Homilies on the Book of Exodus

“Homilies on the Book of Exodus” (13 homilies) were written by Origen in 239-242. and cover a significant part of the book of Exodus. In this case: - there is no interpretation of the narrative about the establishment of the Easter holiday (probably this is due to the presence of a special series of homilies dedicated to this event, which has not survived); - of the ten commandments, only the first two are explained; - from the laws of the book of Exodus, only the law of talion and the preceding law about the pregnant woman are explained, as well as the laws related to the construction of the tabernacle. The allegorical method of interpretation is widely used in homilies. Origen notes that in the Old Testament not a single jot and not a single line is devoid of mysterious meaning. He repeatedly emphasizes that a literal understanding of the book of Exodus in itself cannot be edifying for Christians. The allegories proposed by Origen most often have a Christological, anthropological and soteriological character: - He considers Joseph as a prototype of Jesus Christ; - the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt correlates with the objective salvation accomplished by Christ and the subjective movement of Christians along the path of salvation; - in Moses he sees an indication of the spiritual law given by God, which leads man out of slavery to sin and will bring him into the Kingdom of God; - interprets the description of the tabernacle and the sacrifices brought to it by the people as an indication of the indwelling of God in Christians, who unite with Him through spiritual service to Him with all the abilities and powers of the soul, etc. *The title of the work in Latin is In Exodum homiliae. Contents Homilia I Homilia II. On midwives Homilius III. About what was said: “I speak hard and am tongue-tied” (Ex. 4:10) Homilia IV. About the ten plagues that struck Egypt Homilia V. About the exodus of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt Homilia VI. About the song that Moses sang with the people, and Miriam with the women Homilia VII. On the bitter water of Marra Homilia VIII. On the first commandments of Moses Homilius IX. About the Tabernacle Homilia X. About a pregnant woman who miscarries when two men fight Homilia XI. About the thirst that the children of Israel experienced in Rephidim, and about the war with the Amalekites and about the help of Jethro Homilius XII. About the shining face of Moses and about the veil that he put on his face Homilius XIII. About what they sacrificed for the tabernacle 1. It seems to me that every word of Divine Scripture is like a seed, which by its nature must spread and multiply and, thrown into the ground, is reborn into an ear of grain or some other plant, and its yield increases by the diligence and skill of the farmer and the fertility of the soil. For example, by carefully cultivating a tiny mustard seed, “which, although smaller than all seeds, when it grows, is larger than all the grains and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and take refuge in its branches” (Matthew 13:32). So it is with the word that is read to us from Divine books. At first, when we hear it, it seems small and insignificant to us, but if it finds a skillful and hardworking farmer, begins to cultivate with spiritual skill, it will grow and turn into a large tree with spreading branches and dense foliage. The wise man and the scribe of this world can come to him. Like light-winged birds of the air, rising in thought to complex subjects through intricate words alone, being captives of their own arguments, they wish to take refuge in its branches, where there is no eloquence, but only the rule of life. So what should we do with what we are read about? If the Lord had granted me the gift of spiritual cultivation, if He had given me the ability to cultivate the field, one of the words we heard could be scattered everywhere - if your listening ability allows - so that a whole day would hardly be enough for us to cultivate it. But we can still try, to the best of our ability, to discuss some subjects, even if it is impossible to cover everything and for you to hear everything. For I think it is important to recognize that the full knowledge of these words is beyond our reach. So let's look at what it says at the beginning of the book of Exodus and briefly follow through its text how it instructs its readers. Help us with your prayers so that the Word of God will be with us and deign us to direct our reasoning. 2. It is said: “These are the names of the children of Israel who entered Egypt with Jacob, each one with his house: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah” and other patriarchs. “And all the souls that came from the loins of Jacob were seventy-five, and Joseph was already in Egypt” (Ex. 1:1-5). I think that what the prophet says is similar to the following secret, if anyone is able to perceive it: “My people first went to Egypt to live there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for no reason” (Is. 52:4). If we now compare these two texts, we can see from them what our predecessors or even our contemporaries, and sometimes ourselves, were thinking about: what is “Egypt”, where the people of God go in order not so much to live there as to cultivate it; and who are the Assyrians who are taking them away by force? In this way one can understand what the number and order of listing the patriarchs mean, or what the houses symbolize, with which, as it is said, they “entered Egypt with Jacob their father.” For the text says: “Reuben with all his house, and Levi with all his house,” and likewise all the rest. “And Joseph was already in Egypt” and took a wife from Egypt. And although he was in Egypt, nevertheless, he is listed among the patriarchs. Therefore, everyone can, “comparing spiritual with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13) and adding new to old and old to new, comprehend the mysteries of Egypt and the descent of the patriarchs into it, if he examines these words from a spiritual point of view and considers the thought of the Apostle when he distinguishes and divides Israel “according to the flesh” (1 Cor. 10:18), and this, without a doubt, presupposes the existence of another Israel, “according to the spirit.” The Lord's statement also points this out to anyone who looks closely at it. When He says about a certain person: “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no guile” (John 1:47), he makes it clear that just as there are genuine Israelis, so, of course, there are also inauthentic ones. But the attentive reader will also notice the differences between these genera; he can see that the tribe of Levi had an advantage, since from them the priests of the Lord were chosen; what greatness the tribe of Judah acquired in the eyes of the Lord, for from it came kings and princes, and it was from this tribe that our Lord and Savior came into being according to the flesh (cf. Heb. 7:14). I do not know whether such advantages are due to the merits of those who gave names to these tribes, that is, to Judah or Levi himself, or to each patriarch who gave a name to his tribe. What prompted me to this conclusion was what St. John writes in the book of Revelation about believers in Christ. He says: “Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed,” and “of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed,” and the same twelve thousand from each tribe, and in total, according to him, “those who were sealed were one hundred and forty-four thousand from all the tribes of the children of Israel” (Rev. 7:4–8), “who were not defiled with women, for they were virgins” (Rev. 14:4). And it is certainly not absurd to suppose that this refers to the members of the line of Judah, Simeon, Levi, and the other sons of Jacob. And at least I do not dare to go further and inquire from what fathers so many virgins have sprung, so equal, whole and well organized that no one is considered superior or inferior to another. And it is enough that I dared to reach this point. However, the Apostle makes some suggestions for those who can see further when he says: “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph. 3:14-15). And indeed, the meaning of earthly paternity seems to be not difficult to establish, for the fathers of the tribes or houses to which this or that genealogy is included are collectively called “every fatherland.” But what it means in heaven, how or in what form fatherhood exists there, or for which heavenly descendants “fatherland” is mentioned, is known only by He Whose heaven “and earth He gave to the sons of men” (Ps. 113:24). 3. So, the fathers went down to Egypt, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, “every one with all his house” (Exodus 1:1-2). How can we explain that they entered Egypt “with all their house”? The text adds: “And all the souls that came from the loins of Jacob were seventy-five” (Ex. 1:5). Here, by mentioning souls, the prophetic word almost revealed the secret that is hidden everywhere. It shows that all this is said not about bodies, but about souls. However, even here there remains a certain veil. It is generally believed that "souls" mean people. Seventy-five souls went down with Jacob into Egypt. These were souls begotten by Jacob. I do not think that a person can beget a soul, unless he is like the one who said: “For although you have thousands of instructors in Christ, yet you have not many fathers; I have begotten you in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). Such are those who beget and bring into being souls, as the Apostle says in another epistle: “My children, for whom I am again in the throes of birth, until Christ is formed in you!” (Gal.4:19). For others either do not want to bother with such generation, or cannot. In a word, what did Adam say at the very beginning? “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23). He, however, did not add “and the soul of my soul.” But I would like you to tell me, Adam, if you recognized bone of your bones, then why did you not also realize that the soul comes from your soul. For if you conveyed everything that is in you, then why didn’t you mention, among everything else, the soul, the best part of the whole person? Obviously, by saying “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” he indicates to those who understand that he recognizes only earthly things as his, but does not dare call his own what, as he knows, is not earthly. So Laban, when he says to Jacob: “Truly you are my bone and my flesh,” obviously also does not dare to call his own more than what he recognizes as earthly blood ties. But there is definitely another kind of kinship of souls, which is associated either with Jacob descending into Egypt, or with other patriarchs and saints who are among the mysterious descendants. We have chosen a course and are sailing close to land, almost touching the coastline, and I don’t know how the huge raging waves will carry us out to the open sea. So let's return to what is written next. 4. The text says: “And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all their descendants; and the children of Israel were fruitful and multiplied, and increased and became exceedingly strong, and their land multiplied” (Ex. 1:6-7). While Joseph was alive, it was not said that the children of Israel multiplied; in those days nothing was said at all about reproduction. I believe the words of my Lord Jesus Christ, and I do not think that one jot or one tittle of the law or the prophets is without mystery; Nor do I believe that anything “will pass from the law until all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). But since our abilities are small, let us take up those things in which we can better succeed. The children of Israel were very few before our Joseph died, sold for thirty pieces of silver by Judah, one of His brothers. But when He tasted death for all (cf. Heb. 2:9), by which He took away the power of “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14), the people of faith multiplied, “and the children of Israel were fruitful and multiplied, and increased and became exceedingly strong; the land multiplied them” (Exod. 1:7). For, in His words, “if a grain of wheat fell into the ground and did not” die (John 12:24), the Church would not have reaped such a bountiful harvest throughout the whole earth. Therefore, after the grain of wheat fell into the ground and died, such a large number of faithful grew from it, and the children of Israel grew and became extremely strong. For the “voice” of the apostles went “throughout all the earth... and to the ends of the world their words” (Ps. 19:4-5), and through them, as it is said, “the word of God grew and spread” (Acts 12:24). This has a deep mystical meaning. But let us try to see the moral side in these words, for this will serve to edify the souls of those listening. So, if Joseph died in you, that is, if you accept the dying Christ into your body and mortify your members to sin, it means that the “children of Israel were multiplied” in you. The phrase “sons of Israel” is interpreted as good and spiritual feelings. And if the feelings of the flesh are mortified, the feelings of the spirit increase, and when vices die daily in you, the number of virtues also increases. In the same way, the earth multiplies you in good deeds done through the body. But if you want me to use the example of the Gospel to show you whom the earth has “multiplied,” think about the words of the Apostle Paul: “If life in the flesh brings fruit to my work, then I do not know what to choose. I am attracted by both: I have a desire to be resolved and to be with Christ, because this is incomparably better; but it is more necessary for you to remain in the flesh” (Phil. 1:22–24). Do you see how the earth “multiplied” this man? For while he remains in the earth, that is, in the flesh, he is multiplied by the foundation of Churches; it is multiplied by the thirst of the people of God and the preaching of the gospel of Christ “from Jerusalem and the surrounding area to Illyricum” (Rom. 15:19). But let's see what is written next. 5. “And a new king arose in Egypt, who did not know Joseph, and said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are numerous and mightier than we” (Ex. 1:8–9). First of all, I would like to explore who the king of Egypt who knew Joseph and the king who did not know him were. During the reign of the one who knew Joseph, nothing is said about the children of Israel being oppressed and forced to do hard work "in clay and bricks." And it is not reported that the boys were killed and the girls were left alive. But when one who did not know Joseph rose up and began to rule, then, as has been said, all these things began to happen. Let's see who this king was. When the Lord leads us and our understanding, enlightened by the Lord, always keeps Christ in mind, as Paul writes to Timothy: “Remember the Lord Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, who was raised from the dead” (2 Tim. 2:8), and while it remembers what happened in Egypt, that is, in our flesh, our spirit justly rules the kingdom and does not wear out the children of Israel, which, as we said above, are the rational feelings or virtues of the soul, “clay and bricks” (Ex. 1:14), does not weaken them with earthly worries and anxieties. But if our understanding loses the memory of this, if it turns away from God, if it begins to ignore Christ, then the understanding of the flesh, which is “enmity against God” (Rom. 8:9), will take power into its own hands and turn to its subjects - bodily pleasures. And when the leaders of vices gather together in council, they plot all sorts of intrigues against the children of Israel. They are discussing how to oppress the children of Israel, how to cause them suffering. Their goal is to wear out the children of Israel with “clay and bricks,” abandoning boys to their fate and raising girls; build the cities of Egypt, “fortified cities” (Ex. 1:10–16). These words were not written to teach us history; One should also not think that the Divine books tell about the deeds of the Egyptians. All this “is described for our instruction” (1 Cor. 10:11), so that you, who hear these words and who may have already received the grace of holy baptism and were numbered among the children of Israel and accepted God as a king into yourself, who then wished to turn away and turn to earthly affairs, to worldly work and unclean occupations, so that you would know that “a new king arose in Egypt, who did not know Joseph” ( Ex.1:8), the king of Egypt, and that he is already forcing you to work for himself and work on “clay and bricks.” It is he who, with whips and beatings, forces you to earthly labors; with the help of bosses and overseers, he forces you to build cities for him. It is he who encourages you to strive for the worldly, stirring up the elements of water and earth in order to satiate your passions. It is this Egyptian king who forces you to start disputes in the marketplace and torment your loved ones with quarrels over a piece of land, not to mention lying in wait for the chaste, deceiving the innocent, committing abominations at home, cruelties outside it, shameful things in your mind. Therefore, when you see yourself doing this, know that you are serving the king of Egypt and you are being drawn by the spirit of this world. And if something even deeper should be understood from all this, then in this king, “who did not know Joseph,” one can see the devil. He is the fool who said “in his heart: “There is no God”” (Ps. 13:1). He turns to his servants - the angels who have departed from God - and says: “Behold, the people of the children of Israel” - meaning, of course, those who can see God with their minds - “are numerous and stronger than us; let us outwit him so that he does not multiply; otherwise, when war happens, he will unite with our enemies, and arm himself against us, and will leave our land” (Ex. 1:9-10). But how did the devil know about this? How did he understand that Israel is a great nation and stronger than its servants? Only because he often met them on the battlefield, often fought with them and was often defeated. For he also knows that Jacob also fought and, with the help of an angel, restrained his opponent and prevailed over God (Gen. 32:25-30). I have no doubt that the devil also felt the opposition of other saints and often waged spiritual warfare with them, which is why he says: “The people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than us” (Ex. 1:9). And his fears that one day “war will happen” and the children of Israel will unite with his “enemies”, defeat him and leave his land, in my opinion, indicate that he knew in advance that from time to time the patriarchs or prophets revealed about the coming of Christ, and therefore knows about the war threatening him. He knows that the One will come who “having taken away the strength of the principalities and powers, powerfully brought them to shame, having triumphed over them in Himself” (Col. 2:15). Therefore, he wants, having gathered his entire tribe, to restrain and limit the rational feeling in people, which is now allegorically called Israel. To do this, “they appointed commanders of the work over him” (Ex. 1:11), in order to force him to learn the works of the flesh, just as the psalm says: “They mixed with the pagans and learned their works” (Ps. 106:35). He also teaches them to build cities for Pharaoh, "Pythom", which in our language means "mouth of rebellion" or "mouth of the abyss", and "Raamses", which is translated as "the fluttering of moths", "and He, otherwise Iliopolis", called "the city of the sun." Do you see what cities Pharaoh ordered to build for himself! “Mouths of rebellion,” for lips rebel when they speak a lie and when they oppose the truth. For he is a liar from the beginning (cf. John 8:44) and that is why he wants such cities to be built for him. Or “the mouth of the abyss,” for his place is the abyss of chaos and destruction. His other city is “the fluttering of moths,” since everyone who follows him gathers their wealth where “moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). However, a city of the sun is also being built for him with a deceptive name, “for Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). In this way he plots, in this way he takes possession of minds created to see God. He, however, foresees the war threatening him and knows that the imminent destruction of his accomplices is not far off, which is why he says: “The people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than us” (Ex. 1:9). If only he could say the same about us! If only he felt that we are stronger than him! How would it seem to him? If, when he launches evil thoughts and evil desires into me, I would not accept them, but with the shield of faith I would reflect “all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). If, in response to everything that he inspires in me, I, remembering my Lord Jesus Christ, would say: “Get behind me, Satan, for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone” (Matthew 4:10). And if we do this with all faith and all understanding, then he will say about us: “The people of the children of Israel are numerous and stronger than us” (Ex. 1:9). But in the fact that he says: “When war comes, he too will unite with our enemies” (Ex. 1:10), he foresees from the words of the prophets that war will come to him and the children of Israel will leave him and unite with his opponents. For this is exactly what the prophet Jeremiah predicted when he said: “The partridge cried and gathered what it did not give birth to. Such is he who acquires wealth through unrighteousness: he leaves it half his days and remains a fool at the end” (Jer. 17:11). Therefore, he understands: the phrase “the partridge gathered what it did not give birth to” was said about him, and that those whom he gathered unrighteously will leave him “half the days” of him and follow their Lord and Creator Jesus Christ, who gave birth to them. However, he gathered those whom he did not beget, and therefore “he will remain a fool at his end,” when “the whole creation,” which now “groans and torments” under his tyranny (Rom. 8:22), will unite with its Creator and Parent. He is indignant at this and says: “So that they do not conquer us, they will leave our land.” He does not want us to leave his land, but wants us to always “bear the image of earthy things” (1 Cor. 15:49). For if we unite with his adversary, that is, with the One who prepared the Kingdom of Heaven for us, we will have to leave the “form of the earthly” and take on the “form of the heavenly” (1 Cor. 15:49). For this reason, Pharaoh hires “masters of work” so that they pass on their skills to us with the goal of making us skilled in evil, instructing us in evil deeds. And there are a lot of such teachers and mentors of evil whom Pharaoh placed over us, and a great many similar overseers who call, encourage and force us to earthly affairs. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes, He appoints other teachers and mentors. They fight with the leaders of Pharaoh's work and subdue all “principalities, and powers, and powers, and dominions” (Eph. 1:21). They protect the children of Israel from the violence of the masters of the work and teach us the work of Israel. They teach us to see God again with our minds, they call us to leave Pharaoh and come out of the land of Egypt, to discard Egyptian and barbarian habits. They instruct us to “put off our former way of life, the old man” and “put on the new man, created according to God” (Eph. 4:22, 24), continually, day by day, being renewed in the image of Him who created us (cf. Col. 3:10), our Lord Jesus Christ, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homilia II. About midwives 1. “The king who did not know Joseph” was inventing new intrigues against the people of God and constantly looking for new ways to harm them. But this time his ingenuity crossed all boundaries: he decided, with the help of midwives, whose skill supported life, to destroy the children of this people. What is this talking about? “The king of Egypt commanded the midwives of the Hebrew women, one of whom was named Shiphera, and the other Puah, and said: When you midwife the Hebrew women, then watch the birth: if there is a son, then kill him, and if there is a daughter, then let him live” (Ex. 1:15-16). However, the following statement is added: “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt told them, and left the children alive” (Ex. 1:17). If we take what is written as a retelling of historical events, the statement of Scripture “the midwives did not do as the king of Egypt told them” cannot be true. For we find no evidence that midwives did not preserve the lives of girls whom the king of Egypt ordered not to be killed. For he said: “If there is a son, then kill him, but if there is a daughter, then let him live” (Ex. 1:16). And if “the midwives did not do as the king of Egypt told them,” then, of course, against the will of the king, they would both leave the boys alive and kill the girls, so that this would also contradict his command, since keeping the girls alive means acting in accordance with the command of the pharaoh. These words, however, are written for lovers of the letter, those who do not believe that the law is spiritual and should be understood in a spiritual sense. But we know that everything that has been said was written not to tell about the events of ancient history, but for our instruction and benefit (cf. 1 Cor. 10:11), so that we understand that what is said is happening now and not only in this world, allegorically called Egypt, but also in each of us. So let's examine why the king of Egypt—“the prince of this world” (John 16:11)—wants the girls to live and the boys to die. If you remember, in our discussions we often pointed out that women symbolize the flesh and carnal passions, while men symbolize rational feelings and the spirit of reason. Pharaoh - the king and prince of Egypt - hates the rational sense, capable of understanding heavenly things, perceiving God and seeking things above (cf. Col. 3:1). He wants this feeling to be destroyed and destroyed, and at the same time he wants the carnal to live. He wants everything related to the body to not only be preserved, but to grow and develop, for he wants everyone to perceive the carnal, desire the temporal and think about earthly things (cf. Col. 3:1-2), so that no one “dare to even raise his eyes to heaven” (Luke 18:13), no one wondered where he came from here, no one remembered his paradise fatherland. Therefore, when you see people living in pleasures and pleasures, mired in luxury, devoting themselves to feasts, wine, beds and shame, you can be sure that the king of Egypt kills men and preserves women. But if you meet some extraordinary person, “one in a thousand,” who turns to God, lifts his eyes to heaven, seeks the imperishable and eternal, looks “not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (2 Cor. 4:18), despises pleasures, loves chastity, flees debauchery and grows in virtues, know that Pharaoh is looking to kill him as if he were a man, persecutes him, persecutes him him, fights him in a thousand ways. He hates such people and does not allow them to live in Egypt. This is why the servants of God and all who seek God in this world are despised and dishonored. That is why they are insulted, disgraced and hated, and persecuted; That is why Pharaoh, who loves women, hates such men so much and cannot stand them. He even tries to persuade the midwives to do this and, with their help, accomplish his plan. Their names are indicated to us by the providence of the Holy Spirit, who willed them to be written down: it is said that “one is called Shifra”, which is translated as “sparrow”, “and the other is Pua”, which can mean either “blushing” or “modest”. And with their help, the pharaoh seeks to kill men and save only women. 2. What does the Scripture say? “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt told them” (Ex. 1:17). Some even before us said that these midwives symbolize rational understanding, for they are mediators and help men to be born into the world, as well as women. And this ordinary understanding of rational knowledge is characteristic of almost every mind, teaches everyone, preserves everyone. If someone has a masculine soul and it strives for the heavenly and seeks the Divine, he will come to an understanding of the Divine better prepared, as if such an understanding took care of him and helped him. For one midwife is like a sparrow who teaches the sublime and calls souls to soar to heights on the wings of rational knowledge. The other - blushing and modest - is morality, it represents moral principles, teaches modesty and demonstrates purity. However, I think, since the Scripture says about these women that they “feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt told them” (Ex. 1:17), these two midwives are an image of the two Testaments. “Cipher”, and this name is translated as “sparrow”, can be applied to the law, which is “spiritual” (Rom. 7:14). And “Foix” - blushing and modest - symbolizes the Gospels, red from the blood of Christ, glowing with a red radiance throughout the world with the blood of His Passion. Therefore, the Gospels take care of the souls born in the Church like midwives, for they receive all the medicines of instruction from reading the Holy Scriptures. Yet Pharaoh attempts through these Gospels to kill the men of the Church by offering heretical interpretations and perverted teachings to those who study the Scriptures. But the foundation of God remains unshakable. After all, “the midwives feared God,” that is, they taught the fear of God, since “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 110:10). I think that the added phrase: “And because the midwives feared God, they built themselves houses” (Ex. 1:21) 1 better fits this interpretation. This statement is inconsistent if taken literally, for what is the logical connection between the two parts of the sentence: “And because the midwives feared God, they built themselves houses” (Ex. 1:21)? It’s as if the house is built by someone who fears God. If we take this phrase literally, then it lacks not only logic, but also meaning. But if you look at how the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, instructing the fear of God, arrange the houses of the Church and fill the whole world with houses of prayer, then it will turn out that what is written is reasonable. And since the midwives feared God and taught the fear of God, they did not fulfill the command of the king of Egypt, but left the male children alive. However, it is not said that they obeyed his orders to leave the girls alive. I dare to say that, in accordance with the meaning of Scripture, midwives did not leave female children alive, for in the Church they do not teach vices, do not preach debauchery, do not cultivate sin - and this is exactly what Pharaoh wants when he orders girls to be left alive - but only virtue is nurtured and nurtured. But let's apply these words to you and me. If you also fear God, you will not fulfill the commands of the king of Egypt. For he commands you to live in pleasures, to love this world, to desire the things of the world (cf. 1 John 2:15–16). If you fear God and fulfill the duties of a midwife for your soul, if you want to grant her salvation, then you will not do all this, but you will preserve the life of the male children who are within you, care for and protect the inner man (cf. 2 Cor. 4:16) and seek eternal life for him through good deeds and right understanding. 3. However, when Pharaoh saw that he was unable to kill the Israeli boys with the help of midwives, he “commanded all his people, saying: Every newborn son of the Hebrews you shall throw into the river, and every daughter you shall let live” (Ex. 1:22). Notice that “the prince of this world” (John 16:11) commands his people to grab our babies and throw them into the river. He commands that his minions lie in wait for us all the time and at the first sign of the birth of our babies, as soon as they touch the breast of the Church, rush in, pursue, seize them and betray them to the waves and currents of this world. “Take notice of what you hear” (Mark 4:24). The wisdom of God through Solomon says: “Keep an eye on what is before you” (Prov. 23:1), look at what threatens you immediately after birth or, rather, rebirth. This is exactly what we read about in the Gospel, when Jesus, immediately after Baptism, “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). And Pharaoh in this verse commands his people to persecute, capture and drown Hebrew boys immediately after birth. Perhaps the prophet also speaks about this: “For the waters have come to my soul. I am mired in a deep swamp, and there is nothing to stand on” (Ps. 69:2-3). But Christ therefore gained the upper hand and won in order to open the path to victory for you. That’s why He won when He fasted (cf. Matt. 4:2), so that you too would know that “this kind” of demons can be defeated only “by prayer and fasting” (Mk. 9:29). Therefore, He despised “all the kingdoms of the world” that were offered to Him, “and their glory” (Matthew 4:8), so that you, despising the glory of this world, could defeat the tempter. The Egyptians, to whom Pharaoh gives orders, leave only girls alive, because they hate boys, for they hate virtues, but extol only vices and pleasures. And so now, if the Jews give birth to a boy, the Egyptians lie in wait for him in order to immediately capture and kill him if the Jews do not take precautions, if they do not hide him. The Scripture says that “a man from the tribe of Levi went and took for himself a wife from the same tribe. The wife conceived and gave birth to a son, and seeing that he was very handsome, she hid him for three months” (Ex. 2:1-2). Look, is this instruction not given for our teaching, so that we do not do good deeds in public, do not give alms in front of people (cf. Matt. 6:1), but that, having closed the door, we pray to our Father, who is in secret (cf. Matt. 6:6), and so that the left hand does not know “what the right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3). For if our good deed is not done in secret, the Egyptians will destroy it, seize it and throw it into the river, the waves and streams will swallow it up. And if I give alms because it is God’s work, then I give birth to a male child. But if I do not hide my good deed, but, on the contrary, I begin to strive for it to be noticed, I seek praise from people, the Egyptians will steal my alms and throw it into the river, and it will turn out that with such labor and zeal I gave birth to a boy for the Egyptians. So, people of God who hear these words, do not consider that, as we often say, they are reading to you the history of the forefathers, but rather think that through these stories they teach you the correct order of life, morality, the struggle of faith and virtue. 4. So, it goes on to say that when the people of the tribe of Levi saw that the boy was very handsome, they hid him for three months. But when they could no longer hide the child, his mother “took a basket of reeds and tarred it with asphalt and tar, and, putting the baby in it, placed it in the reeds near the river bank, and his sister began to observe in the distance what would happen to him. And Pharaoh's daughter went out to the river to wash herself, and her maidens walked along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave to take it. She opened it and saw the baby; and behold, the child is crying; and she took pity on him and said, “This is one of the children of the Hebrews” (Ex. 2:3–6). It goes on to tell how the boy's sister said that she would call his mother to nurse him. “Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Take this child and nurse him for me; I'll give you a fee. The woman took the baby and fed him. And the child grew up, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she had him instead of a son, and she called his name Moses, because, she said, I took him out of the water” (Ex. 2:9-10). Each of these statements is filled with great mysteries and requires a lot of time, and even if we spend the whole day meditating on this passage, it will hardly be enough. Nevertheless, we must briefly touch on some issues for the edification of the Church. I think that Pharaoh's daughter can be considered the Church gathered from the Gentiles. Despite the fact that her father was wicked and hostile, the prophet says to her: “Hear, daughter, and look, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father’s house. And the King will desire your beauty” (Ps. 45:11–12). Thus, she leaves her father's house and comes to the water to wash herself from the sins she committed in her father's house. And immediately after this she “took pity on” the baby (Ex. 2:6). So, this Church, coming from the pagans, finds Moses lying in a swamp, abandoned by his loved ones, completely defenseless, and gives him to be raised. He grows up in his own family, and his childhood passes in it, but when the baby grows up, he is brought to Pharaoh’s daughter, where he is accepted as a son. We have often and in many places stated that by the law Moses is meant. Thus, the Church, coming to the waters of baptism, also accepts the law. He is, however, enclosed in a “basket” and covered with “asphalt and pitch” (Ex. 2:3). The basket is a kind of shelter, woven from branches or papyrus, or even from the bark of trees, and the baby placed in it looks defenseless. So the law lay helpless in this shelter, covered with asphalt and tar, dirty, imprisoned by the Jews in a base and disgusting understanding, until the Church came from the pagans, picked it up from the unclean swampy place and assigned it to itself in the courts of wisdom and royal houses. However, the law spent his childhood with his loved ones, with those who are not able to understand him spiritually; he is a baby and feeds on milk. But when Moses comes to the Church, when he enters the house of the Church, he becomes stronger and stronger. For when the veil of the letter is removed, the text reveals “solid food, proper to the perfect” (Heb. 5:14). So why does she who gave birth and nurtured the law accept payment from Pharaoh’s daughter for this? What is it that the synagogue takes from the Church? I think this can be understood from the words of Moses himself: “I will irritate them with a wrong people, I will afflict them with a senseless people” (Deut. 32:21). Thus, the synagogue accepts as payment from the Church that it no longer worships idols. For, seeing that the pagans have turned to God, no longer know idols and worship only one God, the Jews can no longer worship idols without shame. Thus, the synagogue receives this benefit from the Church because, as it seems, it has raised an infant law for the Church. But let us also accept the law of God when we come to the waters, even if our father is Pharaoh, even if “the prince of this world” (John 16:11) gave birth to us in evil deeds, let us not despise his rough and dark cover of the letter, let us leave the petty and milky, take up the perfect and solid and settle it in the royal palaces of our heart. Let Moses be big and strong. Let us not allow low and petty thoughts towards him, let him be majestic, impeccable and beautiful. For what is spiritual and worthy of sublime understanding is great in every respect. And let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ that He Himself will reveal and show us how Moses is “very great” (Ex. 11:3). For He Himself reveals “this by His Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:10) to whomever He wants. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homilia III. About what was said: “I speak hard and am tongue-tied” (Ex. 4:10) 1. When Moses was in Egypt and “was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22), he was by no means tongue-tied and slurred, and did not speak heavily (cf. Exodus 4:10). For when it came to the Egyptians, his voice was clear and his eloquence incomparable. But as soon as he began to hear the voice of God and perceive the speech of God, he felt that his voice was dull and weak, and his speech was slow and heavy. When he began to comprehend the Word that “was with God” (John 1:1), he said that he was dumb. But to make what we are saying clearer, let us turn to an analogy. If an intelligent man is compared with dumb animals, although he may be ignorant and unlearned, in comparison with those who are devoid of reason and speech, he will appear eloquent. And if you compare him with educated people who know how to speak beautifully and have comprehended all wisdom, he will seem unspoken and silent. But if someone begins to contemplate the Divine Word Itself and sees the Divine Wisdom itself, no matter how wise he may be, then he will admit that in comparison with God he is a dumb beast, to a much greater extent than cattle are in comparison with us. This is certainly how Moses felt. And blessed David contemplated and weighed himself on the scales of Divine wisdom when he said: “I was ignorant and did not understand; They were like cattle before You” (Ps. 72:22). And it was in this sense that Moses, the greatest of the prophets, told God that he was “not eloquent” and was tongue-tied and difficult to speak. For all people, in comparison with the Divine Word, should be considered not just unspeakable, but dumb. 2. Moses is elevated to Divine dignity because he ascended to self-knowledge, where most of the wisdom is concentrated. Listen to how generous and magnificent His gifts are, for the text says: “I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say” (Ex. 4:12). Blessed are those whose mouths God opens so that they can speak. God opens the mouths of the prophets and fills them with His eloquence, as He says in the next verse: “I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say” (Ex. 4:12). But God also says through the prophet David: “Open your mouth, and I will fill it” (Ps. 80:11). And Paul says: “That the word might be given to me, to openly and boldly proclaim the gospel with my mouth” (Eph. 6:19). Thus, God opens the mouths of those who proclaim the word of God. I am afraid, however, that, on the contrary, there are those whose mouths are opened by the devil. For it is obvious that the devil opens the mouth of a liar so that he lies. The devil opens the mouth of those who bear false witness, he opens the mouth of those who spew out all sorts of abominations and obscenities. I fear that the devil also opens the mouths of slanderers and slanderers (cf. Rom. 1:30) and those who utter “idle words,” for which “they will give an account on the day of judgment” (Matt. 12:36). Who doubts that the devil opens the mouths of those who speak maliciously about the Most High and do not confess “Jesus Christ who came in the flesh” (2 John 1:7) or “whoever speaks blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, neither in this age nor in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32, cf. Luke 12:10)? Do you want me to use the example of Scripture to show you how the devil opens the mouths of those who blaspheme Christ? Pay attention to what is said about Judas, where it is said that “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27) and that “the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas to betray Him” (John 13:2). Having received the money, he opened his mouth “and spoke with the chief priests and rulers, how to betray Him to them” (Luke 22:4). Therefore, recognizing the lips that the devil opens is not such a small gift; such lips and words cannot be discerned without the grace of the Holy Spirit. That is why, when distributing spiritual gifts, it is added that certain people are given “discernment of spirits” (1 Cor. 12:10). This is a spiritual gift, through which one or another spirit is distinguished, just as the Apostle says: “Test the spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1). And just as God opens the mouths of the saints, so I think God can open the ears of the saints so that they hear the words of God. For this is what the prophet Isaiah says: “The Lord God has opened My ear, so that I may listen like the disciples” (Is. 50:5, 4). The Lord also opens his eyes; so, “God opened her [Hagar’s] eyes, and she saw a well of living water” (Gen. 21:19). So the prophet Elisha says: “Lord! open his eyes so that he can see that those who are with us are greater than those who are with them.” “And the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw, and behold, the whole mountain was filled with horses and chariots of fire” (cf. 2 Kings 6:16–17). For “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them” (Ps. 33:8). So, as we said, God opens mouths, ears and eyes so that we can either speak or discern or hear those words that are from God. I think that it was no accident that the prophet said: “The teaching of the Lord opens My ears” (Is. 50:5). It seems to me that this applies to us, that is, to the entire Church of God. For if we continue in the teaching of the Lord, it opens our ears. But the ear opened by the teaching of the Lord does not always open: when it opens, and when it remains closed. Listen to what the lawgiver says: “Do not listen to empty rumors” (Ex. 23:1). Therefore, if something empty, vain, obscene, shameful, blasphemous, ungodly is said, the one who knows the “teaching of the Lord” closes his ears, turns away so as not to hear, and says: “I am like a deaf man who does not hear, and like a dumb man who does not open his mouth” (Ps. 37:14). But if what is said is useful for the soul, if this word is from God, if it teaches morality, attracts virtues, if it restrains vices, then the ears must remain open to such teachings, and not only the ears, but also the mind and heart and the whole soul must be open to this word. However, the law is reserved regarding this instruction: it does not say: “Do not listen to empty rumors,” but “Do not listen to empty rumors.” We often hear empty things. Marcion spoke empty words. Valentin spoke empty words. Everyone who speaks against God the Creator speaks empty words. Nevertheless, we often listen to all this so that we can answer them and they would not secretly delight any of our simple and inexperienced brothers with their sugary speeches. Therefore, we listen to these empty words, but do not heed them, for they are uttered by lips that the devil opens. And we must pray that the Lord will deign to open our mouths so that we can refute those who contradict us and shut the lips opened by the devil. We said this about the statement “I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say” (Ex. 4:12). The Lord’s promise to open His mouth was given not only to Moses, but also to Aaron. After all, it is said about him: “I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and teach you” (Ex. 4:15). For Aaron also goes to meet Moses, and he comes out of Egypt. Goes towards him. Where? To what place? After all, it is interesting where the one whose mouth God will open meets Moses. “And the Lord said to Aaron: Go to meet Moses in the wilderness. And he went and met him at the mountain of God” (Ex. 4:27). Do you see that the mouth of the one who can go and meet Moses “on the mountain of God” is deservedly opened? Peter, James and John climbed the mountain of God to be worthy to see the Transfiguration of Christ and to see Elijah and Moses with Him in glory. So you, if you do not ascend to the mountain of God to meet Moses there, in other words, if you do not ascend to a sublime understanding of the law, if you do not climb to the pinnacle of spiritual understanding, the Lord will not open your mouth. If you stand at the bottom of the letter and connect the text with Jewish stories, it means that you did not go out to meet Moses “on the mountain of God,” God did not open your mouth, He does not teach “you what to say” (Ex. 4:12). So, if Aaron had not gone to meet Moses and “met him on the mountain of God” and had not seen his great mind, if he had not comprehended his sublime understanding, Moses would never have told him the words of God and conveyed to him the power of signs and wonders, and would not have made him a participant in this great mystery. 3. Since it would be too long to list the individual events one by one, let’s look at what “Moses and Aaron” said when they “came to Pharaoh.” “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may celebrate a feast for Me in the wilderness” (Ex. 5:1). Moses does not want his people to serve God while in Egypt, but wants them to go out into the desert and serve the Lord there. This undoubtedly means that as long as one remains in the depressing cares of the world and lives in the darkness of everyday worries, he cannot serve the Lord, for he cannot “serve two masters.” He cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore we must leave Egypt. We must leave the world if we want to serve the Lord. What I mean, however, is that we must leave the world not spatially, but in the soul; not to embark on a journey, but to grow in faith. Listen to how John says about this: “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world... for all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:15-16). What does Moses say? Let us see in what manner or to what extent he commands us to leave Egypt. “Let us go into the wilderness,” he says, “a three days’ journey to offer a sacrifice to the Lord our God” (Ex. 3:18). What are the three days of journey that we must go through in order to come out of Egypt to the place where we should offer sacrifice? I understand that “the way” refers to the One who said: “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). We need to cover this path in three days. For whoever “confesses Jesus as Lord and believes in his heart that God raised Him from the dead” on the third day will be saved (Rom. 10:9). This is the “three days’ journey” by which we come to offer “praise as a sacrifice to God” (Ps. 49:14). Everything said has a mystical meaning. But if we also need a place for moral understanding, which is very useful for us, we, leaving Egypt, go for three days, if we thus preserve our spirit, soul and body from all abomination, so that, as the Apostle said, our “spirit and soul and body will be preserved completely without blemish at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23). We will make a three-day journey from Egypt if, having rejected earthly things, we turn our rational, natural, moral wisdom to Divine laws; we will walk from Egypt for three days if, having purified our words, deeds and thoughts - for in these three ways a person sins - we become “pure in heart” and are able to see God (cf. Matt. 5:8). Do you want to see that this is exactly what the Holy Spirit is pointing to in the Scriptures? When Pharaoh - the prince of Egypt - sees that they are strongly approaching him, demanding to let the people of God go, he wants them to find a worse place and closer, not for the entire three days of the journey, and says: “Do not go far” (Ex. 8:28). He does not want God's people to move away from him; he wants them to sin, if not in deeds, then in words, if not in words, then in thoughts. He doesn’t want them to leave him for the entire “three days’ journey.” He wants to keep at least one day in us for himself; in others he has two days, in others all three. But blessed are those who withdraw from him for all three days, so that he does not have a single day of them left. So do not think that Moses led his people out of Egypt only at that time. And now Moses, who we have - for we “have Moses and the prophets” (Luke 16:29) - that is, the law of God, wants to lead you out of Egypt; if you hear him, you will understand that he wants to take you far from Pharaoh. If you only hear the law of God and gain a spiritual understanding of it, you will realize that he wants to save you “from the hard work of clay and bricks.” He does not want you to remain in the works of the flesh and darkness, but wants you to go out into the desert and come to a place where there is no shock and turmoil of the world, where there is peace and quiet. For “the words of the wise, spoken calmly, are better heard” (Eccl. 9:17). And when you come to this quiet place, you will be able to offer a sacrifice to the Lord there, to know the law of God and the virtue of the Divine word. Therefore, Moses strives to cast you out of the whirlpool of everyday worries and from the midst of noisy people. Therefore, he wants you to come out of Egypt, in other words, out of the darkness of ignorance, and hear the law of God and gain the light of knowledge. But Pharaoh resists; ruler of darkness (cf. Eph.6:12) does not want to let you go; he does not want you to be brought out of his darkness and brought to the light of knowledge. Listen to what he says: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice and let Israel go?” ( Ex. 5:2 ). Do you hear what the “prince of this world” (John 16:11) answers? He says he doesn't know God. Look what insensitive pride does. While “he is not at human work, and is not exposed to blows with other people” (Ps. 72:5), pride dominates over him. A little later you will see how much he grew through the punishments and how much better he became after suffering the punishments. The one who now says: “I do not know the Lord” (Ex. 5:2), then, having experienced the blows of the scourge, will say: “Pray to the Lord for me.” And moreover, he admits, and his wise men will testify, that “this is the finger of God” (Ex. 8:19) in the power of these signs. So let no one be so ignorant of Divine instructions as to believe that God's punishments are destruction, and the Lord's punishments are destruction. Look: even the cruel pharaoh benefited from the punishment. He does not know the Lord before the plagues come upon him, but afterward he asks Moses to pray to the Lord for him. Through punishments he rises to the point where he understands what he did to deserve them. “I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go” (Ex. 5:2). But notice how in the Gospel after the executions he changes this statement. It is said that the demons cried out to the Lord: “What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? You came here before the time to torment us” (Matthew 8:29). After the demons suffered torment, they recognized the Lord. Before the executions, Pharaoh says: “I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” But later he will let the Israelites go, and not only let them go, but he himself will force them to leave, “for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? What does light have in common with darkness? (2 Cor. 6:14). But what does he further add to his answers? “And the king of Egypt said to them: Why do you, Moses and Aaron, distract the people from their work? go to your work” (Ex. 5:4). While people are with him and working “on clay and bricks,” while they are busy with “straw,” he believes that they are not distracted, but are going in the right direction. But if one of them says: “I want to go out on a three-day journey and serve the Lord,” he will answer that Moses and Aaron are distracting the people. This was said by the ancients. But even today, if Moses and Aaron, that is, the prophetic and pastoral word, begin to encourage the soul to serve God, call on it to turn away from the world, renounce everything it has, turn to the law of God and fulfill God’s word, then you will immediately hear Pharaoh’s friends and like-minded people say: “Look how people are seduced and distracted; young people do not work, do not become warriors, do not do anything useful for themselves; they abandon necessary and necessary activities and indulge in stupidity and idleness. And this is called serving God? They do not want to work, but are only looking for opportunities for idle pastime." So said Pharaoh then, so say his friends and followers now. Pharaoh did not limit himself to just words - punishments followed. He commands that the overseers of the children of Israel be beaten, that they not be given straw, and that they demand the same work. This is what our forefathers endured. The people of God who are in the Church often endure sufferings similar to these. For if you look at those who again betray themselves to the “prince of this world,” you will see that they succeed in all their affairs and, as they themselves think, turn everything to their advantage. However, God's servants often cannot provide themselves with a means of subsistence. I see them as straw that Pharaoh gives. Therefore, it often turns out that those who fear God do not have even the most necessary things, similar to straw. They are often persecuted by tyrants, are tormented and endure cruel suffering, so that some who have lost patience ask Pharaoh: “Why have you subjected this people to such a calamity?” (cf. Ex. 5:22). Some, depressed by adversity, fall away from the faith and recognize themselves as subjects of Pharaoh. “For not all are Israelites that are of Israel; and not all the children of Abraham who are of his seed” (Rom. 9:6-7). And those who are filled with doubts and exhausted by misfortunes say to Moses and Aaron: “From the time you came to Pharaoh and left, you made us hated in his eyes” (cf. Ex. 5:23, 21). They speak the truth, although perhaps they do not know what they are saying, like Caiaphas, who, when he said: “It is better for us that one man should die for the people, than that the whole nation should perish” (John 11:50), also spoke the truth, but did not know what he was saying. The Apostle writes: “We are the aroma of Christ to God,” but adds: “To some there is a aroma of death unto death, but to others a aroma of life unto life” (2 Cor. 2:15–16). Likewise, the prophetic word is a “fragrance” for believers, but for those who doubt and disbelieve and recognize themselves as subjects of Pharaoh, it becomes a deadly odor. But Moses himself says to the Lord: “For from the time I came to Pharaoh... he began to do worse to this people” (Ex. 5:23). There is no doubt that until the word of God is heard, until God's preaching is known, there are no misfortunes or temptations, for the war will not begin until the trumpet sounds. But as soon as the trumpet of the sermon gives the signal for the start of war, misfortunes begin and fierce battles break out. God's people begin to suffer from the moment Moses and Aaron come to speak with Pharaoh. From the moment the word of God enters your soul, a struggle between virtues and vices will inevitably begin within you. Until the word incriminating you reaches you, vices quietly remain in you; but as soon as the word of God begins to divide everything and everyone, great confusion arises in the soul, and endless war breaks out. “For what fellowship has righteousness with iniquity?” (2 Cor. 6:14), what is the agreement between justice and injustice, modesty and shamelessness, truth and lies? Therefore, let us not be too concerned that our “fragrance” seems disgusting to Pharaoh, for virtue is disgusting to vices. And just as Moses, as it is further said, stood before Pharaoh, let us stand against Pharaoh and will neither bow nor bend, but will stand, “having girded our loins with the truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:14-15). For the Apostle also calls us: “Stand fast in the freedom that Christ has given us, and do not be subjected again to the yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). And he also says: “We have gained access to the grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2). However, we stand firm if we pray to the Lord, so that He “set my feet on the rock and establish my steps” (Ps. 39:3), so that what the same prophet says about does not happen to us: “My feet almost shook, my feet almost slipped” (Ps. 72:2). So let us stand up against Pharaoh, in other words, we will resist him in battle, just as the Apostle Peter says: “Resist him with firm faith” (1 Pet. 5:9). And Paul says: “Stand in the faith, be courageous, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13). For if we stand firm, then what Paul prayed for his disciples will happen, saying: “The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20). And the longer we stand firm and adamant, the weaker and more infirm Pharaoh will be. If, on the contrary, we become weak-willed or begin to doubt, he will strengthen himself and resist us even more strongly. And truly the image of which Moses gave us will be fulfilled in us. “When Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed, and when he lowered his hands,” as if weakened by weariness, “Amalek prevailed” (Ex. 17:11). So let us also raise our hands in the power of the cross of Christ, “lifting up pure hands without anger and doubting” (1 Tim. 2:8), so that we may be worthy of the help of the Lord. For the Apostle James calls us to the same thing, saying: “Submit yourselves to God; Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). So let us go with full conviction that Satan will not only flee from us, but will also be crushed under our feet, just as Pharaoh was destroyed by the waves of the sea and swallowed up by the deep abyss. If we come out of the Egypt of vices, we will walk through the stormy waters of this world as through dry land, through Jesus Christ our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homilia IV. About the ten plagues that struck Egypt 1. We heard the story read to us, known throughout the world, which tells how Egypt, along with its king Pharaoh, was struck with great plagues of signs and wonders, so that he would restore freedom to the Jews, born of free parents and forcefully enslaved by him. The story of these events is so coherent that if you carefully examine its parts separately, you will find more that your mind will stop at in bewilderment than what it can find. And since it would take too long to analyze individual statements following the order of the story, we will briefly retell the content of this biblical story. So, the first sign was that “Aaron threw down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and he became a serpent” (Ex. 7:10). The gathered Egyptian sorcerers and sorcerers, with their spells, also made snakes from their rods, but the snake from Aaron’s rod swallowed up the Egyptian snakes. And what was supposed to amaze Pharaoh and make him believe had the opposite effect. The Scripture says: “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them” (Ex. 7:13). It says here “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened,” and the same is said when describing the first plague, when water turned into blood (cf. Ex. 7:22); and the second plague, when frogs came out in large numbers (Ex. 8:15); and the third, when the midges appeared (cf. Ex. 8:19); and the fourth, when many dog ​​flies swooped in (cf. Ex. 8:32); and the fifth, when all the Egyptian livestock died out (cf. Ex. 9:7). But in the sixth plague, when Moses took “ash from the furnace and... threw it towards heaven, and there was inflammation with boils on people and on livestock, and the wise men could not stand before Moses” (Ex. 9:10-11), it is not said that Pharaoh’s heart hardened, but something more terrible was added. The Scripture says: “The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses” (Ex. 9:12). And again in the seventh plague, when hail and fire devastated all of Egypt, “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened,” but not by the Lord. However, in the eighth, when the east wind brought locusts, it is again said that “the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh” (Ex. 10:20). And in the ninth, when “there was thick darkness throughout all the land of Egypt” (Exodus 10:22), “the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh” (Exodus 10:27). And finally, when the Jewish people came out of Egypt after all the firstborn of the Egyptians died, much later in the story it says: “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel” (Ex. 14:8). But when the Lord sent Moses from the land of Midian to Egypt, He commanded him to do all the miracles “before Pharaoh” and added: “I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go” (Ex. 4:21). Here the Lord said for the first time: “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.” The second time - when the leaders of Israel are listed, a little further on from the face of the Lord it is said: “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and show a multitude of My signs” (Ex. 7:3). 2. But if we believe in the Divinity of these writings and that they were written by the Holy Spirit, then I consider it unworthy to think about the Divine Spirit, supposing that in such a great work these differences are made by chance, and that in one place it is said: “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened,” and in another: “The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh,” is written, so to speak, arbitrarily. I confess that I am, of course, not fit or capable of penetrating through such differences into the secrets of Divine wisdom. I know, however, that the Apostle Paul, thanks to the indwelling Spirit of God, dared to affirm with confidence: “God has revealed these things to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). I believe that he is one of those who understands the difference between the phrases "Pharaoh's heart was hardened" and "The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart." Elsewhere he says: “Or do you neglect the riches of God’s goodness, meekness and long-suffering, not realizing that God’s goodness leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment from God” (Rom. 2:4-5). Here the Apostle undoubtedly condemns the one who has become hardened of his own free will. But in another place in this epistle, as if suggesting a question on this topic, he says: “Therefore, he has mercy on whomever he wants; and he hardens whomever he wants. You will tell me: “What else are you accusing me of? For who can resist His will?" And he adds to what has been said: “And who are you, man, that you argue with God?” (Rom.9:18-19). I think that with these words the Apostle answers the question of whom it is said that the Lord hardened him, not so much resolving this question as relying on apostolic authority. And due to the weakness of his listeners, he believes that the secret of answers should not be trusted to paper and ink, as he says in another message that he “heard unspeakable words, which it is impossible for a man to tell” (2 Cor. 12:4). Therefore, the great teacher, by the severity of his words, strives to restrain those who, out of idle curiosity, are overly carried away by secret questions, not so much for the sake of the reward from knowledge, but for the sake of knowledge itself, and says: “Who are you, man, that you argue with God? Will the product say to the one who made it: “Why did you make me?”” (Rom. 9:20) and so on. So let us be content with what we notice and consider, and show our listeners that much in the Divine law is immersed in deep mysteries, before which we must say with prayer: “Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O Lord” (Ps. 129:1). 3. I also think that it is necessary to take into account the following: sometimes it is said that Pharaoh or Egypt is defeated by Aaron, sometimes by Moses, and sometimes by the Lord Himself. Thus, in the first plague, when “all the water in the river turned to blood,” it is said that Aaron “raised his staff and struck the water of the river” (Ex. 7:20). The same is said in the second plague, when he stretched out his hand with his rod “over the waters of Egypt and brought up frogs” (Ex. 8:6), and in the third, when “Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the ground, and midges appeared on people and on cattle” (Ex. 8:16). Aaron is the instrument of these three strikes. But in the fourth it is said that the Lord made it so that “many dog ​​flies flew into the house of the Pharaohs” (Ex. 8:24). And in the fifth, when “all the cattle of Egypt died out,” it is also said that “the Lord did it” (Ex. 9:6). But in the sixth, Moses threw the ashes from the furnace “to heaven, and there was inflammation with boils on people and on livestock” (Ex. 9:10). And in the seventh, “Moses stretched out his staff to heaven, and the Lord caused thunder and hail, and fire poured out over the earth” (Ex. 9:23). In the eighth, too, “Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind over that land, which continued all that day and all night. The morning came, and the east wind brought down the locusts” (Ex. 10:13). And in the ninth, “Moses stretched out his hand to heaven, and there was thick darkness throughout all the land of Egypt” (Ex. 10:22). But in the tenth, both the intention and the execution were all done by the Lord. For it is said: “At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in prison, and all the firstborn of the livestock” (Ex. 12:29). 4. There is another difference here. In the first plague, when the water turned to blood, Moses was not told to go to Pharaoh, but was told: “He [Pharaoh] will come out to the water, you stand in his way, on the bank of the river” (Exodus 7:15), and in the second plague, after the first one was confidently and conscientiously committed, Moses was told: “Go to Pharaoh,” and upon entering, he says: “Thus says the Lord” (Exodus 8:1) and so on. And in the third, when the midges appeared, the wise men, who had previously resisted, surrendered, admitting that “this is the finger of God” (Ex. 8:19). In the fourth, Moses is also commanded: “Rise early tomorrow and appear before Pharaoh” (Ex. 8:20). In the fifth, when “all the livestock of Egypt died out” (Exodus 9:6), Moses was also told: “Go to Pharaoh” (Exodus 9:1). In the sixth, Pharaoh is already completely neglected, and Moses and Aaron are not commanded to go to him, because “the fire was on the wise men” (Ex. 9:10). In the seventh, when “the Lord caused thunder, hail, and fire to spread across the earth” (Exodus 9:23), Moses is commanded: “Tomorrow rise early and appear before Pharaoh” (Exodus 9:13). In the eighth, when the locusts attacked, he was told: “Go to Pharaoh.” In the ninth, Pharaoh is again treated with disdain and Moses is commanded: “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and there will be darkness in the land of Egypt, even darkness that can be touched” (Ex. 10:21). He does not go to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh already calls Moses (cf. Ex. 10:24). So it was in the tenth plague, when all the firstborn died and the people began to hastily prepare to leave Egypt. The text contains many other statements, in each of which one can see how Divine wisdom is revealed. You will see that in the first plague, when the waters turn to blood, Pharaoh does not yield and does not bow under the blows of God. But in the second, it is noticeable that he softened a little, because “he called Moses and Aaron and said: “Pray to the Lord for me, that He may remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people of Israel go” (Exodus 8:8). In the third plague, the sorcerers surrender and tell Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19). In the fourth, after being attacked by midges, Pharaoh says: “Sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but do not go far; pray to the Lord for me” (Ex. 8:28). In the fifth, when the loss of livestock occurred, Pharaoh not only did not yield, but, on the contrary, became even more embittered. The same thing happened after the sixth execution, when there was inflammation with abscesses. But in the seventh, when hail and fire devastated the land, it is said that “Pharaoh sent and lodged Moses and Aaron, and said to them: this time I have sinned; The Lord is righteous, but I and my people are guilty; pray to the Lord” (Exodus 9:27–28). In the eighth, when the locusts came, the text says: “Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you; Now forgive my sin once again and pray to the Lord your God” (Ex. 10:16–17). In the ninth, when darkness covered Egypt, it is said: “Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said: Go, serve the Lord your God” (Ex. 10:24). But now, in the tenth plague, when all the firstborn of men and beasts died, it is said: “And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron by night and said: Arise, come out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel, and go, serve the Lord, as you have said; Take both your flocks and your herds, as you said; and come and bless me. And the Egyptians urged the people to quickly send them out of that land; for they said, “We will all die” (Ex. 12:31–33). 5. Who is the man whom God filled with the same spirit that Moses and Aaron did when they performed these signs and wonders, so that, enlightened by this spirit, he could reason about what they did? I do not think that these various and varied wonderful deeds could be explained otherwise than by considering them by the same spirit by which they were accomplished, for the Apostle Paul says: “And the spirits of the prophets are obedient to the prophets” (1 Cor. 14:32). It is said, therefore, that the prophetic words are not “obedient” to everyone, and not everyone can explain them, but only a prophet. But since the same blessed Apostle commands us to imitate this grace, that is, the prophetic gift, although it is only partially available to us, saying: “Be zealous for spiritual gifts, especially to prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:1), let us try to become zealous for spiritual gifts and, if they already exist, to improve them, expecting the fullness of these gifts from the Lord. For this reason, the Lord says through the prophet: “Open your mouth, and I will fill it” (Ps. 80:11). Therefore, elsewhere in Scripture it is said: “He who strikes the eye causes tears, but he who strikes the heart arouses emotion” (Sir.22:21). So let us, so that out of despair we do not give in to complacency, which in no way builds the Church of God, let us briefly talk about what we can, and to the extent that our abilities allow us. 6. I think I have every reason to believe that Moses, who came to Egypt and struck it with ten plagues with his rod, is the law of God given to this world in order to strike and correct it with ten plagues, that is, the ten commandments. And the rod with which all this was accomplished - Egypt was subdued and Pharaoh was pacified - is the cross of Christ, with which this world and the “prince of this world” were defeated, and the principalities and powers were subjected to shame (cf. Col. 2:15). The significance of the rod being cast on the ground becoming a dragon or serpent and swallowing up the serpents of the Egyptian sorcerers, who "did the same with their enchantments" (Ex. 7:11), is shown in the Gospel statement where the serpent is said to symbolize wisdom or prudence. “Be wise as serpents,” says Scripture (Matthew 10:16); and also: “The serpent was smarter than all the animals on earth” (Gen. 3:1). Thus, the cross of Christ, the word about which seems foolishness (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18), this cross, which is in Moses, that is, in the law, as the Lord said: “He [Moses] wrote about Me” (John 5:46), this cross, I say, about which Moses wrote, thrown to the earth, in other words, when people believed in it, turned into wisdom so great that it swallowed up all the wisdom of the Egyptians, that is, this world. For look at how God turned “the wisdom of this world into foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:20) when he revealed “Christ crucified... the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:23–24), and now the whole world is ensnared by Him who “takes wisdom in their wickedness” (1 Cor. 3:19). The fact that the waters in the river are turned into blood also correlates quite well with this. First of all, it is true that the river into which the Jewish boys were thrown, brutally killing them, returns the bloody drink to the perpetrators of evil, and they are forced to drink blood from the poisoned stream, which they themselves desecrated with bloody murders. And so that nothing is lost from the allegorical laws, the water turns into blood, and the Egyptians are given their own blood to drink. The waters of Egypt are seductive and erroneous teachings of philosophers, which mislead those who are new to knowledge and those who lack understanding. And when the cross of Christ shows the light of truth to the world, these teachings must bear the penalties for the death of infants and for the guilt of their blood. For Christ Himself said: “Let all the righteous blood shed on earth come on you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah... Truly I say to you, all these things will come on this generation” (Matthew 35–36). I think that the second plague, when the toads appeared, allegorically refers to the songs of the poets, who, with their empty and pompous songs, present deceptive stories to this world, like the loud melodies of toads. For these animals are of no use, they only produce sharp, unpleasant sounds. After that the midges came. They fly through the air on their light wings, but are so small that they are almost invisible. However, when they land on a person and pierce him with a thin and sharp sting, he feels what he does not see in the air with his body. Therefore, I believe that these insects can best be compared with the art of dialectic, which pierces souls with insignificant and stinging words and so cleverly lures them that those caught by them do not see or understand the deception. In the fourth plague, I would compare the dog flies with the sect of the Cynics, who, among other vices of their deception, proclaim pleasure and fornication as the highest good. Thus the world was at first deceived by all this, and when the word and law of God come, they condemn the world with similar reproaches, so that from the nature of the punishments it might understand the nature of its sins. But in the fifth plague, Egypt is struck by the death of animals, livestock. This condemns the madness and lack of thought of mortals who, for example, worship irrational animals and depict gods in the form of figures not only of people, but also of animals, imprinted in wood and stone. They idolize Job Ammon in the form of a ram, Anubis in the form of a dog, Apis in the form of a bull and other animals that are revered as gods in Egypt. So they suffer cruel punishment in the death of those animals in which, as they believe, their gods live. Next, in the sixth plague, inflammation and abscesses follow. It seems to me that insidious festering malice is reproached by inflammations, swollen, bloated pride by boils, insane anger and recklessness by fever. To such an extent the image of their own vices determines the suffering in the world. 7. After these blows, thunder crashed from heaven, and there was “hail, and fire poured out over the earth” (Ex. 9:23). Pay attention to the measure of God's reproach - it does not fall silently, but makes thunder and sends down teaching from heaven so that the punished can realize his mistake. And he sends hail to kill the young, fragile sprouts of vices, and sends fire, knowing that “thorns and thistles” grow on the earth, which this fire must consume; about him the Lord says: “I have come to bring down fire on the earth” (Luke 12:49). This fire consumes the desire for pleasures and passions. The eighth plague talks about locusts. I think that this punishment exposes the fickleness of the human race, which is always in contradictions and disagreements. For, as the Scripture says, “the locusts have no king, but they all march forth in order” (Prov. 30:27), and people, although God has endowed them with intelligence, are unable to properly organize themselves, nor patiently endure the rule of God as a king. The ninth plague - darkness - is sent to the Egyptians either as a condemnation of the blindness of their minds, or so that they can understand the reasons why God's Providence is shrouded in a continuous veil. For God “made darkness His covering” (Ps. 17:12). And those who want to boldly and recklessly explore this darkness and distinguish one from the other fall into the “darkness” of delusions, thick and tangible. And finally, it is said about the death of the firstborn. There is, perhaps, something beyond our understanding that the Egyptians apparently did against “the church of the firstborn who are written in heaven” (Heb. 12:23). For this purpose, a destroying angel is sent, who spares only those who have both doorposts anointed with the blood of the lamb, and all the firstborn of the Egyptians is destroyed. We would say that they are either “principalities and powers” ​​and “rulers of the darkness of this world,” whom Christ, by His coming, “authoritatively put to shame,” that is, triumphed over them on the tree of the cross (cf. Col. 2:15; Eph. 6:12); or they are the creators in this world of false religions, which the truth of Christ destroyed and destroyed by its adherents. All this also has a mystical meaning. 8. But now, if we want to consider the moral side, then we will say that every soul in this world, while living in error and not knowing the truth, remains in Egypt. But if the law of God begins to approach this soul, it turns water into blood for it, in other words, turns the relaxed and fleeting life of youth into the blood of the Old and New Testaments. Then he removes from this soul empty and useless loquacity and complaints about God's Providence, similar to the croaking of frogs. He also cleanses her of bad thoughts and drives away mosquitoes, as if stinging with the causticity of wickedness. It also eliminates the torment of passions, reminiscent of the bites of flies, and destroys in the soul the lack of thought and misunderstanding of a person, “who is in honor and foolish, like animals” (Ps. 49:21). As for the pestilence of cattle, the law condemns the arrogant arrogance of the soul and exterminates the heat of madness in it. Next, he uses the sounds of the “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17), that is, the teachings of the Gospels and the apostles, sends down hail to restrain the luxury of pleasures, brings down punitive fire so that the soul can say: “Did not our heart burn within us?” (Luke 24:32). He also shows the example of locusts in the soul, which devours and absorbs all its restless and anxious movements, through which it is edified by what the Apostle Paul teaches: “Everything must be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40). And when such a soul abstains in order to grow morally, and begins to limit itself and strive to make its life blameless, when it sees the one inflicting these blows and realizes that “this is the finger of God” (Ex. 8:19), and gains some understanding, then it will see the darkness of its life, then it will feel the darkness of its errors. And when the soul comes to this, then it will deserve that the firstborn of the Egyptians be killed in it. I think this is roughly how it should be understood. When the soul reaches full age, a certain, so to speak, natural law will begin to operate in it, defending its rights and, undoubtedly, causing the first movements of the desires of the flesh, to which the soul is prompted by lust or anger. That is why the prophet says about Christ what is characteristic only of Him, but not of other people: “He will eat milk and honey until he understands to reject the bad and choose the good” (Is. 7:15). And another prophet, speaking about himself, said: “Do not remember the sins of my youth and my crimes” (Ps. 24:7). Thus, the first movements of the soul, caused by the impulses of the flesh, attracted to sin, in moral terms can rightly be represented as the firstborn of the Egyptians, who are killed if a person strives to lead a more perfect life until the end of his days. Therefore, the firstborn of Egypt are killed in that soul in which the Divine law accepted by it restrains and corrects its errors, unless, of course, after all this the soul wants to remain in unbelief and desires to join the people of Israel, so that it can emerge from the depths and continually grow in purity, but it remains in lawlessness and plunges, like a piece of lead, into stormy waters (cf. Zech. 5: 6-7). For lawlessness, according to the vision of the prophet, sits on the talent of lead. Therefore, the one who remains in lawlessness is said to sink into the depths like a “piece of lead.” Above, as we saw, it was clearly indicated that some miracles were performed by Aaron, others by Moses, and others by the Lord Himself. By these differences it is shown wherein we must be purified by the sacrifices of the priests and the prayers of the high priests, whom Aaron represents; in which we should be corrected by the knowledge of God's law, which Moses personifies. But in what is undoubtedly the most difficult, we need the strength of the Lord Himself. 9 . Do not think, however, that we said without any purpose that Moses does not first go to Pharaoh, but approaches him when he comes out to the water, and then comes to him, and after that does not enter Pharaoh, but approaches him when he comes out. I think this means that whether our battle with Pharaoh is carried out by the word of God or the instructions of the Church, or whether we are trying to wrest from his power the souls captured by him and are forced to fight him with the arguments of reason, we should not immediately rush to find out everything to the end when we first appear, but we should meet the enemy at his waters, and his waters are pagan philosophers. Therefore, first we must go there and meet with those who want to talk with us, so that we can show them where they are mistaken. Then one should deal with more complex subjects, for the Lord also says: “How can anyone enter the house of a strong man and plunder his things, unless he first binds the strong man?” (Matthew 12:29). As we see, first we must bind the “strong” man with chains of questions and then go in and plunder “his things” and free the souls that he has captured by insidious deception. If we do this often and struggle with it, then we stand, as the Apostle says: “Stand, having girded your loins with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14), and also: “Stand ye thus in the Lord” (Phil. 1:4), “be courageous and strong” (1 Cor. 16:13); when we confront him in this way, this ancient and cunning cunning pretends that he is defeated and surrendered if he sees that this makes us careless in the fight. He will also act out repentance and ask us to move away, but not to go far. He wants us to stay near him while pursuing his goals. But if we do not go far from him, cross the sea and say: “As far as the east is from the west, so He has removed our iniquities from us” (Ps. 102:12), then we cannot be saved. So let us appeal to the mercy of the Lord, so that He will lead us out of the land of Egypt, snatch us from the power of darkness and drown Pharaoh like a piece of lead in stormy waters. And let us, having been freed, sing a song to the Lord with joy and exultation, for to Him belongs honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Homilia V. On the Exodus of the Children of Israel from the Land of Egypt 1. The Apostle Paul, teacher of “the Gentiles in faith and truth” (1 Tim. 2:7), instructs the Church, gathered from the Gentiles, in how to understand the books of the law, which came from others, were previously unknown to the Gentiles and seemed very strange to them. He feared that the Church, having received instructions from outside and not knowing their principles, would become entangled in writings alien to it. Therefore, he gives examples of interpretation so that we can see something similar in other places of Scripture and do not think that by imitating the examples of the Jewish scriptures we will become his disciples. He seeks to distinguish between the disciples of Christ and the disciples of the synagogue according to how they understand the law. The Jews, misinterpreting it, did not accept Christ. We, understanding the law spiritually, believe that it was given for the edification of the Church. Thus, the Jews only understand that “the children of Israel set out” from Egypt, and the first starting point was Rameses, and, leaving there, they came “to Succoth” (Ex. 12:37). Then “the children of Israel moved from Succoth and pitched in Etham” (Ex. 13:20), by the sea. Then they realize that the pillar of cloud is leading them, and they drink water from the rock (cf. Ex. 17:6). Having crossed the Red Sea, “the whole congregation of the children of Israel comes into the wilderness of Sin” (Ex. 16:1). Let's see what method of interpretation of these events the Apostle Paul offers us. Addressing the Corinthians, he says: “Our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and everyone ate the same spiritual food; and they all drank the same spiritual drink: for they drank from the spiritual stone that followed; and the stone was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:1–4). Do you see how Paul's teaching differs from the literal meaning? What the Jews see as crossing the sea, the Apostle calls baptism; in the fact that for them there is a pillar of cloud, Paul sees the Holy Spirit. He wants all this to be understood in the same way as the Lord teaches in the Gospels: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). And manna, which the Jews considered food to fill the belly, Paul calls spiritual food (cf. 1 Cor. 10:3). And not only Paul, but the Lord Himself speaks about the same thing in the Gospel: “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and died; and the bread that comes down from heaven is such that whoever eats it will not die” (John 6:49–50). And then he says: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:51). Again, Paul states unequivocally that everyone “drank from the spiritual follow-up stone; and the stone was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4). So what should we do, having received such rules of interpretation from the Apostle Paul, a teacher of the Church? Should we not apply these rules handed down to us in the same way to other passages of Scripture? Or should we, as some would like, having rejected what the great Apostle instructs us, turn again to “Jewish fables” (Titus 1:14)? It seems to me that if in this I deviate from Paul, then I will give a hand to the opponents of Christ, and it will turn out, as the prophet says: “Woe to you, who serve your neighbor drink laced with your malice” (Hab. 2:15). Let us then cultivate the seeds of spiritual understanding received from the blessed Paul, to the extent that the Lord deigns to enlighten us through our prayers. 2. So, the text says: “And the children of Israel departed from Rameses to Succoth” (Exodus 12:37), “and they moved from Succoth and pitched in Etham, at the end of the desert” (Exodus 13:20). If someone is going to leave Egypt, if he wants to reject the dark deeds of this world and the darkness of delusions, he must first of all leave Rameses. "Raamses" means "flying moths". Leave Rameses if you want to come to Succoth and so that the Lord will lead you and go before you in a pillar of cloud and a stone can follow you, giving “spiritual food” and “spiritual drink” (1 Cor. 10: 3–4). Do not lay up for yourself “treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matt. 6:19). In the Gospels, the Lord clearly says: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). This means leaving Rameses and following Christ. Now let's see what kind of camps these are where they come from Rameses. And they came to Succoth. The name Succoth means "tents" among the Jews. Therefore, when, having left Egypt, you drive out every moth of corruption from yourself and cast off the attraction to vices, you will settle in tents, “for we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed” (2 Cor. 5:4). Staying in tents shows that those who strive for God are free and do not encounter obstacles on their path. However, you should not stay there for long; you need to leave there and move the camp from Succoth to Etham. They say that “Etham” is translated into our language as “signs for them.” And this is correct, for here you will hear what is said: “The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, showing them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, giving them light, that they might go both day and night” (Ex. 13:21). You will not find this either in Rameses or in Succoth, which was named the second destination for those who came out of Egypt. Divine signs occur in the third camp. Remember what we read above, when Moses said to Pharaoh: “Let us go into the wilderness for a three-day journey to sacrifice to the Lord our God” (Ex. 5:3). These were the very three days that Moses insisted on and which Pharaoh opposed, for he said: “Just do not go far” (Exod. 8:28). Pharaoh did not allow the children of Israel to reach the place of signs; he did not allow them to withdraw so far that they would fully penetrate into the secrets of the third day. Listen to what the prophet says: “He [the Lord] will revive us in two days, and on the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before Him” (Hosea 6:2). The first day is the day of the Savior’s Passion, the second is the day of His descent into the underworld, the third is the day of the Resurrection (cf. Matthew 16:21). Therefore, it was on the third day that “the Lord walked before them by day in a pillar of cloud, showing them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, giving them light, that they might go day and night” (Ex. 13:21). But if, according to what was said above, the Apostle rightly teaches us that these words contain the sacrament of baptism (cf. 1 Cor. 10:2), it is necessary that “all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death... we were buried with Him by baptism into death” (Rom. 6:3-4) and rose with Him from the dead on the third day, those whom, according to the Apostle, “God... raised with Him, and seated him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Therefore, when you accept the mystery of the third day, God will guide you and Himself will show you the path of salvation. 3. But let's look at what was said after this to Moses about which path he should choose. It is said: “Tell the children of Israel to turn and camp before Epauleaus, between Migdol and between the sea, before Baalzephon” (Ex. 14:2). These names are interpreted as follows. "Epauleus" means "winding rise"; “Migdol” – “tower”; and “Baal-Zephon” means “raising a watchtower” or “possessing a watchtower.” Perhaps you will think that God shows the path that is smooth and easy, and certainly not presenting any difficulties. It's an uphill and winding climb. For the one who strives for virtue does not go downhill, but overcomes the ups with great difficulties. Listen also to what the Lord says in the Gospel about how “strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life” (Matthew 7:14). See to what extent the gospel agrees with the law. The law states that the path of virtue is a winding climb. The Gospel says that “strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life.” Even a blind man will clearly see that the law and the Gospels were written by the same Spirit. Therefore, the path that the children of Israel follow is a winding ascent and “the ascent of the watchtower” or “possession of the watchtower.” The ascent relates to works, the watchtower to faith. Thus it is shown that both in faith and in deeds one must work hard. There are many temptations and many obstacles on the path of one who wants to do deeds pleasing to God. On the path of faith you will encounter many winding paths, many questions, many objections from heretics, many contradictions from unbelievers. This is the way of one who follows God. But there is also a tower on this path. What kind of tower is this? Of course, the one about which the Lord said in the Gospel: “Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, whether he has what it takes to complete it” (Luke 14:28). So, this tower is an exalted seat of virtues. But listen to what Pharaoh says when he sees this: “They have gone astray” (Ex. 14:3). According to Pharaoh, those who follow God are lost because, as we said, the path of wisdom is tortuous, with many turns, obstacles and bends. For when you confess one God and recognize in this one God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, how complex, inexplicable and confusing this seems to the unbeliever! Then, when you say: “The God of glory” (Ps. 28:3) and the Son of Man “who came down from heaven” (John 6:33) was crucified, how difficult and strange it will seem! The one who hears this, if he does not accept it with faith, will say that “they are lost”; but you remain steadfast and do not doubt this faith, knowing that God is showing you this path of faith. For He Himself said: “Come out from Ephem and encamp before Epauleaus, between Migdol and between the sea, before Baalzephon” (Ex. 14:2). Therefore, when you flee from Egypt, you will come to these places, you will approach these ascents in deeds and in faith; you will come to the tower building; You will also come to the sea, and the waves will crash on you. For it is impossible to travel the path of life without avoiding waves of temptation, just as the Apostle Paul says: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). And Job also states: “Is not a person’s life on earth a test?” ( Job 7:1 ). So this is what it means to come to the sea. 4. But if, following Moses, that is, the law of God, you follow this path, then the Egyptians will pursue and persecute you. Look what's happening. It is said: “And the angel of God, who walked before the camp of the [sons of] Israel, moved and went behind them; The pillar of cloud also moved from before them and stood behind them; and he entered into the midst between the camp of Egypt and the camp of the children of Israel” (Ex. 14:19–20). For the people of God, the “pillar of cloud” becomes a wall; it raises darkness and darkness before the Egyptians. That is why the pillar of fire did not pass over to the Egyptians, so that they would not see the light, but would remain in darkness, for “they loved the darkness rather than the light” (John 3:19). And therefore, if you leave the Egyptians and break free from the power of demons, look what great God’s help is prepared for you, what great helpers will assist you. This help is enough for you to remain strong in your faith, so that “all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and the horsemen, and all his army” (Ex. 14:9) do not frighten you, so that you do not cry out against Moses, the law of God, and you do not say, like some of the Israelites: “Are there no graves in Egypt, because you brought us to die in the desert? What did you do to us when you brought us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt, saying: leave us, let us work for the Egyptians? For it is better for us to be slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness” (Ex. 14:11–12). These are the words of a soul weakening in temptation. But who is so blessed and can throw off the burden of temptations that doubt cannot creep into his mind? Look at the majestic foundation of the Church, its solid stones on which Christ founded the Church. The Lord says: “You of little faith! Why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31). And since they say: “It is better for us to be in slavery to the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness” (Ex. 14:12), then they utter words of corruption and temptation. But this is not true; It is better to “die in the wilderness” than “to be in bondage to the Egyptians,” for the one who died in the wilderness, precisely because he separated from the Egyptians and removed himself from “the darkness of this world” (Eph. 6:12) and fled from the power of Satan, has a certain measure of impeccability, even if he did not achieve perfection. For it is better for one who seeks a perfect life to die on the path than not to strive for perfection at all. Therefore, those who, explaining the exorbitantly steep path of virtue and listing its many difficulties, dangers and threats, themselves decide not to set foot on it, are mistaken. However, it is much better if I die along the way, if necessary, than to die left with the Egyptians, swallowed up by the stormy salt waves. Meanwhile, Moses cries out to the Lord. How does he cry? Not a sound is heard coming from his mouth, and yet God says to him: “Why are you crying out to Me?” ( Ex. 14:15 ). I would like to know how the saints cried out to God without uttering a sound. The Apostle teaches: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: “Abba, Father!”” (Gal. 4:6). And he adds: “The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be expressed” (Rom. 8:26). And again: “He who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27). Thus, when the Holy Spirit intercedes according to the will of God, He hears the silent cry of the saints. 5. What happens next? The Lord commands Moses to strike the sea with his rod so that it divides and recedes, “and the children of Israel shall pass through the midst of the sea on dry land” (Ex. 14:16), because the elements are obedient to God’s will. And when the waters, which the servants of God feared, became “a wall on the right hand and a wall on the left hand” (Ex. 14:29), they were no longer an instrument of destruction, but a defense. And the water gathered in one place, and the bridled wave bent inward. The liquid became hard, and the seabed became dry, like dust. Pay attention to the goodness of God the Creator. If you fulfill His will, if you follow His law, He forces the elements themselves to serve you even contrary to their own nature. I have heard of an ancient tradition of holding that in this parting of the sea a separate way was opened for each tribe of the children of Israel, and this is confirmed by what is said in the Psalter: “He divided the Red Sea to divide” (Ps. 136:13). This suggests that there was not just one division, but several. The following statement also appears to list separate paths for each tribe: “Benjamin the younger is their prince; the princes of Judah are their rulers, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali” (Ps. 67:28). I think that an attentive researcher should not pass over in silence such things as were noticed by the ancients in the Divine Scripture. So what do we learn from these words? We have already noted above how the Apostle understands all this. He believes that “all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:2), that you, who were baptized “into Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:3) with water and the Holy Spirit, know that the Egyptians are pursuing you and want to return you to their service. They, of course, are the “rulers of the darkness of this world” and the “spirits of wickedness” (Eph. 6:12), whom you served before. They try to overtake you, but you go down into the waters and emerge from them unharmed, and the abomination of sin is washed away from you. You arise as a new man (cf. Eph. 2:15; 4:24), ready to sing “a new song to the Lord” (Is. 42:10). And the Egyptians who are pursuing you are drowning in the abyss, even if they ask Jesus not to send them into the abyss (cf. Luke 8:31). However, these words can be interpreted in another way. If you have fled from Egypt, if you leave the darkness of ignorance and follow Moses, the law of God, when the sea becomes an obstacle to you and waves of objections fall upon you, strike them with the rod of Moses, that is, the word of the law, and by unceasing vigilance in the Scriptures and disputes with opponents, open the way for yourself. And immediately the waves will subside, and the raging waters will recede before the victors. And those who just recently resisted will freeze in silent delight, surprise and admiration, and you will walk the right path of faith with correct reasoning and will be granted such an understanding of the word of teaching that your listeners, instructed by the rod of the law, themselves, like rising waves, will rise up against the Egyptians and will not only resist them, but will overcome and crush them. For he who does not do the “works of darkness” (Rom. 13:12) destroys the Egyptians; the Egyptians are also crushed by those who live not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit; The Egyptians are also crushed by those who either throw out all base and unclean thoughts from their hearts, or do not accept them at all, just as the Apostle teaches: “Take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). Thus, today we will see “the Egyptians dead on the seashore” (Ex. 14:30), and their horsemen and chariots drowned. We may even see Pharaoh himself drowned if we live in such strong faith that “the God of peace will crush Satan under our feet” (Rom. 16:20) soon through Jesus Christ our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homilia VI. About the song that Moses sang with the people, and Miriam with the women 1. In Divine Scripture we find many songs. But of all of them, this is the first song that God's people sang after they defeated the Egyptians and Pharaoh was drowned. As usual, saints sing a song of thanksgiving to God when the enemy is defeated, for they know that victory was achieved not by their strength, but by the grace of God. When they sang, they took timbrels in their hands, as in the case of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron (cf. Ex. 15:20). And therefore, if you cross the Red Sea, if you see the Egyptians drowned in the sea, Pharaoh crushed and thrown into the depths of the abyss, you will be able to sing a hymn to God; you will be able to utter words of praise and say: “I sing to the Lord, for He is exalted in glory 2; he cast his horse and rider into the sea” (Ex. 15:1). However, you will do this better if you have a tympanum in your hands, if you have crucified “the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24) and if you have put to death your earthly members (cf. Col. 3:5). Let's see, however, what the text says. “I sing to the Lord, for He is exalted in glory.” And as if it were not enough to say that “He was exalted,” it is added “He was exalted in glory.” It seems to me that we can assume that “exalted” is one thing, and “exalted in glory” is another. For my Lord Jesus Christ, when for the sake of our salvation he took flesh from the Virgin, he was exalted, since he “came to seek and save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11). However, He was not exalted in glory. For it is said about Him: “In Him there is neither form nor greatness; and we saw Him, and there was no appearance in Him that would attract us to Him. He was despised and humbled before men” (Isa. 53:2-3). He was exalted when he went to the cross and suffered death. Do you want to know that He was exalted? He Himself said: “Father! The hour has come, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You” (John 17:1). Therefore, even suffering on the cross was glory for Him, but this exaltation was not in glory, but humble. For it is said about Him: “He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross” (Phil. 2:8). The Prophet also predicted about Him: “We will condemn Him to a dishonorable death” (Wis.2:20). And the prophet Isaiah says about Him: “For the crimes of My people I suffered execution” (Is. 53:8). In all this the Lord was glorified, and He was exalted, but He did not exalt in glory, but as if humbly. But since “Christ must suffer and enter into His glory” (Luke 24:26), “when He comes in His glory and the Father and the holy angels” (Luke 9:26) “to judge the earth” (Ps. 95:13), when He “kills” the real Pharaoh, that is, the devil, “with the breath of His mouth” (2 Thess. 2:8), when will shine “in the glory of His Father” (Mark 8:38) and after coming in humility will show us the Second Coming in glory, the Lord will not only be exalted, but exalted in glory, “so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father” (John 5:23). 2. “He threw his horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my glory, He has been my salvation” (Ex. 15:1–2). The people pursuing us are horses, and all those born in the flesh, figuratively speaking, are horses, and they have their own riders. There are horses on which the Lord sits, and they travel around the whole earth; about such it is said: “Thou hast ascended upon Thy horses, upon Thy chariots of salvation” (Hab. 3:8). There are, however, horses whose riders are the devil and his angels. Judas was a horse, and as long as the Lord sat on him, he was part of the cavalry of salvation. Sent with the other apostles, he healed “every disease and every disease” (Matthew 10:1). But when he submitted himself to the devil - for "after this piece Satan entered into him" (John 13:27) - the devil became his rider, and when he began to obey his reins, he opposed our Lord and Savior. Therefore, all who pursue the saints are neighing horses, and their riders are evil angels who control them, which is why they are so unbridled. And if you ever happen to see your persecutor being too fierce, know that he is being driven by a demon and that is why he is so fierce. So, the Lord “threw his horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my glory, He was my salvation. He is my God, and I will glorify Him; God of my father, and I will exalt Him” (Ex. 15:1–2). He is “my God” and “the God of my father.” Our father, who created and gave birth to us, is Christ. He Himself says: “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:17). Thus, if I know that God is “my God,” I glorify Him. But if I also know that He is “the God of my father,” Christ, then I will exalt Him, for the highest understanding is how Christ, in order to connect together and defend the truth about the one God, says that He Whom He calls Father is by nature His God. “The Lord is a man of war, the Lord is His name” (Ex. 15:3). I don’t want you to think that the Lord is a man of only visible warfare. He is also the husband of the battle that we wage “not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Eph. 6:12). For “His name is Lord,” and there is no creation of which He is not Lord. 3. “Pharaoh's chariots [drawn by four horses] 3 and his army he cast into the sea, and his chosen captains were drowned in the Red Sea” (Ex. 15:4). Pharaoh, as the most powerful villain and ruler of the kingdom of evil, drives a chariot “drawn by four horses.” It is not enough for him to sit on one, he rules several at the same time; with blows of his whip he drives several at once. Know that all those who shamefully wallow in luxury, rage in cruelty, disgustingly indulge in greed, are shameless in wickedness, are horses harnessed to Pharaoh’s chariot. He sits on them; he has harnessed them to his chariot and is rushing towards them. He rules them, loosening the reins, and rushes at them across the expanses of depravity. Others are “chosen military leaders,” undoubtedly chosen for atrocities. We talked about horsemen above, and now let's see who the military leaders are 4. It seems to me that “military leaders” are mentioned here because people can sin in three ways: in deed, in word and in thought. Therefore, those who are responsible in us for each of these types of sins are called “commanders.” They constantly watch us and act very skillfully, so that one can induce some unfortunate person to say an evil word, another - force him to commit an ungodly act, a third - instill an evil thought. So it is said about the seed of the word of God that it perishes in three places. “Some fell along the road”, and people passing by trampled it, “some fell among thorns”, and it drowned it out, “some fell on rocky places.” And, on the contrary, it is said that the seed that fell “on the good ground” bore fruit expressed in three quantitative forms: “one a hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty” (Matthew 13:4-8), for good can only be done in three ways: “in deed, word and thought.” And the Apostle, when he says: “Does anyone build on this foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones,” indicates three-part goodness. And then the apostle lists three types of committing evil when he adds: “wood, hay, straw” (1 Cor. 3:12). Thus, these “commanders” are the evil angels from Pharaoh’s army who stand in our way and try to lead us into sin in these three ways. The Lord will drown these military leaders in the Red Sea and on the day of judgment will plunge them into the waves of fire, and will cover them with a sea of ​​\u200b\u200bpunishment if you, following God, free yourself from their power. 4. “The depths covered them: they went down into the depths like a stone” (Ex. 15:5). Why “they went into the depths like stones”? Because they were not those stones from which God can “raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9), but those who love the depths and are drawn to the liquid element, in other words, who strive for the transitory pleasures of this world. That is why it is said about them: “They sank like lead in great waters” (Ex. 15:10). They are great sinners. For iniquity is depicted in the book of the prophet Zechariah as sitting on a piece of lead when he says: “And behold, a piece of lead was lifted up, and there sat one woman... And he said: This woman is wickedness itself” (Zechariah 5:7-8). It follows that the wicked sank into the depths, “like lead, into great waters” (Ex. 15:5, 10). However, the saints do not submerge, but walk on the waters, for they are light and are not pulled down by the burden of sins. Our Lord and Savior walked on the waters, for He truly knew no sin. His disciple, Peter, also walked on water, although he hesitated somewhat, for he was not as great as those in whom there is no lead. It was present in Petra, albeit in small quantities. Therefore, the Lord said to him: “You of little faith! Why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31). Thus the one who is saved is saved by fire, so that if by any means there is lead left in him, it is melted and separated by the action of the fire, so that the whole of him becomes pure gold, for it is said that the “gold of the earth” which the saints will find is pure. And just as gold is tested in a furnace, so saints are tested by temptations. Therefore, everyone must come to the fire; everyone must come to the melting furnace, for “[the Lord] will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and like silver” (Mal. 3:3). But when someone comes to this place, bringing a lot of good deeds and a little iniquity, this little is separated by fire, like lead, it is purified, and only pure gold remains in it. And if someone brings with him a lot of lead, more is smelted, so that he himself becomes much smaller, and even if there is very little gold in him, it is still purified. If someone comes to this place completely consisting of only lead, then what has been said will happen to him: he will plunge “like lead in great waters” (Ex. 15:10). But if you explain everything in order, it will take a lot of time. It will be enough to look at just a few points. 5. It further says: “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who, like You, is majestic in holiness, worthy of praise, Creator of miracles? ( Ex. 15:11 ). In the words “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods,” God is not compared either to pagan idols or to demons who appropriated the name of gods to themselves, but refers to those gods who are called gods by grace and communion with God. The Scripture also says about these gods: “I said: you are gods” (Ps. 82:6), and also: “God stood in the assembly of gods” (Ps. 82:1). And although they received divinity from God and, apparently, received this title by the grace of God, nevertheless, none of them compares with God either in strength or nature. Although the Apostle John says: “We are now children of God; but it has not yet been revealed what we will be. We only know that when it is revealed, we will be like Him” (1 John 3:2) - to the Lord, of course - this similarity does not refer to nature, but to grace. For example, we say that a portrait resembles the person whose image is depicted in the painting. And in terms of appearance, they say that this image is similar, but in terms of essence it is very different. For a painting is an image of the flesh and beauty of a living body, it is the result of the ability to place wax and paint on the canvas and is devoid of sensuality. So no one is “like You, Lord, among the gods,” for there is not one who is invisible, not one who is incorporeal, not one who is unchangeable, not one without beginning and end, not one creator of everything except the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 6. “Thou hast stretched out Thy right hand; the earth has swallowed them up” (Ex. 15:12). The earth still swallows up the wicked. Or don’t you think that the earth swallows up the one who always thinks about earthly things, who has eternal earthly concerns, who only talks about earthly things, argues about earthly things, desires earthly things, and pins all his hopes on earthly things? Does not the earth swallow up the one who does not turn his gaze to heavenly things, who does not think about the future, who does not fear God’s judgment and does not want to gain His promises of bliss, but all the time thinks only about the present and desires only earthly things? When you see such a one, say: “The earth has swallowed him up.” And when you see someone unrestrainedly indulging in the pleasures of the flesh and bodily pleasures, for whom the soul is of no value, but he is completely dominated by carnal passions, say about him: “The earth has swallowed him up.” However, I am somewhat alarmed by what is said in the text: “You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them up.” It was as if the earth had swallowed them up only because the Lord had extended His right hand. If you consider how the Lord, lifted up on the cross, “stretched out” His hands “all day long to a disobedient people” (Is. 65:2) and how His death overthrew the unbelievers, shouting: “Crucify, crucify Him!” (Luke 23:21), for their crimes, you will clearly see how He stretched out His right hand and the earth swallowed them up. One should not, however, fall into complete despair, for it is possible that if someone who has been swallowed up by the earth somehow comes to his senses, he may be cast out, like the prophet Jonah (cf. Jonah 2:11). I also think that at one time the earth cast out from its deepest depths all those of us whom it had swallowed up, and for this reason our Lord not only descended to the earth, but also descended “into the lowest places of the earth” (Eph. 4:9). And there He found us swallowed up and “sitting in darkness and the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79). And, having brought us out from there, He prepares a place for us not on earth, so that it does not swallow us up again, but in the Kingdom of Heaven. 7. “Thou leadest by Thy mercy this people whom Thou hast redeemed; Thou hast accompanied with Thy power into the habitation of Thy holiness” (Ex. 15:13). The Lord leads His people with His mercy, whom He freed through the “wash of regeneration” (Titus 3:5). He also comforts them with the comfort of the Holy Spirit and leads them to the “dwelling place of holiness.” For the hope of future blessings gives peace to those who work, just as the hope of receiving a conqueror's crown softens the pain of the wounds of those who participate in the competition of athletes. 8. “The nations heard and were angry: terror seized the inhabitants of the Philistines; Then the princes of Edom were troubled, trembling seized the leaders of Moab, and all the inhabitants of Canaan were saddened” (Ex. 15:14–15). From this account it is clear that none of these peoples were present when the miracles were performed. How then do the Moabites, Edomites and the other nations listed tremble with fear, or, as the text says, “trembling seized them”, or “were angry”? But if we return to spiritual understanding, we see that the inhabitants of the Philistines, that is, the people who fell, and the people of Edom, which means “earthly,” are in confusion, and their princes are fussing and trembling, seized with horror when they see that their kingdoms are in hell, where He who “descended first into the depths of the earth” (Eph. 4:9) has invaded to snatch them from the clutches of death. those she captured. Therefore, he found “fear and horror upon them,” for they felt the “greatness of His arm” (Ex. 15:16). Therefore, “all the inhabitants of Canaan”, which is translated as “fickle”, “fickle”, “were depressed” when they saw that their kingdom was shaken and the strong one was bound, and its things were plundered (cf. Matt. 12:29). And let “fear and horror fall upon them because of the greatness of His arm” (Ex. 15:16). Why do demons tremble? What are they afraid of? Undoubtedly, the cross of Christ, by which they were defeated, and their principalities and powers were taken away (cf. Col. 2:15). So, “fear and horror” attack them when they see the sign of the cross firmly established in us, and the “greatness of His arm” stretched out on the cross, as it is said: “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient people” (Is. 65:2). Therefore, otherwise they will not be afraid of you, and fear and horror will not come upon them, if they do not see the cross of Christ in you, if you cannot say: “I do not want to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). 9 . “Let them be as dumb as a stone while Thy people pass by, O Lord, while this people which Thou hast purchased pass by” (Ex. 15:16). To turn into stone does not mean to become a stone by nature, but to turn into something that was not originally. We say this for those who argue that Pharaoh or the Egyptians were evil by nature and did not come to this state by their own free will, and for those who accuse the Creator God of cruelty for turning people into stones 5 . So let them, before blaspheming, carefully consider what is written. For it is not said: “Let them become like stones,” and that’s all, but the time is set, and the measure of condemnation is determined. For it is said: “As long as Your people pass by,” which certainly indicates that after the people pass by, they will no longer be “like stones.” I think there is a prophecy hidden here. For I see that the people who were before us have become unbelieving and hard-hearted, “like stones,” but not to such an extent as to remain among stones by nature, but “as long as Your people pass by, O Lord, until this people that You have purchased pass by,” for “blindness has taken possession of Israel in part”—Israel according to the flesh—“until the time when the full number of the Gentiles is come in” (Rom. 11:25). For when “the full number of the Gentiles come in,” then “all Israel,” which, due to unbelief and hardness of heart, became “like stones,” will “be saved” (Rom. 11:25–26). It is said: “God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones” (Matthew 3:9). They remain stones even now, “until Your people pass by, O Lord, until this people which You have purchased pass by” (Ex. 15:16). But since the Lord Himself is the creator of everything, we must consider in what sense it is said that He acquired what, without a doubt, belongs to Him. This is also spoken of in another song in Deuteronomy: “Is not this your Father, who purchased you, made you, and formed you?” (Deut.32:6). It is obvious to everyone that one is acquiring something that was not one’s own. On this basis, heretics claim that the Savior “acquired” those who were not His; for a set price He bought the people created by the Creator. And, according to them, apparently everyone is buying something that is not their own. And the Apostle says: “You were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 7:23). But listen to what the prophet said: “You were sold for your sins, and your mother was forgiven for your transgressions” (Is. 50:1). So, you see that we are all creations of God, but each is sold for his sins and for his crimes is removed from his Creator. Thus, we belong to God because we were created by Him. But we became slaves of the devil because we were sold for our sins. However, Christ came and “redeemed us” (Gal. 3:13) when we served the master to whom we sold ourselves with our sins. And therefore it seems that He restored to Himself, as His own, those whom He had created; acquired as people who belonged to another, those who through their sins found themselves another master. Perhaps it is truly said that Christ, who gave His blood as the price for us, ransomed us. But then what price did the devil pay to buy us? Pay attention to this. Murder is the devil's money, for “he was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). Committed a murder - received the devil's money. Adultery is the devil’s money, for it bears his “image and inscription” (Matthew 22:20). Committed adultery - received a coin from the devil. Theft, perjury, greed, malice - all this is the property and treasury of the devil, for such money is minted at his mint. And with this money he buys those whom he buys, and turns them all into slaves, who receive only a small coin from this kind of wealth. But I am afraid that the devil, secretly from us, is buying some of those who are in the Church, and may give the money that we spoke about above to some of us, thus making them his own again, and again write for them slave papers and promissory notes of sin and confuse those converted at the cost of sin into his slaves with the servants of God. And since he is an “enemy,” he is no stranger to sowing “tares among the wheat” (Matthew 13:25). Nevertheless, if someone, deceived by the devil, accepts such money, he is not yet hopeless, for “the Lord is merciful and generous” (Ps. 110:4) and does not want the death of His creation, “but that the sinner should turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11). And let him, through repentance, tears, and alms, undo what he has done. For the prophet says: “Turn to Me and you will be saved” (Is. 45:22). We have deviated somewhat from our narrative, wanting to explain why it is said that God “acquires” what belongs to Him, and those whom the devil bought cheaply for their sins are redeemed with the “precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:19). 10. “Bring him in and plant him on the mountain of Your heritage” (Ex. 15:17). God does not want to plant us in Egypt or in low, despised places, but He wants to plant those whom He plants “on the mountain of His inheritance.” Besides, don’t you think that the words “bring him in and plant him” are spoken as if about children who are led to school, led to learn, led to be edified? Understand from this, if you have ears to hear how God plants, so that when you hear that He introduces and plants, you do not think that He plants fig trees or sticks branches into the ground. Listen to how in another place the prophet speaks of what God plants: “You brought the vine out of Egypt, drove out the nations and planted it; He cleared a place for it, and established its roots, and it filled the earth. The mountains were covered with its shadow, and its branches were like the cedars of God” (Ps. 79:9-11). Do you see now how God plants and where he plants? He plants not in the lowlands, but on the mountains, in high places. He does not want to resettle in the lowlands those whom he brought out of Egypt, whom he led from the world to faith, but wants their way of life to be elevated. He wants us to live in the mountains, precisely in these mountains, and not crawl on the ground; He does not want the clusters of His vines to lie on the ground, but He wants the sprouts of the grapes to strive upward and be located in elevated places. He wants the vines to twine not with low trees, but with the tall cedars of God. I think that the “cedars of God” are prophets and apostles. If we join them like the vine that God brought out of Egypt, and our shoots spread out in their branches and, resting on them, we become like vines, intertwined and united with each other by bonds of love, then we will undoubtedly bear much fruit. For “every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:9). 11. “In the place which You have made Your dwelling place, O Lord” (Exodus 15:17). Look how good and merciful the Lord is. He does not want you to bother, He does not want you to build your own home, but He brings you to the home that He has already made. Listen to how the Lord says in the Gospel: “Others labored, but you entered into their labor” (John 4:38). 12. “In the sanctuary which Thy hands have made” (Ex. 15:17). It is said that the sanctuary of God is His tabernacle, or church, since it sanctifies those who enter into it - “not a sanctuary made with hands” (Heb. 9:24), but “which the hands of God formed” (Ex. 15:17). Why? Because God plants and builds us, He is made a vinedresser and a builder, so that you will not need anything. Listen to Paul: “You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:9). What then is a “sanctuary,” not “made with hands,” but “made by the hands” of God? Listen to what is said in the book of Proverbs: “Wisdom has built herself a house” (Prov. 9:1). I think, however, that it is more correct to understand this through the incarnation of the Lord. For the church of His body is not made by hands, formed in the Virgin not by man, but, as the prophet Daniel foretold: “A stone was cut out of the mountain without the help of hands” and “became a great mountain” (Dan. 2:34-35). In other words, the “sanctuary” of the body was taken and torn away from the mountain of human nature and the substance of the flesh “without the assistance of hands,” that is, without human participation. 13. “The Lord will reign forever and ever and ever” (Exodus 15:18) 6. When it says “forever,” it indicates a period of time that has an end. If it is said “in the next century,” then, undoubtedly, a larger time interval is implied, which also ends. When it is said “forever and ever,” a limit is set, although perhaps unknown to us, but nevertheless set by God. But this verse adds “and more.” And there is no longer any feeling of end or limit. For no matter what time you think of as the end, the prophetic word always says: “And again”; as if addressing you, it proclaims: “Do you think that the Lord will reign forever and ever?” "And more". “Do you think that He will reign forever and ever?” "And more". And no matter what you say about the duration of His reign, the prophet always tells you: “And more.” 14. “When Pharaoh’s horses with his chariots and his horsemen entered the sea, the Lord turned the waters of the sea against them, and the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea” (Exodus 15:19). If you are the “children of Israel,” then you can walk “on dry ground in the midst of the sea.” If you find yourself “among a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world, containing the word of life,” it may happen that when you pass among sinners, their waters will not fall on you; Perhaps, when you walk through the world, bursts of lust will not splash you, and waves of passions will not cover you. The Egyptians who follow Pharaoh will drown in the waters of vice. But for the one who follows Christ and walks as he walked, the “waters” become “a wall on the right and on the left” (Ex. 14:22), and he himself walks in the middle, “on dry land,” turning away “neither to the right nor to the left” (Deut. 17:20), until he comes out and sings a victorious hymn to the Lord, exclaiming: “I sing to God, for He is high.” exalted himself" (Ex. 15:1), through Jesus Christ our Lord, "To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily VII. About the bitter water of Marah 1. After crossing the Red Sea and the hidden great secret, after dancing and timbrels, hymns of rejoicing, the sons of Israel come to Marah. But the water of Marah turned out to be bitter, and the people could not drink it. So why, after so many great miracles, did God's people come to bitter waters and become thirsty? It is said: “[The Israelites] came to Marah and could not drink the water in Marah, for it was bitter, which is why the name of that place was called Marah 7” (Ex. 15:23). But what is written next? “Moses cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There God gave the people decrees and judgments” (Ex. 15:25) 8. Where there was bitterness, where there was thirst and, even worse, thirst with an excess of water, there “God gave the people decrees and judgments” (Ex. 15:25). Was there not another, better, more suitable, more fertile place than this place of bitterness? Moreover, the statement “The Lord showed him a tree, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet” is very strange. Why does God show Moses a tree that he must throw into the water so that it becomes sweet? As if He could not make the water sweet without this tree. Or did Moses know nothing about this tree and God had to show it to him? However, we must see the beauty of the hidden meaning contained in these words. I think that the law, if carried out literally, is bitter and itself is Marah. Isn't it bitter for a boy to receive the wound of circumcision on the eighth day and experience the cold of metal on his tender flesh? The cup of such a law is very bitter, and even to such an extent that the people of God - not those who were “baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:2), but those who were baptized in water and in the Spirit (cf. John 3:5) - cannot drink it, for truly they cannot endure the bitterness of circumcision and are not able to endure the bitterness of sacrifices or keeping the Sabbath. But God shows the tree that must be thrown into this bitterness, so that the water of the law may become sweet and they can drink it. Solomon teaches us what kind of tree this is to which the Lord pointed when he says that wisdom is “a tree of life to those who acquire it” (Prov. 3:18). Thus, if the tree of the wisdom of Christ is thrown into the law and shows us how circumcision is to be understood, how the Sabbath and the law of leprosy are to be kept, how clean and unclean are to be distinguished, the waters of Marah will be made sweet, and the bitterness of the letter of the law will be replaced by the sweetness of spiritual understanding, and then God's people will be able to drink of them. If this is not given a spiritual interpretation, then those who reject idols and take refuge in the shadow of God will immediately cease to keep the law if they hear its instruction about sacrifices. They will find him bitter and cruel. The Apostle says: “For if I build again what I have destroyed, I make myself a transgressor” (Gal. 2:18). So, in this bitterness of Marah, that is, in the letter of the law, “the Lord gave commandments and judgments to the people” (Ex. 15:25). Don't you think that God placed the treasures of His wisdom and knowledge of the letter of the law as if in some small vessel? This is the meaning of the statement “There God gave the people decrees and judgments.” The Apostle also spoke about this when he said: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the exceeding power may be attributed to God and not to us” (2 Cor. 4:7). Therefore, in order for the water of Marah to be drunk, God shows a tree that must be thrown into the water so that those who drink it do not die and do not feel bitterness. Therefore, it has been established that if someone, not having the tree of life, that is, the mystery of the cross, faith in Christ, spiritual understanding, wants to drink from the letter of the law, he will die from an excess of bitterness. The Apostle Paul knew about this, for he said: “The letter kills” (2 Cor. 3:6). Here it is openly stated that the water of Marah kills if drunk unchanged, not made sweet. 2. But what's added to this? After “God gave the people decrees and judgments,” it is said: “And there he tested them. And he said, “If you will obey the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon Egypt, for I am the Lord your healer” (Ex. 15:25-26). It seems to me fair that the purpose for which “prescriptions and judgments” and the establishment of the law were given is explained, and it is said that “there he tested him,” whether they would obey the voice of the Lord God “and do what is right in His sight.” But to what extent does this apply to people who lived before? What good and perfect thing was commanded to them when they contradicted and murmured? For a little later they even turned to idols again, forgetting all the good deeds and miracles created by God, and installed the head of a calf. For this reason they were given regulations by which they were tested. The Lord, through the prophet Ezekiel, tells them: “I allowed them evil institutions and decrees from which they could not live” (Ezek. 20:25). For when they were tested in the decrees of the Lord, they were found to be unfaithful. “And thus the commandment given for life served [them] to death” (Rom. 7:10), for the same commandment, if fulfilled, leads to life, and if not fulfilled, leads to death. Therefore, the commandments that lead to the death of those who do not keep them are called “decrees by which they could not live” (Ezek. 20:25). But since He united the tree of the cross of Christ with these commandments, then, having become sweet and understood spiritually, they are called “commandments of life,” as it is said elsewhere: “Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life” (Bar. 3:9). But let's see what is promised if they are fulfilled. The Lord says: “If you keep all My statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases that I brought on Egypt.” What is He talking about? What if someone keeps the commandments and does not get sick, that is, does not suffer from fever or any other bodily ailment? I don't think that's what is promised to those who keep God's commandments. Job, a righteous man and zealous in all virtues, stricken with “cruel leprosy from the sole of his foot to the very top of his head” (Job 2:7), serves as an example for us. Therefore, it is not said that those who keep the commandments are delivered from such diseases, but they will not have the same ailments with which God struck the Egyptians, for the world is figuratively called Egypt. Therefore, to afflict the Egyptians with illness means to love the world and what is in the world (cf. John 2:15), observe “days, months, times and years” (Gal. 4:10), seek signs, connect your life with the movement of the stars. The disease of the Egyptians is to diligently serve luxury, delight their flesh, devote themselves to pleasures. And the one who fulfills the commandments is freed from these diseases and illnesses. 3. After this the text says: “And they came to Elim; there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms” (Ex. 15:27). Do you think that there was no reason why the people were not immediately led to Elim, where “there were twelve springs of water,” in which there was no bitterness, but exceptional pleasantness from the coolness in the shade of the dense foliage of date palms, but first they were led to bitter and salty waters, and they came to these springs only after the bitter waters had been turned into sweet by means of the tree indicated by the Lord? If we follow only a simple enumeration of historical events, we learn very little about where they came first and where they came second. But if we look more closely at the mystery hidden in this story, we will discover the order of belief. First people are led to the letter of the law. They cannot move away from her and remain in her bitterness. But when the law through the tree of life becomes sweet and is understood spiritually, then they move from the Old Testament to the New and come to the twelve apostolic sources. Here you can also find “seventy date palms,” for not only the apostles preached the faith of Christ, but also seventy other preachers sent to proclaim the word of God, through whom the world learned about the victorious palm crown of Christ. Thus it is not enough for God's people to drink the waters of Marah, although they have been made sweet and all the bitterness of the letter has been removed by the tree of life and the mystery of the cross. Previous evidence is not enough to get drunk. They must also come to the New Testament, from which they can drink without difficulty and without fear. The Jews still live in Marah; and now they are still sitting by the bitter waters, because God has not yet shown them the tree through which the waters would become sweet. For the prophet predicted to them: “If you do not believe, you will not understand anything” (Is. 7:9). 4. After this it is written: “And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they came out of the land of Egypt. And all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the children of Israel said to them: Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread! for you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve this whole assembly” (Exodus 16:1–3). Undoubtedly, the Israelites were punished for the sin of grumbling, expressing their ingratitude for all the benefits of God, when collecting heavenly manna, for the correction of those reading. But why is the day described when “all the congregation of the children of Israel grumbled”? It is said: “On the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving the land of Egypt.” Of course, this is not written just like that. Remember what is said about the law of Easter, and you will see that this is exactly the time set for the celebration of the second Easter for those who are “unclean in soul” or are “on a long journey.” Therefore, those who are pure in soul or have not traveled far celebrate Easter “on the fourteenth day of the first month.” Those who are “unclean in soul” and are “on a long journey” celebrate the second Passover at the designated time at which manna was sent down from heaven. Manna falls to the ground not on the day the first Passover is celebrated, but on the day the second Passover occurs. Now let's see what kind of secret is contained in these words. The first Passover belongs to the first people, the second Passover is ours, for we are unclean in soul and served “wood and stone” (Ezek. 20:32) and, “not knowing God, we served gods, which in essence are not gods” (Gal. 4:8). We are also those who were “on a long journey,” about whom the Apostle says that we were “strangers from the covenants of promise, had no hope, and were without god in the world” (Eph. 2:12). However, manna was sent down from heaven on the day when not the first Passover was celebrated, but the second. For “the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51) came not to those who celebrated the first holiday, but to us, who celebrated the second. “For our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7) and came down to us as the true bread from heaven. But let's still see what is said about what happened that day. “On the fifteenth day of the second month after they came out of the land of Egypt,” the text says, “all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the children of Israel said to them: Oh, that we would die by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots” (Ex. 16:1-3). Oh, ungrateful people! Those who saw the Egyptians destroyed want to go back to Egypt! Those who saw that the flesh of the Egyptians went to the fish of the sea and the birds of the air again lusted after the flesh of the Egyptians! And so they grumbled against Moses; no, rather, on God. For the first time it is forgiven; and on the second; and on the third. But if they persist and do not stop grumbling, then listen to what follows. The Apostle in his epistles reveals what also applies to the book of Numbers: “Let us not tempt Christ, as some of them tempted and were killed by serpents. Do not murmur, as some of them murmured and were killed by the destroyer” (1 Cor. 10:9-10). Those who murmured in the desert died from the bites of poisonous snakes. So let us beware, I mean we, for whom this is said, for all this “was written for our instruction, having reached the last ages” (1 Cor. 10:11). If we don’t stop complaining, if we don’t stop grumbling against God, as we often do, then we won’t suffer the same fate. For we murmur against God when we complain about bad weather, about a poor harvest, about the rarity of rain, about the fact that some are rich and others are poor. At first this is forgiven, but then those who continue to grumble are severely punished. Snakes are sent to them, that is, they are attacked by unclean spirits and poisonous demons who destroy them, surreptitiously bite them and infect them with thoughts contained in the inner cage of their hearts. But I conjure you to benefit from the examples given, let their punishments serve our correction. For God says: “I have heard the murmur of the children of Israel” (Ex. 16:12). Do you see that our grumbling does not go unnoticed by God? He hears everything and if he does not show it right away, it is only because he is waiting for our repentance and conversion. 5. But what is said after this? “And the Lord said to Moses: Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, and let the people go out and gather daily, as much as is needed for the day, so that I can test them, whether they will walk according to My law or not; and on the sixth day they shall prepare what they bring, and it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days” (Exodus 16:4–5). I would like first of all to discuss this scripture with the Jews, who, as it is said, “have been entrusted with the word of God” (Rom. 3:2). How do they understand the words “Gather six days, and on the sixth day let them prepare... double” (Ex. 16:26, 5)? Apparently the day preceding the Sabbath is called the sixth day, the day of preparation. The seventh day is called Saturday. Therefore, I will ask on what day manna began to fall from heaven, and I would like to compare the day of our Lord with the Jewish Sabbath, for from the Divine Scripture it follows that manna first descended to earth on the day of the Lord. For if, as the Scripture says, it was collected for six days in a row, but on the seventh day, Saturday, they did not fall, then, without a doubt, the first time it appeared was on the first day, the day of the Lord. But if from the Divine Scripture it is obvious that on the day of the Lord God rained down manna, but not on the Sabbath, the Jews should understand that already at that time the day of our Lord was given preference over the Jewish Sabbath. Even then it was revealed that on their Sabbaths the grace of God did not descend on them from heaven. For the prophet says: “For a long time the children of Israel will remain without a king and without a prince and without a sacrifice, without an altar, without a priesthood” (Hos. 3:4). However, on the day of our Lord, God always sends down manna from heaven. I will say that today the Lord will rain manna from heaven. For what is read to us, and the words that come from God and are spoken to us, come down from heaven. Thus, manna from heaven is always sent to those who accept it, and those unfortunate people who, unlike their fathers, were not worthy to receive manna, grieve and sigh and say that they are in poverty. They cannot eat it because it is “like coriander seed, fine as frost on the ground” (Ex. 16:31, 14). For they cannot perceive anything “small” in the word of God, nothing subtle, nothing spiritual, but only the fat and rough, “for the heart of this people has become coarse” (Is. 6:10). And its very name means the same thing, since “manna” means “what is it?” . Look, the very power of this name encourages you to learn, so that when you hear the law of God being read, you are always interested and ask the teachers: “What is this?” . For this is what manna means. Therefore, if you want to eat manna, that is, if you want to perceive the word of God, know that it is small and tender, “like a coriander seed.” It is partly a vegetable that can nourish the weak and give them strength, for “the weak eat vegetables” (Rom. 14:2). It is partly solid and therefore “like frost.” It is also white and very sweet. And what could be whiter and more brilliant than Divine instructions? What could be sweeter and more pleasant than the words of the Lord, which are “sweeter than honey and honeycomb” (Ps. 18:11)? But what does it mean when it says: “On the sixth day let them prepare... twice as much as they collect on other days” so that there will be some left over for the Sabbath? According to our interpretation, this should not be taken lightly or inattentively. The sixth day is this life, “for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth” (Ex. 20:11). Therefore, on this day we must save and put aside so much so that we have enough for the coming day. For if you acquire good deeds here, if you put aside justice, mercy and piety, all this will be food for you in the next world. Don’t we read in the Gospel about how the one who found ten talents here received ten cities there, and the one who found four talents received four cities? And the Apostle says: “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal.6:7). What then does one do who likes to put off that which is destroyed and is not preserved until another day? The accumulated wealth of this world is destroyed in this world, no, rather, along with this world. If someone accumulates good deeds, they are preserved until the next day. 6. It is also said that the unbelievers “left it alone until the morning, and worms infested, and it stank” (Ex. 16:20). However, what was put aside on the day before the Sabbath did not spoil, and worms did not infest it, and it remained unharmed. Thus, if you accumulate treasures only for this present life and out of love for the world, then worms immediately start to appear. How do they appear? Listen to the judgment the prophet pronounces on sinners who love this world: “Their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched” (Ex. 66:24). These worms are born of greed; they are the blinding thirst for wealth in those who “have abundance in the world, but seeing their brother in need, close their hearts from him” (1 John 3:17). For this reason, the Apostle says: “Admonish those who are rich in this present age, so that they do not think highly of themselves... but that they... be rich in good works, generous and social, laying up for themselves treasure, a good foundation for the future, so that they may attain eternal life" (1 Tim. 6:17-19). But someone will say: “If you say that manna is the word of God, then how does it get worms?” The worms in us start from nothing other than the word of God. For He Himself says: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin” (John 15:22). Therefore, if someone sins after hearing the word of God, then this very word turns into a worm in him, which constantly sharpens his conscience and gnaws at the innermost recesses of his heart. 7. What else does God's word teach us? It is said: “In the evening you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord” (Ex. 16:6-7). I wish the Jews would explain to me how the Lord is recognized in the evening and how His glory appears in the morning. Where was the Lord recognized in the evening, and His glory appeared in the morning? Answer us, you who from infancy to old age are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). Why can’t you understand that these words were spoken prophetically? But if you want to understand them, you will not be able to understand them except through the Gospel. For in it you will find that “after the evening of the Sabbath, at dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb” (Matt. 28:1), “and when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away” (Mk. 16:4), after an earthquake occurred. They found the tomb open, and the centurion and those who were guarding Jesus with him “said, Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54). Thus the Lord was recognized by what happened in the evening; He was recognized in the power of the Resurrection. But how did His glory appear in the morning? When the women arrived “very early, on the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2), they saw an angel in a dazzling radiance, sitting on a stone rolled away from the door of the tomb. He tells them: “He is not here - He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay, and go quickly, tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there. Behold, I have told you” (Matthew 28:6–7). Thus, the glory of the Lord appeared in the morning when an angel announced His Resurrection. 8. Further, however, it is added: “In the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be satisfied with bread” (Ex. 16:12). I would like to know in what order the Jews accept the words of the prophet. For what is the logic in the fact that in the evening they will eat meat without bread or in the morning - only bread? What do you learn from this about God's gift or the due measure of heavenly grace? Or do you call “knowing” God that in the evening they eat meat without bread? Or do you claim that God's glory appears if, again, they eat bread without meat? But leave this to yourself and to those who agree with you and think that God can be known through quails. We, for whom at the end of this age and in the evening of this world “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14), affirm that the Lord is known in the flesh received from the Virgin. For no one eats the flesh of the Word of God in the morning or during the day, but in the evening. And the Lord came in the flesh in the evening, just as John said: “Children! the last time" (1 John 2:18). But it is said: “And in the morning you will be satisfied with bread” (Ex. 16:12). The Word of God is also bread for us, for He Himself is “the living bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:51, 33). But why, as it is said, is this bread given “in the morning,” when we say that He came in the flesh in the evening? It seems to me that this should be understood as follows. The Lord came in the evening of a perishing world and closer to the end of the path assigned to it, but since He Himself is the “Sun of righteousness” (Mal. 4:2), then by His coming He revived a new day for those who believe. And since a new light of knowledge appeared in the world, He created His day in a certain way in the morning, and, so to speak, the “Sun of Righteousness” gave birth to His own morning, and that morning those who accepted His regulations were filled with bread. Do not be surprised that the Word of God is said to be “flesh” and “bread” and “milk” and “vegetable” and is called by different names depending on the ability of believers to perceive Him 9 (cf. John 1:14, 6:51; 1 Pet. 2:2; Rom. 14:2; Heb. 5:14). This can also be understood in such a way that after the resurrection, which occurred in the morning, He satisfied the believers with bread, since He gave us the books of the law and the prophets, previously unknown and unstudied, and handed them over to the Church for our edification and became bread in the Gospel. In fact, these other books of the law or the prophets or books of history are called the bread with which “the Gentiles who believed” were satisfied (Acts 21:24). However, we teach that this does not happen without a prophetic word. For the prophet Isaiah foretold: “They will enter a high mountain; they will drink wine; they will be anointed with oil. Give all this to the Gentiles, for this is the will of Almighty God" (Is. 57:7-9) 10. Therefore, we receive meat in the evening and will be filled with bread in the morning, since we cannot eat meat either in the morning, because the time has not yet come, or during the day. For angels are unlikely to eat meat during the day; they may consider this time inappropriate. Moreover, with such an interpretation, we can also accept that for each of us the morning and the beginning of the day is the time when we are first enlightened and approach the light of faith. Thus, this is the time when we are approaching the very foundations of faith and are not yet able to partake of the flesh of the word, that is, we are not yet able to accept the perfect teaching in its entirety. But after many exercises, after a long ascent, when we are already approaching evening and approaching the goal of our improvement, then we finally become capable of accepting solid food and the perfect word. So let us hasten to accept the heavenly manna, which tastes according to the desire of everyone who eats it 11. For listen to what the Lord says to those approaching Him: “According to your faith, it will be done for you” (Matthew 8:13). Therefore, if you accept the word of God, proclaimed in the Church, with unshakable faith and piety, it becomes for you what you want. For example, if you are suffering, it will comfort you, saying: “God will not despise a broken and humble heart” (Ps. 50:19). If you rejoice in the hope of the future, it will increase your joy, saying: “Rejoice in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous” (Ps. 31:11). If you are angry, it will calm you down, saying: “Cease being angry and leave your rage” (Ps. 37:8). If you are sick, it will heal you, saying: “He forgives all your iniquities, He heals all your illnesses” (Ps. 102:3). If you have fallen into poverty, it will encourage you, saying: “[The Lord] raises up the poor from the dust, lifts up the needy from clay” (Ps. 113:7). Thus, the manna of God's word tastes in your mouth the way you want it. If someone takes it without faith and does not eat it, but puts it aside, worms appear in it. Do you really think that the word of God is preserved for such a long time that one can assume that worms breed in it? Doesn't it bother you when you hear this? Listen to what the prophet says on behalf of the Lord: “I am a worm, and not a man” (Ps. 21:7). For He is the same One who came “to the fall” of some “and to the uprising” of others, and the One Who makes manna sweeter than honey for the faithful and worms for the unbelievers. For He is the Word of God, which reveals the thoughts of the unrighteous and pierces the sinner with reproaches of conscience. He is the same One who becomes fire in the hearts of those to whom He reveals the Scripture and who says: “Did not our heart burn within us while He expounded the Scripture to us” (Luke 24:32), and for others He is the flame that burns up the thorns in the barren land, that is, destroys evil thoughts in the hearts. And thus, for sinners, the convicting “worm will not die,” and the devouring “fire will not be quenched.” For the faithful and righteous, He is, however, sweet and pleasant, for it is said: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 33:9), our God and Savior Jesus Christ, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily VIII. About the first commandments of Moses 1. To every soul taught to despise the present age, “which is spiritually called Egypt” (Rev. 11:8), about which it is said in Scripture that according to the word of God it was “carried away” and was not found, because God “translated” it with His Word, for it strives and hastens into the age to come, God says: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2). These words are addressed not so much to those who came out of Egypt, but to a much greater extent to you, who are listening to this. If you have left Egypt and are no longer serving the Egyptians, God says to you: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and the house of slavery” (Ex. 20:2). See that worldly affairs and the desires of the flesh do not become a “house of slavery” for you, but, on the contrary, leave worldly cares and live according to God in the house of freedom, as the Lord says in the Gospel: “If you continue in My word, then... you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32). Thus, Egypt is the “house of slavery,” and Judea and Jerusalem are the house of freedom. Listen to how the Apostle speaks about this “according to the wisdom given to him” (2 Pet. 3:15): “But the Jerusalem that is above is free: she is the mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26). And just as Egypt, this earthly region, is called the house of slavery for the children of Israel, in comparison with Judea and Jerusalem, which became for them the house of freedom, so in comparison with the heavenly Jerusalem, which is, so to speak, the mother of freedom, this whole world and everything in it is a “house of slavery.” And since man, as a punishment for sin, came into the slavery of this world from the paradise of freedom, the first commandment, that is, the first command of God, says: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and the house of slavery” (Ex. 20:2). As long as you remain in Egypt, you cannot hear this command, even if you are commanded to keep the Passover, even if your loins are girded and sandals are on your feet, even if you hold a staff in your hands and eat the Passover lamb “with unleavened bread and bitter herbs” (cf. Ex. 12:3 ff.). And why do I say that you cannot hear it while staying in Egypt? You may not hear these words even when you have just left Egypt and are heading to the first stop; or to the second; or to the third; or when you crossed the Red Sea; even if you came to Marah and its bitterness became sweetness for you, even if you came to Elim to twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, even if you approached Rafidim and climbed other paths, you are not yet considered worthy to hear these words. You can only hear them when you come to Mount Sinai. Therefore, if you have previously worked a lot, experienced many misfortunes and overcome more than one temptation, you are unlikely to be worthy to accept the commandments of freedom and hear from the Lord: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and the house of slavery” (Ex. 20:2). These words are not essentially a command, but they show the One who commands. So let us now look at how the ten commandments of the law begin, and if we cannot answer all the questions, then at least, with God's help, we will begin to explain them. 2. So, the first commandment is: “You shall have no other gods besides Me” (Ex. 20:3). And then it follows: “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Ex. 20:4-6). Some believe that all these words taken together are one commandment, but if this were so, then the number of commandments would not be ten. And would they then be a decalogue (decalogue)? And if they are divided as in the previous story, the number of commandments will be equal to ten. Thus, the first commandment is “Thou shalt have no other gods besides Me” (Ex. 20:3). The second is “Do not make for yourself an idol” and so on (Ex. 20:4–6). Let's start with the first commandment. However, I will need the help of God Himself, who gave these commandments, in order to speak, and you will need clear hearing in order to hear. And if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear what is said: “You shall have no other gods besides Me” (Ex. 20:3). If He had said, “There are no other gods besides Me,” the phrase would have seemed more complete. But since He says: “You shall have no other gods besides Me,” He does not deny their existence, but does not allow them to exist for the one to whom these commandments are given. I think that the Apostle Paul also thought so, for he writes to the Corinthians: “For although there are so-called gods, either in heaven or on earth” (1 Cor. 8:5). And he adds: “For there are many gods and many lords, but we have one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we are for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we through Him” (1 Cor. 8:5-6). And you will find references to other gods in many places of Scripture, such as, for example, in this: “For the Lord Most High is terrible, a great King over all gods” (Ps. 47:3) 12. Or in this: “The Lord, the God of gods has spoken” (Ps. 49:1). Or in this: “God became in the company of gods” (Ps. 82:1). The Apostle says about the lords: “By Him all things were created: whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers—all things were created by Him and for Him” (Col. 1:16). However, “domination” is nothing more than a certain order and a multitude of masters. I think that in this verse the Apostle Paul made the meaning of the law clearer, for he literally says this: Even if there were many lords reigning over other nations, and many gods whom others worshiped, we have one God and one Lord. We can learn from Scripture itself the reason for the existence of many gods and many lords if we listen carefully and patiently. For Moses himself says in the song of Deuteronomy: “When the Most High gave inheritance to the nations and scattered the sons of men, then he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the Angels of God; For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob is His inheritance” (Deut. 32:8–9). Thus it is evident that those angels to whom the Most High has entrusted the government of the nations are called either gods or dominions; gods - as given by God, and dominions - as those who received power from the Lord. Therefore, the Lord said to the angels who did not retain their dominance: “I said: you are gods and sons of the Most High - all of you; but you will die like men, and you will fall like any prince” (Ps. 82:6-7), of course, imitating the devil, who has become the prince of all those going to destruction. So, it is obvious that they were cursed not by their nature, but by neglect of their duties. You, O people of Israel, have “God’s part and His inheritance” (Deut. 32:9), “let there be no other gods besides Me” (Exod. 20:3), for God is truly “one God,” and the Lord is truly “one Lord.” But to others created by Him, He bestows this name not by nature, but by grace. Do not think, however, that these words were spoken only to Israel “according to the flesh” (1 Cor. 10:18). These words are addressed to a much greater extent to you, made Israel, visible to God with your mind, with a circumcised heart, and not in the flesh. For although we are pagans in the flesh, we are Israel in spirit, thanks to Him who said: “Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Your inheritance and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Ps. 2:8), to Him Who also said: “And all that is mine is Yours, and yours is Mine; and I was glorified in them” (John 17:10), if only you act in such a way that you are worthy to become a part of God and walk in His inheritance. But if you act unworthily, then you have before your eyes the example of those who were called to become part of God, but by their sins they deserved that “the Lord scattered them among all nations” (Deut. 4:27). And those who were previously brought out of the “house of slavery”, now - for “everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34) - again became slaves, but not only of the Egyptians, but of all nations. Thus, you, who came out of Egypt, whom Jesus Christ brought out of the “house of slavery,” are told: “You shall have no other gods besides Me” (Ex. 20:3). 3. Now let's see what the second commandment seems to contain: "You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth" (Ex. 20:4). There is a big difference between idols and gods, as the Apostle teaches. For he says about the gods: “For there are many gods and many lords” (1 Cor. 8:5); and in relation to idols he says: “An idol is nothing in the world” (1 Cor. 8:4). Therefore, it seems to me that what the law says is not said in passing, for it makes a distinction between gods and idols, as well as between idols and images, because whoever said that an idol is nothing does not add that the image is also nothing. Here, however, it is said: “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness” (Ex. 20:4). Thus, it is one thing to create an idol, and another to make an image. And if the Lord deems it necessary to enlighten us regarding what has been said, I think it should be interpreted as follows: for example, if someone makes a figure of some four-legged animal or snake or bird out of gold, silver, wood or stone and begins to admire it, then he has not created an idol, but an image, or even if he painted a picture for this purpose, it should also be said that he made an image. According to the Apostle, an idol is nothing, and the one who creates an idol makes something that does not exist. What is something that is not there? What is not visible to the eye is what the mind imagines. For example, if someone creates the head of a dog or a calf or the limbs of a human body or, again, invents a man with two faces or connects the back of a horse or a fish with the upper torso of a man. Whoever does this or something similar does not create an image, but an idol, for he creates something that does not exist, and nothing similar to it exists. And, knowing this, the Apostle says: “An idol is nothing in the world” (1 Cor. 8:4), for it takes the form of not existing objects, but those that a curious and idle mind has imagined. But when something is created from “what is in the sky above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth,” then it is an image, as we said above. And yet it is not so easy to say the same about the images of the heavenly things, as about the images of what is on the earth and in the sea, unless it is the sun, the moon and the stars that are visible. But since Moses “was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22), he also wanted to prohibit what was secret and hidden in their case; for example, use the names of demons, such as Hecate 13, whom the Apostle Paul calls “spirits of wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12), and other images of them. And the prophet, perhaps, speaks of the same thing: “My sword is drunk in heaven” (Is. 34:5). For those who do this are accustomed to summon demons with such images and images in order either to avoid evil or even to ward off it. The Word of God covers all these images, rejects and discards them and forbids making not only idols, but also “images of things that are in heaven above, and that are on the earth below, and that are in the water under the earth.” 4. It goes on to say: “Do not worship them or serve them” (Ex. 20:5). It is one thing to worship, another thing to serve. Sometimes you can worship against your will, for example, flatterers worship kings when they see that this kind of worship pleases them. They pretend to worship idols, when in their hearts they are convinced that the idol is nothing. And to serve means to obey them diligently and zealously. So let the word of God curb both, so that you do not serve zealously and do not worship even outwardly. However, you should know that when you decide to fulfill the command of this commandment and reject all other gods and lords and you will have neither god nor lord except one God and one Lord, you will declare irreconcilable war on all other gods and lords. Therefore, when we come to the grace of baptism, we reject all other gods and lords and recognize only God - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But when we come to this, then if we do not love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and do not cleave to Him “with all our strength” (Mark 12:30), then we will not become part of Him (cf. Deut. 32:9), and, as if stopping at a certain border, we, on the one hand, will suffer from those misfortunes from which we fled, and on the other hand, we will not appease The Lord, under whose roof we will take refuge, for we do not love Him “with all our hearts.” That is why the prophet grieves for us, seeing how we waver in such indecision, and says: “Woe to timid hearts and weak hands, and to the sinner who walks in two paths!” (Sir.2:12), and again: “How long will you limp on both knees?” (1 Kings 18:21). And the Apostle James says: “A double-minded man is not steadfast in all his ways” (James 1:8). So we, who do not follow the Lord with full and perfect faith, having renounced alien gods, stand, so to speak, on the dividing line. We are cut apart by alien gods, like fugitives, and, wavering and doubting, are not protected by our Lord. Is this not what the prophets spiritually imagined about those who loved Jerusalem when they said: “All his friends betrayed him and became his enemies” (Lam. 1:2)? So understand that there are many who love your soul, having been seduced by its beauty, with whom it committed fornication. It is said about such souls: “I will go after my lovers who give me bread and water” (Hos. 2:5) and so on. But such a soul has now come to the point that it says: “I will go and return to my first husband; for then it was better for me than now” (Hos. 2:7). So you returned to your first husband; you undoubtedly displeased your lovers with whom you fornicated. Thus, if you do not remain with your husband in unwavering faith and are not united with him in perfect love, then due to the many bad deeds you have committed, your every movement and every look and even your walk will arouse his suspicions whether they are too playful. He should no longer see anything frivolous, nothing licentious, or excessive in you. But as soon as you slightly take your eyes off your husband, he will immediately remember your previous behavior. And if you erase the past, he can trust you from now on, but you must not only not do anything indecent, but not even think about something like that. For look at what is said: “When the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it walks through dry places, seeking rest, and does not find it; Then he says: I will return to my house from where I came. And, having arrived, he finds it unoccupied, swept and put away; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and entering they live there; and the last thing for that person is worse than the first” (Matthew 12:43–45). If we pay close attention to these words, will we be able to be careless even in small things? For the unclean spirit abided in us before we believed, before we came to Christ, when our soul, as I already said, committed adultery against God with its demon lovers. But then she said: “I will return to my first husband” (Hos. 2:7) and came to Christ, who created her from the very beginning in His image. And the prodigal spirit, seeing the lawful husband, inevitably gives way to him. Thus, Christ accepts us, and our house is “swept”, cleansed of previous sins and “cleaned” with the decoration of the sacraments of the faithful, which the initiates know about. But this dwelling is not immediately made worthy for Christ to dwell in it; only if our actions and life are so holy, so pure and blameless that it deserves to become the “church of God” (2 Cor. 6:16). And then it is no longer a house, but a church in which God dwells. But if we begin to treat the newfound mercy with negligence, and get bogged down in worldly affairs and worries, then the unclean spirit will immediately return and appropriate this empty house for itself. And so that he is not driven out again, he “takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and live there, and the last for that person is worse than the first” (Luke 11:26), for it is better if the soul, having become a harlot, does not return to its first husband, than, having returned after confessing to him, begins to commit fornication again. The Apostle says that there cannot be “commonness of the church of God with idols,” there is no “agreement between Christ and Belial” (2 Cor. 6:15–16). If we belong to God, then what He said must be fulfilled in us: “I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (2 Cor. 6:16), and as the prophet says elsewhere: “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17), “touch not the unclean; come out from among him, purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord!” (Isa.52:11). “And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:18). Therefore, the text says: “You shall have no other gods besides Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; do not worship them or serve them” (Ex. 20:3–5). 5. “For I am the Lord your God, a jealous God” (Ex. 20:5). Look how good God is! He Himself teaches us and makes us perfect, without denying the inclinations inherent in human weakness. For who, having heard the phrase “God is jealous,” would not be amazed and think about human weakness? But God does and endures everything for our sake, and for the sake of our teaching He edifies us, taking into account the inclinations known to us and inherent in us. Let's look at what the statement “I am a jealous God” means. But to make it easier to consider the Divine, let us give examples from people’s lives, as we did above. Every woman is either married and subject to the laws of her husband, or she is a harlot and uses her freedom to sin. Therefore, the one who goes to a harlot knows that the woman he is visiting is available to everyone who wants it, and therefore is not angry if he sees other men with her. And the one who is legally married to a woman does not allow his wife to carry out her inclination towards fornication, but is inflamed with jealousy in order to preserve the purity of his family, in which he can become a legal father. Let us understand from this example that every soul commits fornication with demons and has many lovers, so that the spirit of fornication enters into it; and when he comes out, the spirit of greed settles in her, followed by the spirit of pride, anger, envy, vanity, and with them many others. And they all commit adultery with an unfaithful soul, and not one of them envies another, and they are not burned by mutual jealousy. And why do I say that one spirit does not exclude the other? Moreover, they invite one another and willingly gather together, as we talked a little earlier about what is said in the Gospel about the spirit that leaves a person and, when it returns, “takes with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and when they enter, they live” all together in one soul (Luke 11:24-26). Therefore, in a soul that fornicates with demons, its lovers do not feel jealousy towards each other. But if the soul is united with a lawful husband, with the one with whom Paul combined souls in marriage, as he himself says: “I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you to Christ as a pure virgin” (2 Cor. 11:2), and the statement in the Gospel “The king held a wedding feast for his son” (Matthew 22:2) refers to the same subject, and when the soul enters into a legal marriage, even if it sinned at one time, even if she was a harlot, nevertheless, if she entrusts herself to her husband, she is no longer allowed to sin. A soul that has found a husband cannot again have fun with fornicators. Her husband's jealousy surrounds her; he guards the purity of his marriage. It is said that “God” is also a “zealot” (Ex. 20:5), for He does not allow a soul subordinate to Him to make friends with demons. Otherwise, if He notices that the soul is desecrating the marriage union and is looking for an opportunity to sin, then, as it is said, He gives it a “letter of divorce” and releases it with the words: “Where is the letter of divorce from your mother, with which I sent her away?” (Isa.50:1). To this He adds: “Behold, you were sold for your sins, and your mother was forgiven for your transgressions” (Is. 50:1). This speaker is jealous and says this driven by jealousy. For He wants us to sin no more after we have recognized Him, after enlightenment by the Divine word, after the grace of baptism, after we have confessed our faith and our marriage union has been sealed with such great sacraments. He does not allow the soul, whose groom or husband He Himself is called, to flirt with demons, commit adultery with unclean spirits, or wallow in uncleanness and vices. But even if this sometimes unfortunately happens, He wants the soul to at least turn and return and repent. For such is His goodness that He accepts a soul even after it has sinned, a soul that has returned and repented with all its heart, as He Himself says through the prophet: “If a husband lets his wife go, and she leaves him and becomes the wife of another husband, can she return to him? Was she defiled by this? But you have committed fornication with many lovers, and yet return to Me” (Jer. 3:1). He says the same thing in another place: “And after she had committed fornication, I said, ‘Return to Me,’ but she did not return” (Jer. 3:6-7). Therefore, God is a jealous person: if He wants and asks for your soul to cleave to Him, if He saves you from sin, if He reproaches you, if He punishes, if He becomes upset and angry and, so to speak, is jealous of you, then He gives you hope of salvation. But if you do not come to your senses after punishment, if you do not correct yourself when you are reproached, if you despise when you are beaten, know that if you continue to sin, His jealousy will leave you, and you will hear the words spoken to Jerusalem by the prophet Ezekiel: “My jealousy will depart from you, and I will calm down, and I will no longer be angry” (Ezek. 16:42). See the mercy and kindness of the good God. When He wants to be merciful, He says that He is indignant and angry, just as it was said through the prophet Jeremiah: “Be mindful, O Jerusalem, lest My soul depart from you” (Jer. 6:7–8). If you understand these words, the voice of God will tell you with compassion when He is angry, when He is jealous, when He brings suffering and sorrow, “for the Lord punishes whomever He loves; and he beats every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6). Do you want to hear the terrible voice of God? Listen to how He speaks through the prophet when, after listing the many abominations that people have committed, He adds: “I will leave your daughters to be punished when they commit fornication, and your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery” (Hos. 4:14). It's horrible! This is the limit when we are no longer reproached for our iniquities, when we sin and are not corrected. For when our sins exceed the measure, “God is a jealous God” turns away His jealousy from us, as He said above: “And My jealousy will depart from you, and I will calm down, and will no longer be angry” (Ezek. 16:42). I said all this about the phrase “God is jealous.” 6. Now let's see what follows, how children are punished "for the iniquity of their fathers to the third and fourth generation" (Ex. 20:5). For heretics, as usual, mock us for these words and argue that a good God cannot utter such words and say that one is punished for the guilt of another. But those, according to whose understanding the God of the law, who commands this, although not good, is still just, cannot themselves show how, in their understanding, justice is consistent with the fact that one bears punishment for the sin of another. And we can only pray to God to show us how such commands are consistent with a good and just God. We have often said that not everything in Divine Scripture is addressed to the outer man, but much is said to the inner man. Therefore, it is said that our inner man’s father is either God, if he lives in harmony with God and does what pleases God, or the devil, if he lives in sin and indulges his desires. The Savior clearly shows this when in the Gospel he says: “Your father is the devil; and you want to do the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him” (John 8:44). And just as it is said that the seed of God remains in us when we, keeping the word of God within ourselves, do not sin, and as John says: “Whoever is born of God commits no sin, for His seed remains in him” (1 John 3:9), so when the devil incites us to sin, we receive his seed. And when we do what he pushes us to do, then he gives birth to us, for we are born to him as sons through sin. When we sin, we hardly do it alone, but we always look for accomplices in this. For example, if someone conceives of adultery, he cannot commit it alone, but he will certainly look for an accomplice, an accomplice in sin. And even if alone, it is necessary that there be a man or a woman in the service of sin. All of them are generated, so to speak, from one another according to the order of inclination to sin, born in sin from their father the devil. And in order for us to come to what is said, the “God of glory” (Ps. 28:3), our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, was crucified. The inventor of this crime and the father of this atrocity is, without a doubt, the devil, for it is said: “Satan entered into Judas, who was called Iscariot” (Luke 22:3). Thus, the devil is the father of sin. With this atrocity he gave birth to Judas as his firstborn, but Judas alone could not have committed it. What is written? “Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said: What will you give me, and I will betray Him?” (Matthew 26:15). Thus, the third and fourth sins were born from Judas. And this order can be found even in personal sins. Now let's see how God punishes "the children for the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation" (Ex. 20:5) according to what is called generation, but does not punish the sin of the fathers themselves, for nothing is said about the fathers. The devil, who has exceeded the measure of sin, according to the prophet, “like the clothing of those killed by the sword” (Is. 14:19), will neither be clean in this century, nor condemned for sin, nor punished, for everything is postponed for him for the future. And since he knows that the time of punishment has been determined for him, he said to the Savior: “You came here ahead of time to torment us” (Matthew 8:29). Thus, while this world stands, the devil - the father of sinners - does not receive what he deserves for his sins; however, they are avenged on the sons, that is, on those whom he gave birth to through sin, for the Lord reproaches, beats and punishes people living in the flesh, because He does not want “the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11). And since “the Lord is generous and merciful” (Ps. 103:8), He punishes the sons for the sin of the fathers, because the fathers, that is, the devil and his angels (cf. Matt. 25:41) and other principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this age (cf. Eph. 6:12) - for they also became fathers of sin, like the devil - for, I say, those fathers unworthy to be condemned in the present age, but will receive in the future what they deserve, and their sons, that is, those whom they persuaded to sin, are punished for being associated with sin, they are rewarded for what they did in order to be cleansed for the next age and no longer be punished along with the devil. And since God is merciful and “wants all people to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4), He says: “If they break My statutes and do not keep My commandments, I will visit their iniquity with a rod, and their iniquity with blows” (Ps. 89:32-33). Thus, the Lord punishes and seeks those souls that the most wicked father gave birth to as a temptation to sin, and says to each of them: “Hear, daughter, and look, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father’s house” (Ps. 44:11). That's why He comes to you after you have sinned and warns you. He appears with a whip and a rod as instruments of punishment for the sin to which your father the devil subjected you, so that He could reward you “in the bosom,” that is, while you are in the body. This is how the punishment of “the children for the iniquity of the fathers is carried out to the third and fourth generation” (Ex. 32:18). For God is a zealot and does not want the soul that He has betrothed to Himself in faith to remain in the filth of sins, but desires its immediate cleansing, so that it will immediately sweep away all its impurity from itself if it accidentally picks it up. But if the soul remains in sin and says: “We will not listen to the voice of God, but we will do what we want and burn incense to the “goddess of heaven”” (cf. Jer. 7:18), then it is both rebuked by the prophet and condemned by Wisdom: “I called, and you did not listen; I stretched out my hand, and there was no one to hear; and you rejected all my advice, and did not accept my reproofs. For this reason I will laugh at your destruction; I will rejoice when horror comes upon you” (Prov. 1:24–26) or the condemnation expressed in the Gospel when the Lord says: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). I prefer that the Lord punish me for my sins while I am in this world and blot out my sins here, so that Abraham can say about me, as he said about poor Lazarus to the rich man: “Child! remember that you have already received your good in your life, and Lazarus received your evil; now he is comforted here, but you suffer” (Luke 16:25). For this reason, when we are reproached, when the Lord punishes us, we should not be ungrateful. Let us understand that we are condemned in this present age in order to find us peace in the future, just as the Apostle says: “Being judged, we are punished by the Lord, so that we will not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:32). It was for this reason that blessed Job readily accepted all suffering and said: “Shall we really accept good from God, and not accept evil?” ( Job 2:10 ). “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord!” ( Job 1:21 ). But He also shows mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Him (Ex. 20:6). For those who love do not need to be reproached, for they do not sin, just as the Lord says: “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he is the one who loves Me” (John 14:21). And therefore, “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). For this reason, only mercy is assigned to those who love, because “blessed are they who are merciful, for they will obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7) in Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). 1. If someone correctly perceives the exodus of the Jews from Egypt or their passage through the Red Sea and this whole journey in the desert and each stop along this path, if he understands this in such a way that he accepts the law of God, “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God” (2 Cor. 3:3), if anyone, I say, carefully looks at all these events in the order they follow, then the spiritual fulfillment of all this will lead to an increase in the virtues designated by each of these events, so that to give him contemplation and understanding of the tabernacle. The tabernacle is spoken of in many places in Divine Scripture, and they seem to speak of things of which human hearing is hardly capable. However, the Apostle Paul especially draws our attention to certain instructions in understanding the tabernacle, but for some unknown reasons, perhaps taking into account the weakness of his listeners, he conceals, so to speak, what he reveals. So, turning to the Jews, he says: “For the first tabernacle was built, in which was the lamp, and the table, and the offering of bread, and which is called the holy place.” Behind the second veil was a tabernacle called the “Holy of Holies,” which had a golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, where there was a golden vessel with manna, Aaron’s rod that blossomed, and the tablets of the covenant” (Heb. 9:2-4). But to this he adds: “Which there is no need to talk about in detail now” (Heb. 9:5). Some believe that what was said, “which does not now need to be discussed in detail,” refers to the time the letter to the Hebrews was written. Others think that Paul is saying that the whole present life is not enough to explain everything, for these mysteries are too great. But the Apostle does not leave us in hopeless despair and, as is his custom, reveals something from many, so that it remains hidden to the indifferent, but is revealed to those who seek and is opened to those who knock (cf. Matthew 7–8; Luke 11:10). Therefore, returning to the tabernacle, he says: “For Christ entered not into the sanctuary made with hands, which is built in the image of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear for us in the presence of God, through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Heb. 9:24, 10:20). Thus, he who interprets the inner veil as the flesh of Christ, the sanctuary as the sky or heavens, the high priest as the Lord Jesus Christ, and says that He "entered into the sanctuary and obtained an eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12), from these few words, he who knows how to understand Paul can see what a vast ocean of understanding he opens before us. However, those who too love the letter of the Law of Moses, but flee its spirit, treat such interpretations of the Apostle Paul with distrust. 2. Let us now see if any of the ancient saints hold similar views regarding the tabernacle. Listen to what the glorious prophet, the divine David, says about the tabernacle: “When they said to me every day: “Where is your God?” Remembering this, I pour out my soul, for I will go to the beautiful tabernacle, to the house of God” (Ps. 42:4-5). And he also says in another psalm: “Lord! who can dwell in Your tabernacle? Or who will dwell on Your holy mountain? (Ps. 14:1). What is this “beautiful tabernacle” from which one can enter the “house of God” and at the memory of which the soul of the prophet poured out and, so to speak, dissipated in some unbearable desire? Are we really to believe that the soul of the prophet, drawn to this tabernacle, consisting of hiding places and veils and covered with goat's hair and other common materials, was poured out and his mind was converted? Can it really be true that the only person who can enter the tabernacle is “one whose hands are innocent and whose heart is pure, who has not sworn with his soul in vain” (Ps. 23:4), while the history of the kings conveys that wicked priests, “the sons of destruction,” also stayed in the tabernacle, and the ark of the covenant itself was captured by foreigners and remained with blasphemers and wicked people (cf. 1 Samuel 4)? From all this it is obvious that the prophet has completely different feelings for the tabernacle, and in it, as he says, only “he whose hands are innocent and whose heart is pure, who has not sworn with his soul in vain and has not sworn falsely to his neighbor” will abide in it (Ps. 23:4). Therefore, it is necessary that such a person should dwell in a tabernacle not made with hands, but created by the Lord. Let us now look at what is said about the tabernacle in the Gospels, so that in the words of the Lord we can find irrefutable evidence and a comprehensive answer to our question. Then we will see that our Savior Jesus Christ Himself does not mean one tabernacle, but several, and not temporary, but eternal, when he says: “Make for yourselves friends with unrighteous riches, so that when you become poor, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles 14” (Luke 16:9). Do you hear how the Lord says that the tabernacles are eternal? Now listen to what the Apostle says: “For this reason we groan, desiring to be clothed with our heavenly tabernacle 15” (2 Cor. 5:2). Is it not clear from all these words that the way is open to you by which you can leave the earth and, following the apostolic and prophetic understanding and - what is much more important - the words of Christ, with all your mind and understanding ascend to heaven and there seek the splendor of the eternal tabernacle, the image of which Moses presented on earth? For the Lord also says to him: “See that you make them according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain” (Ex. 25:40). But the human mind, especially that which we possess - those who know that we are the least or even no one in Divine wisdom - can achieve the understanding that the Divine books speak not of earthly things, but of heavenly things, and are a type not of present, but of “good things to come” (Heb. 9:11), not of the flesh, but of the spiritual. But how the narrative of this can be applied to the heavenly and eternal is not in my power to tell, and not in yours to hear. And yet, if the Lord deigns to enlighten us with your prayers, we will try to clarify some things for the edification of the Church. 3. So, all the people were commanded to build a tabernacle, and that everyone would take part in this and that they would all be, in a certain sense, one tabernacle. But one had to participate in this not out of necessity, but out of one’s own free will, for God tells Moses that in order to build the tabernacle one must accept from every man after his own heart (cf. Ex. 25:2), gold, silver and copper, precious stones, then “hyacinth, purple and double scarlet, and fine woven linen, and goatskin, and red ramskin, and blue skins, and shittim wood.” ( Ex. 25:3–5 ). Women skilled in weaving and craftsmen who knew how to work with gold, silver, bronze and precious stones and how to frame wood with gold were required. Then the dimensions of the yard are given. This courtyard was surrounded by a fence made of curtains attached to posts and stretched on ropes. The rooms were also separated by curtains. One of them is called the sanctuary, and the other, separated by a second veil, is called the “Holy of Holies.” Inside is the Ark of the Covenant, above it stand, touching each other, two cherubim with outstretched wings. There is a golden cover made for them, called the mercy seat. An altar was also installed here. Outside, at the southern end, there is a lamp facing north. On the north side of the tabernacle is the offering table. And next to the inner curtain there was an altar for sacrifices. But why am I listing all this one after another? We can hardly tell about everything; it is hardly possible for the material forms themselves to appear before our eyes and for anyone to be able to interpret the secrets hidden in them. But, despite this, the reason for the construction of the tabernacle was already mentioned above, in the words spoken by the Lord to Moses: “And they will build a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell in the midst of them” (Ex. 25:8). So God wants us to make a sanctuary for Him, for He promises that if we build a sanctuary for Him, we will be able to see Him. Therefore, the Apostle says to the Jews: “Try to have peace with everyone and a sanctuary, 16 without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). This is the sanctuary that the Lord commands to build, and the Apostle wants it to remain in virgins, “so that they may be [holy] both in body and spirit” (1 Cor. 7:34), knowing without a doubt that he who creates a sanctuary for God by the purification of his heart and body will himself see God. So let us also create the sanctuary of the Lord, one for all and each one individually. Perhaps we all form one tabernacle of the Church, which is holy and without “spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27), if its pillars are its teachers and priests, about whom the Apostle says: “Peter and James and John, esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship” (Gal. 2:9). Thus, if in the Old Testament tabernacle the pillars are fastened with crossbars, then in the Church they are held together by the right hand of communication between teachers. And those pillars were overlaid with silver, and their foundations were overlaid with silver. Each pillar has two bases. One, called the top, is located on top, the other, called the “base,” is placed under it as a foundation. And let these pillars be overlaid with silver, for those who preach the word of God will receive through the spirit “the words of the Lord - pure words, refined silver” (Ps. 11:7). And the basis of their preaching is the prophets, for the Church is established “on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Eph. 2:20), and through their testimony faith in Christ is confirmed. However, it seems to me that the top of the pillar is the One about whom it is said: “The head of every man is Christ” (1 Cor. 11:3). I have already said that the crossbars holding the pillars together are the right hands of fellowship of the apostles, extended to each other. Coverlets sewn to rings, joined in a circle and tied to ropes, twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide, hold the entire multitude of believers, who hold fast to the threads of faith and hang on them, for “a thread twisted three times is not quickly broken” (Eccl. 4:12). This triple-twisted thread is faith in the Trinity, on which the entire Church rests. I think that twenty-eight cubits in length and four in breadth—the dimensions of one veil—is the law presented in the Gospel. The number seven usually symbolizes the law, for many sacraments are associated with it. Multiplied by four, it results in the number twenty-eight. These ten veils form the number of completion and represent the ten commandments of the law. And blue and purple wool, fine linen and purple mean many and varied works. They combine veils, external and internal, and the vestments of priests and high priests, embroidered with gold and precious stones. But so that we do not dwell on the images of individual virtues, we can briefly say that they reflect what the Church is adorned with. Her faith can be compared to gold, the preaching of the word of God to silver, brass to patience, shittim wood to the knowledge that comes through wood (cf. Gal. 3:13), or to infallible, never-aging purity, virginity to fine linen, the glory of suffering to purple, the greatness of love to purple, the hope of the kingdom of heaven to hyacinth. Let all these be the materials from which the tabernacle is made, the garments of the priests are sewn, and with which the robe of the high priest is adorned. Elsewhere the prophet speaks of their attire: “Your priests will be clothed with righteousness” (Ps. 131:9). Thus their garment is righteousness. And the Apostle Paul says: “Put on charity” (Col. 3:12). So their clothing is mercy. But the Apostle also speaks of more exalted garments: “Put on our Lord Jesus Christ, and do not turn the cares of the flesh into lusts” (Rom. 13:14). So, they are the vestments with which the Church is adorned. 4. However, each of us can build a tabernacle for God within ourselves. For, as those who came before us said, if this tabernacle symbolizes the whole world and each individual person can also contain the image of the world, then why cannot the image of the tabernacle also be fulfilled in him? Therefore, he must attach pillars of virtues to himself, silver pillars, that is, reasonable patience. For it is possible that a person seems to have patience, but not a reasonable one. He who does not feel an insult and therefore does not avenge it also seems to be patient, but this is not reasonable patience either. And therefore he is supported by pillars, but not silver ones; he who suffers for the word of God and fearlessly proclaims it is adorned and protected with pillars of silver. He can expand these abodes in himself when his heart expands according to the word of the Apostle to the Corinthians: “Expand you also” (2 Cor. 6:13). He can hide behind the crossbars when he protects himself with the unanimity of love; stand on silver foundations when it is established on the inviolability of the word of God, prophetic and apostolic. There may be a golden top on its pillar if it is faith in Christ, for “Christ is the head of every man” (1 Cor. 11:3). He can expand within himself the ten mansions when he grows not in one, two or three words of the law, but expands his understanding of all ten commandments of the law, or when he bears the fruits of the spirit: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, humility, faith, self-control, when love is added to them, which is higher than them all. So let the soul that does not ascend to its bed, let not its eyes and its eyelids sleep - slumber, until it finds “a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob” (Ps. 132:3-5), let, I say, such a soul erect within itself an unshakable altar, on which it will offer sacrifices of prayers and offerings of mercy to God, like an ox, it will slaughter pride on it With the knife of abstinence, like a ram, she will kill her anger and, like goats and kids, she will sacrifice luxury and voluptuousness. Let her know how to separate for the priests the right shoulder and chest and jaws, that is, good deeds and deeds done with the right hand, so that she does not do any evil - the chest, that is, the immaculate heart and mind dedicated to God, and the jaws to pronounce the words of God. Let this man understand that there must be a lamp in his sanctuary so that it burns, and let his loins be girded, and he himself will be like a man waiting for “the return of his master from marriage” (Luke 12:36). For the Lord also said: “The lamp of the body is the eye” (Matthew 6:22). And let them place it on the south side so that it faces north. For a vigilantly watchful heart, like a burning lamp, should always be turned to the north and look out for “the one who came from the north” (Joel 2:20). Just as the prophet says that he saw “a boiling cauldron, and its face was from the north.” For “from the north disaster will be revealed on all the inhabitants of the land” (Jer. 1:13–14). And, remaining vigilant, attentive and diligent, let him always closely watch the tricks of the devil and constantly foresee where the temptation may come from, from which side the enemy will come, from where the enemy will sneak up. And the Apostle Peter says: “Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Let the table with the twelve showbread be placed on the north side, facing south. And let the apostolic word be the bread upon it, abundant and powerful. So that, constantly abiding in it - after all, it is commanded to bring it before the Lord daily - he could again look to the south, from where the Lord will come, for “God comes from Teman” (Hab. 3:3), as it is said, that is, from the south. And he will make for himself “an altar for offering incense” (Ex. 30:1) in the depths of his heart, so that he too can say: “We are the aroma of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15). And he will have the ark of the covenant, in which the tablets of the law of God are kept, so that he may meditate on the law of the Lord “day and night” (Ps. 1:2). And let his memory become an ark and a library of the books of God, for the prophet also says: “Blessed are those who keep judgment and do righteousness at all times!” (Ps. 105:3). And let a cup of manna be placed in it - a subtle and sweet understanding of the word of God; and let the rod of Aaron lie in it—priestly teaching and the flourishing severity of discipline. And above all this majesty let the robe of the high priest be, for the office of the high priest is in this most precious part of man, which some call the guardian of the heart, others the rational understanding or the mental substance, but, whatever it is called, it is that part of us in which lies the power of possessing God. So let this part, like a kind of high priest, be adorned with vestments and precious stones. His long linen robe reaches to his heels, covering his entire body. This means, first of all, that the whole person is clothed in chastity. Then let him also find an ephod, decorated with stones, where our good deeds are kept, “so that they [people] may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). And he will put on his chest the “breastplate of judgment” with precious stones arranged in four rows. And let the “polished tablet of pure gold”, which is called “petalum”, sparkle brightly on his forehead. And they will put on the breastplate “Urim and Thummim” 17 (Ex. 28:30). On these items of clothing, placed, as said, on the chest, I read the edification of the Gospel, which in its four-part dispensation communicates to us the truth of faith and the appearance of the Trinity, all of this together turning to the top, namely, to the nature of the one God. Thus, these objects contain all truth and all manifestations of truth. Therefore, if you want to perform the highest priestly service to God, let the edification of the Gospel and faith in the Trinity always remain in your chest. The apostolic teaching agrees with this, both in power and in judgment, that the name of God should always be in your head and everything should be reduced to one God. Let the high priest make “an undergarment of linen to cover the nakedness of his body” (Ex. 28:42), and his body will be covered, so that he may be holy “both in body and spirit” (1 Cor. 7:34) and pure in deeds and thoughts. Let him have vertebrae along the hem of his outer robe, so that, as the Scripture says, “a sound may be heard from him when he enters the sanctuary” (Ex. 28:35). And these vertebrae on the edge of the chasuble should always ring. I think that this is so that you do not remain ignorant about the end times and the end of the world, but so that you can always sound, reason and speak in accordance with the one who said: “In all your deeds remember your end, and you will never sin” (Sir.7:39). And thus our inner man is adorned as the high priest of God, that he may enter not only into the sanctuary, but also into the Holy of Holies; so that he may draw near to the throne of mercy, where among the cherubim God will reveal himself to him. The sanctuary can be what gives life to holiness in this world. But the Holy of Holies, which is entered only once, is, in my opinion, the passage to heaven, where the cherubim live and the throne of mercy is located, and where God can appear to those who are pure in heart, for the Lord says: “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). But for now, enough about the tabernacle, for we have spoken about everything that could be covered, and have brought enough to the ears of our parishioners that each of us will zealously build a tabernacle for God in ourselves. For it is not without reason that it is said that the fathers lived “in tabernacles” 18 (Heb. 11:9). This is how I understand that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived in tabernacles. Those who adorned themselves with the brilliant radiance of virtues built a tabernacle for God. For the royal purple sparkles dazzlingly on them, thanks to which the sons of Heth said to Abraham: “You are the prince of God among us” (Gen. 23:6). The scarlet also shines on them, for Abraham restrained the hand raised to kill his son for the sake of God. Hyacinth shines on them, as they always turn their gaze to heaven and follow the Lord of heaven. Other decorations also shine on them. I understand the Feast of Tabernacles, instituted by the Lord, to mean that the people went out on a certain day of the year and lived in tents made of palm branches and leaves of willow and poplar and branches of thick-leafed trees. The palm tree is a symbol of victory in the war that flesh and spirit wage against each other, and the poplar and willow are branches of purity, both in virtue and in name. If you keep all this clean, you will be able to possess bushy branches, with thick foliage of trees, which are life, eternal and blessed, when the Lord “makes you lie down in green pastures and leads you by the still waters” (Ps. 23:2) through Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homilia X. About a pregnant woman who miscarries when two men fight 1. If two men fight and hit a pregnant woman and her child comes out unborn, then the husband of this woman will exact a loss from the culprit, which he himself will determine, and he will pay with respect. If the child was fully formed, he would give “soul for soul, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise” (Ex. 21:22–25). I think the first thing to do is to examine what category of law such instructions fall into. For not all commands, as simple, inexperienced people think, are laws, but some, for example, are called law, others - testimonies, others - orders and decrees, others - decrees. All of them are gathered together in the eighteenth psalm: “The law of the Lord is perfect, strengthens the soul; The revelation of the Lord is true, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are righteous and gladden the heart; The commandment of the Lord is bright, it enlightens the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure and endures forever. The judgments of the Lord are true, all are righteous” (Ps. 19:8-10). Since there are such differences between the provisions of the law, the passage we are considering falls into the category of decrees or decrees. For above in Scripture it is said: “These are the decrees 19 which you will declare to them” (Ex. 21:1). For now, however, we will not consider in detail the differences between all these categories, for our task is to explain what we have just been read. You should, of course, know that the part of Scripture we are talking about is set out in the Gospel of Matthew, where the Lord says: “You have heard that it was said: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever hits you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him” (Matthew 38:39). But perhaps a more attentive reader of Scripture will say that the words given in the Gospel are taken not from the book of Exodus, but from Deuteronomy, where it is said: “If an unjust witness comes forward against anyone, accusing him of a crime, then let both of these people who have a lawsuit appear before the Lord, before the priests and before the judges who will be in those days; Judges must investigate thoroughly, and if that witness is a false witness, who falsely denounced his brother, then do to him what he intended to do to his brother; and so destroy evil from among you; and others will hear and fear, and will no longer do such evil among you; Let not your eye spare him: life for soul, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Deut. 19:16-21). Apparently, both books say approximately the same thing, and it is unclear where the words conveyed in the Gospel were taken from: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” 2. However, now we should pay attention to what is said in the book of Exodus that two men fight and hit a pregnant woman and the child will come out either fully formed or not. Let us first consider the child who emerged unformed. Why is the fine imposed on only one of the fighters, while Scripture blames not one for the fight, but both? What does this woman's husband assign or impose on the guilty, and not on the guilty, and that he, and not they, pays with respect? And what kind of respect is this? However, if fighting men hit a pregnant woman and a born child comes out, then we easily understand that a life is taken for a life, that is, the committed act is punishable by death. It is, however, necessary to explain what follows: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” for it is impossible that a child who was thrown out by a woman when she was hit, although we understand that he came out fully formed, lost an eye in the womb from a kick from one of the fighters and the judges would deprive the guilty person of an eye. But let’s assume that this can still happen, since the child has already taken shape. But what can we say about teeth? After all, in his womb he had no teeth that could be knocked out by a blow from a fighter. If we apply these words to a woman who has had a miscarriage, then, again, how can she lose an eye or damage a tooth during a miscarriage? Suppose it is said that a woman was hit in the eye or in the teeth and this caused a miscarriage; let's say she received a wound or bruise, but what do we say about “burn for burn”? Is it possible for a woman standing next to fighting men to get burned, so that one could explain “burning for burning”? It seems to me that these particular phrases are not so easily explained, even as they are expressed in Deuteronomy, where instructions such as these are recorded. Suppose an “unrighteous witness” falsely accused a person of wickedness. Suppose they both appeared before the judges; Let's say the judges looked into the case thoroughly and found that the witness's accusations were false. How can a judge, who must not ignore false accusations, take the life of a guilty person for the life of an innocent one? How, I say, can he remove “an eye for an eye”? As if, indeed, an unjustly accused person should injure the accuser's eye or tooth or arm or leg. But we said this, wanting to show that it is not so easy to explain what is said in each passage. For we must first discuss the direct meaning of what was said and, since “the law is spiritual,” look for the spiritual meaning in these words. 3. But to the extent that the allegorical, which usually covers a lot, relates to the present, it focuses on us. Nevertheless, we will try, as best we can, to explain what meaning is contained in this passage for us. We have often said that in Scripture the parts of the soul bear the same names and are intended for the same thing as the bodily members, as, for example, when it is said: “You look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not feel the beam in your own eye” (Matthew 7:3), then, of course, this is not said about the bodily eye in which the beam lies, but about the eye of the soul. And the same thing happens when it is said: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:9) and “How beautiful are the feet of the evangelist on the mountains” (Isaiah 52:7) and many other similar sayings are given. We pointed this out so that similar names for bodily members would not confuse us. So, let us assume that the two fighting men are two controversial doctrines being studied or questions of the law, contradicting each other, which, according to the Apostle, is “controversy of words” (1 Tim. 6:4). Therefore, the same Apostle, knowing that such quarrels arise between brothers, foresees this and says: “Do not enter into disputes over words, which in no way serves to benefit, but to upset those who listen” (2 Tim. 2:14), and in another place: “Avoid stupid and ignorant competitions, knowing that they give rise to quarrels; But the servant of the Lord must not quarrel” (2 Tim. 2:23–24). And therefore, since those who enter into verbal disputes quarrel “to the frustration of those listening,” they hit the pregnant woman, so that a child comes out, either already formed or unformed. It is said that a pregnant woman is the soul that has conceived the word of God. We read about this conception elsewhere in Scripture: “So we were before You, O Lord. They were pregnant, they suffered, and they gave birth” (Is. 26:17-18). Thus, those who conceive and immediately give birth are not women, but men, and perfect men at that. For listen to what the prophet says: “Did a country arise in one day? were people born at once? (Isa.66:8). This is the generation of perfect men, born on the same day on which it was conceived. But lest it seem strange to you that we say that men give birth, we have already shown how the names of the members should be understood, so that you can renounce the carnal meanings and grasp the meaning of the inner man. But if you need more confirmation of this in Scripture, listen to what the Apostle says: “My children, for whom I am again in the throes of birth, until Christ is formed 20 in you!” (Gal.4:19). These are the perfect and strong men who give birth as soon as they conceive, that is, they transform the conceived word of faith into deeds. However, the soul that conceived and kept this word in the womb, but did not give birth, is called a woman, just as the prophet says: “Babes have reached the opening of their mothers’ wombs, but there is no strength to give birth” (Is. 37:3). So, such a soul, called a woman because of its weakness, stumbles and, having received a blow from two fighting men throwing stumbling blocks into the dispute - which is usual in verbal disputes - spews out and loses the barely conceived word of faith. This is quarrel and word dispute “to the frustration of those listening.” Therefore, if a soul, forced to stumble, throws out a word that has not yet been formed, the one who forced it to stumble is said to suffer a loss. Do you want to know why the word took shape in others? The word of the Apostle quoted above clearly teaches us when he says: “Until Christ is formed in you!” . But Christ is the word of God. By this the Apostle shows that at the time he wrote, the word of God had not yet taken shape in them. Therefore, if it comes out not yet formed, he will suffer a loss. The apostle also teaches about the loss of those who teach when he says: “Whoever’s work is burned up will suffer loss; however, he himself will be saved, but as if from fire” (1 Cor. 3:15). And the Lord also says in the Gospels: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). This seems to show that certain sins cause damage, but do not lead to destruction, for it is said that the one who suffers a loss will still be saved, although “as if from fire.” I think that for this reason the Apostle John also says in his epistle that some sins lead to death, while others do not lead to death (cf. 1 John 5:16). I don’t think, however, that everyone can easily distinguish which sin leads to death and which sin does not lead to death, but to damage, for it is said: “Who can discern his own sins?” (Ps. 18:13). And yet, from what is said in the Gospel parables, we partly learn what is called loss when we see in it certain things considered as profit, which, as it is said, is obtained by trade. For example, when it is said that for the five mines received, five more were purchased, or two - for two; or when a drachma or a denarius or a talent is received and called money acquired in commercial pursuits; but also when it is said that the owner of the house settles with his servants and one of them, who owes him ten thousand talents, is brought to him. This is the calculation of losses, so that, for example, one who received ten minas will not receive ten minas as a reward, but eight or six or even less; and whoever causes a weak and feminine soul to stumble will, as it is said, suffer a loss. 4. And he will pay, as it is said, “the penalty that his husband will impose on him,” and he “must pay it with respect.” The husband of the learning soul is her mentor; and therefore this man, or Christ, the Teacher of all, or the Shepherd of souls, presiding over the Church of Christ, determines what damage he who argues with the words “to the frustration of those listening” will suffer for the soul that he threw away, like an unformed child. This can also be taken as a stumbling block for a catechumen that has not yet taken shape. For it may happen that the one who wounds the soul again teaches, restores and heals in this soul what it has lost. And let him now do this “respectfully,” modestly and patiently, just as the Apostle calls for “instructing your opponents with meekness” (2 Tim. 2:25), and not quarreling, as before, when he threw a stumbling block. “And if the child is already mature, then give soul for soul” (Ex. 21:23). By a formed child we can understand the word of God in the heart of that soul that follows the grace of baptism or has clearly and obviously conceived the word of faith. And if such a soul, struck by disputes between teachers, rejects this word and becomes one of those about whom the Apostle said: “For some have already turned aside after Satan” (1 Tim. 5:15), then she must give “soul for soul.” Or on the day of judgment she will be taken by the Judge, who “is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28), for in another place the prophet, turning to Jerusalem, says: “I gave Egypt as a ransom for you, Ethiopia and Sheba for you” (Is. 43:3). Or it is also possible to understand it in such a way that one who knows about the existence of such a stumbling block in himself could lay down his “soul for the soul” of the one whom he caused to stumble, and could, in the face of death, think how he could restore, how to correct, how to convert this soul to faith. Let him also give “an eye for an eye” if he has damaged the eye of the soul, that is, if he has violated its understanding; let his own eye be taken from him, let the ruler of the Church pluck it out, and let his wild and violent mind, which created the stumbling block, be cut off. And if he damages the listener’s tooth, with which he is accustomed, when eating the word of God, to crush and crush it in order to convey the subtle meaning of these words to the stomach of the soul; if he damages and knocks out this tooth, so that the soul can no longer perceive the word of God subtly and spiritually, then let the tooth of the one who badly grinds and crushes the food of Scripture be removed. Perhaps it is for this reason that it is said elsewhere about the Lord: “You break the teeth of the wicked” (Ps. 3:8); and again, in another place: “Whoever eats sour grapes will have his teeth set on edge” (Jer. 31:30); and again, in another place: “Break their teeth in their mouth; Break, Lord, the jaws of the lions!” (Ps.57:7). So, it is said that the soul is affected and damaged by the members of the body. It is also necessary to give “hand for hand” and “foot for foot”. The hand is the power of the soul, with which it can hold or restrain anything, as if we were talking about its deeds and strength. The foot is a means of bringing her closer to good or evil. Therefore, if the soul encounters a stumbling block, it falls not only in faith, but also in works indicated by hands and feet; the bodily members of the one who caused this stumbling are taken away: the hands with which he worked poorly, and the legs with which he walked slowly. He will also receive "burning" for having burned and sent the soul to hell. These separate bodily members show that the one who inflicted the wound and was deprived of all bodily members is cut off from the body of the Church, and “the rest,” as the Scripture says, “will hear and fear, and will not do such evil anymore” (Deut. 19:20). Therefore, when the Apostle describes the teacher of the Church, among other things, he prescribes that he should “not be a murderer” (1 Tim. 3:3), so that he would not beat pregnant women, that is, the souls of beginners, and he would not have to give “a soul for a soul, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” The Lord mourns such souls in the Gospels when he says: “Woe to them that are with child and to those who nurse with breasts in those days” (Matthew 24:19), in which it will be possible to “deceive... even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). But you should know that to be deceived is not the lot of the perfect, but of women and very little ones, just as the Lord says in the Gospel: “Whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble” (Matthew 18:6). So, only the very small and the lesser can be seduced. “But he who is spiritual judges all things” (1 Cor. 2:15), tests all things, holds on to good things, and abstains “from every kind of evil” (1 Thess. 5:21–22). We talked about what thoughts came to us while reading this chapter. And let us ask the Lord that He Himself will consider us worthy to reveal to us what is perfect through Jesus Christ our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XI. About the thirst that the children of Israel experienced in Rephidim, and about the war with the Amalekites and about the help of Jethro 1. Since “all who desire to live godly in Christ” (2 Tim. 3:12) are persecuted and attacked by enemies, those who walk along the path of this life must always be armed and must always be in their camp. Therefore, it is said about the people of God: “And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the wilderness of Sin on their way, according to the commandment of the Lord” (Ex. 17:1). Thus there is one society of the Lord, but it is divided into four camps. For, as it is said in the book of Numbers, four camps must be set up before the tabernacle of the Lord (cf. Numbers 2). So you too, if you are always vigilant and armed and know that you are serving as a soldier in the camp of the Lord, you must remember that “no soldier binds himself to the affairs of this life in order to please the commander of the army” (2 Tim. 2:4). For if you are a “soldier of Jesus Christ” and serve the Lord, not binding yourself to earthly concerns, and vigilantly watch in the camp of the Lord, they will say about you that you moved “from the desert of Sin on your way, at the command of the Lord,” and came to Rephidim. “Sin” means “temptation”, and “Rephidim” means “firmness of judgment”. The one who has withdrawn from temptation has gained firmness of judgment, even if it returns. For on the day of judgment he will be steadfast, and his steadfastness will be with him, and temptation will not harm him, as it is said in the book of Revelation: “To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7). Therefore, he rightfully “gives firmness to his words in judgment” (Ps. 111:15) and will gain firmness of judgment. 2. But what does it say next? It is said: “And the people there thirsted for water, and the people murmured against Moses” (Ex. 17:3). It may seem that it is unnecessary to say “the people were thirsty for water,” it would be enough to say “the people were thirsty.” Why was it necessary to add “the people were thirsty for water”? However, this addition is by no means unnecessary, for thirst is different, and everyone has their own. “Blessed,” as the Lord said, “are those who thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). And others say: “God! My soul thirsts for you” (Ps. 62:2). Sinners experience “not a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but a thirst for hearing the words of the Lord” (Am.8:11). Therefore, it is added here that the “people” who should have thirsted for God, thirsted for righteousness, “thirsted for water.” But since God is truly a “teacher of babes” and a “teacher of the ignorant” (Rom. 2:20), He corrects their mistakes and eliminates their delusions, He commands Moses to take the rod and strike it “at the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink” (Ex. 17:5). For He wants them to drink from the rock; He wants them to delve into deeper mysteries. For they murmured against Moses, and so the Lord commands him to show them the rock from which they can drink. And if someone, when reading Moses, murmurs against him and does not like the law written according to the letter, for it seems to him in many ways inconsistent, Moses shows him the rock, which is Christ, and leads him to it so that he can drink from it and quench his thirst. But water will not flow from this rock unless you hit it, and if you hit it, streams will flow out of it. For after Christ was struck and crucified, streams of the New Testament poured out of Him. That is why it is said about Him: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7). Therefore He must be struck, for if He is not struck and if blood and water do not flow from His sides (cf. John 19:34), we will all “thirst to hear the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). The Apostle also understood this when he said: “And they all ate the same spiritual food; and they all drank the same spiritual drink: for they drank from the spiritual stone that followed; and the stone was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:3–4). But notice that here God says to Moses: “Go ahead of the people, and take with you some of the elders” (Ex. 18:5). Moses does not lead the people to the waters of the rock alone; the elders of the people of Israel go with him. For it was not only the law that proclaimed Christ, but also the prophets and patriarchs and elders. 3. Then the war with the Amalekites is described. It tells how the Israeli people fought and won. Before they ate bread from heaven and drank water from the rock, it is not said that they fought, but it was said to them: “The Lord will fight for you, but you be calm” (Ex. 14:14). Thus, there are times when the Lord fights for us. He “will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability” (1 Cor. 10:13) and will not allow weak people to enter “the house of the strong” (Matt. 12:29). For Job also waged his well-known struggle with temptation as a man already perfect. So you too, when you begin to eat manna - the heavenly bread of the word of God - and drink water from the rock, when you approach the deep meaning of spiritual teaching, expect a struggle and prepare for war. And since war is inevitable, let's see what Moses orders. “Moses said to Joshua: Choose us strong men, and go and fight the Amalekites” (Ex. 17:9). Up to this point the blessed name of Jesus is not mentioned. Here for the first time the glory of this name appears; Here Moses turns to Jesus for the first time and says to him: “Choose us strong men.” Moses calls Jesus; the law calls on Christ to choose for Himself from among the people “mighty men.” Moses could not choose them. Only Jesus, who said: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:16), could choose “mighty men.” For He Himself is the leader of the elect; He Himself is the Prince of the mighty; He Himself fights with Amalek, for He Himself enters “the house of the strong man” and, having bound him, plunders “his things” (Matthew 12:29). 4. Meanwhile, let's see what this story is about. Moses went up “to the top of the hill” (Ex. 17:10). He has not yet climbed to the top of the mountain, but to the top of the hill. For he was destined to ascend to the top of the mountain when Jesus ascended the mountain with Moses and Elijah and was transfigured there in glory. Now, so to speak, not glorified by the Transfiguration, he ascends not to the top of the mountain, but “to the top of the hill.” It is said: “And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed” (Ex. 17:11). Moses did raise his hands; he did not extend them. However, Jesus, when he was lifted up on the cross and was ready to embrace the whole world, says: “Every day I have stretched out My hands to a rebellious people, who walked in an evil way, according to their own thoughts” (Is. 65:2). So Moses raised his hands, and when he raised them, the Amalekites were defeated. To raise our hands means to lift up our deeds and labors to God and not to have deeds that are abandoned and lie on the ground, but to possess only those that are pleasing to God and taken up to heaven. Therefore, the one who lays up for himself “treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:20) raises his hands, for “where his treasure is, there are his eyes and his hands.” The one who says: “The lifting of my hands is like the evening sacrifice” (Ps. 141:2) also raises his hands. And if our works are lifted up and not laid on the ground, the Amalekites are defeated. And the Apostle commands: “Lift up clean hands without anger or doubt” (1 Tim. 2:8). It was also said to some: “Strengthen your weak hands and weakened knees, and walk straight with your feet” (Heb. 12:12-13). Thus, if the people keep the law, Moses raises his hands and the enemy is defeated; if they do not fulfill it, the Amalekites will prevail. “Our struggle” is also “against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Eph. 6:12), and if you want to win, if you want to gain the upper hand, raise your hands and lift up your deeds, and let your residence not be on earth, but, as the Apostle said: “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). And in this way you will be able to overcome those who, like the Amalekites, are hostile to you, so that they will say about you: “The Lord has war against Amalek from generation to generation” (Ex. 17:16). And you lift up your hands to God; follow the call of the Apostle: “Pray without ceasing” (Thess. 5:17). And then what has been said will be fulfilled: “This people is now devouring everything around us, like an ox devouring the grass of the field” (Num. 22:4). This indicates, as those who were before us have conveyed, that the people of God fought not so much with the force of arms as with the word, in other words, they overcame their enemies by offering prayers to God. So you, if you want to defeat your enemies, lift up your deeds and cry out to God, as the Apostle says: “Be constant in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2). For this is the struggle of Christians in which they defeat their enemies. I think, however, that with this symbol Moses conveys the image of two peoples and shows that one of them is a people who raises the hands of Moses and supports them, that is, lifts up what Moses wrote, and adjusts its understanding to an exalted manner and thus overcomes. Another people is one that does not raise the hands of Moses, does not raise them from the ground, does not find anything sublime and insightful in it, and therefore the enemies overcome and overthrow this people. 5. After this, Moses went up to the mountain of God, and Jethro, his father-in-law, met him there. But Moses “went out” from the camp “to meet his father-in-law” and did not lead him to the mountain of God, but “they entered the tent” (Ex. 18:7), for the priest of Midian could not ascend the mountain of God. And neither he nor Moses' wife could go down to Egypt, but now he goes out to Moses with his sons. For only a trained athlete, such as the Apostle describes, can enter Egypt and compete with the Egyptians: “All ascetics abstain from everything: those to receive a perishable crown, but we an incorruptible one. And therefore I do not run as if at the wrong thing, I do not fight so as to just beat the air” (1 Cor. 9:25-26). Therefore Moses, being a glorious and mighty athlete, went down to Egypt; came down to fight and practice virtues. Abraham also went down to Egypt, for he too was a great and mighty athlete. What can we say about Jacob, who was an athlete by his name alone? For “fighter” means “one who trips up.” And therefore, when Jacob went down to Egypt, and with him seventy-five souls (cf. Gen. 46:27), then he became “as many as the many stars in the sky” (Heb. 11:12). However, not everyone who went to Egypt fought, won the competition and became countless and multiplied like the stars in the sky. Others, having descended into Egypt, came to the exact opposite. I know that Jeroboam fled from Solomon to Egypt and not only did not multiply, but divided and corrupted the people of God, for when he retired to Egypt, King Shusakim “gave him Anu as his wife, the elder sister of his wife Tahpenesa” (1 Kings 24 [according to the Septuagint]). Meanwhile, Jethro comes out to Moses with his daughter - Moses' wife - and his sons. “And he came,” it is said, “Aaron and all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God” (Ex. 18:12). Not all of them ate bread “before God,” but only the elders, old in years, perfect and worthy, ate bread “before God,” those who fulfilled what the Apostle said: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Therefore, everything that saints do, they do “before God.” Sinners flee from the face of God. For it is said that Adam, after he sinned, hid “from the presence of the Lord God” (Gen. 3:8). And when God asked him, he answered: “I heard Your voice in paradise, and I was afraid, because I was naked” (Gen. 3:10). And Cain, when he was cursed by God for fratricide, “went,” as it is said, “from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod” (Gen. 4:16). Therefore, all who are unworthy to be in the presence of God come from His presence. However, saints eat and drink “before God,” and do everything “before God.” And in the passage we are discussing, I see even more and will say that those who have received a more complete knowledge of God and have penetrated deeper into the Divine teachings, even if they do evil, they do it before God and in His presence, as if saying: “I have sinned against You alone and have done evil in Your sight” (Ps. 50:6). What does the one who does evil before God get? The fact that he immediately repents and says: “I have sinned.” The one who seeks to hide from the face of God does not know how to turn and cleanse his sin through repentance. This is the difference between committing evil before God and walking away from God's presence after sinning. 6. But, as I see it, Jethro did not come to Moses aimlessly and it was not in vain that he ate bread with the elders of the people of Israel “before God.” For he gives praiseworthy and useful advice to Moses, so that he should choose and appoint leaders of the people, “men of ability, those who fear God, men of truth, hating pride 21” (Ex. 18:21). For the leaders of the people must not only not be proud people, but also hate pride, in other words, so that they not only themselves are blameless, but also hate vices in others. I tell them not to hate people, but vices. “And make them over him rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens; let them judge the people at all times and report every important matter to you” (Ex. 18:12-22). Let the leaders and elders of the people hear that they must judge the people every hour and must always administer justice without delay, settle disputes, reconcile those at war, and call for mutual forgiveness for those living in discord. Let everyone understand their duties from the Holy Scriptures. It is said that Moses himself had to deal with the affairs of God and explain the word of God to the people. But other leaders, called chiefs - hundred-leaders or fifty-leaders, had to deal with minor court cases related to the settlement of minor disputes. I think, however, that such a dispensation was given to the Church not only in this century, but is preserved in the century to come. For listen to what the Lord says in the Gospel: “When the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). You see that the Lord, to whom the Father “has given all judgment” (John 5:22), appoints for Himself other leaders who judge the people in small matters, “but report every important matter” to Him. That is why the Lord said that one “is subject to judgment,” another “is subject to the Sanhedrin,” and another “is subject to fiery hell” (Matthew 5:22). It is also said that we will answer for every idle word, but He did not say that we will give an answer to God as about false witness: “Fulfill your oaths to the Lord” (Matthew 5:33). However, “the queen of the south will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it” (Matthew 12:42). This is a different kind of condemnation. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:43). For all this there is a symbol or “shadow” of the heavenly and an image of the “future” (cf. Col. 2:17). But just as we read what is written that “the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing” (Eccl. 1:8), so we cannot be nourished by looking and thinking; how many spoken words teach, how varied are their instructions. For when I see that Moses, the prophet filled with God, with whom God spoke “face to face,” follows the advice of the Midian priest Jethro, my mind stands still in silent admiration. For the Scripture says: “And Moses listened to the words of his father-in-law and did everything that he said” (Ex. 18:24). He did not say: “God speaks to me, and what I should do is indicated to me by word from heaven” and “How can I follow the advice of a man, and also a pagan, alien to the people of God?” He listens and does everything he is told. Likewise, we, having sometimes heard something wise said by the pagans, should not immediately reject their words only on the grounds that we reject those who spoke them. We, who adhere to the law of God given to us, should not become puffed up with pride and despise reasonable words, but we must follow what the Apostle said: “Test everything, hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21). Who among the leaders of the people of Israel today - not one who has received a revelation from God, but at least knows the law well - will condescend to accept advice even from a subordinate priest, let alone from a layman or a pagan? And Moses, “the meekest of all people on earth” (Num. 12:3), listened to the advice of his lesser self in order to show the leaders an example of humility and show an image of the coming mystery. For he knew that sometime in the future the Gentiles would give useful advice regarding Moses, that they would bring spiritual understanding of the law of God. He knew that the law would hear them and do everything they said. For the “law,” as the Jews claim, is “powerless,” since it is “weakened by the flesh” (Rom. 8:3), that is, by the letter, and cannot accomplish anything according to the letter, “for the law has perfected nothing” (Heb. 7:19). According to this instruction that we gave to the law, everything can have a spiritual meaning. Now we can make spiritual sacrifices instead of carnal ones. The Leper Law, which cannot be kept literally, can be kept spiritually. And therefore in how we understand and how we perceive and how we advise, the law accomplishes everything; and, taken literally, he does not do everything, but very little. 7. After Jethro departed and Moses moved “from Raphidim into the wilderness of Sinai” (Exodus 19:2), the Lord came down to Moses “in a thick cloud” (Exodus 19:9) so that the Israelites, seeing this, would believe him and hear his words. “And the Lord said to Moses: Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow; let them wash their clothes so that they will be ready for the third day” (Ex. 19:10-11). If anyone comes to hear the word of God, let him hear God's command: after sanctification, he must come and hear this word and wash his robes. For if you come in dirty clothes, you will also hear: “Friend! How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes?” (Matthew 22:12). Thus, no one can hear the word of God unless he first sanctifies himself, that is, unless he becomes holy “both in body and spirit” (1 Cor. 7:34), and unless he washes his clothes. For he will soon go to the wedding feast to eat the flesh of the Lamb and drink the cup of salvation. Let no one come to this feast in dirty clothes. Wisdom also commands this in another place: “Let your garments be bright at all times” (Eccl. 9:8). For your clothes were once washed when you received the grace of baptism, cleansed in body, washed from all uncleanness of flesh and spirit. “What God has purified, you do not consider unclean” (Acts 10:15, 11:9). Listen now to a kind of consecration: “Be ready for the third day; do not touch women” (Exodus 19:15). And the Apostle says the same thing: “It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (1 Cor. 7:1). However, marriage is a sure remedy for those who need it because of their weakness. And yet let us listen to the advice of the Apostle: “I tell you, brethren: the time is short, so that those who have wives must be as if they had not... and those who buy as if they were not acquiring; and those who use this world as if they do not use it” (1 Cor. 7:29-31). The temporary kingdom is passing away so that the enduring and eternal kingdom may come, as we are instructed to say in prayer: “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10) in Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XII. About the shining face of Moses and about the veil that he put on his face 1. A passage from the book of Exodus read to us either encourages us to seek understanding or discourages us from that search. He encourages inquisitive and independent minds and repels idle and busy minds, for it is said: “And Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, and behold, his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him” (Ex. 34:30). And a little lower: “I put a veil over my face. When Moses came in before the Lord to speak with Him, then he took off the veil” (Ex. 34:33-34). But the Apostle, discussing these questions with his inherent sublime understanding, of which he said: “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), says: “If the ministry of the deadly letters inscribed on the stones was so glorious that the children of Israel could not look at the face of Moses because the glory of his face was passing away, then should not the ministry of the spirit be much more glorious?” (2 Cor. 3:7-8). And again, a little further down, he says: “Not like Moses, who put a veil on his face, so that the children of Israel would not look at the end of the passing. But their minds are blinded: for the same veil remains unlifted to this day... when they read Moses, a veil is laid over their hearts” (2 Cor. 3:13–15). Who would not be amazed at the greatness of these secrets? Who would not be afraid at the sight of an insensitive heart? Moses' face shone, but the children of Israel could not look at his face; The people of the synagogue could not watch. But if someone, by his behavior and lifestyle, was able to rise above the crowd, then he could look at the radiance of his face. For, according to the Apostle, “the same veil remains unlifted until now in the reading of the Old Testament” (2 Cor. 3:14); and to this day Moses speaks with a shining face, but we cannot look at the radiance of glory on his face, because we are simple people and do not differ from the crowd in either our zeal or merit. But since the holy Apostle said: “The same veil remains untaken until now in the reading of the Old Testament” (2 Cor. 3:14), the opinion expressed by the Apostle would have deprived us of all hope of understanding if he had not added: “But when they turn to the Lord, then this veil is taken away” (2 Cor. 3:16). He says that in order to remove the veil, you need to turn to the Lord. From this it should be concluded that while we read the Divine Scriptures without understanding them, while what is written remains hidden from us, we have not yet turned to the Lord, and the veil has undoubtedly not yet been removed. 2. Let's look at what it means to “turn to the Lord.” And in order for us to understand more clearly what it means to turn, we must find out what it means to turn away. Anyone who is engaged in gossip while reading the words of the law is turned away. Anyone who is absorbed in worldly cares, money, profit, when Moses is read, turns away. Anyone who is bound by the cares of property and distracted by the desire for wealth, who is pursuing the glory of this age and worldly honors, has turned away. The one who seems to be alien to what we have just talked about, who stands and listens to the words of the law with a concentrated expression on his face and an attentive gaze, but wanders in his heart and thoughts, has also turned away. What then does it mean to convert? If we turn our backs on all this and direct all our attention, zeal, understanding and zeal to the word of God; if we meditate on His law “day and night” (Ps. 1:2), if, abandoning all care, we devote ourselves to God, if we practice His testimonies, then we will turn to the Lord. After all, if you want your son to receive a good education, to know grammar and rhetoric, won’t you free him from all worries and worries? Won't you give him the opportunity to concentrate entirely on his studies, putting aside all other matters? Don't you make sure that he has everything he needs - mentors, books? Won't you bear all the expenses until he finishes his studies? How many of us study God's law like this? Which of us turned to him with such jealousy? Who seeks divine teaching as earnestly as worldly education? And why do we complain if we are not competent in something because we do not study? Some of you will leave immediately after listening to the selected reading. You do not need to examine what you read or compare it, you have forgotten the command of God's law: “Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will tell you” (Deut. 32:7). Some of you don't even have the patience to listen to the end of what they read in church. Others do not even know whether anything has been read at all, since they are busy talking about worldly affairs in the far corners of God's house. I dare to talk about this because when they read Moses, it is no longer “a veil that lies over their heart,” but it is fenced off with a wall. For if even the one who is present in the church, who listens attentively, reflects on what he hears, discusses and examines it, who learns what he cannot follow, can hardly achieve freedom of understanding, what then can we say about the one who closes his ears so as not to hear, and turns his back to the reader so that he will be said to have a veil over his heart, when even the veil of the letters, that is, the sound of the voice in which the meaning is contained, does not reach his ears? Therefore it is clear how the face of Moses shone - the words he speaks are filled with glory, but they are hidden, and all his glory is within. 3. See also the significance of what is said in the law that Moses’ face shone, although there was a veil on him, and his hand, which, as it is said, he put “in his bosom,” “was leprous as white as snow” (Ex. 4:6). It seems to me that this completely reflects the entire structure of the law, for the word of the law is reflected in his face, and the deeds are reflected in his hand. But since “by the works of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:20) and no law will bring it “to perfection” (Heb. 7:19), Moses’ hand “was white with leprosy” and hidden “in his bosom,” because its works would not be perfect. His face shines, but it is hidden under a veil, for in his word is the glory of knowledge, but it is hidden. Therefore, the prophet says: “If you do not listen to this, then my soul will mourn your pride in hidden places” (Jer. 13:17), and David says: “You loved the truth in your heart and showed me wisdom within me” (Ps. 50:8). Thus, only the face of Moses shines in the law; there is no glory in his hands, rather, they are even condemned; there is no glory at his feet. He was told to take off his shoes, for there was no glory in his feet. All this is undoubtedly connected with some kind of mystery, for the legs are the lowest part of a person. Therefore, it is shown that in the last times Moses will take off his shoes so that someone else can take his daughter-in-law, and they will call her name “the house of the shoeless” (Deut. 25:10) 22, and it will be so “until now” (2 Cor. 3:15). So the light of glory comes only from the face of Moses. However, in the Gospel the whole of Moses is glorified anew. For listen to what is said in the Gospel: “Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up to a high mountain alone, and was transfigured before them... And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them [in glory] 23, talking with Him” (Matthew 17:1-3). It does not say that his face shone, but that the prophets appeared in glory and talked with Jesus. This fulfilled the promise given to him on Mount Sinai, when it was said to him: “You will see Me from behind” (Ex. 33:23). And Moses saw Him from behind, for he saw what happened in the next and last days, and he rejoiced. For just as Abraham longed to see the day of the Lord, “and he saw and rejoiced” (John 8:56), so Moses longed to see the day of the Lord, “and he saw and rejoiced.” He involuntarily rejoiced, because he no longer descended from the mountain, and only his face was shining, but he ascended the mountain, completely glorified. Moses undoubtedly rejoiced in the One about whom he said: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from among your brethren; listen to Him” (Deut. 18:15). Now he saw that He had found Himself and that His words had come true. And so that he does not doubt anything, he hears the voice of the Father saying: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5). Moses first said: “Listen to Him”; now the Father says: “This is My Son... Listen to Him” and shows that the One He speaks of has been found. It seems to me that Moses rejoices for another reason: he himself now, in a certain sense, takes off the veil, turning to the Lord, when what he predicted has clearly come true, or the time has come when what he hid is revealed by the Holy Spirit. 4. However, we must examine the interpretation of the holy Apostle and consider what he meant when he said: “But when they turn to the Lord, then this veil is removed”; and by the fact that he added “The Lord is spirit,” he seems to explain what the Lord is. Who doesn’t know that “the Lord is spirit”? Did this passage speak of the nature and essence of the Lord so as to say to him: “The Lord is spirit”? So let us be careful that not only when they read Moses, but also when they read Paul, that a veil does not lie over our hearts. And it is obvious that if we listen inattentively, if we do not make efforts to connect knowledge with understanding, then the Scriptures not only of the law and the prophets, but also of the apostles and the Gospels will be hidden from us under a thick veil. I am afraid, however, that our negligence and insensitivity of heart may lead to the fact that the Divine books will not only be covered for us, but also sealed, so that if “they hand over a book to someone who does not know how to read, and say: “read it”; and he answers: “I do not know how to read”” and “they give the book to the one who can read and say: “read it”; and he answers: “I cannot, because it is sealed”” (Is. 29:12, 11). From this it is clear that we must not only diligently study the Holy Scriptures, but also pray to God and beg Him day and night for the Lamb “from the tribe of Judah” to bring and Himself open the book and open the seals from it (cf. Rev. 5:5). For it is He who opens the Scriptures and kindles the hearts of the disciples, so that they say: “Didn’t our heart burn within us when He spoke to us on the road and when He explained the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). Perhaps He can now reveal to us what inspired His Apostle to say: “The Lord is spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (1 Cor. 3:17). And, at least as far as my limited understanding allows me to tell, I think the Word of God is different for different hearers. As we have said more than once, He is called sometimes “the way”, sometimes “the truth”, sometimes “life” (John 14:16), sometimes “resurrection” (John 11:25), sometimes “flesh” (John 1:14), sometimes “spirit” (John 11:25). For although He truly received from the Virgin the substance of the flesh in which He suffered on the Cross and began the resurrection, nevertheless, there is a place where the Apostle says: “Even if we knew Christ according to the flesh, now we know it no more” (2 Cor. 5:16), because even now His word calls his listeners to a more subtle and spiritual understanding and wants them not to perceive anything carnal in the law, and says that he who wants to remove the veil from his heart, must turn to the Lord; not to the Lord, as if to the flesh - and He, without a doubt, is this, for it is said: “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14) - but, so to speak, to the Lord as to the spirit. For if he turns to the Lord as to the spirit, he will move from the carnal to the spiritual, from slavery to freedom, since “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17). And in order for what the Apostle said to become even clearer, let us consider some of his other thoughts. So, he says, addressing those whom he considered unable to accommodate: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). He did not tell them: “The Lord is spirit” (2 Cor. 3:17), nor did he say that Christ is the wisdom of God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:21, 24). For they were unable to know Christ as wisdom, but only as “crucified.” But to those to whom he said: “We preach wisdom among those who are perfect, but not the wisdom of this age and not the powers of this passing age, but we preach the secret, hidden wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 2:6-7), it was necessary to perceive the Word of God not so much as flesh, but as “the secret, hidden wisdom of God.” That is why it is said here to those who are called to move from carnal to spiritual understanding: “The Lord is Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17). And to show that he himself had already gained freedom of knowledge and got rid of the slavery of the veil, to these words he adds: “But we all, with open face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). And if we pray to the Lord to remove the veil from our hearts, we will gain spiritual understanding if only we turn to the Lord and begin to seek freedom of knowledge. But how can we gain freedom, we who serve the world, who serve money, who serve the lusts of the flesh? I incriminate myself; I blame myself, I condemn myself for my sins, so that those who hear will see what they recognize about themselves. Meanwhile, I will say that while I am busy with one of the above, I have not yet turned to the Lord, I do not strive for freedom if I am bound by such matters and concerns. I am a slave to the work or care to which I am attached. I know that it is written: “Whoever is overcome by someone is his slave” (2 Pet. 2:19). And even if the love of money has not overcome me, even if concern for property and wealth has not bound me, I still want praise from people and seek glory if I am dependent on the opinions of people, on what this or that person thinks about me, how he treats me, so that I do not dislike him if he likes me. And while I am looking for all this, I am a slave to it all. But I at least want to try to see if I can free myself from all this, if I can get rid of the shackles of disgusting slavery and find freedom, heeding the call of the Apostle, who said: “You were called to freedom, brethren” (Gal. 5:13). “Do not become slaves of men” (1 Cor. 7:23). But who will give me this freedom? Who will deliver me from this indecent slavery if not the One who said: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36)? But I also know that a slave receives freedom only if he faithfully serves his master and loves him. And therefore let us faithfully serve and love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength (cf. Mark 12:30), so that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord, may give us freedom, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XIII. About what they sacrificed for the tabernacle 1. We have previously spoken to the best of our ability about the tabernacle, but the book of Exodus often repeats its description. It is mentioned both when God tells Moses how to build the tabernacle, and when Moses commands the people to provide materials for its construction, as described in the passage just read to us. But individual objects created by Bezaleel and other wise men are also listed further, and again when they were brought to Moses, and again when the Lord commanded them to be consecrated. In addition, these items are mentioned in other books or poems and are often repeated to remind you of what is associated with them. Now we are read a passage that says: “And Moses said to all the congregation of the children of Israel: This is what the Lord commanded: Make an offering of yourselves to the Lord: everyone who takes heart will bring firstfruits to the Lord, gold, silver, copper, hyacinth, purple and double scarlet, 24 and fine linen, and goats’ hair, red skins of rams, and blue skins... onyx stone and stones. inserts for the ephod and breastplate. And let every one of you who is wise in heart come and do everything that the Lord has commanded” (Ex. 35:4-10). When I think about this, I look within myself and find that I am disappointed and annoyed that I cannot find an explanation for all this, for I am afraid that even if the Lord decided to reveal this to someone - and I do not dare to speak for myself - I am afraid, I speak, and I am tormented by great doubts that He would find listeners. In such a case, one who tried to explain this passage would be asked where or how or before whom to cast the pearls of the Lord (cf. Matt. 7:6). But since you sincerely expect that something will still be said about what you read, and my Lord commands me, saying: “You should have given my silver to the merchants, and I, having come, would have received mine with profit” (Matthew 25:27), I will ask Him to make my word His money, so that I will lend you not my money and not my gold, but His, so that I can speak to you with His word and His mind and bring them to your hearing collection. You who have received the Lord's money already know how to prepare a profit for the Lord when He comes. Profiting from the word of God means doing as it commands us. Therefore, if, having heard this word, you act according to it and live in accordance with what you hear, you are preparing profit for the Lord. Each of you can acquire ten talents out of five and hear from the Lord: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21), “take control of ten cities” (Luke 19:17). But be careful that you do not keep the money you receive, “wrapped in a handkerchief” (Luke 19:20), or hide it “in the ground” (Matthew 25:25), for you know well what will happen to those who did this when the Lord comes. Therefore, we will try to say a little about a lot, or rather, less about a little, in order to balance our ability to speak and your ability to listen. 2. So, first of all, let's see what Moses says to the children of Israel: “Make an offering from yourselves to the Lord: everyone who takes heart will bring firstfruits to the Lord” (Ex. 35:5). Moses does not want you to give more than you can to God. He says: “Everyone who perceives in his heart will bring firstfruits to the Lord.” They were ordered to bring gold, silver, copper and other materials. How can I bring all this from myself? Is gold formed within me, or silver, or anything else necessary? Doesn't everyone take all this out of their closets or chests? What then does Moses mean when he says: “Everyone who perceives in his heart will bring firstfruits to the Lord”? It is obvious that the gold, silver and other materials from which the tabernacle was built came from everyone's storerooms and chests. The spiritual law, however, requires for the tabernacle the gold hidden in us, and the silver hidden in us, and all other materials that may be in us and which we can bring. For the Scripture says: “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart... For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:8-9). So, if you believe “with your heart,” your heart and your understanding are gold, and you sacrifice the faith of your heart as gold for the tabernacle. And if you confess Jesus as Lord “with your mouth,” then you offer the word of confession as silver. Therefore Moses, who is the spiritual law, says: “Make offerings of yourselves.” You take them from yourself, they are inside you, even if you are very poor - they are in you. And what he adds also applies to this: “Everyone who perceives with his heart,” for you can bring nothing to God either from your word or from your understanding, unless you first understand what is said in your heart. If you do not listen carefully and diligently, your gold or silver will not be refined, but it is required that it be refined. Listen to what the Scripture says: “The words of the Lord are pure words, silver purified from the earth in a furnace, refined seven times” (Ps. 11:7). Therefore, if you understand in your heart what has been said, your gold, that is, your understanding, will be purified, and your silver, that is, your words, will be purified. What can we say about copper? It is also necessary for the construction of the tabernacle. It seems that copper can mean strength and in this case it symbolizes strength and patience. But lest any one should say that what is not supported by the authority of Scripture is rather a supposition than an explanation, I will express my opinion that brass may signify a voice. For speech is one thing, and voice is another. Speech through the tongue is controlled by the mind; and the voice is, for example, what is said in Latin or Greek, in a raised or subdued tone. But you will, of course, require proof of this by examples from Scripture. Listen to what the Apostle says: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, then I am like a sounding gossamer or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). Thus, speaking in tongues and translating from one language to another is an offering of copper. For it is necessary that in the tabernacle of the Lord there should be everything, and in the house of God there should be nothing lacking. So the voice, as we said, is an offering of copper. It is with its help that a thought is translated from one language to another, and a certain thought is expressed through speech. And all this is offered to God: thought, speech and voice. 3. What shall we say about the other offerings? There are many of them and it would be very difficult to discuss them separately. But what good is it if, having put in a lot of work, we discuss them, but our listeners, busy with their own affairs, who can hardly stand for an hour listening to the word of God, will let it all pass by and all the work will go down the drain. “Unless the Lord builds a house, those who build it labor in vain” (Ps. 126:1). And yet, as we said above, we transferred the Lord's money into the piggy bank. And let each listener think about how he receives what he conveys. It is said: “Everyone who perceives in his heart will bring firstfruits to the Lord” (Exodus 35:5). And since it is said about the firstfruits, I will ask what the firstfruits of gold and silver are. And how can one bring the firstfruits of hyacinth, porphyry and purple? And how will someone who “receives with the heart” make an offering? This applies to each of us. So let's see how we, who are present here, perceive with our hearts and how we understand the word of God. There are those who perceive what they read with their hearts, while others do not understand what is said at all, since their minds and hearts are busy with trading or other worldly affairs or counting profits. And how do you think women who talk so much perceive in their hearts that they constantly break the silence with their endless stories? What can we say about their mind, what can we say about their heart, if they constantly think about their children or their yarn or their household needs? I sincerely fear that they are akin to those women about whom the Apostle says: “They, being idle, are accustomed to go from house to house and are not only idle, but also talkative, curious, and say what they should not” (1 Tim. 5:13). How do such women perceive with their hearts? One can perceive with the heart only if it is free, if the mind is not bound by anything and is completely concentrated. If a person’s heart is not vigilantly vigilant, he will not be able to receive with his heart and bring gifts to God. And even if we were careless before, let us, without hesitating for a minute, right now become more attentive so that we can understand with our minds. It is right that everyone should become a partaker of the tabernacle of the Lord, for the Lord will certainly see everyone’s offering. How glorious it will be for you if in the tabernacle of the Lord it is said: “This is gold,” for example, “with which the ark of the covenant is covered, - this, the silver from which the bases of the column are made, - this, the copper from which the rings, the candlestick and the bases of the columns are made, - this; and these stones with which the ephod and the breastplate are adorned are of him; the purple of the high priest - this and that, the scarlet - that and so on,” and so on, in relation to everything else. And, on the contrary, how sad and shameful it will be if the Lord, when he comes to inquire about the construction of the tabernacle, does not find gifts from you in it; if he doesn't see anything you brought. Or was your life so unspiritual, so far from faith, that you did not want to leave a memory of yourself in the tabernacle of God? For just as “the prince of this world” (John 12:31) comes to each of us and seeks to find his own deeds in us, and if he finds it, he considers us to belong to him, and vice versa, if the Lord, when he comes, finds something of yours in the tabernacle, he will consider you to belong to Him. Lord Jesus, grant that I too may be worthy to leave a memory in Your tabernacle. I would prefer, if possible, that part of the gold of which the mercy seat is made, or with which the ark is covered, or of which the candlestick and lampstand are made, should be mine. Or, if I do not have gold, I pray that my offering will be silver, which will be useful in the construction of columns or their bases. Or perhaps I will deserve to have copper in my tabernacle, from which the rings and other objects described in the Divine Word are made. And if it is possible, it would be good for me to become one of the princes and bring precious stones to decorate the ephod and the breastplate of the high priest. But since all this is unattainable for me, perhaps I will deserve to have goat’s hair in my tabernacle, so as not to turn out to be completely indifferent and fruitless in everything. "Everyone who perceives with his heart." See if you understand, see if you keep it, so that what is said does not disappear and disappear without any benefit. I want to give you examples from your spiritual life. You, who are accustomed to participating in the Divine sacraments, know, when you receive the Body of the Lord, with what reverence and caution you make sure that nothing is lost, that not a single particle of the holy gifts is lost. For you believe, and rightly so, that you are responsible for ensuring that nothing is lost through your negligence. But if you are so careful in relation to His Body, and are right in this, then how do you think that neglect of His word will be considered less of a crime to you than neglect of His body? So, they were ordered to bring the firstfruits, that is, the first fruits. The one who brings the firstfruits will certainly receive the rest. Look how much gold and silver and everything else we must have in order to sacrifice both to the Lord and to have left over for ourselves. For first of all, my mind must comprehend God and bring Him the firstfruits of the fruits of its understanding, so that when it comprehends God, it will be able to know everything else. Let speech take part in this, and everything else in us. But let's look at other offerings. “Hyacinth, purple, and double scarlet, and fine woven linen” (Ex. 35:6). Here are four types of materials from which the high priest's robes or other sacred ornaments are made. Some have spoken about this before us, and since one should not steal other people’s words, I think that if we are to use them, then acknowledge their source. So, for our priests it was obvious that these materials represent the four elements that make up both this world and the human body, that is, air, fire, water and earth. Thus, hyacinth refers to air - for its very color indicates this - just as purple means fire. Porphyry represents water, for it takes its color, so to speak, from water; The fine linen is related to the earth, for it arises from the earth. These same substances are also contained in us, and since we are commanded to bring the firstfruits of all this to the Lord, it is said: “Make an offering of yourselves to the Lord: everyone who takes heart will bring the firstfruits to the Lord” (Ex. 35:5). 4. But I think we should consider why Moses speaks simply about other materials and only adds “double” to scarlet and “twisted” to fine linen. Therefore, the question arises why he talks about other materials, symbolizing other elements, simply, without adding anything, and only to the scarlet, meaning fire, he adds “double”. All this is difficult to understand, and even more difficult to explain. However, with the help of the Lord, we will try to provide an explanation. For it is necessary that we say something and leave out the rest. So, let's see why it is said “double scarlet.” Its color, as we have already said, indicates the element of fire. However, fire has a double power: one it enlightens, and the other it burns. This is the direct meaning. Let's look now at the allegorical meaning. Here, too, the fire is dual: there is fire in this age, and there is fire in the future. The Lord Jesus says to the “workers of unrighteousness”: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). This fire burns. And the fire that Jesus came to bring down truly “enlightens every man who comes into the world” (John 1:9). But there is also something in him that burns, as those admit who say: “Didn’t our heart burn within us when He spoke to us on the road and when He explained the Scripture to us?” (Luke 24:32). Thus, in explaining the Scriptures, He at the same time enlightens and burns. True, I don’t know whether the burning fire will have the power to enlighten in the world to come. So, the nature of fire, as we have shown, is dual, therefore it is commanded to bring a “double scarlet robe.” Let's see how we can sacrifice double fire to build the tabernacle. If you are a teacher, you erect a tabernacle when you teach the Church of God. Therefore, God says to you what He said to Jeremiah: “I will make My words fire in your mouth” (Jer. 5:14). And if, when you teach and instruct the Church of God, you only reproach and rebuke and reproach and condemn the sins of men, but do not offer consolation from the Divine Scriptures, do not explain anything incomprehensible, do not touch deeper knowledge, do not reveal a more sacred understanding, then although you offer scarlet, it is not double, for your fire burns, but does not enlighten. And again, if, when you teach, you reveal the secrets of the law, you reason about the hidden, but do not reproach sinners, do not correct the careless, do not demand strict discipline, then, undoubtedly, you offer scarlet, but not double, for your fire only enlightens, but does not burn. Therefore, the one who “rightly brought” and “rightly divided” (Gen. 4:7), 25 sacrifices a double scarlet and combines the small flame of severity with the light of knowledge. 5. Let's also look at what "twisted linen" means. For here an addition is made to the other elements. We said that the fine linen represents the earth, which is our flesh. Therefore, he does not want the flesh, bathed in luxury and pampered with pleasures, to be sacrificed to God, but wants it to be twisted and bridled. Who is he who twists his flesh? Without a doubt, the one who said: “I subdue and enslave my body, so that, having preached to others, I myself should not remain unworthy” (1 Cor. 9:27). Thus, to offer fine twined linen means to weaken the flesh by abstinence, vigils and intense meditation. Goat hair is also brought. The law requires that this animal be sacrificed for sin. Wool is a dead, bloodless, soulless form. The one who sacrifices this animal shows that the attraction to sin has already died in him and sin no longer lives and reigns in his members. Lamb skins are also brought. Some people who were before us believed that the ram signified madness. And since the skin indicates that the animal has died, the one who sacrifices the skin of a ram to the Lord shows that the madness in him has died. It goes on to say: “And husbands and wives came, and everyone brought rings, earrings, hairpins and bracelets according to their hearts” (Ex. 35:22). Do you see how those who see with their hearts, who have gained understanding in their hearts, who direct their minds to the word of God, bring gifts to God? Therefore they bring gifts and bring, as it is said, “rings, earrings, hairpins and bracelets” of their wives. We have often pointed out that woman, according to the allegorical sense, means the flesh, and man - the rational understanding. Therefore, wives who submit to their husbands are good wives; good is the flesh that no longer resists the spirit, but agrees with it and submits to it. That is why the Lord said: “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). So they donate “rings, earrings, hairpins and bracelets.” Do you see how hearing is sacrificed to the Lord? But they also bring bracelets to the Lord, signifying good and skillful work done through the flesh. All this brings rational understanding. But hairpins are also donated. The hairpins are brought by the one who knows well how to distinguish between what needs to be done and what should be avoided, what is pleasing to God and what is disgusting, what is fair and what is unjust. All these are hairpins offered to the Lord. Women donate earrings to the Lord, for they are wise women. It is said that wise women came and did everything necessary for the high priest’s robes. But the women who gave their earrings to make the golden calf were foolish, those who turned away their ears from the truth and turned to fables (cf. 2 Tim. 4:4) and thus brought earrings to cast the head of the calf. However, in the book of Judges we find another idol made from women's earrings. So, blessed are women, just as blessed is the flesh that sacrifices to the Lord earrings and hairpins and rings and the works of its hands, done according to the commandments of the Lord. 6. After this it is added that the one “who had a tree that is not subject to rotting 26” (Ex. 35:24) should bring it to the Lord. If someone loves Christ the Lord “without change” (Eph. 6:24), then he brings to God wood that is not subject to rot. Therefore, blessed is he who has either an unchanging understanding or an unchanging body, and he sacrifices it to God. It is said: “Whoever had a tree that was not subject to rotting,” for not everyone has a “tree that is not subject to rotting.” About gold and silver it is not said “who had it,” because everyone has speech and understanding. This is not said about the four colors, since the bodies of all people consist of these four elements. However, “wood not subject to decay,” that is, the grace of chastity and virginity, is rare, just as the Lord says: “Not everyone can receive this word, but to those who are given it” (Matthew 19:11). 7. It is said: “The princes brought” (Ex. 35:27) gifts. What gifts did the princes bring? They “brought an onyx stone and set stones for the ephod and the breastplate” (Ex. 35:27). They were called set stones because they were set into a breastplate located on the chest of the high priest, and “the names of the sons of Israel” were carved on them. The breastplate placed on the chest of the high priest signifies the rational understanding 27 which is in us. On it, as it is said, there are “set stones”, and it itself is connected to the ephod with gold chains. A decorated ephod indicates good works. Thus, deeds are united with the mind, and the mind with deeds, so that they are in harmony with each other, for “whoever does and teaches, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). So let our speech rest on deeds, and let deeds adorn our speech, for they are connected like the ornaments of a high priest. But it is required that princes act this way; This is how those who have risen to rule the people are decorated. The princes also bring oil, which is used for two purposes: for lamps and for anointing. For the candle of those who rule over people is not hidden or placed “under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:15). But the princes also bring a mixture of incense, compiled by Moses into “a sweet aroma as a sacrifice to the Lord” (Ex. 29:41), so that they too could say: “We are the aroma of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15). And after the people made the offerings, it is said: “And Moses called... all the wise in heart... to begin work” (Exodus 36:2) and put everything brought together. But “all the women who were wise in heart” were called (Ex. 35:25) to do what was right for them in the tabernacle of the Lord. So you see that everything was done by the wise, both wise men and wise women were called. For “thy works, O Lord,” are done “wisely” (Ps. 103:24). Therefore, all the “wise in heart” (Ex. 35:25) come and do the works of the Lord. It is not enough that we make only offerings, we must wisely combine what is in us: we must know how to combine gold with fine linen and double scarlet or combine it with purple. For what good is it to you if you have all these things, but you do not know how to use them, and you do not know how each of them should fit into a certain time and place. And therefore we must work to be wise and in due time give birth to everything that we have heard about in the Holy Scriptures, to combine and unite everything that we have heard, in order to adorn the dwelling of the God of Jacob (cf. Ps. 132:5) through Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Per. Alexandra Sperl made from: Patrologia Graeca / [Originally compiled by Rod Letchford]. – PG 1–161. – J. – P. Migne, 1857–1866. / PG 12: Origen: “Conversations on books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, The Book of Judges of Israel, Job,” “Interpretation of the Psalms.” 297–395 p. Translated from the Septuagint; in the Synodal translation - “He built their houses” (approx.). In the Synodal translation - “highly exalting” (approx.) Translated from the Septuagint; the fragment is missing in the Synodal translation (approx.) The word "military leaders" is translated "terni statores". Origen, in all likelihood, believed that this phrase meant the three warriors who were in each chariot. The remark applies to the Valentinians and Marcionites respectively. Translated from the Septuagint; in the Synodal translation - “forever and ever” (approx. transl.) Translated from the Septuagint; in the Synodal translation - “There God gave the people a charter and a law” (approx. transl.) That the Word is revealed to different people in different ways, according to their spiritual abilities, is a typical element of Origen's Christology. Quote not found (approx. per) Origen refers the difference in the taste of manna to Wisdom 16:20–21. According to rabbinic tradition, manna takes on a special flavor according to each individual's desire. Translated from the Septuagint; in the Synodal translation - “over all the earth” (approx. transl.) Hecate - ancient Greek goddess of moonlight, the underworld, magic and witchcraft (approx. transl.) In the Synodal translation - “to the eternal abodes” (approx.) In the Synodal translation - “to our heavenly dwelling” (approx.) The word translated “sanctuary” both here and in the previous quotation is “sanctificationem.” According to the Church Slavonic translation - “appearance and truth” (approx. transl.) In the Synodal translation - “in tents” (approx.) In the Synodal translation - “laws” (approx. transl.) Translation according to the Septuagint; in the Synodal translation - “until he is depicted” (approx.) In the Synodal translation - “those who hate self-interest” (approx.). In the Synodal translation - “And their name in Israel will be called House of the Shoeless” (approx. trans.) This fragment is missing from the Septuagint and the Synodal translation. Translated from the Septuagint; in the Synodal translation - “let each one, according to his zeal, bring an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, copper, blue, purple and scarlet wool.” Translated from the Septuagint. Translated from the Septuagint; in the Synodal translation - “shittim tree” (approx.) "Confidant" in Latin - rationale (approx. Transl.) You might be interested in: