John Chrysostom, On Psalm 118

to Jesse, whether the children had run out; and when he said that a youth remained, who shepherds the flocks, and as unfit to be king, the prophet ordered him to be brought, and anointed him immediately upon his arrival. Here the prophet mentioned this gift, and says: Although I was young and considered insignificant by those who had begotten me, You deemed me worthy of such great grace, and made me both a prophet and a king; for which reason I desire with all eagerness to keep Your ordinances; Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness; and Your law is truth. The one who obeys human laws does not enjoy honor from the lawgivers even in the present life; but the one who follows the divine commandments has eternal life as a reward for his labors. And human laws do not all possess justice, but the law of God is illumined with truth. Rightly, therefore, he said: Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness; and Your law is truth. The righteousness of God, therefore, and the law are truth forever. Wherefore also the blessed Paul said to the Jews: Seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God. Afflictions and necessities have found me. For these things are joined to the workers of virtue. And this is similar to what was said by Paul: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness? Because for Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Such are the struggles and contests of the saints. Your commandments are my meditation. For from their teaching I learn courage, and bear afflictions nobly. Your testimonies are righteousness forever; that is, the cause of eternal good things. Give me understanding, and I shall live. For being enlightened by You, I shall enjoy true life. I have cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord; I will seek Your ordinances. Again he calls the eagerness of the soul a cry. For this reason he added, "With my whole heart." Thus also Moses cried out while silent, and as he was praying in his mind, God said: Why do you cry to me? And he says "with my whole heart," indicating the eagerness of the soul, not the cry through the mouth. For the divine Paul also said: Singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. I have cried to You; save me, and I will keep Your testimonies. For receiving salvation from You, I will become a keeper of Your laws. Those therefore who keep the testimonies of God, are surely also saved by Him. I arose at an untimely hour, and cried out; I have hoped in Your words. The prophet, being a king, and beset by countless cares, and in addition to these engaged in military contests, not only offered supplications to God at the break of day, but also in the middle of the night, not waiting for the songs of the roosters; so he longed for God his maker; so eagerly he asked for help from thence. For the prophet knew no specific time for praising and 55.703 giving thanks to God, but both by day and by night (for this is what "at an untimely hour" indicates), teaching us also to always bring God to mind. For one must be mindful of God more than one breathes, as Gregory the Theologian said. My eyes have anticipated the dawn, to meditate on Your oracles. And not only during the time of sweetest sleep, but also at dawn he made the meditation of the divine laws; but we, living with poverty, and freed from all care, spend the whole night rolling about on our bed, and not even at the beginning of the day do we offer a hymn to the Giver of good things. The prophet therefore forewarns us to meditate on the oracles of God at the hour of dawn. And the Lord said, Watch, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing and drunkenness and the cares of life. And one of the prophets, lamenting such things, said: All

Ἰεσσαὶ, εἰ ἐκλέ λοιπε τὰ παιδάρια· τοῦ δὲ εἰρηκότος ὑπολελεῖφθαι μει ράκιον, ὃ ποιμαίνει τὰ ποίμνια, καὶ ὡς ἀνάρμοστον εἰς βασιλέα, ἐκέλευσεν ὁ προφήτης τοῦτον ἀχθῆναι, καὶ ἔχρισεν ἀφικόμενον παραχρῆμα. Ταύτης ἐνταῦθα τῆς δωρεᾶς ὁ προφήτης ἐμνήσθη, καί φησι· καὶ νέον ὄντα με καὶ τοῖς γεγενημένοις εὐτελῆ νομισθέντα σὺ τοσαύτης ἠξίωσας χάριτος, καὶ προφήτην ὁμοῦ καὶ βασιλέα ἐποίη σας· οὗ δὴ χάριν σὺν πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ τὰ σὰ φυλάττειν ἐφίεμαι δικαιώματα· Ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου δικαιοσύνη εἰς αἰῶνα· καὶ ὁ νόμος σου ἀλήθεια. Ὁ τοῖς ἀνθρω πίνοις νόμοις πειθόμενος οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον τῆς παρὰ τῶν νομοθετούντων ἀπολαύει τιμῆς· ὁ δὲ ταῖς θείαις ἀκολουθῶν ἐντολαῖς μισθὸν ἔχει τῶν πόνων τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον. Καὶ οἱ νόμοι δὲ οἱ ἀνθρώπινοι οὐ πάντες τὸ δίκαιον ἔχουσιν, ὁ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμος ἀληθείᾳ λαμπρύνεται. Εἰκότως τοίνυν ἔφη· Ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου δικαιοσύνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· καὶ ὁ νόμος σου ἀλήθεια. Ἡ οὖν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη καὶ ὁ νόμος ἀλήθεια εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ∆ιὸ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἔλεγεν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος· Τὴν ἰδίαν δικαιοσύνην ζητοῦντες στῆσαι, τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐχ ὑπετάγησαν. Θλίψεις καὶ ἀνάγκαι εὕρησάν με. Ταῦτα γὰρ συνέζευκται τοῖς ἐργάταις τῆς ἀρετῆς. Τοῦτο δὲ ὅμοιόν ἐστι τῷ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ εἰρημένῳ· Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θλίψις, ἢ στενοχωρία, ἢ διωγμὸς, ἢ λιμὸς, ἢ γυμνότης; Ὅτι ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς. Τοιοῦτοι τῶν ἁγίων οἱ ἀγῶνες καὶ τὰ σκάμματα. Αἱ ἐν τολαί σου μελέτη μου. Ἐκ τῆς γὰρ τούτων διδασκα λίας τὴν ἀνδρείαν μανθάνω, καὶ φέρω γενναίως τὰ λυ πηρά. ∆ικαιοσύνη τὰ μαρτύριά σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἀντὶ τοῦ, πρόξενα τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν. Συνέτισόν με, καὶ ζήσομαι. Ὑπὸ γάρ σου φωτιζόμενος, τῆς ἀληθοῦς ζωῆς ἀπολαύσω. Ἐκέκραξα ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου· ἐπ άκουσόν μου, Κύριε· τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐκζητήσω. Κραυγὴν πάλιν τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν προθυμίαν καλεῖ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προστέθεικε τὸ, Ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου. Οὕτω καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐβόα σιγῶν, καὶ προσευχομένῳ κατὰ διάνοιαν ὁ Θεὸς ἔφη· Τί βοᾷς πρός με; Ἐν ὅλῃ δὲ καρδίᾳ λέγει, τὸ πρόθυμον τῆς ψυχῆς δηλῶν, οὐχὶ τὴν κραυγὴν διὰ στόματος. Ἔφη γὰρ καὶ ὁ θεῖος Παῦλος· Ἄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἐκέ κραξά σοι· σῶσόν με, καὶ φυλάξω τὰ μαρτύριά σου. Παρὰ σοῦ γὰρ τὴν σωτηρίαν δεχόμενος, φύλαξ τῶν σῶν γενήσομαι νόμων. Οἱ οὖν φυλάσσοντες τὰ μαρτύρια τοῦ Θεοῦ, πάντως καὶ σώζονται παρ' αὐτοῦ. Προέφθασα ἐν ἀωρίᾳ, καὶ ἐκέκραξα· εἰς τοὺς λόγους σου ἐπήλπισα. Βασιλεὺς ὢν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ μυρίαις φροντίσι περικλυ ζόμενος, καὶ πολεμικοὺς πρὸς ταύταις ἀναδεδειγμένος ἀγῶνας, οὐ μόνον ἡμέρας ὑπολαμπούσης τῷ Θεῷ τὰς ἱκετείας προσέφερεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεσούσης νυκτὸς, οὐκ ἀναμένων τὰς τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων ᾠδάς· οὕτως ἐπόθει τὸν πεποιηκότα Θεόν· οὕτω προθύμως τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ᾔτει βοή θειαν. Οὐκ ἔγνω γὰρ καιρὸν ὁ προφήτης τοῦ αἰνεῖν καὶ 55.703 εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ (τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ, Ἐν ἀωρίᾳ), διδάσκων καὶ ἡμᾶς πάντοτε ἐπὶ μνήμης φέρειν τὸν Θεόν. Μνημονευτέον γὰρ Θεοῦ μᾶλλον, ἢ ἀναπνευστέον, ὡς ὁ θεολόγος ἔφη Γρηγόριος. Προέφθασαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου πρὸς ὄρθρον, τοῦ μελετᾷν τὰ λόγιά σου. Οὐ μόνον δὲ κατὰ τὸν και ρὸν τοῦ γλυκυτάτου ὕπνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τὸν ὄρθρον τὴν τῶν θείων νόμων πεποίητο μελέτην· ἡμεῖς δὲ πενίᾳ συζῶντες, καὶ πάσης φροντίδος ἀπηλλαγμένοι, ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης διανυκτερεύομεν καλινδούμενοι, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀρχομένης ἡμέρας τῷ δοτῆρι τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸν ὕμνον προσφέρομεν. Προασφαλίζεται οὖν ἡμᾶς ὁ προφήτης με λετᾷν τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ τὴν ὥραν τοῦ ὄρθρου. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἔφη, Γρηγορεῖτε, μή ποτε βαρυνθῶσιν ὑμῶν αἱ καρδίαι ἐν κραιπάλῃ καὶ μέθῃ καὶ μερίμναις βιωτικαῖς. Καί τις τῶν προφητῶν ἀποδυρόμενος τοῖς τοιούτοις ἔφη· Ὅλην