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Psalm 151 and the joy of resurrection victory

As the priest stands holding the gospel on top of his head, he chants this psalm with a special tune and all the church joins together in singing the refrain, “Alleluia,” signifying the joy of the resurrection.

The church feels that the priest is chanting the praise of the victorious resurrection. It is not a victory over Goliath but over death, Satan and all the powers of darkness. All the faithful are revived with the aroma of the heavenly incarnate Christ, who grants all the believers the power of His resurrection that it may work in them and elevate them in victory and triumph.

The young David, carrying his sling and few smooth stones, was not afraid of Goliath, “whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.” (1Samuel 17:4-7). In arrogance, Goliath used to present himself for forty days to the faithful multitudes, but no one dared to approach him.

David entered the battlefield not with a sword nor a spear, but in the name of the Lord of hosts. Goliath humiliated the young man who stepped forward to fight, as if he is going to kick out a dog from among a flock of sheep. But then, David slung a stone and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, causing him to fall on his face to the earth. And so, David ran, took his sword, and drew it out of its sheath and killed him.

What do the rites of Bright Saturday mean?

The church commences the Apocalypse night with Psalm 151. Our Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross and descended into hades to raise the souls of those who died on hope that they may enter with Him to Paradise. The high priest or the priest chants this psalm after he opens the doors of the main altar, while he is looking towards the east as though he is beholding Christ who rose from the dead and is coming from the east.