Psalms 60 · The Lantern

O God, thou hast rejected us—hast scattered us, Thou hast been angry, Wilt thou restore us?

Thou hast shaken the land—hast rent it, Heal thou the fractures thereof—for it hath tottered:

Thou hast suffered thy people to see hardship, Thou hast let them drink the wine of confusion.

Thou hadst given—to them that revere thee—a banner, to float aloft, Because of [thy] faithfulness. [Selah.]

That thy beloved ones may be delivered, Save thou with thine own right hand—and answer us.

God, hath spoken in his holiness—I will exult! I will apportion Shechem, And, the Vale of Succoth, will I measure out;

Mine, is Gilead—and mine, Manasseh, But, Ephraim, is the defence, of my head, Judah, is my commander’s staff;

Moab, is my wash-bowl, Upon Edom, will I throw my shoe, Over Philistia! raise shout of triumph.

"Into Idumæa I will stretch out my shoe" [Psalm 60:8]. The Church speaks, "I will come through even unto Idumæa." Let tribulations rage, let the world boil with offenses, even unto those very persons that lead an earthly life (for Idumæa is interpreted earthly), even unto those same, "even unto Idumæa, I will stretch out my shoe." Of what thing the shoe except of the Gospel?

All strangers have stooped and been put under the yoke of Christ, wherefore also "over Edom" does he "cast out" his "shoe." Now the shoe of the Godhead is the flesh that bore God whereby he came among humankind.

For who does not know that sandals are made from dead animals? But the Lord coming incarnate appeared as if shod, because in his divinity he assumed the dead flesh of our corruption. Hence also through the Prophet he says: "Over Edom I will extend my sandal." For by Edom the Gentile world is signified, and by the sandal the assumed mortality is designated.

Who will conduct me to a fortified city? Who will lead me as far as Edom!

Is it not, thou, O God?—thou hast rejected us! And wilt thou not go forth, O God, with our hosts?

Grant us help out of distress, For, vain, is the deliverance of man:

Would a man who was only a man say this of himself? For if a person says this, he blasphemes, and "God does not hear sinners." But indeed Christ says that God hears him. He is therefore neither sinner nor mere man.

So, as I said, the creature baptized the Creator, the lamp the sun, and by doing so John the Baptist did not push himself forward but submitted himself. I mean, he said to the one who came to him, "Are you coming to me to be baptized? It is I who ought to be baptized by you." A great confession, and a sound profession of humility by the lamp.

For the Spirit of the Lord did not say, he who does the truth, that his works be clearly seen as done in the Holy Spirit but "as done in God," which we say are done not in the Father alone, or in the Son alone or in the Holy Spirit alone.

In God, we shall do valiantly, He himself, therefore, will tread down our adversaries.

Psalms60