Tenebrae/19 - Psalm 39: The rock that is Christ

Today's psalm in this series on Tenebrae, is Psalm 39, and it brings us back to a meditation on that greatest of sacrifices, our will.  It is also said at Matins on Monday in the Benedictine Office, and as the first psalm of the third nocturn of Matins in the Office of the Dead.

It is worth noting that Psalm 39 is actually one of those two for one psalms: verses 19 onwards are repeated in Psalm 69.

The call to obedience

On Good Friday, we particularly contemplate Christ's perfect obedience, even unto death, and this psalm explains once more the rationale for this:

"No sacrifice, no offering was thy demand; enough that thou hast given me an ear ready to listen. Thou hast not found any pleasure in burnt-sacrifices, in sacrifices for sin. See then, I said, I am coming to fulfil what is written of me, where the book lies unrolled; to do thy will, O my God, is all my desire, to carry out that law of thine which is written in my heart." (Knox Translation)

These verses are given some more exposition in the Letter to the Hebrews:

"Christ, during his earthly life, offered prayer and entreaty to the God who could save him from death, not without a piercing cry, not without tears; yet with such piety as won him a hearing. Son of God though he was, he learned obedience in the school of suffering, and now, his full achievement reached, he wins eternal salvation for all those who render obedience to him." (Knox Translation)

The help of the Church

The psalm also, though, also reminds us that we are not expected to achieve this holy state unaided, for Christ and his Church stand ready to aid us.

The psalm states that 'many shall see and fear', that there will be a great cloud of witnesses sharing the message of salvation.

Nor will they be left unguided, for in a verse particularly poignant, perhaps as we await the election of a new Pope, we are told:

"And he set my feet upon a rock, and directed my steps."

Psalm 39 (40)

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus ipsi David.	Unto the end, a psalm for David himself.

Beátus qui intélligit super egénum, et páuperem: * in die mala liberábit eum Dóminus.	Blessed is he that understands concerning the needy and the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the evil day.
Dóminus consérvet eum, et vivíficet eum, † et beátum fáciat eum in terra: * et non tradat eum in ánimam inimicórum eius.	The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth: and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
Dóminus opem ferat illi super lectum dolóris eius: * univérsum stratum eius versásti in infirmitáte eius.	The Lord help him on his bed of sorrow: you have turned all his couch in his sickness.
Ego dixi: Dómine, miserére mei: * sana ánimam meam, quia peccávi tibi.	I said: O Lord, be merciful to me: heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Inimíci mei dixérunt mala mihi: * Quando moriétur, et períbit nomen eius?	My enemies have spoken evils against me: when shall he die and his name perish?
Et si ingrediebátur ut vidéret, vana loquebátur: * cor eius congregávit iniquitátem sibi.	And if he came in to see me, he spoke vain things: his heart gathered together iniquity to itself.
Egrediebátur foras, * et loquebátur in idípsum.	He went out and spoke to the same purpose.
Advérsum me susurrábant omnes inimíci mei: * advérsum me cogitábant mala mihi.	All my enemies whispered together against me: they devised evils to me.
Verbum iníquum constituérunt advérsum me: * Numquid qui dormit non adiíciet ut resúrgat?	They determined against me an unjust word: shall he that sleeps rise again no more?
Etenim homo pacis meæ, in quo sperávi: * qui edébat panes meos, magnificávit super me supplantatiónem.	For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has greatly supplanted me.
Tu autem, Dómine, miserére mei, et resúscita me: * et retríbuam eis.	But you, O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise my up again: and I will requite them.
In hoc cognóvi quóniam voluísti me: * quóniam non gaudébit inimícus meus super me.	By this I know, that you have had a good will for me: because my enemy shall not rejoice over me.
Me autem propter innocéntiam suscepísti: * et confirmásti me in conspéctu tuo in ætérnum.	But you have upheld me by reason of my innocence: and have established me in your sight for ever.
Benedíctus Dóminus, Deus Israël, a sæculo et usque in sæculum: * fiat, fiat.	Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel from eternity to eternity. So be it. So be it

Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Tenebrae of Good Friday

Nocturn I: Psalms 2, 21, 26*

Nocturn II: Psalms 37, 39, 53*

Nocturn III: Psalms 58, 87*, 93

Lauds: 50*, 142, 84, [Hab], 147

Other Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Rev 14:3 (4); Mt 12:7, Heb 5:7-10 (9-10); Heb 10:9, Eph 5:2 (10-11); 1 Peter 5:7 (23)
RB cursus	Monday Matins
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	Good Friday Tenebrae, II, 2; Office of the Dead/All Souls AN 2756 (8) AN 1812 (13) AN 1861 (14)
Responsories	Epiphanytide Tues no 2 – 7698 Palm Sunday - 7219 cf V)
Roman pre 1911	Tuesday Matins
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Tuesday Terce . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Lent 2 ?Monday GR (18); Friday, OF (17-18); Lent 4 Tuesday, OF (1-2, 4); PP15, OF (1-2, 4); PP16, OF (17-18).

 And you can find the next part in the series here.