Psalm 70 (69):5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If you seek Him who first sought you, become part of His flock, listen to the voice of your Shepherd, and follow Him; observe what He reveals to you concerning Himself and His Body, ensuring you’re not misled regarding Him in relation to the Church. Beware lest anyone proclaim a Christ who is not the true Christ or present a Church that is not the true Church. Many have claimed that Christ lacked flesh and that He was not resurrected in His body; do not heed their messages. Listen to the voice of the Shepherd Himself, who assumed flesh to seek the lost. He is risen and declares, Take and see; for a spirit does not possess flesh and bones as you see Me (Lk. 24:39). He presents Himself to you; follow His voice. He also reveals the Church, so that no one may deceive you by misusing the name of the Church. It was necessary, He says, for Christ to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem (Lk. 24:46-47). You have the voice of your Shepherd; do not follow the voices of strangers (Jn. 10:5). Do not fear the thief if you heed the Shepherd's voice. But how shall you follow? Unless you praise someone as though it were on his own account, saying, 'Well done,' without joy, so that your mind may not be filled with ill-gotten gain. Let all who search for You exult and rejoice in You; may they declare—what may they declare? They should say, May the Lord always be exalted! Let all those who find joy in You proclaim this. What do they proclaim? May the Lord be exalted always, yes, those who cherish Your salvation. Not only do they say, 'May You be exalted,' but always...You who are a sinner, may He be exalted to call you; you who confess, may He be exalted to forgive you; you who live righteously, may He be exalted to guide you; you who endure to the end, may He be exalted to glorify you. May the Lord always be exalted; indeed, they love His saving health. For from Him comes salvation, not from themselves. The saving health of the Lord our God is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Whoever loves the Savior acknowledges their healing; whoever acknowledges their healing admits to their sickness. Not through their own efforts can they attain salvation; not through human means can they be saved. Do not place your trust, He says, in princes and mortal men, for they are unreliable. Why is this? Salvation is from the Lord, and Your blessing is upon Your people.

Those who love You honor Him, having turned away from idols to embrace His glory. Nicetas conveys Theodoret's explanation, reiterating that the invocation of ‘Lord’ is absent from the Exapsalm, and that all who cherish Your love should rejoice in their songs of praise. Isychius notes that Christ embodies the salvation from the Father, as it is through Him that humanity finds redemption. Thus, when Simeon received Christ into his arms, he proclaimed, My eyes have seen Your salvation. It follows that those who cherish this salvation consistently glorify You, casting aside idols to embrace the true Savior who rescues and liberates.

During the time of Blessed Theodoret and Blessed Basil V, these words were not universally present across manuscripts and might have been associated with the heading from verse 2, particularly for those in the community who found themselves compelled solely towards prayer.

“O God, cry out for my help, O Lord, assist me”—this prayer was continually recited by the therapists, or monks, during their labors, alongside the declaration: “My hope is my Father, my refuge is my Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit”—known as the Ioannikia prayer from the early centuries of Christianity. The Angel of God instructed the Monk Pachomius to pray twelve times during the day and twelve times at night. Monk Pachomius maintained a practice of reciting sixty prayers by day and sixty by night. This rule includes: ‘By the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us’, the Trisagion, ‘Our Father...’, Psalm 50, ‘Have mercy on me, O God...’, and ‘I believe...’, followed by one hundred Jesus prayers, ‘Worthy is...’, and concluding with: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.’ Thus, the leader of the brethren himself would recite twelve thousand Jesus prayers. The Jesus Prayer found a place in monastic life, to be repeated constantly, avoiding distractions or vanities and committing to unceasing prayer (1 Thess. 5:17). It is fitting for us, in reverence and with tears, to approach God in prayer, with humility and earnest sighs, invoking Him with a quiet and gentle voice.