In Psalmos 101_107

But it is not for everyone to discern the loving-kindness of the Savior's dispensations, nor to keep the divine laws, but it belongs to the one who cries out to the Master: Open my eyes, and I shall understand wondrous things out of your law. And by what he says, They shall understand, he has sent up the vision as intended for those from the nations; to whom be glory to Christ forever and ever. Amen. PSALM 107 A song of a psalm to David. This psalm likewise foretells the return of the Jews and proclaims beforehand the salvation of the nations. And it has great kinship with the fifty-sixth and with the fifty-ninth. And a song of a psalm he calls the doxology that is in understanding; for this will also be shown in what follows. My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready; I will sing and I will psalm in my glory. And we have already said beforehand that the prophet calls his own glory the prophetic grace. Using, he says, the melody of prophecy, I say to you, the Master, that I have my heart steadfast and ready for the reception of your divine grace. For blessed, he says, are the pure in heart, for they shall see God; who also, being confident, will say, My heart is ready, O God. And in power the prophet says: Behold, O Master, the things from my power are prepared for you; send your Holy Spirit, and grant the prophetic grace; for for the service of this I have prepared my tongue. I will sing and I will psalm—if you fulfill my desire, or rather my heart. My glory, the prophetic grace, that is, the contemplative and practical habit.

Awake, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp; I will awake at dawn. I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O Lord; I will sing to you among the nations. The prophet calls himself a psaltery and a harp. For as in a musical instrument, the grace of the Spirit in him struck up the prophetic melody. For he is prepared for the divine inspiration, setting in motion both soul and body: through the harp, the limbs of the body and the senses, by which the mind strikes whatever it wishes; through the psaltery, the rational powers of the soul. And since he has dedicated the firstfruits of his own life to God, he takes up the dawns and the seasons of light, as being more suitable than the whole day. Having roused himself, then, to hymn the Master, he answers again and promises to do this at dawn; inasmuch as at that time he would not be offering the hymn alone, but would make the divine song together with countless nations and peoples. And he calls the dawn of God and our Savior the incarnation. For from that time the light of truth arose; from that time throughout the whole inhabited world blessed David sings in the mouths of all, and hymns the divine benefactions. For your mercy is great above the heavens, and your truth reaches to the clouds. The depths of the heavens are conquered by the greatness of your mercy; everywhere the rays of your truth have run. And we have already said that he calls the prophets and the apostles and those who have obtained the grace of teaching clouds. For through these, as through certain clouds, he brings spiritual watering to men.

For through them we have learned the true doctrines. Mercy and truth are the mystery of the economy of Christ, so that this prophet says elsewhere: Mercy and truth have met together; the divinity and humanity of Christ came together in the incarnation of the Word. But mercy fits the divinity of the incarnate Word, for this had mercy on its own creature; and truth fits the flesh. For not in appearance, as some of the heretics suppose, but in truth has God the Word become flesh. Interpreting this, David said again: Truth has sprung up from the earth, speaking of the humanity of the Lord, which sprang up from our earth, that is, from humanity. Great, therefore, above the heavens is the divinity of Christ because of the glory with which it was glorified by its own powers. For on earth it was unknown, and was overshadowed by the flesh. Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and your glory over all the earth. This the blessed Habakkuk also said: His virtue covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his understanding. This the blessed David also said in the eighth psalm: O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the earth, because your magnificence has been lifted up

...above the heavens. Therefore, "Be exalted," means: be shown to be high and above all things, and let all the earth learn your glory. "That your beloved ones may be delivered; save with your right hand, and hear me." For he asks that grace come quickly, and that the one who is exalted in the heavens reveal his glory over all the earth, so that those may be delivered who can say: "Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love, having predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ our Lord." And the beloved of God are those men who were saved through his love toward our race, whom he also, when he was exalted into heaven, delivered from the ancient captivity, as Paul says: "You ascended on high, you led captivity captive, you received gifts among men." And he calls the right hand of God the good working, or the Holy Spirit, since it is also named the finger of God, as the Trinity has one substance, power, and working. The prophet, then, entreats that we be saved and heard by the Spirit, so that we may become spiritual and partakers of the divine grace. "God has spoken in his holy one: I will be exalted and I will divide Shechem, and I will measure out the valley of tents." The prophet enjoyed what he asked for, and since he said, "Be exalted," the Master answers, saying, "I will be exalted," and he also shows the manner: "I will divide Shechem." And this city was given by special privilege to Joseph.

But I will also fill with inhabitants the valley that had become desolate and had received the tents of shepherds from above, and I will make it ready to be distributed to those who return. By these names he characterizes the gift of the Spirit: the valley of tents, clearly meaning the Churches, since they possess in this valley the gathering of the spiritual waters (I mean baptism) through the provision of the Spirit, concerning which David says elsewhere: "And the valleys shall abound with grain," since the fruit of our salvation abounds in the baptismal pools. And Shechem is interpreted as "shoulder," that is, pre-eminence; for this is what "shoulder" signifies in the divine Scripture. Hence concerning Saul: "High above the shoulder and upward." But what is higher than the Spirit? Or what pre-eminence is found in the gift that comes from there, which Christ, being exalted, distributes—indeed also apportions, that is, divides according to measure? For to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for what is profitable. "Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; and Ephraim is the support of my head, Judah is my king." For I will make my own not only Manasseh, but also his territory. For Gilead is the name of a place, and Manasseh the designation of a tribe. But to Ephraim I will restore his former strength. And I will make Judah to reign over all the tribes. For after the return the tribes have remained undivided; and Zerubbabel was leader of both these and those; but properly and truly the Master Christ, who sprang from Judah according to the flesh, reigns over all creation. "Moab is the pot of my hope.

I will cast my shoe upon Idumea; foreigners have been subjected to me. And I will provide such strength to my people that they will prevail over the foreigners and take the Moabites and Idumeans as subject. These things are stated more precisely in the fifty-ninth psalm. Aquila and the Fifth Edition interpreted it more clearly and plainly, where it is said: Moab is the pot of my washing, that is, the vessel of my washing. I know, having heard a word handed down in secret by a certain Hebrew: for he said that the things set before us mystically signify the birth of Christ according to the flesh from the race of Moab, received through Ruth the Moabitess, from whom comes David the king, from whose seed Christ was born according to the flesh. And it seems to me that God through these things also promises to Moab the grace of calling through the regeneration of washing. Since, then, such things are promised to Moab, he leaves it to us to understand similar things concerning the remaining nations. The proclamation of what follows makes this clear. For the Idumeans were from the hated Esau. I will cast my shoe, then, upon that very land of the hated one; I will tread, then, upon the ancient enemies, ranking them in the land of friends. Who will lead me into the city of enclosure? Or who will guide me as far as Idumea? Will not you, who have cast us off? The prophet, having learned the calling of the nations, and through the fifty-ninth psalm, blesses those deemed worthy to see the things concerning the Jews, praying to be one of them. And "of enclosure"—Symmachus rendered it "fenced about," which is the Church.

He prays also to come into Idumea, over which he will stretch out his shoe, and that the grace which will be given to the nations. But the phrase, "Was it not you, if not you, O God," Symmachus rendered as "he who no longer fights alongside us, but has made us slaves." For we are not defeated when you are our commander. Nevertheless, even then, when others have been cast out by your power, we shall be of the blessed portion, being made strong through you. Therefore he added: "And will you not go forth, O God, with our hosts?" But Symmachus: "And will not God go forth with our armies?" For we were never defeated when you were our commander and led the battle line. Give us help out of tribulation, O Lord; and vain is the salvation of man. In God we shall do valiantly, and he will bring our enemies to nothing. Therefore stop the sorrows, and grant your favor; for it is possible to obtain this from no other source. For all alliance from men, when you do not cooperate, is vain and useless. For this reason we invoke your providence. For through this alone shall we be able to prevail over our adversaries, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.