THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Could this possibly be the voice of the nations? Did He sovereignly possess the nations from the very beginning? No, He belonged to the descendants of Abraham, the Israelites by lineage, born of our forebears, of whom we are their spiritual offspring, not through physical descent, but by emulating their faith. But what became of those whom God has owned from the inception? "Remember Your flock, which You have taken as Your own from the beginning. You have redeemed the rod of Your inheritance." This very congregation that You have redeemed is called the rod of Your inheritance.
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Let us recall the first action taken when He desired to claim this assembly by leading them out of Egypt—what sign did He provide to Moses when Moses asked Him, "What sign shall I give to prove that You have sent me?" God responded, "What is that in your hand?" "A rod," Moses replied. "Cast it to the ground" (Exodus 4:1-3). What is the significance of this? It was not without purpose. Let us delve into the Scriptures. What did the serpent tempt mankind into believing? Unto death. Thus, death came through the serpent. Therefore, the serpent’s rod symbolizes Christ’s death. Consequently, when the serpents in the wilderness inflicted pain and death upon the people, the Lord instructed Moses to lift up a brass serpent, bringing illumination to the people so that anyone who was bitten by the serpent would gaze upon it and be healed (Num. 21:8). And indeed, those afflicted by the serpents were cured from the venom by gazing at the serpent (Jn. 3:14). To receive healing through a serpent is a profound Sacrament. What does it mean to be restored from the serpent’s bite by focusing on the serpent? It signifies being restored from death through faith in the One who died. Yet Moses was fearful and fled (Ex. 4:3). What caused Moses to flee from this serpent? What, dear friends, but what we recognize as fulfilled in the gospel? Christ died, and the disciples were filled with fear, losing hope (Luke 24:21). However, during that time, thousands of the very Jews who crucified Christ came to faith: they were so moved that they sold all their possessions, laying the proceeds at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:34-35). At that moment, this truth was concealed, and the redemption through God's rod should have been more apparent among the nations. He did not refer to the Gentiles, where this was evident, but rather to what? Mount Zion. Nevertheless, even Mount Zion can be interpreted in various ways. The same place where You have dwelled is the one where the People once lived, where the Temple stood, where Sacrifices were offered, encompassing all that was necessary to fulfill the promise of Christ at that time. A promise, once made, becomes irrelevant when it is fulfilled.