About the righteous and blessed Job

1. Today the ecumenical ascetic who visits us every year came to us. A fighter, marvelous and equal to the angels, has come to us, having suffered many blows from the devil and been witnessed many times by God; having experienced many evils from the devil and received many crowns from the angelic spectators; much scourged by the enemy and revealed as a great crown-bearer by God to the entire universe. So it was God himself who told him in a conversation: “Do you want to overthrow My judgment, accuse Me in order to justify yourself?” ( Job 40:3 ). So who can properly praise such a winner? Who dares to weave wreaths worthy of his valor? Who will dare to set sail into the boundless sea of ​​praise? In fact, just as none of the reasonable people would ever dare to enter the abyss of the sea with human feet, so none of the wise and even teachers will ever try to properly tell the praises of this noble and blessed soul to their listeners. His exploits exceed all human wisdom; there are not enough wreaths anywhere for his victories. An angelic language is needed in order for the edges, so to speak, of fingers to touch this treasury of the world, and with this alone to fill the entire church. After all, if we just touch this vessel - Job - and move it a little, the church will immediately be filled with the fragrance of peace. Let us listen to what history tells about him. “In all this Job did not sin and did not say anything foolish about God” (Job 1:22). Here is a testimony that excites the praise of angels! Here is a testimony that puts the devil to shame with all his attempts! “In all this I have not sinned.” This testimony of God throughout the Church, like valuable ointment, brings joy to the listeners. O precious vessel, placed in one place in Arabia and saturating the entire universe with the fragrance of the world! O vessel, struck by countless blows, stones and arrows of the devil, and shed no peace! The devil used a lot of labor to crush this vessel and destroy the world of piety; He tried to drown out the aroma of the world with the stench of his wounds; his body emitted a stench from the pus of the wounds, but the vessel remained wounded and did not destroy the world, so that we could profitably say to him: “Your name is like spilled ointment” (Song. 1:2). So, it is necessary to pose the wrestler himself naked, as he fought, so that, contemplating this amazing image, we are convinced by the very essence of the matter that God, wanting to show the devil that He has righteous people on earth who can no longer be seduced by flattery like Adam, but who are crowned with thousands of temptations and blows, allowed this spectacle to take place. Apostate, (God) seems to say, are you arrogant, that having deceived Adam and seduced his wife, you expelled them from Paradise? Here is a man who lives without the commands of the written law and fulfills the unwritten natural law with his heart. Use countless seductions and tricks, countless temptations, if you can, to sway this noblest soul. Behold, you expelled the first people from Paradise. Look, try, if you can, to drive this fighter at least off the dung heap. But, if you like, let's look at this story from the beginning. “There was a man in the land of Uz, his name was Job; and this man was blameless, just and God-fearing, and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). This was how Adam was before he listened to his wife. That is why this husband does not give in to the influence of his wife, so as not to suffer the same thing that happened to that one. He was clothed with incorruptibility, according to the goodness of the Creator, and because he obeyed his wife, he became naked and condemned. This one was naked and did not listen to the advice of his wife, and because he did not listen to her, he was crowned with angels. Because he listened to his wife, sweets fell from Paradise, brought a curse to the earth and received death as his lot. This one, because he did not listen to his wife, received deliverance from the blows and the dung heap and inherited the Kingdom of Heaven. He, justifying himself, said to God: “The wife whom You gave me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3:12). What an inexcusable excuse! She said, “Eat,” and I said, “Don’t eat.” Why did you listen to your wife, but not listen to God? But that is not what blessed Job did. How? He answered his wife reproachfully: “You speak like one of the fools” (Job 2:10). “There was a man in the land of Uz, his name was Job.” Why is the country named here? For you, so that you know that even communication with sinners could not force a righteous person to sin: so the will of the pious should be firm and unshakable in its decisions. This country of Arabia is distinguished by the dark and corrupt morals of its inhabitants. They were all lawless, they were at enmity against God, they were all obscene, proud, and like their father Esau they were given over to sin. But such a sea of ​​wickedness could not extinguish the lamp of piety; such an evil country could not overshadow the beauty of its purity. All the more incentive did the devil have to attack such a righteous man. Why exactly? Because he saw that he was enriching himself more with alms than with money. Listen to what Job himself says truthfully: “I was the eyes of the blind and the feet of the lame” (Job 29:15), and again: “Did I not weep for him who was in grief? Didn’t my soul grieve for the poor?” ( Job 30:25 ). And not only in words, but also in deeds, he abounded, directing the entire treasury of good deeds to those in need. Indeed, what does he say elsewhere? “The blessing of the perishing one came to me, I brought joy to the heart of the widow”; “And was he not warmed by the wool of my sheep?” the poor one (Job 29:13, 31:20). Obviously, he enriched his treasury by all means - with words, deeds, alms, and intercession for those in need. But look what the devil does. First of all, he plunders all his property, and then deprives him of his children. First he took herds of camels, herds of sheep, a great number of donkeys, and a large herd of bulls; deprived him of everything and finally of his children. Why is this so? Give your full attention to what comes next. First he took all his property, and then his children; took everything that was considered an inheritance, and then destroyed the heirs themselves in order to completely defeat him through his children. He began with the destruction of the estate, first of all, he began to plunder the inheritance during the life of the heirs, so that, among his sons and daughters, the righteous would feel more acutely the sadness of the loss of his property. The crafty demon realized that, having lost his children, he would no longer attach any importance to the loss of property. But the real adamant and noble fighter, who suffered many blows and was crowned for each of them, who took many arrows and struck the devil with his own arrows, who was armed with the weapons of truth “on the right hand and with the bones,” did not bother, did not cry, did not hesitate, but was not broken by the loss of property, nor did he lose his piety with the loss of his children, but remained like an unshakable tower, founded below and rooted in the earth and steadily rising to the very vaults of heaven. The first messenger came and said to Job: “The oxen were yelling, and the donkeys were grazing near them, when the Sabeans attacked and took them, and struck the youths with the edge of the sword; and I alone was saved to tell you. While he was still speaking, another came and said: the fire of God fell from heaven and scorched the sheep and the youths and devoured them; and I alone was saved to tell you” (Job 1:14–16). 2. Look what the devil is doing. When the enemy saw that the righteous man had nobly resisted the first and second blows and was not at all swayed by these temptations, struck but not wounded, he contrived to do something different. He throws fire from above so that it would seem that fire was sent down from heaven, and so that, thinking that God from heaven was fighting against him, Job would blaspheme God, who punished him so unjustly without any sin. “The fire of God,” he says, “fell from heaven and scorched the sheep and the youths and devoured them... He was still speaking when another came and said: The Chaldeans settled down in three detachments and rushed at the camels and took them, and struck the youths with the edge of a sword; and I alone was saved to tell you” (Job 1:16–17). And with all this news, blessed Job remained indestructible like a pillar, unshakable like a tower; an invincible fighter, steadfast and firm, he seemed more likely to overthrow than to be overthrown. After all, if someone works without benefit, attacking a lot and winning nothing, fighting often and not winning at all, he is more likely to take the blows himself through his vain labors. “While he was still talking, another one came and said.” Constant war, but unsuccessful for the attacker, many arrows, but brighter crowns. He does not allow him to breathe for a moment without the natural piety of the ascetic inspiring him with some wise encouragement. He sent all the arrows and did not defeat the fighter; the quiver was already empty, and the anger was not quenched. “Let all who transgress in vain be ashamed” ** (Ps. 24:3). So the devil remained with shame and disgrace, after having made many attacks, he was defeated in everything. He destroyed shepherds, bulls, sheep, camels, sons, daughters, houses; he struck him through the body, through friends, through household, through worms, through wounds, through pus. He exhausted everything, but his piety was not destroyed. He undermined the wall, but did not steal the treasure. How many weapons the tormentor of the universe set in motion, striking with fire, and with the sword, and with captivity, and with blood. He strained everything, but only made the fighter more courageous. This is what the prophet cried out for, saying: “The enemy’s weapons are completely exhausted” (Ps. 9:7). These words could also be applied to him: “It is difficult for you to go against the pricks” (Acts 9:5). He took all the property, wealth, estate. But what else is the latest messenger? “Your sons and your daughters ate and drank wine in the house of their firstborn brother; and behold, a great wind came from the desert and swept through the four corners of the house, and the house fell on the youths, and they died; and I alone was saved to tell you” (Job 1:18–19). And in order to be convinced, beloved, that it was not a man who announced this to Job, but the devil himself, who took on human form, consider these words with all care: “Your sons and your daughters ate and drank wine in the house of their firstborn brother; and behold, a great wind came from the wilderness and swept through the four corners of the house, and the house fell on the youths, and they died” (Job 1:18–19). How did you know, tell me, that (the wind) came from the desert and touched the four corners of the house? Being human, how could you see the wind? With what eyes did you look at him? And how did he touch the four corners of the house? If you, being a person, were inside the house, then you should, in any case, suffer when the house fell. And if you were outside, how could you see what was happening inside? If you are a spirit, show who you are, do not hide under the guise of a person. “Your sons,” he says, “and your daughters ate and drank wine in the house of their firstborn brother.” See how blessed Job was filled with all understanding and wisdom, and how he affirmed the friendship of the children. He thought that Cain and Abel were brothers, they were alone in the whole universe, they had no reason for enmity, because the whole earth was intended for their common possession - and with all this, Cain was jealous of Abel’s honor and, rebelling, killed his brother. In caring for his children, every day blessed Job offered God a sacrifice for the sins of ignorance, getting up in the morning and saying: “Perhaps my sons have sinned and blasphemed God in their hearts” (Job 1:5); and to protect himself from what could happen between them in their mutual relations, he arranged joint feasts for them every day, believing in his heart that if they had any displeasure against each other, then the meal and the fellowship of bread would restore their friendship and drive out the encroaching malice, and thus a constant common meal would be the surest means of dispelling any troubles that arose between them. But the devil, a hater of good, manages to turn this very thing into destruction for innocent children: at noon, when all of them, according to custom, were together, when they were enjoying mutual peace, then he rebelled against them with irreconcilable malice. They (kindled) friendship, and he sharpened the sword; they created love, but he destroys the house. And in an instant the house became a grave, the table - a pit of misfortune, the sheep fence - the abyss of shipwreck, and all the sheep - the prey of the beast. What then is that valiant man? He was not embarrassed, did not lose heart. How to praise him? Where can I find enough words for this? How much work will it take to tell about it? What a courageous and blessed soul! What great patience, unparalleled! Yes, beloved, my soul is confused, my consciousness is troubled, although I see Job crowned. But, of course, now, even at the sight of the crown bearer, I am depressed by this misfortune to a greater extent than he himself was then, under the fresh impression of the death of his children. My heart is breaking; I think you also experience the same feelings. Where can I find the strength to talk about this misfortune and express the feelings of surprise that fill my soul? Carnal parents, when their sick child lies dying, sit around his bed, catch his last words, shower him with caresses, entertain him with unrealistic hopes, kiss him on the mouth, giving him the last parental kiss. But then he gave up his breath, as the one who gave him commanded: then his parents lay him down, fold his hands, close his eyes, straighten his head, straighten his legs, wash him, surround him with the appropriate funeral rites, and with all this ease their grief. And what should this courageous ascetic have experienced? He went to the house, which at the same time turned out to be both a house and a tomb, a place of feast and a tombstone, where the celebration gave way to crying. He dug and looked for the members of the children, and found wine and blood, bread and a hand, an eye and dust. And he took first a hand, then a leg, then a head; he pulled out, along with the earth, with fragments of stone and wood, then part of the womb, then some of the internal organs, along with the dust. This ascetic sat, rising to the sky, examining the torn limbs of his children. He sat, putting dick to dick, hand to hand, putting his head to his chest, knees to his hips. After all, this was not one of the ordinary misfortunes, but a catastrophe that surpasses any word, caused by devilish power and malice. So, Job sat, this indestructible adamant in the full sense of the word, this blessed one, sorting out the members of his children, so that somehow the female members would not be confused with the male ones, and the forms of the youth would not be combined with the girl’s members. O noble soul, exalted above angelic praise! Why? Because “in all this Job did not sin and did not say anything unreasonable about God” (Job 1:22), but for all this, instead of sacrifice, he offered full gratitude to God in the following words: “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21), now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen. 1. The narratives of great deeds must be of high quality, and brilliant histories of saints require brilliant language and the same thought - a thought that sincerely contemplates the Holy Scriptures, and a language that clearly interprets divine affairs. This is especially required by the subject before us, I mean the suffering of the blessed. Job, shining all over the heavens as a shining example of patience. Of course, such a task exceeds our weak strength, but I firmly hope that the grace of God will give us the word not according to the dignity of the speaker, but through the intercession of the fathers. So, let's turn to the story itself. “There was a man in the land of Uz, his name was Job” (Job 1:1). It is necessary first of all to consider what significance this preface has, and why the narrator begins his story with these words: “there was a man.” Since he had to describe an exceptional life and far exceeding the usual order of our life, so that anyone, due to the excessive height of his exploits, would not think that this was about an alien, inhuman nature, the writer, as a warning, outlined nature, so that you would marvel at his valor, that, being a man, he rose in his life above the human level, and although he had a common nature with everyone, he raised his soul above the world. “There was a man in the land of Uz, his name was Job.” Indicates his nature, indicates the country from which he came. And if, having heard about him as a man, you are surprised that he was superior to man in life, then when you find out in what country such a fruit flourished, you will be even more surprised that such a rose grew among the thorns. Look carefully. After all, the country was Ausitida, the country of Esau, because Ausitida comes from Esau. This country is called the country of the nasty and vicious Esau, just as the apostle says: “So that there should not be among you any fornicator or wicked person like Esau” (Heb. 12:16), so that you would be surprised in what hotbed of wickedness such a fruit of truth flourished. This is not enough: not only the country of Esau gave birth to him, but also the very root of Esau, because he was a descendant of this inglorious man. In fact, Scripture says that Job was fifth from Abraham. And as a fifth, listen: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac Esau, Esau Raguel, Raguel Zara, and Zara Job (Gen. 36:33). This means that Job descended from Abraham through Esau. This root is indicated so that you will be surprised at the fruit. Who was Esau? Fornicator and defiler. Who was Job? A descendant of a fornicator, this man, pious and worthy of wonder, who is the subject of our present conversation, says: “If my heart was enticed by a woman and I built feats at my neighbor’s door, let my wife rush against another, and let others mock her” (Job 31:9-10). Esau, due to his intemperance and gluttony, had many wives; Job, however, made the observance of morality the law of his life and was so successful in this that other people’s beauty did not deceive him; He avoided fornication and adultery so much that he did not even pay attention to free women, i.e. on girls who had not yet been betrothed - or, to put it even more clearly: he was so far from any plans against other people’s marriages that he did not even turn his eyes to an unmarried girl, regarding whom there was no danger, with intemperance. Who testifies to this? Job himself. “I made a covenant,” he says, “with my eyes, so that I would not think about the maiden” (Job.31:1). Look how strict he is in everything that concerns piety. He trains his eye to obey the demands of piety, and trains all his members to practice righteousness - and so, descended from a fornicator, he shone with the greatest piety. Esau, as far as his intentions are concerned, was even a fratricide; Of course, he did not carry out his plan, but the very intention should already be imputed. “And Esau said in his heart,” says the Scripture, “the days of mourning for my father are approaching, and I will kill Jacob my brother” (Gen. 27:41). This means that the root is a fratricide, and the color of this root is crowned with the valor of truth. He rebelled against nature and considered his brother a stranger to himself, and this one considered strangers as brothers, saying: “I saved the crying sufferer and the helpless orphan” and instead of their mother’s husband, “I was a father to the poor and I carefully examined a lawsuit that I did not know” (Job 29:12, 16). And in general, he respects everything that is foreign, like this descendant of Esau - Esau, who made foreign things his own. Esau plotted in his heart to kill Jacob, but Job made sacrifices for his sons with the thought that they had not sinned in his heart. While he was concerned about murder in his heart, this great and noble fighter, fearing that the children would not take sinful poison into their hearts, sacrificed for them and a single calf for sin. This is exactly what Job said: “Perhaps my sons have sinned and blasphemed God in their hearts?” ( Job 1:5 ). Think to what subtlety his character education extended! And what does he do? Remembering that their ancestors - Esau and Jacob - were at enmity against each other (this does not mean, however, that Jacob shared his brother’s anger, the blame for which falls on Esau), Job resolves the disagreement of his ancestors in his children with mutual treats, forcing his sons to dine together every day, so that constant communication at meals would resolve the poison of anger. The sons of Job visited each other, cultivating unanimity in themselves from a young age, practicing peace, and eating and drinking with each other - “they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them” (Job 1:4). What benefit does this have for the listener? And why did the narrator add about the sisters’ participation in the brothers’ feasts? To show what chastity prevailed at their feasts, to what extent there was no disorderly and uncontrollable laughter and intemperance degrading the meal; if girls could participate, then it is clear that the brothers’ feasts were not desecrated by drunkenness, but were decorated with consent. “There was a man in the land of Uz, his name was Job.” A dove among hawks, a sheep among wolves, a star among clouds, a lily among thorns, a sprout of truth in the field of untruth. “And the man was blameless” (Job 1:1). 2. Pay attention to these words. Pagan philosophers have the following definition of man: “Man,” they say, “is a rational, mortal animal.” This is what philosophers define. You won’t find such a definition in Scripture, but what kind? “And this man was blameless, just and fearing God, and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). If someone asks you and demands to define what a person is, tell him: (who) is “blameless, just and fearful of God and shuns evil,” (that is a person), and whoever is not evidenced by such properties is not a person. If, for example, someone has a good character by nature, but he of his own free will distorts it with vices, he hears from the prophet: “He has become equal to foolish beasts and has become like them” (Ps. 49:13) 1. “And this man was blameless” (impeccable). No small praise! Delve into the meaning of these words and you will be surprised at their meaning. Accusation is one thing, reproach is another. The accusation concerns the gravest sins, while the reproach is expressed regarding minor mistakes. So, the writer of the book wanted to show here that the righteous man was free not only from accusations, but even from reproach. Not only could no one accuse him of any important sin, but he did not even deserve reproach for anything unimportant. And that is already a great approval for a person if his life is free from accusations. Meanwhile, anyone whom you cannot accuse of adultery or murder is free from accusation. However, being free from accusation of any such thing, such a person may be subject to reproaches, for example, for pride, for slander, slander or drunkenness. That is why the writer of the book, wanting to show that Job was far from both large and small sins - i.e. was free not only from accusations, but also from reproaches for anything, - he says: “This man was blameless, just and God-fearing and shunned evil.” In the same way, God, wanting to show Abraham that in virtue, first of all, impeccability, says to Him: “Walk before Me and be blameless” (Gen. 17:1). This impeccability is taken in the sense of the highest moral perfection. The Apostle Paul, since he was dealing with pagans who had just risen above polytheism, abandoned vices, and renounced fornication and adultery, did not demand the highest virtue; and when he needed to appoint shepherds for a universe full of fornication and vice, while piety was not flourishing then, he wrote to Titus about the appointment of bishops: “For this reason I left you in Crete, so that you would complete what was unfinished and appoint presbyters in all the cities, as I ordered you: if anyone is blameless” (innocent) (Titus 1:5-6). Impeccability could not then be demanded, because, as I have already said, piety did not flourish then. The great thing is impeccability, and innocence occupies the middle: in comparison with evil it is great, but in the sense of virtue it is small. That’s why he said (the apostle): “The husband of one wife” (Titus 1:6). Now in the Church this is no longer observed, because the priest must be crowned with complete impeccability and holiness; but since then this was already of great importance among a world given over to fornication, the apostle says: “He appointed elders in all the cities, as I commanded you: if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife” (Titus 1:6) - not because he elevated it to law, but because he condescended to error. He knew, of course, that over time, when piety reaches a flourishing state, human nature by itself, of its own will, will strive for good and choose for itself the path leading to the highest perfection. "Immaculate, righteous." This means that one cannot be righteous without first being blameless. "True". What does “true” mean? Not one whose word is at odds with his deed; not one who flaunts his chastity, but indulges in intemperance; not one who outwardly stands for truth, but in his heart is devoted to untruth. This person is “true” and, at the same time, “godly.” In fact, when there is impeccability, righteousness and truth on the face, then true godliness is possible. “He shunned evil” (Job 1:1). So David says: “You who love the Lord, hate evil” (Ps. 97:10), because it is impossible to be godly and indulge in evil at the same time. Job's wealth is further calculated; namely, that he had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred carts of oxen, and five hundred grazing donkeys. Why are such details provided? Not out of surprise, of course, at Job’s wealth, but to give you, the listener, an idea of ​​the extent of his wealth, so that when you subsequently see him deprived of all his property and not weeping, you will marvel that, having lost so many benefits, he does not complain about the Benefactor and does not reproach the Creator. This means that this was written not to instill in you amazement at his wealth, but so that you would appreciate the strength of spirit and patience of the righteous man, and always have the fear of God before your eyes. However, the further history of Job will be the subject of our consideration another time. The devil, brothers, when he saw that Job was multiplying his temporary wealth, and with its help was collecting eternal treasures for himself, he thought that if, along with the increase of his wealth, his righteousness also increases, then along with its destruction his virtue will also be destroyed; as a result, he tries to destroy his property in order to at the same time destroy his fruits. Let those who say: Wasn’t Job rich think about this? Wasn't Abraham rich? Why do you demand non-covetousness from us? To this I will tell you: be rich like Job, and I will wish you even greater enrichment; be like Abraham, and the whole world will bless your wealth. Say like Job: “I opened my doors to the passerby” (Job.31:32); say: “I have warmed the shoulders of the poor”; say: “Was he not warmed by the wool of my sheep” (Job.31:20); say: “The blessing of the perishing has come upon me” (Job 29:13), - and then be rich as much as you please. Then you will not find yourself enriched for your own sake, but for the benefit of the poor. “My doors,” says the righteous man, “I opened to the passer-by.” Imitate his great love for the poor, be jealous of his patience, learn courage against the enemy, be inspired by his feelings. But enough about that. May our Lord send us the patience and zeal necessary to continue our conversations, so that you also demand from us the end of what we began to talk about, and we offer you the continuation of what we started. May He give us the opportunity to spend the holiday worthily and, having taken part in the passions of the saints, to partake of the passion of Christ. Indeed, how right it is that the passions of Christ are preceded by the passions of the saints! The passions of the saints illuminated us like lightning, so that Christ would then appear, as Paul says, compassionate with all and glorified with all (Rom. 8:17). So, through the prayers and intercession of the holy fathers, confirming what has been said and awaiting what follows, we will send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. 1. Let us return, brethren, we to instructions, and you to listening: let us all take part together in yesterday’s story of Job, and with faith we will follow the teaching of patience. After all, it would be strange that Job, sitting on a dunghill, did not weaken in piety, and we, gathered in church, would hesitate to follow the truth; and while he, announcing his misfortunes with countless groans, did not shake his soul, we, among the singing and songs of spiritual and Divine Scriptures, would indulge in laziness instead of zeal. Job, when his body was eaten away by worms, kept his soul invulnerable in piety; his worms did not win, and we will be exhausted later? Let us also be people, people in the sense of the definition made above. According to him, the distinctive properties of a person are integrity, righteousness, truth, and godliness. And just as in everyday life, if someone sends his servant or son on some errand, he orders him like this: “Do it like a man,” so that the common name takes on a special meaning, so in this case: although everyone is called people, the only true man is the one who has preserved the image and has not lost the original beauty. (The narrator) called Job a man so that, given the commonality of nature, you would marvel at his zeal. He said about him that he was from the country of Austidia, so that you would praise the fruit that came from a country abounding in wickedness. He spoke about his wealth, not so that you would be surprised at his wealth, but so that you would be surprised at him when he lost everything. He lost everything, but did not lose his piety, becoming like a besieged city, completely naked from everything outside and protected only by a wall. He lost his children, but retained the fruits of piety. Yes, they, the fruits of piety, were sons for him, and virtues replaced his daughters. He had three daughters according to the flesh, and three virtues according to the spirit, as Paul says: “These three abid: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). He lost everything, but did not reject the Creator of nature: he knew that children are the hope of the future, but the root itself is in the hands of God. He did not give in to cowardice when he saw the destruction of the fruit, because he knew that the cultivator of the root abides forever. He lost his sheep, but he himself was a sheep kept by God; lost his oxen, but although the harness of the oxen was broken, the union of his soul and body was not destroyed, but in mutual agreement they drew the plow of piety. He adopted the image of patience as a fruit of virtue in order to multiply the fruits of patience. So he had three thousand camels and five hundred donkeys to pasture. I think what he had was not enough for him. After all, if he helped, as he himself says: “He was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame” (Job 29:15), - to every poor man, this property was not enough according to his zeal: such charity required more funds than what he had at his disposal. Job turned out to be a poor man, since his means were disproportionate to his zeal; although he was rich, judging by what he owned, but, keeping in mind his intentions, he turned out to be poor. “He had wealth...,” says Scripture, “and this man was more famous than all the sons of the East” (Job.1:3). What are these? Love for the poor and strange, deepest humility, inexhaustible charity and, in general, everything that constitutes virtue. And he was famous not so much for his temporary wealth as for his wealth of piety. Some wise people, understanding this word in a general sense, will think that great things are vineyards, olive gardens, arable land, and the like. In reality, his great deeds on earth consisted in the prosperity of heavenly wealth. The all-evil devil, as I said before, assuming that just as his wealth increases with his virtue, so the depletion of wealth will be followed by a depletion of his virtue, destroys his property in order to deprive him of his virtue at the same time, and asks God to use temptation against the righteous. He asks, “from here, you must be sure that the demon has no power over a Christian, or in general over a person who fears God, unless he is allowed from above, either for punishment or in the form of permission. After all, when God imposes disasters on a person, it is either for sins, or for the exercise of his virtue in divine deeds. So, the devil could not have fought against Job if he had not been allowed to do so by God. And do not be surprised, beloved, that he had no power over Job until he received permission from God. After all, he has no power even over pigs. Listen to how the legion asks, saying: “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine” (Matthew 8:31). If he has no power over pigs without permission, then what power can he have over those created in the image of God without command? “And there was a day,” he says, “when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord; Satan also came among them” (Job 1:6). So, is it really possible that the devil also participates in the angelic service, and that the unclean spirit also appears among the holy spirits? Of course, neither the holy Angels stand before God physically, nor Satan; but in general their service is called presiding. Precisely, just as it was said about Elijah, who acted on earth, that he stood before God: “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand” (1 Kings 17:1), not in the sense that he ascended to heaven, but that he was the executor of the Divine command, so the devil appeared before God, not in heaven, not among the supernatural powers, but as a creation of God, obliged to fulfill what commanded. How, listen. However, of course, you yourself have already drawn the following conclusion from my words: this means that God uses the devil as a servant. Indeed, just as in human armies there are warriors who perform honorable service, and on the other hand, those whose duty it is to carry out punishment, so here - holy Angels are sent for good deeds and to arrange the salvation of people, and demons are sent to punish lawless people; but how, listen. When Paul remembers the holy angels, he says: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to minister for those who are to inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). From this it is clear that the holy Angels serve the salvation of people. And vile demons, according to David, serve to punish sinners: “he sent upon them” (on the Egyptians) “his furious wrath: wrath and wrath and sorrow, brought down through the angels (sending) disasters” 2 (Ps. 77:49). 2. This means that evil and unclean spirits, although they do not obey of their own free will, are under the yoke of work and are forced, like executioners, to do what is ordered. And don't be surprised that God orders the demons. And the apostles use the devil as an executioner. Paul writes: since “having faith and a good conscience, which some rejected and suffered shipwreck in their faith..., these I delivered over to Satan, so that they might learn not to blaspheme” (1 Tim. 1:19-20). And again, about a certain fornicator who was subject to punishment, what does this same Paul say? “But I, being absent in body, but present with you in spirit, have already decided, as if I were with you, to deliver him who has done this deed in your congregation in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, together with my spirit, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 5:3-5). Precisely, so that the demons do not think that they generally possess Divine power, they are forced against their will to carry out commands, but they are entrusted not with what serves the good, but with what constitutes punishment. Don’t you know that our authorities, when they call someone with honor, send messengers, called cursors in Roman, and if they call someone with dishonor, they send other soldiers - dirty and rude? Likewise, God sends Angels to the saints to promote salvation, and when he wants to punish, he entrusts this to unclean spirits. Therefore, when God expressed His displeasure against Ahab, He said, “Who would persuade Ahab to go and fall...?” And the unclean spirit answered: “I will bow him down” (1 Kings 22:20–21). He knew, of course, that this is precisely what the devil was appointed for. So, demons (be attentive to my words, I ask you; after all, I am talking about invisible objects, and not about sensory ones; however, I would not have started talking about such things at all if I had not found a reason in the Holy Scriptures; however, it is not the business of human thought to separate the supersensible from the sensory, but I cannot speak against what God said; let us follow what is written - willingly or unwillingly); so, evil spirits are sent actually to carry out punishment on evil people; but they are also sent to righteous people, not for punishment, but for testing. Since a holy Angel cannot be sent to tempt (of course, God will not order an Angel to do anything unworthy), unclean spirits are used for this purpose. And do not be surprised that unclean spirits are sent to the righteous. After all, once upon a time the Lord of all was led up from the Jordan into the desert to be tempted by the devil. This means that if the Lord and Savior was tempted by the devil, then why be surprised when an evil spirit is sent to a righteous person to test his patience? It is sent, however, not in the sense of a command from God, but in the sense of permission; Scripture resorts to personification here. Of course, the evil spirit does not hear the voice from heaven, and his evil plans are not approved. Although his nature is good, his will is evil, and therefore the devil is not awarded the most pure voice. If you say: “The Lord said to Satan” (Job.1:7), then I will ask you in the words of David: “But God said to the sinner: Why do you preach My statutes and keep My covenant with your mouth” (Ps.49:16). Was the voice heard by the sinner? Of course not; but such expressions are used to show that by deeds corresponding to them, God in this sense admonishes the unworthy. “And the Lord commanded the great whale” (John 2:1). By speaking with a voice, or by giving some kind of order? “And the Lord God commanded the early worm” 3 (John 4:7). So, if (Scripture) is expressed figuratively that God spoke with the devil, then out of equality do not accept this dishonorable and criminal intention as ascending to the face of the Master. The angels come according to the order of their service; the devil also came and appeared among the angels, so that you know that he has the nature of an angel, but took on the disposition of a traitor. The devil, brothers, is not the name of nature, but of free will. Why the devil? The devil did not exist from the beginning, but was created by an angel; He called himself a devil when he slandered God before people, and people before God, when he began to arm the Lord against the servant and the servant against the Lord. If the devil comes to us and says, for example, this: how many disasters are there in the world! Where is God? Why doesn't He rule the world? - then, of course, he is slandering us about the Creator: this is precisely what is characteristic of the devil from the beginning. He slanderes God against Adam, saying: “But God knows that in the day that you eat of them, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods” (Gen. 3:5). Out of envy, he says, God forbade you to eat. There Adam slanders God, here God slanderes Job. “Have you not surrounded him and his house and all that he has?” ( Job 1:10 ). That is, he is a mercenary, and not virtuous: he repays You for Your good deeds. Take away his property, and his disposition will be revealed. And since God saw that the righteous man was being unfairly slandered by him, he took away his wealth in order to destroy suspicion and show his piety without any cover. And notice the calculation of the evil demon: “The Lord said to Satan: where did you come from?” ( Job 1:7 ). To this, the proud and treacherous one, not realizing either his place or the dignity of the Questioner, says: “I walked on the earth and walked around it,” he says this with the obvious purpose of showing that he dominates the sky, that he tramples everything earthly, that all people are under his feet. “I,” he says, “walked on the earth and walked around it.” This arrogance of the devil has now been brought down. He wanted to possess the image of God, but instead he is expelled from the earth, so that he can no longer walk around it. He is cast out by the Lord of all, who himself announced about Himself: “I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God” (2 Cor. 6:16; cf. Lev. 26:12). 3. Before, indeed, the devil walked around the earth. When idolatry reigned, when wickedness prevailed, when all works of wickedness flourished, then, of course, the devil was active on earth; when there is holiness and righteousness and truth among those who keep the truth, then God dwells and walks. “Have you paid your attention,” says the Lord to the devil, “to My servant Job? for there is no one like him on earth: a blameless, just, fearing God and shunning evil” (Job 1:8). After the devil said: “he walked the earth and walked all over it” (Job 1:7) - and boasted that everything was under his control, the Word of Truth, casting down arrogance, asks him: have you seen a person who does not bow to your authority, while, according to you, everything is under your control? Have you seen a person against whom all your anger is powerless? Have you seen the one who tramples you, who tramples everything? Have you seen the one who overthrows your power, destroys your untruth with his truth, your wickedness with his piety? And he objects to God and says: “Is Job fearing God for nothing?” He pointed out Job's wealth in order to humiliate his dignity and discredit his morals, in order to cast suspicion on his virtue. You have given him, he says, abundance in everything; take away this abundance, and his hypocrisy will be revealed in all its nakedness. God says to him: “But stretch out your hand and touch everything that he has” (Job 1:11). God knew that his calculations would not come true, he says: behold, I give you power over everything that he has, just don’t touch him. Shows the limits of the devil's malice. See further what kind of bow he strains against the righteous, what arrows he throws at him. The doer of evil has come forth (from the Lord) and, first of all, he himself is clothed in various images, he himself is the executor of his evil plans, he himself strikes blows and he himself announces them. In fact, the devil said (Scripture) to Job: “The oxen were screaming, and the donkeys were grazing near them, when the Sabeans attacked and took them, and struck the youths with the edge of the sword; and I alone was saved to tell you” (Job 1:15). This is the first temptation from the devil, his first arrow against the noble fighter. But Job opposed (his attacks) the shield of faith, which could extinguish all the kindled arrows of the evil one. He lost the draft oxen, but his soul was not shaken. The donkeys died, but this noble horse did not throw off the reins of piety. He listened to the bitter news of the loss of property, but remained firm and invincible as a tower. He regretted, I think, then the devil, cruel in his malice and evil in his intentions, regretted that he had told Job this way. Be careful, I ask you, so that you are not deceived by the cunning of the evil one, about whom the apostle warns, saying: “We are not unaware of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11). So, when he announced to him that “The oxen were yelling, and the donkeys were grazing near them, the Sabeans attacked and took them,” and saw that Job accepted this news without any embarrassment, the devil regretted that he had unsuccessfully announced, and seemed to reason with himself: “I missed, saying that people attacked him; he might have thought: if people attacked and offended me, what does God have to do with it? I shot poorly and didn’t aim; and then the shot was unsuccessful, the arrow did not hit the target. I said that the people carried away his cattle captive; he can say: why on earth would I attribute the injustice of people to God? Some have offended, and I will blaspheme another”? And so, in order to transfer his thoughts from people to God, and to show that it is not people who are harming him, but God himself is against him, the devil announces to him differently: “The fire of God has fallen from heaven” (Job 1:16). Now you cannot say that the enemies threw fire from the sky. Be indignant at this injustice, blaspheme the One who is guilty against you. "The fire of God fell from heaven". Why do you serve the offender? Why do you bow to your destroyer? "The fire of God fell from heaven". Job heard about this and again endured it calmly. His patience was in the full sense patience to the end, as the Savior says: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Every day he worked, making sacrifices for the children; and God constantly accepted these daily sacrifices. "The fire of God fell from heaven". If I alone enjoyed my wealth, then I should grieve; if the poor also used it, the Lord could not neglect them. I know that what is sacrificed to Him, He returns fivefold. After all, my estate was not collected by untruth? Did I not acquire sheep through greed? “Was he not warmed by the wool of my sheep” (Job.31:20), “from my mother’s womb I guided a widow” (Job.31:18). God knows what He is doing. Now He took my property as a sacrifice; He will return it to me in abundance for the increase of virtue. External arrows will not shake me when I have inner firmness, and the arrows of God will strengthen me even more from within. After all, “Your arrows pierced me” (Ps. 37:3). Arrows - what kind? The arrow of piety, the arrow of truth, the arrow of love for God, the arrow of zeal for virtue: these divine arrows wound the soul. So, having subjected the righteous man to this test to the end and destroyed his wealth, the devil could not, however, destroy his virtues. Then, finally, he strikes him with a blow from nature, strikes him in the works of his nature, destroys the shoots from his root: he destroys the children of the valiant enemy; destroys fruits to sadden their producer. And what does he do? Notice also how the evil one informs the righteous about this, how much cunning and deceit is hidden here, how should this news have shocked the righteous? So, the devil says to him: “Your sons and your daughters ate and drank wine in the house of their firstborn brother; and behold, a great wind came from the desert and swept through the four corners of the house, and the house fell on the youths, and they died; and I alone was saved to tell you” (Job 1:18–19). (Used) a diminutive expression, which could further intensify the grief; He did not say: “against the sons,” but: “against the youths,” so that, hearing about the children, he would fall into sorrow and move toward compassion. "A great wind came from the desert". Again he slanderes the Judge, because the winds do not depend on people, but on God. "The house fell on the youths, and they died." Then “Job stood up” - that’s exactly what it’s written (Job 1:20). It is well said: “rose up”; he did not fall under the blow, but rose up with the power of piety. “He stood up and bowed.” He gives thanks for misfortunes with worship. The one who is beaten blesses; the one stricken with misfortunes gives thanks. “He shaved his head” (Job 1:20). Now many of us let their hair grow in sorrow, but he cut it off. Anyone who is depressed by sadness strives to change his appearance from the usual: where hair is revered, cutting it is a sign of sadness. Everywhere those stricken with grief strive to change their appearance from their usual one. “He tore his outer clothing.” Apparently, he indulges in sadness, but in fact he is exposed for the feat of virtue. He takes off his clothes in order to grapple with his opponent as a naked wrestler and in this incredible struggle to win the crown of virtue. Having clothed himself with virtue, he leaves behind his clothes. And the great lamp of piety says: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; as the Lord pleased, so it was done, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). O noble soul! His very words were an arrow for the devil; arrows flew from his mouth against the evil spirits; one exclamation threw the ranks of the opponents into confusion. “Naked did I come from my mother’s womb, naked will I return” (Job 1:21). This is the apostolic voice, courageously heard long before apostolic times: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked and I will return”; as the apostle says: “We have brought nothing into the world; It is clear that we cannot take anything out of it” (1 Tim. 6:7). “The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away.” 4. In a word, (the righteous man) was deprived of everything; Only his wife was left to him, this is the original instrument of the devil. The wife was abandoned not because the devil spared her, but because he kept her for himself as a tool. He remembered, of course, that it was with the help of his wife that he defeated the first man, and now he retains his wife in order to use the same weapon for his insidious purposes. But there he met Adam; here he does not meet Adam. There he met Adam and Eve; here I found Eve, but I didn’t find Adam. Job’s wife says: “You are still strong in your integrity! Blaspheme God and die” (Job 2:9). These are truly the words of the devil! “Are you still hard?” This is the cry of one who suffers temptation. I'm tempted and you say, "Still hard?" I am struck, and you are exhausted under the blows falling on me? How long will you sit, waiting day by day for salvation? Against his will, the devil praises the virtues of the righteous, proclaims his patience, (testifying) that he struggled with hope. How long? Notice further the wisdom of the writer of the book. And “he looked (there are no words in the Russian translation),” he says, “at her, and said to her” (Job 2:10). He did not say: “having listened to her words,” but “having looked”; why - “looked up”? Didn't he know his wife? Didn't you live your life with her? Didn't have children with her? Why did he look at her now? This expression - “looking” - shows that he was not looking at her, but at the one who is in her. Job looked at the devil: he saw the one who once spoke through the mouth of a serpent and who now speaks through the mouth of a woman. And he says: “You speak like one of the fools” (Job 2:10). Why didn’t he say: as one of the wicked, as one of the godless? He knew that it was not wickedness that prompted her to say these words, but madness, although in another place the one who denied God was called insane: “The fool said in his heart,” says the psalmist, “There is no God” (Ps. 13:1). “You sound like one of the crazy ones”; another might say, “You sounded like Eve.” “Are we really going to accept good from God and not accept evil?” ( Job 2:10 ). O noble soul! This reflects the greatness of his spirit. Job did not know that he was performing a feat of virtue; I didn’t know that he was gaining a crown for himself with his patience. He thought that ordinary misfortune was sent to him by God; he considered this evil, but he did not blaspheme God for evil. If, considering his misfortunes to be evil, he endured them so courageously, then wouldn’t he have expressed even greater courage, knowing what kind of crown he was gaining? But why didn't God warn him in advance? Why didn’t he say: “This is what is being prepared for you: the devil is arming himself against you, wants to attack you; get ready, gather your strength, so that your heart is not confused, your soul is not shaken, your mind is not darkened. Take heart and do not think that God cannot tell the fighter about the fight.” The Lord says to Peter: “Simon! Simon! Behold, Satan has asked that he might sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). He predicted temptations for the apostles, but he did not predict temptations or struggles for Job. “Is it really not true with God? No way” (Rom.9:14). He strengthens some and leaves others to their own strength. Why didn't he tell Job what he told the apostles? God knew the evil of the devil, knew his envy, knew his cunning, which threatened virtue. If God had said to Job: “Arm yourself with patience and be strong; if you endure to the end, I will return to you doubly everything that you currently have, and you will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, you will receive the crown of immortality, your glory and praise will fill the entire universe,” - if God had warned Job like this, the righteous man would have struggled, but the devil would have used this pretext and, when the ascetic would then win the victory, he would begin to say to God: “Is it really for nothing that he labored? You promised him immortality, you promised him the Kingdom, you promised him crowns.” If for the fact that Job enjoyed temporary benefits, the devil presented him as a mercenary, and not as a righteous man, then when he received the promise of eternal benefits, wouldn’t this have served as a much greater pretext for accusation for the devil? But the Lord hides the crowns to reveal the deeds, hides the reward to show the fighter. Why, in this case, they say, was it not hidden from the apostles? After all, if it was not revealed to Job (about the misfortunes that lay ahead of him), then for the same reasons shouldn’t it have been kept silent about it in relation to the apostles? Job was alone in his feat, he worked for himself, fought for himself; the apostles were preachers to the whole earth, teachers of the universe. The Lord could hide it from them, but it threatened to have harmful consequences for the whole world. Paul could struggle without the promise of crowns; could Peter have maintained courage without this promise; the apostles, having not received the promise of good things, could fight for virtue. But not everywhere is Paul, not everywhere is Peter. The souls of many are exhausted in the struggle, the hearts are wavering. If now, when the Kingdom of Heaven, future blessings, cohabitation with Angels, heavenly pleasures are preached, many despise the promised blessings, clinging to the temporary, then when this were completely silent about this, who would strive for piety? So, it is fair, brothers, that the Lord did not reveal the future to Job so that his virtue would be revealed in all its firmness; and the apostles were promised the blessings of the future life, in order thereby to excite the souls of their listeners and inspire the entire universe. Nowadays many hear about the Kingdom and are not happy about it; many wait for Christ and wallow in evil; many do not want to give up their vices; Many today honor the post and say: today I say nothing to my opponent, but let the days of Christ’s passion pass, and I will restore justice, punish pride, and achieve everything. Are you, brother, from the line of Esau, that you hold such thoughts? You are saying the same thing Esau said. In fact, Esau wanted to kill his brother, but he was afraid of his father. And what did he say? “And Esau said in his heart: The days of mourning for my father are approaching, and I will kill Jacob my brother” (Gen. 27:41); I'll wait until my father dies and then I'll kill him. What are you saying? The Passion of Christ will pass, and I will deal with my enemy. Look, aren't you Esau's brother? Listen to what Paul says: “Take heed that no one fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness arise and cause harm, and lest many become defiled by it; lest there be among you any fornicator or wicked man like Esau” (Heb. 12:15-16). I said this not for grief, but for the benefit and salvation of the brethren. Let us, instructed by the word and taught by stories about the saints, competing with the exploits of the holy fathers and prophets, give glory to God for everything, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen. 1. Everywhere and in all, one might say, Divine narratives, words are lower than deeds, and speech is weaker than the objects themselves; in particular, this must be said regarding the exploits of blessed Job. No one will ever dare to compare their weak word with the essence of this subject. Even though countless words have been said about him, no word can produce the impression of corresponding dignity. And since we haven’t said much that we can, today nothing prevents us from starting a conversation about the same thing. And let no one think that the subject of the story is diminished by the fact that the story is conveyed in abbreviation. After all, Job does not grieve when he is cut; and if the one being cut did not grieve physically, then will the one being cut grieve in the story? We know from previous stories how he lost everything, or better to say, found everything - because, having lost all the blessings (of this life), he did not lose the very root of the blessings. He lost the lyre, but the artist remained; lost the fruits of abundance, but the creator of prosperity himself remained; lost all his property, but did not lose his virtue. He threw his wealth to the devil, leaving his life in his hands, like Joseph's clothes in the hands of a shameless wife. He suffered no harm. After all, it is necessary, having recognized his suffering by physical nature, to glorify the courage of the soul. They demonstrated both the properties of nature and the acquisition of virtue. He listened to the news of the death of the children and tore their clothes to show the suffering of his nature. If he had not shown this suffering, then his love of virtue would not deserve surprise, but his insensibility would deserve condemnation. But he suffered as a man, and endured as a lover of God; through this he discovered the weakness of his nature, and did not change his firmness in piety. He tore his clothes, but bowed to the ground; This means that the devil did not so much strike as he was struck; not so much wounded as wounded. But when Job endured the first struggle so well, God immediately betrays him to another struggle, so that he can weave the crown of incorruption all the more brilliantly for him. Namely, again, for the second time, the angels appear before God, and the devil in their midst is questioned by the All-Seeing One. "Where did you come from?" ( Job 2:2 ). Notice here the wisdom of God, notice the cunning of the devil. God knew where he came from, (knew exactly) that he came having been defeated by a righteous man, but God wants to see whether he honestly admits to the defeat he experienced. "Where did you come from?" The devil, hiding his defeat out of shame, uses his previous expression: “I walked on the earth and walked around it” (Job 2:2). Is this why you left? Is this what you asked for? Did you say: give me Job's property? Why do you keep silent about your attack in order to destroy the crown of victory? Talk about the fight, damned one, talk about the attack to announce victory. But what the devil hid out of envy, the Lord of all rewards to the sublime wisdom of the righteous. “Have you paid attention to my servant Job?” ( Job 2:3 ). I know what you are hiding. After all, God often asks not in order to find out, but in order to test the disposition of the spirit of those asked, whether they confess honestly. So He asked Cain: “Where is Abel, your brother?” (Gen.4:9). I wanted him, who had done evil, to at least make himself the accuser, so that this self-condemnation would soften the severity of the accusation. After all, everyone who condemns himself softens the indignation of his judge. So, as God then asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” [to which he, thinking that the question was being proposed due to ignorance, replied: “I don’t know; Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen.4:9)] - and when his spiritual disposition was revealed, then he exposed his crime with these words: “The voice of your brother’s blood cries to Me from the earth” (Gen.4:10) - so (and in other cases), if, having asked, he sees the intention to be secretive, he exposes the culprit of the evil deed. And here, after asking the devil, he does not receive from him consciousness of the defeat that he suffered, He Himself reminds him of his defeat and glorifies the victory of the righteous. “Have you paid attention to my servant Job? for there is no one like him on earth: a blameless, just, fearing God and shunning evil” (Job 2:3). Please delve carefully, I ask you, and do not ignore these words of Divine Scripture. In the first testimony it is not mentioned at all: “kindly” (this word is not in the Russian translation), but in the second (this word appears). For the first time God says: “Have you paid attention to my servant Job? for there is no one like him on earth: a blameless, just, fearing God and shunning evil” (Job 1:8). The expression “kindly” was not used there; after victory and feat, he attaches, as if a victorious wreath, this praise deserved by his exploits. Since, having suffered to the greatest extent, he endured misfortune without any bitterness, without bursting out with blasphemy against the Lord, but, attributing all to His goodness and saying: “Shall we accept good from God, but will we not accept evil” (Job 2:10), then after these words of kindness were uttered to him, the Lord weaves for him a crown of kindness, namely, that “There is no such thing from those who are on earth, for he is a gentle man” (Job 2:3). “And you stirred Me up against him in order to destroy him innocently” (Job 2:3), i.e.: were you not in vain to envy his prosperity? You said that he was pious because of his wealth: now he has lost everything, but has not lost the truth. So, in vain you, the devil, demanded the destruction of all his property. But there is no end to the evil of the evil one! He again finds another means that can overthrow the courage of God's chosen one. And so he says to God: “Skin for skin, and for his life a man will give all that he has” (Job 2:4). There is nothing special, he says, in the fact that he lost what he had: he gladly neglected everything in order to save his life. But if you want to test him, “stretch out Your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, will he bless You?” ( Job 2:5 ) “He will bless” is used here instead of “he will curse,” because Scripture hid slander under blessing. 2. Why is it written like this? In order to teach you, faithful one, when you talk about shameful manifestations of someone else's evil, to clothe them in decent words, placing your honor not in not doing something shameful, but in avoiding even talking about shameful things. Therefore, the apostle says: “Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth” (Eph. 4:29). Following this, God submits His fighter to a second test, not for his own conviction of what he is like, but to shame the devil in practice. God, of course, knows everything before any experience. “And Satan went away from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with fierce leprosy from the sole of his foot to the very top of his head” (Job 2:7). His whole body turned into a continuous wound, into one scab. The fighter needed to be crowned completely and in all respects. From the feet to the head there is a saving wound, a victorious ulcer; an ulcer that exudes pus in appearance, but in meaning is full of blessing. The festering of the wound did not last long, and the blessings that the struggle gave birth to will never fail. “He smote Job with fierce leprosy from the sole of his foot to the very crown of his head,” so that he would be crowned completely in all his members. Then, since a man suffering from such a disease could not remain in any inhabited place, but all houses were closed to him, as if he were defiled (because Job’s wound was nothing other than desecration), he left the city, withdrawing from the whole world; left the city and sat on the dung; left the city because he was fighting a struggle that was not ordinary in life, but one that went beyond the limits of his present state. His removal from the city and city walls was an image of the Cross of Christ. Paul says about this: “The bodies of the animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for the atonement of sin are burned outside the camp” (Heb. 13:11). Therefore, Jesus, in order to sanctify the people, suffered “without the gates” (Heb. 13:12). Christ is outside the gates; Job sat down outside the city on a dung heap. The seed of piety, the seed of patience, fertilized by suffering, he sat on a dung heap, waiting for the one who would raise the poor from the ground and raise the wretched from the dung heap. He saw, brothers, how his body was decomposing, and his soul was strengthened; I saw how his body was swarming with worms, and his soul bloomed with piety; I saw this earthly vessel being destroyed, and before Paul I remembered Paul’s words; It was proper for him to say: “But even if our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). He took the shard to scrape off his pus, scraping off the pus with the shard and defeating his opponent with his patience. It was quite proper for him, holding a shard in his hands, to say: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:7). He who raised many from the dung sat in the dung heap; he took a shard to scrape off the pus; with lifeless dust he scraped the dust of a living body. Three friends came to him - after all, misfortunes call friends for consolation - Eliphaz, Zophar and Baldad came, three kings to one king. Of course, until now the king was also the one who said: “He lived like a king in the circle of soldiers” (Job 29:25). “And they sat,” says (Scripture), “with him on the earth for seven days and seven nights; and no one spoke a word to him” (Job 2:13). In fact, moderate misfortunes allow for consolation, but great misfortunes are honored with silence. It happens, brethren, that suffering suppresses consolation; and just as illness in an acute degree leaves all treatment powerless, so suffering under the fresh impression of misfortune rejects all consolation. They also remained silent, sharing his suffering with their silence. What's next? Since his friends, depressed by the severity of his misfortune, did not dare to utter a word of consolation, Job is the first to begin to say: the sufferer goes to meet those who have not suffered. We know, brothers, that in misfortunes or grief, or in some other sad case, everyone is afraid to be the first to make a sound, so as not to seem like an uninvited adviser or preacher of virtue, but if he sees that someone else has started, then he follows him fearlessly. This, brethren, is shown by experience and confirmed by deeds. So, when Job saw that his suffering was blocking the lips of his friends who had come to console him, then the victim himself showed them the way and immediately began to portray his misfortune, completely avoiding suspicion of blasphemy. His first words were: “Perish the day on which I was born... let that day be darkness... let darkness and the shadow of death darken it” (Job 3:3-5). It is not the wicked who speaks this, but the one who suffers. And look what he does. Just as when someone suffering from a strong abscess undergoes an operation, then, not being able to resist the doctor, he grabs onto those around him and bites those present, of course, having nothing against them, but at the same time not being able to reach the doctor with his hand, so Job, fearing the severity of blasphemy, scolds the soulless and thereby satisfies his grief, not daring anything against God, but blaming himself and his day: it is not the creature that is cursed, but his own day. I have, he says, power over my day; I do not curse creation, I curse my own day. “Perish the day on which I was born... let darkness and the shadow of death darken it.” This is what Jeremiah says: “Woe to me, my mother, that you gave birth to me as a man who argues and quarrels with the whole earth! I have not lent money to anyone, and no one has lent money to me, but everyone curses me” (Jer. 15:10). “Cursed is the day on which I was born” (Jer. 20:14). All these sad speeches are spoken by the saints so that you learn from here that they did not live their lives for their own pleasure, but, having suffered countless disasters, went through struggle. So Jeremiah mourned himself, saying: “Woe is me, my mother, that you gave birth to me.” As a man he suffered, but as a lover of God he endured. In a similar way, Moses, the great and divine legislator of God, who received the sacred tablets, the first interpreter of the order of life, himself says to God under the weight of many misfortunes: “Lord, You ... said...: grace is with Me and with You above all. If I have found grace before You (Ex. 33:12-13), take my soul from me, for I cannot bear the burdens of this people.” “A little more and they will stone me” (Ex. 17:4). “Did I carry all this people in my womb, and did I give birth to him, that You say to me: carry him in your arms, as a nurse carries a child... I alone cannot carry all this people” (Num. 11:12, 14). However, even experiencing such sadness as a person, he did not blaspheme as an atheist, but only under the pressure of his suffering showed what his nature was experiencing. Likewise, each of the prophets expresses complaints. So Habakkuk says: “Why do you let me see villainy and look at the misfortunes of people”? The prophets saw the lie and did not tolerate it; That’s why Habakkuk cried out: “Robbery and violence are before me, and enmity arises and discord arises. As a result, the law has lost its force, and there is no correct judgment: since the wicked overcomes the righteous, then a perverse judgment occurs” (Hab. 1:3, 4). “The ruler demands..., and the judge judges for bribes” (Mic. 7:3), and the law is ruined. 3. Thus all the righteous suffered, suffered and complained about the severity (of their existence) in the world. But these examples should not confuse your jealousy - do not say: am I better than Jeremiah, the prophet who cursed the world? Let healing words not turn into wounds for you. This is written to teach you what kind of struggle they had, how many dangers the life they went through was filled with. And if you want to learn what you should be, turn to what came after grace. The prophets suffered, and the apostles suffered, but some, while suffering, mourned, while others, while suffering, boasted. Here comes Paul, suffering but not crying, beaten but not shedding tears, tempted but boasting. And what does he say? “We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance, endurance produces experience, experience produces hope, and hope does not disappoint” (Rom. 5:3-5). In another case, the apostles, having been beaten, “went out of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 5:41). This means that what was before grace cannot be taken as guidance after grace. We are told about this precisely so that you can learn from their works to have hope. So Job curses the day and suffers in soul, and, however, does not expose his soul to the temptation of wickedness, but endures bodily wounds, and does not wound his soul with blasphemy. But, to shorten the conversation, let us briefly remind you of the essence of the matter. During the struggle (which the devil raised) against Job, no one except God knew the purpose of this struggle. Job did not know the reason for the struggle, nor did he know that these feats were aimed at his exercise. Friends did not know God's intentions, the devil did not know the future. After all, of course, if he knew that he would be defeated, he would not have attacked. And for Job, the consequences of the struggle remained unknown. That God had betrayed him by permission, Job learned about this only when it was revealed to him by God. The devil did not know what end this competition would lead to. If he had known, he would not have even tried, lest he bring upon himself even greater shame; but what he suffered from the martyrs, he also suffered from Job. He killed martyrs in order to suppress the Church, not knowing that from the blood of the martyrs the Church would flourish even more. So everyone was ignorant except God. Friends, not knowing either the intentions of God or the purity of Job, decided rather - as if by the judgment of ignorance - to condemn Job as suffering deservedly, than to recognize God as judging unjustly. Arm yourself with attention. They decided to condemn a person as suffering deservedly for his sin, rather than say about God that He judges unjustly. And they half achieved their goal by declaring God to be innocent of unrighteousness, but they were half wrong by condemning the innocent. But since they did not know, their ignorance is justified, and they deserve praise for the fact that even reasoning in ignorance, they nevertheless did not pronounce a verdict against Divine justice. They object to the righteousness of Job, but praise the righteousness of God. Next, Job is rebuked by his friends, and they say against him: “Remember, did anyone innocent perish, and where the righteous were uprooted?” ( Job 4:7 ). When have you seen the righteous perish to the end? If you had not sinned or done anything worthy of sin, the Righteous Judge would not have judged you unjustly. Great are your sins. If (assuming that) you yourself have not sinned, then how (to explain) this, if not (assuming that) your children have sinned. But, of course, you often offended widows and oppressed orphans. If this happened, then God justly pronounced such a sentence against you. Job realized within himself that he had done nothing of the kind, but at the same time he realized that God does not judge unjustly. And so, when Job saw that people were condemning him, but his conscience did not condemn him and God did not find him guilty, since he was not able to convince people, he turned to the Judge and raised the eyes of his soul to grief, not with blasphemy, but with complaint, and said to Him: “If I have sinned, then what will I do to You, guardian of men! Why did You make me your enemy, so that I became a burden to myself?” ( Job 7:20 ). You have turned me into a living contradiction to Your truth; but You know my heart. Then Job says something remarkable - not out of malice, but out of kindness - and says (I am reducing a lot into a little, because the material for his justification is abundant): who will give a judge between me and You, so that he will know what my sins are, for which You have so condemned me? These words are terrible, but they flow from kindness. After all, God already said earlier that there is no one like him in kindness ( Job 2:3 ); no one will hold these words against someone who is not malicious. Always, brothers, all of us, people, not to mention God, are judged not by deeds, but by the intentions of those who do them. Whether a son insults his father is an intolerable matter for both the sufferer and the listener: such a person is called parricide, matricide, insane, and lawless, because he raised his voice against his father, because he dared to dishonor his own root. But only he who is in perfect mind is responsible and condemned for this; A child who is kind, even if he beats his father or mother or insults him, is worth more than any joy. Often mothers even provoke their children to be offended, not offended, but rejoicing at their kindness and purity of character. So God, knowing that Job says this not out of malice, but out of kindness (he himself testifies about him: “He will still adhere to kindness” (these words are not in the Russian translation) (Job. 2:3), accepts his summons to judgment. It’s scary to say: a slave calls on the Master for judgment, man calls on God, a creature calls on the Creator; but, however, as I have already said, these words are inspired not by malice, but And besides, brethren, this gentleness was not connected with stupidity, but, on the contrary, stemmed from high wisdom. Do you want to make sure of this with all clarity? Job did not ask for anything that he himself did not fulfill. He knew that he was God’s servant, he knew that God was his Master. stopped his mouth as a slave, but accepted his justification, so (exactly what he) did himself, he asked (now), relying on the words: “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2). That is why he says: who will judge? Listen when he says, counting his virtues, which also stemmed not from ambition, but from kindness: “If I neglected the rights of my servant and maidservant when they had a dispute with me, then what would I do when God rebelled? And when He looked at me, what could I answer Him? Didn’t He, who created me in the womb, create him also and form us equally in the womb?” ( Job 31:13–15 ). With this in mind, he gave to general nature a general right of justification. 4. But we, brothers, are not like that. Are you surprised at the righteous? Judge yourself. How often, if someone is accused, I do not say a slave, but a little inferior, even if he is accused fairly, he stops the mouth (of the enemy), as if he shamelessly and impudently dared to treat him as an equal. However, he says, do you dare to stand on an equal footing with me? Do you demand justice? Allow fair equality in the right to speak. The proud man accuses, and does not accept any justification, and is not moved even by silence. If the accused is silent, he is condemned: he does not dare, he speaks, and open his mouth; if he speaks, he dares, he speaks, to raise his voice against his master. Another, puffed up with arrogance, if he is asked for an honest or noble person and is invited to an arbitration court in order to end the matter with peace and cover up evil with love, immediately, puffed up with pride, says: will I humiliate myself to this? What pride! Where do you stand for this to be humiliation for you? Am I going to stoop to this? As if this is said by the one who walks on the sky and clouds. You walk on the same earth, you feed from it, you turn into it, you are buried in it. And where will you go? Aren't you ashamed of the Lord's suffering? Aren’t you ashamed to say to someone who is equally honest with you: I will humble myself to this? Aren’t you ashamed to say such words, knowing that Jesus condescended for you? To such thoughts and to such exaltation it is proper to always cry out with Isaiah: “Why is the earth and ashes proud?” (Sir.10:9). However, let's return to the subject. Who will give a judge between me and You? In response to this, the Righteous Judge appears to him in a storm and a cloud. The One who wants to rain blessings appears to Job in the clouds. The One who wants to moisten the seed, fattened with manure, appears to him from the clouds, and raises Job up and calls him, puts an end to his suffering; with one wave he raises up the fallen one and says to him: “Arise, now gird up your loins like a man: I will question you, and you explain it to Me” (Job 38:3). Since you called Me to judgment and said: “Who will make a judge between me and You?” - then arise, noble fighter, who has not fallen under the blows of misfortune, arise! Thus, always the one who, having been punished, bravely endures misfortune and punishment, then hears from God: “Arise,” as, for example, He says to Jerusalem: “Arise, arise, O Jerusalem, you who drank from the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath” (Is. 51:17). “Now gird up your loins like a husband: I will ask you, and you explain to Me.” He did not say: I will judge you, and you answer Me. You demanded, he says, not judgment on yourself, but in order to reason with Me. You were looking for a judge, between Me and you: be a judge yourself. “Do you want to overthrow My judgment, accuse Me in order to justify yourself?” ( Job 40:3 ). Do you think, he says, that for the sake of something else I sent this misfortune upon you, and not in order to reveal your righteousness to everyone? And notice with what precision these words are spoken. He did not say: Do you think that I did this to you for a purpose other than that you might become righteous? After all, it was not misfortune that made him righteous, it only revealed his righteousness. “You want to overthrow My judgment, accuse Me in order to justify yourself,” he says, of course, even before the fight you were known, but to the world you became known through your misfortunes, your exploits spread your name throughout the world. For this purpose, it was I who put you to the test, not in order to destroy you, but in order to crown you, not in order to shame you, but in order to glorify you. And that you, out of kindness, went beyond the boundaries of your nature, then I condescend to your sincerity. After all, if out of kindness someone even sins, God corrects the consequences of kindness. Since, however, you called God to judgment, then tell Me, on what basis did you arrogate to yourself the right to call Me to judgment? “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” ( Job 38:4 ). Were you the same age as the Creator to call Him to judgment? He is before centuries, and you are many centuries later. When I created the earth, you were not there; when - the sea, you were not; and in everything else you took no part. All creation was completed, and you were nowhere to be found. So, the One who is older than centuries, the Author of creation, have you called to judgment? When I laid down measures for the earth, when I established its pillars, when the sea was born, when I brought it out of its mother’s womb, where were you? When I covered the earth with clouds and surrounded it with clouds, where were you? (God) answers him as if he said something wrong, of course, out of kindness, but at the same time out of ignorance. And what does it do? He does not reprove him in front of everyone, but as a friend corrects him in private. So, when the Lord said this and the like (now there is no time to explain all the speeches in detail), Job, having condemned himself (because the righteous at the first reproof corrects his mistake), says: “Listen, I cried, and I will speak, and what I will ask of You, explain to me. I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; now my eyes see You; therefore I renounce and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:4–6). And: “I spoke once, now I will not answer, not even twice, but I will not answer again” (Job 39:35). See how he corrects his mistake, having felt the truth of the reproof. “Once I said,” and then not out of malice, but out of kindness, “now I won’t answer, not even twice, but I won’t do it again.” Indeed, who am I, seeking judgment with the Lord? What Job did not know due to his kindness, he learns after reproof. What's next for God? He does not allow him to evade judgment, but says: “Gird up your loins like a man” (Job 40:2). Become, he says, like your husband. Do not think that I struck you with (the image of) My power precisely for this purpose, in order to avoid the truth, but in order to correct your ignorance. I do not shy away from judgment: judge Me fairly and demand an answer about what happened. You were condemned to be crowned, you were condemned to become an object of wonder for all under heaven. Before suffering, you were known only in one corner, but after suffering, the whole world will know about you. The dung in which you sat will become more glorious than any royal crown. The crown bearers will want to see you, your works and exploits. I made your dunghill a Paradise, I cultivated it for piety, I planted heavenly trees on it. You have received heavenly rewards, receive earthly rewards too, receive everything double. From here, every Christian, learn your hope, know the benefits of your promise. The Lord promises doubly to Job, and gives doubly; and the Savior says to his disciples: “Whoever leaves houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29). But pay special attention to the fact that (the Lord) corrects his friend in private, while he reproaches Job’s friends openly. And God says to them: “Does My wrath burn against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken as truly about Me as My servant Job?” ( Job 42:7 ). But, oh, the Just One! Our speech was about You, we preached Your truth, we condemned the man, and declared Your justice infallible. Here the justice of God is revealed in all its strength: if He does not accept those who speak for Him against the righteous, will He accept those who speak against the righteous in spite of the truth? So, he denounces Job’s friends and says: “And now my servant Job will pray for you, for only his face will I accept, so as not to reject you because you have not spoken of Me as truly as my servant Job” (Job 42:8). Thus, together he convicts and saves. It saves because they didn’t say anything bad against God. This is how God convicts the righteous man, restoring his sincerity, and on the one hand honors his friends for his sake, and on the other hand, the righteous man himself for his feat and rewards him doubly, and brings his truth out of darkness into the light then and until now. Let us make one more note to finish with the reward of the righteous. He received double the sheep, double the bulls, camels, and double donkeys, but, having lost ten children, he did not receive twenty. Here the question arises: why did he receive twice as much cattle, but only the same number of children? Since the cattle and property that he lost completely perished for him, and a person dying is preserved for life and rises in resurrection, then (God) does not give him twice as many children, so as not to deprive him of hope regarding those who have departed, but to show him that they, although stolen by death, are alive. And they all remain with him, and again God does not give him more than ten, so that Job will find (another ten), moving not from life to death, but from house to house. In fact, when he ended his life, ten accompanied him to the grave, and again ten on the day of resurrection will receive him from the grave into the Kingdom of Heaven and together with him will inseparably enjoy those ineffable and heavenly blessings, of which may we all be rewarded by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “The ABC of Faith” In the Russian translation: “And God arranged it so that the next day, when the dawn appeared, a worm ...” and further. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: