NOTES for Psa 27

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¹The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

²When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

³Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

⁴One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

⁵For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

⁶And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

⁸When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

⁹Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

¹⁰When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

¹¹Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

¹²Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

¹³I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

¹⁴Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

No one is frightening when the Lord is with us. The psalmist repeats this thought many times, but let us notice that here he is not saying that the enemies will be overthrown by the Almighty’s power. No—the enemies “will stumble and fall” by themselves, because they themselves chose the evil that leads them away from the straight path.

The one who knows that the Lord is the sole giver of everything good in the world expresses one desire: to dwell continually with the Lord. The author of the psalms remembers that the Lord can fulfill any request, but he does not intend to beg Him for the good things of life. In this he follows advice that had not yet been spoken: to seek the Kingdom of God, to which all the rest will be added.

By saying, “My heart speaks from You,” the psalmist did more than reveal to us his experience of communion with God. These important words testify that the Lord can communicate His will to people by using our inner world, speaking as if from within our hearts.

And this means that He can be infinitely close to us and will not reject us even if the most loving people abandon us. Therefore, we have hope for the triumph of His truth not only in Eternity but also in the land of the living.

Other notes

For Psa 27:1-9

¹The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

²When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

³Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

⁴One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.

⁵For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

⁶And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

⁸When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

⁹Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

How often it seems to us that the Lord does not hear us and does not answer our prayers! At such moments, we may succumb to temptation and cease standing before Him in prayer... Read more

How often it seems to us that the Lord does not hear us and does not answer our prayers! At such moments, we may succumb to temptation and cease standing before Him in prayer, or we may intensify our prayer, continuing to believe that it will not go unheard.

Perhaps this psalm arose at one such moment: it is a plea that the Lord not remain silent. Yet even without hearing an answer, the psalmist believes that the Lord still heeds his supplications. He is grateful for this and certain that the Lord will not abandon him, and this gives him the strength to stand in prayer again and again.

Two words that are key to the psalm's final verse sound alike in the Russian translation: spasi, “save,” and pasi, “shepherd.” The plea for salvation, which the Lord alone can give, is joined to a plea for His guidance amid the hardships and trials of this world.

For Psa 27:7

⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

In any kind of difficult circumstances we feel very deeply our defenseless: so many enemies around - and we have neither shell, nor claws. And in the despair, our heart hangs on for the last hope... Read more

In any kind of difficult circumstances we feel very deeply our defenseless: so many enemies around - and we have neither shell, nor claws. And in the despair, our heart hangs on for the last hope: God can give me protection, surround with rampart all those, who are dear to me, and hide me with shield. Such appeal to God, when all personal means of defense are exhausted, never stays without answer. The same God, Who put the hope in my heart, stretches out to me His help. And we see as the problems that hurt us go away, - not because we solve them, but because God protects us from new wounds, and heals the old ones. And then settles down into the healing heart a state of intrinsic harmony and peace – a full joy, that which can never lock up in itself, but search exit to go out, search ways to reach somebody else again. Probably, this is called "singing soul", when one wants to glorify the One, Who gave this joy, and also - share it with those who are close. The commandment of Jesus "to love one another" in the Gospel according to Saint John follows directly His words about full joy (Jn 15: 11-12). Thus, from groan to song, from fear to love, from defenseless to openness.

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