Homily for the Commemoration of the Holy Prophet and King David
By Fr. Daniel Sysoev
By Fr. Daniel Sysoev
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Congratulations on the feast day of Christ's ancestor in the flesh, King David! King David is an amazing biblical figure who had an incredible thirst for God.
Remember how he says in the Psalms: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God! My soul thirsts for God, the living God: when shall I come and appear before God!” (Ps. 41:2-3).
This thirst always filled him. In his life, preserved for us in the First and Second Books of Samuel, we see a remarkable episode. King David had already been anointed king, but had not yet ascended the throne, continuing to serve the illegitimate King Saul, under whom he suffered persecution. His hometown of Bethlehem had been captured by the Philistines. And one day, King David turned to his servants: "Who will bring me water from the well that is before the gate of Bethlehem?" Three of his brave friends agreed, fought through the enemy troops, and brought him water from the well. And when they gave him the water, he said he could not drink it, for it was the blood of his friends, who were ready to lay down their lives for him. And so he offered it as a sacrifice to God.
For us, King David lives on today because his words, his discourses, and his hymns form the foundation of our worship. All Orthodox worship is built on the words of King David. And we must know how to use them. Saint Athanasios the Great even has a special selection, indicating which Psalms to use. He says, "When you want to glorify God for His marvelous creation, remember Psalm 8 and Psalm 138; when you want to praise God for the miracles He has performed, remember Psalms 134 and 135; when you wish to lament your heavy lot, remember Psalms 3 and 37." Any person, in various states of soul, can find themselves in the words of King David. In them there is prophecy about the future, countless prophecies about Christ, prophecies about the conversion of the Gentiles, about the coming Day of Judgment; there is both lamentation and praise to God.
The attitude of King David, which the Church wants to convey to us, can be summarized very briefly: in all circumstances — turn to God! David, whether as a shepherd, a military leader, a fugitive, or a ruler, always sought to share all his needs and joys with God in every situation. We should learn this from him. People are often unable to participate in our joy or our sorrow, but God hears every person and supports us in all circumstances. We must praise God, give thanks to Him, glorify Him, and rely on Him in both grief and joy. We must learn to hope in Him in all of God’s ways. How can we learn this? Through the Psalms of King David! It is precisely King David, through his Psalms, who helps us attune ourselves to this remarkable state of constant, genuine communion between man and God.
Therefore King David said: “I will love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock; in Him I take refuge; my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold" (Ps. 18:2-3).
How many beautiful names did he invent to call God? Just as a lover constantly speaks of his beloved, so King David constantly speaks of God. Because he loves God with all his heart, he relies on Him with all his soul. He speaks only of Him, he glorifies only Him. And God rewards him for this with unimaginable joy. This is something we must learn. We too often become absorbed in the vanity and sorrow of this world, but to escape vanity and sorrow, we must begin to glorify and praise God, or weep before God with the words of King David.
As the Apostle James says: “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).
The Psalms are good for all occasions and are like spiritual medicine that heals our souls; they are a tool that teaches us joy. Let us learn this, and may the Lord God, through the prayers of the King and Psalmist David, have mercy on us all!
God bless you!
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
