Psalm 62 (61):4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Where shall I not find growing dismay? But why? I shall not be troubled further. For He is indeed God, my Savior, my refuge; thus, you mortals may impose burdens upon mankind. Do you truly depend upon God to shield humanity? You all aim to destroy. What is the stature of one man's body that it can be overwhelmed by all? However, we must recognize our identity—the identity of the Church, the identity of the Body of Christ. For there exists one Person with His Head and His Body: Jesus Christ, the Savior of the Body and its members—two in one flesh, sharing one voice, one fervor, and, when iniquity fades, one rest. The sufferings of Christ are not experienced solely in Christ; furthermore, there is no other besides Christ. If you comprehend Christ as Head and Body, then His sufferings exist only within Christ; but if you perceive Him merely as Head, His sufferings are not confined to Him alone. For if His sufferings were isolated in Christ alone, that is, in the Head alone, then how could one member express through the Apostle Paul, “To make up what is lacking from the oppressions of Christ in my flesh?” (Col. 1:24). Therefore, if you are among the members of Christ, whatever person you are who hears these words—whoever you may be—(but listen, if you are among the members of Christ): in all your sufferings inflicted by those outside the Body of Christ, they lack the sufferings of Christ. Hence, it is emphasized that these were missing; you complete the measure without allowing it to overflow: you endure as much as what ought to have been supplemented to the total sufferings of Christ, who suffered in our Head and continues to suffer within His members, that is, within ourselves. In this communal endeavor, it is as if each of us contributes, in proportion to our capabilities, our share of sufferings owed. The reservoir of all human anguish will not be fully filled until the end of the age.... Thus speaks the whole city, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah (Matt. 23:35). From here onward, from the blood of John, from the blood of the Apostles, from the blood of martyrs, from the blood of faithful followers of Christ, one city declares, one voice implores, “How long will you lie on man? Destroy all of you. See if you can erase, see if you can extinguish, see if you can eliminate, see if you can banish Her name from the earth. Do not think empty thoughts, saying, ‘When shall She perish, and when shall Her name fade?’ As if She were a wall withered and a hedge battered; lean against Her, strike Her. Hear from above, ‘He who has taken me up will not be shaken again, for it is as if I have been struck against a heap of sand to crumble, yet the Lord has lifted me up.’

Only then, once renewed by the Creator who fashioned it in the beginning, can it become secure, everlasting, and immune to the malign influences that could lead to another downfall. As scripture states, “Ye are God's burden, ye are God's building.” This structure has been compromised by adversarial forces, yet the Builder has mended the breaches within it. Consequently, while destruction due to sin is an unfortunate necessity, it gives way to the glorious promise of resurrection and eternal life.

If you are attacking Me to keep Me, why seek to destroy those who accompany Me? It suffices that you have the one you pursue. I do not desire a companion in suffering, nor do I need assistance for the salvation of all. I do not send a representative, nor do I require a messenger; I am the messenger and have given Myself to those who did not seek Me, surrendering Myself to those who rejected Me, in order to release those bound by death. You come at Me like a leaning wall and a toppled hedge (Psalm 61:4), unaware that I did not come to support the structure or upend the barrier, but to obliterate them. I arrived in the world to unite the two and dismantle the partition separating body and soul, which prevented them from experiencing oneness. Thus, the flesh resisted the spirit, unable to yield because it could not accept its sustenance due to the obstructing partition. The law of the flesh contends with the law of the spirit. This age-old enmity, like a wall, was shattered by the Lord Jesus, allowing soul and body to converge so that, united, they might pursue the salvation of both. The wall symbolizes the weight of sins, as Paul declared to the Jewish high priest: "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall" (Acts 23:3). A wall, after all, is made of clay and debris, reflecting the manner in which the Egyptians constructed cities by forcing the Israelites to produce bricks. The clay was shaped in Egypt, and it was God's people who committed this transgression. Because of this, the Jewish people lamented, and God heard them, delivering them from sin, providing the law and promising grace, allowing the law to partially restrain sin while grace granted forgiveness for all. As He spoke, a sudden crowd of pursuers appeared, and, realizing the danger, He felt alarmed, not for Himself, but for those He yearned to save: "As long as you assail man, you murderers of all" (Psalm 61:4). If you seek Me, why wish to kill others? I offer Myself for many, for only He who is the Creator of all could offer Himself for all. He mirrored the one He followed, stating: "If you seek Me, leave them alone; let them go," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled: "I have lost none of them" (John 18:8-9), except for one (as these words are recorded elsewhere). This one perished by his own choice, not at My behest, and met with severe punishment. "When I willingly offered Myself, you attacked and descended upon Me like a leaning wall or a shaken hedge" (Psalm 61:4). This signifies that I, once the apex of a glorious throne and the steadfast fortress of an empire that stretched across the Roman realms, now fall like a leaning wall or a shaken hedge. So it shall be; they pursued Me even to death, seeking to eliminate Me, exclaiming, "Let us destroy the righteous man, let us eradicate the merciful man, for it is unbearable for us to behold him." They schemed to tarnish even My good name and integrity with false accusations.

Through these words, the Maccabees express their vulnerability and helplessness due to their transgressions against God, leading to numerous trials and afflictions as their history recounts. St. Basil remarks that from these expressions, it is clear that human nature has been warped by the weight of sin, necessitating its collapse before it can be recreated by the Creator who formed it at the beginning, restoring strength, inviolability, and freedom from the inclination toward a second fall. Thus, this assertion stands against the wicked servants of the devil, accusing their vicious assaults, for humanity is frail, and their attacks are unrelenting, not satisfied with an initial onslaught but persisting with a second and a third. Theodoret interprets it to mean: do not become overly arrogant against us, for we are weak; we have a helper, the God of all humanity. Athanasius further asks: how long will you persist in striving, when it is foretold that your offenses against us are futile?

Furthermore, a wall that is defective and empty is not only at risk of a sudden downfall but will also shatter into fragments upon collapse. David foreshadows the swift demise of his foes, asserting that despite their elevated status and their threatening proclamations borne of pride, they will inevitably tumble, crashing down noisily like a great wall that gives way or a fortified structure swept away by rushing waters. In a spiritual interpretation, St. Augustine mourns the tragic fall of souls, struck down and led to ruin by the various vices instigated by malevolent spirits, such as greed, pride, lust, anger, envy, and similar passions. In this light, he asks: How long will you cling to humanity? How long will you refrain from ceasing your attacks on the human race, whether through deceit or open hostility? How long will you torment the souls of the impoverished, dragging them along with you into perdition? How long will you masquerade before the needy as a wall in distress and a fortress needing protection? Through these words, Augustine poignantly illustrates the power and ferocity of demons against humanity, as well as our own frailty. Indeed, all of us, after the corruption of our nature, resemble a leaning wall, vulnerable to a fall at any moment due to our susceptibility to decay and an inherent tendency toward evil from our earliest days. Thus, it is fitting for the Apostle to cry out: ‘O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death (Rom. 7:24)?