Psalms 30 · The Lantern

Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy.

In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice.

For as much as someone directs their intention towards the Lord, they elevate the Lord even more, and they themselves are elevated. Hence, he says: I will exalt you, O Lord, for you have lifted me up. For the holy person exalts the Lord, while the sinner humbles Him.

Human nature did not beseech God and look for reprieve from destruction; rather, it constantly fell to wailing and weeping, with death in view and no expectation of resurrection.

Then when he says "O Lord my God," he shows how he was delivered. And first from interior evils. Second from exterior evils, at "O Lord, you have brought up." The interior evil is infirmity, either bodily or spiritual. Both of these could exist in David and in us, but in Christ only bodily, on account of his passibility: and therefore he says, "I cried out," namely David: Ps.

Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.

No one is able to exalt God unless God has lifted him up. For we are lifted up on high through the cross of Christ, who said, "When I will have been lifted up, I will draw all to me." We exalt the Lord who himself exalted the Father, and as much as he has been in him, he shows the Father to the ones who believe.

"O Lord, You have brought back My Soul from hell, and You have saved Me from them that go down into the pit" [Psalm 30:3]. You have saved Me from the condition of profound darkness, and the lowest slough of corruptible flesh.

Next he says he was delivered from exterior evils: "O Lord, you have brought up." And first from those that were imminent. Second from those from which he was preserved, at "You have saved." He says therefore, "O Lord, you have brought up," etc. This cannot be understood literally of David: because he was not rescued from hell when he composed this Psalm.

For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for thy name's sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.

One does not sing to the Lord by simply uttering the words of the psalm with his mouth, but all who send up the psalmody from a clean heart and who are holy, maintaining righteousness toward God, these are able to sing to God, harmoniously guided by the spiritual rhythms. How many stand there, coming from fornication? How many from theft?

"Sing to the Lord, O you saints of His." The prophet seeing these future things, rejoices, and says, "Sing to the Lord, O you saints of His. And make confession of the remembrance of His holiness" [Psalm 30:4]. And make confession to Him, that He has not forgotten the sanctification, wherewith He has sanctified you, although all this intermediate period belong to your desires.

Then when he says, "Sing to the Lord, you his saints," etc., he induces others first to give thanks. Second he commemorates the benefits, at "For there is wrath in his indignation." Where he does two things: first he shows who those are that owe thanks to God. Second, for what, at "Give thanks." He says therefore: "Sing." Behold how it is a Psalm of a canticle.

Thou wilt bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for thou art my protector.

In the same way that wrath arises from the indignation of God, so even life is generated from his will. If "life" indicates knowledge, … then wrath denotes lack of knowledge. Death is a turning from life. Wrath, then, indicates death, a deprivation of contemplation.

Now, things turned out like this both in the case of Hezekiah and in the case of the salvation of everyone. After the Assyrians applied those awful threats and moved the city to weeping, they sustained the blow at night, and in the morning they filled with good cheer those whom they had forced to weep.

Second, when he says "For there is wrath," he commemorates the benefits shown to all. Where he does two things. First he proposes these benefits, which pertain to the clemency of God. Second he shows a sign of his clemency, at "In the evening." He says therefore, "For there is wrath," etc. The mercy of God is not without justice; therefore he first sets forth justice.

Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

Thou hast hated them that regard vanities, to no purpose. But I have hoped in the Lord:

God is said to turn away his face when in times of troubles he permits us to be delivered up to trials, in order that the strength of him who is struggling may be known.… We pray always for the face of God to shine on us, in order that we may be in a state becoming to a holy person, gentle and untroubled in every way, because of our readiness for the good.

"O Lord, in Your will You have afforded strength unto my beauty" [Psalm 30:7]. But that this my abundance, O Lord, is not of myself, but that in Your will You have afforded strength unto my beauty, I have learned from this, " You turned away Your Face from me, and I became troubled;" for You have sometimes turned away Your Face from the sinner, and I became troubled, when the i…

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy. For thou hast regarded my humility, thou hast saved my soul out of distresses.

I acknowledge the one responsible and shall not be reluctant to admit that all the good things I have are from you.

"Unto Thee, O Lord, will I cry, and unto my God will I pray" [Psalm 30:8]. And bringing to mind that time of my trouble and misery, and as it were established therein, I hear the voice of Thy First-Begotten, my Head, about to die for me, and saying "Unto Thee, O Lord, will I cry, and unto My God will I pray."

"To you." Next he turns to prayer, when he says, "To you, O Lord, I will cry out," etc. And first he sets forth the prayer. Second he assigns the reason, at "What profit." Third he shows that the prayer was heard, at "The Lord has heard." Concerning the first he does two things. First he prays for the removal of evil.

And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a spacious place.

The Lord's descent to earth was not useless, for it gained the whole world! Nevertheless, even after his coming in the flesh, sinners would rather be without his flesh than profit by it. You see, he took pleasure in our salvation and thought of it as a distinctive victory for himself.

It first predestined, then called; and those whom it called, it also justified; and those whom it justified, it also glorified. Will it be able to abandon those whom it has supported with such great benefits up to rewards? Among so many benefits of God, should we fear any accusations or traps from an accuser? But who would dare to accuse those chosen by divine judgment?

Then when he says, "What profit is there in my blood." He assigns the reason in two ways. First in general. Second in particular, at "Shall the dust confess." He says therefore, "What profit?" If it is explained of Christ, in the blood of Christ there was the greatest profit: Mt.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with wrath, my soul, and my belly:

For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed.

The joy of God is not found in just any soul but, if someone has mourned much and deeply his own sin with loud lamentations and continual weepings, as if he were bewailing his own death, the mourning of such a one is turned into joy.… The mourning garment, which he put on when bewailing his sin, is torn, and the tunic of joy is placed around him and the cloak of salvation, thos…

"You have turned My mourning into joy to Me" [Psalm 30:11]. Whom I, the Church, having received, the First-Begotten from the dead, [Revelation 1:5] now in the dedication of Your house, say, "You have turned my mourning into joy to me.

He explains the manner when he says, "You have turned." Insofar as he speaks of Christ, he says two things. For first he shows the change from evils to good, as to interior things. Second, as to exterior things, at "You have torn." Christ had mourning at the time of the passion in himself: because "My soul is sorrowful," etc. Mt. 26. And in his own: Jn.

I am become a reproach among all my enemies, and very much to my neighbours; and a fear to my acquaintances. They that saw me without fled from me.

When you granted me pardon because of my repentance and led me back into glory, taking away the shame of my sins, for this I shall give praise to you for all eternity. In fact, what space of time could be so great, that it could produce in my soul forgetfulness of such mighty benefits?

We have a basis of high repute in the evidence given by the God of all of his great affection for us: "God so loved the world," Scripture says, "that he has given his only-begotten Son so that all who believe in him may not perish but have eternal life." "O Lord my God, I shall confess to you forever": not only in the present life but also after the resurrection I shall offer h…

Then when he says, "That my glory may sing," the fruit of the hearing is set forth. The fruit is the glory of God; and that it may redound to the glory of God can be understood in two ways: either of the glory of the resurrection of Christ, or of the glory of the saints; hence he says, "My glory," given to me in the resurrection, or to be given to the saints in the fatherland,…

I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed.

For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life.

But I have put my trust in thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my God.

My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me.

Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me in thy mercy.

Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be ashamed, and be brought down to hell.

Let deceitful lips be made dumb. Which speak iniquity against the just, with pride and abuse.

O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee, in the sight of the sons of men.

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.

Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city.

But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee.

O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly.

Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.

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