Confession and Divine Deliverance

arrows, and that my sword be timely... opposing ones. But these are invisible. Often the sword of those possessing the word is said: 'who have sharpened their tongues like a sword' (Ps 57:9); and 'sons of men, their teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp knife' (Ps 63:7). And another saying: 'his sword upon his thigh' (1 Sam 2:26). They possess swords not only 'in their hands', but also upon their thighs. And perhaps the discourses concerning temperance, which kill 'the members upon the earth' (Col 3:5), are swords upon the thigh.

Often the things of generation are also signified by the name of the thigh it says in Ezekiel: 'and every thigh shall be moistened with moisture' (Ezek 47:9), this means: all are unrestrained, pursuing the moisture of pleasures. For you saved us from those who afflict us. Since you saved us also from those who afflict us, we knew that 'in you we gore our enemies' (Ps 118:145). Because of this, then, since this has surpassed us from you, we knew that one must not hope in the bow—to use it, indeed, but not as having shot through it irretrievably. And you turn those who hate us to shame.

Those who hate have a difference again from those who afflict, sometimes by the underlying substance and sometimes by the thought. Often the same ones both afflict and hate, and these are the same according to the underlying substance. Sometimes, however, the one hating is not able to be an enemy when he is weak; for the weak one is able to hate, but he is not able to act as an enemy from the manifest action, for it would harm him. Moreover, even if they differ only in thought according to the underlying substance, even if they are different ones and others, God delivers and saves from these and puts them to shame.

'In God we shall be praised all the day long' (Ps 52:7). Of those being praised, some are praised for the beauty of the body, others because of strength. The stout ones are praised in strength, others in another skill, and others because of wealth, because of nobility; but in you we shall be praised. We have no cause for praise other than you; for even if we have hardship, since through you we have attained these things and 'in God we do power' (Rom 16:25), in you we have the praise. Often the day signifies the time of the life of those saying, as: 'for your sake we are dying all...' (Rom 7:24).

...the whole day, that is, through life. And we shall confess in your name forever. This calling of yours provides much power to us. For in it indeed we 'despise' all 'those who rise up against us'. Therefore 'in your name we shall confess forever'. The name of the confession here signifies thanksgiving: 'I will confess to you, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and have revealed them to infants' (Matt 11:25). In order that it may be a gift, it is possible to say thus: 'in your name we shall confess', because it has become to us a cause of salvation. And it is also possible to say this: in your name which has been invoked upon us, as if you are saying: in knowledge or in virtue I shall confess.

Psalm. But now you have saved and protected us, and you will not let go in the powers of our own. 'You are the same, my king and my God' (Ps 145:11). Allusion to Ps 145/146 The voice to God; for those approaching and drawing near... God is king. 'He who commands the salvations of Jacob' (Ps 146:7). To those near... he commands the salvations and all good things. Concerning this he says: 'In you we shall be praised all the day and in your name we shall confess forever' (Ps 118:35), that is, we shall give thanks. And he says: 'But now you have saved and protected us, and you will not let go in the powers of our own'. When he went out in the powers of our own, his military power or by the power of our strength, we always prevailed. And everything contrary exists here for us.

And since I was saying—it is not necessary to speak the problematic things explicitly about them—Israel, sinning, was driven from Jerusalem to Babylon in the manner of captivity. And Daniel and those three and Joshua the son of Nun and Ezekiel and the others of the Twelve Prophets were there, Haggai and Zechariah. These were not taken into Babylon in the manner of captivity, but for the sake of being a participant, helping and healing those condemned there. God condemns someone with mercy, that is, he does not leave him without help. And he sends angels and makes holy men to fall and be harmed and in captivity, not because of their own sins, but for the sake of the salvation of others. On the contrary, they do not say that a change has occurred from...