Psalm 3:2
hacking away at temptations
Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me. (Psalm 3:2 DR)
Following off of the two-fold sense from the previous passage, this double-track of meaning continues as the Psalmist laments the numbers of enemies surrounding him. On the literal level this was the historical civil war raging against King David as his son Absalom attempted a coup and David was forced to flee and regroup, but on the prophetic level this applies to Christ, especially to his betrayal at the hand of Judas. Thus St. Augustine explains:
So multiplied indeed were they, that one even from the number of His disciples was not wanting, who was added to the number of His persecutors. (St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, 3, 2).
On the mystical level, however, the second sense is the soul surrounded by evils and temptations, crying out for relief. However, since we know that God does not tempt us with sin (cf. James 1:13) but rather it is our own concupiscence which entices us to sin, the Psalmist’s words here are intended in this mystical sense as both confession and a plea for salvation. He recognizes his inherent weakness and sees and feels the temptations rising up with him; like the physical enemies who surround him, the spiritual enemies likewise threaten to overwhelm him.
In the midst of our temptations we can wonder be wont to wonder why God allows them; after all wouldn’t it be easier for God just to eradicate our concupiscence so that temptation cannot even occur? However, it is the resisting of sin that is part of our growth in charity towards God and thus effects our sanctification as we are cooperating with His grace. As we choose to love God by not only rejecting sin but also by positively directing our hearts and minds towards Him, the grace that enables this choice enlarges our hearts more and more (so to speak) so that this charity can more fully dwell within us. This sanctification is how we become more and more conformed to the likeness of Christ as God refashions us in His image. And just as vice can be “habit” in both the colloquial and theological sense, so virtue can become habituated in us the more we choose to practice it and become accustomed to it.
We see this in even our natural lives. At one point in our life we might find it very difficult to do a particular thing; for example, go for a walk and exercise every day. But the more we practice that thing and do it—especially when it is difficult—the more it becomes habituated in us and more or less second nature. After awhile it can even take on the character of something that feels like something is wrong if for whatever reason we cannot do that thing for some period of time.
It is this habitual nature of both vice and virtue that makes temptations feel like an army arrayed against us, because it can feel like we get assaulted day after day like a city besieged. I am reminded of a scene in Jurassic Park where they hear electrical discharges from the raptor cage. The guide tells them that raptors are intelligent and are constantly testing the defenses for a weak point. The devils operate in a similar fashion with temptation; they will prod and poke at us, looking for weaknesses, and sometimes if we face constant temptations towards specific vices it probably means that is a weak point in us. Rather than falling into despair, in a strange way it can actually be an unintended blessing, for in God allowing these temptations we are being given insight into places where we need to grow in virtue. This certainly doesn’t mean we should seek out temptations, but when they come we should commend ourselves to God’s grace and implore him to help us overcome them and grow in virtue.
For this passage I found this excellent image of King David in battle, and so I isolated him from the rest of the fray and also isolated the sword arm. I brought the figure into After Effects and precomped it, and then rigged up the character with the Puppet Tool and animated him swinging dramatically.
I had used some bees in another animation and decided to reuse them. As I was thinking through this passage and the temptations which swirl around us, sometimes they can feel like swatting at flies or bees, and so I thought that would be a good approach. I put a bee into a precomp and then used it as an emitter for Trapcode Particular, creating a looping swarm of bees.
Enjoy.
Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me.
(Psalm 3:2 DR)
View a higher quality version of this gif here: