I wish, dear brethren, that we had chosen to obey our Father; nevertheless, it is commendable to follow His commands. Therefore, since the one who takes it upon Himself to intercede for us has instructed us thus, I am compelled to share with you, beloved, the meaning of this psalm that Jesus Christ has graciously shared with us, common to our Lord. This psalm is entitled ‘David's Song of Praise.’ A song of praise embodies both joy, as it is indeed a song, and devotion, as it serves as praise. What can a man find more praiseworthy than that which he values so deeply that it is impossible for him to loathe it? Thus, when we offer praise to God, our praise is imbued with assurance. The one who exalts Him finds safety in that act, feeling no shame for the one being praised. Therefore, let us engage in praise and song; let our praise be filled with cheerfulness and joy. The subsequent verses of the psalm guide us on what we should praise.
“Come, let us sing unto the Lord” (Psalm 94:1). He invites us to partake in a joyous celebration, one not of this earthly realm, but that which is in the Lord. For were there no contrasting, hollow joy in this life, it would suffice to simply invite, “Come, let us rejoice;” yet He emphasizes this briefly. What does it mean to really rejoice? It is to rejoice in the Lord. You should find sufficient joy in God if you seek to tread safely upon the world. But what does it mean to “Come”? To call those who are distant to approach, so that by drawing near, they may find communion and consequently rejoice. Yet, can anyone truly be distant from Him who is omnipresent? It is not distance measured by space, but by the lack of likeness to Him that one finds themselves far from God.
What does it mean to be unlike Him? It pertains to a life lived poorly, with detrimental habits; for it is through righteous habits that we draw closer to God, and through sinful ones that we drift away. Hence, by our dissimilarity, we distance ourselves from God, while through likeness, we approach Him. What sort of likeness? The likeness we were made in, that which we corrupted through sin, but which we receive anew through absolution, renewed in our inward mind, the divinely imprinted image engraved once more, like an impression on a coin—this is the image of God within our souls, leading us back to His treasures.
“Let us make a joyful noise to God our salvation.” Consider, beloved, those who create joyful noises in secular songs during moments of worldly celebration; observe how, when they read the written lyrics, they erupt with a joy that language cannot adequately express, their cries revealing a heart’s joy beyond verbal articulation. If they can raise a joyful noise for earthly delights, all the more should we do so for heavenly joys that are truly beyond words.
“Let us face Him with confession” (Psalm 94:2). In Scripture, confession carries dual meanings. One is a confession of praise, while the other signifies a sorrowful confession. The confession of praise honors the one being praised, whereas the confession of lamentation pertains to the repentance of the confessor. For in praising God, we confess; in acknowledging our faults, we confess too. Truly, I believe these are the vows he mentions in another psalm: “I will repay Thee my vows, which I have spoken with my mouth.” Understanding and acting righteous vows is paramount. How then can we discern the vows made to God? Through praise and self-accusation; it is within His mercy that we find forgiveness for our sins. For had He chosen to judge us based on our merits, He would only discover reasons for condemnation. “Oh, come,” the call goes, “that we may finally turn from our misdeeds, that He may not present our past accounts, but as if to begin anew, once all our debts have been forgiven.” Therefore, the more we despair due to our transgressions, the more we should confess our sins; as the glory of the Forgiver shines more brightly when the penitent confesses abundantly. Do not think, then, that in acknowledging our faults, we stray from the song of praise; for such confession forms part of our hymn, as acknowledging our wrongs only serves to exalt God’s glory.
And “shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” We have already established the essence of making a joyful noise: the repetition serves to reinforce this act; and this repetition itself becomes a form of encouragement. We have not forgotten this imperative to make joyful sounds; in moments of fervent feeling, a familiar word is echoed, not to enhance familiarity, but so the repetition deepens the impact.
“Listen, for the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods” (Psalm 94:3). The Lord will not reject His people. To which people does He show such favor? We ought not provide our interpretations, for the Apostle has guided us on this matter, clarifying what is stated. This refers to the Jewish people, a prophetic nation, descended from the patriarchs, born of Abraham’s lineage—those among whom the mysteries that foretold our Savior had emerged. They were the people established as God's own, in whom the prophets were sent, to whom divine revelations were entrusted. What is the conclusion? Are all these people condemned? Far from it. The apostle refers to them as the good olive tree, rooted in the patriarchs. This tree, despite some broken branches, still remains intact. For if all branches were severed, how does one account for Peter? John? Thomas? Matthew? Andrew? Where do all these apostles hail from? And what of the five hundred brethren who witnessed the Lord following His resurrection? (1 Corinthians 15:6). How did so many thousands, as Peter attested during Pentecost, turn fervently to God after witnessing the apostles speaking in various tongues? (Acts 2:4). Those who were once responsible for the Lord's blood now believed and drank the very salvation they had once scorned. All those five thousand, transformed, sold their possessions and placed the proceeds at the apostles' feet. What one affluent man could not do when he came to the Lord, many thousands did, with hearts burning deeper wounds from their sins, earnestly seeking healing. Thus, since they all hailed from that people, the psalm emphasizes that “the Lord will not cast away His people.”
What more does the psalm convey? “All the corners of the earth are in His hand” (Psalm 94:4). We recognize Christ as the cornerstone. A corner cannot exist without the joining of two walls; they converge yet face no conflict in their meeting. Circumcision represents one side, uncircumcision the other; in Christ, these differences unite, for He is the stone referred to in the phrase, “The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner.”
“For the sea belongs to Him, and He made it” (Psalm 94:5). This sea symbolizes the world, yet God is the Creator of even this, and the waves cannot surge beyond the shore that He has established. No temptation exceeds its ordained limits. “And His hands have prepared the dry land.” Become that dry land: yearn for God’s grace, that it may rain upon you like sweet refreshment and produce fruit within you. He ensures that the waves will not obscure what He has sown. Therefore, let us call upon the Lord.
“Come, let us worship and bow down; let us weep before the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 94:6). Should you find yourself burning with the awareness of your transgressions, extinguish the fire of your sin through tears. Weep unreservedly before the Lord who created you, for He does not scorn His handiwork in you. Do not presume you can bring about your own recovery; in solitude, one may fall and not regain standing—only He who created you can restore you. Weep before the Lord your Maker—confess your failings openly, allowing His presence to guide you through your confession. Who is it that weeps and confesses before Him but that which He has fashioned? A being created in His image bears substantial trust in the Creator.
“For He is the Lord our God” (Psalm 94:7). To fall before Him in worship, unafraid, who are we? We are the flock of His pasture and the sheep under His care. Notice the elegance as He alters the phrase's order, attributing qualities to each word, revealing that His sheep are indeed His people. He did not say, “the sheep of His pasture,” as though they simply belong to the field, but referred to them as “the people of His pasture.” Thus, the people embody the sheep, for He says, “the people of His pasture.” He acknowledges these sheep beautifully within the Song of Songs, likening them to His perfect spouse, the Holy Church. “Thy teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep, coming up from the washing; every one bears twins, and none are barren.” What do “Your teeth” represent? They symbolize those through whom you communicate, for the Church's teeth represent its voice. What characterizes your teeth? They resemble a flock of sheep that have been sheared. Why are they sheared? They have discarded the burdens of the world. Those sheep were shorn under God’s command when He instructed, “Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor; and you will find treasure in heaven, and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). They heeded this command; they emerged transformed.
As for the believers in Christ who are baptized, what is conveyed? They emerge from the cleansing, each giving birth to twins. What twins? These are the two commandments upon which all the Law and the Prophets depend (Matthew 22:40).
“So today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 94:8). O my people, the people of God! God speaks to His people, not just to those He will not reject but to all His followers. For He expresses Himself through the lying cornerstone referenced in Ephesians 2:20 to every boundary; the prophecy speaks forth in Christ to both Jew and Gentile. For a time, you listened to His voice via Moses and hardened your hearts. Now, having hardened your hearts, He speaks through a herald; now He comes to speak personally, softening your hearts. The One who sent heralds now stands before you, speaking directly, the same One who prophesied through the mouths of the prophets.
“As in the day of provocation and the day of testing in the wilderness where your fathers tested Me” (Psalm 94:9). Do not allow your forebears to be your example; do not imitate them. They were your fathers and, should you choose not to mimic them, they shall cease to be your fathers. Though you were born of them, their example does not need to dictate yours. And if the Gentiles journeying from the ends of the earth proclaim, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness, and things of no profit” (Jeremiah 16:19), if the Gentiles cast aside their idols and turn back to the God of Israel, shall Israel—the one whom their God liberated from Egypt through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22), who subdued their enemies in pursuit— should they forsake their God? When your ancestors tested Me, scrutinized Me, and witnessed My works...
“For forty years I was grieved with this generation, and I said: ‘These are the people whose hearts go astray, for they have not known My ways’” (Psalm 94:10). Forty years signifies a perpetual state, symbolizing the fullness of the ages as if encapsulated in that number. Thus, our Lord fasted for forty days and was tempted for forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), appearing for forty days to the disciples post-resurrection (Acts 1:3). In the initial forty, He presented us with temptation; in the latter forty, He bestowed comfort. For assuredly, when faced with trials, we experience His comfort. His Body, the Church, must withstand tribulations within this world, yet He—the Comforter who promises, “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20)—fails not. For I have remained with them for forty years, illustrating a humanity that perpetually vexes Me, even unto the end of the world; through these forty years, He sought to signify the entirety of this worldly existence.
THEOSIS