THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
My lord and brother Severus has yet to fulfill the joy we anticipate from our conversations with him, acknowledging his indebtedness to us. As he travels from church to church, the Lord has rejoiced through his words; thus, the church from which he has spread God's message should rejoice even more. What can we do but submit to his wishes? However, dear friends, I emphasize that his delay should not be mistaken for deceit. Let us regard him as a debtor and not release him until he has satisfied that debt.
Take heed, beloved, as we delve into a portion of this Psalm, which you are already familiar with; it is refreshing to revisit the truth. Some may have been surprised when they first heard its title: "When the house was built after the Captivity." You might expect that the text would describe how stones were hewn and foundations laid, yet the song speaks of none of these things. It is not a structure confined to a specific place; rather, the house is established in the entirety of creation. The Psalm opens by saying, "Sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth" (Psalm 94:1). If the entire earth sings a fresh melody, it builds as it praises; singing constructs, but only with a new song. The desires of the flesh sing the old tune, while love for God sings anew.
The reason it is a new song is that the Lord declares, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another" (John 15:12). When the earth sings a new song, the house of God is built therein. If the whole earth constitutes the house of God, then anyone who does not cling to the entirety of creation is a ruin rather than a house, resembling the ruins that symbolized the old temple, which had to be dismantled to allow the new to arise.
The apostle ties us into this structure, bonding us in union with the words, "Indulging one another with love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:2-3). Where the unity of the Spirit thrives, there exists one stone formed from many. This oneness arises from our willingness to condescend to one another in love. The house of the Lord is in the process of being constructed; this is the essence of the words, the readings, and the preaching of the Gospel worldwide during its establishment.
The house has indeed grown vast and spread over many nations, yet it has yet to dominate all; its expansion claims many but will eventually prevail. Those who pride themselves on being part of this house may claim it has lost its standing, yet it continues to flourish. Nations yet to believe are destined to embrace that faith; no one can predict which tongues will come to believe—perhaps even the most resistant. The appearance of the Holy Spirit in fiery tongues (Acts 2:3) signifies that no tongue is so hardened that it cannot be softened by this divine fire.
Many barbarian nations have already accepted Christ; territories untouched by the Roman Empire now belong to Him. What is shut off from those who battle with swords may be opened through the struggles of those who wield the cross. The Lord reigned through the wood. Who fights with the wood? Christ does. Through His cross, He triumphed over kings, placing the same cross upon their brows in their defeat; they take pride in it, for therein lies their salvation.
This is the work being accomplished; the house is expanding, and to affirm this, listen to the subsequent verses of the Psalm: "Sing unto the Lord, all the earth" (Psalm 95:2). How does the building grow larger? It is through proclaiming His salvation daily. Let it be a daily witness; day by day, God desires His house to increase. It is as if the laborers ask, "Where do you wish this house to expand?" They seek a spacious, flat location for His grand dwelling. God reveals the answer: "Proclaim to the Gentiles His honor." It is His honor we proclaim, not ours. Builders, declare His glory to the Gentiles; if you proclaim your own, you will fall. However, if you proclaim His, you will be built up while constructing.
Those who cling to their own honor have rejected dwelling in this house, hence they fail to sing a new song with the entire earth. They do not share in the universal song and thus do not contribute to building a house but instead erect a whitewashed wall. How seriously God condemns the whitewashed wall is clear in the many prophecies where He curses such hypocrisy, for a whitewashed wall signifies pretense, bright on the outside but corrupt within.
A wise man remarked that creating a door in a solitary wall merely leaves the person still outside; likewise, the part that refused the new song while constructing a whitewashed wall cannot offer true entry. If that wall has a door, it does not lead to inside, as they have not come through the true Door, who is the Lord (John 10:9).
Proclaim His honor to the Gentiles. Who are the Gentiles? Could it be that regions like Getulia, Numidia, Mauritania, or Byzacia are not considered nations? Provinces constitute nations. May the word of God liberate those from hypocrisy, building a house that embraces the entire world. It's not adequate to simply declare, "Proclaim Him to the Gentiles," lest you think certain nations are excluded; the Psalm continues, "and his miracles to all men."
"For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised" (Psalm 95:4). What Lord but Jesus Christ is both great and deserving of praise? You know Him as a man; know that He was conceived in a woman’s womb, born from her, nurtured, carried, circumcised, and that sacrifices were made for Him while He grew. Ultimately, you know that He was beaten, spat upon, crowned with thorns, crucified, died, and pierced with a spear; you understand that He endured all these things—He is indeed great and worthy of praise.
Do not overlook the small things; recognize the magnitude of the great. He became small because of your condition, so let Him be acknowledged as great, and in Him, you shall find greatness. What can a small tongue convey about the greatness of God? When it declares, "Above praise," it suggests that what cannot be uttered must be contemplated; yet even reflection on that may not suffice. If no human thought can articulate His magnitude, can any language fully capture it? The Lord is great and unworthy of praise. Let Him be glorified and declared; proclaim His honor, and erect His house.
For the site where He wishes to build is overgrown, as we noted previously. He sought that very house when referring to the woods. Why is this place woodland? Because the people worshipped images, and it is no surprise that they fed swine. Recall the son who abandoned his father and wasted his inheritance on riotous living, subsequently finding himself in the company of swine (Luke 15:12-15), representing the idolatry of the Gentiles, thus transforming the earth into a forest.
He who builds a house must uproot a tree; hence it was declared, "While the house was being built, after the captivity." For all were captives of the devil, serving false gods, but they have been redeemed from captivity. They could sell themselves, yet could not ransom themselves. The Redeemer came and set the price; His blood was the currency, purchasing the entire world. You ask what He acquired? Look at what He gave, and thus discover what He redeemed: nothing less than the whole world, all nations. It is grievous for those, either ungrateful or prideful, who assert that the price was so minimal that it was exclusively for Africans or for themselves alone. They should not rejoice; they should not be proud, for His gift was for the whole world. He knew the value of what He bought because He understood at what cost.
Thus, since we are redeemed, the house is built after the exile. Who were our captors? Those to whom it was said, "Declare His glory," are the ones who clear the trees to root out the demonic, liberating the earth from bondage and constructing, extolling the greatness of the house of the Lord. How can the cursed tree be cast out unless the One who is above all is proclaimed? All nations once had demons as their gods—what they called gods were, as the Apostle clarifies, demons: "That which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God" (1 Corinthians 10:20). Thus, all were entangled in bondage as they offered their sacrifices to these demons, resulting in all the earth remaining as wood.
"For He is to be feared above all gods"—added clarification tells us, "As for all the gods of the heathens, they are devils." (Psalm 95:5). Are these lesser gods worthy of commendation or honor? Listen: God created the heavens. So not merely above the pagan gods, but also above the heavens they occupy stands the Lord. Had He stopped there, declaring Himself merely above the pagan gods, we might think less of His greatness than we ought, but when it states, "But the Lord made the heavens," a stark distinction is made between the created heavens and the One who made them; behold His exaltation.
He did not state, "But the Lord sits in the heavens," which could suggest that someone else may have made them and He merely reclined there, yet the Lord indeed made the heavens. In making the heavens, He also created the angels. He Himself made the angels and the apostles. The devils surrendered to the Apostles, yet the Apostles themselves became the heavens that birthed the Lord.
O heavens that He created, declare His honor to the Gentiles! Let His house arise throughout the entire earth; let the world join in singing a new song. "Confession and beauty are before Him" (Psalm 95:6). Do you crave beauty? Do you wish to be beautiful? Confess! He outlined confession before beauty, for if you have unjustly wandered, confess to become justified; if you've sinned, confess that you might be righteous.
You can mar your appearance, but true beauty cannot be forged outside of Him. How does our Bride, who adores her beloved, disfigure herself to attain beauty? Some may question how He could love the unlovely. "I have come," He declared, "to call not the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:13). Are these the sinners who will remain in sin? No! He asks how they will cease to be sinners—through confession and beauty before Him.
They honor Him by acknowledging their sins and casting off what they once consumed; they do not return to their folly like a dog returning to its vomit (2 Peter 2:22). When this occurs, there will be both confession and beauty. We desire beauty, but select confession first so that beauty may follow.
Furthermore, one who longs for power and majesty aspires to be esteemed like the angels. Although angels possess a measure of greatness and power, not everyone desires their righteousness. Above all else, embrace righteousness, and the accompanying strength will follow. What results from this? Holiness and splendor are found in His sanctification.
You initially sought greatness; prioritize righteousness first, and you will find greatness. If you foolishly pursue greatness first, you will fall before you rise; you shall not rise by your own strength. Embrace the hand of the One who does not fall, and you will be lifted by the Almighty.
If confession and beauty lie before Him, there lies holiness and majesty in His sanctification (Psalm 94:7). As we build a house, a declaration has already gone forth to the nations; what shall we give the Gentiles, to whom the Lord's glory has been proclaimed through those who cleared timber? Now, the Lord directs the Gentiles themselves: "Give unto the Lord, ye kindred of the people; give unto the Lord glory and honor." Do not attribute these to yourselves, for those who proclaimed these truths did not do so for their own glory but for His.
Thus, ascribe to the Lord worship and honor; say, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory." Do not place your trust in man. If any are baptized, let them declare, "He baptizes me," referring to the One of whom the Bridegroom’s friend said, "He baptizes with the Holy Spirit." By doing so, you transfer honor and worship to the Lord.