Psalm 102 (101):5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Behold, a humble man prays openly, not discreetly. This allows us to hear him and understand his identity: could it be he whom the Apostle stated, “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be enriched”? (2 Corinthians 8:9) Yet if this is He, how can He be poor? In what manner can one who is blind to riches be wealthy? Who surpasses Him in riches, considering that all wealth was created by Him, including those riches that ultimately hold no true value? For through Him, we find abundance: our capacities, memories, virtues, health, senses, and the integrity of our being are secured—so much so that even the impoverished find wealth. Through Him, we also gain those invaluable treasures: faith, godliness, righteousness, love, purity, and good conduct—none possess these except through Him who justifies the ungodly. What incredible riches! How can we truly grasp these words from such a wealthy individual? “I ate ashes as bread and mingled my drink with tears.” Has true wealth been reduced to this? The first blessing is grand, this one humble. Yet, let us verify if this humble man is indeed Him; since the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Consider also the phrases, “I am your servant, and the son of your servant.” This servant is pure, a virgin, and a mother; for He embraced our poverty by donning the nature of a servant, emptying Himself so that you would not fear His wealth and hesitate to approach Him in your own state of destitution. Here, He assumed the form of a servant, enveloping Himself in our needs; He became poor so that we might become rich. We are gradually coming to comprehend these truths about Him, yet we must be cautious about declaring them too boldly.

Let Him then add poverty to poverty; let Him transform our humble bodies into His own; let Him be our Head while we become His members, that we may become one flesh (Philippians 3:21). He desires to embrace us as His own. Among His members are also the repentant ones. They are not isolated from His Church, and He would not have taken the Church as His bride if it were not for His proclamation, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Thus, let us listen to the words of the Head and the Body, the Bridegroom and the Bride, Christ and the Church—united as one. The Word and the flesh are distinct; the Father and the Word are one; yet Christ and the Church represent one Person, one complete man in the fullness of His nature. Therefore, let us listen to Christ, who is present among us in our poverty, for it is in His very title that He identifies with the poor. Ultimately, reflect upon who this poor man is, let us hear his prayer, and come to know his identity; and do not be led astray when anything is said that cannot apply to Him; this is why I began with the caution that what you hear in this context can be understood as stemming from the frailty of the flesh, and recognize the voice of the body in the Head. This is the prayer of the suffering man, when he was tormented and cried out before the Lord. This same poor man says elsewhere, “From the ends of the earth I will call upon Thee when my heart is in travail.” He suffers because He is also Christ, who through the Prophet declares Himself both Bridegroom and Bride: “He hath put a diadem upon me as the bridegroom, and as the bride hath adorned me with jewels” (Isaiah 61:10). He referred to Himself as the Bridegroom and the Bride; for what does this mean except that the Bridegroom signifies the Head, and the Bride represents the Body? Therefore, they form one voice, for they are of one flesh. Let us hear and find ourselves in these words; and if we discern that we are outside, let us strive to be included.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to Thee,” (Psalm 100:1). “Hear my prayer, Lord,” is akin to saying, “Let my cry come to Thee,” revealing the heartfelt appeal of the petitioner through repetition. “Turn not Thy face away from me.” When has God turned His face away from His Son? Has the Father ever forsaken Christ? But in consideration of the vulnerability of His members, He implores: turn not Thy face away from me; in the day of my lament, lend me Your ear (Psalm 101:2). You are in distress now, and I share in that turmoil; tomorrow, others will face trouble, and I will share in that, and even to the very end of time, anyone in distress within my body, I am with them. Peter prayed, Paul prayed, and the other Apostles prayed; the faithful prayed in those times, the faithful will continue praying for generations to come. Soon, I plead for that which You are prepared to give. I do not seek earthly things, like a worldly man; having finally been freed from my past captivity, I yearn for the heavenly kingdom. Respond swiftly, for with such yearning You have declared, “Even while Thou speakest, I will say, Here am I” (Isaiah 58:9). What do you call out for? What grief do you bear? What do you ask relief for? O poor one, standing before the gates of the all-rich, in what desire do you plead? For what need do you seek relief? What necessity spurs you to knock that they may open?

“For my days have vanished like smoke” (Psalm 100:3). O days! If days, for where time is heard, there light is understood. My days, my seasons; thus, like smoke—cannot it be said this arises from pride? Observe how smoke, like vanity, rises, expands, and ultimately disappears—therefore, it rightly fades, not enduring. “And my bones are burnt as in a furnace.” My bones, my strength are replete with sorrow, scorching. The strength of Christ’s body has no equal to that of the holy apostles. And yet, observe how their bones endure the flame. If someone is offended, should I not also burn? (2 Corinthians 11:29). They are indeed brave, faithful, interpreters and preachers of the Word, living what they proclaim, and speaking as they are taught; they certainly exhibit courage, yet all who take offense constitute a furnace to them. Love resides within their bones, which support all flesh. However, if anyone experiences offense and puts his soul at risk, the burning within the bone correlates with its preferences...

Consider Adam, from whom the human race descended. From him arises human misery. What else but he could lead to this inherited poverty? Let him who once despaired in his flesh now proclaim with hope, “My heart is afflicted and withered like grass” (Psalm 101:4). Rightly so, for all flesh is as grass (Isaiah 40:6). But how did this come to pass? He neglected to partake in his bread. For God conveyed His command regarding bread. What then is the soul's sustenance? The serpent persuaded, and the woman sinned; he touched the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:6), he disregarded the commandment: consequently, his heart was struck and withered like grass due to this neglect. In forgetting his bread, he consumes poison: thus, his heart wilts and withers. Now partake of that bread you have forgotten. This very Bread has arrived—within this Body, you may recall the voice of your oversight and cry out in your need for replenishment. Partake now, for He declares, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:41). You have forgotten to consume your bread; however, after His crucifixion, all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. Post-forgetting, let memory revive; let us feed on heavenly bread to live; not the manna that they consumed and died (John 6:49), but the Bread of which it is said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6).

“From the voice of my groaning, my bones have cleaved to my flesh” (Psalm 101:5). Many groan, and I too groan; I even lament about this groaning, as they suffer due to wrongs committed. One who has lost a coin groans; yet having lost faith, he does not lament. I compare money to faith and find more reason to mourn for one who fails to groan as he should or does not groan at all. He engages in wrongdoing and delights in it. What benefit is there? What loss? He has gained wealth, yet lost righteousness. For this reason, those who know how to lament do so; they who are near the Head and rightly cling to the Body of Christ groan accordingly. However, the worldly do not groan for this reason; they induce their own groans, but we cannot scorn them. Even if they do not lament at all, or lament for the wrong reasons, we seek to correct them, longing to guide them; when our efforts fail, we groan; and in our groaning, we remain united with them.

“I have become like a pelican in the wilderness and like an owl among the broken walls” (Psalm 100:6). Here are three birds in three distinct locations: the pelican, the owl, and the sparrow, corresponding to the wilderness, the ruined walls, and the roof of the house. The pelican dwells in isolated places, often along the banks of the Nile in Egypt. Whatever bird it may be, let us see what the Psalm conveys—it states that it resides in the wilderness. Why question its form, limbs, voice, or habits? As the Psalm reveals, it is a solitary bird. The owl favors the night; ruins—walls devoid of a roof and inhabitants—are where the owl resides. As for roofs and sparrows, you are familiar with them. Therefore, I find a representative from the Body of Christ, a preacher of the Word, compassionate towards the weak, seeking the victory of Christ, mindful of his Lord. (Matthew 25:26). Let us view these three in the context of His stewardship. Did he, in coming to non-believers, become like a pelican in the wilderness? Did he approach believers but retreat? Then he is an owl among the ruins; he does not abandon even the darkness of those in the night, wishing to rescue them. If he does not reach out to believers who seem to have departed from their faith but walk ardently in belief, what of the sparrow? The sparrow does not call to them in the wilderness since they are Christians; nor among the ruins as they have not collapsed; rather, beneath the roof, which points to the flesh. The sparrow calls from above flesh, proclaiming, and does not avoid God’s commandments, nor become worldly to submit to the flesh. What you hear whispered, proclaim from the rooftops (Matthew 10:27). There are three birds in three locations; a single person may embody all three, or three individuals may represent them separately; and these three categories represent three groups of people. The wilderness, the ruins, and the roof signify three distinct groups.

As stated in another passage, ‘Like grass are the days of man’ (Psalm 102:15). This reflects the nature of human life: it blooms and swiftly fades away. ‘For I forgot to eat my bread.’ The psalmist did not use the terms ‘unwilling’ or ‘neglected.’ My awareness of my transgressions and my deep contrition were such that I lost the desire for food, consumed with longing for God and engrossed in thoughts of Him alone.

I am akin to a weed, and my spirit is parched. I resemble grass and have faded from my original vibrancy. I have neglected to produce my sustenance. See v. 6

I have been diminished like grass, and my spirit has faded. Just as grass that has been mowed wilts, so too have I withered due to my passions, leaving my heart parched, receiving no comfort to rekindle the fire of my desires. I have, indeed, forgotten to take in my bread. He notes that from my deep sorrow I have also lost the will to eat; for the ancients referred to the desire for food as a reminder of nourishment, while its absence signifies forgetfulness. Theodoret observes: Like grass, I have faded and forfeited my previous vigor, losing all appetite and entirely losing my former well-being. The weight of sorrow has drained my body, leaving my skin clinging to bare bones.

In this passage, the Prophet illustrates a condition even more dire than in the previous verse, comparing himself and his heart to mown grass. Just as grass that has been cut off can no longer absorb water and thus loses its strength derived from the roots, so he expresses that his heart feels as if it has been uprooted or severed, stripped of its inherent vitality due to overwhelming sorrow, which has reached a level that renders him unable to consume regular sustenance. He further notes that his entire body has become so parched from relentless anguish and frequent lamentation that his bones cling to his skin.

This passage refers to the individual in need, who, due to his iniquities, is stripped of God's grace, yet seeks to restore it. He humbles himself in sincere repentance and deep sorrow, pouring out his tears to the Lord, who is abundant in mercy (Eph. 2:4). Christ the Lord, the Father of all, took on human form for the benefit of everyone. He was sinless but chose to liberate sinners, humbling Himself to the point of death on the cross (Phil. 2:8) and reviving those who had succumbed to their transgressions. With earnest prayers and appeals, He cried out to the One who could rescue Him from death, and having been heard, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him (Heb. 5:7-9), for in Him we are enriched in every way (1 Cor. 1:5).