Hope And The Commandments

Προσεδόκων τὸ Σωτήριόν σου, Κύριε, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς σου ἠγάπησα. Προσδοκῶν τὴν ἀπὸ σοῦ σωτηρίαν τὴν ἀληθινὴν, οὐ μόνον ἐτήρησα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἠγάπησά σου τὰς ἐντολάς. Τῆς γὰρ μετ' ἀγαπήσεως τῶν ἐντολῶν κατωρθωμένης ἐνεργείας ὑπαρξάσης, εὐθὺς ἀκολοθήσει τὸ προσδοκώμενον Σωτήριον, οὐχ ἕτερον ὄν τῆς τῶν σὼζομένων σωτηρίας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα προσδοκᾷ, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· Πᾶσα σὰρξ ὄψεται τὸ Σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀκολούθως ἀγαπᾷ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὗ καὶ τὸ Σωτήριον προσεδόκησεν, ἵνα καὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ᾗ καθαρῶς, καὶ τὴν προσδοκίαν θεωρητικῶς, προσδοκῶν ἀεὶ καὶ θεωρῶν ἐληλυθότα τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΙΗ´ Source: Migne PG 23.1392c

Hoping for your salvation, O Lord, I have even loved your commandments. 1 Hoping for true salvation from you, he has not only kept your commandments but he has even loved them. For with the loving of the commandments is the true purification of deeds and there immediately follows hope in salvation, which is nothing else that the salvation of those who are being saved. And if someone hopes for the Saviour, of whom it is said, 'All flesh shall see the salvation of God,' 2 consequently he loves the commandments of God, whose salvation he has hoped for, so that with pure deed and contemplative hope, he is always hoping for and contemplating the coming of the Word of God who will seek and save what was lost. 3 Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.166 2 Isaiah 40.5 3 Lk 19.10