Speaker 1: Psalm one hundred nineteen Discourse twenty eight of Expositions on
Speaker 1: the Book of Psalms, Volume five. This is a LibriVox recording.
Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Expositions
Speaker 1: on the Book of Psalms, Volume five by Saint Augustine
Speaker 1: of Hippo, Psalm one hundred nineteen, Discourse twenty eight, Verses
Speaker 1: one hundred thirty seven and one hundred thirty eight. He
Speaker 1: who singeth this psalm had said, above, my eyes have
Speaker 1: descended streams of waters, since they have not kept Thy law.
Speaker 1: Where he testify it that he hath wept much for
Speaker 1: his transgression. Thus, then, as if giving a reason why
Speaker 1: he had caused to weep much and to mourn deeply
Speaker 1: for his sin, he saith righteous art Thou, O Lord,
Speaker 1: and true is thy judgment. Thou hast commanded thy testimonies,
Speaker 1: righteousness and thy truth exceedingly. This righteousness of God and
Speaker 1: righteous judgment and truth is to be feared by every sinner,
Speaker 1: for thereby all who are condemned are condemned of God.
Speaker 1: Nor is there one who can righteously complain against the
Speaker 1: righteous God of his own damnation. Therefore, the tears of
Speaker 1: the penitent are needful, since if his impenitent heart were condemned,
Speaker 1: he would be most justly condemned. He indeed calleth the
Speaker 1: testimonies of God righteousness, for He proved himself righteous by
Speaker 1: giving righteous commandments. And this is truth also that God
Speaker 1: may become known by such testimonies Verse one hundred thirty nine.
Speaker 1: But what is it that followeth my zeal hath caused
Speaker 1: me to pine? Or, as other copies read thy zeal?
Speaker 1: Others have also the zeal of thy house, and hath
Speaker 1: eaten me up? Instead, hath caused me to pine. This,
Speaker 1: as it seems to me, has been considered as an
Speaker 1: emendation to be introduced from another Psalm, where it is
Speaker 1: written the zeal of the house hath eaten me up,
Speaker 1: a text quoted also as we know in the Gospel.
Speaker 1: The two words, however, hath caused me to pine and
Speaker 1: hath eaten me up are somewhat like. But the words
Speaker 1: my zeal, which most of the copies read, occasion no dispute.
Speaker 1: For what wonder is it if every man pinteth away
Speaker 1: from his own zeal. The words read in other copies
Speaker 1: thy zeal signify a man zealous for God, not for himself.
Speaker 1: But there is no difficulty in using my in the
Speaker 1: same sense. For what else doth the apostle say, I
Speaker 1: am jealous over you for God, with a godly jealousy.
Speaker 1: In saying I am jealous over you, doth he not
Speaker 1: display a jealousy of his own. But as he said
Speaker 1: for God, that is not for himself, but for God.
Speaker 1: He addeth with a godly jealousy. For God inspireth this
Speaker 1: among his faithful by his own spirit, For it is
Speaker 1: a sign of love, not of envy. For what induced
Speaker 1: the apostle to say this, I have betrothed you, He
Speaker 1: said to one husband, to present you a chaste virgin
Speaker 1: unto Christ. But I fear lest as the serpent beguiled
Speaker 1: Eve through his cunning, so also your minds be corrupted
Speaker 1: from the simplicity and purity that is in Christ. The
Speaker 1: zeal of the House of God devoured him. Yet this
Speaker 1: jealousy he felt for Christ, not for himself. For it
Speaker 1: the bridegroom is jealous of the bride for himself. But
Speaker 1: the friend of the bridegroom should not be jealous of
Speaker 1: her for himself, but for the bridegroom. The psalmist jealousy
Speaker 1: is therefore also to be under stood in a good sense,
Speaker 1: for he addeth the cause and saith, because mine enemies
Speaker 1: have forgotten Thy words. They then were returning evil for God,
Speaker 1: because he was jealous of them for God so vehemently
Speaker 1: and ardently that he said he was wasted with that zeal.
Speaker 1: But they, for this cause carried on hostilities against him,
Speaker 1: because in fact he wished those of whom from love
Speaker 1: he was jealous to love the Lord, for not being
Speaker 1: ungrateful to the grace of God, by which he who
Speaker 1: was before an enemy, had been reconciled to God. He
Speaker 1: too loved his own enemies, and was jealous of them
Speaker 1: for God, grieving and pinding away because they had forgotten
Speaker 1: his word first one hundred forty then, considering with himself
Speaker 1: with what a flame of love he burned for the
Speaker 1: commandments of God, fiery saith is Thy word exceedingly, and
Speaker 1: Thy servant hath loved it justly. Jealous was he of
Speaker 1: the impenitent heart in his enemies who had forgotten God's word,
Speaker 1: for he endeavored to bring them unto that which he
Speaker 1: himself most ardently loved Verse one hundred forty one. I
Speaker 1: am young and of no reputation. Yet do I not
Speaker 1: forget thy righteousnesses, not as my enemies who have forgotten
Speaker 1: thy words. The younger seems to grieve for those older
Speaker 1: than himself who had forgotten the righteousnesses of God, while
Speaker 1: he himself had not forgotten. For what meaneth I am young?
Speaker 1: Yet do I not forget? Save this those older than
Speaker 1: me have forgotten. For the Greek word is neotaros, the
Speaker 1: same as that used in the words above, wherewithal shall
Speaker 1: a young man cleanse his way. This is a compare narrative,
Speaker 1: and is therefore well understood in its relation to some
Speaker 1: one older. Let us therefore here recognize the two nations
Speaker 1: who were striving even in Rebecca's womb, when it was
Speaker 1: said to her, not from works, but of Him, that
Speaker 1: calleth the elder shall serve the younger. But the younger
Speaker 1: saith here that he is of no reputation. For this
Speaker 1: reason he hath become greater. Since God hath chosen the
Speaker 1: base things of the world, and things that are despised yea,
Speaker 1: and things that are not, as though they were to
Speaker 1: bring to naught things that are. And behold they that
Speaker 1: were first or last, and they that were last first
Speaker 1: Verse one hundred forty two. It is no wonder that
Speaker 1: they have forgotten the words of God, who have chosen
Speaker 1: to set up their own righteousness, ignorant of the righteousness
Speaker 1: of God. But he the younger hath not forgotten, for
Speaker 1: he hath not wished to have a righteousness of his own,
Speaker 1: but that of God, of which he now also saith.
Speaker 1: Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy law is
Speaker 1: the truth. For how is not the law truth through
Speaker 1: which came the knowledge of sin, and that which giveth
Speaker 1: testimony of the righteousness of God. For thus the apostle saith,
Speaker 1: the righteousness of God is manifested, being witnessed by the
Speaker 1: Law and the prophets Verse one hundred forty three. On
Speaker 1: account of this law, the younger suffered persecution from the elder,
Speaker 1: So that the younger saith, what followeth, trouble and hardship
Speaker 1: have taken hold upon me. Yet is my meditation in
Speaker 1: Thy commandments. Let them rage, let them persecute, as long
Speaker 1: as the commandments of God be not abandoned. And after
Speaker 1: those commandments, let even those who rage be loved Verse
Speaker 1: one hundred forty four. Thy testimonies are righteousness unto everlasting. Oh,
Speaker 1: grant me understanding, and I shall live. This younger one
Speaker 1: prayeth for understanding, which if he had not he would
Speaker 1: not be wiser than the aged. But he prayeth for
Speaker 1: it in trouble and hardships, that he may thereby understand
Speaker 1: how contemptible is all that his persecuting enemies can take
Speaker 1: from him. By whom he saith, He hath been despised.
Speaker 1: Therefore he hath said, and I shall live, because if
Speaker 1: trouble and heaviness reached such a pitch that his life
Speaker 1: should be terminated by the hands of his persecuting enemies,
Speaker 1: he will live forever. Who preferreth righteousness to temporal things,
Speaker 1: which remaineth forevermore. This righteousness and trouble and hardships are
Speaker 1: the martydia dei, that is, the testimonies of God for
Speaker 1: which martyrs have been crowned. End of Psal one hundred nineteen,
Speaker 1: Discourse twenty eight