Беседа 28

Conversation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Rom 15.8. I say to Christ Jesus, the servant of the circumcision according to the truth of God, to confirm the promises of the fathers. The Apostle, keeping to the previous subject of speech, again talks about the care of Christ and shows how much He did for us and how He did not please Himself. And at the same time it also proves that pagan believers are the greatest debtors to God. If they are most borrowed, then their duty is to carry the weak of the Jews. Since (the apostle) dealt a strong blow to the latter, so that the former would not become proud as a result, he again humbles their arrogance, proving that the Jews were given blessings according to the promise of their fathers, and those who were called from the Gentiles were given only through mercy and love for mankind, which is why he says: “But with the tongue, according to mercy, glorify God” (Rom. 15:9). But, in order for what was said to be clearer for you, listen again to the words (of the apostle) and then you will understand what the expression means: Christ, for the sake of the truth of God, became a minister of circumcision in order to fulfill what was promised to the fathers. So, what does this mean? The promise given to Abraham consisted of the following words: “I will give you... the land... and to your seed” (Gen. 13.15), and: “in your seed all nations will be blessed” (Gen. 22.18). But after that, all who descended from the seed of Abraham became worthy of punishment, since breaking the law brought wrath upon them and, finally, deprived them of the promise given to their fathers. Therefore, the Son, having come to earth, helped the Father to justify these promises and bring them to fulfillment. When He fulfilled the whole law, and in it circumcision, and when by this fulfillment of the law, as well as through the cross, He freed people from the curse for breaking the law, He did not allow the promise to fall. So, when (the apostle) calls (Jesus Christ) the minister of circumcision, he understands that by His coming, by fulfilling the whole law, by receiving circumcision, and by becoming the seed of Abraham, He removed the curse, delivered people from the wrath of God, and, finally, made those who were ready to accept the promise capable of this and once and for all freed them from stumbling blocks. And so that the accused do not say: how was Christ himself circumcised and kept the whole law? - (the apostle) draws the opposite conclusion from here. Christ fulfilled this, he says, not so that the law would remain in force, but to abolish it, to deliver you from the oath that lay upon you and completely free you from the dominion of the law. Since you transgressed the law, Christ fulfilled it, not so that you would also fulfill it, but in order to confirm for you the promises given to the fathers, which the law destroyed from you, showing that you violated it and are unworthy of the inheritance. Thus you too are saved by grace, because you were previously rejected. So, do not object, do not persist, holding untimely to the law, which would have deprived you of the promise if Christ had not suffered so much for you. He suffered so much not because you were worthy of salvation, but to show God’s faithfulness. Then, so that the one called from the pagans would not become proud of this, (the apostle) continues: Rom.15:9. and with the tongue, by mercy, glorify God. This means: the Jews, although they were unworthy, nevertheless had promises, but you do not have this either, but were saved by love of mankind alone. True, even for the Jews, if Christ had not come, the promises would not have given any advantage, but (the apostle) mentions the promises for this purpose, so that the pagans would humble themselves and not rebel against the weak. He says about the pagans that they were saved only by grace, and therefore are obliged to especially glorify God. And glory to God is given when we live in union and unity, when we unanimously bless God, endure those who are weaker than us, and do not despise a member that is rejected. After this (the apostle) gives evidence from which it is clear that the Jewish believers should be in unity with those called from the Gentiles and says: as it is written: For this sake let us confess to You among the nations, O Lord, and sing to Your name. Rom.15:10–12. Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people... Praise the Lord, all Gentiles, praise Him, all people... The root of Jesse will rise up to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles trust. All this leads (the apostle) to proof that everyone should unite and glorify God, and at the same time it humbles the Jew so that he does not exalt himself before the pagan, because all the prophets call on the pagans, and in order to instill modesty in the pagan, showing that he has benefited more from grace. Then he again concludes his speech with prayer, saying: Rom.15:13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith, so that your hope abounds through the power of the Holy Spirit, that is, so that you can be freed from mutual grief and not someday fall under the influence of temptations, and this will happen when you abound in hope. Hope is the cause of all good things. It is given from the Holy Spirit, but not just from the Spirit, but if we bring something from our side. Therefore (the apostle) said: “in faith.” You can be filled with joy if you believe, if you hope. But he did not say - if you hope, but - when you abound in hope, so that you not only find consolation for yourself in adversity, but also rejoice from the wealth of faith and hope. By this you will attract the Holy Spirit and, when He comes, preserve all the blessings. Just as our life is supported by food, and food creates life, so if we have good deeds, we will also have the Spirit, and if we have the Spirit, we will also have good deeds. Equally and vice versa, if we do not have good deeds, the Spirit flies away from us, and if we lose the Spirit, then we will be lame in good deeds. As soon as the Holy Spirit departs from us, an unclean spirit comes to us, as happened with Saul. So what does it matter if he does not torment us like Saul? He crushes us in a different way - with bad deeds. Therefore, we need David’s harp to sing Divine songs for our souls, that is, both David’s songs and songs of good deeds. And if we do only one of the two and, listening to the hymns, we resist the Psalmist with our deeds, as Saul once did, then the very medicine will turn into condemnation for us and madness will become more dangerous. Before we began to listen, the evil demon is afraid that we, having listened to the chants, will not reform, and when, after listening, we remain the same, this frees him from fear. Therefore, let us sing the song of deeds in order to drive out sin, which is worse than the demon. After all, the demon does not completely deprive us of heaven, but sometimes it even helps a vigilant person, and sin decisively separates us from the Kingdom of Heaven. Sin is a voluntary demon, self-willed madness, and therefore no one regrets it, no one excuses it. So, for the soul lying in sin, let us sing songs, borrowing them both from the rest of Scripture and from blessed David. Let your lips sing, let your mind learn. And one chant is already important. If we teach the tongue to sing, then when the tongue sings, the soul will be ashamed to desire the opposite. And we will not gain this one benefit, but also the fact that we will learn many things that are useful to us. The psalms tell you about the present, and about the future, and about the visible, and about the invisible creation. If you want to know about heaven, whether it will always remain as it is now, or will change, David will answer you clearly, saying: “The heavens... will promise like a robe, and like a garment, they will change” (Ps 101.26-27). And if you want to hear about the appearance of heaven, listen again: “stretch out the sky like skin” (Ps 103.2). Or if you want to know more about the surface of the heavens, he will again tell you: “cover the highest waters of the heavens” (Ps 103.3). And he does not stop there, but describes to you the breadth and height of the heavens and shows that they are uniform. “The east is far from the west,” he says, “he has removed our iniquities from us... According to the height of the heavens from the earth, the Lord has established His mercy on those who fear Him” (Ps 102.11-12). Are you curious about the foundations of the earth, and this will not be hidden from you, but listen to how David sings and says: “I founded it on the seas” (Ps 23.2). Do you want to know why earthquakes happen, he will free you from all bewilderment, saying this: “look at the earth and make it shake” (Ps 103.32). If you ask about the benefits of the night, you will find out about this when you hear from him that “in it... all the beasts of the oak forest will pass through” (Ps 103.20). If you ask what mountains are useful for, he will answer you: “mountains are as tall as trees.” What are the stones for? He will tell you: “a stone is a refuge for chirogrills and hares” (Ps 103.18). What are barren trees for? Know: “birds will nest there” (Ps 103.17). What are springs for in deserts? “On you the birds of the sky are grafted and ... the beasts of the countryside” (Ps 103.11–12). What is the wine for? Not just to quench your thirst - water is enough for that - but to cheer and comfort you: “wine makes glad the heart of a man” (Ps 103.15). Having understood this, you will know to what extent you should drink wine. What do birds and wild animals eat? Listen to what David says: “They all look to You; give them food in good time” (Ps 103.27). Or you ask: what are draft animals for? - he answers that this is for you too. “Grow up the grass for cattle,” he says, “and the grain for the service of man” (Ps 103.14). What use is the moon to you? Listen to what David says: “He made the moon for a time” (Ps 103.19). And that God created everything that exists, visible and invisible, and this he clearly taught, saying: “That was what he said. He commanded it, and it was created” (Ps 149.5). And that there will be liberation from death, he teaches you this, saying: “God will deliver my soul from the hand of hell, when He receives me” (Ps 48.16). Where did our body come from? And he says about this: “I will remember it as dust” (Ps 102.14). Where will it go again? “You will return to your dust” (Ps 103.29). Why were everything created? For you. “Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and thou hast placed Thy hand over his works.” Do humans have anything in common with angels? And he responds to this by singing: “Thou hast made him less than an angel” (Ps. 8.6–7). He says about the love of God: “As a father gives generously to his sons, the Lord will show compassion to those who fear Him” (Ps 103:13). And about what awaits us after life, about that serene fate, he teaches: “turn my soul to your rest” (Ps 114.6). Why is the sky so vast? And to this he will say: “The heavens will tell the glory of God” (Ps 18.2). Why is there night and day? Not only to shine and give peace, but also to edify: “speech is not meaningless, lower than words, and their voices are not heard” (Ps 18.4). How does the sea hug the earth? “The deep is like its garment” (Ps 103.6). This is what it says in the Hebrew text. And starting with what has been said so far, you will learn about everything else, about Christ and the resurrection, about the future life and rest, about torment, about moral teaching, about all the dogmas, and thus you will find that the book of David is filled with countless blessings. If you fall into temptation, you will find great consolation in it; if you fall into sins, you will find many healings in it; If you fall into poverty or sorrow, you will see many havens for yourself in it. If you are fair, you will find firm support in her; if you are a sinner, then you will draw great consolation from it. And if you are righteous and suffer disasters, then listen to what David says: “For your sake we are killed all the day, we are counted as sheep of the slaughter... All this has come upon us, and we have not forgotten you” (Ps 43.23, 18). If your good deeds prompt you to be arrogant, listen to what the psalmist said: “Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living will be justified before You” (Ps. 142.2), and you will immediately humble yourself. If you are a sinner and despair of yourself, repeat what he often sang: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as if in anger” (Ps 94.7-8), and you will soon rise. If you wear a crown on your head and think a lot about yourself, learn from it that “a king cannot be saved by much strength, and a giant cannot be saved by the abundance of his strength” (Ps 33:16), and then you will become more modest. If you are rich and famous, listen again to what he sings: “Woe to you who trust in your own strength and boast about the abundance of your wealth” (Ps 48.7); and: “a man is like the grass of his days, like the flower of the field, so he will blossom” (Ps 102.15); and: “His glory will not fall from him” (Ps. 48.18), and you will not consider anything earthly great. If what is most brilliant, glory and power, is so little valuable, then what else on earth could be worthy of your attention? But are you depressed? Listen to what David says: “Why art thou, my soul, and why dost thou trouble me? Trust in God, for we will confess to Him” (Ps 41.6). But do you see those who are prosperous not according to their worth? Say: “Do not be jealous of the wicked, ... for the grass will quickly dry up, and the herbs will quickly fall away” (Ps 37.1-2). Do you see that both the righteous and the sinful are punished? Find out that the reason for this is not the same: “many are the wounds of the sinner” (Ps 31:10), says David. Speaking about the righteous, he did not mention wounds, but: “many sorrows for the righteous, and the Lord will deliver them from all of them” (Ps 33.20); and again: “the death of sinners is cruel (Ps. 33:22); and: “honorable before the Lord is the death of His saints” (Ps 115.6). Repeat this constantly and receive instruction from here, since each of these words contains an immeasurable sea of ​​thoughts. We have only touched on this, but if you want to carefully examine what has been said, you will see great wealth. But what has been said is already enough for us to free ourselves from the passions that hold us back. If David forbids you to envy, grieve and become untimely despondent, teaches you to despise wealth, adversity, poverty and to regard life itself as nothing, then by this he delivers you from all passions. Let us thank God for this and use the treasure in such a way that, through patience and consolation drawn from Scripture, we can maintain hope and enjoy future blessings, which may it be given to all of us to achieve through grace and love for mankind, etc. You might be interested in: