Psalms 146 · The Lantern

Hallelujah. Praise HaShem, O my soul.

I will praise HaShem while I live; I will sing praises unto my G-d while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

To these were added the sons of Maximin, with whom he had already shared imperial honors and whose features he had displayed publicly in portraits.

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation. This he says generally to all: Put not your trust in princes, not in the emperor, not in prefects, not in the judges of the world. Put not your trust in princes. Who are the princes? The sons of men. Who are the sons of men? Those in whom there is no salvation.

The poor Christian sees this, ignoble, sighing in daily labor with groans, and perhaps says to himself: "What good is it to me that I have become a Christian? Am I better off than he who is not, than he who does not believe in Christ, than he who blasphemes my God?" The psalm advises him: do not put your trust in princes. Why does the flower of the grass delight you?

His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his dust; in that very day his thoughts perish.

There are many uses of the word spirit in general in the sacred Scriptures, and a person could easily become confused from ignorance, if he did not know to what sort of spirit the particular text refers. Therefore, we must be sure of the nature of the Holy Spirit according to Scripture.

His spirit shall go forth, and he shall return into his earth. But when he shall have returned into his earth, what will happen? In that day all his thoughts shall perish: all the confidence of princes. All their thoughts shall perish. Put not your trust in princes. Many have trusted in princes. Today he was, tomorrow he is not.

The Apostle says, "I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve with his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted from the chastity which is in Christ." But their minds are corrupted by such conversations: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Those who love these things, who pursue these things, who consider this life alone to be, who hope for nothing beyond, who ei…

Happy is he whose help is the G-d of Jacob, whose hope is in HaShem his G-d,

Blessed is he whose helper is the God of Jacob. These trust in chariots, and these in horses: but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God. They have more helpers: but they are princes, but they are men, but they collapse. We have one, who is able to save. His hope is in the Lord his God.

What then must we do, if we are not to hope in sons of men, nor in princes? What must we do? "Blessed is he whose Helper is the God of Jacob" (ver. 5): not this man or that man; not this angel or that angel; but, "blessed is he whose Helper is the God of Jacob:" for to Jacob also so great an Helper was He, that of Jacob He made him Israel. O mighty help!

Hold most firmly and never doubt that the holy Trinity, the only true God, is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible—concerning which it is said in the psalms, "Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them." Concerning this the apostle too says, "For from him and through…

Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is; who keepeth truth for ever;

Who executeth justice for the oppressed; who giveth bread to the hungry. HaShem looseth the prisoners;

He executeth judgment for them that suffer wrong. Even if it comes late, do not despair: coming he shall come, and shall save. He executeth judgment for them that suffer wrong. Let this alone be in our conscience, that we suffer unjustly. Let us hold this in our conscience, that we do not suffer on account of our sins, and that we do not do that of which we are accused.

For it is not free will but the Lord who "looses those who are bound." It is not our strength, but the Lord who "raises those who have fallen." It is not our diligence in reading, but "the Lord who enlightens the blind" where the Greek says kyrios sophoi typhlous, that is, "the Lord makes wise the blind." It is not our care, but "the Lord who cares for the stranger." It is not…

We not only do not hold back, but even encourage, compassion, wisely and divinely set up by the church, that even for such people you should pray to the Lord with us. We also, with tears of sorrow, have pity on the downfall of misled souls.

HaShem openeth the eyes of the blind; HaShem raiseth up them that are bowed down; HaShem loveth the righteous;

HaShem preserveth the strangers; He upholdeth the fatherless and the widow; but the way of the wicked He maketh crooked.

For as long as that blessed husband of thine was with thee, thou didst enjoy honour, and care and zealous attention; in fact you enjoyed such as you might expect to enjoy from a husband; but since God took him to Himself He has supplied his place to thee.

Just as you have; "the Lord, guards proselytes" [Psalm 146:9]. "Proselytes" are strangers. Every Church of the Gentiles is a stranger. For it comes in to the Fathers, not sprung of their flesh, but their daughter by imitating them. Yet the Lord, not any man, guards them.

But what excuse for despondency will we have left if we take to heart God's own promises and the hopes of Christians: the resurrection, I mean, eternal life, continuance in the kingdom, and all that "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of people, the things that God has prepared for them that love him"?

HaShem will reign for ever, Thy G-d, O Zion, unto all generations. Hallelujah.

Psalms146