Psalm 134, Psalm 135 (MT 135 and 136), Numbers 21:21-35, Isaiah 44:9-21, Jeremiah 10:1-16, Romans 1:18-23.
With the singing of Psalms 134 and 135 (in the Hebrew, 135 and 136), we come to the high point of the matins service, in which the doors to the altar are opened, and the Gospel will be read. These psalms give expression to great joy, with the first of them studded by the exclamation, Alleluia, Praise the LORD. Because the second psalm includes the repeated refrain “for his mercy endures forever,” the two psalms together are called the Poly/eleos, meaning “much mercy.” In Greek, the word “mercy” is similar to the word for oil, and in some places (for example, at Mount Athos), servers light all the reservoirs of the great chandelier (called the “poly/elaios,” which means “much oil”). There it is also swung back and forth, joining in the joy of the angels who worship, unseen, with the congregation.
The two psalms are lengthy, and so only select verses are usually chanted during this time, but these psalms have a rhythm which can only be noted if we see them as a whole. The fifth century scholar Cassiodorus notes the importance of these psalms and how they are placed in the Psalter, after the Psalms of Ascent:
After the previous psalms … in which the prophet ascended by divine mercy to the peak of all virtues, he addresses those who stand in the house of the Lord so that after all God’s immense acts of kindness have been conferred, the heavens and the earth would not cease to praise their Creator. EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 134.1–2.
This ancient scholar notes that the two Psalms are particularly for God’s people, and that they deal with both God’s sovereignty over the cosmos and His guidance throughout history. It is apt for us to tackle these two psalms during the beginning of the Paschal period, since the blessed Augustine, commented upon them when he said: “For just as the forty days before Easter symbolized the life full of suffering in this mortal period of distress, so these joyful days point to the future life, where we are destined to reign with the Lord.” SERMON 243.9.
The two psalms have several things in common. Both begin (at least in the Greek version) with Alleluia! Both of them tell God’s people to praise and bless the LORD. Both also give reasons for praising God, with what is called the “ki” (Hebrew) or “hoti” (Greek) clause. “Praise Him BECAUSE….” We are “reasonable sheep,” and the joy in our heart comes from what we know about God. In Psalm 134, several reasons are given explicitly (praise Him because of this and that), whereas in Psalm 135, the repeated refrain gives an overall reason, “for, because, his mercy endures forever.”
Listen to how the first psalm begins by enjoining corporate worship, moves to personal knowledge about God, next speaks of God as the One who is over the entire cosmos, then about His historical guidance of Israel, then compares the living God to dead idols, and finally calls upon all the assembly, in its parts—priests, singers, and people— to join in the praise.
Alleluia!
Praise the name of the LORD, give praise, O servants of the LORD,
who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God!
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is beautiful!For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his special treasure.
For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast;
who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings,
Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your memorial, O LORD, throughout all ages.
For the LORD will judge his people and have compassion on his servants.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see;
they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths.
Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.O house of Israel, bless the LORD!
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!
O house of Levi, bless the LORD!
You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
Blessed be the LORD from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! (Psalm 134/5)
So much wisdom is found here, but there are, perhaps, three main themes:
God does what He pleases (and it is always good!)
God cares for His people, and has shown it throughout history.
God dwells with His people, and will make them like Himself.
St. John of Damascus reminds us that the One who is the Creator is also the Preserver of His creation:
Providence, then, is the solicitude that God has for existing things. And again, providence is that will of God by which all existing things receive suitable guidance through to their end… Now, the Maker of existing things must be the same as their Provider, for it is neither fitting nor logical that one should be their creator and another their provider, because in such a case they would both be definitely wanting—the one in the matter of creating and the other in that of providing. Hence, God is both Creator and Provider, and his power of creating, sustaining and providing is his good will. For “whatsoever the Lord pleased he has done, in heaven and in earth,”and none resisted his will. He willed all things to be made, and they were made; he wills the world to endure, and it does endure; and all things whatsoever he wills are done.
ORTHODOX FAITH 2.29
St. John reminds us of the reasonableness of our faith, that we should look to the Creator Himself to care for us, and not elsewhere: “It is neither fitting nor logical that one should be the creator and another the provider.” In past eras, of course, pagans believed many illogical things about lesser gods who created, and other divine custodians who needed to be appeased in order that human beings should thrive. Both the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah spoke about the ridiculousness of crafting idols, and then worshipping them, since they have “eyes but cannot see” and are the work of human hands, rather than the Maker of human hearts ( Isaiah 44:9-21, Jeremiah 10:1-16). The prophets spend much time on the superstitions of their day, and the Psalter incorporates this danger of idolatry into our remembrance of who the true God really is.
Today, our superstitions are more subltle, but many of us unreasonably take our worries everywhere but to the One who is able to help. Of course, this does not mean that He cannot use human beings, both living, and in saintly blessedness, for His purposes—but He is the only true Provider, and works through them. They are not substitutes, nor are medical doctors or other experts. As James reminds us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (1:17). Indeed, we know that He is near to us in the Holy Spirit, because God has become one of us in Jesus, the Incarnate God, and so the gift “comes down” in one sense, but is already among us, His people. The creator “dwells in Jerusalem,” as the Psalm puts it—among those who worship Him.
The second Psalm is even more specific, and because of its repeated “for his mercy endures forever,” which draws us into the action of praising. It begins by giving several titles to our loving God, and then goes on to speak about His work in nature. Then it reminds us of God’s work for the Hebrew people, bringing them out of Egypt, guiding them through the desert, and preparing a land for them in Canaan. Finally, it contrasts His greatness with humanity’s humble estate, and reminds us that, like everything that lives, we depend upon Him. The movement from praise, to cosmic and historic reasons, to a general conclusion, are similar to the first Psalm, but given a more dramatic flair. Many of us know Psalm 135 (Hebrew 136) well because it is sung even during liturgy in some parishes, as we receive the holy mysteries.
Alleluia!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods, for his mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endures forever;
To him who alone does great wonders, for his mercy endures forever;
to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his mercy endures forever;
to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his mercy endures forever;
to him who made the great lights, for his mercy endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day, for his mercy endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his mercy endures forever;
To him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his mercy endures forever;
and brought Israel out from among them, for his mercy endures forever;
with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his mercy endures forever;
to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his mercy endures forever;
and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his mercy endures forever;
but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his mercy endures forever;
to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever;
To him who struck down great kings, for his mercy endures forever;
and killed mighty kings, for his mercy endures forever;
Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his mercy endures forever;
and Og, king of Bashan, for his mercy endures forever;
and gave their land as a heritage, for his mercy endures forever;
a heritage to Israel his servant, for his mercy endures forever.
It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his mercy endures forever;
and rescued us from our foes, for his mercy endures forever;
he who gives food to all flesh, for his mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his mercy endures forever.|
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endures forever. (Psalm 135/6)
This Psalm, like the first, details Sihon and Og, those kings who tried to impede God’s people from passing into the Promised Land, even though the Hebrews gave the first king a promise that they were simply passing through. Numbers 21 reminds us that there were many obstacles in the way of the Hebrew people fulfilling God’s will for them to return to the land of Abraham from Egypt. We may have serious questions to ask concerning holy war, and the conquest passages of the Bible, which are, of course, not *models for us who have heard Jesus’ words about turning the other cheek. This is a difficult subject, and has been contemplated by many throughout the Christian centuries. The best short contemporary book that I know on this is The Problem of War in the OT by the now-deceased Canadian Professor Peter Craigie, a devout man who suggests that God, in dwelling among and guiding an infant people in a brutal age, was willing to, so to speak, “get His hands dirty” for the sake of preparing a place where the Hebrews would not be tempted to idolatry, thus clearing the way for them to grow in His knowledge. Of course, when He later comes in the flesh, He takes all suffering upon Himself, showing the extent of God’s determination to be with us. The Church fathers, knowing that we are not to emulate the fighting of the conquests, tell us to apply these historical stories in a metaphorical way to our own lives, thinking of the various enemies within the gates of our heart that aim to destroy our devotion to God. At any rate, the two kings detailed in these Psalms attacked without provocation, and so do not present the same difficulty as the Conquest does in general: for us they remind us that when we are attacked in any way, God will protect, for His mercy endures forever.
The major point, then, is that God is in history, caring for us. But He is also the Lord of the cosmos. This past week, with the stupendous Northern Lights spread across the sky for people everywhere to see, across the globe, we can hardly fail to agree with the Psalm’s words, “To him who alone does great wonders, for his mercy endures forever; to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his mercy endures forever;…to him who made the great lights, for his mercy endures forever.” Knowing that these beautiful light were caused by potentially deadly solar energies, we can, with even more understanding cry out “for his mercy endures forever.” It is, I think, difficult in the 21st century, when we have so much technological understanding, to remember that we still are very fragile, “of low estate,” and that it is God who gives us food, just as He does the other creatures. A look around at the severe beauty of the cosmos, and a look back to history and what humanity has both suffered and inflicted there, can put things in perspective. It is only because of God’s revelation of Himself both in nature and in history that we can understand our place here, and the calling to give thanks. Though we may be tempted to pride because of our human achievements, our position in this century is actually advantageous to an informed faith, for we have access to what has happened throughout history among different people groups, and can see how God has led not only His ancient people, but also the Church through the centuries. The earliest Christians had seen Jesus at work, but had not seen all that we have about the growth of the Church, about its beautiful worship and monuments to God’s name, and about how God kept His people on the right path, avoiding heresy and error.
Thankfulness should be, indeed, our hallmark, and come easily to us because of what we know. We cannot, like the pagans whom St. Paul mentions, plead ignorance. He reminds us, in Romans 1, of how lack of thankfulness is the primal sin, and leads to all the others, as arrogant humans try to recreate the world after their own imaginations:
[W]hat can be known about God is plain to all people, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,in the things that have been made. [But] although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.(Rom 1:18-23)
God’s glory was made plain, but human beings have tended to put that beauty aside, and worship something that they think they can control, exchanging the glory of the Almighty for something else. We live this side of the cross and resurrection, and so have even less excuse than the pagans before us, but still we sometimes do not give thanks, and our foolish hearts are also darkened. Other things crowd our minds, and lead us to forget the cosmic song of praise into which we are invited—no, called! We know not only about the general characteristics of the Creator, but the specific ones of that God who led Israel, who came as Jesus, and who brought us new life. Our place may be humble, but it is indeed one of privilege, for He has called us no longer servants but friends. Maximus of Turin reminds us of the ability of these psalms, at any time of the day, to give us perfect voice as we sing, along with the whole creation, to this One who has redeemed us:
Therefore, who would not blush, if they had any humanity, to close the day without a number of psalms, when the birds themselves prance about in the sweetness of a psalter as their way of giving thanks? Who would not blush to fail to make his glory resound with the sweetness of verses, when the birds proclaim his praise with the song they sing? Therefore, brother, imitate the tiny birds by rendering thanks to the Maker morning and evening. And if you are more pious, imitate the nightingale; because the day alone does not suffice for speaking praises—it passes through the watches of the night in its all-night song.
SERMON 73.5.
Praise the LORD, for He is good—for His mercy endures forever!
Edith M. Humphrey 