Psalm XXXV
1…The title of it causeth us no delay, for it is both brief, and to be understood not difficult, especially to those nursed in the Church of God. For so it is, “To David himself.” The Psalm then is to David himself: now David is interpreted, Strong in hand, or Desirable. The Psalm then is to the Strong in hand, and Desirable, to Him who for us hath overcome death, who unto us hath promised life: for in this is He Strong in hand, that He hath overcome death for us; in this is He Desirable, that He hath promised unto us life eternal. For what stronger than that Hand which touched the bier, and he that was dead rose up? What stronger than that Hand which overcame the world, not armed with steel, but pierced with wood? Or what more desirable than He, whom not having seen, the Martyrs wished even to die, that they might be worthy to come unto Him? Therefore is the Psalm unto Him: to Him let our heart, to Him our tongue sing worthily: if yet Himself shall deign to give somewhat to sing.…
2“Judge Thou, O Lord” (saith he), “them that hurt me, and fight Thou against them that fight against me” (ver. 1). “If God be for us, who can be against us?” And whereby doth God this for us? “Take hold” (saith he) “of arms and shield, and rise up to my help” (ver. 2). A great spectacle is it, to see God armed for thee. And what is His Shield, what are His Arms? “Lord,” in another place saith the man who here also speaketh, “as with the shield of Thy good-will hast Thou compassed us.” But His Arms, wherewith He may not only us defend, but also strike His enemies, if we have well profited, shall we ourselves be. For as we from Him have this, that we be armed, so is He armed from us. But He is armed from those whom He hath made, we are armed with those things which we have received from Him who made us. These our arms the Apostle in a certain place calleth, “The shield of Faith, the helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” He hath armed us with such arms as ye have heard, arms admirable, and unconquered, insuperable and shining; spiritual truly and invisible, because we have to fight also against invisible enemies. If thou seest thine enemy, let thine arms be seen. We are armed with faith in those things which we see not, and we overthrow enemies whom we see not.…
3“Pour forth the weapon, and stop the way against them that persecute me” (ver. 3). Who are they that persecute thee? Haply thy neighbour, or he whom thou hast offended, or to whom thou hast done wrong, or who would take away what is thine, or against whom thou preachest the truth, or whose sin thou rebukest, or whom living ill by thy well living thou offendest. There are indeed even these enemies to us, and they persecute us: but other enemies we are taught to know, those against whom we fight invisibly, of whom the Apostle warneth us, saying, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood,” that is, against men; not against those whom ye see, but against those whom ye see not; “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the world, of this darkness.”…“The whole world lieth in wickedness;” therefore the Apostle explained of what world they were rulers, he said, “of this darkness.” The rulers of this world, I say, are the rulers of this darkness.…
4And what follows? “Let them be confounded and put to shame, that seek after my soul” (ver. 4): for to this end they seek after it, to destroy it. For I would that they would seek it for good! for in another Psalm he blameth this in men, that there was none who would seek after his soul: “Refuge failed me: there was none that would seek after my soul.” Who is this that saith, “There was none that would seek after my soul”? Is it haply He, of whom so long before it was predicted, “They pierced My Hands and My Feet, they numbered all My Bones, they stared and looked upon Me, they have parted My Garments among them, and cast lots for My Vesture”? Now all these things were done before their eyes, and there was none who would seek after His Soul.…
5…Many have been confounded to their health: many, put to shame, have passed over from the persecution of Christ to the society of His members with devoted piety; and this would not have been, had they not been confounded and put to shame. Therefore he wished well to them.…Let them not go before, but follow; let them not give counsel, but take it. For Peter would go before the Lord, when the Lord spake of His future Passion: he would to Him as it were give counsel for His health. The sick man to the Saviour give counsel for His health! And what said he to the Lord, affirming that His future Passion? “Be it far from Thee, Lord. Be gracious to Thyself. This shall not be to Thee.” He would go before that the Lord might follow; and what said He? “Get thee behind Me, Satan.” By going before thou art Satan, by following thou wilt be a disciple. The same then is said to these also, “Let them be turned back and brought to confusion that think evil against me.” For when they have begun to follow after, now they will not think evil against me, but desire my good.
6What of others? For all are not so conquered as to be converted and believe: many continue in obstinacy, many preserve in heart the spirit of going before, and if they exert it not, yet they labour with it, and finding opportunity bring it forth. Of such, what followeth? “Let them be as dust before the wind” (ver. 5). “Not so are the ungodly, not so; but as the dust which the wind driveth away from the face of the earth.” The wind is temptation; the dust are the ungodly. When temptation cometh, the dust is raised, it neither standeth nor resisteth. “Let them be as dust before the wind, and let the Angel of the Lord trouble them.” “Let their way be darkness and slipping” (ver. 6). A horrible way! Darkness alone who feareth not? A slippery way alone who avoids not? In a dark and slippery way how shalt thou go? where set foot? These two ills are the great punishments of men: darkness, ignorance; a slippery way, luxury. “And let the Angel of the Lord persecute them;” that they be not able to stand. For any one in a dark and slippery way, when he seeth that if he move his foot he will fall, and there is no light before his feet, haply resolveth to wait until light come; but here is the Angel of the Lord persecuting them. These things he predicted would come upon them, not as though he wished them to happen. Although the Prophet in the Spirit of God so speaketh these things, even as God doth the same, with sure judgment, with a judgment good, righteous, holy, tranquil; not moved with wrath, not with bitter jealousy, not with desire of wreaking enmities, but of punishing wickedness with righteousness; nevertheless, it is a prophecy.
7But wherefore these so great evils? By what desert? Hear by what desert. “For without cause have they hid for me the corruption of their trap” (ver. 7). For Him that is our Head, observe, the Jews did this: they hid the corruption of their trap. For whom hid they their trap? For Him who saw the hearts of those that hid. But yet was He among them like one ignorant, as though He were deceived, whereas they were in that deceived, that they thought Him to be deceived. For therefore was He as though deceived, living among them, because we among such as they were so to live, as to be without doubt deceived. He saw His betrayer, and chose him the more to a necessary work. By his evil He wrought a great good: and yet among the twelve was he chosen, lest even the small number of twelve should be without one evil. This was an example of patience to us, because it was necessary that we should live among the evil: it was necessary that we should endure the evil, either knowing them or knowing them not: an example of patience He gave thee lest thou shouldest fail, when thou hast begun to live among the evil. And because that School of Christ in the twelve failed not, how much more ought we to be firm, when in the great Church is fulfilled what was predicted of the mixture of the evil.…
8But yet what is to be done? “Without a cause have they hid for me the corruption of their trap.” What meaneth, “Without a cause”? I have done them no evil, I have hurt them not at all. “Vainly have they reviled my soul.” What is, “Vainly”? Speaking falsely, proving nothing. “Let a trap come upon them which they know not of” (ver. 8). A magnificent retribution, nothing more just! They have hidden a trap that I might know not: let a trap come upon them which they know not of. For I know of their trap. But what trap is coming upon them? That which they know not of. Let us hear, lest haply he speak of that. “Let a trap come upon them, which they know not of.” Perhaps that is one which they hid for him, that another which shall come upon themselves. Not so: but what? “The wicked shall be holden with the cords of his own sins.”