THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
The title of this eighty-seventh Psalm introduces a theme that warrants further exploration: the terms present here, which are meant to elucidate the title "Melech," are unique and not found elsewhere. We have previously shared our interpretation of the phrases "Psalmus Cantici" and "Canticum Psalmi," and the repeated phrase "sons of Corea" is frequently addressed. However, the inclusion of "Melech" in this title is atypical. In Latin, "Melech" can be translated as "choir," as it conveys a similar sense. The Passion of the Lord is anticipated in this passage. The apostle Peter affirms this by stating that Christ suffered for us, providing us with an example to follow (1 Peter 2:21). This is indicative of responding. Likewise, the apostle John remarks, "As Christ laid down his life for us, so we must lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16), which also signifies a response. The term "chorus" suggests agreement, grounded in love; thus, one who mirrors the Passion of the Lord but lacks love misses the essence of the chorus, rendering their sacrifice ineffective (1 Corinthians 13:3). Furthermore, the Latin terms "Precentor" and "Succentor" refer to the singer who initiates the music and the one who follows, contrastingly depicted here as the choir of martyrs leading Christ to His heavenly coronation. This psalm is sung by the sons of Corea, meaning they emulate the Passion of Christ, who was crucified on Calvary, linked to the Hebrew term "Cor" (Matthew 27:33). The mention of "Aman," representing the Israelite, finds understanding in the notion of brotherhood; for Christ delights in deeming those who comprehend the mystery of His Cross as His brethren, proudly acknowledging His grace rather than their own merits, so each may be proclaimed as a true Israelite, devoid of deceit (John 1:47), as Scripture describes Israel itself in similar terms (Genesis 25:27).
"O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried before Thee day and night" (Psalm 86:1). Let us now heed the prophetic voice of Christ, sung before us, to which His own choir should respond in imitation or gratitude. "O let my prayer enter into Thy presence, incline Thy ear to my call" (Psalm 87:2). Our Lord prayed not in His divine form, but in the form of a servant, enduring suffering. He prayed in both times of prosperity, represented by day, and in times of distress, suggested by night. The entrance of prayer into God’s presence indicates its acceptance, while His inclination signifies His compassionate hearing—God does not possess physical members as we do. This repetition is customary.
"My soul is filled with evil, and my life draweth nigh unto Gehenna" (Psalm 86:3). Can we accurately claim that the Soul of Christ was filled with evil when the drive of passion affected only His body? The soul can experience pain independently of the body, but the body cannot exist without the soul. We may assert that the Soul of Christ was burdened by the collective sufferings of humanity, yet not by personal sins. One prophet mentions that He bore our griefs (Isaiah 53:4), and the Evangelist recounts how He shared His suffering with His disciples, expressing, "My soul is grieved even to death" (Matthew 26:37-38). The author of this psalm anticipates these events, expressing them through the sentiment of being filled with wickedness and nearing hell, which parallels His sorrow of death. The phrases "My soul mourneth" and "My life draweth nigh unto hell" echo similar themes: these human vulnerabilities our Lord consciously embraced, not out of necessity, but through the voluntary act of His mercy, leading to His incarnational suffering and the ultimate death of human flesh. This unity of body and spirit allowed Him to relate to His Church, a mystical body of believers who may, amid their trials, feel distant yet not be outside of His favor. The unity of the believers and His Head teaches that these trials are not sins but confirmations of human frailty. Consider the apostle Paul, a key member of this body, revealing his own burdens: he expressed how great sorrow and continual heaviness filled his heart for his fellow Israelites. If we assert that Christ too grieved for them in light of His Passion, provoking them toward deep remorse for the guilt they would bear, we do not stray from the truth. Ultimately, what our Savior spoke from the Cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34), is mirrored in the psalm: "I am counted among those who go down into the pit" (Psalm 87:4), referring to those who, unaware of His divine role, saw Him only as a man like others who succumbed to death and need. The term "pit" represents profound sorrow or damnation, embodying the essence of being forsaken.
"Free among the dead" (Psalm 86:5). In this assertion, the nature of our Lord is clearly depicted: who else is truly free among the deceased if not He who, albeit in the likeness of sinful flesh, alone stands without sin among sinners? (Romans 8:3). Thus, being free among the dead, possessing the power to give and take back His life, none could strip it from Him, as He chose to lay it down willingly; He could resurrect His body, like the temple they destroyed at His command, for even as all forsook Him at His Passion, He was not truly alone since His Father remained with Him (John 8:29). However, His adversaries, oblivious to the divine truth, regarded Him as helpless, likened to those lying in a grave. He adds the phrase: "Whom you do not yet remember," emphasizing the distinction between Christ and those who have passed away. For even though He bore wounds and lay lifeless in the tomb (Matthew 27:50, 60), those unaware of the implications of His suffering considered Him just another victim of mortal injury, forgetting God’s plans for resurrection—the hope of awakening from death. The Scriptures often refer to the dead as sleeping to signify their destined awakening. He, having been wounded and laid to rest, awoke on the third day, likened to a solitary bird on a rooftop, symbolizing His exaltation at the right hand of the Father in heaven. In this, He is uniquely set apart from those whom God has not yet remembered for resurrection, as the process clearly unfolds first in the Head and later for the Body. It is often said that God remembers when He acts and forgets when He does not; yet, He neither truly forgets, for He is eternal, nor recalls, as His essence never allows oblivion. Thus, those who deem Him without aid consider themselves forsaken, while He stands liberated among the dead, perceived as wounded, lying in the grave. However, it is noted that those who speak of Him in this manner have distanced themselves from the divine, for, in the moment of His being made low, they have cast themselves away from His hand; believing in His helplessness, they render their own protection void, as another psalm states: "they have dug a pit before me, and themselves have fallen in the midst of it."
"They put Me in the lowest pit" (Psalm 86:6), interpreted as the deepest grief. The "lowest pit" signifies the most profound sorrow, one whose depths are unsurpassed. Hence another psalm asserts, "You have brought me out of the ditch of misery," indicating a place of darkness and the shadow of death, wherein they, unaware of their actions, administered this honorific condemnation, not recognizing Him whom none of the worldly rulers discerned (1 Corinthians 2:8). It is uncertain whether the "shadow of death" pertains to the corporeal end or to those mentioned in Scripture who wandered in darkness whilst the light raised above them brought illumination (Isaiah 9:2)—they were led from the darkness of sin into light and life. Such was the fate of those who, though dutifully blind to the truth, counted our Lord among those needing help to diminish their own culpability.
"Thy indignation lies upon Me" (Psalm 87:7)—alternatively expressed as "Thy wrath" or "Thy fury." The Greek word is θυμὸς, which prompts various translations. When translated as ὀργὴ, it is easily expressed as Latin ira; yet where the term is θυμὸς, many refrain from that equivalent, despite many esteemed translators applying it in those contexts. Should I propose a more fitting term? Indignation might be more suitable than rage, as the latter has connotations inappropriate for common human use. What could "Thy wrath is upon me" imply but the misinterpreted faith of those who do not recognize the Lord of Glory? (1 Corinthians 2:8), who imagined that divine wrath had not only descended but enveloped Him they sentenced to death, possibly the most wretched form of execution—death on the Cross, thus, the apostle states, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us," for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" (Galatians 3:13). In affirming His devotion, Christ humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death—death on the Cross (Philippians 2:8), further echoed in this psalm: "And all Thy hangings"—or waves—"Thou hast brought upon Me." Other psalms state: "All your suspensions and waves have passed over me," making a distinction—while calamities may indeed sweep over us like waves, here it is stated that all were specifically brought upon Him. Evil may wash away when it does not touch a person, perceived akin to hovering entities, or can impact like waves. Yet, when He uses "suspension," it suggests they have not merely passed but rather have been actively placed upon Him, as all foretold concerning His Passion begins to unfold.
"Thou hast removed My acquaintance from Me" (Psalm 86:8). If we consider acquaintance in the sense of acquaintances known by Him, then it encompasses all humanity; for who among them did He not know? Instead, He refers to those who might be considered His close companions—those who were aware of His innocence yet knew Him only as a man, not perceiving His divine nature. Although He could view the righteous He favored as intimate, He could equally deem the wicked as unknown, stating, "I know you not" (Matthew 7:23). Furthermore, "And they have made Me an abomination to themselves," this could reference those who disassociated themselves from Him due to their fear of His fate. Am I not correct in claiming that His disciples were absent, leaving Him alone in His trial? (Matthew 26:56) Or should we delve deeper into, "I cannot come out" as signifying He remained concealed within His divine will, not revealing Himself fully? Consequently, "My eyes are weakened with want" (Psalm 87:9)—which eyes do we reference? If pertaining to the fleshly eyes amidst suffering, He did not experience such weakness from hunger during His Passion, having dined before betrayal; yet, if referring to an inner vision, how did they weaken without deprivation, given the ever-burning Light of divinity? These eyes symbolize His body, wherein He is recognized as the Head, cherishing them more elevatedly than the others. This body became the subject to the apostle's discussion regarding its members, correlating it to our own bodies: "If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?" (1 Corinthians 12:17-21). His metaphor becomes evident as he declares, "Ye therefore are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (1 Corinthians 12:27). Hence, those holy Apostles, whose enlightenment came not from flesh and blood but by revelation of the Father in heaven, might have perceived Him in His suffering, but their vision fell short of recognizing His divine virtue and omnipotence. They watched Him, subdued and subjected to calamity, thus grew faint as if their food—their Light—had forsaken them.