A CALL TO PRAISE THE LORD Like the last psalm, this one is a liturgical praise sung by the people on a joyful occasion, probably the feast of Passover. This psalm is a call to all mankind to praise and glorify God for His amazing works, and for His exalted love. The people praise God for His works in the old, like letting them cross over the Red Sea and the River Jordan, He turned for their fathers into dry land; by which they crossed over from the life of bitter bondage in Egypt, to become heirs of the promised land. His talk about “the house of the Lord” (13) does not necessarily refer to the temple of Solomon, as the tabernacle of the meeting was also called the house of God (Exodus 23: 19; Judges 18: 31; 19: 18). Some believe that it was king Hezekiah who wrote this psalm, after God sent to him the prophet Isaiah, to say: “Thus says the lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, and I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city” (Isaiah 38: 5-6). And St Athanasius the apostolic believes that this psalm includes a prophecy about the resurrection of souls, realized by the coming of the Lord Christ; It prophesies as well about the sorrows that were to dwell upon the apostles when they preach the holy gospel; confirms to us that the sorrows of this world will bring us forth to the eternal comfort; and also tells us about the rejection of the Jews of the Lord Christ. The unity of this psalm: Some critics claim that this psalm is formed of two halves of psalms; based upon that its first part (verses 1 to 12) came in the pleural tense, whereas the second part (verses 13 to 20) came in the singular tense, which is a point of view difficult to accept. For the first part could be a praise sung by the congregation together; while the second part could be sung by the Chief Cantor alone. Supposing the two parts were gathered together by someone from two separate psalms, he would have easily changed the tense in one part to conform to the other. Moreover, there is an obvious harmony in thought in the psalm as a whole. Its divisions: 1- A call to all the earth to praise God 1 - 5 2- Remembering God’s salvation works 6 - 7 3- Praising God for His salvation of His people 8 - 12 4- Paying vows in the name of the people 13 - 15 5- A call to all those who fear God to praise Him 16 – 20 The title: Praise to God for His awesome works To the Chief Musician. A song, A psalm. The two psalm 66 and 67 are the only ones that came without a reference to their author. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 82 According to the Septuagint version, and the Volgata it is also called ‘the psalm of the resurrection’, for it prophesies the resurrection of our (Righteous) Lord Jesus Christ (9, 16). 1- A CALL TO ALL THE EARTH TO PRAISE GOD: “Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!” (1) It is befitting of all the earth to praise God, being the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. Before His great wonders even the non-believers stand in awe; whereas the believers respond with perpetual praise as a natural reaction to the blessed life they experience; as it is written: “Blessed are the people who know the festal shout” (Psalm 89: 15). This sort of shout raised by the whole congregation for joy, gladness, and exultation, is the best sacrifice to be offered to God, for it is a true testimony to the purity of heart, and piety of life. It is befitting of every believer to call the whole earth, by his practical life, as well as by his tongue, to praise God, and to meditate in His mighty and amazing works. This is the role of the priest, as well as of every individual in the congregation, especially the parents and the guides, to exhort all to glorify God the Lover of mankind! The exultation is a shout of joy for the conquest; whereas the singing is the voice of praying accompanied by music. The name and glory of God the Father, is the Son; and the name of the Son is the Father; As we know people by their names, we knew God the Father by the Son, and the Son by the Father, according to the word of the Lord, glory be to Him: “I came forth from the Father” (John 16: 28), and “I glorified Your name on earth” (John 17: 4). (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) As the Jews believe, and hope to be the only people to attain the resurrection from the dead, on account of their blessed life according to the statutes of the law, and of the justification by the holy books which are only theirs among the nations; This psalm, according to St. Augustine, came as a praise presented for the sake of the enjoyment of the Gentiles of the resurrection in Jesus Christ. Look, O brethren, how the catholicity of the church makes it spread over the whole world “Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth” (1). A shout, not by words, but by the voice of exultant people, making such voice of gladness for something they count as inexpressible by words “Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth”; It is a call to “all the earth”, and not to individuals to shout; a call to all the catholic (the collective) church to shout together; the (catholic) church embracing all. He, who cuts himself off the multitude, should wail, and not shout. (St. Augustine) “Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious” (2) About the praise in heaven, it came: “They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!’” (Revelation 15: 3). This way the praise of the Old Testament melds with that of the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the people praised God on saving them from the bondage of Pharaoh, and casting him and his men in the depths of the sea. This song shall remain all along the eras and generations, on both the levels of the congregation and of the individual. Now, with the coming of the Word of God incarnated, we come to have a new https://coptic-treasures.com/ 83 praise for Him who opened the gates of hope before all the nations of the world to have the conquest over the devil and all the hosts of darkness; and to enjoy the reign of the Lord Christ Himself on their hearts; according to the words of the prophet Melachi, saying: “From the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great among the nations” (Melachi 1: 11). He who sings for his own glory shall get his wages in this world; But he who sings for the glory of the name of God will get his wages from his Father in heaven. Singing is not just praising by the tongue; but the believer sings when he, by his whole being, practices the good deeds. Yet he who does good for his own glory, will lose his heavenly reward. According to St. Augustine, when we praise God by words, as well as by work; and when all our goal in life is the glory of God, and not our own glory, God, on His side, will not let any thing pass by without glorifying us in Him; Namely, our glorification of God from our whole heart will come back to us. To give us a marvelous example of this, St. Augustine says: [The Lord chose the illiterate and the lowly fishermen to be His disciples. But behold, the emperor, going to a memorial building for the fishermen in Rome, lays his crown aside, and weeps in awe, more than what fishermen would normally do before the emperor!]. While seeking from us not to glorify ourselves, He pours His glory on us! See, how He takes away what is ours, to give us what is His; How He grants us His glory! How He empties us, to give us the fullness; How He make us shaken, to grant us steadfastness. Sing, therefore, not for the sake of your name, but for the sake of the name of the Lord your God. Sing, for Him to be glorified. Live as is befitting; Let Him be glorified! If you do that for the sake of eternity. You will not live in evil. “Give glory for His praise”. If we let our whole interest be to praise God according to His counsel, he will leave nothing undone by which He would glorify us! Let us then glorify more and more, and rejoice. Let us cling to Him, and be glorified in Him! (St. Augustine) “Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power, that Your enemies submit themselves to You’” (3) “Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your deeds” (3) Hear the voice of another psalm, saying: “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2: 11); and hear the voice of the apostle, saying: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2: 12). Why “with fear and trembling?” He explains it by saying: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2: 13). So, if it is God who works in you, you would, by the grace of God do well, yet not with your own strength. Therefore, while you rejoice, do it with fear, lest what is taken away from the proud, would be given to the humble. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 84 (St. Augustine) The people praise Him on His great power which they experience, saying: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46: 1). “So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory” (Psalm 63: 2). And on another aspect, “Inhumiliation, His enemies submit to Him” (psalm 18: 44; 66: 3; 81: 15). “Submit themselves to You”; In the Septuagint version it came as “pretend to submit themselves to You”; which applies to Pharaoh who submitted to God after every plague under which he fell; but once the plague was lifted up, he got back to how he was, with a greater hardness of heart. “So great is Your power, that Your enemies submit themselves to You” (3). According to St. Augustine, the lies of the false witnesses concerning the resurrection of the Lord from the dead, constituted a stronger confirmation of His resurrection; And people glorified the power of the Savior, when they remembered His saying to the Jews: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2: 18); and, “I lay down My life, that I may take it again” (John 10: 17). “All the earth shall worship You, and sing praise to You; they shall sing praises to Your name” (4) Saying: “All the earth refers to the multitudes of all the Gentiles who fill the earth. Saying first “worship”, and then “sing”, refers to that faith in God has to come first, before prayers and supplication to God in whom we believe. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) See, how you have drawn an image portraying the members of God conforming to the body of which we are an image of God. I shall accept that for some moments until we look into it, research it, and see how it holds by debate. If this gives you pleasure, listen to me, as I did to you. “God sits in heaven, and measures it by handbreadth “. Does heaven widen, being the throne of God, then narrows when measured?! Is God limited to a space that could be measured by the palm of His hand?! A Christian should be ashamed to think this way in his heart!... Think instead of heaven as being all the saints. It is written: “All the earth shall worship You” (4). If we can so say about the inhabitants of the earth, we could truly say: “All the creatures of heaven carry You”; For even the saints who dwell on earth, and walk on it by their bodies, also dwell in heaven by their hearts; It is no wonder that the church reminds them of this fact in the liturgy, saying: “Lift up your hearts“, to which they respond, saying: “We have them with the Lord“. It is not vainly said: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on things of the earth” 1 (Colossians 3: 1-2). As much as their mixing with heavenly things, they would carry God, and would become heaven, being the throne of God; and when they proclaim the words of God, they are “Heaven that proclaims the glory of God”2. (St. Augustine) “Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men” (5) 1 القداس الإلهي. 2 Sermon on NT Lessons, 3: 14. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 85 Some believe that the expression “Come and see”, as it also came in psalm 46: 8, implies a call to look inside the heart to behold the kingdom of God; and to look, as well, to the church He established in the whole world, by which He reigned on the Gentiles, and established His kingdom in the hearts of many! Beside this, he who looks at what the Lord has done in the old with His people, like crossing over the Red Sea and the River Jordan, will perceive how He is an awesome God. All who believe in Him, and who meditate in His works, will perceive how awesome He is. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) 2- REMEMBERING GOD’S SALVATION WORKS: “He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the river on foot, there we would rejoice in Him” (6) The secret of our rejoicing, according to St. Augustine, is that our souls turn from a sea to dry land, on which we go through by foot. In other words, by believing in the Lord Christ our Savior, He turns our souls from being a sea, full of bitterness, disturbances, and storms, into a dry land, perpetually thirsting for the water of the divine love. By such thirst, they cross, together with Christ, over the sea of this world; namely, over every love of the mortal temporal things. The Jews always remember their crossing over the Red Sea and the River Jordan, as the greatest salvation works of God: “You divided the Sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters” (psalm 43: 13); “He divided the Sea, and caused them to pass through, and He made the waters stand up like a heap” (Psalm 78: 13). Drying up the sea for Moses and the children of Israel to go on it on foot; to save them from the bondage of the Egyptians; And letting them go through the River Jordan under the leadership of Joshua the son of Nun; was a symbol of the Gentiles passing through baptism, and enjoying the joy of salvation. According to St. Augustine, the river on which the soul goes on foot, is our mortal body. Our Leader accepted to drink from this river, died, and is risen. That is why, being united with Him, we rejoice passing over death by foot, and enjoying eternity. He did not say “there, they rejoiced in Him”, but said: “there, we would rejoice in Him” (6); the psalmist counts the joy of the people of old in their salvation, as his own joy, as well as that of the congregation in all eras. .. What an amazing unity, an exalted love, and a fellowship that challenges the time! The sea was the world - bitter, salty, disturbed by storms, and agitated by the waves of persecution. Now, it turned into dry land, thirsty for the divine sweet water. Who did that? He, to whom the Gentiles would say: “My souls longs for You like a thirsty land” (Psalm 143: 6). “They went through the river on foot” (6). The same people who turn into dry land, after having been a sea before, now go through the river on foot. What is the river? It is all the death of the world. Look at the river! Things come and go, to be replaced by other things I wish the soul never cast herself in it, but stand fast. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 86 How could the soul cross over the pleasures of things that head toward destruction? By believing in Christ, she would go through them on foot, would cross together with Him as her Leader. (St. Augustine) “He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves” (7) What He did in the old testify to His might, and care for His believers; which are not limited by time or place. God works every day even to the end of time; and works in all the Gentiles, and in everyone’s life. The psalmist says: “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; and Your dominion endures throughout all generations” (145: 13). Here, we rejoice in Him in the hope of resurrection; whereas in eternity, we rejoice in Him on an eternal level! Hence the psalmist says: “He rules by His power forever” (7). Let us then be partners in His power, by which we would become strong. While He, on the other hand is powerful by Himself; We are enlightened, while He is the Light who enlightens us; If we forsake Him, we would become in darkness; By His warmth, we get warm; by retreating from Him we get cold; and by approaching Him anew, we restore our warmth I wish, therefore, we should beseech Him to keep us in His power, as we rejoice in Him, “He who rules by His power forever”. (St. Augustine) By saying: “He rules by His power forever”, he means that He is the Lord over the time, and everything in it; And that it is in His power to save His believers from the evil of the time And saying: “His eyes observe the nations” means that God cares for all peoples, not only for Israel; namely, as Israel disobeyed, God took His eyes away from them, and observed the Gentiles. God who cared for the Jews, and provided them with the law and the divine promises of salvation, observes with love all the nations, to provide all humanity with the abundance of His divine gifts. And saying: “the rebellious”, refers to the Israelites who first rebelled against God in the wilderness; Then, when His Son incarnated, they rebelled against Him by their deeds and words; And on His cross they gave Him bitter vinegar to drink; those about whom God said before in a prophecy by His prophet Ezekiel: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me” (Ezekiel 2: 3). (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem As to God’s care for all, the wise Solomon says: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15: 3). “The rebellious exalt themselves”, means, the rebellious on God cannot exalt their horns on You, and oppose Your will, 3- PRAISING GOD FOR HIS SALVATION OF HIS PEOPLE: “Oh, bless our God, you peoples, and make the voice of His praise be heard” (8) It is a renewable call to the nations to enjoy the work and the salvation of God, to get filled with the life of joy and praise. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 87 Having been told, O nations, about the wonders that God has done, both in the old, and in the present time, glorify Him, and tell your descendants about His wonders, to make the voice of His praise be heard in the generations to come. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) To the descendants of Abraham, in whom “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12: 3), he says: “Bless our God, You peoples, and make the voice of His praise be heard” (8). Do not commend yourselves, but praise Him. What is “the voice of his praise?” It is, that by His grace we came to be in the goodness we are in. (St. Augustine) “Who keeps our soul among the living, and does not allow our feet to be moved” (9) The psalmist seeks from the nations to consider the actual fact, that the church along all generations, so suffers from persecutions and tribulations, to feel as though its feet are allowed to be moved; Yet God restore her to life, to experience the new resurrected life. God kept our soul among the living; not only when He breathed in the face of Adam and gave him the spirit of life, but also when He gave him His commandment, that by keeping it he would live and his feet would not be allowed to move. When the Gentiles believed in Christ, their souls became in Him, the True Life; Their feet set fast on the rock of His faith; and they did not move. On them it is said in the Song of songs: “His legs are pillars of marble set on bases on fine gold. His countenance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars” (Songs 5: 15). (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) Hear the voice of his praise, saying: “Who keeps our soul among the living” (9). It was in death, it was in itself where will it be in life except in Him, who said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14: 6)? He meant us to be kept until the end; to live eternally. (St. Augustine) “For You, O God, has proved us; You have refined us as silver is reined” (10) Calling the peoples and nations to have faith in God, and to praise Him, the psalmist confirms to them that, if the people of God has sufferedtemptations and tribulations, they were allowed by God to refine them with fire, as silver and precious minerals, to rid them of impurities. It is written: “I will bring the one third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested” (Zechariah 13:9). “I will turn My hand against You, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your alloy. I will restore all your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city” (Isaiah 1: 25-26). As it is with the silver refined in a crucible by fire, so it will be with the soul, she will be refined with sorrows. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) Commenting on the words of the psalmist: “A fire goes before him” (Psalm 97: 3), St. Augustine says: [If you are you afraid? Then change so as not to fear! Let the https://coptic-treasures.com/ 88 chaff fear; but what can fire do to the gold? 1]. And commenting on the verse: “For You, O God, has proved us, You have refined us as silver is refined” (10), he says: [Not to burn us like straw by fire, but like silver. By using fire, do not turn us into ashes, but cleanse us from defilements2]. Do not let the fire do to us like it does to straw, but like it does to silver. By using fire, do not turn to ashes, but be cleansed from defilements. (St. Augustine) “You brought us into the net; you laid affliction on our backs” (11) God sometimes allows for His children to be brought into a net set by the enemy, and to be weighed down in humiliation; but only for a limited time, to chasten and refine them, or to justify and crown them. That is what dwelt upon the people of the old, when they came out of the land of Egypt, followed by Pharaoh and his army; the sea before them, the mountains on their right and left sides, and Pharaoh and his army behind them; With no escape in sight, they came to be like an animal, fallen into a net. Saying: “sorrow and put on our backs”, indicates the weights they were carrying through forced labor. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) Although the way to the kingdom seem narrow and tough for man; Yet, once he enters into it, he will find it wide with no measure, and a place above a place; as testified by those who happened to go through it, and to enjoy it. Men may say along the way: “You laid affliction on our backs” (11); but when they see ahead the relief from their sorrows, they will say: “You brought us out to a place of abundance” (Psalm 66: 12); and, “You have relieved me when I was in distress” (Psalm 4: 1). Yes indeed, O brethren, The portion of the saints here is this affliction; as they labor in suffering because of their longing for future things; like him who says: “Woe to me, my sojourn on earth has become too long!“; feeling afflicted for the sake of the salvation of others; as the apostle Paul wrote: “Lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, licentiousness which they have practiced” (2 Corinthians 12: 21); As Samuel mourned because of the perdition of Saul; And as Jeremiah wept for the sake of the captivation of the people. Those, when they depart from this world, after so much distress, depression, and sighs, they will get happiness, gladness, and divine exultation, and from them, misery, sorrow, and sighing will go away. (Pope Athanasius the apostolic) If the nets are set for the birds, but in vain (without goal), as it came in the proverbs (1: 17); And not in vain, “God brought us into the net” (11); And if even the sparrow, the most lowly among birds, will not fall into the net “apart from your Father’s will” (Matthew 10: 29), I wish we do nothing that would make God bring us justly into a temptation; which is the destiny of him who forsakes God for the sake of the uncleanness of his heart3. 1 On Ps. 66; 10. .66- 2 المؤلف: رؤیا یوحنا اللاهوتي، 1979 ، ص 62 3 On Prayer 2: 29: 16. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 89 (The scholar Origen) From all these things, the church suffers several and diverse persecutions, in the persons of her members; and still is. No one in this life can claim to be exempted from such temptations. (St. Augustine) “You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to a place of abundance” (12) A horrible portrait of what would dwell over man for the sake of chastening him, or of justifying him; when it so seems that the wicked ride over his head, namely, have authority on him without mercy; when he sometimes suffer from burning in fire, and other times from drowning in water; namely from the two opposites. But God will eventually turn all those bitterness into sweetness and comfort. “When you pass through the water, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43: 2-3); and, “He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me” (Psalm 18: 19). “We went through fire and through water, but you brought us out to a place of abundance” (12). If God allows for us to go through the fire and the water of temptations; they will eventually turn into crowning us. By temptations we would cross over to the divine comfort. It is amazing how temptations are likened to both fire and water, when God, on His side, allows for His Holy Spirit to dwell in the form of fiery tongues; allows for us to be in His likeness and according to His image, “a consuming fire”; to be likened to “His ministers a flame of fire”. (Psalms 104: 4); and allows us to enjoy His Holy Spirit in the water of baptism, where we enjoy the second birth, and come to have the amazing abundance: “the heirs of God, and joint heirs together with Christ” (Romans 8: 17). In this life, both the fire and the water are dangerous. Surely, water quenches fire, and fire dries up water; Yet fire burns, and water destroys. We should fear both of them; namely, getting burnt by temptations, and getting destroyed by the water of corruption. See, fire will not burn you, and water will not destroy you; You pass through fire to water, then pass through water as well. That is why in the sacramental rites, fire is used first, and then you come over to baptism; cross over from the fire to the water, and from the water to renewal. (St. Augustine) “You have caused men to ride over our heads” (12); means, you have caused them to have authority over us, against our will. He called “sorrows” (fire), as they burn the heart; and he called “submission” (water) for unceasingly running; according to the saying of God in the prophecy of Isaiah: “When you pass through the water, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you; for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43: 2-3). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 90 “We passed through fire and water” means You saved us from being burned and drowned. This is as though said by the apostles, the saints, and the martyrs who, after entering into snares; namely, in prisons, fire, and water, as we read in their biographies, God brought them out to the eternal comfort, namely, to His kingdom; according to His saying, glory be to Him: “Through much sorrows, you enter into the kingdom of God”. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “Lead us not into temptations” (Matthew 6: 13). Does God teach us to pray not to be tempted? Not at all!. For how is it said somewhere else: “An inexperienced person knows only few things” (Sirach 34: 10; Romans 5: 3-4); and in James: “My brethren, count it all joy, when you fall into various trials” (James 1: 2). But, praying to God to lead us not into temptation implies, not to let the temptation overwhelm us and sweep us away. For, as the temptation is like a torrential winter flood; those who manage to go through it without drowning, or being swept away by it, would boast of being such clever and capable swimmers. Judas Escharious, for instance, entering into the temptation of the love of money, he did not swim, but drowned, “hanged himself”, and perished body and soul (Mathew 27: 5). Whereas Peter, entering into the temptation of denial, was not crushed by it, but swam through it and was saved. Now, think how those saints who entered into temptations and passed through them, thank the Lord for being saved, saying: “O God, You have proved us; You have refined us as silver is refined; You brought us into the net; You have laid affliction on our backs; You have caused men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but you brought us out to a place of abundance” (Psalm 66: 10-12). Being brought out to a place of abundance means they are saved from the temptation1. (St. Cyril of Jerusalem) “We went through fire and through water, but You brought us out to a place of abundance” (10-12). Those who intend to have favor in the sight of God, have to go through few tribulations. How could we call the saintly martyrs blessed because of the tribulations they endured for God’s sake, if we cannot endure a fever?!. Say to the afflicted soul: Is fever not better for you than hell?! I wish we are not disturbed by illness, for the apostle says: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12: 10). Knowing for sure that the Lord “tests the heart and mind” (Psalm 7: 9), I wish we endure; be strong; and become disciples of the apostle who says: “patient in tribulation” (Romans 12: 12). (St. Parsnovius) If you happen to suffer of the high temperature of fever, and intense thirst; while trying to endure such sufferings, remember the punishment to come, namely the eternal fire, and the divine justice, to be stronger before your present situation. Rejoice to know that God visits you; and put this blessed saying on your lips: “The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death” (Psalm 118: 18). If you are iron, by fire you will be refined from your rust; And even if you lie down ill, being righteous, you will be stronger and stronger. .17 ، 1 الأس ا رر 5 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 91 Remember that it is written: “If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8: 17). If you are indeed gold, by fire you will become more valuable. If a thorn in the flesh was given to you by “a messenger of Satan” (2 Corinthians 12: 7), think of St. Paul, whom you are counted worthy of the honor of having the same suffering as his. Are you tempted by fever? What did you learn from it? The Holy Book says: “We went through fire and through water, but You brought us out to a place of abundance” (12). The place of abundance is already prepared there! If you have tasted the first portion (namely the present tribulations), Anticipate the second (the eternal place of abundance). And while practicing your virtue, By raising your voice with the words of the prophet David, saying: “But I am poor and sorrowful” (Psalm 69: 29), you will become perfect by the tribulations; For the Book says: “You have relieved me when I was in distress” (Psalm 4: 1). Open up your mouth wide, to learn from the experience of such a soul, taking into consideration that we are under the scrutiny of our enemy. (St. (Mother) Senklitiky) 4- PAYING VOWS IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE: “I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows” (13) Here, the speaker moves from the pleural tense, when speaking in the name of the congregation, or when the whole congregation partakes of praise together; to speak in the singular tense. Some believe that the speaker here is the king who enters into the house of the Lord to present burnt offerings he vowed while he has been in trouble. He presents thanksgiving and praise to God who saved His people from tribulation. According to St. Augustine, paying vows means that the believer, while presenting his whole life as a burnt offering to God, confesses that God is no need of burnt offerings; for they add nothing to Him. If the believer perceives that all what God does is for the believer’s good, he Would be, as though he has paid up the vow uttered by his lips. What is the burnt offering? It is the sacrifice that is completely burnt, but by a divine fire. Every burnt offering is a sacrifice; but not every sacrifice is a burnt offering. The burnt offerings, therefore, are promised by Him. It is the body of Christ who speaks; It is His unity who talks Let Your fire burn all what is mine; Leave nothing left for me; . Let everything be Yours. This happens in the resurrection of the righteous, “when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15: 54). The victory as a divine fire, when it swallows death, nothing mortal will remain in the body; nothing, worthy of rebuke, will remain in the spirit. All the mortal life will come to perdition, will go away in the eternal life, for us to be kept from death in life. That is therefore, the blessing of the burnt offerings. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 92 (St. Augustine) The vow (euche) is a pledge to dedicate something to the ministry of God. Whereas the prayer (proseuche) is seeking from God for the sake of some good things. Therefore, being in need of some confidence when approaching God, and seeking what is good for us; paying the vow should come first. When we fulfill what is on our side, we will be sure to get what God gives on His! The vow is a pledge to present an offering of thanksgiving; whereas the prayer means approaching God after fulfilling that pledge It is befitting of man to vow first, then pray; To plant first, then carry the fruit1. (St. Gregory of Nyssa) “Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble” (14) We often cry out to God while we are in trouble, and then forget it when we are relieved of it. What God seeks is not the material vows, but the dedication of the heart to Him. Together with presenting the seen vows, it is befitting of us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service” (Romans 12: 1). The captives who were in Babylon, once they returned to Jerusalem, they entered into the house of the Lord their living God, and offered the burnt offerings, they vowed while in sorrow and tribulation. The blessed apostles and all believers, on the other hand, on entering into God’s spiritual house, the holy church, namely, the Christian congregation, which is the dwelling place of God, they present themselves as burnt offerings, wholly in fire, namely, endure the purifying sufferings, acceptable to Him. The same applies to those who keep their virginity and chastity; they present themselves as burnt offerings, acceptable to God. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, with the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats” (15) If the burnt offerings refer to the complete dedication of the heart, when it ignites with the fire of the divine love, the sweet aroma of rams (or the incense of rams), namely raising incense together with a sacrifice of peace offering, refers to the perpetual prayer. God commanded the offering of the animals mentioned, with a condition that they should be without blemish; hence the psalm says: “burnt sacrifices of fat animals”. The apostles and their martyr successors, on the other hand, offered to God their souls by doing virtues; and instead of the oxen that plow the earth, they offered their bodies which come from the earth, through testimony, and confession of faith; Others offered goats, namely works and labors of repentance; for people of the old used to offer to purify themselves of their sins. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “Which my lips have uttered and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble” (14) . How sweet is the temptation, most of the time! And how necessary it is! What does the tongue of the speaker in trouble say? “I will offer you burnt sacrifices of fat animals (even to the bone marrow)” (15) To what does the ‘bone marrow’ refer? I 1 The Lord's Prayer, Sermon 2. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 93 keep Your love deep inside me, and not on the surface; I love You from my bone marrow; as there is nothing in the body, deeper than the bone marrow. Bones are deep inside the body; and the bone marrow is deep inside the bones. “with the sweet aroma of rams”. The rams, being the leaders of the church, it means that the church as a whole is talking; and the rams, in particular, pray for the sake of the flock. “I will offer bulls with goats” The apostle says that the preachers of the gospel are like “bulls” or “oxen”: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain. Is it oxen God is concerned about?” (1 Corinthians 9: 9). How great are the rams; and how great are the oxen! How about the remnants; those who feel they have probably slid in some sins along the way, were wounded, then were healed through remorse? Will those go on without offering burnt sacrifices? I wish those would not fear; for he added the “goats” as well! (St. Augustine) 5- A CALL TO ALL THOSE WHO FEAR GOD TO PRAISE HIM: “Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare all He has done for my soul” (16) Having paid back the vows he has uttered when he was in trouble, the king, or the psalmist, turns to the people to testify to God before them, that the salvation from the trouble or the tribulation was not by his own strength, or wisdom, or by the counsel of his men, but it was the work of God with him. According to father Onesimus of Jerusalem, the believer thanking God for His work with him, sets forth with his thoughts to those who fear God, who preceded him, to say to them, that God who performed wonders with them in the old, with His love, is still working up till now. The psalmist calls all those who fear God: the early fathers, the prophets, and the righteous, who were before the coming of Christ, to partake of the joy of the Christians for the sake of their salvation. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “Come and hear, all you who fear God” (16) To whom shall we come and hear? . In case you do not fear God, I shall not tell you! he who does not fear God, could not be told! For it is the fear of God that opens up the ears to hear about the way to take. What will the psamist tell us? The great things that God has done for his soul! (St. Augustine) “I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue” (17) The believer cries out with the mouth of his heart, and raises his voice with his inner tongue. The adulteress woman cried out with her heart, and, in inner silence, she poured fragrant oil over the feet of the Savior. And Hannah, mother of Samuel cried out by just moving her lips, with no audible words. The former got the forgiveness of her sins, and the later bore in her womb a blessed child. “He was extolled with my tongue”. This is interpreted as, “He was extolled underneath my tongue”; namely, if I cry to Him with my mouth, but beyond those cries, I glorify and extol Him in my depths, something that I cannot express with human words. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 94 I used to cry out to a stone, to a tree, to a dumb and mute idol; But now, being the image of the Creator, I returned to the Creator I used “to say to a tree: ‘you are my father’, and to a stone, ‘you gave birth to me’” (Jeremiah 2: 27); Now I say: “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6: 9) I shall tell you about all the other things He has done by His grace to my soul. (St. Augustine) “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (18) The psalmist does not utter that with pride or self-justification, but, with confidence and trust - that in the simplicity of heart, he seeks God with faithfulness, saying: “Give ear to my prayer that is not from deceitful lips” (Psalm 17: 1). “If I regard iniquity in my heart”, meaning, if I recognized iniquity in my heart, and disregarded, encouraged, or was pleased with it. However loud the cries of man are, unless he avoids iniquity and oppression, God will not listen to his prayer. A brother asked Abba Anthony: [If God blessed the soul that perpetually indulges in reading the holy books, how come that she is still reluctant to enjoy this blessing, and cares for temporary and unclean preoccupations?!]. To this the saintly elder answered: [This is what the psalmist means by saying: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (18). Do not you know that many sins are stirred up in him whose belly is filled with food? These are the sins referred to by the Lord, saying: “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man” (see Mathew 15: 11). Notice here that He means the unclean thoughts, murder, deceit, cheating, adultery, stealing, false testimony, and blasphemy] (ps73: 22- 23). (The garden of monks) Return to your inner self; be a judge of yourself; nd look into your secret place, into the depths of your heart, that no one could see but you and God. If you are not pleased with what you see there of iniquities, and despise it, yourself will become the subject of God’s pleasure. (St. Augustine) “But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer” (19) Here, the psalmist confirms that God’s response to his prayer is not because of his personal worthiness, or self-righteousness, but because of God’s free mercies. “Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city” (Psalm 31: 21). “But certainly, God has heard me; He attended to the voice of my prayer”. Here, the speaker has reached to resurrection, which we actually anticipate and hope for. (St. Augustine) “Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me” (20) If we, in the time of trouble ask God for relief, It is befitting of us, when we get it, to present thanksgiving and praise to the Lord; and perpetually remember His mercies on us. Seeking from all nations to shout loud to God, he intends to confirm that this shout should bear a song of praise for His name; meaning, that this shout adds nothing to https://coptic-treasures.com/ 95 the glory of God, but is for the benefit of mankind, to recognize His name, and to enjoy joy in Him. When you see that your supplication was not turned away, you should be sure that His mercy is not turned away from you as well. (St. Augustine) https://coptic-treasures.com/ 96 AN INSPIRATION FROM PSALM 66 I JOYFULLY SHOUT TO GOD TOGETHER WITH ALL MANKIND My depths cry out to You: When will all men come to You? When will earth be heaven? When will the whole earth shout joyfully to You, O Savior of the world? The shout of the wicked is a curse, for it is to their evil father the devil. But the shout of Your children is a blessing, for it is presented to You, O Grantor of blessings. When will all mankind return to You, to present holy heavenly shouts? If the enemies lie; Like when Pharaoh did with all his promises to Moses; Yet the whole earth submits to You. Instead of lies, they cling to You, O the Truth. You fill them with Your strength, and satisfy them with Your joy, Then they will not cease to praise Your name. You, who turned the Red Sea to a dry land; On which Your people crossed on foot; Are the same yesterday, today, and forever; You turn the torrential seas to dry land; You take anxiety away from us; You calm down the storms and the violent waves. You fill our depths with Your exalted peace. My body, like a torrential river, intends to enslave my soul to its lusts I wish my body submits to Your Holy Spirit’ I wish it turns to a river that flows with holy waters; Instead of drowning my soul with its lusts; I wish its dryness would be taken away, and it turns instead into a fruitful spiritual garden. Who will let joy overflow over our souls and bodies but you? I wish you, by Your power, reign inside me, and establish Your divine kingdom. Your eyes are on me from the beginning of the year to its end. Your eyes watch over all mankind; Who deserves to have you look at him, O Compassionate One? Your looks destroy every cruelty in my depths; When You look at me, and at Your disciple Peter; I get out of the court of worldly worries; And weep bitterly together with him; Tears of repentance and of hope in You; I shall perpetually testify that I love You. The wicked, have no other work but to destroy us; https://coptic-treasures.com/ 97 But, with Your fiery Holy Spirit, You bring us forth into the water of comfort; Let the fires of temptations kindle; and let their water pour to destroy us; But the fires and rains of Your Holy Spirit, Will set out of us fiery ministers and fruitful garden; How shall I pay You back for Your work with me, as well as with the whole earth? Shall I present to You burnt offerings of fiery love? Shall I vow to live my whole life for You? My depths. Will always shout for joy to You, together with all the heavenly creatures; Glory be to You, O Lover of mankind.
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