Homilies on the Psalms 28.5

… power, then he is called the son of unicorns. For the unicorn, as we have learned in Job, is an animal of invincible strength, not subject to men. “You will not bind him,” it says, “with a strap, nor will he lie down at a manger.” And much is said in that part of the prophecy about the animal's being free and not yielding to men. And it has been observed that Scripture uses the image of the unicorn in both ways, sometimes in praise, at other times in blame. For “Deliver my soul from the sword,” it says, “and my lowliness from the horns of unicorns.” He says this in blame of the warlike people who rose up against him at the time of his passion. And again, “My horn shall be exalted like that of a unicorn.” … It seems, then, that because of the animal's readiness to fight back, it is often taken as an image of the worse, but because of its lofty horn and its freedom it is drawn to an image of the better. And in general, since one can find “horn” often taken by Scripture for glory, as in “He will exalt the horn of his people,” and “His horn shall be exalted in glory”; and since “horn” is often taken for power, as in “My protector and the horn of my salvation”; and Christ is the power of God: for this reason, as having one horn, that is, having one power, that of the Father, he has been called a unicorn. [6] “The voice of the Lord who cuts through the flame of fire.” According to the history too, the flame of fire was cut through in the case of the three youths in Babylon, when the furnace poured out forty-nine cubits and set on fire all those around; but, cut through by the command of God, it received a wind within itself, a most pleasant breath and refreshment, as in the shade of some trees, providing the youths with a peaceful condition. “For it became,” it says, “like a whistling wind of dew.” And it is much more wonderful for the nature of fire to be cut through than for the Red Sea to be divided into parts. Yet the voice of the Lord cuts through even the continuity and unity of fire by nature. And though fire seems to human thought to be uncuttable and indivisible, yet … I think that the fire prepared for the punishment of the devil and his angels is cut through by the voice of the Lord, so that, since there are two powers in fire, the burning and the illuminating, the sharp and punishing part of the fire may remain for those who deserve burning, while its illuminating and bright part may be allotted to the brightness of those who rejoice. “The voice of the Lord,” then, “cuts through the flame of fire” and divides it, so that the fire of punishment is without light, while the light of rest remains without burning. “The voice of the Lord who shakes the desert.” The shaking is arranged by the Lord for the desert's benefit, so that, changing from being a desert, it may become an inhabited land, and, putting off the reproach of childlessness, it may receive the praise of many children (“For many are the children of the desolate, more than of her who has a husband”), and, filled with the waters of the Spirit, the former desert may become pools of water. “And the Lord will shake the desert of Kadesh.” The Lord does not shake every desert, but that of Kadesh, that is, of sanctification, for Kadesh is interpreted “sanctification.” “The voice of the Lord preparing the deer.” What is said about the preparing of the deer, which the voice of the Lord works, must be explained with equal care as what went before …. Since, then, the deer has been made such as to be superior to harm from reptiles, and indeed, as those who have observed such things say, the viper is a purgative food for it, and all venomous creatures are taken as an image of the evil and opposing powers (the Lord saying, “I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy,” and the psalm again promising the prophet, “You shall tread on the asp and the basilisk”), it is necessary, when we hear the name of the deer in Scripture, to draw the word toward the better image. For “The high mountains are for the deer,” and, “As the deer longs for the springs of water.” Since, then, every just man too has his dwelling in high places, “pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call,” and runs up to the drinkable springs, seeking out the first principles of theology. The deer also draws out by the breath of its mouth the venomous creatures lurking in their holes, and brings them out of their hiding places by the force of its breath. As, then, the saint is called an eagle because he travels on high and is lifted far above the earth, and a sheep because he is gentle and shares what he has, and a ram because he leads, and a dove because he is guileless, so too a deer because of his opposition to evil things. That is why Solomon too says, “Let the deer of friendship and the colt of your graces keep company with you,” teaching us that the deer we spoke of are suited to teaching theology. [7] “The voice of the Lord preparing the deer.” When, then, we see some man of God perfect and fully prepared, let us seek the benefit of his company. For where there is the presence of a deer, all the wickedness of reptiles is put to flight. For venomous creatures cannot bear the smell of the animal; they withdraw even when its horns are burned as incense. “And he will uncover the thickets.” First the voice of the Lord prepares the deer; then it uncovers the thickets, places overgrown and dense with wild and fruitless wood, to which venomous creatures naturally flee most of all. Since, then, the just man has already been perfected by the [preparing] from …, being made like [the deer], he uncovers the thickets, so that those who corrupt our life may be handed over bare and ready. And since “every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down by the axe and thrown into the fire,” the thickets are necessarily cleared away: the woody souls, in which, like wild beasts, the varied passions of sins lurk, by the word, which is sharper than any two-edged sword. And since many people, burdened with the cares of life, have their souls like thorn-bearing ground and do not let them be nourished to bear the fruit of the word, the Lord uncovers the thickets, that is, the unsightliness, unseemliness and harm of the cares of this life, so that, the place of good and of evil having been made clear, people may not through ignorance have their judgments about things reversed. For many think good things evil when they are toilsome, and pursue evil things as good because of the pleasure attached to them; and untold is the error among men about such things. To the nature of good things belong fruit-bearing trees and all cedars, which are also called on to praise; to evil things belong the thickets, which the voice of God uncovers and makes manifest, so that those who think they will find some useful fruit in them may not be deceived. “And in his temple everyone speaks glory.” Let those who give themselves to long chatter hear the words of the psalm and be ashamed. What does the psalm say? The one who has come into the temple of God does not utter slander, nor vanity, nor words full of shameful things; but “in his temple everyone speaks glory.” The holy angels stand there who write down the words; the Lord is present, observing the dispositions of those who enter. The prayer of each is manifest to God: who seeks the heavenly things from the heart and with understanding, who utters the words perfunctorily with the tips of his lips while his heart is far from God. Even when he prays, he seeks health of the flesh, bodily wealth and human glory. But none of these is needed, as the word teaches; rather, “in his temple everyone speaks glory.” “The heavens declare the glory of God.” It is the work of angels to glorify God. For the whole army of heaven this one work is theirs: to send up glory to the Creator. All creation, both the silent and the speaking, both that above the world and that on earth, glorifies the Creator. But wretched men, leaving their houses and running to the temple, as though to benefit themselves, do not lend their ears to the words of God, take no awareness of their own nature, are not grieved at having been overtaken by sin; they are not grieved when they come to remember their sins, they do not tremble at the judgment; but smiling and shaking hands with one another, they make the house of prayer a place for long chatter, not heeding the psalm that solemnly testifies and says, “In the temple of God everyone speaks glory.” But you not only do not speak it, you even become a hindrance to another, turning him toward yourself and drowning out the teaching of the Spirit with your own noise. Take care that you do not go away, instead of receiving a reward for giving glory, condemned along with those who blaspheme the name of God. [You have a psalm], you have prophecy, Gospel commandments, the preaching of the apostles. Let the tongue sing; let the mind search out the meaning of what is said, so that you may sing with the spirit and sing also with the mind. … [that you may be worthy] of being glorified. For “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Sow glorification, so that you may reap crowns and honors and praises in the kingdom of heaven. These things have not been said uselessly as a digression on “In his temple everyone speaks glory,” because of those who chatter unceasingly in the temple of God and enter without profit. Would that … [8] … [the flood washing away] what lies beneath and cleansing all that was defiled before. He calls the grace of baptism, then, a flood, so that the soul that has washed away its sins and cleansed itself of the old man is thereafter fit to be a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. And what is said in the thirty-first psalm agrees with this. For after saying, “I made my iniquity known and did not cover my sin,” and “For this every holy one will pray to you,” he added, “Yet in the flood of many waters they will not come near him.” For sins will not come near one who has received the baptism of the forgiveness of trespasses through water and the Spirit. And akin to this is what is found in the prophecy of Micah: “For he delights in mercy; he will turn and have mercy on us; he will sink our sins, and they will be cast into the depths of the [sea]” … forever. Seated in the soul that shines after the flood, God makes it, as it were, a throne for himself. “The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.” From the sinful people the Lord takes away the strong man and the strong woman, but to the one who does justice he gives strength. For “to everyone who has will more be given.” And having been strengthened for the working of good works, he becomes worthy of the blessing from God. Peace seems to be the most perfect of blessings, being a kind of steadiness of the governing part; so that the peaceful man is marked by the calming of his character, while the one at war with the passions has not yet shared in the peace from God, which the Lord gave to his own disciples, which, surpassing all understanding, will guard the souls of the worthy. This too the Apostle prays for the churches, saying, “Grace to you, and peace be multiplied.” May it be granted, then, to us who have contended well and overthrown the mind of the flesh, which is enmity toward God, when the soul has come into a calm and untroubled state, to be called sons of peace and to share in the blessing of God in peace, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen.