Psalms 25 · The Lantern

Of David. To you, LORD, I lift up my soul.

To You I Lift Up My Soul

My God, in you I have trusted; let me not be ashamed; let my enemies not exult over me.

Indeed, none who wait for you will be ashamed; ashamed will be those who deal treacherously without cause.

"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.

Your ways, LORD, make known to me; your paths teach me.

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.

Lead me in your faithfulness and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I have waited all the day.

Remember your compassions, LORD, and your acts of loyal love, for they are from of old.

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.

The sins of my youth and my transgressions do not remember; according to your loyal love remember me — you, for the sake of your goodness, LORD.

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.

Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the 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.

"Sweet." Above, the Psalmist asked that his sins be forgiven through divine mercy; here, however, he presents the confidence conceived from divine mercy. And concerning this he does two things. First, he presents the cause of confidence. Second, he presents the faith itself that was conceived, at "For the sake of your name." Concerning the first he does two things.

He leads the humble in judgment, and he teaches the humble his way.

"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…

All the paths of the LORD are loyal love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

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.

For the sake of your name, LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

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.

Who is the man who fears the LORD? He instructs him in the way he should choose.

His soul will lodge in good, and his seed will inherit the land.

"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.

The counsel of the LORD is for those who fear him, and his covenant, to make it known to them.

My eyes are continually toward the LORD, for he will bring my feet out of the net.

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.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am alone and afflicted.

The distresses of my heart have widened; from my straits bring me out.

See my affliction and my trouble, and lift away all my sins.

See my enemies, for they are many, and with violent hatred they have hated me.

"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.

Keep my soul and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I have taken refuge in you.

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.

Integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I have waited for you, LORD.

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.

All those who were reared in the contemplative life, and who never went forth in the ways, or contended and conversed with the multitude, were found to be especially upright and simple, and the integrity which is born from righteousness was found in them, even as also the blessed David joineth integrity unto innocency in his words, "The innocent and upright have cleaved unto me…

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?

Redeem Israel, God, from all his distresses.

"Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles" [Psalm 25:22]. "Redeem Your people, O God," whom You have prepared to see You, out of his troubles, not those only which he bears without, but those also which he bears within.

Prayer offered to God befits a king: it is appropriate for one appointed to rule to exercise complete care of his subjects. This is surely the reason that blessed David offered prayer not only for himself but also for a people entrusted to him, especially as the salvation of the one who reigns wisely and well constitutes the welfare of the whole people.

"Deliver." Here the Psalmist presents a petition for the whole people; hence he says, "Deliver, O God, Israel," that is, that people, or those whom you have predestined to see God, "from all their tribulations." And this will be perfectly in the homeland, when what is said in Rev.

Psalms25

To You I Lift Up My Soul