Psalm 4:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet, do you assert that it contradicts this statement? No; it designates as sons of God those individuals who were once virtuous and esteemed by God but later transformed, worsening their state and losing their honor. To emphasize their reproach, it recalls their past dignity, implying that the gravest fault is to become like such individuals and to descend from their ranks into such depravity. God, too, proclaims, ‘I said, Ye are gods, and the sons of the Most High are all of you: but ye shall die like men’ (Psalm 81:6-7). Observe the wisdom of the prophet. After illustrating God’s might, aid, wisdom, goodness, and mercy; His comfort in sorrow, and His attentive compassion, the prophet, having laid bare the vices and pervasive wickedness among the people, turns his focus toward those who live in sin, almost saying: ‘With such a God who is so good, merciful, and powerful, how can you embrace wickedness?’ Notice how his exhortation is rich with gentleness, wisdom, and righteous indignation. What does he ask? ‘Sons of men, how long will you love emptiness and pursue deceptions?’ Sons of men, how long will you remain hard-hearted? Here, he expresses his profound distress over the time span, for if negligence regarding God’s goodness is an offense at the outset, what mercy remains for those who have been blind to truth for so long? And what does it mean to have a hard heart? A heart that is hard, carnal, earthly-minded, inclined towards sin, and afflicted by immoral desires—that represents the carnal individual. By condemning their way of life, he also indicates the cause of their wickedness, implying that it obstructs their understanding of higher truths. Nothing renders the heart so callous as sinful longing and entanglement with earthly matters. A heart so burdened is rightly described as dirty; thus, he terms it hard and reveals the origin of its evils, illustrating that, assuming the role of the charioteer, it neither guides the horse nor controls it, but itself is carried away and falls, instead of elevating the flesh, it drags itself down under the weight of its afflictions. When such is the charioteer or helmsman, where can there be hope for salvation? ‘If the light that is within you is darkness, how great is that darkness?’ (Matt. 6:23). When the helmsman succumbs to intoxication, mimicking the capriciousness of the winds and waves, how can the vessel be saved? What can soothe the soul? A virtuous life—a life that remains unbound by local attachments and is not restrained by anything that drags it down. Some material things tend to pull down like stones and trees, while others ascend like fire, air, and light by nature. If an object drawn toward the ground is bound to something light, neither wings nor air can assist it, since heaviness disrupts equilibrium, pulls it down, and overcomes it. In the same way, if one’s feet grow heavy with ill thoughts or other afflictions, even the lightest parts of the body provide no assistance. If this holds true for physical objects, how much more for the heart? Therefore, let us not weigh it down lest it sinks like a vessel laden with too much ballast. This condition relies on us. The heart is not inherently heavy; by nature it is light and seeks to ascend, but we burden it contrary to its nature. Hence, the prophet rebukes us; had it been natural, he would not condemn it. As it is our nature to walk, if we load our knees, we create a hindrance contrary to nature, so it is with the soul's feet, meaning its thoughts. ‘How long will you love emptiness and seek deception?’ It seems he alludes to both idolatry and a sinful life. Indeed, vanity encompasses all that is transient and truly does not bear its facade. In this way, the Gentiles possess many names for their gods, but in truth, there are none. The same applies to other forms of wealth; what is labeled as wealth may not be true wealth; fame by name is not genuine; dominion exists only in name. Who, in their right mind, would pursue titles that hold no true substance and chase after fleeting illusions? Are not these the pleasures and achievements of life? Are not all such things empty and misleading? Whether one speaks of renown, wealth, or authority, it is all vanity. Hence, Ecclesiastes reminds us, ‘Vanity of vanities; all is vanity’ (Ecclesiastes 1:2). That is why the prophet laments upon witnessing such foolishness in existence. Just as one witnessing a person fleeing from light into darkness would question, ‘Why act so foolishly?’ he similarly asks, ‘Why do you cherish emptiness and pursue falsehood?’

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When he saw that creation had compassion for its Creator, and the entire world trembled as if it were one household (when the foundation was injured, the building shuddered as well; when the architect hung, his creation faced destruction), when heaven and earth rebelled against the murderers of the Lord and remained unmoved, then the thief admonished them, ‘Sons of men! How long will you persist?’ Let it be so: when you witnessed Lazarus raised from the tomb after four days, you did not believe; yet now, believe that when the graves were opened, many who had been dead for days heard the voice of the crucified One and arose. The dead came to life through an earthquake, and still, you remain enveloped in disbelief. ‘How long will you persist?’ The stones crumble like spider webs, and you are unshaken in fear? ‘Why do you linger in unbelief?’ This is because they are not moved by miracles and, in their folly, are deeply angered by God. The Scripture testifies: ‘Heavy is the rock, weighty is the sand; but the anger of a foolish man is weightier than them both’ (Proverbs 27:3). ‘Heavy is the stone,’ yet it yields to many hands and is lifted as if it were a feather. ‘Weighty and sandy,’ but carried over the sea in a boat. ‘The anger of a foolish man’—the Jewish people—is heavier than both, for it is unyielding to admonishments and even turns to rage at the sight of miracles. ‘Why do you cherish vanity?’ choosing Barabbas over Christ, the murderer over the Life-giver? ‘Why do you cherish vanity?’ favoring Caesar’s kingdom over the kingdom of heaven? Why have you abandoned the living source whose waters quenched the Samaritan woman's thirst (forever) (Jn. 4:9), and dug ‘broken cisterns’ (Jer. 2:13)? ‘Why do you cherish emptiness?’ You have followed the traitorous disciple and conspired against the Teacher. ‘Why do you cherish vanity and, on top of that, seek falsehoods,’ rejecting the truth? When did they seek lies? When they instigated false witnesses against the Lord, paying for perjury. The evangelist notes, ‘But the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin sought testimony against Jesus, in order to put Him to death’ (Mark 14:55). ‘And they sought falsehoods.’ ‘They began to accuse Him, saying, We have found Him corrupting our people, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar’ (Luke 23:2). Yet how could He, who taught, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's’ (Matt. 22:21), forbid such? ‘And you seek falsehood.’ ‘But they do all their works to be seen by men’ (Luke 23:5). ‘And they seek deceptions.’ ‘If He had not been wicked, we would not have delivered Him up to you’ (Jn. 18:30). What wickedness had He committed? Healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, feeding thousands with five loaves? Still, while food remains in the belly, lies linger on the lips. ‘And you pursue falsehoods.’ Beloved, let us flee from falsehood. Lies are a sword for the soul; ‘slandering lips kill the soul’ (Proverbs 1:11)—not the soul of the one who endures the slander, but of the slanderer. Not merely hair for the barbarian or a cloak for the warrior, but for the Christian, the true mark of honor lies in the avoidance of deception. Just as in combat a sign distinguishes allies from foes, so among humanity, the friends of God are recognized by their adherence to truth and their avoidance of falseness, while the liars are wounded by their own words like a blade. A mouth untainted by lies or oaths can promptly lift its prayers to God. If we honor a servant or a friend who refrains from lying, and grant their requests, how much more will God, pleased with one who embraces truth, bestow upon him all blessings, seeing the tongue that loves purity in its expressions? Deception is so harmful that even liars despise those who lie. As one would remove a flammable substance from their home, let us eradicate lies from our speech, extinguishing false oaths like a fire. When the house ignites, the wood and structure perish; yet a false oath, if it blazes, consumes both soul and body in Gehenna. If I say, ‘Do not swear,’ you confront me with anger; if I say, ‘Give to the poor,’ you bring forth objections about poverty and feeding the youth. To abstain from swearing or lying costs nothing; this virtue is indeed free. Why should we not seek to acquire it? It is far more befitting a king to wear regal attire and a crown than it is for a Christian to abstain from falsehood. Such a person earns respect from relatives, friends, and neighbors, instilling fear in demons, while angels embrace them, joyfully opening the gates to the kingdom of heaven. O Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Futile Pursuit What falsehoods do you pursue? Allow me to clarify quickly. You seek happiness, that much I see. Present to me a thief, an adulterer, a wicked person, a blasphemer—an individual entrenched in vice—who would not wish to dwell in joy. Indeed, you all yearn for a joyful existence—but you do not seek the source that provides such joy. You chase after material wealth, believing it will secure your future happiness—but wealth cannot deliver it. Why pursue falsehood? Why aspire to rise in this temporal world? You view human accolades and worldly status as assurance for the future—but the allure of this present age does not guarantee it. Why seek a falsehood? In your relentless search for something else, you remain unsatisfied as defined by this world, continuing to yearn, embracing the earth and tying yourselves to it, all in the name of attaining bliss—but nothing earthly can render you truly joyful. That which you pursue is deceptive; what you seek is mere illusion.

It is possible that the prophet speaks not only to his immediate friends but also to all those who cling to the present world as if it were unchanging and permanent. What only appears tangible and real to the senses is, in truth, subject to continual transformation and, therefore, lacks true existence. Thus, the prophet, though a king, lived with the challenges of a common man and faced persecution.

Just as a king is adorned with a robe of purple and a radiant crown, so a Christian is distinguished by his commitment to truthfulness. Consequently, he earns the respect of his neighbors, friends, and fellow workers. The demons tremble before him, while angels cherish him, and in their joy, they open for him the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Therefore, he questions, ‘Why do you cherish vanity and pursue falsehoods?’ He refers to earthly pleasures as vanity and deception; for they are unstable, fleeting, and misleading, and when compared to the enduring, true treasures of heaven, they amount to nothing.