Psalm 18 (17):45Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You will establish Me as the leader of the nations. Those unfamiliar to Me have shown their devotion. The nations, whom I never approached in person, have honored Me. Through what they heard, they have heeded My call, as it is written: "They have not seen Me with their eyes, but, receiving My preaching, by the hearing of the ear they have obeyed Me."

The children of foreigners have deceived Me. Israel, identified as My firstborn, is referred to as the son of strangers due to a lack of faith.

In your hearing, you have paid attention to My words. This is prefigured in the figure of our Lord Christ. He proclaims that those who did not accept My lawgiver or My prophet responded with ease when called and embraced My kingdom. The children of outsiders have deceived Me; those who were regarded as children and counted among the faithful have distanced themselves, becoming unrecognizable through good deeds, unstable in their faith, and abandoning the way of righteousness.

Through the ears, I am heard. It is through the ears that the Gentiles received my message of salvation. This is also why Paul stated, "Faith comes from hearing" (Rom. 10:17).

In terms of our created existence, we all can be regarded as children of God since we are all brought into being by Him. However, when it comes to obedience and teachings, not everyone qualifies as a son of God; only those who have faith and follow His will are considered His true children. Those who lack belief and do not adhere to His will are likened to the sons and angels of the adversary, as they perform the deeds of the devil. This truth is affirmed in Isaiah: I have begotten and exalted sons, but they have despised Me (Is 1:2). He also refers to them as foreign sons: foreign sons have spoken lies before Me; they are His created sons by nature, yet through their actions, they do not belong to Him.

Christ reproaches the Jewish people for abandoning the true path, which encompasses the teachings of the law, the prophets, and the life called forth by the Gospel. The authentic path that leads to Him is rooted in the instructions of the law and the messages of the holy prophets. However, when they reached the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, embodied in Christ, they became spiritually lame, as they approached Him with arrogance and without discernment. He remarks that the Gentiles, who had not received His law or prophets, responded promptly and devotedly when summoned to His kingdom.

This account does not pertain to the individual David, but rather serves as a prophecy regarding the future reign of Christ. While David could claim that numerous foreign nations, whose traditions and customs were not fully known to him, honored him by their service, it is important to note that those he defeated were largely familiar to him as they were neighboring lands. Thus, through these profound words, God has illustrated for us the infinite realm of His Son, which stretches from the rising to the setting of the sun, encompassing the entirety of creation. The following words resonate with this idea: in the hearing of the ear hear ye me, or as the Hebrew translates: when they hear of me, they will listen to me.

The pagan nations, lacking a divine law, were guided toward Christ incarnate. Upon receiving the Gospel message, they placed their faith in the Lord Christ and labored with reverence.