In this Psalm, we learn that when we proclaim Hallelujah, meaning ‘Praise the Lord,’ we should respond with praise when we hear the phrase, “Confess to the Lord” (Psalm 116:1). Our praise to God can be summed up in the simple words: ‘For He is good.’ There is a weightiness to this simplicity, as God's goodness is such a profound attribute that even the Son of God challenges those who call Him the Good Teacher—a title given without understanding the fullness of His divine essence—by asking, ‘Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God’ (Mark 10:17-18). This indicates that to acknowledge Him as good is to recognize Him as God. This message is directed to a redeemed people, liberated from toil and the company of the wicked, granted freedom through God's grace, who not only refrains from repaying evil with evil but instead responds to evil with goodness; thus, it is fitting to add, ‘Because His mercy endures forever.’
Let Israel now acknowledge that He is good, and that His mercy endures forever (Psalm 116:2). Let the house of Aaron now acknowledge His everlasting mercy (Psalm 116:3). Yes, let all who revere the Lord now declare that His mercy is eternal (Psalm 116:4). Beloved, you certainly recall what the house of Israel represents and that the house of Aaron fears the Lord; both encompass the small and the great, represented joyfully in your hearts in another psalm. We should all celebrate our unity in His grace, acknowledging that He is good, and His mercy lasts forever. For they were heard saying: ‘May the Lord multiply you and your children;’ this pertains to the Israelites who believed in Christ, particularly the apostles, and signifies the inclusion of a multitude of Gentiles for the exaltation of the complete and the obedience of children. Together, as one in Christ, we have become one flock under one Shepherd, and His body, united as one, can proclaim, ‘I called upon the Lord in trouble, and the Lord heard me’ (Psalm 116:5). Our afflictions may be narrow in scope, yet the path we tread is boundless. Who can bring any charge against God’s chosen people? (Romans 8:33)
The Lord is my helper; I will not dread what man may do to me (Psalm 116:6). But are men the sole adversaries of the Church? What is a man devoted to flesh but flesh? Nonetheless, the apostle points out that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). This refers to the devil and his minions, whom he defines as the ruler of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Thus, hear this: The Lord is my aid; therefore, I will disregard my foes (Psalm 116:7). Regardless of whether my enemies arise from wicked people or malevolent spirits, with the Lord's support—whom we shall praise and exalt—they will be disregarded.
However, when my adversaries are humbled, let not any friend present himself as a trustworthy source, urging me to place my trust in him; it is better to trust the Lord than to place hope in man (Psalm 116:8). Nor should I look to anyone who might, in some sense, be regarded as a good angel for guidance, for no one is truly good except God alone (Mark 10:18). Even when a person or angel assists us out of genuine love, this help is ultimately afforded through the One who made them good by His measure. Hence, it is more prudent to rely on the Lord than on princes (Psalm 116:9), for even angels are referred to as princes, as seen in Daniel’s prophecy regarding Michael, your prince (Daniel 12:1).
Nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord, I cut them down (Psalm 117:10). I was beset on all sides; yet, in the name of the Lord, I repaid them (Psalm 117:11). This signifies the struggles and victories of the Church. When asked how such great evil could be overcome, the speaker reflects on earlier experiences and articulates the internal pressures he faced. The omission of the repeated phrase “all nations” here is significant, as it pertains specifically to the actions of the Jews. These same religious leaders—the body of Christ, for whose sake the immortal was manifested through the mortal—suffered at the hands of those whose nature led Him to be crucified.
Like bees swarming a hive, they attacked me, and burned like fire among thorns; yet in the name of the Lord, I brought vengeance upon them (Psalm 117:12). The sequence of words mirrors the unfolding of events. Our Lord, the Head of the Church, faced His persecutors akin to bees encircling their hive. The Holy Spirit highlights the paradox of how those who inflicted harm unknowingly contributed to our greater good, as their persecution ultimately sweetened His Passion for us, allowing us to taste and see the goodness of the Lord who died for our sins and was raised again for our justification (Romans 4:25). The reference to the burning, resembling fire amid thorns, illustrates the scattered people of His Body, who were engulfed by nations while enduring the flames of persecution. The avenging of such actions might imply either that those who once persecuted joined Christ's people or that the unrepentant will ultimately realize the truth of their Judge.
Though I felt as frail as sand and stumbled, the Lord supported me (Psalm 117:13). Despite the great multitude of believers, they may be likened to countless grains of sand unified in fellowship. However, who is man that You should remember him? The multitude of Gentiles could not outnumber the ranks of the faithful; yet, it is the Lord who has sustained me. The persecution of the Gentiles has not led to the demise of the faithful united by their faith.
The Lord is my strength and my song, becoming my salvation (Psalm 116:14). It is those who rely on their own strength and glory who ultimately stumble. No one falters in contention unless their strength and praise fail. Therefore, whoever’s strength and praise lie in the Lord is as immovable as He is, and thus, He became their salvation—not by changing into what He had not been before, but because those who believed in Him transformed into something new, making Him salvation to them when they turned towards Him, which He was not to them when they turned away.
The voice of joy and health rings in the homes of the righteous (Psalm 117:15), where adversaries expected sorrow and destruction. They were ignorant of the profound joy residing in the future hope of the saints. The apostle expresses this sentiment: ‘I grieve, yet I rejoice always’ (2 Corinthians 6:10), affirming, ‘And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations’ (Romans 5:3).
The right hand of the Lord has performed mighty deeds (Psalm 117:16). What great deeds, you may ask? The right hand of the Lord has elevated me. Such greatness is to uplift the humble, elevate the mortal to divine status, transform weakness into strength, and replace suffering with triumph—offering help and lifting up from distress so that the true deliverance of God may be revealed to those who suffer, while salvation proves futile to their persecutors. These deeds are indeed remarkable; listen as he reiterates: the right hand of the Lord has accomplished marvelous things.
I will not die, but live to proclaim the works of the Lord (Psalm 117:17). Despite the foes who sow destruction and death around them, they mistakenly believed that the Church of Christ was perishing. Behold, he now declares the deeds of the Lord. Throughout, Christ shines as the honor of the blessed martyrs. Defeated, He triumphs over those who struck Him; enduring torment, He prevails over the tormentors; and loving those in rebellion.
Yet, why do the Body of Christ, the Holy Church, the adopted children, endure such humiliations? The Lord has chastened and corrected me, but has not delivered me to death (Psalm 116:18). Let not the arrogant wicked suppose that their power is unwarranted; it would not exist were it not granted from above. A father may instruct his children to be guided by the most undeserving servants; even while he reserves an inheritance for the former, he restrains the latter. What is this inheritance? Is it gold, silver, precious stones, or fine land? Reflect on our entry into it, and discern its true nature.
"Open to me," he implores, "the gates of righteousness" (Psalm 117:19). We have heard of this gate; what lies beyond? “So that I may enter and give thanks to the Lord.” This is a confession of praise, filled with wonder, in the voice of delight, a declaration of appreciation among those who celebrate. This represents the eternal bliss of the righteous, through which those dwelling in the house of the Lord are blessed as they praise Him forever.
Consider how they enter by the gates of righteousness. Behold, the righteous shall enter through the gate of the Lord (Psalm 116:20). Let no wicked person enter that Jerusalem, which allows no uncircumcised individuals, where it is declared, “Outside are the dogs” (Revelation 22:15). It suffices that, during my long wandering, I dwelt among the tents of Kedar; I endured the company of the unrighteous until the end, yet this is the gate of the Lord: the righteous shall enter therein.
I give thanks to You, O Lord, for You have heard me and have become my salvation (Psalm 116:21). The confession of one who does not display his wounds to the physician but expresses gratitude for the healing received is often commendable. But the Physician Himself is Salvation.
Who is this about whom we speak? “The stone which the builders rejected” (Psalm 116:22); yet this stone became the head of the corner, creating in Himself a single new man from the two, thus establishing peace, reconciling both to God in one body (Ephesians 2:15-16)—that is, the circumcised and the uncircumcised.
The Lord made it to become the chief stone of the corner (Psalms 117:23). He would not have achieved this title had He not endured suffering, yet the builders’ rejection was not the means by which He became this cornerstone. Those who built disregarded Him, but through the foundation laid by God, He was established as the chief stone they overlooked. This is marvelous in our eyes—in the eyes of the inner man, of believers, of those who hope and love; not in the earthly sight of those who disdained Him as merely human.
“This is the day the Lord has made” (Psalm 117:24). The psalmist recalls that since the Lord has inclined His ear to him, he will call upon Him for the entirety of his life, reflecting on previous experiences; hence he proclaims this day as one of salvation. It is the day corresponding to the affirmation, “In a favorable time I heard you, and in the day of salvation I assisted you” (Isaiah 49:8)—the day when he, the Mediator, became the chief stone. Let us, therefore, rejoice and be glad in Him.
“Save me, O Lord; prosper my path, O Lord” (Psalm 116:25). As this is the day of Salvation, I ask for deliverance; for we, having returned from a long journey, find ourselves distanced from those who despised the world, with whom we were at peace, and who waged war upon us without reason; prosper our return, for You have become our Way.
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 117:26). Accursed is he who comes in his own name, for as stated in the Gospel, “If another comes in his own name, him you will receive” (John 5:43). We bless you from the house of God. I believe these words are spoken by the great to the small, those who, though spiritually great, still moderate their words for the sake of the little ones. They encourage sincere expressions like that of the apostle: “For if we are out of ourselves, it is for God; or if we are sober, it is for your sake” (2 Corinthians 5:13-14). They bless the children from the inner sanctum of the Lord, where this praise persists from generation to generation; so, consider what they declare from there.
THEOSIS