Esgetology

Note: the readings at Evening Prayer were Matthew 5.1-11 and Acts 4.1-22

Tonight’s Psalm invites us to give our entire heart to the spiritual exercise of prayer and praise: “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.” We don’t do this. Our hearts are divided. We desire righteousness, but we are also captivated by sin. We intend to pray, but too often we enjoy other things more, and end up putting prayer and Scriptural meditation off, until it never happens. Our hearts are not pure, and so our whole heart is never entirely occupied with the giving of thanks and praise.

Because of the poverty of our own hearts, we must look to, focus upon, and trust in Another: “I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds.” Peace will not be found in our hearts, in an inner experience; our peace is in retelling, narrating, recounting the mighty words and deeds of God: the wonderful deeds of Creation, the grace shown to the patriarchs - but most especially, the wonderful deeds of the incarnation, miracles, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, and His sending of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter on Pentecost.

It is on that account, the Holy Trinity’s working of salvation for us, that we sing, “I will be glad and exult in You” - i.e., not exulting in this world, in sexual dalliance, fine foods, vanity and the praise of men; our joy is in the Father and the salvation He sent in His Son Jesus.

It is His name that we mean when we confess, “I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” For “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” the name of JESUS.

This psalm is fulfilled in Him; for which of us can say, “When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence”? Christ Jesus turned back the enemy when He resisted temptation said, “Get behind Me, Satan!”

It is Christ Jesus who makes the wicked perish, as it is written, “You have rebuked the nations; You have made the wicked perish.” But how? Listen to the beautiful interpretation of St. Augustine: “We take this to be more suitable said to the Lord Jesus Christ, than said by Him. For who else hath rebuked the heathen, and the ungodly perished, save he, who after that He ascended up into heaven, sent the Holy Ghost, that, filled by Him, the Apostles should preach the word of God with boldness, and freely reprove men’s sins? At which rebuke the ungodly perished; because the ungodly was justified and was made godly.” How wonderful is it, but that the wicked in us, our sinful nature, should perish and be blotted out, and that a new man should stand before God in righteousness and purity forever?

To Jesus, then, do we say, “Those who know Your name put their trust in You,” and trusting in Him, we no longer need to hope for wealth, or the enticements of this world. Many are putting their trust in a political messiah, and imagining that through the force of legislation and taxation the earth can be healed. But we who know the Name of JESUS find our every hope and trust in Him alone. The LORD has not forsaken those who seek Him; but see that you seek no more the things transient and perishable, for no man can serve two masters (Augustine).

When the world rejects you, when temptation assails you, when the devil throws your sins in your face, remember that “the LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,” a walled city on high ground, where no enemy can harm you. Prov. 18.10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe.” And at the last day, you who have taken refuge in that stronghold will sing praise and say to Him, “You are the God who lift[s] me up from the gates of death.”

So rejoice in the LORD, and give thanks to the Name of JESUS, for by no other name in heaven or on earth is there salvation. XinjX