Psalm 50 (49):2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

From this place, the apostles were dispatched like swift steeds racing from a corral into all the earth; from here, they commenced performing miracles; here lay the resurrection and ascension of Christ; here was the foundation and precursor of our salvation; here, the profound teachings were first announced; here, the Father was initially revealed, and the only-begotten Son was made known, accompanied by the gracious gift of the Spirit; here, the apostles began to share about spiritual matters, divine gifts, powers, and the promise of future rewards. In summarizing all of this, the prophet refers to it as “His beauty,” for the glory and splendor of God are reflected in His goodness, compassion, and generosity towards all.

But from Zion reflects His beauty; from there His Gospel begins, where He commenced His preaching, appearing more glorious in form than the sons of men, aligning with the Lord's words, ‘Beginning at Jerusalem.’ The new covenant harmonizes with the old, just as the old matches the new: the two Seraphim proclaim to one another, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts. (Isaiah 6:3) The two Covenants resonate in unity and share a single voice: let the harmonious proclamation of the Covenants be heard, rather than the claims of disinherited pretenders. Thus, the God of gods did this: He summoned the world from dawn to dusk, and His likeness first emerged from Zion. For there were His disciples (Acts 1:4) who received the Holy Spirit sent from heaven on the fiftieth day following His resurrection. Therefore, the Gospel spread forth, the preaching flourished, and the entirety of the world was filled with the Grace of Faith.

When the Lord Himself arrived, for He came to suffer, He came veiled: and though powerful in His essence, He appeared fragile in the flesh. It was essential for Him to become visible, yet remain unseen; to be looked down upon, that He might face death. There was a semblance of glory in His divinity, but it was concealed within the flesh. For had they known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Cor. 2:8) Thus, He walked in disguise among the Jews, among His adversaries, performing miracles and enduring tribulations, until He was crucified on a tree. The Jews, witnessing Him on the cross, scorned Him further, and before the Cross they mocked Him, saying, If He is the Son of God, let Him descend from the Cross. (Matthew 27:39-40) And so, the God of gods remained concealed, speaking words more from His compassion toward us than from His majesty. From whom, if not from ourselves, did these words arise: My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? But when has the Father abandoned the Son, or the Son the Father? Are not the Father and the Son one God? What does it signify, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me, except that the voice of a sinner might be recognized in the Flesh of weakness? For if He bore the likeness of sinful flesh, (Rom. 8:3) why would He not assume the voice of sin? Thus, the God of gods was hidden, and as He walked among humanity, when He was hungry, thirsty, weary, sat down, slept from fatigue, was seized, scourged, stood before His judge, and responded with pride, ‘Thou wouldest have no power over Me, unless it were given thee from above;’ (John 19:11) and as He was led as a sacrifice before His shearers, He did not open His mouth, (Isaiah 53:7) and in His crucifixion and burial, He was always the concealed God of gods.

What transpired after His resurrection? The disciples were astonished, initially doubting until they could touch and feel. (Luke 24:37-40) The flesh rose because the flesh had died: the Godhead, which cannot die, still remained hidden in the flesh of His resurrection. They could see the form, touch His limbs, handle the wounds: the Word through whom all things were created, who comprehends? Who touches it? Who is engaged? Yet the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) And Thomas, having touched the Man, grasped the concept of God as best he could. After he examined the wounds, he declared: ‘My Lord and my God.’ But the Lord revealed the image and flesh that had been seen on the cross, laid in the tomb. He remained with them for forty days. What then did they say to Thomas? Because you have seen, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. (John 20:29) This is foretold to us: that world summoned from dawn to dusk, unseen yet believing. But the God of gods is concealed, both to those among whom He walked, to those who crucified Him, to those who witnessed His resurrection, and to us who believe in Him who sits in heaven, whom we have not seen walking upon the earth. Even if we had, would we not perceive what the Jews saw and crucified? Moreover, we, believing without seeing, affirm that Christ is God, unlike them, seeing yet perceiving Him only as a man. In summary, they, thinking ill of Him, killed Him; we, believing in His goodness, have been revived.

A fire will blaze before Him to consume those deserving punishment for their wickedness. This parallels the statement, "a river of fire flowed before Him." The blessed Daniel witnessed a similar vision and stated: "A river of fire flowed... before Him... His throne a flame of fire, His wheels a burning fire" (Daniel 7:10, 9). The fire may symbolize the light that emanates from Him, for the knowledge of Christ is preceded by the intellectual illumination gained through faith, representing the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites at night. Alternatively, it signifies that we, having grown cold in sin, are ignited by the Savior’s fervor for all things good, as He kindles in us the communion of the Holy Spirit. He declared, "I came to cast fire upon the earth" (Luke 12:49). Thus, all of us who have received this grace are revitalized in our spirits. Consequently, even with the generous outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the manifestation of fire is introduced. According to John’s proclamation, we are baptized with "the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16). One of the prophets also proclaimed: "He shall come like the fire of a refiner, and like the soap of launderers. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver" (Malachi 3:2-3), for the power of the Holy Spirit eradicates all impurity within us. However, this was of no benefit to the Jewish Synagogue, as those whom God addressed in Jeremiah, "The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed by the fire; the founder melts in vain, for the wicked are not drawn off" (Jeremiah 6:29), received no grace.

The Lord God of gods issued a call to the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. From Zion, the splendor of His glory is proclaimed. The Prophet begins by referencing the first coming of the Son of God, emphasizing that the Lord, who previously communicated through the Prophets, ultimately spoke through His own Son, inviting not only the Jewish people but the entirety of creation to His message. This was accomplished through His apostles, as stated in Psalm 19:4: Their voice has gone out into all the earth. Here, the Lord is identified as the God of gods to affirm Christ’s divine nature, acknowledging Him as true God and the Son of the true God, sharing one divine essence with the Father. Though many are referred to as gods, this is either by the grace of adoption, as in the case of holy angels and righteous individuals, by likeness, as with earthly rulers, or through deception and falsehood, as seen with pagan deities, referred to as demons, according to Psalm 96:5. All such beings are under the authority of the one true God, hence He is rightfully called the God of gods.

Looking to the first coming of Christ, we see His clear demonstration of being the God of gods, as He showed authority over demons, the deities of the nations, and by grace, He bestowed the status of many gods upon His faithful. In contemplating His second coming, He will be justly acknowledged as the God of gods, possessing the authority to judge not only earthly rulers but also the devil and his minions, including malevolent spirits and wicked individuals.

The phrase about calling from the east of the sun to the west is explicative, indicating that the Prophet did not mean merely the land of Palestine or any specific locale, but rather the entire expanse of the earth universally. Furthermore, he specifies the location from which the Lord proclaimed, directing attention to Mount Zion or Jerusalem, in alignment with Isaiah's declaration: ‘For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem’ (Isaiah 2:3). The beauty referred to by the Prophet signifies a representation of perfect beauty, symbolizing the praises of Jerusalem, which the Prophet Jeremiah praises as the crown of glory and the joy of the whole earth in Lamentations 2:15. For Jerusalem was the most distinguished city, ancient and populous, honored by the presence of the royal and priestly authority, the tabernacle, and the ark of the covenant, along with other privileges that established it as the center of faith and the kingdom. Thus, it fittingly represented the likeness of the heavenly city. Despite Jerusalem's beauty, the astonishing nature of the message that emerged from there is remarkable. The proclamation of the Gospel embodied the highest beauty; it unveiled the profound mysteries of salvation, the understanding of the Most Holy Trinity, and the ultimate law. It pervaded the world, complemented by countless miracles, revitalizing and sanctifying those who listened and believed, elevating them from the earth to the glory of heaven.