John Chrysostom, On Psalm 118

the righteous, as being imitators of him, rejoice over a prudent man and one who hopes in the words of God, I know, O Lord, that your judgments are righteousness, and in truth you have humbled me. He says these things in various ways, showing his own gratitude. I know precisely, he says, that you have judged me rightly and justly, and have surrounded me with all kinds of misfortunes. For when we sin, sometimes God is angry, and at other times he is long-suffering, awaiting our repentance. Therefore, so that we may not persist in sin, for our instruction and correction he brings wrath, and judges justly. For it is written through the prophet: In a little wrath I struck you, in everlasting mercy I will glorify you; and, The Lord causes pain, and again restores; and, The people did not turn back, until they were struck. For in truth he brings misfortunes and afflictions. For this signifies humility. Let your mercy be, to comfort me. For it is now a time of loving-kindness and refreshment for the soul. The mercy of God, then, is the presence in the flesh of Christ our God. For he has performed mercy with us, and he is the advocate with the Father, and the propitiation for our sins, as says John the apostle, And he promised another Comforter, the Holy Spirit; for he himself said to the disciples: When the Comforter comes, the Spirit of truth, he will bear witness about me. The prophet therefore asks for this mercy to come to the human race, as he promised through the patriarchs, the law and the prophets; for this is 55.691: According to your word to your servant. For to those who repent you promised your favor. This he also said through Isaiah: When you turn back and groan, then you will be saved; and through Jeremiah he cries out: Return to me, and I will return to you. Let your compassions come to me, and I will live, for your law is my meditation. He considers himself dead, being deprived of divine favor; for which reason he pleads, as it were, to be revived through divine loving-kindness. He means, then, those compassions which the Lord has given us at his coming, the word of the Gospel, the apostolic teachings, so that living in these we may have them as our meditation continually. Let the proud be ashamed, for they have transgressed unjustly against me; but I will meditate on your commandments. He does not curse his enemies, but prays for them. For shame works out salvation. Of which healing, then, he has partaken, and he deems them worthy to receive it too. The devil, therefore, and the opposing powers under him, acted proudly against the human race through the transgression; but they were put to shame at the coming of Christ our God. For they themselves said: Permit us to go away into the herd of swine; and, What have we to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time? As for, 'I will meditate on your commandments,' one of the interpreters rendered it, 'I will speak of your commandments'; another, 'I will talk'; and another, 'I will converse'. Let those who fear you turn to me, and those who know your testimonies. As one who has become far from the choir of the righteous on account of sin, and with all having turned away from him in like manner to God, he beseeches to be united with them again, and to enjoy communion with them. For Symmachus expressed this more clearly: Let those who fear you return to me. But the prophet speaks in the person of the human race. For the apostles and those who fear God turned all the nations to the knowledge of the truth. For the Lord said to them: Go and make disciples of all nations. For they indeed knew the testimonies of God. Let my heart be blameless in your ordinances, so that I may not be ashamed. 2. He desires to have a heart free from all blame; for such a one is free from shame

δίκαιοι, ὡς μιμη ταὶ αὐτοῦ ὄντες, εὐφραίνονται ἐπὶ ἀνδρὶ συνετῷ καὶ ἐλ πίζοντι εἰς τοὺς λόγους τοῦ Θεοῦ, Ἔγνων, Κύριε, ὅτι δικαιοσύνη τὰ κρίματά σου, καὶ ἀληθείᾳ ἐταπείνω σάς με. Ταῦτα διαφόρως λέγει, τὴν οἰκείαν εὐγνωμοσύ νην δεικνύς. Οἶδα, φησὶν, ἀκριβῶς, ὡς ὀρθῶς μου καὶ δικαίως κατεψηφίσω, καὶ ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς περιέβαλες συμφοραῖς. Ἁμαρτανόντων γὰρ ἡμῶν, ἔστιν ὅτε ὁ Θεὸς ὀργίζεται, ἔστι δ' ὅτε καὶ μακροθυμεῖ, ἐκδεχόμενος ἡμῶν τὴν μετάνοιαν. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ ἐπιμένωμεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, πρὸς παίδευσιν καὶ διόρθωσιν ἡμῶν ἐπάγει ὀργὴν, καὶ κρίνει δικαίως. Γέγραπται γὰρ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· Ἐν θυμῷ μικρῷ ἐπάταξά σε, ἐν ἐλέῳ αἰωνίῳ δοξάσω σε· καὶ, Κύριος ἀλγεῖν ποιεῖ, καὶ πάλιν ἀποκαθίστησι· καὶ, Ὁ λαὸς οὐκ ἐπεστράφη, ἕως ἐπλήγη. Ἀληθείᾳ γὰρ ἐπιφέρει συμφορὰς καὶ θλίψεις. Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὴν ταπείνωσιν. Γενηθήτω δὲ τὸ ἔλεός σου, τοῦ πα ρακαλέσαι με. Φιλανθρωπίας γὰρ λοιπὸν καὶ ψυχαγωγίας καιρός. Ἔλεος οὖν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ἐν σαρκὶ παρουσία Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Ἐποίησε γὰρ μεθ' ἡμῶν ἔλεος, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι παράκλητος πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ ἱλασμὸς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, ὥς φησιν Ἰωάννης ὁ ἀπόστολος, Καὶ ἄλλον Παράκλητον ἐπηγγείλατο, τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπε τοῖς μαθηταῖς· Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ Παράκλητος, τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ. Αἰτεῖται οὖν ὁ προφήτης γενηθῆναι τὸ ἔλεος τοῦτο εἰς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος, καθὼς ἐπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν πατριαρχῶν, τοῦ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν· τοῦτο γάρ 55.691 ἐστι· Κατὰ τὸ λόγιόν σου τῷ δούλῳ σου. Τοῖς γὰρ μεταμελείᾳ χρωμένοις τὴν σὴν εὔνοιαν ἐπηγγείλω. Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου ἔφη· Ὅταν ἀποστραφεὶς στενάξῃς. τότε σωθήσῃ· καὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου βοᾷ· Ἐπιστράφητε πρός με, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ἐλθέτωσάν μοι οἱ οἰκτιρμοί σου, καὶ ζήσομαι ὅτι ὁ νόμος σου μελέτη μου ἐστί. Νεκρὸν ἑαυτὸν ἡγεῖ ται, τῆς θείας ἐστερημένος εὐμενείας· οὐ δὴ χάριν ὥσπερ ἀναβιῶναι διὰ τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας παρακαλεῖ. Αὐ τοὺς οὖν τοὺς οἰκτιρμοὺς λέγει, οὓς δέδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ Κύ ριος ἐπὶ τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ, τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν λόγον, τὰ ἀποστολικὰ διδάγματα, ἵνα ἐν τούτοις ζῶντες ἔχωμεν αὐτὰ μελέτην διαπαντός. Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν ὑπερήφανοι, ὅτι ἀδίκως ἠνόμησαν εἰς ἐμέ· ἐγὼ δὲ ἀδολεσχήσω ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς σου. Οὐκ ἐπαρᾶται τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, ἀλλὰ ὑπερεύχεται τούτων. Ἡ γὰρ αἰσχύνη τὴν σωτηρίαν πραγματεύεται. Ἧς τοίνυν ἀπέλαυσεν ἰατρείας, κἀκεί νους τυχεῖν ἀξιοῖ. Ὑπερηφανεύθη οὖν ὁ διάβολος καὶ αἱ ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως· ἀλλ' οὖν ᾐσχύνθησαν ἐπὶ τῇ παρουσίᾳ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἔλεγον· Ἐπίτρεψον ἡμῖν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν χοί ρων· καὶ, Τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοὶ, Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἦλθες πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς; Τὸ δὲ, Ἀδολεσχήσω ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς σου, ὁ μὲν τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν ἐξέδωκε, ∆ιηγού μην ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς σου· ὁ δὲ, Λαλήσω· ἕτερος δὲ, Ὁμιλήσω. Ἐπιστρεψάτωσάν με οἱ φοβούμενοί σε, καὶ οἱ γινώσκοντες τὰ μαρτύριά σου. Ὡς πόῤῥω που τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν δικαίων διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν γενόμενος, καὶ πάντων αὐτὸν τῷ Θεῷ παραπλησίως ἀποστραφέντων, ἱκετεύει πάλιν αὐτοῖς ἑνωθῆναι, καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς κοινωνίαν ἀπολαβεῖν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ Σύμμαχος σαφέστερον παρεδήλωσεν· Ἀναστρεψάτωσάν με οἱ φοβούμενοί σε. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους διαλέγεται. Οἱ γὰρ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Θεὸν ἐπέστρεψαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας. Εἶπε γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὁ Κύριος· Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ τῷ ὄντι ἔγνωσαν τὰ μαρτύ ρια τοῦ Θεοῦ. Γενηθήτω ἡ καρδία μου ἄμωμος ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί σου, ὅπως ἂν μὴ αἰσχυνθῶ. βʹ. Μώμου παντὸς ἐλευθέραν καρδίαν ἔχειν ἐφίεται· ἡ τοιαύτη γὰρ αἰσχύνης