Psalm 62 (61):2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Therefore, let us "obey" God, recognizing that salvation comes from Him. The prophet clarifies the nature of salvation; it is not merely an act that grants us some grace for healing or the wellness of the body. But what truly defines salvation?

Would forgiveness mean anything if the inclination toward sin persisted? It would merely mask the wound rather than heal it. His aim was to cleanse the wound itself so as to eradicate the very tendency to sin, ensuring that no disobedience remained. He exemplified obedience to impart it to us. It had to be so, for by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, and by one man's obedience, many were made righteous (Romans 5:19). This situation clarifies the error of those who acknowledge human flesh in Christ yet deny that He also embraced human sensations. They overlook the purpose of the Lord Jesus Himself in failing to recognize humanity in man, as no true man exists without human emotions; flesh devoid of feelings is free from both merit and condemnation. The Lord needed to assume and heal the roots of sin to eradicate the foundation of guilt and counteract overwhelming temptation. Even today, without perceiving the physical form of the Lord Jesus, I recognize His humanity through His expressions of feeling. How could I not see Him as human when He hungered, thirsted, grieved, and proclaimed: My soul is deeply troubled even unto death (Matthew 26:38)? Indeed, it is written, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). These testimonies affirm that He is a man, regarded above all others by His divine deeds. Being God, He desired that humanity perceive Him as a man and even referred to Himself as a man: But now you seek to kill Me, the Man who told you the truth (John 8:40). He identified not only as a man but also as the Son of Man: For whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? (Matthew 16:13). Thus, it is said of Apostle Peter that he maintained the essence of faith, acknowledging Him as the Son of God while affirming His humanity. Therefore, Christ is one in both natures, undivided in essence yet distinct in action, united in hypostasis. He is neither one of the Father and another of Mary; rather, He is the One who is of the Father and took on flesh from the Virgin. He inherited emotions from His Mother to bear our weaknesses; hence the prophet states: Surely He has borne our griefs (Isaiah 53:4). How could He experience my suffering if He were devoid of human emotions? He is described as a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering (Isaiah 53:3), the prophet further affirms. Thus, the Lord, like a man, experienced weakness; like a man, He suffered, yet we assumed He was stricken like a man. Nevertheless, He triumphed over affliction without being subjected to it on our behalf. He endured not for His own failings but for ours, so His wounds could bring us healing. What does it signify, 'A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief' (Isaiah 53:3)? It indicates His empathetic connection to us. How could He understand suffering if He severed Himself from the experience of pain? The burdens we bear are taken on as loads. Likewise, He carried our sins, both to take them upon Himself and to cleanse them, as it is stated, And He Himself bore our sins (Isaiah 53:4). Therefore, He will inherit many and apportion the spoils of the mightiest (Isaiah 53:11-12). However, the joy of victory prevails where the inner being is pure. The burdens Christ carries are for redemption, while the cleansing is for reformation. Consequently, Christ embraced empathy and compliance with us. All He submitted to Himself rightfully belongs to Him, while all that is associated with His submission pertains to us. Therefore, He inquires, Shall my soul not submit to God? (Psalm 61:2). It is the soul that yields, not the divine essence, the soul that submits, not the divine might, for divine power is not subject to authority but to unity; He participates in that authority. It is the soul that is subdued, shaken by the frailty of human condition. The soul endures pain alongside the body, and the flesh alongside the soul; they coexist in mutual dependency. The sorrowful soul is subdued, as written: My soul is deeply troubled even unto death (Matthew 26:38). The soul perceived, not born of God the Father, is in submission. Yet this submission does not manifest as weakness, but as an expression of strength; it signifies a temporary arrangement rather than everlasting servitude. Thus, He states, Shall my soul not submit to God? Why say ‘shall submit’ if submission is eternal? Because the Son of God declares this as eternal yet took on His soul temporarily. Hence, He speaks of a future submission of His soul. Through it, He provides obedience and humility, which He adopted not to lessen His power but to impart instruction. The Lord Jesus, being the image of God, did not see equality with God as something to be grasped but humbled Himself, taking the likeness of a servant, appearing as a man. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:6-8), the apostle states. He wishes to convey that obedience is not infinite and eternal but temporal, received through the flesh and retained through the physical ministry. This is echoed in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Paul offers an illustration: You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6). He further adds: In the days of His flesh, with cries and tears, He offered up prayers and supplications to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety; though He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered, and having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him; by God, He was designated a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6-10). Did not the apostle clearly illustrate that obedience and humility arose from the Lord’s human nature, not His divine essence? What is learned is transient. By experiencing suffering as a man, He learned obedience and achieved perfection in the flesh. Through the succession of obedience, He became the source of eternal salvation for us, just as through the succession of disobedience the first Adam brought about death. Therefore, obedience is a reflection of human virtue, not a diminishment of divine authority. And if it is posited that the Son is lesser than the Father and not equal because He was subject to Him, ought we not consider that He is also lesser than His Mother due to His submission to her? We learn that He was obedient to Joseph and Mary (Luke 2:51). Yet, love towards our parents is not a loss but an enrichment for us all. Through His love, the Lord Jesus nourished us with faith and grace, so that we, being faithful in spirit, may be obedient to God the Father. Therefore, the apostle reveals a profound truth: the Lord will submit within us to God the Father when our faith reaches fullness and we are united in piety. Yet, while unity is lacking among us, we are partially impeding the kingdom of Christ; not all things have yet submitted to Him, whose kingdom is unity. But when all things bow before Him, He too will submit to Him who has subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28), as the Scripture affirms. Christ reigns over all by His authority, but it is essential that He also dwells within all by His will. He will desire this when He knows that everything in us is filled with Him and devoid of sin. He has not yet submitted to the Father because Christ is not yet all and in all. But when Christ becomes all and in all, God will be all in all. Thus, the kingdom of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one; for he who receives the Son receives the Father and the Holy Spirit. For one power, one grace, and one work exists in the Holy Trinity. The Lord aptly asserts, From him comes my salvation (Psalm 61:2). It is as if He is saying, ‘Do not be alarmed at My words that My soul shall submit to God. The soul that shall submit is a part of you, and the salvation from Him is mine, because I am from the Father and always remain in the Father. From the Father I came into this world; and though you witness a man, believe that I am the Son of God. When the Comforter comes, whom I shall send to you from My Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me (John 15:26).’ The Son originates from the Father, and the Spirit from Him. Unquestionably, there is unity in the divine nature. David longed for our salvation to be from God, who is eternal Life, affirming that both the Father and the Son, who came to redeem us, are indeed the true God, and who did not view equality with God as something to be exploited (Philippians 2:6). While embracing the responsibilities of human nature, the Lord does not immediately reveal His deity. But this interpretation is profound; let us move on to the moral aspect. Christ faced persecution on numerous occasions: once during His time in the body derived from the Virgin, and many times in the body that is the Church. We are the Body of Christ and His members; hence, there persists persecution of Christ through His saints and innocent ones devoted to the Lord. Consider a man recently subjected to persecution; he has been betrayed and abandoned by his own. Once holding the highest rank within the empire, he suddenly lost everything. Those inheriting the mantle of obedience relentlessly pursued his ruin and took his life. Not one ally, friend, or supporter could be found! What superior words did he speak than those he heard from Him in whom he trusted: Shall not my soul submit to God (Psalm 61:2)? It implies: why do you persecute me, ravage me, mock me? You can take my flesh but cannot slay my soul! You can strip this body of life, yet you cannot seize its dignity, for it is written: Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). Thus, a soul that has yielded to God cannot bow to human authority; it seeks the fruits of eternal life and aid in everlasting salvation from God. The one Who I have entrusted myself to cares for the slain, resurrects the dead, and avenges the wronged. The righteous are uplifted so that wickedness does not sway their hearts (Proverbs 4:11). Accordingly, death serves more as an avenue for the deceased to escape sin than as a loss of life.

Basil the Great expresses that the spirit must govern the desires and be a servant only to God; it is impossible for it to serve both sin and God simultaneously; rather, it must exercise authority over sin while being obedient to God. Thus, the prophet, resisting temptation from the adversary, proclaims, “Why do you force me to serve that which I should not?” I have a Sovereign; I recognize the King. Nyssa remarks that David referred to the salvation of the soul as its surrender to God. Cyril notes that submission to the Lord, which humbly subjects the will of the mind to His guidance and approaches Him with complete humility, yields great benefit and hope, echoing the prophetic declaration: “Behold, we are Yours, for You are our Lord God!” Theodoret adds that this service brings salvation to you, O soul, for He is the Lord, the giver of all goodness, and can strengthen those who are uncertain. Athanasius reminds us that even if you, O soul, have faltered and not remained steadfast in righteousness, submit to the Lord, who can advocate for and redeem you, enabling you to be resolute from this moment onward.

This profound sentiment is even more emphatically articulated in the original Hebrew: 'Let silence be to thee before God, O my soul.' This silence embodies humble submission, a state that occurs when the faithful rest in God's promises, heed His word, and yield to His will, while skillfully restraining every turmoil of the emotions that arise within them.

Moreover, it is insufficient for the faithful to conquer temptations in a single effort, for Satan quickly rallies fresh forces and once again challenges us. Consequently, David frequently calls upon God, seeking His assistance. For this reason, he appeals to God through various titles, asking fervently for numerous shields to defend against the onslaughts of Satan. When he declares at the conclusion of the verse that he will not be greatly shaken or fall severely, he conveys that although he may experience moments of disturbance, akin to any person facing ordinary frailties, with Divine help, he will not ultimately fall. Even should he stumble, his fall will not be catastrophic, for God will support him and raise him up.