PSALM 148
Bishop Mettaous
“Praise the Lord, praise the Lord from the heavens Praise Him in the heights”: As Moses started with the creation of heaven and earth, so did David the Psalmist, when he
asks praise to start first from heaven, from above, where the angels are, “Bless the Lord, you his angels, who excel in strength, who do his word, heeding the voice of his word. Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, you ministers of his,
who do his pleasure.” (Ps.103: 20-21), and
where the numerous hosts are, “Dominion and
fear belong to Him; He makes peace in His
high places.” (Job 25:2), where there are
planets, stars, sun, moon etc…
“Praise Him all His angels, Praise Him all His
Hosts”:
The first most important job of the angels is to
praise and glorify God without ceasing saying,
“Holy, Holy, Holy…”
The Book of Revelation gave us many verses for the
praise of the different heavenly hosts, some of which are:
1. “The four living creatures, each having six
wings, were full of eyes around and within.
And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is
and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8)
2. “the twenty-four elders fall down before Him
who sits on the throne and worship Him who
lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns
before the throne, saying: ‘You are worthy, O
Lord,’ to receive glory and honour and power;
for You created all things, and by Your will they
exist and were created” (Rev. 4:10-11)
3. The four living creatures and the twenty four
elders participate in a new hymn “and they sang
a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the
scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain,
and have redeemed us to God by your blood out
of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
and have made us kings and priests to our God;
and we shall reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:9-10)
4. Thousands and myriads of angels join them
“saying with a loud voice: ‘worthy is the Lamb
who is slain to receive power and riches and
wisdom, and strength and honour and glory and
blessing!” (Rev. 5:12)
5. “And every creature which is in heaven and on
the earth and under the earth and such as are in
the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
‘Blessing and honour and glory and power be to
Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb,
forever and ever!’ Then the four living creatures
said, ‘Amen!’ and the twenty-four elders fell
down and worshipped Him who lives forever and
ever.” (Rev. 5:13-14) 6. “All the angels stood around the throne and the
elders and the four living creatures, and fell on
their faces before the throne and worshipped
God, saying: ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and
wisdom, Thanksgiving and honour and power
and might, be to our God forever and ever’.”
(Rev. 7:11-12)
7. And the twenty-four elders who sat before God
on their thrones fell on their faces and
worshipped God, saying: ‘We give You thanks,
O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who
was and who is to come’, because You have
taken Your great power and reigned.” (Rev.
11:16-17)
8. “And I heard the angel of the waters saying:
‘You are righteous O Lord,’ The One who is and
who was and who is to be’, because You have
judged these things.” (Rev. 16:5)
9. “And I heard another from the altar saying
‘Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and
righteous are Your judgments’.” (Rev. 16:7)
10. “After these things I heard a loud voice of a
great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Alleluia!
Salvation and glory and honour and power
belong to the Lord our God!’” (Rev. 19:1)
11. “And the twenty-four elders and the four living
creatures fell down and worshipped God who sat
on the throne, saying, ‘Amen! Alleluia!’” (Rev.
19:4)
12. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great
multitude, as the sound of many waters and as
the sound of mighty thundering, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent
reigns!’” (Rev. 19:6)
The heavenly hosts feel the pleasure of praising God, so,
they want human beings to participate with them, thus it
is written, “Then a voice came from the throne, saying,
‘Praise our God, all you His servants and those who
fear Him, both small and great!’” (Rev. 19:5)
“Praise Him sun and moon, Praise Him all you stars
of light”
The sun glorifies God with its rays that diffuse the
darkness, calling the whole creation to wake up to praise
and thank God, then following His commandments and
pleasing Him through our deeds. The sun also denotes
the ‘Sun of Righteousness’ who is Lord Christ, “But to
you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall
arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out
and grow fat like stall-fed calves.” (Mal. 4:2) also, “for
the Lord is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace
and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those
who walk uprightly”. (Ps. 84:11)
We cannot fix our eyes on the sun because of its strong
brightness, here we remember the Transfiguration of
Lord Jesus, “and He was transfigured before them. His
face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as
white as the light”. (Matt. 17:2) It is also a symbol of the
victorious saints, “Then the righteous will shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has
ears to hear; let him hear!” (Matt. 13:43) The sun glorified the Lord when it hid its light at the time
of Jesus’ crucifixion.
God placed the sun in a position to provide us with all
our exact needs of light and heat, otherwise, we would
have been freezing if we get less of the sun, and burning
if we get more.
As for the moon, it gives beauty to the sky at night,
which urges us to praise the Creator, as David the
Psalmist says, “If I say, ‘surely the darkness shall fall
on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; indeed,
the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night
shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both
alike to You”. (Ps. 139:11-12)
The astronomers state that the moon derives its rays from
the light of the sun, it turns around the earth once every
28 days.
One of the advantages of the moon is the sea tide that
helps the huge ships in sailing.
The Creator placed the moon in an appropriate position
according to the needs of human beings, so if it was
closer, the tide would be stronger thus causing disasters
for ships and covering harbours with water. Thus, “It
shall be established forever like the moon, even like the
faithful witness in the sky” (Ps. 89:37), witnessing the
greatness of our Creator. As for the numerous stars and planets, they are a clear
glorification and praise of the Eternal Almighty God.
Truly, what the Psalmist says, “Let them praise the
name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were
created. He also established them forever and ever; He
made a decree which shall not pass away”, (Ps 148:5-6)
also “All things were made through Him, and without
Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3),
“For since the creation of the world His invisible
attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the
things that are made, even His eternal power and
Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20)
David the Prophet and Job the Righteous discovered all
the amazing facts of astronomy thousands of years before
the astronomers, “He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and
mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” (Ps.
147:4-5), “The heavens declare the glory of God; and
the firmament shows His handiwork, day unto day
utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge”
(Ps. 19:1-2), “He made the Bear, Orion and the
Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; He does great
things past finding out, yes, wonders without number”
(Job 9:9-10)
Thus, we know the reason of teaching ‘Astronomy’ as a
subject in the early Theological College of Alexandria, in
order to be aware of the secrets of His world, and God’s
power and wisdom in His Creation.
“Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters
above the heavens”
The Holy Bible says, “Indeed heaven and the highest
heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth
with all that is in it” (Deut. 10:14), also when Solomon
the Prophet was consecrating the altar, he prayed to the
Lord, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold,
heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You.
How much less this temple which I have built!” (1Kings
8:27)
The heaven of heavens is the highest heaven, while the
waters above the heavens are the rain falling from above.
The well-known heavens are:
First: The open atmosphere above us, where the birds
fly and the clouds exist.
Second: The level higher than the first, where there are
stars and planets.
Third: The spiritual heaven where angels and heavenly
hosts exist, that which David meant by saying, “The
Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His
kingdom rules over all” (Ps. 103:19), also, “For He
looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from
heaven the Lord viewed the earth, to hear the groaning
of the prisoner, to release those appointed to death” (Ps.
102:19-20)
Although God is everywhere, yet we pray to Him “Our
Father Who Art in Heaven” as a kind of honour and
glorification for His Greatness.
This third heaven was the one mentioned by St. Paul, “I
know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago –
whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of
the body I do not know, God knows – such a one was
caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man
– whether in the body or out of the body I do not know,
God knows – how he was caught up into Paradise and
heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a
man to utter.” (2Cor. 12:2-4)
“Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst
of the water, and let it divide the waters from the
waters.’ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the
water which were under the firmament from the waters
which were above the firmament, and it was so. And
God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and
the morning were the second day.” (Gen. 1:6-8) The
firmament, means the space surrounding earth containing
the air, in preparation of creating the living creatures
such as animals, plants, man, as air is essential for their
living, the cycle of the wind and rain and so on. The
upper layers of the firmament appear in the lovely blue
colour which we call the sky, on the clouds which falls
on the land as rain, watering plants and giving us all the
goodness of the earth.
The waters of the rain has a great power to praise and
glorify the Creator: God used it during the flood on the wicked creation, He also prevented it , as a punishment to
those who strayed and followed the Baal at Elyah’s time
“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead,
said to Ahab ‘As the Lord God of Israel lives, before
whom I stand, there shall be dew nor rain these years,
except at my word’.” (1 Kings 17:1). The drought
lasted for 3 years and 6 months, the Bible witnessed, “So
Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a
sever famine in Samaria.” (1 Kings 18:2), which made
the cruel Ahab leave his throne, going around the country
and wandering as a poor shepherd looking for grass to
feed his horses and cattle, “So they divided the land
between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by
himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.” (1
Kings 18:6), “And he prayed again, and the heaven
gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” (James
5:18) God, in His Great Kindness, “’that you may be
sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun
rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the
just and on the unjust.” (Matt. 5:45), as a sign of His
forgiveness and patience, so we praise and glorify His
Holy Name, He is still “’Nevertheless He did not leave
Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us
rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts
with food and gladness’.” (Acts 14:17)
“Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for He
commanded and they were created. He has also
established them forever and ever”
Also these creatures are called to praise the Lord, they
are grateful to Him for their being, “Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire” (Ps. 140:4),
“To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, for His
mercy endures forever; To Him who laid out the earth
above the waters, for His mercy endures forever; to
Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures
forever – the sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures
forever; the moon and stars to rule by night, for His
mercy endures forever” (Ps. 136:5-9), “He stretches out
the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on
nothing. He binds up the water in His thick clouds, yet
the clouds are not broken under it” (Job 26:7-8), “The
heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world
and all its fullness, You have founded them. The north
and the south, You have created then; Tabor and
Hermon rejoice in Your name” (Ps. 89:11-12).
The Lord said to Job rebuking him, “Have you entered
the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of
hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for
the day of battle and war? By what way is light
diffused, or the east wind scattered over the earth?
‘Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
or a path for the thunderbolt, to cause it to rain on a
land where there is no one, a wilderness in which there
is no man; to satisfy the desolate waste, and cause to
spring froth the growth of tender grass? Has the rain a
father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? From
whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven,
who gives it birth?’” (Job 38:22-29)
The Psalmist resembles those who abide in the Lord to
the sun and moon, “He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father; My God, and the rock of my salvation.’ Also I
will make him My Firstborn, the highest of the kings of
the earth.” (Ps. 89:26-27)
“He has made a decree which shall not pass away”
The Lord has fixed limits and borders for everything
which they cannot surpass, lest disasters and calamities
of nature would occur, “You covered it with the deep as
with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.”
(Ps. 104:6), “You have set a boundary that they may not
pass over, that they may not return to cover the earth.”
(Ps. 104:9), “You rule the raging of the sea; when its
waves rise, You still them.” (Ps. 89:9), “‘Do you not
fear Me?’ says the Lord, ‘Will you not tremble at My
presence, who have placed the sand as the bound of the
sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it?
And though its waves toss to and fro, yet they cannot
prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.”
(Jer. 5:22)
“Praise the Lord, “Praise the Lord from the earth, you
great sea creatures and all the depths; fire and hail,
snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word;”
(Ps. 148:7-8)”
Here the Psalmist calls all the great and huge sea
creatures to praise the Lord, through their wondrous way
of living and strong power, which denotes the power of
its Creator. The sea creatures also refer to strong enemies who resist
the children of God, yet God, with His great power
defeats them, “You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.
You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave
him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.”
(Ps. 74:13-14), also, “The Lord on high is mightier than
the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the
sea.” (Ps. 93:4) (The sea here symbolises the world)
The depths of the sea glorify the Lord through what they
contain of wonderful sea creatures and fish, living in
those deep waters, “This great and wide sea, in which
are innumerable teeming things, living things both
small and great.” (Ps. 104:25)
The Red Sea praised God when it obeyed the Divine
Providence and was split, “Then Moses stretched out his
hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go
back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the
sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the
children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the
dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their
right hand and on their left”. (Ex. 14:21-22) then,
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand
over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the
Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.’
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea ;and
when the morning appeared , the sea returned to its full
depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the
Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into
the sea after them. Not so much as one of them
remained. But the children of Israel had walked on
dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a
wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” (Ex.
14:26-29)
If we want to see the Lord and His work and Mighty
Hand in our life, we have to go to the depth in our
spiritual life.
St. Peter the Apostle entered into the depth straight away
after meeting Jesus, he offered his boat for Jesus to come
into it, then he threw the nets into the deep according to
the Lord’s words, thus he caught a huge number of fish,
“When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon,
‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a
catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master,
we have toiled all night, and caught nothing;
nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’ And
when they had done this, they caught a great number of
fish, and their net was breaking”. (Luke 5:4-6)
The fire praises the Lord in obeying Him, like what
happened with the Three Young Saints, the fire changed
its nature and became cool, and this happened with so
many martyrs.
The hail was an instrument of chastisement by the Lord,
when it was one of the ten plagues on Pharaoh and his
people, it will also be one of the final strikes on the
world, “The first angel sounded; and hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to
the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and
all green grass was burned up” (Rev. 8:7)
The snow, clouds and stormy winds also glorify the Lord
each in their own means of use.
“Mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all
cedars;” (Ps. 148:9)
The high strong stable mountains symbolise the
protection of God to His children and His church, “those
who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which
cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains
surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people
from this time forth and forever.” (Ps. 125:1-2)
They also symbolise the Divine Justice, “Your
righteousness is like the great mountains; Your
judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man
and beast.” (Ps. 36:6) and help “I will lift up my eyes to
the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes
from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Ps.
121:1-2)
The vast wilderness symbolises the vast mercy of
God. The mountain was the most preferable place
for Lord Jesus, “Now it came to pass in those days that
He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all
night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)
Mountains also symbolise the saints and their
strong faith, “For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the
peoples with equity.” (Ps. 98:9) “For you shall go out
with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and
the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and
all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” (Is.
55:12)
As for the trees, just the sound of it when pushed
by the winds is a sort of praising and bowing to the
Lord. The olive tree and the vine are of the most
important trees mentioned in the Holy Bible. The olive
oil is used in making the Holy Mayroun, also in the oil
for anointing the sick, “Is anyone among you sick? Let
him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray
over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the
Lord.”(James 5:14) as the apostles used to do, “So they
went out and preached that people should repent. And
they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many
who were sick, and healed them.” (Mark 6:12-13) It is
also used in the lanterns which are lit before the relics of
saints, “And you shall command the children of Israel
that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the
light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.” (Ex.
27:20).
Olive branches are a symbol of peace, “Then the
dove came to him in the evening, and behold a
freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah
knew that the waters had abated from the earth.” (Gen.
8:11), also the olive oil with which we fill in the lanterns
is a sign of God’s peace which surpasses all limits, “For
You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord shall enlighten my
darkness.” (2 Sam. 22:29), also a sign of spiritual joy,
“To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they
may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the
Lord, that He may be glorified.” (Is. 61:3)
The oil is also used for soothing the wounds, “So
he went to him and bandaged his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his
own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care
of him.” (Luke 10:34)
The olive tree branches were used in celebrating Lord
Christ – The King of Peace – when He entered Jerusalem
– The City of Peace – though it is not mentioned clearly,
“And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the
road; others cut down branches from the trees and
spread them on the road” (Matt. 21:8), yet it is well
known that they were olive tree branches because they
were close to the Mount Olive where there are lots of
olive trees, but as for the palm branches they were
mentioned clearly, “…took branches of palm trees and
went out to meet Him, and cried out; ‘Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The
King of Israel!’.” (John 12:13)
As for the vine, it has a special tone in the Holy Bible…
When Isaac blessed his son Jacob, he said, “Therefore
may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness
of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine”. (Gen.
27:28)
The wine is the juice of the grapes, and when Esau was
angry, “Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, ‘Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I
have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I
have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my
son?” (Gen. 27:37) Sustaining with grain and wine is a
spiritual symbol of Jesus’ Body, which is made of grain
and His Blood made of the grape’s juice. So, partaking
of Jesus’ Body and Blood supports and sustains us,
giving us victory over the devil. It also makes us abide
in Christ, The True Vine, “‘For My flesh is food indeed,
and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh
and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him’”
(John 6:55-56) “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the
Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in
you’” (John 6:53)
When Jacob blessed his son Judah, of whose generation
the Incarnate Jesus was born, he prophesied about the
Great Mystery, “Binding his donkey to the vine, and his
donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washed his
garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of
grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth
whiter than milk.” (Gen. 49:11-12)
Moses also prophesied, “Curds from the cattle, and milk
of the flock, with fat of lambs; and rams of the breed of
Bashan, and goats, with the choicest wheat; and you
drank wine, the blood of the grapes.” (Deut. 32:14)
The greatest honour of the grapes is that its juice is used
in the offertory, which is turned into our Lord’s Blood.
During the era of persecution, one of the governors ordered to cut off all the vine trees in order to stop
Christians from carrying out the Holy Liturgy and the
Holy Communion.
The vine also is a symbol of Jesus Christ Himself Who
says, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the
vinedresser;’ ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He
who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing’” (John 15:1,5) all the
living branches spring out of Him, they get their juice for
living from Him. Alas for those who do not partake of
the Holy Communion, they wither quickly and fall! That
is why Jesus says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bare fruit of itself, unless it abides in the
vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the
vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I
in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do
nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out
as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and
throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John
15:4-6)
The vine also is a symbol of the church, the vine which
Jesus watered with His Honoured Blood, it is the subject
of His pleasure and rejoice, “In that day sing to her, a
vineyard of red wine! I the Lord , keep it I water it every
moment; lest any hurt it I keep it night and day”(Is.
27:2-3). We remind the Lord always with this fact in the
Holy Liturgy chanting; [O Lord of Host come back and
look from heaven, look after this vine, repair and
strengthen it, this which You have planted with your
Right Hand…]
The grapes cling to each other in a bunch, yet if one of
these grapes fall off the bunch, it dries up. So is the case
with the believers gathering around the church their
mother, feeding on her spiritual juice, i.e. Rites,
teachings, Sacraments, books…. So they live and
develop in their spiritual stature, “Till we all come to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13)
The palm tree is another tree glorifying the Lord, as
people carried palm tree branches celebrating Jesus’
entry into Jerusalem, “..took branches of palm trees and
went out to meet Him, and cried out; Hosanna! Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of
Israel!” (John 12:13) We also use it in Palm Sunday
for wearing crosses and different staff, participating with
the church in its rejoice on that great day.
The palm tree resembles the Christian person in that:
It is so tall, as a Christian person should be tall and
high in his spirituality and virtues.
Straight without bends, as a believer should be
straightforward in his heart and dealings with God
and people.
Fruitful, a Christian person should bear the Fruits
of the Spirit “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22)
Gives sweet fruits: the virtues of a believer should
be sweet to whoever gets in contact or deals with
him.
It takes years to grow, a believer should be patient
and keep struggling in his spiritual growth, “By
your patience possess your souls.” (Luke 21:19)
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by
so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us” (Heb. 12:1) “For you have need of
endurance. So that after you have done the will of
God, you may receive the promise” (Heb. 10:36)
“But let patience have its perfect work, that you
may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing”
(James 1:4)
Always green, a believer should always be green
spiritually, never dried up of God’s love, “He shall
be like a tree planted by the rivers of water; that
brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also
shall not wither; and whatever he does shall
prosper” (Ps. 1:3)
Have strong roots, its roots are so deep in the
ground, nothing can shake it even the strongest
winds. So should the believer be, strong in his love
to God, rooted in the grace of the Holy Spirit, “He
also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the
miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and
established my steps.” (Ps. 40:2) “Nevertheless
the solid foundation of God stands, having this
seal; ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and,
‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ
depart from iniquity’.” (2 Tim. 2:19) “… having
been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
cornerstone.” (Eph. 2:20)
White from inside, a palm tree is white from
inside, that is why it gives new white clean
branches, so should a believer be “… let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:22)
The palm branch symbolizes the Christian persons’
pure heart.
Beasts cannot climb up it and eat its fruit, also
the believer should be watching and guarding his
virtues lest the devil should come ad snatch them,
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the
faith, knowing that the same sufferings are
experienced by your brotherhood in the world”,
thus he will be left, “Because you say, ‘I am rich,
have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’
– and do not know that you are wretched,
miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17)
Everything in it is useful, nothing could be useless
or thrown out of a palm tree: the dates to eat, the
stalk for roofing in village houses, the leaves for
weaving baskets, the stem if cut, is chopped into
pieces, dried, used as roofs for houses in villages.
The believer also should be useful to those around
him, or anyone who resorts to him for help, “Only
Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with
you, for he is useful to me for ministry.” (2 Tim.
4:11) also, “… who once was unprofitable to you,
but now is profitable to you and to me. I am sending him back. You therefore receive him,
that is, my own heart” (Philemon 11-12)
Forgiving, if anyone throws a rock on a palm tree,
it will give back some of its sweet dates, and so a
Christian person should be forgiving those insulting
or humiliating them, “But I say to you, love your
enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to
those who hate you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt.
5:44). David the Psalmist addresses the person
who fears the Lord and who walks in His ways,
“when you eat the labour of your hands, you shall
be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife
shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of
your house, your children like olive plants all
around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be
blessed who fears the Lord.” (Ps. 128:2-4). The
trees that are heavy bearing fruits have branches
always hanging downwards, because of the weight
of the fruits they are bearing, but the trees that are
without fruits have branches heading above, in
pride and haughtiness. So is a believer who bears
the fruits of the spirit, he is always humble, meek
and gentle, never shouts or yells, not like a person
who is void of the holy fruits, the Psalmist says,
“Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes
bulge with abundance; they have more than heart
could wish. They scoff and speak wickedly
concerning oppression; they speak loftily. They
set their mouth against the heavens, and their
tongue walks through the earth. (Ps. 73:6-9) The cedar tree also has many characteristics resembling a
Christian person, high in length, strong in roots, have
nice smell, beautiful, “…rather let it be the hidden
person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the
sight of God” (1 Peter 3:4), straight, as a believer, “and
Solomon said, ‘You have shown great mercy to Your
servant David my father; because he walked before You
in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart
with You; You have continued this great kindness for
him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne,
as it is this day.” (1 Kings 3:6) “As for such as turn
aside to their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them
away with the workers of iniquity” (Ps. 125:5). The
cedar tree also has plenty of leaves and branches like a
Christian who has plenty of virtues and spiritual
struggles, “Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with
fine branches that shaded the forest, and of high
stature; and its top was among the thick boughs. The
waters made it grow; underground waters gave it
height, with their rivers running around the place
where it was planted, and sent out rivulets to all the
trees of the field. Therefore its height was exalted
above all the trees of the field; its boughs were
multiplied, and its branches became long because of the
abundance of water, as it sent them out. All the birds of
the heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its
branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their
young; and in its shadow all great nations made their
home. Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the
length of its branches, because its roots reached to abundant waters. The cedars in the garden of God
could not hide it; the fir trees were not like its boughs,
and the chestnut trees ere not like its branches; no tree
in the garden of God was like it in beauty. I made it
beautiful with a multitude of branches, so that all the
trees of Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God.”
(Ezekiel 31:3-9)
David the Psalmist says: “The righteous shall flourish
like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall
flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear
fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, He
is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
(Ps. 92:12-15)
Solomon the king used lots of cedar trees in building the
Temple because of its strength
“Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying fowl”
They are used by God as a means of chastisement, “And
the Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh and say to
him, ‘Thus says the Lord; ‘Let My people go, that they
may serve Me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold,
I will smite all your territory with frogs. So the river
shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up
and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your
bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people,
into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. And the
frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all
your servants’”. (Ex. 8:1-4), “So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came
up and covered the land of Egypt.”(Ex. 8:6)
When Pharaoh was still stubborn, “So Moses and Aaron
came in to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘Thus says the
Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to
humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that
they may serve Me. Or else, if you refuse to let My
people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into
your territory. And they shall cover the face of the
earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and
they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains
to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which
grows up for you out of the field. They shall fill your
houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses
of all the Egyptians – which neither your fathers nor
your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they
were on the earth to this day.’” And he turned and
went out from Pharaoh.” (Ex. 10:3-6) “So Moses
stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the
Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and
all that night. When it was morning, the east wind
brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all
the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of
Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had
been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such
after them. For they covered the face of the whole
earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every
herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the
hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the
trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the
land of Egypt.” (Ex. 10:13-15) This plague Pharaoh considered as death, so he said,
“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in hast,
and said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord your God and
against you. Now therefore, please forgive my sin only
this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may
take away from me this death only.” (Ex. 10:16-17), so
Moses prayed to God, “And the Lord turned a very
strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew
them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust
in all the territory of Egypt” (Ex. 10:19)
The Lord used the serpents – which is a creeping
thing – to chastise the children of Israel in the
desert, “Then they journeyed from Mount Horby
the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of
Edom; and the soul of the people became very
discouraged on the way. And the people spoke
against God and against Moses: ‘Why have you
brought us up out of Egypt to die in the
wilderness? For there is no food and no water
and our soul loathes this worthless bread’ So the
Lord sent fiery serpents amongst the people and
they bit the people; and many of the people of
Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses,
and said, ‘We have sinned for we have spoken
against the Lord and against you; pray to the
Lord that He take away the serpents from us.’ So
Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said
to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a
pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten,
when he looks at it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was,
if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at
the bronze serpent , he lived.” (Num. 21:4-9)
The Bronze serpent became a symbol of the cross of our
Good Saviour, whoever is bitten by the old serpent i.e.
Satan (Rev. 20:2) will be healed through Jesus’ Cross,
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:14-15)
Although these creatures are harmful, yet we get some
vaccines out of their venom.
These creatures have some specific characteristics which
we can learn from:
The locusts are so wise and organised, “The locusts have
no king, yet they all advance in ranks.” (Prov. 30:27)
Frogs sing in chorus at sunset in an organised tune.
Ants are wise and active, “Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no
captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the
summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.” (Prov.
6:6-8), “There are four things which are little on the
earth, but they are exceedingly wise.” (Prov. 30:24)
The serpent is very wise, “Behold, I send you out as
sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as
serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matt. 10:16) The
Apostle explains this, “For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I
want you to be wise in what is good, and simple
concerning evil.” (Rom. 16:19), not the wisdom of the
world, “This wisdom does not descend from above, but
is earthly, sensual, demonic.” (James 3:15) but wisdom
in Christ, “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are
wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You
are distinguished, but we are dishonoured!”(1 Cor.
4:10) which is coming from above, “But the wisdom
that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17)
The turtle teaches us a lesson in patience and
perseverance, though it is slow, yet it reaches its
target, through constant organised walking. The
most strange thing is that these creatures are not
waiting for rewards or expecting to be judged, are
still keeping their order, and performing the aims
for which God had created them, but as for man,
the crown and head of all the creation, created on
the image of God, whom God created, “This
people I have formed for Myself; they shall
declare My praise.” (Is. 43:21) unfortunately he
goes down below this great honour, and walks on
the opposite way, so instead of praising he
blasphemes, instead of glorifying God, he glorifies
himself, instead of thanksgiving he murmurs, and
so on.
We ask You dear Lord, to have mercy upon us, return us
to our original honour, our first rite, that is of praising and glorifying, as an important vital rank among the
chorus of heaven. Amen.
“Kings of the earth and all people, Princes and all
judges of the earth”
The Psalmist affirms that kings, princes and judges
should also offer worship and praise to God. If they are
godly and deal in God’s fear, then their counsellors and
their congregations will be the same, thus peace and
calmness will prevail over their countries. That is why
the Apostle asks to have special prayers, “Therefore I
exhort first of all that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead
a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight
of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:1-
4)
There are many examples of the righteous rulers in the
Holy Bible, such as King David, who was a means of
blessing to all of his generation, keeping the Law of God.
He prepared the Tabernacle in Jerusalem in order to
transfer the Ark of Covenant inside it, “So David, the
elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went
to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the
house of Obed-Edom with joy. And so it was, when God
helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of
the Lord, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams.
David was clothed with a robe of fine lined, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and
Chenaniah the music master with the singers, David
also wore a linen ephod. Thus all Israel brought up the
ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting and with
the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals,
making music with stringed instruments and harps.
And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord
came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul’s daughter,
looked through a window and saw King David whirling
and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.
So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst
of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then
they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before
God. And when David had finished offering the burnt
offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people
in the name of the Lord. Then he distributed to
everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a
loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.” (1
Chr. 15:25-29, 16:1-3) On that day, David sang this
beautiful hymn:
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
See the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
Remember His marvellous works which He has
done,
His wonders, and the judgements of His mouth, O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
Remember His covenant forever;
The word which He commanded, for a thousand
generations,
The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant,
Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
When you were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.
When they went from one nation to another;
And from one kingdom to another people,
He permitted no man to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,
Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm”
Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day
to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens,
Honour and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place. Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord
reigns.”
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it,
Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the
Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
And say, ‘Save us, O God of our salvation;
Gather us together; and deliver us from the
Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.”
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the
Lord” (1 Chr. 16:8-36)
He organised everything according to the Law of Israel,
“So he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the lord to minister before the ark
regularly, as every day’s work required;” (1 Chr.
16:37), thus the faith and worship of the congregation
flourished, during all the days of David the righteous
king.
Solomon the king also was a pious king, “Also King
Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were
assembled with him, were with him before the ark,
sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or
numbered for multitude.” (1 Kings 8:5), “At that time
Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great
assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of
Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven
more days – fourteen days. On the eighth day he sent
the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to
their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that
the Lord had done for his servant David, and for Israel
His people.” (1 Kings 8: 65-66)
God was pleased because of this worship, so He
appeared to Solomon and said, “And the Lord said to
him; ‘I have heard your prayer and your supplication
that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this
house which you have built to put My name there
forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there
perpetually.” (1 Kings 9:3)
Then the Lord kept advising Solomon, “Now if you walk
before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of
heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I
have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgements, then I will establish the throne of your
kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your
father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the
throne of Israel’.”
(1 Kings 9:4-5). On the other hand, we read about evil
rulers, such as Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was the
king of ten of Israel’s tribes, “And Jeroboam said in his
heart, ‘Now the kingdom may return to the house of
David; if these people go up to offer sacrifices in the
house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this
people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of
Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam
king of Judah.’ Therefore the king asked advice, made
two calves of gold, and said to the people, ‘It is too
much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your
gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of
Egypt!’” (1 Kings 12:26-28)
And so, for the sake of keeping the kingdom he deviated
and mislead 10 tribes with him in worshipping the Baal,
and consequently, the destruction of their souls because
“Now this thing became a sin” (1 Kings 12:30). God
never forgot this great sin, even after Jeroboam’s death,
his name was always followed by this statement, “….
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin” (1
Kings 22: 52)
Other evil kings were Ahab, at the time of Elijah the
Prophet, and Manasseh who misled Judah and the people
in Jerusalem and let them sin before the Lord… Thus, the king’s deviation leads to the destruction of the
congregation, while from studying the church history we
notice righteous kings such as King Constantine, King
Theodosius the Great, King Zinon who was named “The
Righteous King”, “The Orthodox King” and “The King
who loves Christ”…. That is why the Psalmists advice
the kings, “Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be
instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with
fear; and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, ‘lest he
be angry, and you perish in the way. When His wrath
is kindled but a little.’ Blessed are those who put their
trust in Him.” (Ps. 2:10-12)
When the chief of the Jews rejected the Lord Jesus, the
congregation also did the same, although they were of
simple hearts ready to accept Jesus as Lord and God. So,
when the congregation watched Jesus’ miracles and
listened to the words of grace coming out of His Mouth,
it is written, “And there was much complaining among
the people concerning Him. Some said, ‘He is good’,
others said, ‘No, on the contrary, He deceives the
people’. However no one spoke openly to Him, in fear
of the Jews.” (John 7:12-13) Then when they saw Him
speaking with authority, not like the Scribes they were
wondering, “ ‘But look! He speaks boldly, and they say
nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is
truly the Christ?’” (John 7:26) and they were ready to
follow Jesus if they had the answer to this question.
When the chief priests sent servants to arrest Jesus, they
went and heard His words of grace, they also heard the
comments of the congregation, “Therefore many from
the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, ‘Truly
this is the Prophet’. Others said, ‘This is the Christ’.
But some said, ‘Will the Christ come out of Galilee?’”
(John 7:40-41)
So, they came back to the chief priests and Pharisees
amazed with what they heard from Jesus, His personality
and His teachings, “Then the officers came to the chief
priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why have you
not brought Him?’ The officers answered, ‘No man
ever spoke like this Man!’ Then the Pharisees
answered them, ‘Are you also deceived? Have any of
the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this
crowd that does not know the law is accursed’.” (John
7:45-49)
When Nicodemus, the pious man started defending
Jesus, they stopped him, “They answered and said to
him, ‘Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for
no prophet has arisen out of Galilee’.” (John 7:52)
The Psalmist’s call “all the peoples” to praise God and
not only the Jewish nation, is a prophecy of the spread of
Christianity, “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature’.” (Mark
16:15) and the Apostles obeyed His commandment,
“And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord
working with them and confirming the word through
the accompanying signs. Amen” (Mark 16:20)
So most of the people of the world became Christians
offering the Lord the adequate praise, as the Prophet says, “For from the rising of the sun, even to its going
down, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; in
every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a
pure offering; for My name shall be great among the
nations.’ Says the Lord of hosts”. (Malachi 1:11), also,
“Let the people praise You, O God; Let all the peoples
praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for
joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, and
govern the nations on earth. Selah. Let the people
praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.” (Ps.
67-3:5) “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him,
all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great
toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!” (Ps. 117)
We, as the Gentiles before, but Christians now through
the grace of God, sing this Psalm in the Vesper Incense,
also it is one of the deacon’s responses in the Holy
Liturgy.
Both young men and maidens, old men and children
The Young Men:
The Psalmist advises the young men, “Praise, O
servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Ps. 113:1), he
repeats it twice to praise the Lord because he knows the
strength and enthusiasm of youth. It is also of great
benefit for them to praise the Lord in order to keep their
thoughts and minds pure, glorifying His Name. Thus He
will purify and sanctify their youth and make it fruitful
and successful
How beautiful for the youth to gather in church, “It is
like the precious oil upon the head, running down on
the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the
edge of his garments.” (Ps. 133:2), also the Divine
Banquet in the Sacrament of the Holy Communion,
“Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart
of your house, your children like olive plants all around
your table.” (Ps. 128:3) This is the glorious future of
the church, “Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons,
whom You shall make princes in all the earth.” (Ps.
45:16)
David the Psalmist draws the youth attention to the great
potentials within them, if used for the glory of God, they
will become a great blessing “Like arrows in the hand
of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy
is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall
not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in
the gate.” (Ps. 127:4-5), also “That our sons may be as
plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may
be as pillars, sculptured in palace style;” (Ps. 144:12),
because “The glory of young men is their strength, and
the splendour of old men is their gray head.” (Prov.
20:29)
Usually the youth ask how could I put my feet on the
right path? The answer, “How can a young man
cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your
word.” (Ps. 119:9) i.e. to follow God’s commandments
and apply them in their life.
Solomon the wise also says, “Remember now your
Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult
days come, and the years draw near when you say, ‘I
have no pleasure in them’.” (Ecc. 12:1) also, “Train up
a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he
will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6)
But if the young men neglect prayers, repentance and all
other spiritual practices, they will get destroyed because
they can depart at any moment as life and long age are
not guaranteed.
Even if they make it to an old age, they will not have the
same power and enthusiasm, because in the old age,
“Remember now your Creator in the days of your
youth, before the difficult days come and the years
draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’.
While the sun and the light, the moon and the stars, are
not darkened, and the clouds do not return after the
rain; in the day when the keepers of the house tremble.
And the strong men bow down, when the grinders cease
because they are few, and those that look through the
windows grow dim.” (Ecc. 12:1-3) which means the
sight will be weak, the teeth will not be strong enough, if
there’s any teeth left, the desire for spiritual struggle
becomes less.
The Maidens:
It is written, “Because of the fragrance of your good
ointments, Your name is ointment poured forth;
therefore the virgins love you.” (Song of Solomon 1:3)
The Name of the Lord Jesus Christ is so sweet and wonderful throughout all ages, this name attracts many
maidens, preferring to live in virginity and in convents,
considering Jesus their Only Beloved Groom. St. Paul
the Apostle says, “There is a difference between a wife
and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the
things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body
and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the
things of the world – how she may please her
husband.” (1 Cor. 7:34) Some of these virgins even
exceeded men in their devoutness and sacrifice, living in
the wilderness and mountains, “of whom the world was
not worth. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in
dens and caves of the earth because of their great love
to Christ the King.”
(Heb. 11:38).
The Lord Himself called them ‘the wise virgins’ and
gave them a share to enter the wedding, “And while they
went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were
ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door
was shut.” (Matt. 25:10) and to enjoy life in His
heavenly kingdom, because He could never forget their
love towards Him, “Go and cry in the hearing of
Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: I remember
you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your
betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in
a land not sown.” (Jer. 2:2)
Old Men:
Solomon the wise says, “The silver-haired head is a
crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness.” (Prov. 16:31) A person walking in the
path of God since his early age till his old age will be a
great blessing to himself and to others:
To Himself, because he dealt wisely with his talents and
made profit, he walked with the Lord all the days of his
age, like Enoch and Noah, till he became God’s beloved
friend. He has very strong relationship with God. The
only thing left is to repose in peace in the Lord and join
the host of saints in heaven.
To Others, because he is so experienced and can pass all
his life experience to the youth, guiding them to the
salvation of their souls, because “Wisdom is with aged
men; and with length of days, understanding.” (Job
12:12), and as the Psalmists says, “To bind his princes
at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.” (Ps.
105:22), also Solomon the wise says, “Listen to your
father who begot you, and do not despise your mother
when she is old.” (Prov. 23:22)
We know about many elderly monks who reached high
levels of contemplation and meditation because of their
long relationship with God, in fasting, prayers, metanias.
As an example is St. Makari the Great at his old age, he
was taken all the time as one in a coma, keeping his mind
all the time busy with the heaven. If anyone wanted to
ask him for a spiritual guidance or consultation, he
should shake him strongly so that he could come back
and started talking. God loves the prayers and praises of those experienced
old elders, who touched His sweetness and were so close
to Him, so the Psalmists says, “Let them exalt Him also
in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the
company of the elders.” (Ps. 107:32)
Out of God’s love and mercy, He grants those elders
some gifts during their life, such as teaching, guiding,
discern, casting out demons or healing, “Those who are
planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the
courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age;
they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the
Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no
unrighteousness in Him.” (Ps. 92:13-15), that’s apart
from the heavenly kingdom which they had acquired
through their struggle all the years.
The elders also get experience in the fights and tricks of
the devil, and they can guide and instruct the youth in
this aspect.
Another virtue is that of patience and tolerance, in this
they also give their experience to the youth, thus
fulfilling the Prophets words, “Strengthen the weak
hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those
who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the
recompense of God; He will come and save you.” (Is.
35:3-4)
The Apostle also commands us to honour the elders,
“Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in the word
and doctrine.” (1 Tim. 5:17)
The Children:
The parent have to plant in their children the seeds of
virtue and goodness since their childhood, looking after
their spiritually, taking them to church regularly, “Train
up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old
he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6), also being a
good example for their children. We read in the
Sinixarium about many saints, who were raised up in a
righteous Christian family, such as St. Shenouda the
Archimandrite, St. Abraam the recluse, the friend of
Gorgi and many others.
We have many examples in the Holy Bible for
children who were brought up in the church or the
temple and they became pillars of light in the church.
Samuel the Prophet:
He was brought to the temple as a child, as his mother
told Eli the priest, “Therefore I also have lent him to the
Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord,
‘so they worshiped the Lord there.” (1 Sam. 1:28) “But
Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child,
wearing a linen ephod. Moreover his mother used to
make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year
when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly
sacrifice. And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife,
and say, ‘The Lord give you descendants from this
woman for the loan that was given to the Lord’. Then
they would go to their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and
two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew
before the Lord. Now Eli was very old; and he heard
everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay
with the woman who assembled at the door of the
tabernacle of meeting. So he said to them, ‘Why do you
do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from
all the people. No my sons! For it is not a good report
that I hear. You make the Lord’s people transgress. If
one man sins against anther, God will judge him. But
if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for
him?’ Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their
father, because the Lord desired to kill them. And the
child, Samuel grew in stature, and in favour both with
the Lord and men.” (1 Sam. 2:18-26)
He deserved that the Lord be talking to him, “Now the
Lord came and stood and called as at other times,
‘Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel answered, ‘Speak, for
Your servant hears.’ Then the Lord said to Samuel:
‘Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both
ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I
will perform against Eli all that I have spoken
concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I
have told him that I will judge his house forever for the
iniquity which he knows, because his sons made
themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. And
therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the
iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by
sacrifice or offering forever.” (1 Sam. 3:10-14) Samuel grew up in the temple where there was
continuous worship and prayers without ceasing, and so
he became a prophet and the last of Israel Judges, “And
Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.” (1 Sam:
7:15) also anointing the kings, “Then Samuel took a
flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him
and said: ‘Is it not because the Lord has anointed you
commander over His inheritance.” (1 Sam. 10:1),
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in
the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the lord
came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel
arose and went to Ramah.” (1 Sam. 16:13)
St. Mary:
She was presented to the temple at the age of three, and
she stayed there for around ten years, living in purity and
worship. At her little age she deserved to be fed by
angels, and to be chosen to carry the Incarnate God, Lord
Jesus Christ.
Timothy the disciple of St. Paul the Apostle:
Although his father was a Greek idolater, yet his mother
and grandmother, who were Jews, brought him up
according to the Law, which St. Paul praised, “when I
call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you,
which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your
mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.” (2
Tim. 1:5) he advised him, “But you must continue in
the things which you have heard and been assured of,
knowing from whom you have learned them, and that
from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 3:14-15) also,
“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to
the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in
faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to
exhortation, to doctrine.” (1 Tim. 4:12-13)
Timothy was the first bishop ordained for Ephesus.
“Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for His Name
alone is exalted.”
Here the Psalmist is asking all the previous earthly
creatures to praise the Name of the Lord all at once,
assuring non-reluctance or stopping from praise. This
verse is said louder than all the previous ones.
The Name of the Lord is the only Name exalted, because
“For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord
made the heavens” (Ps. 96:5), “Their idols are silver
and gold, the work of men’s hands” (Ps. 115:4), but our
God “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He
pleases.” (Ps. 115:3), “Great is the Lord, and greatly to
be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.” (Ps.
145:3) “The Lord is high above all nations, His glory
above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, Who
dwells on high Who humbles Himself to behold the
things that are in the heavens and in the earth?” (Ps.
113:4-6)
“His glory is above the earth and heaven, and He has
exalted the horn of His people”. Thanksgiving to God
should be offered by every human being, every creature on earth and in heaven. The Psalmist repeats ‘give
thanks to the Lord’ many times as in Psalm 136 and that
is because “His mercy endures forever”.
The Psalmist himself gives an example of the
thanksgiving, “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole
heart; I will tell of all Your marvellous works.” (Ps.
9:1) “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is
near.” (Ps. 75:1) “I will praise You with my whole
heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will
worship towards Your holy temple, and praise Your
name for Your loving kindness and Your truth; for You
have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Ps.
138:1-2)
We have to thank God at all times otherwise we become
ungrateful, “Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem
that He passed through the midst of Samaria and
Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met
Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And
they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have
mercy on us!’ So when He saw them, He said to them,
‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was
that as they went, the were cleansed. And one of them,
when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a
loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at
His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten
cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any
found who returned to give glory to God except this
foreigner?” (Luke 17:11-18)
Due to the importance of thanksgiving, the Apostle
commands us, “in everything give thanks; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:18)
“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing,
because when you received the word of God which you
heard form us, you welcomed it not as the word of men,
but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also
effectively works in you who believe.” (1 Thess. 2:13)
The church starts all its services with the Lords Prayer
followed by the Thanksgiving Prayer, because there are
lots of things that we ought to thank God for, just as an
example; The free salvation, His Holy Body and Blood,
the church and all Its Sacraments, the Holy Bible, health,
gifts… in general. “Command those who are rich in this
present age not to be haughty, not to trust in uncertain
riches but in the Living God, who give us richly all
things to enjoy.” (1 Tim. 6:17)
The Apostle afflicted those who do not give glory and
thanksgiving to God, “because, although they knew
God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were
thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their
foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise,
they became fools.” (Rom. 1:21-22)
In offering God continuous praise and thanksgiving we
resemble the heavenly hosts, “Whenever the living
creatures give glory and honour and thanks to Him
who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the
twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever;
and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: ‘You
are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and
power; for You created all things, and by Your will they
exist and were created.” (Rev. 4:9-11)
One of the blessings of giving thanks to God is that ‘He
exalts the horn of His people’, which means He gives
them victory over their enemies, the seen and unseen,
because horns are a sign of strength and victory as horns
do not grow in animals until they have completely
developed.
“The praise of all his saints, of the children of Israel, a
people near to Him, Praise the Lord”
The Lord is the subject matter of praise for the saints, as
Moses taught his people, “You shall fear the Lord your
God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold
fast and take oaths in His name. He is your praise, and
He is your God, who has done for you these great and
awesome things which your eyes have seen.” (Deut.
10:20-21), also in Jeremiah, “Heal me, O Lord, and I
shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, for You
are my praise.” (Jer. 17:14)
So the righteous are proud of praising and worshipping
God, coming closer to Him, keeping His
commandments, “But it is good for me to draw near to
God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may
declare all Your works.” (Ps. 73:28) “Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds.” (Ps.
149:5)
It is a great honour to be related to ‘Christ’, calling
ourselves ‘Christians’, in the Old Testament, the Only
God our Lord was, “He will choose our inheritance for
us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loved. Selah.”
(Ps. 47:4) “My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
the humble shall hear of it and be glad.” (Ps. 34:2)
The Apostle commands us to be proud of the Lord,
“that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in
the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:31) also, “But God forbid that I
should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14)
|| Pope Shenouda || Father Matta || Bishop Mattaous || Fr. Tadros Malaty || Bishop Moussa || Bishop Alexander || Habib Gerguis || Bishop Angealos || Metropolitan Bishoy ||