Psalms 25 · The Lantern

Unto thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul; my God, I have put my trust in thee: O let me not be confounded, neither let mine enemies triumph over me.

For all they that hope in thee shall not be ashamed: but such as transgress without a cause shall be put to confusion.

Shew me thy ways, O Lord: and teach me thy paths.

"And let not my enemies mock me." And let them not mock me, who by ensnaring me with serpent-like and secret suggestions, and prompting me with "Well done, well done," have brought me down to this. "For all that wait upon You shall not be confounded" [Psalm 25:3].

Waiting for God means waiting courageously during the suffering of evils so that when he comes in his judgment he may grant what the spirit of the devoted person was seeking.

As to the second he says, "For indeed." Here the reason for the petition is presented, and it is twofold: as if to say, I ask not to be put to shame and not to be mocked. And first he shows to whom confusion is not owed. Second, he shows to whom it is owed, at "Let them be confounded," etc.

Lead me forth in thy truth, and learn me: for thou art the God of my salvation; in thee hath been my hope all the day long.

Now the ways of the Lord are, we may say, certain courses taken in a good life, guided by Christ, who says, "I am the way, and the truth and the life." The way, then, is the surpassing power of God, for Christ is our way, and a good way, too, is he, a way that has opened the kingdom of heaven to believers.

"Let them be confounded who do vain things unrighteously." Let them be confounded who act unrighteously for the acquiring things that pass away. "Make Your ways, O Lord, known to me, and teach me Your paths" [Psalm 25:4]: not those which are broad, and lead the many to destruction; [Matthew 7:13] but Your paths, narrow, and known to few, teach Thou me.

"Your ways." Next he asks to be advanced toward good things. And first he presents the petition. Second, the reason for it, at "For you are God." Now there is a twofold good: namely of the active and contemplative life. First, the good of the active life is presented.

Call to remembrance, O Lord, thy tender mercies: and thy loving-kindnesses, which have been ever of old.

O remember not the sins and offences of my youth: but according to thy mercy think thou upon me, O Lord, for thy goodness.

When people remember, they stir up within themselves the thoughts of things they had known before. But God, when he is mindful of the rational nature, is in that very nature. It is said that he is mindful of him into whom he comes.

In these words, a very glorious and orthodox statement seems to shine upon us, that no one attains to God's grace by his own merits. For in speaking of God's mercies "which are from the beginning of the world," the church continuously praises the Lord as the dispenser of mercies who does not receive human good works as an earlier step, but first grants his own gifts.

"Remember." Here he asks for the forgiveness of sins, etc. Here he does two things. First, he presents the petition in general. Second, he explains it in detail, at "The sins." In general, however, he asks for mercy. This properly regards misery. The greatest misery is guilt. Now misery is opposed to happiness, which consists principally in the act of perfect virtue.

Gracious and righteous is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

By "youthful sin" he refers to the people's sins in Egypt, where they committed idolatry, remember. So now, he is saying, remember not those sins but your lovingkindness, by which even then you were kind to them in their ignorance and had mercy on them of your own accord even without being asked; and so now, too, exercise such care and lovingkindness for your own sake.

In those expressions what he was asking for was this: According to your great mercy, remember me; remember not my sin but me in loving fashion.

"The sins." Here he explains why he is in need of mercy; as if to say, here I ask for mercy, because I have sins which, so to speak, are worthy of mercy. And he sets forth three things that pertain to the forgiveness of sin. First, he presents the kind of sin, and it is twofold: one of transgression, and another of omission.

Them that are meek shall he guide in judgement: and such as are gentle, them shall he learn his way.

How is it, if God is naturally loving and merciful, that he allowed some people to be subjected to punishments? David added "and upright" to bring out that justice accompanies goodness.

"Gracious and upright is the Lord" [Psalm 25:8]. The Lord is gracious, since even sinners and the ungodly He so pitied, as to forgive all that is past; but the Lord is upright too, who after the mercy of vocation and pardon, which is of grace without merit, will require merits meet for the last judgment.

"Therefore." Here the effects of divine goodness are presented. Now there are three degrees of men in whom the judgment of divine goodness is found. The first degree is of sinners. The second of penitents. The third of the just. As to sinners, God manifests his goodness by correcting them; hence he says, "therefore," that is, on account of his sweetness and uprightness.

All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth: unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

"He will guide the meek in judgment." He will guide the meek, and will not confound in the judgment those that follow His will, and do not, in withstanding It, prefer their own. "The gentle He will teach His ways" [Psalm 25:9].

By using the term meek he excludes the proud and exalted.… "The mild" are just the opposite of the proud, who kick against the easy yoke and light burden with a freedom that does harm to them; God will teach those who do without grumbling what they know has been commanded.

The second effect is that he directs penitents; hence he says, "He will guide the meek in judgment." Now a beast is tamed when, having laid aside its fierceness, it submits to men; so men, when they lay aside sins, submit to God; and therefore he says, "in judgment," namely of correction, because through the judgment of correction they advance to better things, and in the futur…

For thy Name's sake, O Lord: be merciful unto my sin, for it is great.

These are the ways of the Lord. Now, he habitually links truth and mercy, as if to say, this is God's work, this his way, this his action, to accord secure and true salvation to those he has chosen.

Those constantly reared on the sacred Words have a precise knowledge from them that all the dispensations of God our Savior are tempered with mercy and truth: to some, who repent of sins committed, he extends mercy and pardon; others unconquered he proclaims and crowns as champions of virtue, giving his verdict with truth, while admittedly on those caught up in lawlessness and…

He then explains the ways that he teaches; hence he says, "All the ways of the Lord." The ways of the Lord are his processes in some work; as if to say: I have found this way. Now the processes of the Lord in his works are referred to two things: namely to mercy and justice. For if something is said of God and of man, it is understood of each according to its own mode.

What man is he that feareth the Lord: him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

Although the mercy of God mitigated the truth of his judgment, nevertheless, because David was bold enough to make such statements, he was abandoned to his weakness for awhile, and, as you say, to the freedom of his will.

"For Your Name's sake, O Lord, You will be favourable to my sin; for it is manifold" [Psalm 25:11]. You have not only forgiven my sins, which I committed before I believed; but also to my sin, which is manifold, since even in the way there is no lack of stumbling, You will be made favourable by the sacrifice of a troubled spirit.

"For the sake of." Here the confidence conceived from divine mercy and justice is presented. And concerning this he does two things. First, he presents the confidence he has for himself. Second, he invites others to confess, at "Who is the man?" Concerning the first he does two things. First, he presents his confidence. Second, he assigns the reason for it.

His soul shall dwell at ease: and his seed shall inherit the land.

The secret of the Lord is among them that fear him: and he will shew them his covenant.

"His soul shall dwell in good, and his seed shall, by inheritance, possess the earth" [Psalm 25:13]. And his work shall possess the stable inheritance of a renewed body.

When the just have been stripped of their bodies, the perfect blessedness that is promised to the saints at the resurrection is not immediately granted; but it says that the soul is able "to dwell in good things," since even if those rewards have still been withheld, "which an eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have they entered into the human heart," they still feast on the…

Now the will of man is directed to two things in this world. First, that he possess good things. Second, that he leave those good things to his children, and even in these things God satisfies those who fear him in temporal matters. Hence, as to the first, he says, "His soul shall dwell in good things." But it is better that we understand this spiritually.

Mine eyes are ever looking unto the Lord: for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me: for I am desolate and in misery.

One who says and does everything so that he may know God always has the eyes of his soul toward the Lord. If one does not receive the spirit of the adoption of the children, he is not made a brother of Christ, nor is the power of the holy made effectual in him; let him say that he is an only child and poor in riches having been deprived of knowledge.

One who does not look at what is before his feet is likely to run into traps or to fall into the mouths of pits. But what is said here is amazing and true, that we walk cautiously and guide our feet, if we lift our eyes constantly to the Lord, since such looking makes us strangers to all stumbling.

"My eyes." Above, the Psalmist presented the confidence conceived from divine mercy, and to this he also invited others; here, however, from the conceived confidence he again continues his prayer. And concerning this he does two things. First, he premises the preparation for praying: Sir.

The sorrows of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my troubles.

Look upon my adversity and misery: and forgive me all my sin.

Consider mine enemies, how many they are: and they bear a tyrannous hate against me.

O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be confounded, for I have put my trust in thee.

"Consider mine enemies, how they are multiplied" [Psalm 25:19]. For not only without, but even within, in the Church's very communion, they are not wanting. "And with an unrighteous hate they hate me." And they hate me who love them.

In saying "Look on my enemies," the church prays for them to return, because God converts without hesitation those on whom he looks, as in the Gospel the Lord looked at Peter in such a way that he wept.… One could believe that a few people might be disregarded, but the loss of many could not be endured without much grief.

"Look upon." Here he prays seeking help against adversaries. And first he induces God to consider his enemies. Second, he asks help against them, at "Guard." Third, he assigns a reason, at "Let me not be put to shame." He says therefore, "Look upon," with the eye of mercy, "my enemies," so that you may have mercy on them and convert them: Mt.

Let perfectness and righteous dealing wait upon me: for my hope hath been in thee.

Hope does not shame. She is the daughter of uprightness, and uprightness is the offspring of patience, and patience is birthed really in trials that the virtues receive from the enemy and by which the understanding of God is cut off.

"Keep my soul, and deliver me." Keep my soul, that I turn not aside to imitate them; and draw me out from the confusion wherein they are mingled with me. "Let me not be confounded, for I have put my trust in You" [Psalm 25:20]. Let me not be confounded, if haply they rise up against me: for not in myself, but in You have I put my trust.

"Guard." Here he asks for help against enemies, because they are many and wicked; therefore he asks for a twofold help. First, that God guard him in persecutions lest they prevail temporally or spiritually, or that he guard him lest he fall into sin.

Deliver Israel, O God: out of all his troubles.

Placing my hope in you, I took pains to be such a person that innocent people might associate with me and take pleasure in my company.

And the blessed David said that the upright and men of integrity clave unto him, and it is well known that integrity is born of simplicity. Now my speech here referreth to the purity of spirit which ariseth in the soul after the flight of all wickedness; for the order of natural simplicity is one thing, and the order of purity of the spirit is another.

Another reason is that your friends lean upon me. Sometimes God frees someone not because of his own merits, but lest friends of God perish together with him upon whom they lean. When he says, "The innocent and upright have clung to me," the innocent are those who turn away from evil, the upright are those who do good: Sir. 13: "Every living creature loves its like." And why?

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