Psalm 64 [MT 65]

Say we, therefore, ourselves also: "Hearken, O God, to my prayer, while I am troubled; from fear of the enemy deliver my soul" [Psalm 64:1]. Enemies have raged against the Martyrs: for what was that voice of Christ's Body praying? For this it was praying, to be delivered from enemies, and that enemies might not have power to slay them. Were they not therefore hearkened to, because they were slain; and has God forsaken His servants of a contrite heart, and despised men hoping in Him? Far be it. For "who has called upon God, and has been forsaken; who has hoped in Him, and has been deserted by Him?" [Sirach 2:10] They were hearkened to therefore, and they were slain; and yet from enemies they were delivered. Others being afraid gave consent, and lived, and yet the same by enemies were swallowed up. The slain were delivered, the living were swallowed up. Thence is also that voice of thanksgiving, "Perchance alive they would have swallowed us up.". ..Therefore for this prays the voice of the Martyrs, "From fear of the enemy deliver my soul:" not so that the enemy may not slay me, but that I may not fear an enemy slaying. For that to be fulfilled in the Psalm the servant prays, which but now in the Gospel the Lord was commanding. What but now was the Lord commanding? "Fear not them that kill the body, but the soul are not able to kill; but Him rather fear ye, that has power to kill both body and soul in the hell of fire." [Matthew 10:28] And He repeated, "Yea, I say unto you, fear Him." [Luke 12:5] Who are they that kill the body? Enemies. What was the Lord commanding? That they should not be feared. Be prayer offered, therefore, that He may grant what He has commanded. "From fear of the enemy deliver my soul." Deliver me from fear of the enemy, and make me submit to the fear of You. I would not fear him that kills the body, but I would fear Him that has power to kill both body and soul in the hell of fire. For not from fear would I be free: but from fear of the enemy being free, under fear of the Lord a servant.

Exposition on Psalm 64

What, really, does our spiritual father intend to teach? “I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” When he ordered us above to fear the Lord, he also showed the profit that comes from fear, saying, “Those who fear him do not lack anything.” At present also, they hand down to us a certain teaching of divine fear. Now it is in the power of every one, even of the private individual, to say that it is necessary to be healthy; but, to say how health must be obtained, that certainly belongs to him who understands the art of medicine. Every fear is not a good and saving feeling, but there is also a hostile fear, which the prophet prays may not spring up in his soul, when he says, “Deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy.” Fear of the enemy is that which produces in us a cowardliness with regard to death and misleads us to cower before distinguished persons. How, in fact, will he who fears these things be able in time of martyrdom to resist sin even to death and to pay his debt to the Lord, who died and rose again for us? He also, who is easily scared by the demons, has the fear of the enemy in him. On the whole, such a fear seems to be a passion born of unbelief. For no one who believes that he has at hand a strong helper is frightened by any of those who attempt to throw him into confusion.

Homilies on the Psalms 16:8

"You have protected me from the gathering together of malignants, and from the multitude of men working iniquity" [Psalm 64:2]. Now upon Himself our Head let us look. Like things many Martyrs have suffered: but nothing does shine out so brightly as the Head of Martyrs; in Him rather let us behold what they have gone through. Protected He was from the multitude of malignants, God protecting Himself, the Son Himself and the Manhood which He was carrying protecting His flesh: because Son of Man He is, and Son of God He is; Son of God because of the form of God, Son of Man because of the form of a servant: having in His power to lay down His life: and to take it again. [John 10:18] To Him what could enemies do? They killed body, soul they killed not. Observe. Too little therefore it were for the Lord to exhort the Martyrs with word, unless He had enforced it by example. You know what a gathering together there was of malignant Jews, and what a multitude there was of men working iniquity. What iniquity? That wherewith they willed to kill the Lord Jesus Christ. "So many good works," He says, "I have shown to you, for which of these will you to kill Me?" [John 10:32] He endured all their infirm, He healed all their sick, He preached the Kingdom of Heaven, He held not His peace at their vices, so that these same should have been displeasing to them, rather than the Physician by whom they were being made whole: for all these His remedies being ungrateful, like men delirious in high fever raving at the physician, they devised the plan of destroying Him that had come to heal them; as though therein they would prove whether He were indeed a man, that could die, or were somewhat above men, and would not suffer Himself to die. The word of these same men we perceive in the wisdom of Solomon: "with death most vile," say they, "let us condemn Him; let us question Him, for there will be regard in the discourses of Him; for if truly Son of God He is, let Him deliver Him." Let us see therefore what was done.

Exposition on Psalm 64

"For they have whet like a sword their tongues" [Psalm 64:3]. Which says another Psalm also, "Sons of men; their teeth are arms and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword." Let not the Jews say, we have not killed Christ. For to this end they gave Him to Pilate the judge, in order that they themselves might seem as it were guiltless of His death....But if he is guilty because he did it though unwillingly, are they innocent who compelled him to do it? By no means. But he gave sentence against Him, and commanded Him to be crucified: and in a manner himself killed Him; ye also, O you Jews, killed Him. Whence did ye kill Him? With the sword of the tongue: for you did whet your tongues. And when did ye smite, except when you cried out, "Crucify, Crucify"? [Luke 23:21]

Exposition on Psalm 64

"They have bended the bow, a bitter thing, in order that they may shoot in secret One unspotted" [Psalm 64:4]. The bow he calls lyings in wait. For he that with sword fights hand to hand, openly fights: he that shoots an arrow deceives, in order to strike. For the arrow smites, before it is foreseen to come to wound. But whom could the lyings in wait of the human heart escape? Would they escape our Lord Jesus Christ, who had no need that any one should bear witness to Him of man? "For Himself knew what was in man," [John 2:25] as the Evangelist testifies. Nevertheless, let us hear them, and look upon them in their doings as if the Lord knew not what they devise. The expression he used, "They have bended the bow," is the same as, "in secret:" as if they were deceiving by lyings in wait. For you know by what artifices they did this, how with money they bribed a disciple that clave to Him, in order that He might be betrayed to them, [Matthew 26:14-15] how they procured false witnesses; with what lyings in wait and artifices they wrought, "in order that they might shoot in secret One unspotted." Great iniquity! Behold from a secret place there comes an arrow, which strikes One unspotted, who had not even so much of spot as could be pierced with an arrow. A Lamb indeed He is unspotted, wholly unspotted, always unspotted; not one from whom spots have been removed but that has contracted not any spots. For He has made many unspotted by forgiving sins, being Himself unspotted by not having sins. "Suddenly they shall shoot Him, and shall not fear." O heart hardened, to wish to kill a Man that did raise the dead! "Suddenly:" that is, insidiously, as if unexpectedly, as if not foreseen. For the Lord was like to one knowing not, being among men knowing not what He knew not and what He knew: yea, knowing not that there was nothing that He knew not, and that He knew all things, and to this end had come in order that they might do that which they thought they did by their own power.

Exposition on Psalm 64

"They told, in order that they might hide traps: they said, Who shall see them?" [Psalm 64:5]. They thought they would escape Him, whom they were killing, that they would escape God. Behold, suppose Christ was a man, like the rest of men, and knew not what was being contrived for Him: does God also know not? O heart of man! Wherefore have you said to yourself, Who sees me? When He sees that has made you? "They said, Who shall see them?" God did see, Christ also was seeing: because Christ is also God. But wherefore did they think that He saw not? Hear the words following.

Exposition on Psalm 64

"They have searched out iniquity, they have failed, searching searchings" [Psalm 64:6]: that is, deadly and acute designs. Let Him not be betrayed by us, but by His disciple: let Him not be killed by us, but by the judge: let us do all, and let us seem to have done nothing....

Exposition on Psalm 64

"Arrows of infants have been made the strokes of them" [Psalm 64:7]. Where is that savageness? Where is that roar of the lion, of the people roaring and saying, "Crucify, Crucify"? Where are the lyings in wait of men bending the bow? Have not "the strokes of them been made the arrows of infants"? You know in what manner infants make to themselves arrows of little canes. What do they strike, or whence do they strike? What is the hand, or what the weapon? What are the arms, or what the limbs?

Exposition on Psalm 64

"And the tongues of them have been made weak upon them" [Psalm 64:8]. Let them whet now their tongues like a sword, let them confirm to themselves malignant discourse. Deservedly to themselves they have confirmed it, because "the tongues of them have been made weak upon them." Could this be strong against God? "Iniquity," he says, "has lied to itself;" "their tongues have been made weak upon them." Behold, the Lord has risen, that was killed....What do you think of Him who from the cross came not down, and from the tomb rose again? What therefore did they effect? But even if the Lord had not risen again, what would they have effected, except what the persecutors of the martyrs have also effected? For the Martyrs have not yet risen again, and nevertheless they have effected nothing; of them not yet rising again we are now celebrating the nativities. Where is the madness of their raging? To what did they bring those their searchings, in which searchings they failed, so that even, when the Lord was dead and buried, they set guards at the tomb? For they said to Pilate, "That deceiver;" by this name the Lord Jesus Christ was called, for the comfort of His servants when they are called deceivers; they say therefore to Pilate, "That deceiver said when yet living, After three days I will rise again:" [Matthew 27:63] ...They set for guards soldiers at the sepulchre. At the earth quaking, the Lord rose again: such miracles were done about the sepulchre, that even the very soldiers that had come for guards were made witnesses, if they chose to tell the truth: but the same covetousness which had led captive a disciple, the companion of Christ, led captive also the soldier that was guard of the sepulchre. We give you, they say, money; [Matthew 28:12-13] and say ye, while yourselves were sleeping there came His disciples, and took Him away....Sleeping witnesses ye adduce: truly you yourself hast fallen asleep, that in searching such devices hast failed. If they were sleeping, what could they see? If nothing they saw, how are they witnesses? But "they failed in searching searchings:" failed of the light of God, failed in the very completion of their designs: when that which they willed, nowise they were able to complete, surely they failed. Wherefore this? Because "there drew near a Man and a deep heart, and God was exalted."...

Exposition on Psalm 64

"And every man feared" [Psalm 64:9]. They that feared not, were not even men. "Every man feared;" that is, every one using reason to perceive the things which were done. Whence they that feared not, must rather be called cattle, rather beasts savage and cruel. A lion ramping and roaring is that people as yet. But in truth every man feared: that is, they that would believe, that trembled at the judgment to come. "And every man feared: and they declared the works of God."..."And every man has feared: and they have declared the works of God, and His doings they have perceived." What is, "His doings they have perceived"? Was it, O Lord Jesus Christ, that You were silent, and like a sheep for a victim wast being led, and did not open before the shearer Your mouth, [Isaiah 53:7] and we thought You to be set in smiting and in grief, [Isaiah 53:4] and knowing how to bear weakness? [Isaiah 53:3] Was it that You were hiding Your beauty, O Thou beautiful in form before the sons of men? Was it that You did not seem to have beauty nor grace? [Isaiah 53:2] You bore on the Cross men reviling and saying, "If Son of God He is, let Him come down from the Cross." [Matthew 27:40] ...This thing they, that would have had Him come down from the Cross, perceived not: but when He rose again, and being glorified ascended into Heaven, they perceived the works of God.

Exposition on Psalm 64

"The just man shall rejoice in the Lord" [Psalm 64:10]. Now the just man is not sad. For sad were the disciples at the Lord's being crucified; overcome with sadness, sorrowing they departed, they thought they had lost hope. He rose again, even when appearing to them He found them sad. He held the eyes of two men that walked in the way, so that by them he was not known, and He found them groaning and sighing, and He held them until He had expounded the Scriptures, and by the same Scriptures had shown that so it ought to have been done as it was done. For He showed in the Scriptures, how after the third day it behooved the Lord to rise again. [Luke 24:46] And how on the third day would He have risen again, if from the Cross He had come down?...Therefore let us all rejoice in the Lord, let us all after the faith be One Just Man, and let us all in one Body hold One Head, and let us rejoice in the Lord, not in ourselves: because our Good is not ourselves to ourselves, but He that has made us. Himself is our good to make us glad. And let no one rejoice in himself, no one rely on himself, no one despair of himself: let no one rely on any man, whom he ought to bring in to be the partner of his own hope, not the giver of the hope.

Exposition on Psalm 64

“The just person will take delight in the Lord and hope in him, and all the upright of heart shall be praised.” We have certainly sung this with voice and heart. Christian consciences and tongues have spoken these words to God: The just one will take delight not in the world but in the Lord. “Light has dawned for the just,” it says somewhere else, “and delight for the upright of heart.” You may ask where delight is to be found. Here you have it: “The just one will take delight in the Lord.” And somewhere else: “Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the aims of your heart.” What are we being shown? What is being granted us? What are we being told? To take delight in the Lord. But can you take delight in what you do not see? Or perhaps we do see the Lord? We have that safely promised us; but now “we walk by faith, as long as we are in the body we are away from the Lord.” By faith, not by sight. When will it be by sight? When another thing John says is fulfilled: “Beloved, we are children of God, and it has not yet appeared what we shall be. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” Then there will be great and perfect delight, then joy will be full, when it is no longer hope suckling us with milk but the real thing providing us with solid food.

Sermon 21:1