Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

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Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

He who shows himself a loving shepherd to his gentle sheep must treat wild beasts with severity, either to convert them from their cruelty or to restrain it. Christ was sent by the Father to cheer the poor and the wretched with the news of salvation, to set the prisoners free, to heal the sick, to bring the sorrowful and afflicted out of the darkness of death into the light of life (Isa 61:1). But for those who provoke his wrath by their ingratitude, Christ takes on a new character—to beat down their stubbornness. If it appears that God does not punish the wicked, we must simply wait patiently for the last day, when he will utterly destroy them. In the meantime, let us rest satisfied that he rules in the midst of his enemies. Be warned, you rulers of the earth (v. 10). David proceeds to urge unbelievers to repent before it is too late, before they discover by experience that these divine threats are not empty. And he addresses by name kings and rulers, who are not very easily brought to submission. If David does not spare kings, who seem exempt from ordinary laws, how much more does his exhortation apply to common people, so that all, from the highest to the lowest, may humble themselves before God. The beginning of true wisdom is when we lay aside our pride, and submit ourselves to the authority of Christ.