Salutation
... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King: Prayer to the Holy
Ghost
O
Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill
all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and
cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
A Psalm of David.
Give the Lord, O mighty,
give the Lord Glory and strength. Give the
Lord the Glory due His name. Worship
the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the Lord [is] on the waters. The God of Glory thunders. The Lord [is] on many waters. The voice of the Lord [is] powerful. The voice of the Lord [is] full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. Yes, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes them also skip like a calf.
Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The
voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness. The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and discovers
the forests. In His temple everyone
speaks of [His] Glory.
The Lord sits on the
flood. Yes, the Lord sits King forever. The Lord will give strength to His people.
The Lord will bless His people with peace.
[1]
David now gives us a hymn devoted exclusively to the praise of Yahweh. “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,” is not a figure of speech. David fully expected that when he went to the
temporary tabernacle (Moses’ Tabernacle was destroyed, Solomon’s Temple was not
yet built) that he would meet with God’s Glory, Which he describes as “the
beauty of holiness.” Here is the object
of our worship, that we will one day see God: this is the Beatific Vision,
which we all seek.
David is awe struck with the voice that
proceeds from this Oracle, this Ark, this mercy seat: its power is
overwhelming. What is David
thinking? Does he remember the power God
displayed at the Red Sea, at Mount Sinai, at the Jordan River, at Jericho, at
the great wars of Joshua, or does he give reference to the defeat of Saul, and
the subsequent pacification of the Philistines?
The expression “discovers the forests” refers to stripping the trees of
all their leaves, so that the forest is naked.
God’s throne is not merely the earthly Ark,
it is the very Flood of Noah: which at that time was the greatest display of
Divine power in human history. Now we
know of even greater historic events: namely the Resurrection and
Pentecost. Today, “The Lord [still gives] strength to His people,” in the invisible form of the
Holy Ghost.
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