom, fairer than the sons of men, who, alone, can enter into the battle to her account to overcome the devil, liberate His bride from his captivity; pour His splendor on her, grant her His righteousness, and fellowship in His glories. And in it, the Groom meditates in her, proclaims His desire for her, and grants her His joy, gladness, strength, and authority; to let her live as a queen, exultant by the Spirit. Some may assume that this psalm describes the wedding of king Solomon; but as we said, it bears certain expressions that could not be applied to a human. https://coptic-treasures.com/ While some others believe that, even if it describes Solomon’s wedding, yet as a symbol of the Lord Christ, the King of peace; And as the Lord Christ said about Himself: “A greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12: 42).. + It is the song of the holy wedding, for the Groom and the bride, the King and His people, for the Savior and those who are saved. + The spiritual union is a union between “the Word” and the body; that takes place in the womb of the Virgin; where the body itself united with the “Word”, “and the two have become one flesh” (Matthew 9: 5). (St. Augustine) Psalm 45 in the Orthodox rite: This psalm is recited or sung in the prayer of the third hour (of the Agpeya), by which we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit who granted the prophet to prophesy about this King Messiah, the Warrior, to the account of humanity, and who prepared St. Mary to receive the incarnation in her, … is the same Spirit who dwelt upon the church on the day of Pentecost, to give the disciple the power to preach and testify to Him, as a Groom Lover of mankind. The Holy Spirit conforms and sanctifies the soul to become according to the image of her Groom, to be qualified for the eternal wedding. It is the Spirit of the Groom who takes from what is His to give the bride. All along the (Coptic) month of Hiahk, the church prepares herself to receive the feast of Nativity with songs of praise. The vesper includes many verses of this psalm; on account of that the goal of this (Kiahkian praise) is to receive the infant of the manger as a Groom of the soul, who https://coptic-treasures.com/ alone can bring her forth to the battle to grant her His conquest, to give her his crown, and to count her a bride and a precious and victorious queen. In the feasts of St. Mary, during which we celebrate the foremost member of the church, and the living role model of every soul that wishes to enjoy the membership of the church; The church quotes certain verses of this psalm to praise her; to exhort in her children the true longing for the eternal wedding. And certain of its verses, as well, are used in the liturgy of matrimony, on account of that the sacrament of matrimony is a shadow of the eternal wedding between God the Word and the church; and that the bride and the groom draw their love and union from the mutual love between Christ and the church. The general frame: 1- “My heart is overflowing” 1 2- “My tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe” 1 3- The King’s glory 2 4- A Warrior King 3 -- 5 5- Declaration of His Kingdom 6 -- 8 6- The bride queen 9 -- 12 7- The bride’s glory 13 – 17 The title: To the Chief Musician. Set to the ‘lilies’ (Shoshannim eduth). A contemplation of the sons of Korah. A song of love. https://coptic-treasures.com/ And according to the Septuagint version: To completion (consummation) about those who change; a contemplation by the sons of korah. A song for the sake of the beloved. a- “On the lilies” (Shoshannim eduth): The article ‘on’ here refers to that it is played on a particular musical instrument by this name; or that it is played according to a melody that starts by the word “lilies” (Shoshannim eduth). The word “lilies” was used in the singular tense in the title of psalm 60; and in the plural tense in psalm 80; but never used in any other psalm. In the old, the word (Shoshannim) was understood as being a musical instrument with six strings; but now it is unanimously understood to mean certain kind of “lilies”. As to the word (eduth), it is understood to mean (testimony); namely, (The lilies of testimony); which refers to the fact that this praise glorifies the salvation work of God, who sets out of mankind beautiful lilies bearing the sweet fragrance of Christ, and testifies to the rich grace of God. It is the psalm of the wedding of the church, described as: “Like the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters” (Song 2: 2); and her groom is described as: “He feeds his flock among the lilies” (Song 2: 16). b- “About those who change”. It is the praise of the bride who came from the Gentiles; whose nature has changed, as well as her mind and heart; has forsaken the house of her father, the devil, to come to dwell in the wedding house, united with her heavenly Groom. + The heathens have actually changed. Seeing how the churches were full, while their temples became deserted; a crowd here, and loneliness there, and marveling about the reason behind that change, they came to read what they were told, to hear, by their https://coptic-treasures.com/ ears, what was promised, to come to believe in Him who consummates His promise; and to be changed from “the old man” to “the new man”; from someone lost, to a believer; from a robber to a giver of alms; from an adulterer to a chaste; and from an evildoer to a goodness doer. (St. Augustine) The change happened both on the level of individuals and that of congregations. And it continues through persistent change; to dissolve the old man in us with all his works, and to renew our inner man day after day. The song of the wedding of the church is the song of the persistent change and renewal, “till we all come to unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4: 13). c-- A song of love, or A song for the sake of the beloved. + “The beloved” is (the Hand) who changed; about whom the divine voice say: “This is My beloved Son” ( ). The change here probably refers to the emptying, or the divine incarnation. + Who is this “beloved” other than the only begotten Son! (Pope St. Athanasius the apostolic) d- By the sons of Korah. We already spoke of them as symbols of the (sons of Golgotha), or (the sons of the Crucified), who https://coptic-treasures.com/ alone, could sing the praise of the wedding of the Lamb … Whoever cannot enjoy the cross as the power of God, how could he sing the praise of the heavenly wedding?! 1- “My HEART IS OVERFLOWING WITH A GOOD THEME” (1) According to some scholars, the Septuagint version expression “My heart is overflowing with (exalted word)” is a testimony about the birth of the Son from the Father, being born from the heart; from, and equal to His same Essence. The following are some quotes of the words of the fathers concerning this issue: + He is the “Word”, by whom the Father’s heart is overflowing. (St. Ambrose) + “The only begotten Son” is born from the Father in a way unique to Him; from the (womb) of His heart.; To whom the Father Himself testifies, saying: “My heart is overflowing with (exalted Word). + The Holy Book reveals that the Father and the Son are One; the same way we, on our part, know that the Father and the Son are distinct; I say distinct and not separate; for, on my part I utter the words of God Himself, saying: “My heart is overflowing with (exalted Word)”. (The scholar Tertullian) + According to some, by saying: “My heart is overflowing with (exalted Word)”, the Father refers to a specific unutterable birth. + By “I utter”, he mean, “I say a word”?! … “From His heart”; “From His depths”, He utters “His Word”!. https://coptic-treasures.com/ You, yourselves, would not utter except what comes out of your heart. Yet, what you utter is uttered once and then disappear; But what God utters is “everlasting”. (St. Augustine) + As we have seen before, according to the true faith, “The Word” is from “The Father”; the only begotten Son, befitting of Him. For how would man understand “the Son”, who is “the Wisdom”, and “the Word”, by whom everything was made, as we are told by the Holy Book? For the Father says on the tongue of David: “My heart is overflowing with (exalted Word)”, and, “From the womb, before the morning star, I have begotten you” (See psalm 110). 2- “MY TONGUE IS LIKE THE PEN OF A READY SCRIBE” (1) “My heart is overflowing with (exalted Word); I recite my composition concerning the king; My tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe” (1) Having seen by the eyes of prophecy, the wedding of the crucified Lord Christ, overflowing in his heart, the psalmist feels as though a fire of love burns in his depths; that his tongue and his whole being express such a unique wedding. St. Paul, intending to talk about a certain sin, could not, and said that mentioning it is ugly and reproachful. Whereas, intending to talk about the King, the heavenly Groom, his tongue overflowed with exalted words, that express what he has in his heart. Before Christ the Groom, the psalmist stood, by his behavior and life, he told about that wedding; and his tongue became like the pen of a ready scribe. https://coptic-treasures.com/ When our tongue speaks, it most probably expresses what goes on in our depths. If we have a portion in the spiritual wedding by our practical life, or by our love for God and for people, the Spirit pours on our tongue words of grace, working to the account of His kingdom. Whereas if we have no fellowship therein, our tongue becomes, like all our other body members “instruments of unrighteousness to sin” (Romans 6: 13), that wound and kill, instead of soothing and healing the souls. + The tongue is the pen by which we write down our covenants with God We confess His kingdom on us, and reject the dominion of the devil. This is our signature on the covenant. (St. John Chrysostom) The tongue of the psalmist is like the pen of a ready scribe, moving by the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God, expressing (the mind) of the Spirit with depth and perfection. His heart burns, and his mind goes, so preoccupied with the heavenly wedding, that his tongue utters goodness, namely, got sanctified to utter divine words. As, according to St. John Chrysostom, the tongue, like any other body member, could become a tool for righteousness or for evil. + Let us prepare all the members of our body to be weapons of righteousness, and not of iniquity. Let us first train our tongue to be a servant of the grace of the Holy Spirit, through uprooting all the venomous evils from our mouth, and refraining from uttering words of vanity and foolishness. We can make every member in our body an instrument of righteousness or of evil; of justice or of iniquity; “(our) tongue a sharp sword” (Psalm 57: 4); or “like a pen of a ready scribe” (1); the former causes death, while the https://coptic-treasures.com/ other writes down the divine law; although both of the same nature, yet the use is different. (St. John Chrysostom) Man can deliver his tongue as a tool in the hands of the Lord Christ to utter His words, and to testify to His divine love and compassion; or in the hands of the devil, by the sword of words, as a tool of deception, hypocrisy; Hence, according to St. John Chrysostom: [Let us talk in a way that would tell, that what we utter are the words of the Lord Christ]. Let us liken the psalmist whose heart so burns with the love of the Groom to utter poems about Him, and to meditate with the heart and tongue in His Person, features, and works. … He saw new things that his life and tongue pored praise. And according to St Gregory, bishop of Nyssa: [In reference to the perpetual flood of thoughts, whoever concentrates his sight upon the limitless beauty of God, will always discover something new, and with God continuously proclaiming Himself in him, man would remain continuously in a condition of astonishment]. In the heavenly Groom, the psalmist saw that:: * He is the Word of the Father, eternally born from Him * He is fairer than the sons of men. * His lips pour grace, mercy, and compassion. * He is a warrior King; who enters into the battle to the account of His beloved bride. * His sword, bound to His beauty; cuts off everything ugly in us. * He is amazing in His justice and His love. * His throne is eternal. * His anointment is joyful. * His garment is sweetly fragrant. https://coptic-treasures.com/ * His heavenly bride is honored and very beloved to Him. * He is worshipped by nations. * He brings His people forth into His temple. * He sets kings and rulers, * He is the subject of the peoples’ praise. 3- THE KING’S GLORY: (2) Looking at the wedding, and seeing no point of comparison between the unique Groom and the sons of men, the psalmist says: “You are fairer than the sons of men” (2) Singing praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, being fairer than the sons of men, St. Augustine wrote: : [He is fair, being The Word with God (the Father0; He is fair on earth, clothed in human nature; He is fair in the womb, and fair in His parents’ arms; He is fair in the miracles He performed; and fair while scourged; He is fair in granting life; and fair in not refusing to die; He is fair in delivering Himself; and fair in taking it back; He is fair on the cross; fair in his tomb; and fair in ascending to heaven; So we see Him fairer in His nature, being the Word of God, One with His Father; equal to Him in essence; fairer in His salvation work, and shedding the last drop of His blood for the sake of salvation of man, His beloved creation … Fairer in His salvation works that will remain an object of praise by the earthlies and heavenlies. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + What fairness?! … That of the resurrection; being fairer than the sons of men! + He surpasses all men in fairness; the Son of St. Mary; the Groom of the holy church; He who made the church likens His mother; made her our mother, and kept her virgin for Himself. (St. Augustine) + I wonder: Why did he not say: “fairer than the angels” as well?... Did He say: “fairer than the sons of men” because He, Himself, became man? (St. Augustine) “Fairness” or beauty, should not be understood in its material or physical, but in its spiritual meaning. According to St. John Chrysostom: [Lest you may assume that he means the physical beauty, the psalmist says that it is set upon obedience, which concerns the soul more than it concerns the body]. Some fathers, like Justin the martyr, Tertullian, and St. Clement of Alexandria, see in the divine incarnation, an emptying by the Lord, and condescendence even of the physical beauty. Yet the majority of fathers see in it physical, as well as spiritual beauty, as a reflection of the work of the divinity in Him. For, according to St. Jerome: [The splendor and greatness of His divinity, became hidden under the veil of the body, and sent its radiation upon His physical features, to captivate all those who have the honor of looking at Him]. What preoccupy our hearts is the beauty of His amazing salvation work, and the splendor of His Person; on account of that, as He, alone, is https://coptic-treasures.com/ blameless, it is befitting of His bride to bear the feature of His beauty, through the reflection of His splendor on her. + Yes indeed, it is befitting that in us, our Groom, who is fairer than the sons of men, would not find any of the sins previously mentioned. (Father Caesarius, bishop of Arle) The secret of the Lord’s fairness, according to the psalmist, is the words of grace pouring out of His lips: “Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever” (2) According to St. Basil the Great, the prophet, looking intently at the splendor of the glory of the divinity of the Son, he uttered those words longing to the beauty of His divinity that made the grace pour on the Son’s lips. It came in the gospel, that the multitudes “marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4: 22). He drew His listeners, and led them to become His disciples; that within a short time, His words spread by preaching the gospel in the whole world. Perceiving the strength and activity of His words, St. Peter the apostle said to Him: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6: 68). And the church, in the book of the Song of songs, speaking about the appeal of the words of the Savior, says: “Draw me after You, let us make haste” (Song 1: 4). + The smoothness (sweetness) of His words, indicates the extent of grace of His teaching. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + The “grace” here, refers to what dwelt upon the (temple) of the body … For the Holy Spirit did not give grace to that (temple) in a certain measure; for “Of His fullness we have all received” (John 1: 16). That (temple) received the grace in all its fullness; … whereas men received just a drop of this grace. https://coptic-treasures.com/ According to St. John Chrysostom, what we get of grace is like a drop we receive from the Lord Christ who, by the union of His Divinity with His Manhood, presented the fullness of grace to Manhood, who is not separate from Him, to become a Source of grace for us. Hence St. Cyril the Great often repeats that the divine Word has taken our manhood to renew our corrupt nature, to find in Him the source of every renewal and heavenly grace. In the following are revealed certain angles of the graces that pour out of His lips: a- Our enjoyment of the incarnate Word Himself; we have communion of His delivered body and blood, the secret of the grace of our union with Him, and abidance in Him; saying: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6: 54). b- By His lips He presented words that enlighten the inner insight, and draw souls to His salvation; It is said: “When He was seated, His disciples came https://coptic-treasures.com/ to Him; then He opened His mouth and taught them saying: … And so it was, when Jesus has ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 5: 1, 2; &: 28, 29). c- By His words, He grants forgiveness from Himself: “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7: 48). d- By the words of His grace granting life, He healed the infirmities, comforted the sorrowful, muted the oppressors, drove demons out, and raised from the dead. e- By His words, He opened before us the gates of paradise; saying: “Today, you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23: 43). The words of the Lord Christ, pouring grace, He remained uttering even after His ascension, through His apostles, His disciples, and preachers of His gospel … those who represent His lips pouring His grace. What does the psalmist mean by saying: “Therefore God has blessed You forever” (2)? According to father Onesimus, depending upon the words of the fathers, the Lord Christ here, speaks concerning His Manhood. Although being the incarnate Word of God, the One, and Equal to the Father in the same essence, Yet, concerning Manhood, and as a representative of mankind, He calls His heavenly Father: “God”; And according to Manhood, “He increased in wisdom and stature” (Luke 2: 52), not gradually in them, but gradually proclaiming them…. For wisdom was not something foreign to Him, being “The Wisdom of God”; but He gradually revealed it, and practiced it being a true Man. He also says: By saying “Therefore God has blessed You”, the psalmist proclaims what the church gets of divine blessings through, and in the name of Her Head…. Partaking of the blessing, being the body of Christ, it is said about Christ, the Head, that He is blessed, though He is the Grantor of blessings. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 4- A WARRIOR KING: (3 – 5) “Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One; With Your glory (beauty), and in Your majesty, ride on prosperously and reign for the cause of truth” (3) Here we notice: a- This talk could not be concerning king Solomon, who was a king of peace and not a warrior king. b- The psalmist binds between the (beauty) of the warrior king, and girding his sword to prosper and to reign; something that could not apply to a human warrior; for what has beauty to do with the ability to fight a war?!... It is obvious that the talk here concerns the battle of the cross; For our Lord Jesus Christ, the Leader of our spiritual war against our enemy the devil, He, who alone is blameless, wholly beautiful, girds His sword as a heavenly beautiful Groom to kill in us everything ugly, namely, our corruption; to set His kingdom in our hearts, proclaiming Himself, the Truth, the meekness, and the righteousness. … That is what provoked St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, and others, to talk about the beauty here, as being the beauty of the resurrection; The later says: [The beauty of Christ is indeed holy; as about Him is written: “He is fairer than the sons of men” (Psalm 45: 2); “He is the firstborn of those who have departed”, and that “His horns are like that of a unicorn” . If His sword is His cross by which He has crushed the devil, broke the thorn of death, and overcome death, hence those saved see it as “the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 18); and about which is said: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them with it (with the cross)” (Colossian 2: 15). For by His resurrection He justified us, namely granted https://coptic-treasures.com/ us His righteousness, for us to have the beauty of His resurrection. In other words, we can interpret the words of the psalmist, saying: “With Your (beauty) rid prosperously and reign” as such: [O Firstborn of those who departed, gird the sword of the cross, and with it strike our old and corrupt man, to make us enjoy the strength and gladness of Your resurrection, namely, to bear its beauty in us; by which You reign in us, and Your preaching word would succeed]. c- The sword of Christ is His cross, the Grantor of the resurrected life; And it is His Word, as well; being said: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrew 4: 12); The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Ephesians 6: 17); That is why the Lord Christ used the words of the Holy Book in His battle against the devil in the temptation (See Mathew 4: 4; 7: 10); And about Him is said: “Out of His mouth went out a sharp two-edged sword” (Revelation 1: 16). If the words of the Lord pour grace and sweetness, sooth and heal our wounds; They are, as well, as sharp as a two-edged sword, that separate between the light and the darkness, and between the truth and vanity, or between the righteousness of God and our corruption. His wounds do not lead to perdition, but ignite the fire of healing fire in the heart; so that the soul would sing, saying: “I am lovesick” (Song 2: 5; 5: 8). d- The Lord Christ girds His sword on “His thigh”, a reference to His Manhood. If we say that the sword is the cross, By the flesh, the Lord bore His cross to humiliate the devil. By the incarnation of the Lord, we enjoy the sword of the Word, we see the Love incarnated, and we get in touch with the rich promises of God, all https://coptic-treasures.com/ of which were realized by the cross. … By the incarnation of the Lord, we see the Word of God, engraved, not in letters on paper, but proclaimed by blood on the cross. e- It was said: “Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One”. If the thigh refers to the incarnation, by which the Word emptied Himself, and become weak in the flesh; Yet, as we sing in the Great Friday,: “O who with weakness, You have revealed what is greater than power”; Hence the psalmist addresses Him as “the Mighty One”. For what is greater power than to destroy the power of the devil, and his kingdom by the cross of the Lord?! Perceiving that the Crucified is a Mighty One, who, by His cross grants us the conquest over the desires of the flesh and the love of the world,, the apostle Paul says: “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5: 24); “God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6: 14). f- If the Lord Christ has come to reign upon the heart, and to grant it an exalted peace; yet by setting His kingdom in it, the hosts of darkness are stirred up against Him, using even those closest to Him; Hence the Lord says: “A man’s foes will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10: 36); And according to St. Augustine: In the gospel we read: “I came not to give peace on earth, (but a sword); For from now on five in one house will be divided three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-inlaw against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (Luke 12: 52, 53). … What is this sword given on earth by Christ? Division https://coptic-treasures.com/ actually happens; when a rational young man presents himself to minister to God, and finds opposition from his own father, there will be division between them; for one of them seeks the earthly inheritance, while the other seeks the heavenly one. g- Girding the sword of His cross to strike the devil hard; the Lord prosperously reigns, to set “the kingdom of truth, humility, and righteousness”: “… because of truth, humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach you awesome things” (4) If the kingdom of the devil is set upon vanity (lies), pride, and oppression; the Word of God is incarnated to destroy by truth, humility, and righteousness, the kingdom of darkness, and to set the kingdom of the divine righteousness in us. The Lord resisted vanity by truth, lies by truth. Being “the Truth”, we receive Him, so that vanity would find no place in us; we receive the light, so that the darkness would flee away. + The truth is restored to us: “Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven” (Psalm 85: 11). Christ came as expected by mankind; “By your offspring shall all nations of the earth gain blessinf for themselves” (Genesis 22: 18).. https://coptic-treasures.com/ He not only taught us the truth, but presented Himself to us to acquire. Likewise, concerning humility, By His incarnation, He humbled Himself for us to acquire, to carry humility, by which we would destroy the pride of the devil; or in other words, The Lord Christ is our Weapon against the proud enemy. Testifying to His amazing humility, the prophet Isaiah said: “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before its shearer is silent” (Isaiah 53: 7); and the Lord said about Himself: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11: 29). Finally, by His faithfulness, He grants us the kingdom of righteousness, that knows no oppression. The truth, humility, and righteousness are interconnected, being different faces of one kingdom: Receiving Christ, the Truth, the believer, in rejecting vanity, is committed to the spirit of humility; or in other words, he would not fall into anger, with the pretension of defending the truth. And in his humility, he is committed to the divine righteousness …. ; They are all divine gifts; or let us say, gifts of the Holy Spirit in us; who takes what is Christ’s, and grants the church, to bear the fellowship of His features, to be prepared for the eternal wedding. These are the weapons of the heavenly Groom” Truth, humility, and righteousness” … the weapons, for the sake of which He received the cross to https://coptic-treasures.com/ destroy the vanity, humiliate the pride, and uproot the authority of the oppressive devil. By this, God’s right hand “shall teach you awesome things”; or, according to St. Augustine: [By this, we are led by His right hand, namely, by His might, and does amazing things in us. They are active weapons that have drawn many from idol worship, with its vanity, haughtiness, and violence, to the fellowship with God by the Holy Spirit, in Christ Jesus, to practice the exalted new life; Hence the psalmist sings, saying: “Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; The peoples fall under You” (5) What are the sharp arrows of the Lord Christ but preaching the cross, that pierced the hearts, wounded them with love, burned them with the spirit of strength, that knows no failure nor despair; and struck the hearts that were against the Groom King, to submit to Him with faith, and to worship Him in an amazing obedience, to enjoy the new life. According to some, the sharp arrows of the king are the pure apostles, sharpened by the Holy Spirit to pierce the hearts of peoples and nations, to testify to the teachings of the Lord, and to the works of His amazing grace. For, on the day of the Pentecost, the multitudes who gathered there enjoyed those sharpened arrows; as it was said: “When they hear this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles: ‘Men, and brethren, what shall we do?’”; And speaking about the work of the Holy Spirit through the prophecy in the church, Paul the apostle said: “And so, falling down on His face, he (an unbeliever) will worship God, and report that God is truly among you” (1 Corinthians 14: 25). + He says: “Your arrows are sharp”. God’s commandments (arrows), flying everywhere, would reveal the hidden secrets of every heart, stinging and changing the conscience of everyone. https://coptic-treasures.com/ The scholar Tertullian) 5- DECLARATION OF HIS KINGDOM: (6 – 8) “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, Your God has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions. All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad” (6 – 8) Looking at the Messiah, the victorious King with His cross, who presents His precious blood as an atonement for the sins of the world, and a dowry to His bride the heavenly queen; the psalmist sings, saying: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever”. The Coptic church made this verse a famous melody sung for about 20 minutes, by which the soul meditates in the throne of the crucified King, on Tuesday of the passion week, as well as before the burial of the Lord on the Great Friday… In the believer’s eyes, the events of the crucifixion and the burial are all proclamations of the throne of the eternal King. What are the features of this kingdom, proclaimed by the cross? 1- A divine kingdom: This verse and the one following it were quoted by St. Paul in Hebrew 1: 8, 9, to confirm the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ; For it would not be possible to address someone like king Solomon nor any other king, saying: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever”. For it is a verse particularly addresses the incarnate Word of God, who proclaims His kingdom in us, and brings us forth to His kingdom forever. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + It is obvious that, even before He becomes Man, He was King and Lord from eternity; He is the Icon and Word of the Father… About His Lordship and Kingdom on us, realized as He became Man (as He reigned over us), saving all by the cross; St. Peter says to the Jews:: “Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” ( Acts 2: 36). (Pope St. Athanasius the apostolic) 2- An eternal kingdom: Every earthly kingdom has a beginning and an end. Whereas the Messiah King came to proclaim His kingdom in us, to abide with Him forever; which death cannot destroy! While still in the body, He carries usup beyond the time and place, to live with our hearts together with Him in His kingdom, singing with the apostle: “He made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2: 6), to consummate the commandment, saying: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek these things which are above where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth; … When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3: 1 – 4). 3- “A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom”: With wisdom, He sometime uses compassion, and other times He chastises. And in both cases, he seeks our uprightness and righteousness; being a Lover of mankind; Holy, and Hater of wickedness; For it is not possible for the darkness to conform to the light. 4- “God has anointed You with the oil of gladness”: The prophets, the priests, and the kings, in the old covenant, were anointed by the holy oil as a sign of the dwelling of the Holy Spirit on them, to dedicate their life and energies to the account of the people of God; by which they are counted as separated for the holy task, in the possession, and to the account of God; and https://coptic-treasures.com/ not allowed to deflect from their mission. It was not possible in the old covenant, to anoint someone both a priest and a king at the same time; for the priests were from the tribe of Levi, whereas the kings were from the tribe of Judah. It was the Word of God, alone, who chose to empty Himself by His own free will through incarnation and crucifixion, to work to the account of humanity, and to its sanctification in Him, being the Unique Priest, who, alone, has been the Priest, the prophet (The Lord of the prophets), the King, and the Sacrifice… That is the concept of His unique anointment; for, being the Lord of priests, prophets, kings; and the Creator of sacrifices, has chosen, by His own free will and pleasure, to become the Priest, the Prophet, the King, and the Sacrifice. He was anointed by the oil of gladness; for He received that anointment with joy; according to the words of the apostle: “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame” (Hebrew 12: 2); and received it as the pleasure of His Father who testified to Him, saying: “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1: 11; Luke 3: 22). By His unique anointment, He grants us, members of His body, the anointment of gladness in the Sacrament of ‘Meron’, to be counted as kings and priests (Revelation 1: 6), a sacrifice, and an offering to the Lord! … He was called “Christ”, being the Anointed for our eternal salvation; And we are called “Christians”, being, by Him, anointed for God, and our hearts dedicated to the account of His kingdom. The Lord Christ was anointed, as “the Stone which the builders rejected, that has become the chief cornerstone” (Psalm 118: 22); and, according to the apostle Peter: “Coming to Him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. You also as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2: 4, 5). https://coptic-treasures.com/ It was referred to the Lord Christ as a stone rejected by men, chosen by God, to the stone put by Jacob underneath his head as he went to sleep (Genesis 28: 11 – 18); to behold heaven open, and “there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of which reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it; So Jacob rose early in the morning, poured oil on the top of the stone, … and went on his way… ”. It was a symbol of the Lord Christ who was anointed to reconcile heaven with earth; though He was the stone forsaken or rejected by men. The following are some commentaries by the fathers on the incarnate and anointed Christ, in whom we were also anointed: + This seal (anointment) is on our hearts rather than on our bodies. (St. Ambrose) + In truth, all the kings and the anointed persons, have got their portion among the anointed, the way He, Himself, received from God the Father, His titles of: the King, the Christ, the Priest, the Angel, and all the rest of the titles He bore. Aaron’s rod that budded, proclaims Him as the High priest; and Isaiah prophesied that “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11: 1); Who is Christ.. (Justin the martyr) + It is impossible to believe in Christ without confessing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; For Christ is the Son of the living God, anointed by the https://coptic-treasures.com/ Father, by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 16: 16); Acts 10: 38); As said by David through a divine proclamation: “Therefore, God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (7); And, as proclaimed in the name of the Lord by Isaiah saying: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because God has anointed Me” (Isaiah 61: 1). + When He became man, He took the name “Christ”; because passion and death were the fruits of that name. (Father John of Damascus) + By this word He revealed His name; as I already said, He was called “Christ”, having been “anointed”. (Father Lactanius) + See now, Arians, and recognize the truth … Praising Him, being the eternal God, the psalmist says: “Your throne, O God is forever and ever” … He was anointed here, not to become God, for He already is; nor to become a King, for His kingdom is eternal, and being the image of God, He shows the holy divine proclamation. But it is for our sake, that those things were written ahead. … The kings of Israel became kings when anointed, for they were not as such beforehand, like David, Hezekiah, and the rest. … As for the Savior, on the contrary, He is God, the eternal God; about whom it was said that He was anointed by the Spirit, to grant us, humans, not only the exaltation and the resurrection, but the dwelling and the company of the Holy Spirit as well; as confirmed by the Lord Himself in the gospel of St. John, saying: “I also have sent them into the world, and for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17: 18, 19). By so saying, He made it clear that He is, not the sanctified, but the “Sanctifier”; not sanctified by another, but sanctifies https://coptic-treasures.com/ Himself; sanctified in the truth; He who sanctifies Himself is the Lord of sanctification. … How could this then be? How could this mean, except to say: [Being the Word of the Father, I deliver Myself; I become Man, In him I am sanctified; that all become sanctified in Me, the Truth. (Pope St. Athanasius the apostolic) + That is “the oil of gladness”, about which the prophet says: “God has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (7). And as proclaimed by St. Peter, saying: “The word you know which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10: 37, 38). The Holy Spirit is therefore “the oil of gladness”; And lest you may count Him as a creation; the way this kind of oil, does not mix with water, the same way the gladness does not anoint the body, but enlightens the inner heart; as according to the prophet: “You have put gladness in my heart” (Psalm 4: 7). (St. Ambrose) According to St. Ambrose, being “the oil of gladness”, this anointment concerns the inner depths rather than the body; to take away from the heart the spirit of sorrow and grumbling, and to grant it the spirit of joy and gladness; the way oil easily separates from water, floats on it, and does not mix with it. Speaking about the anointment by which we discover the secret of the cross, the psalmist says: https://coptic-treasures.com/ “All your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes, and cassia” (8) While princes of the East used to be “gorgeously appareled” (Luke 7: 25); the garment of the Lord Christ is His church, sweetly scented by the work of the Holy Spirit; “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5: 27); bearing the fragrance of His righteousness and holiness, “the sweet fragrance of Christ” (2 Corinthians1: 15). According to some saints, the garment of Christ were woven from the threads of His passion on the cross and His burial; on account of that the myrrh, the Aloes, and the cassia refer to the spices used in anointing the body of the Lord Christ. Myrrh is a kind of costly perfume extracted as a resin from a tree called “Balsamodendron Myrrah”; in the form of white or yellow pebbles with sweet fragrance. Myrrh was used in making the holy anointment (Exodus 30: 23), in embalmment (John 19: 39), in feminine perfumes (Proverbs 7: 17); and was one of the gifts presented by the Magi to the newborn infant Jesus at Bethlehem. Aloes is a perfume oil extracted from a tree of Indian origin common all over the holy land, similar to that of Myrrh, a kind of “Balsamodendron” also used in feminine perfumes, garments, bed covers, and embalmment (Proverbs &: 17; Songs 4: 14; John 19: 39). Cassia (Exodus 30: 23; Ezekiel 27: 19) is extracted from the cortex of a kind of Cinnamon tree called “Cinnamomum Cassia”, common in China and Malaysia. Cassia buds are underdeveloped flowers which have the taste and smell of Cinnamon. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + By those spices the prophet refers to the passions and death of our Lord; for after bringing His holy body down from the cross, Joseph and Necodemus covered it with myrrh, aloes, and cassia. … According to St. Basil the Great, Myrrh, being a hard substance, is a sign of laying the body in the grave; Aloe, being a fluid sap, refers to His descent to Hades to set its captives free; Cassia being a cortex, refers to the wooden cross; Whereas saying “Your garments” refers to the incarnation of our Lord, and taking a body for the Divinity to dwell in. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) According to St. John Chrysostom, the psalmist sees in the garment some kind of diversity, which refers to that our salvation would not be realized by grace alone, but is also in need of faith, and a practice of related virtues. Myrrh, Aloes, and Cassia refer to the sweet fragrance of Christ, which we enjoy by the grace of God; yet without slothfulness on our part. And according to the scholar Origen, the garments of the Word of God refer to the sweet fragrance of the teaching of the divine wisdom: Myrrh refers to the death received by the Lord Christ for the sake of mankind; Aloes refers to his condescendence and emptying Himself to bear the image of a servant; and the Cassia, extracted from a plant that grows in places with a plenty of rain, refers to the redemption of humanity through the water of baptism. … The goal of the teaching of Christ is as though to die together with Him (the Myrrh); with the spirit of humility (the Aloes), enjoying the son-ship to God (the Cassia).. And according to St. Ambrose, and St. Athanasius the apostolic, those perfumes refer to the burial, as by them, the body of the Lord Christ was https://coptic-treasures.com/ anointed. In other words, if the church is the garment of Christ attached to His body; she would not bear His sweet fragrance unless she is buried together with Him, to be also risen together with Him. After speaking of the garments of Christ with their sweet fragrance, he moves on to His splendid shining white temple, set by the believers by the Holy Spirit, as a sanctuary for Him, and a place of gladness. “Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad. Kings’ daughters are among Your ladies of honor” (8, 9) + By “the palaces”, he means the temples of God built after the sweet fragrance of the passions of Christ have covered the world. Saying “of ivory’ is on account of the high value, great splendor, and long endurance of ivory. So became God’s holy temples, by the grace of God. The “the Kings’ daughters”, refer to Queens Helana, Ephdoksia, and others, who built honorable and splendid temples in Jerusalem and elsewhere. So it is said of the souls of believers, to be the “kings’ daughters”, namely, those of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Onesimus, bishop of Jerusalem) 6- THE BRIDE QUEEN: (9 – 12) The praise of the wedding started by revealing the Person of the Groom, His possibilities, works, activities, and the features of His kingdom; Now it presents to us the bride queen, her position in the sight of her Groom, her features, and her positive role. “At Your right hand stands the queen” (9) https://coptic-treasures.com/ He does not say: ‘… stands the bride”, but says: “At Your right hand stands the queen”, as a confirmation of the following facts: 1- Although she is in a state of perpetual wedding, and an unceasing joy, yet she is committed to perceive her positive role, being a “queen”. Entering into the wedding is an entrance into a state of joy, not to live (spoiled), waiting to be served, but to bear the responsibility to work to the account of others. Like Christ the King, who came to serve and to deliver Himself for the sake of others, it is befitting of the church – priests and congregation – to partake of this feature, the feature of giving ministry, and of unceasing practical love. 2- Sitting on the right hand of the King is a great honor, of which no one is worthy. Yet, as “the right hand” means power; sitting at His right hand means she bears His power; Namely, she should not refer any success she may have to herself, but to her Groom working in her life… All what is in her life is a debt from Him who set her a queen. … Hence, commenting on how the prophet David saw the church a queen, St. John Chrysostom says: [He cast Himself on us as a garment: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3: 27). Seeing that garment from afar by his prophetic eyes, David cried out with a loud voice: “At Your right hand stands the queen” (9). All of a sudden, the poor and despised, became a queen standing at the right hand of the King; the prophet shows Christ and the church as Groom and bride, standing in a wedding]. 3- It is a unique wedding, in which the bride is clothed by her Groom as a garment in whom she hides (Galatians 3: 27); to bear the fellowship of His features; namely, the heavenly life, symbolized by gold; as it is written: https://coptic-treasures.com/ “in gold from Ophir; … her clothing is woven with gold, … in robes of many colors” 9, 13, 14) “The clothing” of the church is woven with gold; in other words, in all her thoughts and acts, she practices the heavenly life, and the heavenly thoughts. As to her “robes of many colors”, this refers to the diverse gifts of her members, all of them have their hearts drawn to heaven; yet each has his own gift for the edification of all; as according to the apostle: “There are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all” (1 Corinthians 12: 6); and “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel” (1 Corinthians 14: 12). 4- The heavenly Groom seeks from His bride to occupy her place in the heavenly royal family, being a bride and a queen. The way He loves her, offers the last drop of His blood to acquire her, and nothing in His sight is more precious than her; He seeks from her to partake of His love, and to consider anything else, however dear to her, of no value. He seeks from her to come with her heart out of the world and its deceptions; and to forsake her nearest kin to attach herself to Him, the same way He emptied Himself to attach Himself to her. The way “He sanctified Himself for her sake” (John 17: 19), He seeks from her to sanctify all her heart and all her life to His ministry; counting this as her spiritual beauty which He desires; saying: “Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear; Forget your own people also, and your father’s house; So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord” (10, 11) https://coptic-treasures.com/ According to St. John Chrysostom, the church became Christ’s bride after being His sister, having renewed her by baptism before choosing her as His bride. And lest these titles: “bride” and “sister”, may be taken in a material sense, as carnal, or blood relationship, we see Him call her “His daughter”. … How could the sister and the bride be a daughter of the Groom?!... Intending to show the extent of His longing to get attached to us, and to exhort us to receive Him as everything for us. In this psalm He presents Himself as: “God” (6); The eternal God who reigns upon the heart, and bears us to His heavenly throne. “Christ” (7), anointed with the oil of gladness, dedicating all His possibilities to grant us His everlasting joy. “The King” (6).who sets us a queen to enjoy the fellowship of His royal glory. “A Groom” (11). With whom we unite as a bride, carrying His splendor in us. “A Lord” (11). Whom we worship with joy. “A spiritual Father” (10). To whom we are all His beloved “daughter”. In His call for her to forget her own people and her father’s house to attach to Him, we notice the following: a- He seeks from her to sanctify her senses, the sight and hearing in particular; If He is God who listen to the prayers, and looks down on the poor, it is befitting of us to incline our ears to Him in obedience, and to look up at Him with love…. The first commandment is to “Listen” … For to Him, obedience is better than the sacrifices of the fools; and the obedience from the heart is a reaction of the inner love that draws our hearts – the inner eye – to meditate in our beloved Lord. https://coptic-treasures.com/ b- He seeks from her to follow the lead of Abraham, the father of fathers, who by faith, inclined his ear to the call of God, forsook his land, his family, and his father’s house, and set forth from the land of the Chaldeans to where he was called by God, to get the divine consecutive promises. He had to depart from among the idolworshippers, and to forget all their experiences, in order to enjoy new spiritual experiences, through attaching to God, and entering into a covenant with Him. + In this psalm, in order to follow the lead of Abraham, the human soul is committed by God, to forsake her land, and her family; to forsake the Chaldeans, namely, the demons (the idol-worship), and to come to dwell in the land of the living, about which the prophet says: “(I believe) that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27: 13); Yet, it is not enough for you to forsake your land, unless you forget your people and your father’s house; namely, unless you despise the carnal desires, and attach yourselves to the Groom in a firm and close embrace. (St. Jerome) + According to St. Basil, the father of sinners is the devil; being written that “He who sins is of the devil” (1 John 3: 8) Saying that they have to depart from their father’s house, means that they have to quit committing sin, and to be born to God by baptism, to become His children. (Father Onesimus, bishop of Jerusalem) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Calling her to forget her father’s house, …Through forsaking the devil and his works, she would receive the work of God in her as the secret of her beauty which He desires.. + Forgetfulness does not normally grant beauty; … So what kind of forgetfulness that would pour beauty upon the soul; but that of the sin? We get that forgetfulness of evil, when we remember the good things; when we remember God. … For, perpetually remembering God, we would never remember those other things as well.. + In case we have anything old; let us cast it away from us…. We should cleanse in us any spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, to become pure (Ephesians 5: 27). … Even if we are utterly distorted, we can restore the beauty, about which David says: “The King desires your beauty”. (St. John Chrysostom) + We are called by God the Father, through a blessed initiation, to forsake the devil – our father – whom we can truly forsake by seeking help from God, and striving perpetually to avoid his evil deception. (Father Caesarius, bishop of Arle) + If you forsake the horrible deeds of your people, and your father’s house, you will have your early splendor back, and will become desirable to behold. … The splendor and beauty of the soul, is the good worship, chastity, humility, and the rest of virtues that would bring pleasure to God. https://coptic-treasures.com/ (Father Onesimus, bishop of Jerusalem) + He who says: “Listen, O daughter”, would be a “father” to her. … He who exhorts the soul to forget her people and her father’s house, is her father; That would be realized through dying together with Christ to the worries of this world; according to the words of the apostle, saying: “while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4: 18). Setting forth from this temporally seen house, and concentrating our eyes and hearts on that house where we shall dwell forever; we would be able to realize if, while we talk in flesh, we would not be in war against the Lord according to the flesh; proclaiming by words, as well as by deeds, the truth of the words said by the apostle: “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3: 20). (Father Pavnotius) + The apostles, in one moment, have forsaken “their fathers’ house” (Matthew 9: 19l Mark 11: 15 – 19); their kinsmen, all their possessions, and the whole world with its limitless values. God does not consider the size of the possessions, as much as the ordinance of the soul that has forsaken them. (St. Jerome) https://coptic-treasures.com/ + According to some, When the Lord Christ came to Judea, the church came out to receive Him, came out of her “land”, namely, (from idol-worship), according to what is written: “Forget your people and your father’s house”, And as Christ has, as well, has come out of His home land (Matthew 15: 21, 22); It became possible for the two parties to fall in love with each others. + Even Ruth the Moabite, if she has not forsaken her home land, her people, and her kinsmen, she would not have gained what she had. … So it is with the church, having forsaken the customs she has got from her early father’s house; then, and not before that, she became beautiful in the sight of her Groom. (St. John Chrysostom) The Lord Christ says: “I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world” (John 16: 28); and that by (emptying Himself), and descending to us without separating from God the Father; with whom He is One and equal in Essence…. As He came out to encounter us; we, as well, come out to Him from the ‘ego’ to encounter Him (within the circle of emptying), as a bride with her Groom. … And as said by St. John Chrysostom: [Having seen how humanity has forsaken God and become a harlot, the divine Word came down to her, not with the perfection of His splendor, but as the Son of Man, lest she would be intimidated and flee away, but to receive Him, unite with Him, enjoy His work in her, and become in truth His beautiful bride and queen]. By Him, we would forsake our corruption, and bear the new beautiful nature, whose beauty will never get old nor deteriorate with time. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + Getting to know that you have bound to Christ, You have to forsake those foolishnesses and deflections, that bring Him no pleasure, for He seeks another kind of beauty, by which His love for us would increase more and more; Namely, the beauty of our soul; which the prophet means by saying: “So the King will greatly desire your beauty” (11). (St. John Chrysostom) + How could the one, poor and trampled under feet, become a queen?! … How could she be raised to stand at the right hand of the King?! … Except because the King Himself, contrary to His divine nature, chose to became a Servant. I exhort you to understand what concern the Divinity; to understand what concern (the emptying); to perceive Whom He was, and whom He came to be for your sake!; …. Do not mix between the distinct issues; … And do not turn your discussion of His great condescension, into a cause for blasphemy! (St. John Chrysostom) So the King became a Servant, in order to set a queen out of the maidservant; He (emptied Himself), to pour His beauty on her forever. + While the physical beauty would be corrupted by illness, destroyed by old age, and death would ultimately come to put an end to it; The beauty of the soul, on the other hand, would never be shaken by any of those factors, but would perpetually endure. https://coptic-treasures.com/ How often has the physical beauty caused those who appreciate it to fall into evil deeds?! While the beauty of the soul would draw even God Himself to love it; according to the words addressed by the prophet to the church: “Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear; … So the King will greatly desire your beauty” (10, 11). (St. John Chrysostom) 5- A church worshipping her Groom: “Because He is your Lord, worship Him” (11) Because the Groom has reflected His beauty upon her, she came to be so exceedingly beautiful to succeed to royalty (Ezekiel 16: 13); And as she, in her union with Him, come to discover His glory more and more, she is inclined to worship Him in exalted sweetness; And the more she worship Him, the more she gets to know Him, to love Him, to submit to Him, and to perpetually worship Him with her whole being, in an amazing exultation. As a bride exultant by her Groom, not knowing how to pay back His uncountable goodness on her, she submits to Him, and worship Him, as a sign of her perpetual thanksgiving. And the more she gives Him thanks, the more graces God would pours upon her, and the more her longing to thank Him would be…. Such is the feature of exalted heavenly life. According to St. Gregory, When we, in eternity, submit to God, uttering the three ‘glories’, we so come to enjoy His glory anew in our life; to get up to worship Him; and continue to do that in an exalted sweetness. https://coptic-treasures.com/ There is a great difference between the submission of the devil and his hosts to God on the great day of the Lord, when they seek to have the mountains fall down to cover them from the face of Him who sits on the throne; and the submission of the exultant bride, enjoying the fellowship of His glories. The catholic bride: This bride is featured by catholicity, as the door of faith opened before all nations and peoples of the world; after the Jews have, for so long, assumed that faith in God was confined to them alone; And as all categories of men came to enjoy the new faith, that even emperors, kings, and princes came to have a portion in the church of the new covenant; the psalmist says in astonishment: “The daughter of Tyre will be there with a gift; The rich among the people will seek His favor” (12) ‘Tyre’, on account of that it has been an open land to foreigners; was known for extensive riches through her international trade, together with corruption and deterioration, which we have already dealt with it in our commentary on the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah. According to St. Jerome, the word ‘Tyre’ in Hebrew means (tribulation); hence he sees its inhabitants refer to those falling under the tribulation caused by the devil. By worshipping the Groom, and offering gifts, Tyre refers to the nations drawn to the worship of God.; As, according to father Onesimus of Jerusalem: [All the nations will submit to Him; Before Christ every knee shall bow. By mentioning ‘Tyre’ in particular, a city geographically close to the land of the Jews, where idolworship has been well-established, he meant to include all nations; a way of referring to all by referring to a part; Namely, that all the nations like ‘Tyre’ will submit to Him, and will offer Him gifts of upright faith and good deeds]. https://coptic-treasures.com/ And by saying: “The rich among the people will seek His favor” (12), the psalmist believes that believers in the Lord Christ are those rich in faith, who, by Him, have become kings and priests (Revelation 2: 1); rich in the sight of God who receives them as His children by His Holy Spirit in the water of baptism. In other words, as nations of the whole world approach Him, they will get riches, satiety, and inner glory, to need nothing more. That was the same feeling of the apostle Paul who, finding in His Christ, treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2: 3), says: “That you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge” (1 Corinthians 1: 5). 6- THE BRIDE’S GLORY: (17 – 19) The heavenly Groom came down to our land to stretch His arms on the cross, to embrace all believers from all nations to His bosom as a heavenly bride, who, bearing His splendor inside herself, seeks the hidden glory, and not the outer appearances. She would be like the tabernacle of meeting, covered on the outside by goatskin of no beauty; while in the inside, it has the most valuable of tissues, blue, purple, and scarlet; beside the ark of the covenant covered with gold, the golden minaret with all its beauty, the golden altar of incense, etc…. Appearing on the outside as poor, and reproachable, she may be despised by the enemy, whereas on the inside, it was enjoyable to behold by her Groom. The apostle Paul also see her as “our outward man, who is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4: 16); On the outside he sees the reproach of the cross outside the camp; while in the inside he sees the power and gladness of the resurrection. Concerning the glory of the bride, the psalmist describes as:: a- An inner glory: https://coptic-treasures.com/ “The royal daughter is glorious in her chamber” (13) Entering into the secret place of her Groom King, she comes to be everything to Him: a bride, a daughter, a servant, a friend, etc…. She glorifies Him by her life, and even by her hidden thoughts; to be glorified by Him as well. + We should notice that, as the king has his own secret place, to which His bride and queen is brought forth; So the bride, as well, has her own chamber, whose door is closed once the Word of God (the Logos) comes to join her. With all the riches she has on the inside, once she has Him in her chamber, she closes her door to pray to God the Father who sees in secret what she has gathered of riches, and grants her what she seeks in her prayers. (The scholar Origen) Meditating in His bride glorified in her chamber, the heavenly Groom says: “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up; a fountain sealed” (Song 4: 12); As though He says to her: Remember My possibilities in you; … Being the secret of your glory, I made you a garden, a spring, and a fountain; … By My Holy Spirit, I planted in you diverse trees, and opened in you a fountain of living water; I became to you a wall surrounding you on all sides, lest a robber or a vicious beast would crawl to you. Talking about the glorious inner possibilities, Solomon the Sage says: “Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own Well; Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets?” (Proverb 5: 15) And St. Gregory, bishop of Nyssa says: https://coptic-treasures.com/ [When our inner thoughts deflect toward the foreign sin, we would be dispersing our fountains, and presenting them to strangers. When we concentrate our sight on the inner glory, God would set Himself a Guard on the doors of our heart, namely, on our inner man; as He confirms: “For I, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst” (Zechariah 2: 5). According to St. Ambrose: [The sealed inner glory is the virginity of the soul that bears many good fruits. By the words in Song 4: 12, the Lord addresses the church he intends to see a virgin without blemish or uncleanness. The fertile garden is the virginity bearing many fruits with sweet fragrance … It is “a garden enclosed”, on account of being surrounded by a wall of purity on all sides; It is “a fountain sealed”, for virginity is the fountain and origin of chastity, with the seal of purity kept safe against any corruption; In it the image of God would reflect; when the pure simplicity conforms to the purity of the flesh]. b- A heavenly glory: “Her clothing is woven with gold” (13) In the old covenant, according to the command of God, they made on the hem of the priestly robe, pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet fine linen thread. And they put bells of pure gold on the hem of the robe all around between the pomegranates (Exodus 39: 24). According to the scholar Origen, those bells were designed to ring continuously, as a sign of the unceasing utterance by the priest concerning the last days of the world. By such arrangement, the church, in her worship, behavior, and doctrines, is committed to bear an eschatological and heavenly nature (the gold). https://coptic-treasures.com/ c- Her glory is in the diversity of her gifts: “in robes of many colors” (14) d- Her glory is in her preaching and in her testimony to her Groom. ”The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You” (14) As the soul is drawn to her Groom, she draws together with her many hearts through her testimony to Him; brought along as virgins. e- An Exultant church: “With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; they shall enter the king’s palace” (15) Every soul shall rejoice for her Groom, and exult in the riches of His works, and His exalted love. The secret of her joy is her entrance into the heavenly temple of the Lord. According to St. Basil the Great, the talk here concerns the one church that draws many away from their corrupt beliefs, to provide them with the true spirit of joy, and bring them forth to the heavenly kingdom. f- An honored church: “Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth” (16) https://coptic-treasures.com/ After the departure of the father Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, out of the church’s sons, God set (the apostles) as spiritual kings and rulers all over the world, with the spiritual authority to bind and loose according to the gospel of Christ (See Matthew 18: 18).. + Here the blessed David speaks about the choice of the saintly apostles. (St. Cyril the Great) g- A praising church that glorifies God: “I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations. Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever” (17) She will draw believers from all the peoples to praise God, and to confess His amazing salvation work. -------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM PSALM 45 MY SOUL WILL PRAISE YOU, O ETERNAL GROOM + O Lord, let my tongue join my heart in praising You; For the flow of Your love inside me enflames my depths; And my tongue cannot express what is in my depths. + Reveal the splendor of Your beauty in my depths; For You are fairer than the sons of men; Pour Your splendor on me, to make me bear the fellowship of Your features. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + How beautiful You are, O Lord, in Your love! By coming down to me, You have lifted me up to Your Father’s bosom; And by Your entrance into the battle of temptations, You granted me Your conquest; And by Your weakness, You granted me what is greater than strength; How beautiful You are on the cross; Where You opened up for me Your heart enflamed with fire; To enter and abide; How beautiful You are in Your resurrection; By which You have destroyed the gates of Hades, and opened up for me the gates of paradise; How beautiful You are in Your ascension; I anticipate Your coming to enter together with You into Your heavens + Your lips drop oil; Your words grant the grace of life and resurrection; Say a word, to draw me to You, and remain forever with You; + How magnificent You are, O Warrior King; Strike with Your sword, to cut off all evil in me; Enter into the battle of my heart, to set the banner of the kingdom of Your love in me; Set in me the kingdom of truth; humility, and faithfulness. + O Christ, my God; Anoint me with the oil of Your Holy Spirit, Grantor of gladness; Consecrate me to the account of Your kingdom. + Grant me a place on Your right hand, O heavenly King; To count me as a heavenly queen; https://coptic-treasures.com/ Clothe me with the garment of Your righteousness; And adorn me with the gifts of Your Holy Spirits. + Call me by Your voice, to make me forget the world with everything in it; To be drawn to You with my whole heart; And to be joined by all who desire the spiritual sweetness. + Pour Your glory inside me; For my soul is disgusted with the vain glory; To make my heart flow with a flood of praise to You forever and ever; + Glory be to You, O Heavenly Groom; Reveal to me the secrets of Your wedding.
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