A COLLECTIVE SONG According to an old tradition, this psalm is considered by ‘Mishnah’ as the psalm of the new year1. It is a part of the liturgy of the fast of the fall season, in which ‘Jehovah’ is proclaimed as the Creator and Lord of the universe. It is sung before the procession enters the temple. God is celebrated as the King who renews the covenant with his people, and seeks from them to keep his commandments. It is thus very close to psalm 81. 1- Preparing the people to debate with the Creator 1 - 7 2- A commitment to obedience 8 – 11 The title: A call to worship and to obedience. 1- PREPARING THE PEOPLE TO DEBATE WITH THE CREATOR: Heading toward the temple, the procession probably started from a holy location like Gihon (1 Kings 1: 38-40); where Solomon was enthroned as king, then, moved on toward the valley of kedron, during which the people used to sing the two verses 1 and 2, then the chorus, inside the temple would respond by singing the verses 3 and 4, proclaiming that the Lord is the king, the Creator of the earth, the mountains, and the seas, etc. Once the procession ascends the mountain of the Lord, the congregation enter the temple through the gate of beauty, and come to be before the Holy of Holies, they used to prostrate themselves to the ground, sing the verse 6, as an invitation to worship before the Creator; and the chorus would respond by singing the first part of verse 7. “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation” (1) In the Old Covenant, this song probably was said, to-and-fro, between those approaching the temple, and the chorus of singers inside it; so that the souls become exulted in the Lord, the Fountain of true joy. According to St. Augustine, no one but the repentant, could practice this invitation to praise God; as it is a call to repentance and 1 Artur Weiser: The Psalms, Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1962, ps. 95. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 81 confession to God, and consequently, to get attached to Him, and to renew the covenant with Him. And according to Pope Athanasius, this invitation is also addressed to Christians to celebrate the feast, not by temporal festivities like the other people of the world, but in the Lord. Whereas, according to Father Onesimus of Jerusalem, the invitation here is directed from the church of Christ to the Jews, the deniers of faith, calling on them to believe in Christ, to gather together in Him, and to enjoy the joy of the Spirit. It is an invitation directed to every soul to get attached to the Lord through repentance, and to a fellowship with Him, to enjoy the heavenly joy. He invites us to a banquet of great joy, not of this world, but in the Lord. By saying: “Oh come”, he invites those away from Him. … To whom shall they come? But to Him, who, by getting together with Him, they would rejoice! But how far are they from God? … Is it possible to be far from Him location-wise; He who is everywhere?... They are far from God, being no more like Him…. by living a wicked kind of life; and by having bad habits, that would be alienated from God1. (St. Augustine) As for us, we have got the feast. We have got the holy day, in which we are committed to blow the horn, calling every one to come to the feast; and to present ourselves to the Lord with thanksgiving. We consider it as our own feast, to sanctify, not for our own sake, but for that of the Lord; and to rejoice, not in ourselves, but in the Lord, who carried our sorrows, saying, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26: 38). The heathens, and all those aliens to faith, keep their feast for their own sake, and hence, they have no peace, and commit evil to God; The saints, on the other hand, living for the Lord; keeping the feast, everyone of them would say, “I will rejoice in your salvation” (Psalm 9; 14; 35: 9). The commandment to the righteous is to rejoice in the Lord; that, by gathering together, they would sing this psalm concerning the feast; saying; “O come, let us sing to the Lord’ (1), and not to ourselves. (Pope Athanasius the apostolic) 1 On Psalms, 95 (94). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 82 “Oh come, … let us shout joyfully to the Lord” … The expression “Oh come”, is an invitation to those scattered and far away through their own preoccupations, to come. The Christian congregation call on the Jews, scattered away by their rebellion and disobedience, and counsel them to gather together in harmony, to believe in Christ the Lord, and to sing the praise of conquest to God, who saves the believers from the perdition of the devil, from the oppression of sin, and from the requirements, and the condemnations of the Mosaic law; who justifies them by faith, grants them adoption, and lets them enjoy the Holy Spirit, and the kingdom of heaven. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms’ (2) According to the Septuagint and the Coptic versions, it came as; “Let us hasten to reach His face by confession; and shout joyfully to Him with psalms” The word “thanksgiving” here, came meaning ‘confession’; either by repenting our sins, or by proclaiming God’s works with us; as all the good works we may practice, are the works of His hands. There is no other way to join the procession to encounter God, except by ‘confession’. Being sinners, we are in need of daily repentance, and confession of our sins. And, as God perpetually works in us, it would be befitting of us to confess them, presenting thanksgiving to Him. I wish we do not imagine withdrawing from the song of praise. And perceiving that confession is an admittance of our disobediences, this, actually is an integral part of the song of praise; As by confessing our sins, we praise the glory of God1. (St. Augustine) Let us be encouraged by His love for mankind, and strive to show repentance before the dwelling of the day when we cannot benefit, any more from remorse. Now, everything depend on us; whereas later, He, alone, will judge and issue verdicts2. The face of God is His Son, the image and icon of the Father, who first came to the world, in the form of a servant; while his second coming will be in his Deity, namely with majesty, glory, and power; 1 On Psalms, 95 (94). 2 In Matt. Homily, 14: 4. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 83 and He will sit on the throne of judgment to judge the living and the dead. Let us then, precede His second coming by repentance, confession of our sins, and thanksgiving for what He has done to us; By seeking His compassion and favor before the dwelling of the day of judgment; and by shouting joyfully to Him by psalms; namely by the tools of the soul; and purifying our bodies by a chaste and virtuous behavior. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) Let us counsel them (the sinners) to lean upon his mercy, lest they would perish by the extreme torments. It is obvious that, if it was God’s intention to severely punish us, he would not meet the transgressions of the sinners by His merciful love. It is also obvious that God has put aside from his mind, the curse, on those whom, by his prior mercy, He made judges of themselves. Accordingly, the psalm says; “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms” (2); And the apostle Paul says; “for if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged’ (1 Corinthians 11; 31) 1. (Father Gregory the Great) “For the Lord is the great God, and the great king above all gods” (3) In the Septuagint and the Coptic versions, it came as; “For you are, O Lord, a great God, and a great king above all gods; for God does not send his people away”. According to St. Augustine, God calls all nations to believe in Him, and to praise Him; … He would never forget His people, from whom the Fathers, the prophets, the disciples, the apostles, and a multitude of others, have come to believe in Him on the day of the Pentecost (Acts 2; 4); … And He would not send his people away by the entrance of the Gentiles into faith; when, in the last days, they would seek the heavenly Physician, to heal the serious wounds that inflicted them, because of their past denial of the Lord Christ. Talking here about the Lord Christ, being “The Lord, the great God, and the great king”, This verse, together with other similar verses were used by some fathers to confirm the Divinity of the Lord Christ. This talk would mute ‘the heretic ‘Arius’; for it testifies and confirms that our Lord Jesus Christ is the great God. it is also supported by 1 Pastoral Care, 3: 29. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 84 what the great apostle Paul wrote to his disciple Titus, saying; ‘Looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2; 13). For He is a great king above all gods, namely above all the hosts of angels in heaven and of the saints on earth; who are called gods, according to the words of God to Moses; “You shall be to him (to pharaoh) as god’ (Exodus 4; 16). Yet, the Lord Christ is the true God, equal in essence to the Father and the Holy Spirit. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “In his hand are the deep places of the earth; and the mountain peaks also belong to Him” (4) According to St. Ambrose, the earth is well established, not on its own, but according to the will of God1. Father Onesimus of Jerusalem believes that, according to his divine care and ordinance, He has in his hand the earth and all its nations; namely, the nations that were before set aside, and far away from knowing him; according to the words of the psalm; “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2: 8). As to ‘mountain peaks’, they refer to the angelic hosts, lifted up in honor and majesty, high above the stars of heaven. They are his possession, as ministers, who unceasingly praise Him, on account of that he created the land, the sea, and all creation to obey Him. He is the Almighty God, in whose hand are the heaven, the earth, and all their inhabitants of men and heavenly hosts, who gather together as a unique chorus to praise Him, who created them and cares for them. Although He is in no need for their goodness and their praise, Yet, He is pleased with their rejoice in Him, and would pour his grace upon them. Just meditate in how awesome it is, to listen, and to learn about God, the exalted in features, the incomprehensible, and immeasurable, in whose hand are the deep places of the earth, “He who looks on the earth, and it trembles; touches the hills, and they smoke” (Psalm 104: 32). Just meditate, in how this imperceptible God, whose splendor of glory, no one can endure; that the cherubim cover their faces by their wings; has condescended to become man! How he took on himself a body from the dust of earth! 1 Cf. Six Days of Creation 1: 6: 22. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 85 How he entered into the womb of a virgin to carry him for a duration of nine months! How he was nourished by her milk, and endured every thing like a regular man! How, although what happened was so strange and difficult to believe, even after it did actually happen; Yet he sent prophets beforehand to proclaim it! (St. John Chrysostom) (St. John Chrysostom XE) “The sea is His, for He made it; and his hand made the dry land” (5) This amazing procession, perpetually moving to enjoy the encounter of the Savior face to face, is not a seen procession, nor is connected to a particular location. Whether man is in the sea or on land, both are made by the great Creator. Our exultation is not connected to a certain place, but to its Creator. Let the sea, then, be disturbed with its waves; And let the Leviathan, the great dragon be stirred up against us; Our Christ commands the winds and waves, and they obey His command. Take what I said about anger as a basis in all your temptations. When temptation charges against you; and disturbs you like violent wind or mighty waves; Wake Christ up; let Him speak in you; for ”the winds and the sea obey him” (Matthew 8; 27). … Who is He, whom the sea obeys? It is He who “The sea is His” (5), and “all things were made through him” (John 1; 3). … Let us then, like the winds and the sea, obey the Creator. … The sea gave ear to Christ, and you do not? … The wind calmed down, and you do not? … What I am saying is that all this is nothing more than a lack of desire to obey the word of Christ. … Do not let the waves disturb your heart; for although we are but humans; yet we shall not despair when the winds push us around, and the tempests of our spirit stir up. Let us wake Christ up; so that we would sail in a calm sea, and reach our home1. (St. Augustine) “Oh come, let us worship, and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker’ (6) 1 Sermon on NT Lessons, 13:3 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 86 According to the Septuagint and the Coptic versions, it came as; ‘Oh come, let us worship, and bow down before Him, and weep before the Lord who created us’. If the heavenly hosts find their pleasure and gladness in worshipping before the great Creator in his glory; Let us partake of their happiness, by worshipping Him, kneeling before Him, and weeping before our Creator. Why weeping?... It is not the weeping of despair, nor of anxiety; but the language of someone who cannot express his feelings with any human language; it is the weeping of a sinner who confesses his sins; and that of the exultant soul in her encounter with her Savior; when the tears of remorse mix with those of joy. Every time we worship down, then stand up, we demonstrate that sin has casts us down to the ground; and that the love of Christ calls us up to heaven1. (St. Basil the Great) Our lord and Savior exhorts and counsels us through his prophet, on how we are committed to come to Him after being so long slothful; saying; “let us worship, and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker” (6); And also; “Return to me with all your heart, by fasting, weeping, and sorrow”. If we think carefully, O beloved brethren; The holy days of the great lent, refer to our present life on earth; whereas the feast of resurrection refers to the eternal paradise2. (Father Caesarius, bishop of Arle) Now, we can flee; … Let us then get up from our fall; … Let us not despair, as long as we are fleeing from evil. The Lord Jesus Christ came to save the sinners. … Let us then come and worship him; let us weep before him (6). The divine Word calls upon us loud to repent, saying; “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’” (Matthew 11; 28). There is a way to salvation if we want; “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25: 8). God is faithful in all his words; He tells no lies when he says; “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1; 18). The 1 Treatise on the Holy Spirit, 27. 2 Sermon 198:1. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 87 great Physician of the souls, is ready to heal your wounds, not only yours, but of all the captives of sin. From His sweet saving lips, he uttered the words; “Those who are well have no need of a physician; … I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9; 12, 13) 1. (St. Basil the Great) “For He is our God, We are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today if you hear His voice…” (7) By saying ‘today’, he refers to the present time; as long as we are in this world, It is befitting of us to listen to His voice, and to obey Him, when He calls us to repentance and to return to Him. He is the Good Shepherd who precedes His sheep, to hear His voice, and follow Him in peace and confidence. Let us then listen to His voice, as long as it is “today”; for we are not sure if there will be ‘tomorrow”! Let us listen to the voice of the divine Word … “Today” is the symbol of Light; and Light to people is the “Word”, through whom we see God the Father. Truly, on those who believe and obey, grace will flow; Whereas on those who do not obey, have sin in their hearts, and do not know the way of the Lord; the wrath of God will dwell2. (St. Clement of Alexandria) The Lord exhorts people to repent, and promises to forgive them, on the tongue of His prophet Isaiah, saying; “I, even I, am who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins; Put Me in remembrance; … State your case that you may be acquitted” (Isaiah 43; 25). Truly. God exhorts the people to repent, saying; “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4; 17). By the confession of sins they would be qualified for approaching the kingdom of heaven; for no one can receive the grace of the heavenly God, unless he is purified from every wrinkle of sin, by confession and repentance, through the saving gift of baptism of our Lord and Savior3. (Father Chromatius) 2- A COMMITMENT TO OBEDIENCE: رسالة 46 رسالة إلى عذراء ساقطة 1 2 Exhortation to the Heathe, 9. 3 Fr. Chromatius: Tractate on Matthew 15: 3. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 88 “Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah; as on the day at Massah in the wilderness” (8) The psalmist warns us against hardening our hearts, as the Israelites have done, when they refused to enter the promised land, with the excuse of being to fight against its inhabitants; when they rebelled against God, and deprived themselves of the enjoyment of His promised land. It is possible; yes, it is possible for everyone who used to be completely negligent, to show himself as zealous; to mend what came upon him of damage! Hence the psalmist says; “today, if you listen to his voice, do not harden your hearts as at Meribah’ (8). He so says, to encourage us not ever to despair; for, as long as we are still here, we would have a good chance. Let us then holdfast to what is before us, and hasten toward the high reward from God1. “Today” in the words of the psalmist, means any moment of our life, even in the very old age; if you wish, repentance is counted, not by the number of days, but by the status of the spirit. Let us take another example; of ‘Ahab’, the most evil of all kings, who sinned under the influence of his evil wife ‘Isabel’. Once he regretted, condemned his own sins, and put on sackcloth, he gained the mercies of God, who said to his prophet Elijah; “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me, I shall not bring the calamity in his days” (1 kings 21: 29). The people of Nineveh did not need many days to have their sins wiped out, but a small portion of a day was enough to be forgiven. So has the robber who was crucified on the right hand of the Savior; he needed only a very short moment of a single word to have all the sins he has committed in his whole life to be cleansed. He got the reward from God, even before the saintly apostles. And the martyrs, have got the crowns of glory, not after several years, but after few days, and even after a single day, in which they received both Christianity, and martyrdom. Hence, we are in need of zeal on every aspect, a great readiness of thought. and a conscience, ready to denounce our past evils, and to choose the other way with a greater activity, according to God’s will, and to His commandments; to gain a great reward in a very limited time. For many who were the last, have preceded those who were the first2. 1 Instructions to Catechumens, 2:1. رسالة من القدیس یوحنا الذھبي الفم إلى ثیؤدور بعد سقوطھ. 2 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 89 (St. John Chrysostom) Who was there, O robber, to teach you to glorify your Partner in crucifixion? … It was the eternal Light who gives light to those in the darkness! You heard those words; ‘Exult! your deeds were indeed not good; but here is a king, distributing gifts! … Your request has come in the right moment; Grace will be yours momentarily! … “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in my paradise’”, for “You have heard my voice, and have not hardened your heart’. … The way I instantly judged Adam, I will instantly forgive you; … Today is the day of your salvation; … By a tree, Adam has fallen, and by a tree (of the cross), you will enter into paradise1. (St. Cyril of Jerusalem) Work diligently on repentance; Plow the land; Take the stones and the thorns away from your field; I wish you do not have a hard heart that makes the word of God inactive in you2. (St. Augustine) “When your fathers tested Me, and put Me to the proof, though they had seen My work’ (9) “for forty years; I loathed that generation; and said, ‘they are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard My ways’ (10) Here, God reveals his grief over his people all along the forty years in the wilderness, whose hearts were corrupted by sin, and whose minds deflected through ignorance of the ways of God, that grant salvation. Sin melds with ignorance, to destroy the heart and the mind, to deny man the chance to partake of the procession of praise and exultation, to proceed toward God to settle down forever in His heavenly bosom. “So I swore in my wrath; ‘they shall not enter my rest’ (11) In the old, the people have walked in a procession through the wilderness, but, unfortunately, they denied themselves taking part in the procession of the true exultation; the entrance into the promised land, where the rest in God is. The Holy Book presents to us several journeys that would grant rest; of which are the following; مقال 1 .31 :13 2 Sermons on N. T. Lessons 73: 3. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 90 1- The journey of the people through the wilderness to enjoy the entrance into the promised land, that refers to the heavenly Canaan. 2- The return of the people from the Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple; a reference to the liberation from the servitude of the devil, and the entrance into the higher Jerusalem. 3- The three annual journeys in the major feasts to the temple in Jerusalem, referring to the perpetual longing of the church to the exultant heavenly life. 4- The journey of the soul from this world through the word of God to enjoy the icon of Christ her heavenly Groom. 5- The experience of the ascension of the heart together with Christ, the crucified, risen from the dead, and ascended to heavens, through the sacrament of the Eucharist. We as well, have got the promise to enter into the kingdom of heaven, through our faith, and the way of our spiritual life, the same as those who received the commandment through the law … to gain the land promised to them; But “the message of the law which they heard, did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrew 4: 2). We, on the other hand, who believe in Christ and His gifts, will enter by faith into that rest; contrary to those, who have not entered into that rest, according to the words of God through David, saying: “I swore in My wrath, ‘they shall enter My rest’” (Psalm 95: 11) 1. (St. (Mar) Ephram the Syrian) It is befitting of him who wishes to enter into that rest, not to go back to the ancient practices, despising the works required by the sound statutes of the law, destined to control the disobedience2. (Theodore, bishop of Messisa) 1Commentary on Hebr., 4. 2 Fragments on Hebr. 4: 4-7. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 91 AN INSPIRATION FROM PSALM 95 LET ME JOIN THE PROCESSION TO ENCOUNTER YOU Your Holy Spirit draws me; To join the procession of Your church; To set forth, exultant, to encounter You; I long to see the whole humanity partake of this procession. We would then, be in an unceasing feast; Our souls would exult in Your amazing salvation; We confess our sins to You, O Forgiver of sins; And confess to You the riches of Your grace working in us; Our whole being would turn into a musical instrument; On which, Your fiery Spirit would play! We glorify You, O Great in Your love; And rich in Your grace. What an amazing procession! The sinners, by You, become righteous; Humans gather together with the heavenly hosts; All sing and praise Your exalted care; All glorify You, on account of that You incarnated for the salvation of men; You have been crucified to liberate those believing in You from the captivity of the devil. What an amazing procession! Proceeding toward You, O Creator of heaven, land, and sea! Let the winds blow, Let the tempests stir up! The whole nature would not be able to corrupt the peace of that procession! For it is a procession going by, and to You. No power could ever hinder it! In this procession, the heavenly hosts worship You; For they cannot stir at the splendor of Your greatness. We, the earthly creatures will worship You; Will confess our sins to You; And will give You thanks for Your multitude of mercies; Our tears will unceasingly flow from our eyes; Tears of true repentance; Tears of joy for encountering You.
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