Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 135:1). This Psalm provides a continuous expression of praise to God, with each verse concluding in the same manner. While much is articulated in honor of God, His mercy holds the utmost significance, for without such acknowledgment, the individual inspired by the Holy Spirit to compose this Psalm could not have completed a verse. At the final judgment, when the living and dead are assessed, the righteous will be granted eternal life, and the wicked, everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46). In that future state, God's mercy will not cease, but is comprehended as His eternal mercy entrusted to His saints and faithful, not because they will be perpetually sorrowful and thus in need of His kindness eternally, but rather because the blessedness that He graciously imparts to the afflicted transforms their distress into joy, which will be everlasting. Through His mercy, we experience justification from unrighteousness, wholeness from ailments, life from death, immortality from mortality, and joy from despair. Hence, what we will become is eternal, affirming that His mercy is unending. Therefore, express gratitude to the Lord; this declaration assures that from this acknowledgment, you will receive everlasting gifts, for His mercy endures forever.
Next, give thanks to the God of gods, for His mercy endures forever (Psalm 135:2). Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His enduring mercy (Psalm 134:3). It is fascinating to question who these gods and lords are to whom the true God is both God and Lord. In another Psalm, it is noted that even men are referred to as gods. The Lord acknowledges this in the Gospel, saying, "Is it not written in your law, 'You are gods?'” (John 10:34). This designation is not based on their inherent goodness but arises from God's pronouncement calling them gods. If they were all righteous, such distinctions would be unnecessary. He declares: He presides in judgment among the gods. He then questions: "How long will you judge unjustly?" and other words that are directed not to all but specifically to some, indicating a distinction among these gods.
Yet, one might wonder: if those to whom God's word was addressed are called gods, can angels also be deemed gods, especially since the highest reward promised to the righteous and holy is to be compared to angels? It may be challenging to find explicit references in Holy Scripture calling angels gods, but when it is proclaimed that the Lord is "more terrible than all gods," it is added for clarity that "the gods of the nations are demons." This signifies that the terms used for the Gentile gods are indeed about the idols, which represent demons residing in them. In reference to the images, termed idols in Greek (a name currently used in Latin), they possess eyes yet cannot see, and everything else attributed to them conveys their utter senselessness; thus, they cannot experience fear, as nothing devoid of sense can be frightened. How, then, can it be stated that the Lord is "more dreadful than all gods" since the idols do not house demons that can be frightened? Hence, the Apostle asserts: "We know that an idol is nothing" (1 Corinthians 8:4), referring to its earthly and meaningless material. However, to clarify that there exists a sentient nature responding to heathen sacrifices, he adds: "And what the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, not to God: I would not have you share in communion with demons" (1 Corinthians 10:20). Therefore, if the Scriptures do not openly attribute the term gods to holy angels, it may be better understood that such nomenclature is deliberately avoided, ensuring that the worship owed should not be directed toward angels (referred to in Latin as Nuntii) but solely to God, who is the God of both humans and angels. The Apostle encapsulates this by stating, "For even if there are entities called gods in heaven or on earth, as there are many so-called gods and lords, yet for us there is one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we exist through Him" (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).
Thus, let us give thanks to the God of gods and the Lord of lords for His mercy. He alone performs wonders (Psalm 134:4). Just as each verse concludes with "because His mercy endures forever," we can infer this sentiment starts each verse as well, even if "give thanks" is not explicitly stated. This would be clear in Greek and should have been expressed similarly in Latin. They might have rendered it more lucidly by saying "To Him who works wonders." In our scripture, the phrase implies that we are to understand it as such. It would have been helpful had they included a pronoun, stating "to Him who created" or "to Him who is active" so that it might easily convey the idea of giving thanks. As presently rendered, it is somewhat ambiguous; those unfamiliar with the Greek text might misinterpret it as though the Creator of heavens, earth, and celestial bodies acted merely because "His mercy endures forever," instead of understanding that those whom He rescues from suffering are objects of His mercy. This misapprehends that He creates the heavens, the earth, and the lights in direct relation to His mercy, as they are signs of His goodness, which made all things very good (Genesis 1:31). For He created everything to exist (Wisdom 1:14), but it is His mercy that cleanses us from our sins and releases us from eternal despair. Thus, the Psalm invites us to give thanks to the God of gods, to the Lord of lords, and to Him who alone performs great wonders; to Him who, by His wisdom, fashioned the heavens; to Him who spread the earth over the waters; to Him who alone created the great lights. The reason we need to praise is reiterated at the conclusion of each verse: for His mercy endures forever.
But what does it imply that He alone carries out great wonders? Is it not because He has accomplished marvelous deeds through angels and humans? Certain extraordinary acts are solely attributed to God, and He lists them: He who, by His wisdom, made the heavens (Psalm 135:5), who spread the earth over the waters (Psalm 135:6), and who alone created the great lights (Psalm 135:7). This emphasis on "alone" indicates that in the following miracles, He performs them through human agency. After stating, "He who alone created the great luminaries," He elucidates what they are: "the sun to govern the day" (Psalm 134:8), "the moon and stars to govern the night" (Psalm 135:9), and then commences describing miracles performed through angels and men: "who struck Egypt in its firstborn" (Psalm 135:10), among others. This portrays the creation accomplished by God without the mediation of any creature; He mentions notable elements such as the heavens, which we can grasp, and the earth, which we can observe. Similarly, with visible heavens cited alongside the celestial bodies, we are urged to consider the entire celestial expanse as a creation attributed to Him.
However, whether the reference to God creating the heavens embodies understanding or reason, as translated by some, meaning the heavens we can comprehend, or whether it signifies that He, in His understanding, wisdom, or logos, designed the heavens (as stated elsewhere, "In wisdom, You have made them all"), remains a question. But if the interpretation is that God created the heavens through wisdom, why is this specification granted only to the heavens when all creation stems from the same wisdom? It appears this distinction was emphasized so that one might grasp it without needing written expression. How can it be singular if intelligence or understanding is implied by His wisdom—the Logos? Is it because the Trinity, being one God and not three, leads to the understanding that God alone created all these things without relying on any creature?
Who established the earth above the waters? This inquiry raises complexity since the earth seems denser, leading to contemplation that it is not merely supported by the waters but rather navigated upon them. To address this without opposing Biblical assertions to those who claim to decipher principles, an alternative perspective considers that the earth, which is home to living beings, rises above the encompassing waters. When we describe a city on the sea built over water, it suggests that the sea is not beneath it in the same manner as waters beneath the foundation of caverns or below ships; it is termed "above the sea" because it elevates itself above the waters below.
However, if these words imply something closer to our situation, God's wisdom creates the heavens, referring to His saints, spiritual beings endowed with both faith and understanding of divine truths. Those who merely maintain their faith and have not yet attained this understanding are represented as the earth. Since they steadfastly adhere to the faith instilled in their baptized state, it resonates with the expression that "He has elevated the earth above the waters." Furthermore, since our Lord Jesus Christ is described as holding all treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3), and due to the apparent differentiation between wisdom and knowledge in Scripture—particularly seen in the teachings of Job—wisdom is characterized by recognizing and loving the eternal, unchanging God. Where it is indicated that godliness is wisdom, the Greek term θεοσ-βεια captures this in Latin as the worship of God. Meanwhile, departing from evil, identified as knowledge, signifies avoiding careful interaction with a corrupt and wicked generation, existing as navigators within the darkened atmosphere of this world (Philippians 2:15), where each person preserving themselves from wrongdoing each shines distinctively with their illuminated gift.
THEOSIS