Psalm 59 (58):6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The prophet further instructs: “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let your curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2) On one side stand the righteous, and on the other, the wicked (Matthew 25:33), until the winnowing fork arrives (Matthew 3:12). Nevertheless, He will gather all nations; both the righteous and the unrighteous will receive invitations to the wedding feast (Matthew 22:9). It is the servants’ duty to invite, while it is the Lord’s role to break down barriers. The cities abandoned by You will be revived (Isaiah 54:3), forsaken by God, the Prophets, the Apostles, and the Gospel, now filled with evil spirits. For You shall triumph; do not be embarrassed by your past transgressions. Hence, even if powerful adversaries rise against you, do not be ashamed, for there was a time when laws were enacted against the name of Christ, when being a Christian brought shame and disgrace. Do not feel remorse for your faults, for the shame of your widowhood shall vanish... You shall not show compassion to those who practice iniquity. Here lies the fear — who would not be afraid? What man, with an informed conscience, would not tremble? Who, despite a sense of godliness, would not, in some measure, be aware of his own failings? For anyone who sins commits iniquity (1 John 3:4). If You, O Lord, perceive wrongdoings, who can withstand it? This is a true assertion, not made in vain, and it cannot be disregarded: “Have no pity on all men who do iniquity.” However, even so, He showed mercy to Paul, who once, like Saul, committed evil deeds. What righteousness did he possess to earn favor from God? Did he not pursue Your Saints with deadly intent? (Acts 9:1) Did he not bear letters from the high priest to ensure that wherever he found Christians, he would swiftly punish them? When he sought to do so, amidst the violence and chaos, as the Scriptures recount, was he not powerfully called down from Heaven, cast down and restored; blinded yet illuminated; destroyed yet revived? For what merit was he granted such favor? Let us refrain from speculation; rather, let us listen for ourselves: “I was formerly a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy.” (1 Timothy 1:13) Surely You would not show mercy to every practitioner of iniquity; this can be interpreted in two ways: either that no sin goes unpunished by God, or that there exists a type of iniquity for which the workers are truly not shown mercy. Every sin, whether trivial or grave, must face retribution either through the repentance of the individual or the divine justice of God. For even he who repents punishes himself. Therefore, dear brethren, let us address our transgressions if we seek the mercy of God. The Lord cannot show mercy to all who commit iniquity as though divine grace condones wrongdoing or allows it to persist. Ultimately, we either face punishment ourselves or it is meted out by Him. Yet, let us consider another understanding of this statement. There exists a specific iniquity where God cannot grant pardon. Do you wonder what that is? It is the justification of sin. When an individual defends their wrongdoing, they commit a grave offense: they uphold what God despises. Observe how twisted and unjust this is. Whatever good they may have done, they claim for themselves; while they attribute evil to God. In doing so, they speak in defense of sins in the name of God, which is the most egregious sin. Thus, they excuse their faults in a manner that blames God. Consequently, the guilty find acquittal and the Judge is held accountable. However, God harbors no compassion for those who commit iniquity.

Chrysostom observes that Christ wishes for His Father, the Lord of Hosts and the God of Israel, to witness the triumph that He brings from the Gentiles who place their faith in Him—this triumph being the salvation of the Gentiles, signifying His visitation to them through the gift of the Holy Spirit, while the focus turns away from the Jews. This is reflected in the exhortation, "Thou shalt not spare all them that do iniquity," which suggests that it is not only a few who are unrighteous, but all, even when they believe they are adhering to the law.

Thus, through the term see, he entrusts his entire plight to God's judgment.

In his subsequent words, he intensifies his supplication, first glorifying God with new titles, proclaiming Him as the God of hosts and the God of Israel, through which he emphasizes His boundless might and the special care He bestows as a Father upon His children and the entire Church. The use of the pronoun Thou is significant, signifying that it is just as impossible for God to abandon His role as judge as it is for Him to deny His essence or forget His own nature. When he requests God to reach out to all nations, it is not merely so that his declaration of innocence may be made known to all peoples, but rather he argues from the greater to the lesser: if the wicked nations beyond do not escape God's avenging hand, how much less will His internal adversaries—those who, under the pretense of brotherly love, embitter the faithful and disrupt the peace God has established within the church—be able to evade His fierce judgment? Hence, the prophet's aim is to illustrate that God possesses the power not only to subdue and rectify the few wicked, but also to hold the entire world accountable for its sins.