The Sinner’s Ascent to Confident Hope, and His Establishment in It (Vv. 16–18)

Ps. 37:16. For I hoped in You, O Lord; You will hear me, O Lord my God.

So far he has depicted the extremity of his state; now he shows upon what he stood firm when everything within and without was thrown into disorder. «For I hoped in You, O Lord.» There is the strength! Forsaken by all, having no strength to resist enemies, into Your hands I committed my fate, and became calm. «You will hear me.» You—hear my desires and groanings, as well as the malicious speech of enemies, and I am assured, You will not abandon me: one who turns sincerely to You and cries to You, You will hear and recompense them according to their due (Athanasius, Zigabenus). «You will hear their revilings and will recompense them with what they deserve, or You will hear the groanings of the reviled and suffering one, and will protect me; for though I am silent with my mouth, yet I cry strongly to You in my heart for help and protection. Here is what happened in deed which the Lord later promised through the prophet Jeremiah, saying: «Vengeance is mine; I will repay» (Jer. 50:15; Heb. 10:30), and which the Apostle taught to those in affliction: Do not avenge yourselves, but give place to wrath (Rom. 12:19).

How this applies to the external circumstances of the Prophet David and to every sufferer is evident. In the course of repentance—here is the turn to the inner resolve to change one’s life. In deciding to abandon sins, the sinner must break all bonds and overturn all the orders of life established until now. Meanwhile he cannot but see that the enemies are strong, he himself is weak, and help is from none. In such circumstances his resolve is unthinkable unless he finds for himself somewhere a firm point of support. He finds it in God the Saviour, to whom he cries: In You I trust; You will hear!—You are my Creator! Will You not abandon Your poor creature in the hands of enemies for ultimate ruin! You are my Redeemer! Will You not leave to perish the wandering sheep, but will take her upon Your shoulders and bring her to Your Father. He does not enter into battle with enemies

himself, but commits to the Lord the overcoming of them. St. John Kolob describes this state thus: «I, he says, am like a man sitting beneath a tree who, seeing beasts approaching and despairing of overcoming them, jumps into the tree and is saved from danger; that is, knowing I have no strength to overcome enemies, I flee to God through prayer and am saved» (Memorable Narratives, p. 123, vol. II). This is precisely what happens in a sinner’s soul at the moment of overcoming sin when enemies whisper what is idle and specious. He does not answer them with his own counterefforts but commits all to the Lord. Commits to the Lord, consequently receives hope that wrath will be changed to mercy, that he will be received by the Lord and delivered from enemies. This hope began as soon as the evil of sin became known and torrents of repentant feelings poured forth—for they all happened before the face of the Lord. Then good desires and groanings were born; and after this there occurred rejection of evil whispers and consequently turning away from all that opposes God. By this ladder hope ascended to the height of strength. In the heart was then said: You will hear!

Help will come!—And—the resolve—with God’s help, certain—to abandon sin and dedicate oneself to good for pleasing the Lord—was made. This is a moment of great importance! Behold—

the point of departure for a new life and activity.

In vv. 17 and 18 is shown upon what the hope in God is established in the repenting sinner. It is established, first, upon the assurance that it cannot be that God would permit enemies yet to rejoice over him—v. 17; and second, upon the expression of his readiness for all sufferings and deprivations, so long as he remain on the path pleasing to God, v. 18. These are the counter-resolves which, with silent mouth in prayer to God, were formed in the struggle against the idle and specious whispers of enemies, in opposition to them. They whispered: you will not endure; you will be ours again; and he ascended to the assurance that God will not permit them yet to rejoice over him, both as Creator and still more as Redeemer. They poured in fears about awaiting miseries; and he against this established: let me even die, but I will not sin again.

Ps. 37:17. For I said, lest at any time my enemies might rejoice over me; and when my feet were made to slip, they spoke boastfully against me.

«For I said»—I spoke in my heart, I arrived at deep conviction: let it not be that my enemies yet rejoice over me. In strong hope in God I bear this feeling in my heart—that my enemies will not be given to yet mock me. It expresses unshakeable confidence in God’s help and God’s protection. So, he says, let not it be—even if before they, whenever my feet stumbled, i.e., when I slipped on the path and stumbled, turned away from the commandments of God and departed from His statutes—«they spoke boastfully against me»—they taunted me and reviled me for weakness, while they exalted themselves, over my failure they laughed, but in their cunning they boasted; though they were accustomed to rejoice at my falls, now I trust the Lord will not permit this.

This is not presumption, but firm assurance in God, the defender of the righteous cause, which is always His cause. The enemies will not rejoice; for it is impossible for them to overcome God Himself. He speaks as if to say: I believe, O Lord, that You will not permit my enemies yet to have the upper hand over me; for they are not only mine, but also Your enemies—You will not permit, for the sake of the glory of Your name. I am Your creature, and came to them accidentally through my own foolishness. Endeavoring to destroy me, they sought to affront You. They even blaspheme You, O Lord, saying: see how much You have done for him, yet he abandoned You and serves us. From now on You will not permit them, O Lord, thus to mock Your boundless goodness to Your weak creature.

Ps. 37:18. For I am ready for scourges, and my pain is before me continually.

«For I am ready for scourges»—for blows, for all manner of blows, deprivations, sufferings. «My pain continually»—the sense of contrition for sin has struck deep roots, is always with me, does not leave. He speaks as if to say: I am ready for all; let everything fall upon me, only to be forgiven, to cease from sin, and to stand firm in good. God, the protector of all good, desires to accept this resolve of mine and will not abandon me (Theodoret, Athanasius). The consciousness and feeling of my sinfulness, striking with such groanings at my soul, will always be before me, to humble me and keep me watchful. I bring this pain of heart to the merciful Lord as a sacrifice, in the assurance that a contrite and humble heart God will not despise.

Such disposition is the strongest assurance of the sincerity of repentance and of the confident hope of the resolve to change one’s life.