Psalms 19 and 20 (Hebrew text 20 and 21) set the tone for Orthros (Matins) as it is prayed for Sunday and Feast-days. Orthros is, as some know, a very long service when served in its entirety, and took its place as the last of four night-time services, taking place at dawn after an all-night vigil. It is typically shortened for parish use, whether it is added to Great Vespers on the evening before the feast, or prayed just prior to Divine Liturgy on Sunday (or the feast-day) morning. In Greek parishes part of the shortening has included the omission of the “royal beginning” provided by these two psalms. However, Psalms 19 and 20 play an important role in continuing the theme of the last Vespers Psalm: the LORD is King, and robed in majesty. For this episode, we will concentrate on Psalm 19 in the LXX, that is, Psalm 20 in the Hebrew text.
May the LORD hear you in the day of affliction;
May the Name of the God of Jacob defend you.
May He send you help from His holy place,
And my He support you from Zion.
May He remember every sacrifice of yours,
And may your whole burnt offering be honored.
May He give you according to your heart,
May He fulfill all your counsel.
We will greatly rejoice in Your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will be magnified.
Now I know the LORD has saved His anointed;
He will hear Him from His holy heaven;
The salvation of His right hand is might.
Some glory in chariots, some in horses,
But in the Name of the LORD our God we shall be magnified.
Their feet were tied together; so they fell;
But we rose up and were set upright.
O LORD, save Your King,
And hear us in the day we call upon You.
At first, we might think that the “you” being addressed in this Psalm is each one of us who worships: “may the LORD hear you in the day of affliction.” In the tradition of the Church, however, the “you” is the “King” mentioned at the end of the Psalm—the Lord’s anointed, who has made the ultimate sacrifice and offering for us, whose heart’s desire is our salvation, and who intercedes for us in heaven. As the ancient church historian, Eusebius, puts it:
This entire psalm voices a prayer as spoken by holy people to the person of Christ. For since for our sakes and on our behalf he received insult when He became man, we are taught to join our prayers with His as He prays and supplicates the Father on our behalf, as one who repels both visible and invisible attacks against us.
Eusebius, Proof of the Gospel 4.16.5 (POG 1.205)
The Psalm, then, speaks of the absolute royalty of Jesus, the only God-Man, and relies upon His mercy to answer whatever is troubling us “in the day of affliction.” But we follow the example of our Lord Jesus, who called out to God for support in His time of affliction on the cross. Jesus’ help and support is built on the foundation of His actions for us on the cross, the sacrifice that He offered there and that continues to touch every one of us when we partake of His body and blood in worship. He is Himself the “Name” of God who defends us, who sends help from His holy hill, Calvary, and who supports us always, as we look to the new Jerusalem, the Zion who is above and where we will find a home at the end.
It is because of this great One that we look to the time when we also will be magnified, for Jesus’ salvation is not one of mere rescue—wonderful though that rescue is!—but of giving glory to those who trust in Him. St. Paul reminds the Romans: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace that we stand, and hope for the glory of God” (Rom. 8:34) So, it is not only that we stand, because of what Jesus has done for us, in peace with God, but that we anticipate a splendor that we can hardly imagine, for it is the very glory of God that the Son plans to share with us. The Father has heard the desires of the Son, that we should be with Him where He is (see John 17), and He continues to listen to Him as He pleads for us. As St. Paul explains, “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8:34). Notice that the intercession is ongoing, as the letter to the Hebrews emphasizes: “He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” “(Hebrews 7:25).
This idea that the God-Man continues in intercession for us until the final glorious end may lead us to contemplate a bit on the “superscription” to this Psalm: “For the End; a Psalm pertaining to David.” These words originally may have been instructions to the music director of the Temple, as to where in the service this Psalm should be sung. Its first meaning eludes us, in the mists of time. But traditionally, the Psalm has been understood as speaking of the fulfillment of all things, of our confidence that God will be with us “to the end” and bring all things to pass for our sake. I am reminded of a couplet in a traditional Western hymn, which exclaims, “Thy mercies, how tender, how firm to the end—our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!” Sometimes we need to wipe all the religious preconceptions that we have out of our eyes, and look again at the marvel of the One who has come to be with us, who has called us friends, and who aims to raise us up with Him! Jesus, who is at the right hand of the Father, brings us an unutterable salvation! This is true for each of us, and also for those who look to us for comfort. As St. Athanasius told his contemporaries, “When you see others in affliction, comfort them by praying with them in the words of [this Psalm]” (On the Interpretation of the Psalms 17 (OIP 67).
This idea that the God-Man continues in intercession for us until the final glorious end may lead us to contemplate a bit on the “superscription” to this Psalm: “For the End; a Psalm pertaining to David.” These words originally may have been instructions to the music director of the Temple, as to where in the service this Psalm should be sung. Its first meaning eludes us, in the mists of time. But traditionally, the Psalm has been understood as speaking of the fulfillment of all things, of our confidence that God will be with us “to the end” and bring all things to pass for our sake. I am reminded of a couplet in a traditional Western hymn, which exclaims, “Thy mercies, how tender, how firm to the end—our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!” Sometimes we need to wipe all the religious preconceptions that we have out of our eyes, and look again at the marvel of the One who has come to be with us, who has called us friends, and who aims to raise us up with Him! Jesus, who is at the right hand of the Father, brings us an unutterable salvation! This is true for each of us, and also for those who look to us for comfort. As St. Athanasius told his contemporaries, “When you see others in affliction, comfort them by praying with them in the words of [this Psalm]” On the Interpretation of the Psalms 17 (OIP 67)
The Psalm begins, then, by speaking about our need and the might of His anointed. It goes on to speak about the assurance that we can have because God saved His anointed, who was not left in Hades, but who arose, intercedes always for us, and promises us His glory. But now we are thrown a bit of a curve, if we did not notice it already. This King began His rule upon a cross—that is the surprising character of God’s glory! And so we are reminded not, like the world, to look to the might of chariots or horses, but to the name of the LORD who wrought salvation by taking on the humble form of a servant, and being obedient to death upon the cross. Some might think of this as weakness, but it is through this that the resurrection and the exaltation were made possible. St. Paul quotes what was probably a very ancient hymn, reminding us of the check-mark shape of our faith— down in suffering, then up to recover humanity, and lift us even higher than we were before.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus
who, though He was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, He humbled himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him
the Name that is above every name,
so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD,
to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:5-11)
So, then, the glory and the magnification come through humility and death, not through chariots and horses. Here is an unexpected contest, and an unexpected triumph! Those who seem strong are put down, their feet tied up like trussed animals. And the One whom they thought was weak arose, and was exalted to the highest heaven, taking on His true Name, that of the LORD, the Existing One. So, we too, we rise up and be set straight on the new feet that God has planned for us in the resurrection. Since Jesus has already set the pattern, the Psalm speaks of this as already accomplished for us:
Some glory in chariots, some in horses,
But in the Name of the LORD our God we shall be magnified.
Their feet were tied together; so they fell;
But we rose up and were set upright.
One ancient sixth-century commentator reminds us that the verb “to rise” has several connotations:
A Christian is said to rise in two senses; first, when he is freed by grace from the death of vices in this life and he continues in God’s grace of justification. . . . Second, there is also the general resurrection at which the just will receive their eternal rewards. In this passage it is clear that both senses of resurrection are appropriate. For this reason, when he adds “we have been raised,” it is because in any sort of resurrection the faithful arise from their humble status and are elevated to divine rewards.
Cassiadorus, Explanation of the Psalms 20.9 (Cetedoc 0900, 97.19.131
In one sense, then, we have already been raised with Jesus, since the Spirit is with us, and we are in solidarity with Him. In another, though, we await the great resurrection day, when we will inhabit that Jerusalem filled with the very glory of God. Even now, though, we can call out, in the strength of King Jesus, whom the Father raised up, and expect Him to hear us when we call. For our intercessor Jesus calls out with us, and His Name is mighty. He is with us to the end, showing that God the Father will never forget the promises that He made to David, and that He has made to us.
Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven,
To His feet thy tribute bring,
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like thee His praise should sing?
Praise Him, Praise Him,
Praise the everlasting King.
(Henry Francis Lyte, 19th c.)
Edith M. Humphrey 