In this Psalm, we learn that when we proclaim Hallelujah, which translates to "Praise the Lord," we are called to praise Him in response to the phrase “Confess to the Lord” (Psalm 116:1). The essence of praise cannot be encapsulated in fewer words than: “For He is good.” This succinctness carries a profound weight, as God's goodness is such a unique attribute that even the Son of God, when addressed as the Good Teacher—one who sees only His earthly form without grasping the fullness of His divine essence—retorted, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God” (Mark 10:17-18). This conveys that to truly recognize His goodness, one must acknowledge His divinity. Moreover, this is a message delivered in a future revelation to a people liberated from toil and false worship, who are no longer bound by association with the wicked. Their freedom is bestowed by God’s grace, who not only refrains from repaying evil with evil but instead rewards evil with goodness; thus, it is fitting to proclaim, “Because His mercy endures forever.”
Let Israel now proclaim that He is good, for His mercy is everlasting (Psalm 116:2). Let the house of Aaron affirm His mercy endures forever (Psalm 116:3). Indeed, let all who revere the Lord acknowledge that His mercy lasts eternally (Psalm 116:4). I trust, dear friends, that you are familiar with the meaning of both the house of Israel and the house of Aaron, and that they all share in the fear of the Lord. These groups represent both the small and the great, joyfully celebrated in another psalm within your hearts. We should all rejoice in the unity we have in Him, who is good and whose mercy lasts forever; as they were heard exclaiming, “The Lord may multiply you and your children; that to the Israelites who put their faith in Christ, through whom the apostles were connected, an army of Gentiles might be added, for the glorification of those who are perfect and the submission of the little ones; so that we, together in Christ, might become one flock under one Shepherd, and the body of that Head could boldly declare, ‘I called upon the Lord in my distress, and He answered me’” (Psalm 116:5). Though our trials may seem narrow, the vast path we tread has no end. Who can bring an accusation against God’s chosen ones? (Romans 8:33).
The Lord is my aid; I will not be afraid of what man can do to me (Psalm 116:6). But do men represent the only adversaries of the Church? What is a mere man, bound to flesh and blood, truly but flesh and blood? The apostle reminds us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12)—that is, against the devil and his minions, the prince of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Therefore, hear this: The Lord is my helper; thus, I will scorn my adversaries (Psalm 116:7). Regardless of the source of opposition—whether from wicked humans or evil spirits—with the Lord’s assistance, to whom we will sing praises, they will be dismissed.
However, in moments of triumph over my detractors, let not a fair-weather friend present themselves as a worthy confidant, urging me to place my trust in them. It is far better to rely on the Lord than to depend on mortals (Psalm 116:8). And let me not place my faith in any being who might be perceived as a good angel; for no one is truly good except God alone (Mark 10:18), and any help rendered by men or angels arises from the love He imparts to them in accordance with their nature. Therefore, it is wiser to place our trust in the Lord than in princes (Psalm 116:9). Even angels are referred to as princes, as we see in Daniel, where it is said, “Michael, your prince” (Daniel 12:1).
All nations encircled me, but in the name of the Lord, I cut them down (Psalm 117:10). I was besieged on all sides, yet through the name of the Lord, I overcame them (Psalm 117:11). This signifies the struggles and victories of the Church. If one wonders how she can conquer such great evils, we acknowledge her initial mental struggles, as expressed in the subsequent lines: “They surrounded me on every side.” The term “all nations” is notably absent here, as it reflects solely the actions of the Jews. These same people, the body of Christ, for whom all mortal deeds were accomplished with immortal power, were the ones who cruelly persecuted Him, who took on humanity, hung upon the cross, and suffered for them.
They swarmed around me like bees around a hive, and like a raging fire among thorns, yet in the name of the Lord, I avenged them (Psalm 117:12). Here, the progression of events is mirrored in the structure of the verse. We rightly understand that our Lord, the Head of the Church, was surrounded by His persecutors as bees surround their hive. The Holy Spirit eloquently describes what was enacted by those who were unaware of their actions. While bees produce honey within the hive, the persecutors of our Lord, in their ignorance, sweetened His sufferings for us through His Passion, allowing us to taste and see that the Lord is good, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification (Romans 4:25). The latter, which was scorched like a fire amid thorns, is better interpreted as concerning His Body, signifying the scattered people who were surrounded by all nations, gathered from everywhere. They endured the flames of persecution, consuming their sinful flesh and the sorrows of earthly life. They were avenged either because the evil that persecuted the righteous departed and joined Christ's followers, or because those who neglected His mercy will one day experience the truth of their judgment.
I was tossed around like a pile of sand, so that I stumbled, but the Lord sustained me (Psalm 117:13). Although multitudes of believers may seem like countless grains of sand, they can coalesce in unity, yet what is man? After all, what is man that You are mindful of him? The multitude of Gentiles could not outnumber the number of my brethren, but the Lord, He says, has upheld me. The persecution from the Gentiles did not lead to the fall of the united body of believers.
The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation (Psalm 116:14). Who then stumbles when pressed, but those who decide to be their own strength and their own song? For no one fails in a struggle unless their strength and song falter. Hence, one whose strength and song is the Lord will not fall any more than He does. This is why He became their salvation—not because He transformed into something He had not been previously, but because they became something new when they put their faith in Him, and only then did He become salvation to them when they turned to Him, having previously turned away from Him.
The sound of joy and salvation fills the dwellings of the righteous (Psalm 117:15), where those who raged against their bodies assumed there would be cries of grief. They were blind to the inner joy experienced by the saints in their hope for the future. Thus, as the apostle writes, “I am sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10), and again, “we also rejoice in our afflictions” (Romans 5:3).
The right hand of the Lord has done great things (Psalm 117:16). What kind of mighty deeds, you ask? The right hand of the Lord has exalted me. Great acts indeed—to uplift the lowly, to divinize the mortal, to bring forth strength from weakness, glory from subjugation, and victory from suffering—offering aid, raising from despair, so that the true salvation of God might be revealed to those who endure hardship, while the salvation offered to the wicked remains of no value. These are remarkable acts; yet why do you wonder? He repeats: the right hand of the Lord has accomplished great things.
I shall not perish but live, and declare the works of the Lord (Psalm 117:17). The ones who scattered chaos and death all around believed the Church of Christ to be declining. Observe—now it proclaims the works of the Lord. In defeat, He defeated those who struck Him; by enduring trials, He triumphed over the tormentors; by loving those who rebelled against Him, He showed His glory in the lives of the blessed martyrs.
Nonetheless, let us consider why the Body of Christ, the Holy Church, the people of God’s adoption, have experienced such humiliations. The Lord chastised and corrected me, but He did not surrender me to death (Psalm 116:18). Let not the arrogant wicked think their power is granted without cause; for it would not exist if it were not bestowed from above. Many times the head of a household orders his children to be corrected by the most worthless of servants; though he provides an inheritance for the former, he restrains the latter. What, then, is this inheritance? Is it gold, silver, jewels, land, or splendid estates? Observe how we come into this: learn what this inheritance truly is.
“Open to me the gates of righteousness” (Psalm 117:19). Behold, the mention of a gate arises. What lies beyond? “That I may enter and give thanks to the Lord.” This expresses an earnest desire for praise, filled with wonder, echoing within the house of God, in joyous confession among the celebrants; this signifies the eternal bliss of the righteous, through which those dwelling within the house of the Lord are blessed, praising Him forevermore.
Consider how they enter through the gates of righteousness. “This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it” (Psalm 116:20). No wicked person should pass through to that heavenly Jerusalem, where no uncircumcised individual is admitted, as it is stated, “Outside are the dogs” (Revelation 22:15). It suffices that during my long sojourn, I dwelled among the tents of Kedar, enduring the company of the wicked until the end, but this is indeed the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter in.
I give thanks to You, O Lord, for You have heard me, and have become my salvation (Psalm 116:21). How often does the confession of one who does not display their wounds to the physician, but expresses gratitude for the healing received, prove worthy of praise? However, the Physician is Salvation itself.
But who is the subject of our discourse? The stone which the builders rejected (Psalm 116:22); for this stone has become the cornerstone, creating one new man from the two, establishing peace, reconciling both to God in one body (Ephesians 2:15-16)—that is, the circumcised and the uncircumcised.
The Lord made it evident to him (Psalm 117:23); thus, the Lord made Him the chief stone of the corner. For though He would not have become it without suffering, it was not those who caused Him to suffer that made Him so. The builders rejected Him, but in the structure which the Lord quietly raised, He became the chief cornerstone that they dismissed. This is indeed marvelous in our eyes—in the eyes of the inner person, of those who believe, who hope, who love; not in the carnal perspective of those who, regarding Him merely as a man, reject Him.
“This is the day which the Lord has made” (Psalm 117:24). This man recalls what he previously said in the earlier psalms: “Since He has inclined His ear to me, I will call upon Him as long as I live”—referring to his former days. Hence, he now declares, “This is the day which the Lord has made”; that is, the day on which He granted me salvation. It is the day referred to when He proclaimed, “In a favorable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you” (Isaiah 49:8)—the day when He, the Mediator, became the cornerstone. Therefore, let us rejoice and be glad in Him.
“Save me, O Lord; prosper my way, O Lord” (Psalm 116:25). Because it is the day of salvation, save me: as we return from a long journey, separated from those who loathed the world and with whom we were at peace, yet when we communicated, they declared war on us unjustly; prosper our return since You have become our Way.
THEOSIS