NOTES for Psa 24:3-4

What then is righteousness? Keeping the commandments? Yes, of course, all biblical authors without exception connect righteousness precisely with the commandments, with the law given by God, with what in biblical language is called Torah. But for the authors of the biblical books the Torah is not only legislation, even legislation given by God. The concept of Torah includes the way of life corresponding to that legislation, and the spiritual condition necessary for such a life. All this together is called the path of righteousness indicated by God. It would seem that a sinful person cannot be righteous by definition; righteousness is a miracle of God, possible not because of but in spite of the nature of the fallen person. How then can one learn a miracle? And yet, as can be seen, God wants us to resolve on a task that is hopeless in advance, to begin a war that without Him we will certainly lose. Even with His participation this war proves mortally dangerous for us, like any war. And it is harder than any earthly war, because the issue is war with sin, which is not only within us but also around us, a war where there is neither front nor rear, where the enemy is everywhere and we are something like partisans on territory occupied by that enemy. Support from above in such a situation, of course, plays the decisive role; but no less depends on our ability to receive it. The path of righteousness is a divine-human matter; in a certain sense no less depends on the human person here than on God. That is why one who wants to reach the goal has to learn righteousness, and righteousness itself turns out to be not only a miracle of God but also a skill: the skill of righteous life, without which even God's help may prove useless for us.

Hope in God is not fruitless when it is joined with a desire to know His will and follow it. Trust does not rule out knowledge; on the contrary, faith and knowledge are interconnected. The human soul reaches toward the Lord, and He reveals Himself to those who trust His wisdom.

Considering oneself worthy to stand before God does not mean declaring oneself sinless. The psalmist makes no claim to infallibility; he does not conceal that he committed not only the "sins of youth," but transgressions as well. Nevertheless, he hopes in the Lord's mercy, realizing that no matter how far a person may fall, the Lord's mercy is greater than every transgression.

An important thought resounds in the psalm: the Lord not only sends retribution for sins, but also instructs sinners and helps them correct their ways. Here lies one of the sources of our hope for deliverance from the sins that seek to enslave us—the very chief and numerous enemies from whom the Lord is able to protect and deliver us.