THE CHURCH AND SALVATION (Psalms 42 to 72) The first division of the book of psalms (Psalms 1 to 41) constitutes a group of psalms that deal with the condition of man: his blessed life, his fall, then his renewal by the work of God, his Savior, who restores to him his lost exultant paradisiacal life. In all that, it is analogous to the book of Genesis. The second division, on the other hand (Psalms 42 to 50), likens the book of Exodus, with the appearance of the people of God, entering into a covenant with the Lord, through the blood of the Lamb (Exodus 12); Hence, the psalms of this division came to talk about “The church and salvation.. In the first chapter of the book of exodus we see the people enslaved in a foreign land, away from the promised land; a suffering people, moaning and groaning with every scourge coming over them by their persecutors . Their tribulation grew harder and https://coptic-treasures.com/ harder with time; the doors of hope seemed to be completely closed shut, and there was no way of salvation. But in the proper time, God heard their moaning and screams, and arose to defend them with His strong hand; to save them from the house of bondage, and to bring their enemies to perdition in the Red Sea. This division starts by a bitter cry-out emerging from the depths of pressure (Psalm 42 – 49), to come to end up by the proclamation of the kingdom of God over His people who worship Him; when it is said: “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea; and from the River to the end of the earth; …. All kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him” (Psalm 72). The King of kings will reign over His people who came to be kings of the earth, namely, have dominion over their bodies, sanctified to be counted the land of the Lord; while repentance will be the royal path of glory. Hence this section presents to us many psalms that talk about repentance and confession, the most prominent of which is psalm 51 (50 LXX), sung by the church at the beginning of every prayer or vesper of the (Agpeya); as well as in most of the collective liturgical prayers. This division reveals the beauty of the church enjoying salvation, as a bride adorned for her Groom, “fairer than the sons of men” (Psalm 45). The psalms of this division are collected from various sources: 1- The sons of ‘Korah’ (Psalm 42; 44 – 49); a family of official gatekeepers and musicians (1 Chronicles 9: 17 – 19; 26: 19); who probably were disciples of Korah, and not necessarily of his family. According to some, the word ‘Korah’ (Core), probably means (bald); and according to St. Jerome, and St. Augustine, it is analogous to the word ‘calvaria’, namely, (the skull), the location where the Lord Christ was crucified. The children of Korah are the children of the crucified Groom, who are able to crush the head of the ancient serpent by the cross, destroy death, and enjoy the joy of resurrection. In other words, the Christians, counted as the children of the true Korah, practice the resurrected life, that knows nothing but thanksgiving and praise to God, their Savior. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 2- ‘Asaph’ (Psalm 50), who established another musical band for the temple; or probably a title of the Chief Musicians or heads of the choir in the days of David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 16: 4, 5; 2 Chronicles 5: 21). The word ‘Asaph’ means (Jehovah collects); and according to St. Augustine, it means the (Senhedrin). If the Jewish Senhedrin was responsible for the crucifixion of the Lord Christ; Yet they are credited for keeping the prophesies that testify to the Lord Christ, our praise and our joy. 3- David, the prophet and king (Psalms 51 to 65; 68 to 70); the man of prayer and praise; representing the church queen who finds her whole pleasure in her Groom King; attaches to Him, and unceasingly praises Him. 4- Solomon (Psalm 72); referring to the church, bearing the exalted peace of God. 5- There are three anonymous psalms (Psalms 66, 67, 71); representing a call addressed to every soul to enjoy membership in the exultant church, even though not known by name among men. ======================== PSALM 42 THIRSTY FOR CHRIST PSALMS 42 and 43: Some scholars believe that the two psalms 42 and 43 represent one unit. According to ‘Ridner’, even though each of them could be sung alone, yet they are both like two parts https://coptic-treasures.com/ of one well-connected poem, of the most magnificent sorrowful poems of the book of psalms. Both psalms have one convenient title, and include the same meditation of the soul: “Why have You forgotten me?”; and “Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (42: 9 and 43: 2), and repeated again in 43: 5: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?”; which give one unity to the two psalms. We can say that the two psalms constitute a lamentation that reveals the bitterness of the soul because of past, present, and future sufferings; Yet, swallowed by the sweetness of hope in God, and the enjoyment of His presence. It is as though sufferings do not destroy the psyche of the psalmist, as much as they increase his longing toward God his Savior. 42: 1 – 5 Past sufferings – in the wilderness – longing toward Go 42: 6 – 11 Present sufferings – on the mountains – A feeling of being forsaken by God 43: 1 – 5 Future sufferings – in His holy sanctuary – a joyful hope. Circumstances of the psalm: 1- According to some, this psalm is a lamentation by one of the singers of the temple, who was exiled to the north, close to the origin of the River Jordan; and longs to return to the house of God to enjoy the divine presence through the holy collective worship. 2- According to Onesimus of Jerusalem, the prophet Davis wrote this psalm, then delivered it to one of the Chief Musicians – of the children of Korah – to be sung accompanied by musical instruments. 3- It was written as a prophecy about those who were captivated and denied the enjoyment of the ministry of the temple, and the experience of the divine presence; proclaiming their longing to return home, crossing over the water channels (the River Jordan). By that, they represent humanity fallen into the captivity of sin, and delivered herself to bondage; who would not enjoy the new https://coptic-treasures.com/ life in the Lord, unless it passes through the water of baptism, to cross over to the Higher Jerusalem, the heavenly home. 4- According to some early fathers, this psalm is the voice of men of the old covenant who had strong thirst to encounter the Savior. In their spiritual strife, they were like deer, running toward the water brooks, namely the fountains of prophesies, saying: “Why are you cast down, O my soul?;” Hoping for the coming of the Lord, for He will surely come, to realize theit salvation, and to fill them with joy and peace]. + With thirst, the souls of the prophets panted to that fountain, according to the words of David: “My soul thirsts for God” (2); For by that they could quench their thirst by the riches of the knowledge of God; and could cleanse their soul of the blood of foolishness, by the water of the spiritual brooks. (St. Ambrose) The title: To the Chief Musician. A contemplation (a Maschil) of the sons of Korah 1- We have already commented on the word (Maschil) in the title of psalm 32. 2- According to some scholars, it was David who wrote this psalm, on account of that it is written in the singular tense “My soul”; For if it was written by the children of Korah, they would say ‘Our souls’ … David was its author, and they put it into a melody. This psalm suited David’s state of mind in his long exile out of Jerusalem in the days of king Saul; particularly that the location where David was, conforms geographically to what came in verse 6 about the land of Jordan and Harmon. According to some, few of the children of Korah were also exiled (Numbers 26: 11); or they were all sent away from having a main role in the collective liturgical https://coptic-treasures.com/ worship in the temple. For the psalms referred to them, reflect their longing for their home, and their feeling of loss; And, at the same time, they suffered in the name of the whole congregation, captivated in a foreign land. Interpreting the meaning of the word ‘Korah’, St. Augustine and St. Ambrose say that the word ‘Korah’ is analogous to the word ‘Calvaria’; Hence, the children of the Groom, of His passion, redeemed by His blood, the children of His cross, those who have on their forehead what His enemies have put on his cross at Calvary, … those are called ‘the children of Korah’. The general frame: 1- A cry out and longing for God 1 -- 5 2- Tribulation and confusion 6 – 11 1- A CRY- OUT AND LONGING FOR GOD: (1 – 5) A true and deep cry-out comes out of the psalmist through his feeling of deprivation of the Higher Jerusalem, and the heavenly sanctuary; counting himself as denied God, who alone could water his soul; saying: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (1, 2) In Palestine, where there is no rain for nearly nine months of the year, fountains of water, wells, and water brooks are covered up to keep them from drying because of the high temperature. The deer, out of deadly thirst, pant toward the sources of water, and there, they stand screaming for being denied the hidden treasure of water. So it is with the believer who pants in the dry wilderness of this world, searching for the fountains of the water of life, namely, for the evangelic church life; he comes to the Word of God, the https://coptic-treasures.com/ sealed Holy Book, to have its secrets revealed to him by the Holy Spirit; and to the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church worship, the holy Sacraments; proclaiming in all these his strong longing for God, coming from the depths of his soul. The believer is like deer, never cease panting to search for water brooks; and not like camels that bear self-satisfaction of it during their slow advance in the desert. The psalmist expresses his longing for God as thirst, that causes suffering, more intense than those of hunger. As our representative, the Lord Christ, on the cross, cried out saying: “I thirst” (John 19: 28), to express the thirst of believers to the Word of God. In the following commentaries, the fathers present to us their interpretations of the deer thirst for the water brooks, of which we quote: + Going elaborately through the whole book of psalms, I found nowhere the children of Korah sing a sorrowful tune; but all the time, tunes of joy and happiness prevailed on their songs; I found despise of the mortal and temporal things, and hot longing for the heavenlies and eternities; For the Lord was crucified and buried at a location called “Calvaria”; Hence those who believe in His cross and resurrection, are all children of Korah, the children of Calvaria, namely, the skull. … It is the nature of the deer not to fear serpents; but by the hot breath emerging from their nostrils, they draw them out of their holes, to kill them and tear them to pieces. A burning feeling of thirst, then would cause them to pant in search of water brooks to quench their thirst. We, as well, like the deer, long for the running water. Our deer came out of Egypt and of the world, destroyed Pharaoh (the devil) in the water of the Red Sea, and crushed his entire hosts by the cross in the water of baptism; by which the hearts of His believer, full of zeal, flare with longing toward the running water of the church; to the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. https://coptic-treasures.com/ In the book of Jeremiah, a testimony to the Father as a Fountain, came to say: “(My people) have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns – broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2: 13). And in another location, we read about the Son, that they have forsaken the Fountain of wisdom; And about the Holy Spirit, the Lord says: “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; … it will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4: 14). (St. Jerome) + Run to the brooks; long to the brooks of water; to God the Fountain of life, the Fountain that will never dry up; the Fountain from which whoever drinks will have his inner thirst quenched. Run to the Brook; long for Him; … Yet, do not do that haphazardly; Do not just run like any other animal, but “pant” like a deer…. Namely, do not be slothful, but, like the deer, run and long with your whole might. Listen to what else the deer are known; They kill the serpents, and in the process, burning with thirst, they pant to the water brooks. The serpents are your iniquities; So destroy the serpents of evil in yourself, to have more longing for the Fountain of truth. Another thing worthy of noticing concerning the deer … While wandering as a flock, or wading in a brook of water to reach another location, getting exhausted, they lean their heads; each on the one preceding it, down to the last one in the flock. And when the foremost one gets tired of carrying the burden of all the flock, it retreats to the rear to lean its head on the last one… In this, the deer liken those about whom the apostle says: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6: 2). https://coptic-treasures.com/ (St. Augustine) + God is truly the Fountain; I wish that whoever longs for Him would pour his soul on Him; and would never leave anything in it to the possession of the body; but that his soul would flood with love all around him. (St. Ambrose) + Let our souls thirst for Him, saying: “When will He come?” … Well, you long for his coming; … Will He find you ready?! (St. Augustine0 + Many people are thirsty: the righteous and the sinners. The former thirst for the truth; and the later for the pleasures of this world. The righteous thirst for God; while the sinners thirst for gold. (Caesarius, bishop of Arle) + Whoever drinks with his depths from such (good) wine, then deprived of it because of his slothfulness, he alone perceives the extent of his loss. (Mar Isaac the Syrian) If we suffer from the inner serpents, I wish we never surrender to their venoms, but strive more against them by the Spirit of God dwelling in us; and have our hearts pant with love toward our savior, longing to come before Him. The work of sin is to isolate us from encountering the living God, and enjoying His face, to quench the thirst of our soul with His love; to say: https://coptic-treasures.com/ “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?” (2) Speaking about longing and love between God and man, the psalmist calls God, “the living God”. For we do not worship “as is the habit of some” (Hebrew 10: 25); or out of fear of His anger, but in response of Him, being the living God, who enters with us into relationships of love and covenants; intending to appear inside us, to proclaim His kingdom in us; and that we would, as well, appear before His face, to enjoy the splendor of His glory, and the beauty of His heavenly Sanctuary. If this psalm was written about the captives who were denied the presence in the temple of God, whom the Babylonians – their Captors – used to reproach, saying: “Where is Your God?”; to which the believer responds by saying: [I am not preoccupied with your reproaches, But my heart burns with longing for my Living God, who alone can quench my inner thirst … I long to encounter Him face to face]. By saying: “When shall I come and appear before God?”, he probably means to say, that no circumstances would ever deny me encountering Him, or His dwelling in me; but my inner longing is to encounter Him face to face. Those were the cry-outs of the people in captivity, who longed for the city of God, Jerusalem, and for His holy temple, where they would encounter Him in His house and temple. They probably are the cry-outs of the prophet David, or of one of the singers who were also denied the presence in the temple of God. Or they probably are the cry-outs of men of the old covenant, whose souls thirst for the coming of the Savior … to come to them, or they go to https://coptic-treasures.com/ Him. Or they probably are the cry-outs of the church, proclaiming her longing for His ultimate coming; saying: “Amen; Come, Lord Jesus (Revelations 22: 21). + “When shall I come and appear before God?”… See, Their supplications were answered; … they came and appeared in the presence of God, before the altar, and saw the secrets of the Savior. … Yet, no one is qualified to look at this scene except him who, from the depth of his heart and conscience, cries out wailing in remorse: “My tears have been food day and night” (3). (St. Jerome) + That divine beauty is hidden from the physical eyes, and are only perceived by the mind and soul. When it sheds its light upon a saint, it leaves him burning with unbearable feeling of longing; … Perceiving the meaning of the worldly life, he says: ”Woe is me,…my soul has dwelt too long” (Psalm 120: 5, 6); “When shall I come and appear before God?” (2); “I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1: 23); and, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (2) … Yes indeed; because of their fervent desire to enjoy beholding the divine beauty, they pray for their meditation to continue enjoying the Lord all the eternal life. (St. Basil the Great) + “My soul thirst for the living God”. I thirst in my sojourn, in my running; and my thirst will be quenched once I arrive there! (St. Augustine) https://coptic-treasures.com/ + “When shall I come and appear before God?”. In this psalm, the psalmist demonstrates clearly the troubles caused by the human weakness, and the comforts given by God. (St. Ambrose) “My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’” (3) According to St. Augustine, the psalmist did not say: “My tears have been my drink”, but “my food”; on account of that if the thirsty eats food, his thirst would increase…. The tears of longing for our encounter with God, would not quench our thirst, but would make it more intense. … He also says: [My tears have been “my food”, not bitterness to me, but sweet, because of my thirst to the Fountain. And the more I am unable to drink from it, “my tears have been my food”]. His tears did not dry up day and night; for the daily preoccupations, however important they are, could not distract him from seeking his God with tears; nor the comfort during the night could appease that longing.. He does not feel ashamed to be seen crying with tears by day, proclaiming his attachment to his God like that of a suckling to his mother, from whom he could not be separated. He finds pleasure in crying in secret during the night, to proclaim the depths of his love for God. As the day refers to a condition of relief and joy; whereas the night refers to a condition of tribulation and suffering, It is as though the psalmist proclaims that his tears would not dry up in his joy, or in his sorrow; for, under all circumstances, nothing would preoccupy him except his https://coptic-treasures.com/ longing for God. With pride, haughtiness, and ridicule, his enemies say to him: “Where is your God?”. Assuming that God’s longsuffering is weakness, they intended to destroy his trust in God, as though He has forsaken him; not perceiving that God, being the Master and Controller of history, He suffers long in anticipation of their repentance and return to Him; or waiting for their cup of evil to become full. “When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me” (4) Instead of being preoccupied with the reproaches of his enemies, or with responding to them, his soul pours out within and upon himself, and not upon anyone else, for it does not trust in any human arm, but enters into its own depths, in anticipation of the transfiguration of the Lord Christ in it, and of His hidden comforts. And lest anyone would probably think that “pouring out his soul within himself” is a kind of despair or of a broken heart, he consummates his talk, proclaiming his full fellowship with his brethren in the life of worship, and in the joy of his heart; saying: “For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise” (4) The psalmist’s flood of tears, pour over his soul in his secret place, increasing his longing to set forth together with the multitude to the house of God, as though to celebrate a joyful unceasing feast. He sees himself in the house of the Lord, as though in an amazing tabernacle, under the shadow of God’s two wings, and His divine protection. https://coptic-treasures.com/ According to some, saying: “When I remember these things”, means that by remembering the joyful days that have passed, our souls moan within us, longing to remain in a perpetual condition of joy and an unceasing praise. And according to St. John Chrysostom, the remembrance of God’s past dealing with us, is a support for us in the present; saying: [Not remembering God as we should, and not bearing Him in our minds continually, cause things to appear more difficult; … for He will surely say to us: ‘As you have forgotten Me, I shall likewise forget you’…. How great is God’s remembrance of us, and our remembrance of Him]. According to some, the psalmist remembers the early days when he used to join the multitudes in the joyful and exultant processions of worship, which have been to him like a divine tabernacle in which he used to take refuge … Through this remembrance, he pours out his soul within himself. Anyway, let our souls pour out within ourselves; not to be preoccupied with the ‘ego’, that would deny us beholding God; but to set forth beyond the ‘ego’, to behold God who cares for us, to enter into His amazing tabernacle, and to have our place in His holy house. In other words, what keep us from beholding God, are not the enemies who reproach us, saying: “Where is your God?”; but it is rather not encountering our souls, and not going beyond the ‘ego’, that corrupts beholding God, and our fellowship with His people, with the joyful spirit of worship, and our entrance into the divine tabernacle. Commenting on this verse, St. Augustine says: [Feeling comfortable within herself, the soul will see nothing beyond herself; and will consequently not behold God. https://coptic-treasures.com/ By letting God dwell above my soul, He can see me, guide me, and care for me; From up there, He would listen to me, call me, direct me along the way to my ultimate goal. He says, I will go to the amazing tabernacle, to the house of God, where I find amazing things, which I admire. God’s tabernacle on earth are the believers; in whom I admire their control of their carnal members; and in whom it is said: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts; and do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present … your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6: 12, 13). There, in the sanctuary of God, in the house of God, we find the fountain of understanding. In the house of God there is an endless feast; for there, we find an occasion to be celebrated, not just once and for all; but there, an angelic choir holds a holy feast in the presence of the face of God; there will be the joy that will never fail]. According to the scholar Origen, the psalmist’s soul here is the bride who sings the psalms of ascent (Psalms 120 to 134), and the song of songs, on entering the house of God, the secret place of the Groom. “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, for the help of His countenance” (5) Perceiving that the secret of the bitterness of his soul, and its being cast down, is not the reproaches of the enemies, nor their oppression, but his own inner weakness; the https://coptic-treasures.com/ psalmist knows that her joy is in God her Savior, who lifts up her failing face, as though from the dust, from the bondage of the temporal things, and the confusion by the earthlies, to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit of God, and to enjoy fellowship with the heavenlies. If the sin is what destroys the soul, it is only God the Savior, who can restore her splendor and salvation. + Behold, We now enjoy certain inner gladness; We enjoy the eye of the mind, capable of seeing, even for a passing glimpse, an unchangeable thing. “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?... Do you doubt your God?!; … Hope in Him; … And it is as though his soul answers him, in secret, saying: [Why should I not be; except that I have not yet ran to where that joy is, in which I plunged even for a moment?!]. (St. Augustine) 2- TRIBULATION AND CONFUSION: (6 – 11) “O my God, My soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon”, from the (little) Hill Mizar” (6) According to St. Jerome, the psalmist remembers God, while he is in the low land of the Jordan, or in the little Hill of Hermon; … For any saint, however holy he is, would see himself in humiliation, as though in the low land of the Jordan; longing to ascend up to the tops of the mighty mountains; and even reaching up to the heavenly life. If the worries of the world that crawl into the heart, bring it down to the low land of the Jordan; There, as well, we would hope for God’s mercies, For there, we encounter the Lord Christ, who emptied Himself, and descended to the water of the Jordan, to grant us the open heavens, to make us hear the joyful voice of the Father, and to grant us the https://coptic-treasures.com/ gift of His Holy Spirit. These are the blessings of baptism, where we remember God; namely remember the grace of the Holy Trinity in us. + From where shall I remember You?... From the little Hill and from the land of Jordan. … Probably from the font of baptism, where I am granted the forgiveness of my sins; For no one runs toward the forgiveness of sins except him who is not satisfied with himself;… No one will be granted the forgiveness of sins except him who confesses that he is a sinner;… And no one will confess that he is a sinner unless he humiliate himself before God. … That is why I remembered You from the land of the Jordan and from the little hill. … Notice that he remembered God from the little hill and not from the high and mighty mountain. If you ask about the meanings of the words, the word “Jordan” implies (descent or going down); Go down to be lifted up!; Do not be haughty, lest you may be expelled … And the word “Hermon” means (honored). Get discontented with yourselves, otherwise, God will be discontented with you. (St. Augustine) It is befitting of us to remember God from the land of the Jordan, namely, from a spirit of humility, through the blessings of baptism; and from the little hill in Hermon, where we feel that our whole life, with all its possibilities, sanctified to the account of the Lord, in His possession, and the world has no place in it…. I am small, yet I am sanctified by, and in the Lord, through the work of His Holy Spirit in me. By the land of the Jordan, and by Hermon, he probably means those returning from captivity; see them as they come close to the border of their land, stand to contemplate in God’s work with them; After seventy years, when there was no more hope of return, here He brings them back to rebuild the temple!... It is the portrait of every believer, returning to God after his fall, feeling set free from the bondage of captivity, and set forth toward his heavenly home; joyfully standing at the border, to contemplate in God’s https://coptic-treasures.com/ dealings with him, not forsaking his soul to bow underneath the yoke of bondage, but granting her the glorious liberty of the children of God. There, at the River Jordan, remembering how many troubles he has suffered; yet remembering as well, the mercies of God he has tasted; man would say together with the psalmist: “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All of Your waves and billows have gone over me. The Lord will command His loving kindness in the daytime; and in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life” (7, 8) That was the condition of the people of the old, when God brought over them the Assyrians, then the Chaldeans, to chasten them. … And that was the condition of the prophet Jonah fleeing from the face of God; when he, while in the belly of the whale, prayed saying: “For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; all Your billows and Your waves passed over me” (Jonah 2: 3). He praises God who allowed for him to go through tribulation after another, to bring him forth, as though to the depth of the sea; Yet He turned the salty sea into a river of sweet water around him; and turned his barren wilderness into a fruitful paradise. That was how the billows of God’s chastisement dwelt unto him, which actually showed His fatherhood and mercies. According to St. Augustine, “the deep calling unto deep” are the “wisdom” or the “understanding”. For, with every tribulation dwelling unto the believer, in his relationship with God, he enters into a new experience, and enjoys an understanding of the secrets of God, in His dealings with those He loves. According to father Onesimus of Jerusalem, “the deep calling unto deep” refers to the Holy Book with its two testaments. Whoever enjoys the secrets and depths of the Old Testament, will have his heart go forth to the New Testament, to know its secrets. And https://coptic-treasures.com/ according to St. Cyril, the prophesies of the Old Testament call what correspond to them of realization in the New Testament. According to St. Cyril, as quoted by father Onesimus of Jerusalem, what came in verse 8 refers to what happened in the days of king Hezekiah, when he was put in siege by the Assyrians; when, in the day time, God commanded His mercy, and in the night He sent His angel and killed 185, 000 of their men (2 kings 19: 32 – 35). Commenting on saying: “The Lord will command His loving kindness in the daytime, and in the night, His song shall be with me”, the scholar Origen says: [The daytime refers to the eternal life, with no night, when we get the mercies of God in their amazing depths; As to our daily life here, it is like night, yet joyful, when we praise God, show His glory, for He promised us sure eternal mercies. Anyway, God’s mercies are unceasing; commanded by Him in the daytime, and revealed by bight, when tribulation, suffering, and temptation prevail. We glorify Him in the daytime, as we hear His promise, and praise Him in the night, as He transfigure in the midst of our troubles. Our praise amid the sufferings will be as follows: “I will say to God my Rock: ‘Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” (9, 10) Entering under chastisement, man assumes as though God has forgotten him or forsaken him, although He is actually a Support to His children even among His chastisement. https://coptic-treasures.com/ According to St. Augustine, these words are the cry-out of the Lord Christ on the cross, saying: “O God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?” …. [So our Head cried out as though speaking in our names (Matthew 27: 46; Psalm 22: 1). The psalmist ends the psalm proclaiming that, although his bones were broken or crushed because of his intense tribulation and bitterness; and although his soul bowed in mourning, yet for joy, he trusts in God his Savior. ----------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM PSALM 42 MY TEARS HAVE BEEN MY FOOD + To You, O the living Fountain, my soul longs; I am like deer that pant to the water brooks; And on their way, struggling against the serpents, their thirst increase; Grant me such true longing, to pant toward You; In my sojourn, by Your cross I destroy the ancient serpent; And I will come and appear before You, to find comfort in Your bosom. + My longing burns more; Who can quench it? My tears becoming my food, my thirst for You grows more; My tears will never cease by day, nor stop by night; I shed them during my joy, as well as in my tribulations; I feel no shame of them before those around me; And I am not deprived of them in my secret retreat with You; I love these sweet tears. + By my unceasing flood of tears, I proclaim Your perpetual remembrance in me; https://coptic-treasures.com/ I remember You, and You remember me, You who inscribed my name on Your palm; Grant me never to forget You, lest I hear Your admonishment, saying:: “Why have you forgotten Me; yet even then, I shall never forget you”. + Remembering You, and Your amazing works with me; I would enjoy seeing You, and partake of the life of praise of Your people; Remembering You within me; I see You dwelling unto my soul, as though Your fiery chariot; I enjoy You, seeing me, guiding me, and carrying me forth to You; I enter into Your holy tabernacle, into Your house; Setting my soul a holy tabernacle for You; There I rejoice; and no one can take my joy away from me. + My tears will never dry up, for the sake of Your Word You grant me; As I see deep calling unto deep; As I see the secrets of the prophesies of the Old Testament, revealed; As I see them realized in the New Testament. + With every morning, I listen to Your promises; And with the dwelling of the night, when I enter into tribulation, I discover Your mercies; You remain my victory and my Savior; You strengthen my bones, broken by the enemy; And lift my soul up, which bowed in bitter mourning. + Glory be to You, O my Savior; For You alone, can wipe out my hidden tears.
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