A Commentary on the Book of Psalms: Psalm 108 — David, in the Person of Christ, Prayeth Against His Persecutors; More Especially the Traitor Judas: Foretelling and Approving His Just Punishment for His Obstinacy in Sin, and Final Impenitence
20 In this latter part of Psalm 108, Christ prays for himself and for his body, the Church; and, as he predicted all manner of miseries to Judas and the Jews, in the first part of the Psalm, he now, in the shape of a prayer, predicts many blessings for the Church. He first, then, prays to the Lord that he may be always at hand to protect him in the Church, and that for the glory of his own name, “because thy mercy is sweet,” or it is kind, and lends itself at once to succor the wretched. He speaks here both for himself and for his body, the Church, and asks for God’s assistance against the persecutors of both, for three reasons; first, because God, being supreme Lord of all, can curb those enemies if he likes; secondly, because he asks it with a view to extol the name of God; and, thirdly, because the mercy of God is kind; and, therefore, God can not only show mercy, but he wishes to show it. And, as we said above, this is a prediction in the form of a prayer, or it is both together. We are, therefore, certain that the Church of Christ will be always helped and protected, “so that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
21 The prophet, still speaking in the person of Christ, goes on with his prayer, having, apparently, in view the time when Christ said, “Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour;” or, perhaps, it refers to the time when he prayed in the garden, and said to his Apostles, “My soul is sorrowful unto death.”—“Deliver me” from this death that stares me in the face, “for I am poor and needy;” for I am destitute of all human assistance, having none to fight for me, “and my heart is troubled within me;” sorrow and sadness, arising from the consideration of my approaching death, have overwhelmed me. Christ said all this in order to show that he was truly man, and, as such, had a horror of death absolutely considered, and as contrary to nature, while he actually longed for and desired the same death, as being the price settled and decreed by his Father for the redemption of mankind; and, therefore, when he said in John, “Save me from this hour,” he at once added, “But for this cause I came unto this hour;” and when, in Matthew, he said, “Let this chalice pass from me,” he also immediately added, “Nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt.” As regards his body, the Church, he asks that it may be delivered from persecutions and temptation, because its members are poor and needy, depending not on their own strength or merits, but, like a true mendicant, on God alone.
22 This is in allusion to the capture of our Lord after his prayer in the garden. He compares it to a “shadow when it declineth,” that flits away insensibly, in profound silence. And thus was the Lord torn away from his disciples, and led captive, brought before various tribunals, even to the very cross, without a murmur, without offering the slightest resistance or defence. “I am taken away like a shadow when it declineth.” I am hurried away from my disciples before the tribunal of Caiphas, Pilate, and Herod, in silence, as silently as the shadow that fades away; “and I am shaken off,” tossed from one tribunal to another, “as locusts,” the vilest of all animals, that are scattered by the wind from one place to another.
23 This is in allusion to the weakness Christ suffered from the fast, the watching, and the labor of the night previous to, as well as on, the day of his passion. For though the life of Christ was one continued fast, he must have felt his weakness particularly at that time, and it is in the knees one first feels the debility; “my flesh is changed for oil;” my whole person is changed in color and bulk, by reason of the loss of the natural fat or oil necessary to support it.
24 This was the finale of his passion; for immediately after that extreme weakness and debility, the Lord became a reproach to the Jews, when they saw him crucified between two robbers; and while he was yet alive they blasphemed him, wagging their heads and saying, “Vah, thou that destroyest the temple of God, save thy own self.”
25 The Lord, in his departure from this life, prays to his Father for a speedy resurrection, as we have explained in Psalm 21, 68, and at the same time prays for real salvation of both soul and body, for his mystical body, the Church.
26 Lest it may be supposed that Christ suffered so much, and died so ignominiously, against his will, and lest the Jews should be able to boast that they were an overmatch for him, the prophet, speaking in the person of Christ, says that this was all the work of God; as St. Peter, in Acts 3, says, “But those things which God hath foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.” He, therefore, says, “And let them know,” all men, especially the Jews, “that this is thy hand;” that this matter, this suffering of mine, this death of mine, has come from your hand, that is, from your will, pleasure, and power; “and that thou, O Lord, hast done it.” Neither Jews nor gentiles could prevail over Christ, could persecute or put him to death, had not God so wished it. They are not to be excused, however, of a most grievous sin in putting Christ to death, by reason of their having been the instruments of God’s will; for in doing so they did not seek to do God’s will, but to indulge their own hatred and malice, and God only took advantage of their malice, of which he was not the author, to redeem the world, through the obedience, love, patience, and humility of his only Son.
27 My persecutors, being quite ignorant of all these prophecies, “will curse” me and my Church, and so the Jews do, even to the present day; “and thou wilt bless” not only myself, by glorifying and exalting me to your right hand, but you will also, for my sake, bless all nations, by adopting them as children through faith and baptism. Hence will come to pass, that those who persecute and revile me, will ultimately “be confounded; but thy servant,” your humble servant and his brethren “shall rejoice” forever.
28 He now confirms what he had previously laid down; and in the shape of an imprecation, he predicts that all the adversaries of Christ and of his Church would be, ultimately, as completely covered with shame and confusion as a person is entirely enveloped by a double garment, a thing that will be perfectly accomplished on the day of judgment. Such will be the confusion of the damned on the day of judgment. And what greater confusion can be imagined than to have the ingratitude, the folly, and the other vices of the damned, exposed before the whole world, before men and Angels, from the beginning of creation?
29 What a contrast to the confusion of the wicked! They will be struck dumb with confusion; but Christ and his elect “will give great thanks to the Lord with their mouth;” that is, with loud shouts, indicative of great joy, and that “in the midst of many,” on this terrestrial theater of ours here; on the day of judgment; and afterwards on the heavenly theater of the celestial Jerusalem for all eternity.
30 They are bound to give all the glory and praise alluded to in the previous verse; “because he hath stood at the right hand of the poor,” Christ and his people, “to save them from persecution;” to protect Christ from the Jews, who persecuted him, which was accomplished by the speedy resurrection of Christ, and also by the protection of his elect, who obtained life everlasting in spite of the demons and human beings who persecuted them. As regards Christ, his principal persecutors were Caiphas and Pilate, who sentenced him to death; but God’s wisdom, the best protection he could enjoy, stood by him, and caused that sentence to be revoked by the resurrection of Christ. As regards the Church, the persecutors consisted of the emperors and kings, and pagan magistrates, who doomed many thousand martyrs to death; and also of the demons, who acted as God’s ministers in carrying out the decree pronounced against the human race; but Christ, in the shape of a most powerful advocate, interfered, by “blotting out the handwriting of the decree which was against us, which was contrary to us, and the same he took out of the way, fastening it to the cross;” and thus saved the souls of the poor. We have here to observe that “God stands at the right hand of the poor;” that is, of those who acknowledge their poverty, and their want of strength, and, therefore, daily knock at the door of that God who is rich in mercy. “The poor” also mean those who have put away all affection for creatures, and, having become poor in spirit, place their riches in God alone.