The Protection of the Right Hand and Wings
Are you not men and walking according to man? The works of men happen to be a hindrance to speaking, and the failure to find truth in him, having been ignited by God through trials and those nearby (Ps 16:4b).
The paths bearing one toward virtue seem to be hard, having much roughness; for how is the path not hard, which commands the one being struck to a place beyond the jaws, and the rest of the hand to receive insult? In addition to this, a rough path seems to be one through which someone struggles toward death for the sake of the truth. And it is, through injuries, the most bitter of threats, of fire and iron and the assault of wild beasts, the completion of this; except even if these paths and those related to them are hard, they are guarded because of the words of the lips of the protecting God, and they are made smooth as if they were no longer something hard or heavy. For John indeed writes, 'And his commandments are not heavy' (1 John 5:3), and Jesus says to those hearing his words, 'My yoke is good and my burden is light' (Matt 11:30). For from much habituation and training, approaching without interruption, the heavy things appear most light, and the bitter and joyless things are made upright with much ease.
But the paths of the Lord and of his saints happen to be the keeping of the commandments (Ps 16:5a), rather the energies according to virtue, being shown to be smooth and even, having been developed from constantly suffering toil by those hurrying to reach their end; and their end is blessedness and the fulfillment of the promises. Let us therefore run according to them, so that we may find salvation, not wavering in our steps, that is to say, not stumbling. And if the Lord should prepare them in his paths, he says of one having obtained this request: 'I ran without lawlessness and directed myself, and I ran the path of your commandments' (Ps 16:6), and 'You have enlarged my heart' (Ps 16:7).
'I have cried out' (Ps 16:7) is to be heard spiritually; for it is not necessary to have cried out toward the invisible God with a loud voice, but with an attentive mind; this is the cry of the inner man. His mercies are wonderful upon those hoping in him, even if they have something more paradoxical regarding the mercies having become through favor, as the God inclining toward us hears the words of the voice.
Nothing else is our power, but the power descending through goodness to receive our words. For this, the eyes of the Lord shall be upon the righteous, and his eyes toward them for their prayer (Ps 16:8).
The right hand of God will be no other than his only-begotten Son, as was said a little earlier: 'Delight is at your right hand unto the end' (Ps 16:7). The devil and his angels, and with them sorcerers and evil men, stand against this, from whom the holy one desires to remain harmless, saying to God: 'Protect me from those standing at your right hand, according to the pupil of my eye, so that my mind may remain harmless; but also cover me in the shelter of your wings from the face of the impious who desire to surround me with misery' (Ps 16:8). It is possible to call the impious and those opposing the right hand of God in various ways, according to the underlying subject. But the voice 'Protect me as the pupil of the eye' does not belong to everyone, but only to the one having been enlightened according to the soul, having the eyes of the heart enlightened. And 'In the shelter of your wings you will cover me' is to be understood spiritually; for the covering powers of God are called his wings, through which he covers and for the sake of good cheer protects the one beseeching to be rescued from the impious who are planning misery against him. For indeed, there are certain invisible enemies making misery for those being caught by them, by bringing them under sin.
The wild and raw nature of those standing against signifies, by saying, that his soul is being enclosed by his enemies who have shut their canopy because of the striving toward matter (Ps 16:9). For the others, through their lusts, are material and fleshy, having been overcome by sin, and they are being shut out from much good cheer and luxury, just as wheat and oil used to be filled. Therefore, the Ally was blocked from their canopy; therefore also their mouths speak pride, not steadily bearing anything friendly or appropriate. For indeed, the enemies, casting out from much arrogance, surround the one saying these things in order to harm and destroy the one who has become sheltered within. For they do not seek anything useful or good, since having become transgressors of divine laws through the...
Greek
οὐχὶ α νθρωποί ἐστε καὶ κατὰ α νθρωπον περιπατεῖτε; κωλυτικὸν τοῦ λαλεῖν τὰ ε ργα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τυγχάνει καὶ τὸ μὴ εὑρέσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ ἀδικίαν ὑπὸ θεοῦ πυρωθέντι διὰ πειρασμῶν καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων. 102 Ps 16,4b Αἱ ἐπὶ ἀρετὴν φέρουσαι ὁδοὶ δοκοῦσιν σκληραὶ ει ναι πολὺ τὸ τραχὺ ε χουσαι· πῶς γὰρ οὐ σκληρὰ ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ παραγγέλλουσα τῷ ῥαπίζοντι εἰς θατέραν τῶν σιαγόνων καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν προχείρως εἰς ὑποδοχὴν υ βρεως παρέχειν; πρὸς τούτοις δοκεῖ τραχεία ὁδὸς ει ναι καθ' η ν ε ως θανάτου ἀγωνίζεταί τις ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας. ε στιν ο τε δι' αἰκιῶν πικροτάτων ἀπειλῆς τε πυρὸς καὶ σιδήρου καὶ προσβολῆς θηρίων ἀγρίων τελειουμένου τούτου πλὴν εἰ καὶ σκληραὶ αυ ται αἱ ὁδοὶ καὶ αἱ συγγενεῖς αὐταῖς, ἀλλά γε φυλάττονται διὰ τοὺς λόγους τῶν χειλέων τοῦ προστάττοντος θεοῦ καὶ ἐξευμαρίζονται ὡς μηκέτι σκληρόν τι η βαρὺ ε χειν. ̓Ιωάννης γοῦν γράφει τὸ Καὶ αἱ ἐντολαὶ αὐτοῦ βαρεῖαι οὐκ εἰσίν, καὶ ὁ ̓Ιησοῦς τοῖς ἀκούουσι τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ λέγει ̔Ο ζυγός μου χρηστὸς καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν ἐστιν. ἐκ γὰρ πολλοῦ συνεθισμοῦ καὶ γυμνασίων ἀδιαστάτως προσαγομένων καὶ τὰ α χθη κουφότατα φαίνεται καὶ τὰ πικρὰ καὶ ἀηδῆ κατορθοῦται σὺν ῥᾳστώνῃ πολλῇ. 103 Ps 16,5a Τρίβοι δὲ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ αἱ τηρήσεις τῶν ἐντολῶν τυγχάνουσιν, μᾶλλον δὲ αἱ κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐνέργειαι λεῖαι καὶ ὁμαλαὶ ἀναδειχθεῖσαι ἐκ τοῦ συνεχῶς πατεῖσθαι πρὸς τῶν σπευδόντων φθᾶσαι ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος αὐτῶν· τέλος δὲ αὐτῶν ἡ μακαριότης καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν ἀπόδοσίς ἐστιν. δράμωμεν τοίνυν κατ' αὐτάς, ι να σωτηρίας τύχωμεν, οὐ κλονουμένων τῶν διαβημάτων τουτέστιν οὐ σφαλλομένων. ο τ' α ν ὁ κύριος ἐν ταῖς τρίβοις αὐτοῦ καταρτίσῃ αὐτά, ὁ ταύτης τῆς αἰτήσεως τυχών φησιν Ανευ ἀνομίας ε δραμον καὶ κατεύθυνα, καὶ τὸ ̔Οδὸν ἐντολῶν σου ε δραμον, ο τ' α ν ἐπλάτυνας τὴν καρδίαν μου. 104 Ps 16,6–7b Τὸ Κεκράξομαι πνευματικῶς ἀκουστέον· οὐ γὰρ γεγωνοτέρᾳ τῇ φωνῇ πρὸς τὸν ἀόρατον θεὸν κεκραγέναι δεῖ ἀλλ' ἐπιτεταμένῃ νοήσει· αυ τη δὲ ἡ κραυγὴ τοῦ ε σω ἀνθρώπου. Θαυμαστοῖ τὰ ἐλέη 29 αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπ' αὐτόν, ο τ' α ν παραδοξότερόν τι ε χωσιν τὰ δι' εὐεργεσίαν ἐλέη γενόμενα, ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ κλίνοντος πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰσακούει τῶν ῥημάτων τῆς φωνῆς ἡμῶν, οὐκ α λλο τι τυγχάνον η ἡ συγκαταβαίνουσα δι' ἀγαθότητα δύναμις αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ δέχεσθαι τοὺς ἡμετέρους λόγους. εἰς τοῦτο λήψῃ τὸ ̓Οφθαλμοὶ κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ω τα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν. 105 Ps 16,7c–9a Τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχ ἑτέρας ου σης τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὡς καὶ μικρῷ πρότερον ει ρηται, ο τε προέκειτο τὸ Τερπνότης ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ σου εἰς τέλος, ἀνθιστάμενοι ταύτῃ διάβολος καὶ οἱ τούτου α γγελοι καὶ πρὸς τούτοις α νθρωποι γόητες καὶ πονηροὶ ἀφ' ω ν ἀβλαβὴς διαμεῖναι ποθῶν ὁ α γιος λέγει τῷ θεῷ· Φύλαξόν με ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθισταμένων τῇ σῇ δεξιᾷ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ μου κόρην, ι ν' ἀβλαβὴς ὁ νοῦς μου διαμείνῃ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου σκέπασόν με ἀπὸ προσώπου ἀσεβῶν τῶν περιβαλεῖν με ταλαιπωρίᾳ ποθούντων. δυνατὸν δὲ ἀσεβεῖς καὶ ἀνθεστηκότας τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ κατ' ἐπίνοιαν διαφόρους εἰπεῖν, καθ' ὑποκείμενον τοὺς αὐτοὺς τυγχάνοντας. οὐ παντὸς δὲ ἡ φωνὴ ἡ Φύλαξόν με ὡς κόρην ὀφθαλμοῦ ἀλλὰ μόνου τοῦ πεφωτισμένου κατὰ τὴν ψυχὴν ε χοντος τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας πεφωτισμένους. Τὸ δὲ ̓Εν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου σκεπάσεις με πνευματικῶς ἐκληπτέον· αἱ γὰρ σκεπαστικαὶ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεις πτέρυγες αὐτοῦ καλοῦνται, δι' ω ν σκέπει καὶ εἰς εὐθυμίαν α γει τὸν παρακαλοῦντα ἐξαιρεθῆναι ἀπὸ ἀσεβῶν τῶν ταλαιπωρίαν κατ' αὐτοῦ διανοουμένων. ου τοι δὲ ἀόρατοί τινές εἰσιν ἐχθροὶ ταλαιπώρους ποιοῦντες τοὺς ἁλισκομένους πρὸς αὐτῶν τῷ ὑποβαλεῖν αὐτοὺς ἁμαρτίᾳ. 106 Ps 16,9b–11 Τὸ α γριον καὶ ὠμὸν τῶν ἀνθισταμένων σημαίνει διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν περιέχεσθαι τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ συγκλεισάντων τὸ στέαρ αὐτῶν διὰ τὴν πρὸς υ λην προσπάθειαν. ο λοι γὰρ δι' ο λων ὑλικοὶ καὶ σάρκινοι, πεπραμένοι ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, τυγχάνουσιν καὶ ἀπὸ πολλῆς εὐθυμίας καὶ τρυφῆς στέατος ω σπερ καὶ πιμελῆς ἐπληροῦντο. διὸ ὁ Σύμμαχος Τῷ στέατι αὐτῶν ἀπεφράγησαν· διὸ καὶ λαλεῖ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ὑπερηφανίαν, οὐδὲν φιλικὸν η καθῆκον εὐσταθῶς προφερόντων. ου τοι οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἀπὸ πολλῆς ἀλαζονείας ἐκβάλλοντες οἱονεὶ τὸν ταῦτα λέγοντα περικυκλοῦσιν ἐπὶ τῷ βλάψαι καὶ ἀπολέσαι τὸν ἐντὸς ἀρκύων γεγενημένον. οὐ γὰρ χρηστόν τι η ἀγαθὸν ἐπιτηδεύουσιν, ἐπεὶ παραβάται θείων νόμων γεγενημένοι διὰ τοῦ τοὺς
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Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
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