5/3/22
Augustine. Exposition on the Book of Psalms. Schaff, Philip (editor). New York: Christian Literature Publishing Co, 1886. Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Fathers: Series 1: Volume VIII. Re-published 2014, Catholic Way Publishing. Kindle electronic edition, ISBN-13: 978-1-78379-372-3.
“Psalm 146"
Augustine takes Psalm 146:1 as a statement of a troubled soul reminding himself to praise the Lord. He sees this as the way we deal with troubles (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342702, par.1). Augustine then distinguishes between our soul and our body in terms of good works. Here he considers that even a warped and corrupted soul is superior to a body, because the body looks to itself but the soul is capable of looking to God (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342712, par. 2). For this reason, Augustine takes the exhortation to bless the Lord as coming from the Psalmist's soul. The response, then, from verse two, is that the soul will praise God in life, that is, in the context of the immortal soul (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342732, par. 2). The hope of the soul, to Augustine, comes from the anticipation of eternal life (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342737, par. 3).
In verse three, the trust of the Psalmist is not to be in earthly rulers. They are subject to weakness (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342742, par. 4). Again, despite the futility of trusting in man, we still fall into that trap all too easily. Rather than trusting in a man, who needs rescue just as we do, the man who trusts God is blessed (verse 5) (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342757, par. 5). Augustine goes on to say that the one we trust or follow is our hope. We are well advised to hope in the true God who made all things (v. 6). Augustine points out that this is a great hope, for God made everything, including us, and cares for it all. This is the consistent message of both the Old and New Testaments (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342783, par. 5).
One of the important ways that God takes care of the world is by gurading the truth and acting as the judge when people endure wrong (v. 7). Augustine describes this judgment in some deatil (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342793, par. 6). It is God who frees those bound wrongly and binds those who do wrong (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342808, par. 7). Augustine finally reminds us of the eternity of our hope, as the Lord reigns forever (v. 10). God is able to keep us in eternity (Augustine Psalms, loc. 342827, par. 7).