Read Psalm 3 in Russian. Psalm to David, who sometimes fled from the face of his son Absalom

Psalm to David, who sometimes fled from the face of Absalom his son, 3

Lord, why have you multiplied the cold? Many people rise up against me, many people say to my soul: there is no salvation for him in his God. But you. Lord, my Protector, be my glory and lift up my head. With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain. I fell asleep and fell asleep, and arose, as if the Lord would intercede for me. I will not be afraid of the people around me who attack me. Arise, Lord, save me, my God, for You have struck down all those who were at enmity with me in vain: You have crushed the teeth of sinners. Salvation is the Lord's, and Your blessing is upon Your people.

Psalm 3 in Russian

Interpretation

Ps.3:1. Psalm to David, who sometimes ran away from the face of his son Absalom.

So says the inscription presented to the psalm. For the psalm says that the face of the prophets suffers persecution from the Jewish people. “David,” the longed-for interpretation is given, and such is the face of the prophets. And therefore, just as Absalom plotted indignation against his father, that is, David; so the Jews rebelled against the fathers of their prophets, not accepting God's commands, but opposing them.

Ps.3:2. Lord, why have you multiplied the cold?

The phrase “that” is used instead of “very”.

Ps.3:3. There is no salvation for him in his God,

That is, God will not save him. For they looked only at the sin he had committed, not knowing his repentance. And this clearly shows that the psalm is talking about David. For to rebel is actually said about those who were formerly subject to citizenship, and then undertook war.

Ps.3:4. You, Lord, are my protector.

Words befitting the faith of a prophet who unshakably endures so many misfortunes and hopes that he will not be abandoned, but on the contrary, will find help for himself, ascend and receive the kingdom. For this, according to the interpretation of some, means: “lift up the head.” Therefore, the glory of the righteous is God in whom he trusted; and to whom God is the glory, he will lift up the head.

Ps.3:5. I cried out to the Lord with my voice.

This saying teaches that in difficult circumstances one should resort to no one other than God. First he placed a prayer, then, after the diapsalma, thanksgiving for receiving what was asked. Now he turns his face to us, tells how he prayed and was heard, and says: “I cried out to the Lord with my voice.” By “voice” we should mean the mental petition of the mind to the God of all. For he is not talking about crying, but about prayer spoken with the mind. The words: “hearing me from the mountain” are said in accordance with the generally accepted image. For they thought that God lived in the tabernacle, because from there the prophetic answers were given to the priests. Or: “from the holy mountain” means: from heaven, which is the meaning of the expressions: “to your holy mountain” (Ps. 14:1), and: “draw near to the eternal mountains” (Mic. 2:9). The holy mountain of God can mean the mountain from which God, the Only Begotten of God, hears those praying, and about which it is said: “The mountain of the Lord will be revealed in the last days” (Is. 2:2); because this saying signifies the appearance of the Lord at His coming at the end of the ages. Or: “from the holy mountain,” from heaven. And the holy mountain of God is the supernatural knowledge of God.

Diapsalma is either a change in the musical mode, or a turn in thought and the power of words.

Ps.3:6. I fell asleep and fell asleep.

He talks about the sleep of the mind, from which he fell into sin. And what was said: “I arose” means: having been worthy of God’s change, I became better from the evils that befell me.

Ps.3:8. For You have struck down all those who are at enmity with me in vain.

Smite, crush, or smite. He prays to God for a speedy uprising or revenge on enemies. “In vain” has enemies who give no reason for hatred. He calls the teeth of sinners either the strength of those who sin against him, or their slander and blasphemy. Or the teeth of sinners are unreasonable thoughts that appear unnaturally in us; because using our thoughts as teeth, opponents often approach us to devour our flesh, that is, what is generated by the flesh. For “the matter of the flesh has been revealed,” says the divine Apostle (Gal. 5:19). The Psalmist speaks of teeth in a figurative sense, taking the image from animals whose strength lies primarily in their teeth, so that by breaking their teeth they become harmless. For both murderers and bloodsuckers are worse than the most bloodthirsty animals, or are likened to them.

Ps.3:9. The Lord's salvation is.

“Save me, O Lord,” says David (Ps. 3:8). But I beg that this extend to all the people. One should know that the entire psalm can be attributed to the human race, which has sinned and for this is most betrayed by mental enemies, but who cried out in sorrow and was heard by God and saved by His resurrection from the dead and the defeat of the demons that were hostile to us. For He is “the limbs of lions,” the Lord who crushed (Ps. 57:7); He, or from Him, is salvation. I do not place my hope in man, says David, but from You we expect salvation, both I and Your people, who together with me are being fought by enemies.

Psalm 3 begins with the inscription: “ Psalm to David, who sometimes fled from the face of Absalom his son"(Ps. 3:1). Why, in fact, did King David flee from his son? Because Absalom rebelled against his father, and David was threatened with death. In general, in the book of Psalms there are several psalms that were composed by David during this rebellion, or a little later, when David remembered him. Since many modern people do not know biblical history at all, I think it makes sense to talk about why the relationship between David and Absalom developed the way it did. It is worth saying that the king and prophet David really wanted to be a friend to the Lord. Despite the fact that a huge part of his life was spent on military campaigns, David is one of the brightest personalities of the Old Testament period. However, history knows only One completely sinless man, and this Man was and remains the Incarnate God Jesus Christ. There are no other sinless people, and none are expected. David was not sinless either.

The tragedy of his family began with his sin and his crime. King David fell in love with Bathsheba, a married woman, and entered into a relationship with her. When his mistress became pregnant, David killed her husband, Uriah the Hittite. Anyone can read this story in detail in chapter 11 of the Second Book of Samuel.

The wrath of the Lord was not long in coming. Through the prophet Nathan, David was told that he would be punished.

First, the baby Bathsheba bore to David will die. And so it happened.

People at all times have been acutely worried about the death of children, and I assume that you, reader, will ask me - what is the child’s fault? Not with anything. Why then did the Lord punish the child?

Here it should be understood that the child died for David and Bathsheba, but with the Lord everyone is alive (Matthew 22: 23-33). The baby's fate in eternity will not depend on the sins of his parents.

But if the baby had stayed in our world, bad things could have happened. The Lord, of course, knew that Bathsheba would remain David's most beloved woman. It was Bathsheba's son Solomon who ruled the people of Israel after the death of David. But Solomon was the second son of David and Bathsheba, already born in a normal marriage. And if their first son had remained alive, then it is possible that he would have ruled Israel after the death of David. And what would happen? That the king of the Old Testament people-church would be the fruit of adultery, because of which Uriah was killed? Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the Lord did not allow this baby to grow up.

But David's punishments did not end with the death of his son.

Nathan said that the Lord will raise up evil against David from his house, and the sword will not depart from the house of David forever (2 Sam. 12: 10-11). This punishment did not come immediately, but over time.

Those were Old Testament times, and the Lord allowed people to have polygamy. He did not order to have several wives, but he also did not punish if someone took several wives.

David also had many wives. Many wives, and many children from the same father, but different mothers. It was between David’s children from different wives that the first act of the tragedy played out, which anyone who reads chapter 13 of the Second Book of Samuel can become familiar with.

Amnon, the son of David by Achinoma, was inflamed with passion for his own sister, Tamar, the daughter of David by Maacah. By cunning he lured him into his house and raped him.

Sin divides people, not unites them. After Amnon's passion was satisfied, it was replaced by another passion, hatred. Amnon hated Tamar and drove her away. After this, the dishonored girl lived in the house of Absalom, her full brother, the son of David from the same Maacah.

It should be noted that according to the law of Moses, the death penalty was imposed for rape (Deut. 22: 25-27).

Did David know about this story? Knew. He found out and got angry. I got angry - and what did I do? Never mind. I got angry and that's it.

We modern people live in times of rebellion. In any country, revolutionaries accuse those in power of all mortal sins, and declare that if power passes into their hands, they will arrange everything as it should. This “as it should” means different things, but it is often stated that we will make sure that everyone is equal before the law. Even if you are the son of the president, or the nephew of the minister, if you have committed a crime, please answer as a simple janitor would answer.

Some people believe such promises. And to me, dear reader, it’s both sad and funny. There has never been and never will be a society without “majors”, without the illegitimate sons of important people. That is, you can strive for this. But this cannot be achieved. We live in a cursed world (Gen. 3:17), in a world distorted by our sins - what’s surprising? If King David, who loved the Lord very much and really wanted to be the Lord’s friend, did not find the strength in himself to execute his own son, then what can we say about our local kings, who neither fear God nor are ashamed of people?

So, Amnon could believe that the dirty story with Tamar would not backfire on him - after all, his father did not pursue him. The father did not, but Absalom harbored a grudge for his sister. He did not threaten Amnon and did not show his hatred in any way, but two years later he killed him. And he fled to the neighboring country, to Talmai, king of Geshur.

What about David? According to the same law of Moses, in the kingdom of Israel you cannot kill people left and right - Absalom would have to answer for lynching! But he didn’t answer. And here David shows gentleness towards his child. After three years, Absalom was allowed to return home.

But the tragedy did not end there, there was simply a short intermission, and soon passions were to boil again. Everything that happened, of course, did not strengthen Absalom’s respect for his father, and, after living in Jerusalem for two more years, Absalom rebelled.

Modern man is accustomed to respect rebels and avengers. It is not uncommon for them to be placed higher than those against whom they rebelled. But it must be said that Absalom was far from his great father.

This can be clearly seen in the examples. Ancient Israel was not just a people, it was the chosen people of God, from whom the Savior, Christ, was to be born. This people were under the special care of the Lord. And the good ruler was not the one who showed himself to be a great warrior or administrator, but the one who carried out the decrees of God.

Among these decrees is this: “Do not touch my anointed ones (Ps. 104:15).”

David fulfilled this commandment carefully, even to his own detriment. The first king of Israel, Saul, hated him for many years. Hated, persecuted, tried to kill many times. And David had the opportunity several times to kill Saul and thus protect himself. But David did not do this (see 1 Samuel 24:10-18; 1 Samuel 26:7-17).

I repeat - David tries his best to do the will of God, and that is why he does not kill Saul. Saul is God’s anointed, how can you touch him?! Yes, Saul is an enemy of David, moreover, he is a bad king who violated the will of God more than once, but still the anointed one!

As a result, King Saul died at the hands of another man - David did not dare to harm the anointed one.

There is nothing like this in Absalom's behavior. His father is God's anointed - so what? Off with his head, whether he is anointed or not - after all, Absalom wants to rule!

And family relationships mean much more to David than to Absalom.

The Law of Moses prescribed that anyone who curses his father and mother should be stoned (Exodus 21:17). Absalom goes further - he intends to kill his father (2 Sam. 17:2-4). David looks at the situation differently; he has not yet forgotten that the rebel is his own son. Before the battle begins, he asks his soldiers not to kill Absalom (2 Sam. 18:5).

Of course, if Absalom had won, he would have been much less careful about observing the decrees of God than his father. But the victory was for the army of David. David's henchmen did not fulfill the main request of their king - the military leader Joab killed Absalom. What David wept about bitterly was that he did not stop loving his son, even after his son stopped loving him (2 Sam. 18:33).

Thus the prophecy announced by the Holy Spirit through the prophet Nathan was fulfilled - the sword did not depart from the house of David (2 Sam. 12:10-11). By the way, this was not the last blood shed in this family. After David's death, his son, King Solomon, killed his brother Adonijah, since he laid claim to his throne (1 Kings 2:20-25).

In short, David paid in full for killing Uriah the Hittite and destroying his family.

It just seems that the “powers of this world” can treat “little people” as they please, commit any atrocities, and nothing will happen to them for it. The example of David proves that this is only an illusion. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7), and those who sow evil will eventually eat its bitter fruits. It is no coincidence that the Apostle Paul reminded powerful and noble people to treat the “little people” as brothers, giving them due and fair treatment. Not people, but the Lord will ask them how they treated their neighbors (Col. 4:1).

Now let's talk about the psalm itself. It can be viewed from a historical perspective as David's cry to the Lord.

“Lord, why have you multiplied the cold? Many rise up against me, many say to my soul: there is no salvation for him in his God” (Ps. 3:2-3).

Absalom's rebellion was supported by many. We humans often try to interpret what God is doing in a straightforward way. This is how the Jews of those distant times thought that since there was a rebellion, God was angry with David for his sin and turned away from him as he had previously turned away from Saul. This means that God will not save David.

“But you, Lord, are my Protector, my glory, and lift up my head. With my voice I cried to the Lord, and His saints heard me from the mountain” (Ps. 3:4-5).

But David does not cease to hope in the Lord. This constantly fighting man, whose life faced so many dangers that would be enough for ten, learned in life a very important thing - to hope in the Lord.

I don’t remember who exactly, but it seems that one of the Catholic theologians flashed a very beautiful formula: “Work as if everything depends only on you and pray as if everything depends only on God.”

David could do that. In his battles, he fought with all his might, but he did not rely on these strengths. The prophet knew that if the Lord did not become his helper, then all his efforts would be in vain. Centuries will pass, and another prophet, Jeremiah, will say: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man” (Jer. 17:5). Including yourself.

That's it, dear reader. Since childhood, you and I have heard phrases like: “Everything depends only on us”, “Every person is the architect of his own happiness”, “No one will give us deliverance, not God, not the king and not the hero, we will achieve liberation with our own hand.” Holy Scripture teaches us not to rely too much on “our own hand.” The Lord does not condone lazy people, and if a person does not work, then nothing good will come of him. But in any business, in any work, from us there is only effort. Success or failure is from the Lord.

But let's return to David. David knows that he is being punished by the Lord, and is being punished for his deed. But David's unfaithfulness does not mean God's unfaithfulness! David is punished, but not abandoned - the Lord hears the prayers of the king and the prophet.

Those who thought that the same thing would happen to David who sinned as it did to Saul who sinned were wrong. David was not like Saul.

Having become king, Saul became proud, became arrogant and truly abandoned the Lord. Until his death, this man never repented. The word “repentance” is literally translated from Greek as “change of mind.” That is, to repent is to try to change. Saul did not do this and died, remaining a arrogant and stubborn man.

The fall of David is a temporary fall. He could not resist his passion for Bathsheba, but it was still a temporary weakness of a man who really wanted to be faithful to the Lord, but this did not always work out. I think that David could well subscribe to the words spoken by the Apostle Paul. “The desire for good is in me, but I don’t find it to do it. I do not do the good that I want, but I do the evil that I do not want (Rom. 7:18-19).”

And so David’s fall is weakness, not perseverance. And after this fall there was repentance. There is a proverb: “the sword does not cut off a repentant head.” The Lord punished David, but did not abandon him. On David the words of Christ came true: “Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37).” David called, and His Friend, the Lord, heard.

“I fell asleep and fell asleep, and arose, for the Lord would intercede for me. I will not be afraid of the people around who attack me” (Ps. 3:6-7).

David trusts in the Lord so much that he can sleep peacefully, despite the fact that he is in great danger. Sleep is a time of complete human helplessness. The sleeper is unable to protect himself not only from a sneaking killer, but also from a mosquito. And David can sleep peacefully, because he knows that the Lord remains his Friend and the Lord protects him.

“Rise up, Lord, save me, my God, for you have struck down all those who were at enmity with me in vain: you have crushed the teeth of sinners. Salvation is the Lord’s, and Your blessing is upon Your people” (Ps. 3:8-9).

David prays to the Lord to save him and grant him final victory over the rebels. “Teeth of sinners” are mentioned here for a reason - if a predator’s teeth are knocked out, it becomes harmless. Let me remind you that David wanted to make Absalom harmless, and not to kill him!

And David ends the psalm with hope in God again, because no matter what a person does, without the Lord’s blessing there will be no use. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain; If the Lord does not guard the city, the watchman watches in vain (Ps. 126:1).”

This is how this psalm can be viewed from a historical perspective. But it seems to me that the reader will be interested to know how these words of David can be attributed to the state of his own soul, especially since any parishioner often hears this psalm in Orthodox Churches - it is with this psalm that the Six Psalms begins.

An interesting interpretation was proposed by Saint Gregory of Nyssa in his work “On the Inscription of Psalms,” and everything that will be said below is based precisely on this interpretation.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I, John, saw the holy city Jerusalem, new, coming down from God out of heaven... And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; they will be His people, and God Himself will be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; There will be no more mourning, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:1-4).

Beautiful - isn't it, reader? By the way, not only this is said about this paradise of the future century, about the Heavenly City of Jerusalem. It is said about the inhabitants of this City that they “will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5).

That is, a person who gains faith in Christ is, as it were, anointed for the future kingdom, preparing to reign with Christ in eternity. And then enemies attack him. Which? People? Or demons?

Saint Gregory of Nyssa claims that your main enemies are your own creations. Just as the rebel Absalom was the offspring of David, so those who rebel against you will be your own offspring. And who is it? Your passions. Greed and pride, lust for power and vanity, envy and love of money - all this rises up against you, man, and tries to deprive you of your future kingdom!

And here a fight is needed. Otherwise, a person simply cannot live in eternity. It is not God who will not allow him into the Heavenly City of Jerusalem - man himself will not be able to enter it!

Let us remember the history of ancient Israel during the time of Moses. After fleeing Egypt, the descendants of Abraham approached the Promised Land relatively quickly for the first time. And what? And nothing - they could not enter it! And only after forty years of wandering in the desert, when almost everyone born in Egyptian slavery died, the renewed people of Israel were able to become the people of God and were able to populate Palestine.

This happens to us too. When we decide to seriously become Christians, we are not going to heaven! Years of struggle await us. All passions, everything sinful, everything that is not God in us will rise up to fight our decision. The battle will be difficult and long. And only by surviving this battle does a person gain the ability to live with God. Both in our temporary world and in eternity.

By the way, how did David fight Absalom? I ran from him and fought with him. So here, too, you need to flee from rising sinful thoughts and fight them in the name of the Lord.

How to escape? Do you remember the first psalm, reader? “Blessed is the man who has no idea in the counsel of the wicked” Ps. 1:1). Not hanging out with those who can learn bad things, not looking or listening to what can raise sinful dregs from the bottom of the arc - this is one of the ways of prudent escape from the passions that rise up against us.

Well, how to fight passions in the name of the Lord - all Orthodox ascetic literature is devoted to this. Let's say, “The soul-helping teachings of Abba Dorotheus.” If you want, read it, reader! Personally, I really like it. Of all the ascetic literature that I have come across, this book is the simplest, most accessible to understand. The same famous “Ladder” by John Climacus, in my opinion, is more complicated.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa draws attention to the fact that if a person goes into battle with his passions, his creations, then the Lord gives him victory. And if it doesn’t work out, passions only intensify. This is how a person works - he is constantly changing. It can't be the same all the time. He is either better than he was yesterday, or worse. If he struggles with passions and tries to cleanse his soul, then this struggle becomes more and more successful over time - the Lord “breaks the teeth” of these passions. On the contrary, if a person constantly gives in to sinful impulses, then this weakens the soul and completely makes it impossible to resist sin.

Sin has greatly spoiled man. A person himself, through the efforts of his will alone, is not capable of defeating sinful impulses. Only by the grace of God!

But the Lord does not distribute grace to those who have not lifted a finger themselves. Our efforts in the fight against passions are absolutely necessary.

After all, if you haven’t even tried to fight, it means you simply don’t need a victory. Really, reader?

References:

John Chrysostom. Conversation on Psalm 3.

Athanasius the Great. Interpretation of the Psalms.

Gregory of Nyssa. On the inscription of psalms.

So says the inscription presented to the psalm. For the psalm says that the face of the prophets suffers persecution from the Jewish people. “David” is interpreted as coveted, and such is the face of the prophets. And therefore, just as Absalom plotted indignation against his father, that is, David; so the Jews rebelled against the fathers of their prophets, not accepting God's commands, but opposing them.

. Lord, why have you multiplied the cold?

The phrase “that” is used instead of “very”.

. There is no salvation for him in his God,

that is, he will not be saved by him. For they looked only at the sin he had committed, not knowing his repentance. And this clearly shows that the psalm is talking about David. For to rebel is actually said about those who were formerly subject to citizenship, and then undertook war.

. You, Lord, are my protector.

Words befitting the faith of a prophet who unshakably endures so many misfortunes and hopes that he will not be abandoned, but on the contrary, will find help for himself, ascend and receive the kingdom. For this, according to the interpretation of some, means: "lift up your head". Therefore, the glory of the righteous is God in whom he trusted; and to whom God is the glory, he will lift up the head.

. I cried out to the Lord with my voice.

This saying teaches that in difficult circumstances one should resort to no one other than God. First he placed a prayer, then, after the diapsalma, thanksgiving for receiving what was asked. Now he turns his face to us, tells how he prayed and was heard, and says: “I cried with my voice to the Lord”. By “voice” we must mean the mental petition of the mind to the God of all. For he is not talking about crying, but about prayer spoken with the mind. The words are: "hearing me from the mountain"- said in accordance with the generally accepted image of presentation. For they thought that he lived in the tabernacle, because from there the prophetic answers were given to the priests. Or: "from the holy mountain"- means: from heaven, which is the meaning of the expressions: "to Thy holy mountain"(), And: "come closer to the eternal mountains"(). The holy mountain of God can mean the mountain from which God, the Only Begotten of God, hears those praying, and about which it is said: “In the last days the mountain of the Lord will be revealed”(); because this saying signifies the appearance of the Lord at His coming at the end of the ages. Or: "from the holy mountain", from heaven. And the holy mountain of God is the supernatural knowledge of God.

Diapsalma is either a change in the musical mode, or a turn in thought and the power of words.

I fell asleep and fell asleep.

He talks about the sleep of the mind, from which he fell into sin. And what was said: “I arose” means: having been worthy of God’s change, I became better from the evils that befell me.

. For You have struck down all those who are at enmity with me in vain.

Smite, crush, or smite. He prays to God for a speedy uprising or revenge on enemies. “In vain” has enemies who give no reason for hatred. He calls the teeth of sinners either the strength of those who sin against him, or their slander and blasphemy. Or the teeth of sinners are unreasonable thoughts that appear unnaturally in us; because using our thoughts as teeth, opponents often approach us to devour our flesh, that is, what is generated by the flesh. For “the essence of the carnal matter has been revealed”, says the divine Apostle (). The Psalmist speaks of teeth in a figurative sense, taking the image from animals whose strength lies primarily in their teeth, so that by breaking their teeth they become harmless. For both murderers and bloodsuckers are worse than the most bloodthirsty animals, or are likened to them.

. The Lord's salvation is.

"Save me, Lord", says David (). But I beg that this extend to all the people. One should know that the entire psalm can be attributed to the human race, which has sinned and for this is most betrayed by mental enemies, but who cried out in sorrow and was heard by God and saved by His resurrection from the dead and the defeat of the demons that were hostile to us. For He is "members of lions" the crushing Lord (); He, or from Him, is salvation. I do not place my hope in man, says David, but from You we expect salvation, both I and Your people, who together with me are being fought by enemies.

The sacred history revealed in the Bible seems to have a double meaning. On the one hand, these are real facts that happened in the past, on the other hand, they can be transposed to the inner world of a person, to his innermost spiritual life. St. Andrew of Crete brilliantly combined the spiritual microcosm and macrocosm of Holy Scripture in his Great Penitential Canon. The same genius is revealed in the holy prophet and king David, when events from his personal life and the history of the kingdom of Israel go beyond the space-time framework and become events of the spiritual universal and at the same time the innermost scale of the life of the human soul, its relationship with By God.

This is precisely why the psalms have such valuable meaning for us. For hundreds of generations of Orthodox Christians, the psalms became a reliable weapon in spiritual warfare with the devil and the verbal path to salvation.

The above-mentioned psalms, with God’s help, were combined into one prayer rule by the Monk Ambrose of Optina, calling it “The Rule Read during Sorrow.” He wrote about this to one of his spiritual children in a letter: “Trust in the mercy and help of God and believe that the Lord is strong to deliver you from all the snares of man and the enemy. It is said in the psalms: “The Lord destroys the councils of tongues and sweeps away the thoughts of people; But the counsel of the Lord endures forever.”

I am writing out for you the psalms that Saint David prayed when he was persecuted by his enemies: 3rd, 53rd, 58th, 142nd. Choose words that are appropriate for you from these psalms and read them often, turning to God with faith and humility. And when despondency overcomes you or unaccountable sorrow torments your soul, read Psalm 101.”

So, why did St. Ambrose choose these particular psalms for the prayer read during grief?

3rd Psalm

The third psalm was written by David when his son Absalom rebelled against him. All historical realities foreshadowed his victory. So, the majority of the people were for Absalom. King David was supported by only a handful of people, even David’s closest adviser Ahithophel was on the side of Absalom. David was forced to flee, pursued like a hunted deer by his son's army. All this allowed Professor Alexander Lopukhin to reasonably note in the book “The Explanatory Bible”: “It is impossible to indicate exactly at what moment this psalm was written, but one can think that after his flight from Jerusalem, when with David there was only a small group of people devoted to him , on the side of the enemies there was a huge mass that energetically pursued David, so that, apparently, salvation could not be expected for him (Ps. 3:3), and he himself feared for his life (Ps. 3:6).”
That’s why the psalm begins like this: “Lord! how my enemies have multiplied! Many rise up against me...” But at the same time, there is no note of despondency in the psalm. Saint David is convinced that the Lord will save him: “Salvation comes from the Lord. Thy blessing is upon Thy people (Ps. 3:9).

And this is really happening. God stands on the side of the righteous. Ahithophel commits suicide. Absalom's army is defeated by David's supporters. He himself, entangled in the branches of an oak tree with his long hair, is pierced with arrows.

Although David himself gave a clear order to the soldiers not to kill his son. And after his death, he mourned the death of his rebellious child with the words: “My son Absalom,” he exclaimed, “my son, my son, Absalom! Oh, who would let me die instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son! (2 Kings 18:33).

His heart in this terrible God-fighting and patricidal war did not harden, but remained pure, merciful and loving.

Psalm 53

Written by the holy prophet and king David on a similar historical occasion. When the legally anointed king of the Jews, young David was forced to flee from a madman who did not want to give up power to King Saul. At one time, David hid in the desert near the Judean city of Ziph, but the Ziphites decided to betray him and hand him over to Saul. But the Lord saved the righteous man because he trusted in Him, as we see from the verses of the psalm: “Behold, God helps me, and the Lord is the Protector of my soul” (Ps. 53:6).

Psalm 58

This psalm is very similar to the previous one, as it was written on approximately the same subject. When David was still serving Saul, the latter, incited by despondency, lust for power and a demon, tried to kill David by throwing a spear at him or surrounding him with guards in the house. The psalmist wrote this holy poem while under terrible and murderous pressure from the king and his servants. As in the previous psalm, he completely trusted in God, immutably believing that He would save him: “Thou art my Helper, I sing to Thee: For God art my Protector, my God, my mercy” (Ps. 59:18).

Psalm 143

This psalm again refers us to the persecution raised by the son of Absalom against his father David. It was these sorrows that prompted the holy psalmist to write it. As before, the prophet fully trusts in the Almighty and sees His good will in everything that happens. He prays the following: “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Your good Spirit will guide me to the right land” (Ps. 143:10). Despite the sorrows, David learns to look through them, as if by focusing the focus of his mind and heart on the living true God and only finding salvation in Him.

Psalm 101

It is interesting that in the Bible this psalm is inscribed as follows: “The prayer of the afflicted when he becomes discouraged and pours out his sorrow before the Lord.”

This psalm was no longer written by the holy prophet and king David, but after his death, during the terrible tribulation that befell the Jewish people at the end of the 6th century before the birth of Christ, which in historical science is called the Babylonian captivity. This truly was a terrible sorrow that befell the Jews for their apostasy from faith in the true God and deviation into paganism. Jerusalem and its main shrine, the Temple of Solomon, were practically destroyed to the ground. Many Jews were killed, many were taken into Babylonian captivity, many were scattered throughout the world. But even in this terrible test, in this bloody darkness, a true believer sees a ray of hope. And the psalm ends with the verse: “The sons of Your servants will live, and their seed will be established before You” (Ps. 101:29).

History has confirmed this hope. By the grace of God, the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity and rebuilt the temple. It was no longer as magnificent as Solomon, but it was into it that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came.

Conclusion

From these psalms we can conclude that there are three things that an Orthodox Christian needs for life and especially for enduring sorrows.

The first of them is firm trust in God and hope that the Lord will never abandon His faithful. He will save them by putting them through the crucible of trials.

Secondly, you need to love your enemies, have a kindness of heart, like King David, who had several opportunities to kill Saul, but each time had mercy on him. He could not raise his hand against God’s anointed one, who was King Saul. But any person is a kind of anointed of God. He is the image and likeness of God.

And third, you need to pray. And then the flame of sorrow will subside, and through it pure springs of salvation will appear. And everything will be fine with God's help...

Often during Orthodox services, believers hear the texts of psalms. These are chapters from the book of the Old Testament, which are written in poetic form. For many they are a wonderful expression of their feelings towards God. The psalms also reflect many experiences that a person experiences throughout life. And the interpretations compiled by the holy fathers help to better understand the theological meaning contained in Scripture.

Let's look at Psalm 3 - its interpretation and meaning.

King David was one of Israel's most famous rulers. But his fate turned out to be very difficult. He had to endure a lot, but in any circumstances he always relied on God, His mercy. The text of Psalm 3, which is included in the Six Psalms (prayers that are part of the evening Orthodox service), is about this.

Text of Psalm 3 in Russian

Reading rules

Many who attend Vespers for the first time are surprised - why do they turn off the lights when they read the psalms? There is a sacred meaning hidden in this. The human soul, which does not know the Word of God, remains in darkness. And only faith and prayer can ignite hope for salvation. This is what the lamps and the candle that remains in the hands of the minister who reads the missal symbolize.

Psalm 3 - text in Russian, interpretation, why they read it was last modified: September 8th, 2017 by Bogolub