... 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,
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.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
To the Chief Musician, [A
Psalm] of David, the servant of the Lord.
The transgression of the wicked says within
my heart, “[there is] no fear of God
before his eyes:” for he flatters himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity
be found to be hateful. The words of his
mouth [are] iniquity and deceit. He has ceased to be wise, [and] to do good. He devises mischief on his bed. He sets himself in a way [that is] not good. He abhors not evil.
Your mercy, Lord, [is] in the heavens. Your faithfulness [reaches] the clouds. Your
righteousness [is] like the great
mountains. Your judgments [are] a great deep. Lord, You preserve
man and beast.
How excellent [is] Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your
wings. They shall be satisfied abundantly
with the fatness of Your house. You shall
make them drink of the river of Your pleasures: for with You [is] the fountain of life. In Your light, we shall see light. Continue Your lovingkindness to those who
know You; Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Let not the foot of pride come against me, Let
not the hand of the wicked remove me. There
are the workers of iniquity fallen. They
are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.
________
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[1] The
address of this Psalm to the Chief Musician, tells us that this Psalm was
specifically intended for public worship.
Since the ordering of the priesthood into twenty-four divisions took
place near the end of David’s life, we suppose that this Psalm was written at
that time (1 Chronicles 23-29; Luke 1:5, 8-9).
David claims for himself the title slave of Yahweh, rather than
king. This title, slave or servant, far
from being demeaning as it seems, is a title of great honor: the slaves or
servants of Yahweh are invariably bringers of the Word of God, most of the great
saints in Scripture bear this title.
People who lack this title in Scripture, are frequently evil. Paul, especially, lays claim to this title;
but there can be no doubt that this title applies to the other Apostles, and to
all the saints, for all are made epistles of the living God (2 Corinthians
3:2-3). So we must take seriously, our
own need and efforts, to cut the Word of God deeply into our own hearts. The Word of God is of little value lying in
ink on the pages of an unused book; but, taken into the heart, the Word of God
is of priceless value, and growing every day.
David begins at a place which seems strange to us, until we consider
that David is preparing the kingdom for Solomon, whom David knows is the icon
and type of Christ. It is absolutely
necessary that the wicked be identified and removed so that they cannot enter
the kingdom of heaven. David calls the
wicked out, using speech not unlike that of John (Matthew 3:7) and Jesus (Matthew
12; 23:31-36). The wicked may not join
Christ in His Glory. The wicked may not
enter the rest of God.
David breaks out in a wonderful song of praise. Salvation is available for all, “You preserve man and beast.”
We wrestle not against flesh (Ephesians 6:12), the Lake of Fire was not
made for man (Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 19:20-21;
20:10, 14-15). All men are called to
repentance.
Every hope for eternity rests on God’s excellent
lovingkindness. Trust “under the shadow
of Your wings” means to flee to the Throne of God, the Mercy Seat, which is overshadowed
by the mighty cherubim. God’s house is
mentioned in John 14:2, and more fully described in Revelation 21 as the
beautiful city, the bride of Christ, The Church. The river of life flows from the throne of
God in this city, and God gives the city its light.
Therefore, it is imperative that no prideful or wicked person
be allowed to enter and defile this blessed kingdom.
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