For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.

“The introduction of a pause marks a change of person. He no longer speaks but is addressed. For now the prophetic utterance assumes a general character. Thus immediately after the prayer addressed to God, he has added, in order that the confidence of the speaker might be understood to have obtained what He was asking even in the very moment of asking: Behold, God is My helper and the Lord is the upholder of My soul. He has requited evil unto Mine enemies. To each separate petition he has assigned its proper result, thus teaching us both that God does not neglect to hear, and that to look for a pledge of His pitifulness in hearing our several petitions is not a thing unreasonable. For to the words, For strangers are risen up against Me, the corresponding statement is: God is My helper; while with regard to and the violent have sought after My soul, the exact result of the hearing of His prayer is expressed in the words: and the Lord is the upholder of My soul; lastly the statement, they have not set God before their eyes, is appropriately balanced by, He has requited evil unto Mine enemies. Thus God both gives help against those that rise up, and upholds the soul of His Holy One when it is sought by the violent, and when He is not set before the eyes, nor considered by the ungodly, He requites upon His enemies the very evils which they had wrought; so that while without thinking upon God they seek the soul of the righteous and rise up against Him, He is saved and upheld, and they find that He Whom, absorbed in their wicked works, they did not consider, avenges their malice by turning it against themselves. Let pure religion, therefore, have this confidence, and doubt not that amid the persecutions at the hand of man and the dangers to the soul, it still has God for its helper, knowing that, if at length it comes to a violent and unjust death, the soul on leaving the tabernacle of the body finds rest with God its upholder; let it have, moreover, perfect assurance of requital in the thought that all evil deeds return upon the heads of those that work them. God cannot be charged with injustice, and perfect goodness is unstained by the impulses and motions of an evil will. He does not awaken mischief out of malice, but requites it in vengeance; He does not inflict it because He wishes us ill, but He aims it against our sins. For these evils are universally appointed as instruments of retribution without destruction of life, such being the sternly just ordinance of that righteous judgment. But these evils are warded off from the righteous by the law of righteousness, and are turned back upon the unrighteous by the righteousness of that judgment. Each proceeding is equally just; for the righteous, because they are righteous, the warning exhibition of evil without actual infliction; for the wicked, because they so deserve, the punitive infliction of evil; the righteous will not suffer it, though it is displayed to them; the wicked will never cease to suffer it, because it is displayed to them.”

“"For behold, God helpeth me" [Psalm 54:4]. Even themselves know not themselves, amid whom I am hiding. But if they too were to set God before their face, they would find in what manner God helpeth me. For all holy men are helped by God, but within, where no one seeth. For in like manner as the conscience of ungodly men is a great punishment, so a great joy is the very conscience of godly men. "For our glory this is," saith the Apostle, "the testimony of our conscience." In this within, not in the flower of the Ziphites without, doth glory that man that now saith, "For behold God helpeth me." Surely though afar off are to be those things which He promiseth, this day have I a sweet and present help; to-day in my heart's joy I find that without cause certain say, "Who doth show to us good things? For there is signed upon us the light of Thy countenance, O Lord, Thou hast put pleasantness into my heart." Not into my vineyard, not into my flock, not into my cask, not into my table, but "into my heart." "For behold God helpeth me." How doth He help thee? "And the Lord is the lifter up of my soul."”

“For among them (the Egyptians) these offices, which we are taught to render to the Lord at separate hours and at intervals of time with a reminder from the convener, are celebrated freely and continuously throughout the whole day in conjunction with their work. For manual labor is continuously practiced by them in their cells in such a way that meditation on the Psalms and the rest of the Scriptures is always before them. To this at every moment they mingle short petitions and prayers, spending the whole day in those offices which we celebrate at fixed times. Thus, except for vespers and nocturns, there are no public services among them in the day except on Saturday and Sunday, when they meet together at the third hour for the purpose of Holy Communion. For what is continuously offered is greater than what is rendered at intervals of time. And a free gift is more acceptable than the duties which are performed by the compulsion of a rule. For such as this, David rejoices somewhat exultingly when he says, "Freely will I sacrifice to you;" and, "Let the free will offerings of my mouth be pleasing to you, O Lord."”

“"God, by your name." Above, in other Psalms, the Psalmist dwelt upon the iniquity of sinners as regards the affection for sin and contempt of God; here he sets forth the persecution which he suffers from them. The title: "Unto the end, an understanding of David, among songs." The first part of the title is plain. The second touches upon the history which is written in 1 Kings 23, when David came to the desert of the city of Ziph, and the men of that city accused David to Saul, and Saul persecuted him, yet was not able to seize him; whence this accusation did not harm David, in which it is signified that the Ziphites — that is, those who flourish in this world; Isaiah: "the glory of the world is like the flower of the field" — accuse the saints, yet are not able to harm them, because the saint is hidden among the Ziphites, since the saint does not flourish among sinners, but his flourishing is in what is hidden — namely, the flowers of honesty. Colossians 3: "your life is hidden with Christ." David therefore treats in this Psalm of the good who are hidden among the wicked and suffer persecution from them. This Psalm, then, is divided into three parts. First he sets forth a prayer. Second he shows the necessity of praying, at "for strangers." Third he sets forth a recompense, at "I will freely sacrifice." Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down the petition. Second he sets down the granting of it, at "God, hear." His petition turns on two things. For first he asks on his own behalf. Second, on behalf of his enemies. For on his own behalf he asks that he be saved, not through his own merits but on account of love of the divine name. Whence he says: "God, in your name save me." Acts 4: "there is no other name given under heaven," and so on. Proverbs 18: "the name of the Lord is a most strong tower." On behalf of his adversaries he asks for judgment, which can be understood in three ways. In one way, of the judgment of discernment — namely, that his cause be examined. Psalm: "judge me, God, and discern." In another way, that it be understood of the judgment of persecution — namely, that according to his justice God judge him, freeing him from evils. Isaiah 12: "he shall judge the poor in justice." In another way, of the judgment of condemnation. And this he does not ask out of desire for vengeance, but by conforming himself to divine justice. Or he says this by foreseeing the judgment of the wicked. And this is what he says: "and in your power judge me, God; hear my prayer." Here the granting of the prayer is set down. In prayer there are two things: namely, that which is asked for, and the asking itself. Now sometimes God grants what is asked for, and not the asking itself, because that which is asked for, one obtains from grace and mercy, and these are gifts given by God. But the asking itself sometimes proceeds from a sinner, and therefore is not granted, because it is not acceptable to God. And therefore he asks, namely, that his prayer or petition be fulfilled, when he says: "God, hear my prayer," and that God perceive his words with his ears — "with your ears perceive the words of my mouth" — which happens when God accepts and approves his words. Psalm: "my words with your ears," and so on. "For strangers have risen up." Here he sets down the necessity of praying, where he dwells upon the persecution of his enemies: first from their disposition, second from their power, third from their contempt of God. From their disposition: because when someone entirely a stranger to another persecutes him, this is dangerous, since he rises up against him without mercy; and therefore he says, "for strangers" — that is, demons, or sinners. If it be referred to any righteous man, "they have risen up against me" without any compassion or mercy. But those can be called strangers who conduct themselves otherwise than friends do, just as Saul was a stranger to David, and the Ziphites who accused him to Saul. Job 19: "my acquaintances have withdrawn from me like strangers." From their power: because when a weak man attacks, one can defend oneself; but these are strong, "for the strong have sought my soul." 1 Kings 24: "Saul chose three thousand men to pursue David." Or "the strong," that is, demons. Luke 11: "when a strong man armed," that is, the devil, and so on. From contempt of God: because sometimes someone desists from persecution insofar as he is held back by love of God. But these do not desist even for this reason, whence he says, "and they have not set God before their sight." Psalm: "for he said in his heart: God will not require it." "For behold, God helps me." Here he shows that he has been heard in prayer. And first he shows that he has been heard as to one thing. Second he sets down being heard as to other things, at "turn away the evils." It was said above that the prayer was on his own behalf when he said "save me," and for his enemies when he said "in your power." First, then, he says he was heard on his own behalf, for he says he was saved; and then he spoke of the enemies who rose up against him and who sought his soul, and in both respects he has been saved. For against the insult of his enemies he says, "behold, God helps me" — that is, he affords me help. Isaiah 50: "the Lord God is my helper." Against this — that they seek my soul — he says, "the Lord is the upholder of my soul," as if to say: the Lord has saved me by taking me up into his protection. Wisdom 3: "the souls of the just are in the hand of God." Psalm: "but you, Lord, are the upholder," and so on. "Turn away the evils upon my enemies." Here he asks to be heard on behalf of his enemies. And he asks two things corresponding to the two things they were doing to him: they were persecuting him, and they were seeking to kill him; and therefore he asks that they themselves suffer persecution and be killed. As to the first he says, "turn away" — namely, from me — "upon my enemies the evils" which they seek to bring upon me, as if to say: turn back upon them those evils which they wish to bring upon me. As to the second he says, "destroy them," that is, cause them to be destroyed, that is, killed; "and this in your power" — or, "in your power," that is, on account of your power. But this seems to be against the word of Christ, who says: "pray for those who persecute you." It must be said that all these imprecations which are read in the prophets can be understood in three ways. In one way, by way of pronouncement, because they were speaking by the Spirit of God and foretelling future things — by way of speech, as if he said "turn away," etc., that is, "you will turn away." Whence in the Hebrew it is found in the present tense, "you turn away." In another way, according to conformity with divine justice. Third, according to spiritual denunciation: sinners, when they cease to sin, then they die and cease to be sinners. And this is to be prayed for continually. "I will freely sacrifice to you." Here he sets down the recompense. And first the recompense is set down. Second, the reason for the recompense is set down. He intends to recompense with two things: sacrifice and confession. As to the first he says, "I will freely sacrifice to you." Against this, above he said "if you had desired sacrifice, I would have given it." And it must be said that here he speaks of the sacrifice which is acceptable to God, which is the sacrifice of a contrite spirit and of the chastisement of the body. 1 Corinthians 9: "I chastise my body," and so on. Romans 12: "that you present your bodies a living sacrifice," and so on. The third sacrifice is of better things. Hebrews, the last chapter: "do not forget beneficence and fellowship, for by such sacrifices God is well pleased" — that is, God is appeased. With this threefold sacrifice, then, I will sacrifice to you, freely, that is, with joy. 1 Esdras 3: "in all in which sacrifice was offered of one's own accord." 2 Corinthians 9: "God loves a cheerful giver." As to the second he says, "I will confess to your name, Lord, for" — namely, by an act of thanksgiving. Tobit 12: "bless the God of heaven," that is, give thanks. And why? Not on account of temporal goods, as sinners do, of whom it is said, "he will praise you when you have done well to him." But on account of God's goodness and kindness, and on account of the benefits received, because I have been heard in my petitions. Whence he says he was heard as to what concerns himself, when he says, "for you have delivered me out of all tribulation." And you have heard him as to his enemies, for "my eye has looked down upon my enemies," because they were not able to harm me. Or "looked down," etc., because he despised their felicity and prosperity: "he is brought to nothing," and so on.”

“I will freely sacrifice unto thee,.... Not legal sacrifices; no, nor freewill offerings the law gives directions about, though the allusion is to them; but the freewill offerings of his mouth, Psa 119:108; the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, on account of help, salvation, and deliverance, as appears from the following clause; which he determines to offer, not by constraint, but willingly; not by force, but of a ready mind; freely, and with all his heart. The sacrifice of his antitype is himself, his soul and body, as in union with his divine Person; and this was offered up to God, against whom man has sinned, and whose justice must be satisfied; and this was done freely and voluntarily; he gave himself an offering; he laid down his life of himself, and that for sinners. The sacrifices of his people are their prayers and praises, their acts of beneficence, and the presentation of their souls and bodies in divine service; all which they do freely, under the influence of divine grace; I will praise thy name, O Lord; which explains what is meant by sacrificing: this is what is due to the Lord, and comely in his people; for it is good; either the name of God; and therefore to be praised. He himself is good, as, he is, both in a way of providence and of grace; and it is good, both pleasantly and profitably good, to sing praises to him, Psa 147:1.”