Psalm 27 (26):9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

With Your ongoing support, I shall consider myself stronger than the nations surrounding me. My wounds have festered away (Psalm 37:6); yet still, I wish to bear the marks of Your discipline, which, when healed, leave no lingering sores. Beautiful are the scars of those who march in victory, thus glorious are the champions of earthly conflicts. Yet even more magnificent are the injuries suffered for faith and for the honor of Your name. Such afflictions open the gates of heaven, lead to the Kingdom, and grant eternal life. Therefore, dear friends, blessed is the wound like this, just as blessed are those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. Thus, the mortal flesh begins to wear a garment of glory, as Paul, chosen by God, was clothed in it until he pleaded for release from this body of death (Rom. 7:24).

While we inhabit this body of decay, we beseech the beloved Healer not to abandon us. The patriarch David implored Him not to withdraw from him, and we now position ourselves for healing, placing our trust in the remedies He deems necessary. No one instructs a physician on how to treat ailments; the doctor understands which medicines suit specific conditions and knows how to excise a festering sore, preventing a dire illness from spreading throughout the body. If the doctor prescribes treatment and the patient scorns it, the doctor may depart and leave the ailing individual behind. Observe the one wishing to recover: he embraces whatever remedy the doctor chooses, attentively adhering to his advice. He first reveals his wounds to the doctor, saying: Cure me, but I implore You not to be angry with me, for I am frail and cannot endure harsh treatments. Christ heals through admonition, as the Lord chastens whom He desires to convert; that is the reason Paul charges the physician to ‘Reprove, forbid, exhort’ (2 Tim. 4:2). Those who seek correction do not shy away from healing but aim to lessen the penalty, avoiding condemnation in rage or annoyance.

Consider what occurs: first, he requests to have his guilt disclosed, and then—more critically—he seeks punishment. Moreover, he does not merely confess his sins but enumerates them, holding himself accountable, refusing to conceal his wrongs. This mirrors a serious illness: when a fever seizes a person, immediate relief is elusive; yet when the illness is recognized, hope for recovery emerges. So too with the affliction of sin: while concealed, they burn, but when confessed, they evaporate. Therefore, the righteous man identifies his faults from the outset (Proverbs 18:18), before the infection of guilt seeps deeper; unaddressed sins weigh heavily on the conscience. Should the healer hesitate, the patient must urgently present himself. In this way, David humbly beseeched the Lord for retribution, saying: Give me double for my transgressions (Isaiah 40:2). While You forgive sins here, forsake me not, turn not away Your face from me (Psalms 26:9), do not reject me, nor be repulsed by the stench of my wounds! Job suffered grievous sores from head to toe (Job 2:7) yet found his deliverance, even though his plagues arose from his righteousness, unlike mine that stem from sin. His wounds were festering, and no doctor could heal them. You, O Lord, unveiled the sacredness of Your mysteries, exposed the serpent’s venom, and through Your spoken word alone healed Job’s wounds, because You did not forsake him. Do not forsake me, O Lord my God, do not leave me (Psalm 37:22)! Humanity has abandoned me due to the repulsiveness of my wounds; these sores, I have chosen to unveil to Your merciful sight. People say, ‘Depart from us, for you are a sinner; go away, do not contaminate us!’ But You, O Lord, mend and do not defile, aid and do not tarnish, for You are the God of redemption, O Lord, whose right hand saves and protects rather than destroys.

We conclude the psalm with an interpretation of this verse not found in certain Greek and Latin texts. Before the next responsory, read this line: They cast me away like a worthless carcass (Psalm 37:21b), preserved solely in the Arabic rendition. It signifies they have met my goodness with enmity. Yet You do not forsake me, O Lord my God, do not leave me (Psalm 37:22)—meaning: You remain with me, for You continually care for the dead and the decayed. We witness this in the Gospel: when He approached Lazarus’s tomb and commanded, Take away the stone. Martha replied, ‘He already stinks, for he has been in the tomb four days.’ Jesus responded, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ (John 11:39-40). Then, He called Lazarus forth, who emerged unharmed. Let us also exercise faith and apply the salve of salvation and forthcoming glory to our wounds.

May our prayers and heartfelt supplications seek repentance so that we may be graced with a vision of this glory of God. Let it not distress you that sorrow, pain, and bodily decay induce suffering. While these afflictions may appear grave, such discomforts are unworthy in comparison to the glory that awaits us—a truth of which the apostle Paul speaks (Rom. 8:18). Let us not feel ashamed to endure the lighter trials of this world, so that in heaven, we may attain fullness of praise and glory, receiving for our temporal struggles an eternal reward through our Lord Jesus, to whom belongs praise, glory, honor, and everlasting dominion, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

The phrase not cast away (αποσκορακισης) serves as a replacement for don't cast aside, referring to sentiments that seem burdensome and pointless—akin to empty chatter in prayer. Just as we often shoo away crows when they caw, regarded as bothersome. There exists a well-known saying—εισ κορακας (to crows)—linked to a location in Athens where those who jumped in would meet their end. Another interpreter comments, Do not cast me away, like the dross (σκωριαν) discarded by metalworkers as unnecessary. And may You not leave me, O God my salvation; David frequently implores the Lord for patience and steadfastness in prayer.

Forget not my transgressions, for which I endure this separation, nor deny my appeal. Be my support; do not reject or abandon me, O God, my Redeemer. In referring to God as my helper and Redeemer, it suggests that the role of the helper and Redeemer is to uplift and tend to the downtrodden rather than to disregard and forsake them.