... 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).
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the
beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalm 113:1-9[1]
Praise the Lord.
Praise, servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever.
From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the Lord’s name [is] to be
praised.
The Lord [is] high above all nations. His Glory [is] above the heavens.[2] Who [is]
like the Lord our God, Who dwells on high, Who humbles[3] [Himself] to behold [things] in heaven, and in the earth!
He raises up the poor from the dust. [He]
lifts the needy from the dunghill: so that He may set [him] with princes, with the princes of His people. He makes the barren woman keep house, a
joyful mother of children.
[1]
This delightful Psalm of Praise gives no author or date; it focuses on the
Glory of God. We remember that the Glory
of God is not an abstraction, but His real presence in talking flame and smoke,
seated on the Ark of the Covenant, and resident in the most holy place within
the Tabernacle or Temple. The Psalmist
moves on to observe that God’s real presence is simply His visibility; His real
Glory is greater than the Universe (heaven) itself; but He stoops (humbles) to
give special loving attention to humanity: this looks forward to the
Incarnation of Jesus, which is God’s greatest act of humbling, actually
becoming complete and true man. Hence,
as Theanthropos or Theandros (God-man) he humbles Himself to forgive, heal, and
justify the poor, needy, and barren.
We note with astonishment the emphasis on fruitfulness. This could be a reference to Samuel and his
mother, Hannah, or a prophecy concerning John (the Baptist) and his mother,
Elisabeth. It draws attention to the
fact that for both men and women, spiritual fruitfulness is among the most
important things in our lives. These
noblewomen did more than merely give birth; they themselves were great servants
of God: thus, they gave birth to great servants of God. Both Samuel and John introduced the King: David,
the type of the Incarnation; Jesus, the reality of the Incarnation.
[2] The
True Shekinah, not merely the earthly visible Shekinah. The Glory on earth is simply a visible icon
to teach the Israelites and us about the reality of God’s existence: so He
presented Himself in visible form. But
the heavenly Glory of God is infinitely greater.
[3] Humility
is of the nature of God and of godliness.
Pride is of the nature of man and manliness. To become godly in this world, men and women
must put pride and every vestige of self.
I must finish my course with Paul (2 Timothy 4:6-8), but not without
being poured out as a drink offering; not without taking up my cross every day
(Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-27).
[4] If
you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost,
share, or use any of them as you wish.
No rights are reserved. They are
designed and intended for your free participation. They were freely received, and are freely
given. No other permission is required
for their use.
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