In this Psalm, we learn that when we utter Hallelujah, which translates as ‘Praise the Lord,’ we should respond to the phrase, “Confess to the Lord” (Psalm 116:1), by praising Him. Our adoration of God can be summed up as follows: ‘For He is good.’ This profound simplicity reflects the essence of God's character. The Son of God Himself acknowledged this when a man called Him the Good Teacher, mistakenly regarding Him solely in His human form. He replied, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good, except God alone’ (Mark 10:17-18), implying that calling Him good entails recognizing His divine nature. Given that this proclamation is made to a redeemed people liberated from toil and evil associations, it is fitting to add, ‘Because His mercy endures forever.’
Let Israel now declare that He is good, and His mercy is everlasting (Psalm 116:2). Let the house of Aaron affirm His enduring mercy (Psalm 116:3). Indeed, all who revere the Lord should also proclaim the everlasting nature of His mercy (Psalm 116:4). Beloved, consider who the house of Israel and the house of Aaron are, both of whom fear the Lord. These represent the small and great, together joyfully recognized in another psalm. Let us rejoice in our unity through His grace, the essence of goodness, whose mercy lasts forever. They were heard saying, ‘May the Lord multiply you abundantly, you and your descendants’—that believers in Christ, of whom the apostles were part, may draw Gentiles into a unified body for the glory of the perfect and the obedience of the innocent. Thus, we, united in Christ, become one flock under a single Shepherd, as His body, as one man, can proclaim, ‘I called upon the Lord in my trouble, and He answered me’ (Psalm 116:5). While our times of affliction are confined, the path we tread is eternal. Who can bring any charge against God's chosen ones? (Romans 8:33).
The Lord is my helper; I shall not fear what mortals may do to me (Psalm 116:6). But are humans the only adversaries of the Church? What is man but flesh and blood? Yet, the apostle clarifies, our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12); that is, against the devil and his minions, the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Hence, we hear: The Lord is my helper; I will scorn my adversaries (Psalm 116:7). Regardless of their sources—whether from malevolent humans or evil spirits—with the Lord's aid, whom we praise with our Hallelujah, they shall be disregarded.
But when my adversaries are looked down upon, let not my friend stand before me as a righteous man urging me to place my trust in him; it is much wiser to trust in the Lord than in any human being (Psalm 116:8). Neither should I view anyone, even those who might be termed good angels, as my reliance for help; for no one is truly good except God alone (Mark 10:18). Whenever a person or angel comes to assist us out of sincere love, it is ultimately by Him who has endowed them with goodness. Therefore, trusting in the Lord is preferable to relying on nobles (Psalm 116:9); for even angels are referred to as princes, as seen in Daniel, where Michael is called your prince (Daniel 12:1).
All nations surrounded me, but I avenged them in the name of the Lord (Psalm 117:10). I was beset on every side; indeed, I was surrounded; yet in the name of the Lord, I avenged them (Psalm 117:11). He illustrates the trials and triumphs of the Church, answering the question of how she could conquer such great evil. He thinks back on his own experience, noting that while he felt encircled by all sides, the mention of “all nations” is absent here, referring solely to the actions of the Jews, the very people who comprise the body of Christ. For whom the mortal journey was undertaken with immortal power, faced persecution from those whose flesh became the very portion He bore upon the cross.
They swarmed around me like bees circling a hive, and blazed like fire among thorns; yet in the name of the Lord, I avenged them (Psalm 117:12). This sequence reveals the unfolding events. Our Lord, the Head of the Church, was encircled by His persecutors just as bees surround their hive. The Holy Spirit conveys with mystical insight what transpired through those who were oblivious. As bees yield honey, so did the persecutors, although they did not recognize it, make Him all the more sweet through His Passion, allowing us to see how delightful the Lord is, who died for our transgressions and rose again for our justification (Romans 4:25). That which burned like fire among thorns refers rightly to His Body—the scattered faithful who endured persecution amidst all nations, experiencing anguish from their trials. Their vengeance is upon those evils that once tormented them, for some of the persecutors may ultimately join the community of Christ, while those who neglect His mercy shall ultimately confront their Judge.
I was pushed down like a pile of sand, causing me to fall, yet the Lord upheld me (Psalm 117:13). Though the believers may number like countless grains, they are united as one body in a collective fellowship; yet, who is man, that You take thought of him? The text does not claim that my numbers exceed those of the nations but asserts that the Lord has sustained me. The threat of the Gentiles did not lead to the downfall of the unified body of believers living in faith.
The Lord is my strength and my song, and has become my salvation (Psalm 116:14). Who, then, suffers defeat, except those who trust in their own might and song? Only those falter whose strength and praise falter. Therefore, he whose strength and praise is the Lord shall not fall, as the Lord does not fall. Thus, He has become their salvation—not by ceasing to be what He was but by transforming those who believed into what they had not been before; He became their salvation only when they turned toward Him, since He was not their salvation until they turned from Him.
Joy and deliverance resound in the homes of the righteous (Psalm 117:15), for those who sought to destroy their bodies believed they would find only despair and ruin. They failed to discern the inner joy of the saints in their hope for the future. For the apostle states, ‘I am sorrowful yet always rejoicing’ (2 Corinthians 6:10), and again, ‘Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings’ (Romans 5:3).
The right hand of the Lord has achieved great things (Psalm 117:16). What wonders are these? He states that the right hand of the Lord has lifted me up. Great deeds include lifting the lowly, divinizing the mortal, transforming weakness into strength, subduing honor through trials, and bringing victory through suffering—revealing God's true salvation to those who suffer, while rendering the salutation of men ineffective to their persecutors. These are extraordinary works to behold. Be attentive to His refrain: the right hand of the Lord has done marvelous things.
I will not die, but live and proclaim the works of the Lord (Psalm 117:17). Yet those who scatter death and destruction believed the Church was ceasing to exist. Witness how they now declare the works of the Lord. Everywhere Christ is the glory of the blessed martyrs; defeated, He triumphed over those who struck Him; enduring torment, He loved those who rejected Him.
Still, let us consider the humiliations faced by the Body of Christ, the Holy Church, and the community of the redeemed. He states, ‘The Lord has chastened me severely, yet He did not hand me over to death’ (Psalm 116:18). Let not the arrogant wicked presume their power is sanctified; they would have none if it were not bestowed upon them from above. It is common for a father to instruct his sons to receive correction from the most insignificant servants while securing an inheritance for the former and restraining the latter. What is this inheritance? Is it of gold, silver, or precious gems? Observe how we enter into it; understand what it entails.
‘Open for me the gates of righteousness’ (Psalm 117:19). Behold, we have heard of a gate. What lies within? ‘That I may enter and give thanks to the Lord.’ Here lies an expression of gratitude, filled with awe, uttered in the abode of God, resounding in joyful acknowledgment as those who rejoice in His presence: this is the eternal bliss of the righteous, who dwell in the house of the Lord, and praise Him ceaselessly.
Contemplate how one enters the gates of righteousness. 'This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it’ (Psalm 116:20). Let no wicked man breach those gates, into Jerusalem which shuns the uncircumcised, where it is declared, ‘Outside are the dogs’ (Revelation 22:15). It suffices that during my prolonged wanderings, I coexisted with the wicked until the end, yet this is the gate of the Lord: the righteous shall enter in.
I give You thanks, O Lord, for You have heard me and have become my salvation (Psalm 116:21). How often is the acknowledgment of one, who does not reveal his wounds to the healer yet gives thanks for the wellness he has received, commendable! But the Physician Himself is Salvation.
Who is this about whom we speak? ‘The stone which the builders rejected’ (Psalm 116:22); for He became the chief cornerstone, forging one new humanity in the place of two, thus establishing peace and reconciling both to God within one body (Ephesians 2:15-16)—the circumcised and the uncircumcised.
The Lord has made this (Psalm 117:23): the Lord appointed Him as the chief cornerstone. Although He would not have taken on this role if He had not suffered, it was not through those who caused Him to suffer that He became it. Those building turned Him away, yet in the structure the Lord erected somberly, He emerged as the cornerstone they rejected. And this is truly a wonder in our sight—in the eyes of the inner man, of those who believe, hope, and love; not in the carnal vision of those who disparaged Him as merely human.
'This is the day that the Lord has made’ (Psalm 117:24). This man recalls what he mentioned in earlier psalms: ‘Since He has inclined His ear to me, I will call upon Him as long as I live,’ harkening back to prior days; thus, he declares, ‘This is the day which the Lord has made’; referring to the day of His salvation. It echoes the promise, ‘In an acceptable 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 chief cornerstone. Therefore, let us rejoice and exult in Him.
‘Save me, O Lord; prosper my way, O Lord’ (Psalm 116:25). Since it is the day of salvation, save me: for we, returning from our long journey, distance ourselves from those who loathed the world and were at peace with us, only to declare war against us without cause. Prosper our path as we return, for You have become our Way.
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’ (Psalm 117:26). Therefore, cursed is he who approaches in his own name; as remarked 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 trust these words are directed from the lofty to the humble, from those great in spirit who commune with the Word of God, who dwell in His presence as they can in this life; yet temper their discourse for the sake of the humble, so they may genuinely express what the apostle declared: ‘For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; and if we are sound-minded, it is for your sake’ (2 Corinthians 5:13-14). They bless the children from the inner sanctum of the Lord's house, where praises resound unceasingly from age to age; hence consider what they proclaim from that place.
THEOSIS