Ps 33:1 “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous; praise befits the upright.”
Although among the Hebrews this psalm is without a title, many say that David composed this psalm. Likewise Jerome, in his great sermon on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, attributes this psalm to David, saying: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were established,” etc. In the Latin Bibles a title is placed at the end of the preceding psalm, from which it appears when he composed this psalm, directing us to Christ, who is the end of the law, as Augustine and other sacred doctors expound it.
And although the doctors commonly expound this psalm literally as an exhortation in which the Lord invites all the righteous of the people of Israel to praise God insofar as He is Creator and good, yet we Christians, to whom it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, ought neither to be silent nor to hide the treasure concealed in this field, nor the sacraments hidden within it. Rather, having invoked the grace of the Holy Spirit, we ought to knock so that He may open to us the riches of the kingdom and His treasures laid up in the treasury and chest of Sacred Scripture, and draw from them devoutly whatever is granted from above.
Therefore it must be noted, as was said in the prologue, that David took the occasion and cause of composing the psalms from a threefold principle: first, from his own deeds, insofar as he foresaw his tribulations and prosperities, persecutions, and the translation of his kingdom; second, from the description of the temple handed down to him by the Holy Spirit; third, from the mysteries written in the books of Moses and the other prophets. Thus it must be said that David, contemplating the mystery of the creation of the world, foresaw the whole mystery of the re-creation and regeneration of the human race and the establishment of the Church of Christ to be accomplished. And therefore he composed this psalm, in which he prophetically invites all the righteous and upright of the Old Testament to receive Christ with exultation and joy when He should come to regenerate the human race and build the Church.
For just as through Christ, who is the Word of the Father, the world was created, so through Him incarnate the world was to be regenerated and the Church built. And in like manner he invites all the faithful of the New Testament to rejoice in Christ that they have been regenerated through Him, and to render Him the honor of service, confess Him, and remember His great and magnificent benefits. Therefore he wished that this psalm be sung in the temple with psaltery and harp and with all effort of voices to the utmost, as appears in the psalm itself.
In this psalm, therefore, he does two things. First, he invites all the faithful of the New and Old Testament to praise the Lord; second, he gives the reason why—namely, because it is fitting.
As to the first, he also does two things: first he invites all to the praises of Christ; second he teaches the manner of praising, where he says: “Give thanks to the Lord with the harp.”
Or we may say that first he describes what kind of persons the praisers of Christ ought to be, and second how they ought to praise Him.
Thus he says that the praisers of Christ ought to be just—justified by the faith of Christ—and upright in works, because praise is not beautiful in the mouth of a sinner.
It must be noted that by the same faith by which the ancients were justified we too are justified, yet there was this difference: they were justified in faith and hope of Christ to come and of future sacraments, whereas we are justified in faith in Christ who has already redeemed us and in the faith of present sacraments. Therefore David invites both to the praise of Christ: those that they might await and praise Him who would redeem them, and us that we may now praise Him as Redeemer.
Thus David says: you faithful of the Old Testament—justified in faith of Christ to come—and you Christians already redeemed and justified, rejoice not in yourselves, since you are not justified by your own merits, but in the Lord who has justified you. And when you enter the temple to praise the Lord, do so as pure and righteous through repentance, for praise befits the upright; it is fitting that the upright praise God, and that those who praise Him be upright and pure and clean, since praise is not beautiful in the mouth of a sinner. It is fitting that those justified and redeemed through Christ praise Him, lest they be ungrateful.
Ps 33:2-3 “Give thanks to the Lord with the harp; sing to Him with the psaltery of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; sing well to Him with loud acclamation.”
Here he teaches the manner in which we ought to praise the Lord and under what conditions. He says four things: first, we ought to sing a new song; second, with the harp; third, with the psaltery of ten strings; fourth, with loud proclamation. And thus the Lord commanded this psalm to be sung in the tabernacle and temple by the Levites, which signified great mysteries.
By the “new song” he understands the evangelical law or New Testament, in distinction from the old song of Moses (cf. Apocalypse 15). Throughout the Psalter the “new song” is understood as the New Testament.
By the “psaltery of ten strings” he understands the law of Christ containing the ten precepts confirmed in the Gospel, and also the ten articles pertaining to Christ: His incarnation, birth of Mary, baptism, preaching, working of miracles, passion and death, resurrection, ascension, sending of the Holy Spirit, and the gathering of the Church through apostolic preaching.
By the harp he understands faith, hope, and charity—for just as the harp is triangular, so Christ is to be worshiped in this threefold virtue.
By loud proclamation he understands that we ought to confess Christ publicly before men and continually remember and magnify His benefits.
Thus he says: you righteous, give thanks to the Lord and manifest His praises, sing to Him the new song—that is, preach the new evangelical law—and confess and proclaim in this new song the articles of Christ: incarnation, nativity, baptism, preaching, miracles, passion, resurrection, ascension, sending of the Holy Spirit, and the gathering of the Church.
This is the psaltery of ten strings of the Gospel.
He then beautifully relates this to the canticle of the Virgin, who with great exultation of spirit sang: “My soul magnifies the Lord,” for that canticle contains ten verses like ten strings, in which the whole New Testament is contained and the Old fulfilled, since in it are announced all things omitted in the Old as fulfilled in the New.
Therefore sing this new song of the evangelical law throughout the whole year and at all hours, but especially at Vespers daily, the new song of the Virgin, in which both Testaments are implicitly contained.
Sing this new song with the harp—that is, with faith in Christ and with hope and charity—otherwise praise would not be meritorious. Sing well with loud proclamation—that is, with public preaching and manifest confession before men, as Christ Himself confessed publicly in His passion.
He then distinguishes a threefold song in Sacred Scripture: first, the old song (the song of Moses); second, the new song (the Gospel); third, the song of glory and eternity. The first was sung by the fathers of the Old Testament, the second is sung by us in the militant Church, the third is sung by the blessed in the triumphant Church saying “Holy, holy, holy” (cf. Apocalypse 4).
The new song is directed to Christ, as appears in Apocalypse 5 where the saints sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the book and open its seals.” Therefore the prophet exhorts us here to sing the new song.
Ps 33:4 “Because the word of the Lord is right, and all His works are done in faith.”
In the second part he gives the reason why we must praise Him, assigning three causes: because Christ is omnipotent God as the Word through whom all things were made; because He is just judge; because He is merciful. Therefore He is to be praised on account of supreme power, justice, and mercy.
Christ is the right Word of the Lord through whom all things were made; therefore His works are true and perfect, since all that He made was very good.
Ps 33:5 He is also just and merciful: “He loves mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord,” for He abundantly redeemed the human race, pouring out His blood for all.
He is called the Word because the Son is the art of the Father; and since art is right reason of things to be made, therefore the Word in whom are the eternal ideas is called right. As a work is said to be right insofar as it conforms to the art in the mind of the craftsman, so every creature is right insofar as it conforms to the divine idea existing in the Word.
Ps 33:6 “The heavens were established by the word of the Lord, and all their power by the spirit of His mouth.”
Here he proves what he said: first that Christ is the Word; second that He is just; third that He is most merciful. For when God said “Let there be a firmament,” He spoke by an eternal Word consubstantial with Himself. And as the heavens were made by the Word, so all their power proceeds from the Spirit of His mouth—that is, the Holy Spirit. Thus the whole Trinity concurs in creation, since the works of the Trinity outwardly are undivided.
According to Augustine, although the whole Trinity creates, there is a distinction of mode: the Father speaks the Word, and with the Son breathes the Holy Spirit, and through the Word brings creatures into being, and through the Spirit gives them life and operation. Hence all creatures bear the vestige of the Trinity—substance, power, and operation; or number, weight, and measure.
Ps 33:7 He adds that not only the heavens but also the earth and waters were created: “Gathering the waters of the sea as in a bottle, placing the depths in storehouses,” that is, God gathered the seas into their places and placed the deep waters in hidden reservoirs, from which springs and rivers flow, mysteries known fully only to God.
He then applies this to re-creation: just as in creation the Father through the Word made all things and through the Spirit gave life, so in our regeneration the Father through the incarnate Word gave the Gospel and through the Holy Spirit breathed spiritual life into the apostles, establishing the Church.
Therefore not only were the material heavens established by the Word, but also the apostles—the heavens of the Church—were established by Christ, and their power comes from the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost.
Ps 33:8-10 “Let all the earth fear the Lord.”
Since Christ is the Word by whom we are created and recreated, all should fear and revere Him.
He then shows Christ’s justice: “The Lord brings to nothing the counsels of the nations,” because at His coming He destroyed the false wisdom of the Gentiles, confounded the malice of the Jews, and overthrew the plans of tyrants persecuting the Church.
Ps 33:11 “The counsel of the Lord stands forever.”
God’s eternal plan remains unshaken; all that He foreknew comes to pass.
Ps 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
The Christian people are blessed because chosen as God’s inheritance, receiving great mercy in the Incarnation and redemption.
Ps 33:13-15 “From heaven the Lord looks down.”
The Son of God, seeing all humanity in captivity, was moved with compassion and became man to redeem them. He who formed each heart individually shows that each soul is specially created, refuting errors that souls pre-existed or that there is one intellect in all.
Ps 33:1617 “No king is saved by great power.”
No creature could save itself; therefore the Son of God became man, since only He could conquer sin and the devil.
Ps 33:18-19 “Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him.”
He saves the humble and feeds them with the nourishment of the sacraments and wisdom.
Ps 33:20-22 “Our soul waits for the Lord.”
The prophet exhorts to faith, hope, and charity, awaiting Christ’s coming, praying: “Let Your mercy be upon us as we have hoped in You.”
Thus David throughout the psalm exhorts the faithful to receive Christ, preach the Gospel, and sing the new song; and at the end he prays for the coming of the Lord.
From this psalm eight conclusions are gathered: that the righteous are bound especially to praise God; that praise of the just is fitting; that the new song must be sung with faith, virtues, and public confession; that God is to be praised for truth, justice, and mercy; that the Trinity works together in creation and regeneration; that God is just judge; that the Christian people are blessed as God’s inheritance; and that various false opinions—such as the eternity of the world, pre-existence of souls, one intellect for all, and denial of divine providence—are refuted.
CONTINUE
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