Глава 3

Mal.3:1. Behold, I will send 51 my angel 52 and watch 53 the way before me. And suddenly the Lord, 54 whom you seek, 55 and the angel of the covenant, whom you seek, will come to his church. Very opportunely, the speech of the prophecy set before us turns to the sacrament of Christ, for Emmanuel “we received... from God the Father righteousness... and sanctification and deliverance” (1 Cor. 1:30), - the cleansing of all uncleanness, the laying down of sins, the rejection of shameful things, the path to the best and most fitting, a kind of door and entrance to eternal life - every correction took place through Him and the overthrow of cruelty and the discovery of truth. And in what wonderful way have we not been enriched through Him? So, “behold,” he says, “I will send my angel, and he will watch the way before me.” In these words, it seems, he makes a foreshadowing of the holy Baptist, for nowhere did Christ Himself say: “this one... is, about whom it is written: Behold, I will send my angel before you, who will arrange your way before you” (Matthew 11:10 cf. Luke 7:27). This is how the divine Isaiah showed it to us, saying: “a voice crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make right the paths of our God” (Is. 40:3 cf. Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:3; Luke 1:3; John 1:23). When this happened, he says, and after the one appointed to proclaim this acted for a short time, “the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the covenant, whom you desire, will suddenly come to your church,” he says. Blessed John also confirms this, saying to those who came to baptism of repentance: “I baptize you in water; a man is coming behind me, of whom I am not worthy, but I will bend down and untie the thong of His sandals: He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mark 1:7 cf. Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16; John 1:26–27). So, you understand how Christ immediately followed and, as if in the footsteps of the one who foretold, walked, making Himself unknown (hitherto) to the inhabitants of all Judea and appearing as if suddenly and unexpectedly. The divine Baptist was called an angel, we believe, not by nature, for he was born of a woman and was a man like us, but because he was given the ministry of preaching and proclaiming this to us. So, the name angels denotes activity, not essence. “He will come,” he says, “to His church, either because the Word became flesh” (John 1:14) and dwelt as in a church in a most pure body (received) from the Holy Virgin, - or, as we believe, with a perfect man, I say, of soul and body (consisting), united directly and economically, - or simply calls a church, as it were, a sacred city and dedicated to Him, obviously Jerusalem, or as in the type Church. He announced His coming with various miracles, “preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23), as it is written. So, “... the Lord will come,” he says, “Whom are you looking for,” speaking out of cowardice: where “is the God of righteousness?” (Isa. 30:18). And He will come, teaching that which is above the law and beyond the shadow and images; for he will be the angel (messenger) of the covenant, foretold of old by the voice of God and the Father, who said somewhere to the sacred prophet Moses: “I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brethren, like you: and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them according to everything that I command him” (Deut. 18:18). And that Christ was the Angel of the New Testament, this will be made clear by blessed Isaiah, speaking of Him: “For they will give away all the garments they have collected with flattery and the robe with reconciliation, and they will be burned with fire. For from a child was born unto us a Son, and was given unto us, whose rulership was upon his frame, and his name is called “Great is the counsel of the angel” (Is. 9:5-6), obviously God and the Father. Therefore, he said: “I do not speak on my own,” 56 “but the Father who sent me gave me this commandment, whatever I should say and whatever I should say” (John 12:49). And truly, the word of the Savior was not the word of man, but from God and the Father through the Son, who exists by nature (as such), was for us (the Messenger of the will of God), for He is the Word of Him who begat Him, as He will certify through the mouth of David, saying: “My heart will vomit out the good word” (Ps. 45:2). Mal.3:1–2. Behold, he comes, says the Lord Almighty: and 57 who can endure the day of his coming? or 58 who will stand in the vision of it? Similar to this and quite similar to what Isaiah said: “be strong, weak of hand and weakened of knees: be comforted, faint of heart, be strong, do not be afraid” (Is. 35:3-4), - and again in another place: “behold, our God ... is with authority” (Is. 40:10). Pointing to Him as surely having to come, or better yet, as already present, it clearly reveals that the time of His coming into this world will not be delayed for long. And that the power of building a house will not be ineffective for some and will not be unbearable for the disobedient, this is taught in the words: “And who can endure the day of his coming? or who will stand in the vision of it?” “Coming” refers to the entry of the Only Begotten with flesh into this world, and “vision” refers to His appearance, as it were. Being invisible by nature as God, He became manifest by taking on the likeness of us. The Psalmist clearly foretold this, saying in the spirit: “God will come, our God, and will not be silent” (Ps. 49:3), for “the Word became flesh,” as the divine John says, and “dwelt in us” (John 1:14), and was in “the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). But for those who loved His appearance, He is not at all burdensome, but on the contrary, He is humble and meek, and the Giver of eternal life. So God and the Father said somewhere about Him: “Behold, My Beloved Servant is well pleased in Him: He will not contradict, nor cry; His voice will be heard outside: He will not break broken reeds, nor will He quench smoking flax, but He will bring forth judgment in truth” (Matthew 12:18-20 and Isaiah 42:1-3). However, those who dishonored salvation through Him and did not allow cleansing through faith had to endure all the worst of evils; for they perished, the poor. That is why I said to the congregations of Jews: Truly I say to you, “If... you do not have faith as I am, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). John also said somewhere: “he who believes in the Son is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned, because he does not have faith in the name... of the Son of God” (John 3:18), and he also proclaimed to the Israelites themselves: “already... the ax lies at the root of the tree: every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). So, for unbelievers, the time of “coming” and “seeing Him” became unbearable and very difficult: they themselves found themselves destroying their souls and having to die in their sins, since they did not want the right to think and allow purification through faith into their minds and hearts. So, “who will endure,” he says, “the day of His coming? or who will stand at His appearing?” That is: who will be so cruel and stubborn that at the time and on the day of His entry into the world (obviously, with the flesh through which He could be tangible or visible) to resist and be unbroken? Without any doubt and without fail, he will be punished and receive bitter retribution for his madness. Mal.3:2–3. Behind that one enters like the fire of a furnace and like the soap of those who wash. He will sit down boiling and purifying like silver and like 59 gold, and the sons of Levi will cleanse, and he will pour in like gold and 60 silver. He speaks here from the similarity with our objects and introduces the ineffable revelation of the sacrament to those who can understand. Those who are skilled in this test test silver and gold by melting with fire everything that is unclean and ugly in them. Divine and heavenly fire, that is, grace through the Holy Spirit, according to which it is fitting for us who live to be perfected by the Spirit, when He, by the sending of Christ, enters the mind and heart - then it is he (divine and heavenly fire) that erases all sinful filth and destroys filth from those who have already fallen. Thus, he makes them purified and tested and, as it were, mints them spiritually into new life, and finally reveals them as shining and sanctified vessels, prepared for the honor and usefulness of the great house, that is, the Church (cf. Rom. 9:21-22). The inspired John pointed to this divine and spiritual fire, saying: “I baptize you in water; a man is coming behind me, of whom I am not worthy, but I will bend down and untie the thong of his sandals: he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mark 1 cf. Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16; John 1:26–27) 61. Let us remember Christ Himself, who said: “Fire has come to burn on the earth, and what do I want, even if it is already on fire?” (Luke 12:49) So, since the descendants of Israel, thanks to the excessive impurity or unrighteousness of the Levites, constantly offended the God of all, expressing something contrary to Him and daring to say: “everyone does evil, good before Him, and He Himself is pleased with them: and where there is a God of righteousness” (Mal.2:17); then he beneficially expresses that Christ will one day shine, eliminating all our sinfulness and making His priests purer, and as if purifying gold and silver in fire or making them tested and enlightened (Zechariah 13:9). Such should be all the clergy of the Church, to whom it would be fitting, in all justice, to say through the mouth of David that “thou hast tempted us, O God, thou hast kindled us, as silver is liquified” (Ps. 65:10). The descendants of Aaron wore the clothing established by the law (Lev. 16:32), - and those chosen in Christ and appointed to priestly service have a bright vestment, sacred and holy - Christ Himself. Therefore, through the lyre of the Psalmist, God and the Father spoke about the Church of the Gentiles: “I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will rejoice with joy” (Ps. 131:16). Truly, Christ Himself is the salvation of the holy clergy, the admirable and most fitting vestment of believers: “for as much as possible,” it is said, “be baptized into Christ, put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). Mal.3:3–4. And the Lord will sacrifice in righteousness. And the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as the days of the world and as the years of old 62 They will devote themselves, he says, to God, for this, I think, means: “they will offer offerings to the Lord.” And we are dedicated to God when we no longer live for ourselves, but surrender ourselves entirely to love for Him and try with all our might to do what is pleasing to His divine gestures. The divine Paul also said something similar about the Savior of us all, Christ: one “he died for all, so that those who live live not for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15). Describing to us, as it were, the beauty of his life, he said again: “I have been crucified with Christ: but I live not one, but Christ liveth in me: and as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith the Son of God, who loved me, and gave unto himself according to me: I do not put away the grace of God” (Gal. 2:19-21). So, “they will,” he says, “offer to the Lord,” that is, they will devote themselves to His will, not thinking about earthly things (Phil. 3:19), not loving the filth of unrighteousness, not preferring cruelty over anyone, but on the contrary, making sacrifices of righteousness. About this, it seems to me, Paul speaks very wisely: “For I am relegated to the priesthood, according to need and law there is a change” (Heb. 7:12), for we, called in Christ to priestly service, no longer allow bloody sacrifices and smoke (from burning them), we do not offer to God rams or goats, but we make in the church a mental sacrifice in Christ, holy and spiritual, and His Himself. Having added (Christ) to sanctification and to the communion of eternal life, we bring incense from good deeds, as if some hefty incense. And by sacrificing righteousness to Him, we hope that we too will be pleasing to Him, for it is written: “Honor the Lord with your righteous labors and give Him the firstfruits of your fruits of righteousness” (Proverbs 3:9). I think the God of all will not be pleased with any other sacrifices than these. Therefore, about those called in Christ to priestly service, he said that they would be better than the former, not slaying bulls like those, and not desecrating the altar by offering defiled bread (Mal. 1: 7), but, as if as incense, bringing to God the truth and mental splendor of gospel living. In this way they will perform a favorable service of worship, so that it in no way departs from the sacrifices befitting the “days of the world,” that is, the life of the saints in the heaven of spirits, who live constant and unceasing days or times. The “times of old” also abound, he says, that is, the worship of the saints, which was in former times, for the glorious dignity of the ancients consisted in obedience. So Abraham offered his son to God “and the faith of righteousness was imputed to him” (Gal.3:6; Gen.15:6) “and he was called the friend of God” (James 2:23). So Noah also prepared an ark for the salvation of his house, as it is written (Gen. 6:1). So, “the sacrifice of Judah,” he says, “will be acceptable,” that is, the people who are circumcised in heart and spirit, “and” also (the sacrifice will be acceptable) of “Jerusalem,” that is, the mental Jerusalem or the Church, as well as the sacrifice of those who have the days of the world (eternal) and the saints who were in former times, who became acceptable (to God) through obedience and faith. The divine Paul also lists them in his letter to the Hebrews, saying that by faith many are justified (Heb. 11:1-40). Mal.3:5. And I will come to you with judgment, and I will be a swift witness against sorceresses and against adulteresses 63 and against those who swear in my name 64 as lies and against those who deprive a mercenary of bribes, and against those who rape widows 65 and against the orphans 66 and against those who evade the judgment of the stranger 67 and against those who are not afraid. me, says the Lord Almighty. And here again the speech continues for us according to the purpose of the subject (prophecy). The foolish Israelites said: “Everyone who does evil will do good before him, and in them he will be pleased: and where is the God of righteousness?” (Mal.2:17) What served as the pretext for such a terrible unbridled language has already been said. However, I will have to say it again. Since some of the clergy and also others, who were the most noble and distinguished by the highest honors, carelessly reached all kinds of lawlessness and wickedness, and God seemed to them to be long-suffering beyond measure (after all, He is kind, good, merciful and philanthropic), then some spewed out words (blasphemous) about him from excessive cowardice. But He clearly revealed that there will once be a transition to a better place for those appointed to the priesthood, when Christ will transform them into renewal of life and transfer them to prosperity and glorious behavior and life. And that He will not accept those who are devoted to evil and will not honor them with praise and rewards, but will condemn them and inflict punishment on those who lived lawlessly, this is explained in the words: “and I will come to you with judgment,” that is, I will appear as a Judge, “and I will be a quick witness,” obviously, on my own impulse, and not called by anyone; for I will inflict punishment on the wicked and pronounce condemnation on them, in the absence of any other defender of their crimes, but, like God, knowing the open and the hidden and having in their conscience (their own) a testimony against each of those who have sinned. And the divine Paul said somewhere that those who live throughout the whole earth will one day appear before the Judge (2 Cor. 5:10), “with each other having a condemning or answering mind, in the day when God will judge the secret man according to my gospel, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 2:15-17). Notice later how those who have sinned both secretly and openly, he says, will have to appear in judgment. First he calls “sorcerers and adulteresses,” then “those who swear to lies.” After all, this is done secretly and secretly, for who would openly perform magic? Or would an adulteress want to be seen by anyone? I think that those who decide to commit perjury try to hide it. How blessed David accuses such foolish people in the words: “Understand that there is madness among people, and there is no time, be wise: plant an ear, will it not hear? or he who creates the eye, does he not look? ( Ps.93:8-9 ) For God there is absolutely nothing beyond the reach of sight; He alone knows the secret and obvious evils. But the above-mentioned sins are committed secretly and as if in darkness. Then he adds to them obvious, I mean “deprivation of the mercenary” of pay, oppression and violence, which some can inflict on the weakest, that is, on widows and orphans. Finally, he adds to them those who subvert righteous judgment and those who do not fear Him. Those who offend God may also be the same in other ways than what we have just said. So, “I will,” he says, “be a swift judge and witness,” and according to my own impulse, against “sorcerers and adulteresses,” and the perpetrators of other evils. Probably at that time some people dared to do so, and because of them many spoke blasphemous words against God (Mal. 2:17). Therefore, one must by all means avoid evil and turn to what is better, and try to do things through which everyone could receive all praise and good behavior; for in this way he will also avoid the divine wrath that can befall those who are accustomed to sin. He will receive the rewards and glory that God gives to those who love Him. Mal.3, 6–7. For I am the Lord your God, and I will not change: and ye sons of Jacob do not depart from the iniquities 68 of your fathers: you turn away from my laws 69 and do not keep them 70 . Again he turns them away from wicked thoughts and words. In fact, is it really not unreasonable, even more absurd, completely godless and filled with the greatest wickedness, to think that the God of all has moved from wanting good to the opposite, and no longer loves the truth and accepts lovers of evil? (Mal.2:17) Therefore, when you see, he says, your sorcerers or spellcasters (these are women who are idle talkers and sycophants) and the promoters of other evils, called to trial, then, he says, you will know through the very deeds that “I am the Lord your God” of old and now, good and at the same time loving, for I do not know change and change, but I am always and unchangeably what I am (cf. Ex.3:14). But you, he says, although you descended from Jacob, a God-loving and good man, who always hated uncontrollability and served God, you did not become zealots of his morals, but rather imitate the disobedience and stubbornness of your fathers, who for this very reason were taken into captivity from their homeland and enslaved the enemies who took them - “deviate” and you “will not keep my laws.” . So, God is always unchanging and, as it were, established in goodness, and unshakable in truth, but they only kept inconstancy in their hearts and were the best imitators of the wickedness of their fathers. Christ speaks about this nowhere, rightly mourning the reckless activities of the scribes and Pharisees. He said this: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you build the tombs of the prophets, and paint the shrines of the righteous, and say: Even if our fathers had been in the days, there would not have been a prophet in the blood of them; therefore you yourself bear witness that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets: and you will fulfill the measure of your fathers” ( Matthew 23:29–32). Therefore, it is necessary for us, if we are truly sane and in the right mind, most of all to compete with the most worthy of our ancestors and avoid imitating the bad ones. If someone does not want to do this and simply and without testing begins to follow his predecessors in time, he, of course, will be completely like the children of the Hellenics, who will then be blamed for the fact that, having abandoned the knowledge of the truth and abandoned God by nature, they worship stones, then they always refer to the custom of their fathers. Mal.3:7–10. Turn to me, and I will turn to you, says the Lord Almighty. And rest: what shall we turn to? Will food deceive the man of God? You are already deceiving me. And you say 71: why are you so deceitful? For tithes and firstfruits are with you. And you look 72 and you deceive me. The summer ended, and all the fruit was brought into the treasures 73, and their house was spoiled 74. Having very decisively rejected them from slander against Himself and admonished them with appropriate convictions as much as possible, He now calls those who have sinned to repentance, saying that He will again grant them His usual favor, and, moreover, very favorably. Just as He imposes appropriate punishments on those who want to lead a lawless life, He truly rejoices everywhere in those who go back, as it were, and refuse to continue their sins, cutting off despair as the cause of death. From here one can see how terrible a certain illness is brought into life by those who pervert the grace of repentance and truly sacrilegiously assign to themselves the name of holiness, although wouldn’t it be more correct to think that honoring and declaring themselves pure brings upon them the accusation of extreme uncleanness? 75 After all, it is written: “You spoke your iniquities first, that you might be justified” (Is. 43:26). The divine David also sings to us: “I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me” (Ps. 50:5), - for no one is clean from filth, as it is written (Job 14:4). Therefore, those suffering from such weakness have a need for the benefits of repentance and for the highest mercy, which completely cleanses the defiled and justifies the wicked. So, out of mercy he calls those who have sinned to repentance. To those who ask for their part and want to know the image of the sin, he says: if he stumbles, “the food will deceive the man of God, because you stumble Me.” To “stammer” (to seduce) means to “kidnap” or “deceive” and to think that they can somehow hide from those being deceived, even if they have done something most indecent. So Esau harbored anger at Jacob and, explaining the pretext of his hatred, said: “For I have already taken second place, and taken away my primacy, and now I have taken away my blessing” (Gen. 27:36). So, is it really possible, he says, that man will be higher than God and plunder the Omniscient? Why are you hesitating Me? I suppose that for the most accurate explanation of the thoughts before us, it is necessary to now say about what is written in the books of Ezra. When the Jerusalemites, leaving the land of Babylon, returned to Judea, they settled in Jerusalem. A divine church was also erected, and then the ranks of priests, singers, hieropsalts and guardians of the gates were in splendor. But what after this? Those liberated became careless regarding the fulfillment of divine decrees, for they did not keep the law, considered the crime of the ancient commandment to be nothing, and barely and lazily sacrificed the blind and “theft and the lame and the sick” (Mal. 1: 8, 13). And also, having promptly removed ears of corn and other fruits from the fields, harvested grapes and squeezed olives, they did not bring tithes and firstfruits established by law, so that the priestly ranks, having wealth, could freely perform the services of God and attend the divine services assigned to them by law. Therefore, the priests of the divine altars remained without any offerings, and the people thus remained deprived of worship, since no sacrifice was made and no other sacred rite was performed for the glory of God. Then, finally, everything in the fields began to perish, hunger began to rage, and they reached such need and poverty that they even wanted to sell their children to those with food, until Ezra, being called to comprehend divine wrath, denounced the leaders of Israel for this. Thus, although with difficulty, they brought tithes and firstfruits, and then the priests entered and began to perform the usual worship in the church (Neh. according to the Vulg.; 2 Ezra 5:1, 15:1). So, why, he says, “are you confusing me (seducing me)”? The year is over, the fruits have been gathered, and you still have the tithes and the firstfruits of the law. “And in his house there will be,” he says, “his plunder,” which is the same as if he said: you brought fruits from the fields into houses and, perhaps, you think that they will survive with you and will be completely preserved in these very houses, but they will disappear, and this disappearance of them will not at all differ from plunder, for you will be oppressed by hunger, although, he says, you have collected the fruits that were barely found with difficulty. Hence, we must understand that it is a great crime to not present thanksgiving offerings to God, and not to give enough of the field given by Him for His glory. And if we begin to do this, then, without any doubt, He will bless (us) and grant us benefits in abundance. If, however, we clench our hands, we preserve what is given to us (the wealth) for our own pleasures alone, and we would not willingly give the gifts of God to others for use 76 . Mal.3:10–12. Consider this, says the Lord Almighty. Unless I open the heavenly waters for you and pour out my blessing upon you, you will be satisfied 77. And I will divide your food for you, and I will not spoil the fruit of the ground for you, 78 and your grapes 79 in the village will not fail, says the Lord Almighty. And you will please all tongues, you will become a desired land, 80 says the Lord Almighty. Again he forgives their sins, frees them from all guilt and promises, without remembering their evil, to give them what they want and to please them with unspeakable honors. He wants to teach them through experience and deeds how profitable fruit-bearing will be for them. And if they decide to do this, then it is promised to give them a frequent outpouring of doges and give them an abundant blessing, so that they will have a large excess of food and generally have a sufficient amount of the blessings of the earth. “I’ll divide it,” he says, “for your pain.” By “I will divide” you mean either: I will separate 81, - or: each of the products of the earth has its own time when it grows and matures. He also clearly promises that the fruit of the earth will be free from all harm, and the grapes in the fields will be abundant and very abundant, and says that when everything reaches maturity, they will finally become blessed and will be called, as it were, “the desired land,” that is, beloved because of its goodness and very fertile. So, whoever has love and mercy will surely be with God, store up treasures in heaven and eat the fruits of his labors, according to what is written (Ps. 127:2). And he will not be like that inhuman and most insane rich man, for whom, the Savior says in the parables of the Gospel, “he will lay down a field” for he says: “What will I do?... I will destroy my barns and build a great one... and a river for my soul: for my soul, have many good things lying around for years:... eat... 82 drink, be merry.” . And so to him, thinking like this and knowing nothing, God says: “foolishly, this night they will take your soul from you: and what you have prepared, to whom will it be?” ( Luke 12:16-20 ) So, he who communicates (to others from his possessions), as I said, is filled with blessing. Such a person will also have spiritual rains, irrigating the heart and sufficiently delighting him, and will produce the fruits of piety, different and, as it were, divided, now distinguished by love, now by favor and mutual mercy, courage and patience. Such will be like a certain fertile land, truly glorious and famous, and most blessed, for “better is a good name than great wealth,” as it is written (Prov. 22:1) Mal.3:13–16. Bury your words against me, says the Lord, and restate: What are you slandering 83 about? Reste: it is vanity to work for God 84, and 85 what more, since we preserved its storage, and before 86 died the prayer book before the face of the Lord Almighty? And now we bless strangers 87, and all those who do lawlessness are created 88 and 89, resisting God and saving themselves. This 90 encourages those who fear the Lord, each to his sincere. And 91 the Lord listened and heard. When God wants to correct one of His loved ones who has fallen into sin, He exposes them to sin, clearly exposes them and, as it were, reprimands them, so that, being ashamed of their own sins, they move on to what is better and more useful and, having received mercy from Him, would thus receive salvation. So now he accuses the Israelites for something else, and expresses, as it were, some kind of general censure for their descendants, knowing that this will be useful and salutary for everyone. After all, what happened educationally to our ancestors was written for our admonition, as the wise Paul says (2 Cor. 10:11). So, he accuses them of being intemperate with their tongue and expressing complaints in inappropriate words: for “your words are burdensome to me,” he says. And what kind of their complaint was, this is expressed in the words: “rest: working for God is vanity,” and that there is no advantage in trying to observe “His keeping,” that is, the regulations of the law. In addition, it is in vain, you say, to be a “prayer man” for Him, that is, to offer prayers for someone. And of course the God of all is true if he says this and accuses the Israelites. But it is necessary to say what the pretext for sin was for those who said this. God ruled over numerous tribes, but out of all He chose one tribe of Israel, it is called His part, inheritance and inheritance (Deut. 32:9). Having made it His own, He gave him the law to guide him and took care of his benefit through the prophets. And what did insensitive Israel do about this? He worshiped the heavenly host, served idols, said to graven images: you are our gods (2 Kings 17:16). Justifiably indignant at such terrible wickedness, God punished them in all sorts of ways, calling them to repentance, with famines, devastation by the wind, lack of fruit, springs and locusts, ictera and caterpillars. So He wanted to strike them with a strong hand and, as it were, drive them with fears and also moderate movements (of anger) to the desire to do what is useful and love the True God by nature. Since these moderate punishments had no meaning for them, but uncontrollably rushed towards all kinds of wickedness, he sent them into captivity and forced them to fall under Babylonian rule. When, by the mercy of God, they were again called to Judea, they built a city and erected a church, then they again turned to negligence, did not fulfill their vows, did not follow the regulations of the law regarding the offering of tithes and first fruits, but with reluctance and difficulty came to the sacrifice and slaughtered animals that were lame, blind and sick. And although they acted lawlessly, nevertheless, God did not punish them with hunger and infertility. Although they should have, if they were kind and understood what was beneficial for themselves, to serve the God of all who had been offended by them by returning to the better, on the contrary, they made a reckless accusation against Him. When they saw the neighboring pagans, who did not know God, but worshiped idols and were subject to extreme error, living in prosperity and pleasure, they foolishly said: “It is vanity to work for God, and what more, as if we are preserving His preservation?” It is said that we, the keepers of the law, are in trouble and under punishment; we have also gone into captivity, although we have always worshiped and served the Lord Almighty. But those who do no such thing do not suffer punishment or disaster. Therefore: “we bless strangers,” and “those who do lawlessness are created, resisting God and saving themselves.” And truly the erring ones oppose the glory of God in many ways, offering sacrifices to idols and “trees,” saying: 92 “Thou art my God, and thou art the stones: thou hast begotten me” (Jer. 2:27). “This,” he says, “is a blessing to those who fear the Lord.” This is, of course, an accusation of slander and a clear proof of extreme illness, for the words of a sick mind and the God-hating eruption of a drunken soul are all speech against God. But that He does not listen to such speeches in passing, so to speak, but with diligence, He confirmed this by saying: “And the Lord listened and heard,” because “The Spirit of the Lord filled the world, and kept all the minds with voices” (Wis. 1:7). And if any word is uttered anywhere against His divine glory, then it will be difficult and, as it were, unbearable, although for Him who is accustomed (God) to endure long to the end. That is why he said: “Be burdensome with your words on Me.” So, even for us, even if we are in calamities, with which God punishes us for our benefit, it is fitting not to fall into cowardice and not think that such a good-loving God would neglect the good (people), but on the contrary, diligently avoid offending Him and thus appease Him and ask for His mercy. And if indeed any of the sin-loving people can be in worldly prosperity and enjoy temporary blessings, then the grounds for long-suffering towards them (of God) should be attributed to the fate of God’s Providence, inaccessible to our understanding. Mal.3:16–17. And she wrote a book of remembrance before them that fear the Lord and reverence his name. And I will, says... the Almighty, on the day which I create for provision, and I will choose in the same way a man chooses his son 93... working for him. God listened and heard the Israelites who reviled Him and spoke wicked words against Him. Then, although it was appropriate to impose appropriate punishment on those who sinned and hold them accountable for unbridled speech, yet, as God patiently leaves this too (without punishment). But He writes “a book of remembrance... for those who fear Him,” about which, I think, perhaps David himself said to the One who writes the book (God): and in “Thy book all will be written” (Ps. 139:16). We will find our Lord Jesus Christ Himself saying to the holy disciples: “Do not rejoice, for the souls obey you: rejoice,” moreover, “for your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). With all justice, the divine David pronounces a curse on the Jewish people who killed Christ, saying: “Let them be consumed of the book of the living, and let them not be written with the righteous” (Ps. 68:29). So, the book of remembrance is written for those who fear God, about whom it says that they will be His own and very close to Him during the “supply”, when Christ will sit on the throne of His glory, surrounded by an angelic army, “and will set the sheep on the right hand, and the goats on the left. And he says to those on the right hand...: Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:33–34). Then He will “choose” them, that is, He will make them chosen, in no way inferior in love to our (human) fathers, who rejoice in their own children when they (the children) are wise and obedient, and pay their parents the greatest possible respect. Mal.3:18. And turn 94 and see between the righteous and the wicked, and between those who serve God and those who do not 95 . It is then, he says, that having stopped this secret (mental, silently performed) idle talk and stopped your uncontrollable and unbridled tongue, you will no longer blame the good-loving God, but, as if emerging from intoxication and turning from delusion, then you will quite clearly see what the distance (difference) is between the righteous and the lawless - those who serve God and those who do not. After all, the lawless and disobedient, and those who throw off the yoke of service under His authority, will go to destruction and endless punishment: “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12), as it is written. The good and God-loving, the guardians of the divine laws and zealots of all virtues, the glorious and sanctified - they will be clothed with the crown of incorruption - being in the highest mansions (John 14:2), they will cohabit with the holy angels and, having become partakers of the glory of Christ, will begin to enjoy the blessings of eternal life, “whose eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and in the heart of man did not sigh" (1 Cor. 2:9), according to what is written. However, seeing the lovers of evil prospering in this life, some of the saints came to thought, although they did not know that the end of their life would lead to destruction. Therefore, blessed Jeremiah says this: “Thou art righteous, O Lord, for I will answer 96 to thee; Otherwise, I will pronounce judgment 97 on you: because the way of the wicked is sung, all those who commit iniquity are satisfied. You planted them, and when they took root, you created children and produced fruit. You are near their mouths, but far from their wombs. And You, O Lord, understand me,... You have tempted my heart before You” (Jer. 12:1-3). Then he says again: “Purify them on the day of their slaughter: how long shall the earth weep?” (Jer.12:3-4) You see how he fell into heavy thought, although he knew the end of the wicked. “All flesh is hay, and all the glory of man is like the flower of grass,” as it is written (Is. 40:6). “Mine” is not in the hald. (perhaps because the Targumist considers the writer of the book of Ezra). “What you are looking for” is omitted. Theodorite. Slav. acc. mean: "verbs". In sir. there is no “and”, but in Efr. and African 241, 26 – yes. Slav. cheat "and" as Al. code, euro and hald. But sire: “or”. Hebrew: “and he sits, melting and purifying the silver.” Chald.: “And he will open himself to be melted and purified, like a man who melts and purifies silver.” Sir.: “to turn to melting and purification like silver.” This quotation is given in such a unique form by St. This is not the first time by Kirill - see explanation above. Mal.3:1. Chald.: “gift of the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” “In my name” - these words do not exist now. Heb., Chald., Sir. Unit h. in Hebrew, Chald., Sir., but plural. hours in glory Mn. Part Vulg., but Heb., Khald, Sir. unit h. Sir.: “against those who withhold the wages of the hired man and the servant and the orphan and the widow, and are directed (leaning) against the one who turns to Me.” Slav.: “deviate from my laws.” Heb. “For I the Lord have not changed, and you, the sons of Jacob, are not destroyed” (have not disappeared). “From the days” of your fathers you have departed from my statutes.”; Chald.: “For I Jehovah have not changed My covenant, which is from the ages, and you, the sons of Jacob (in Lagarde, and Walton: Israel - there is a version in Hebrew), think that everyone who died in this age, his judgment has passed.”; sir. whether under the influence of LXX, or having a different reading: “For I am the Lord and have not changed, and you, the sons of Jacob, have not ceased from your iniquity. From days..."; Aphraat in one place: “And you, the sons of Israel (v. Jacob), did not turn away from your iniquity from the days of your fathers” (853. 9-10), - in another: “And you, the sons of Jacob, did not turn away from your iniquity, and from the days of your fathers, and did not keep,” like the Chald., “My commandments.” Vulg.: et in penuria vos maledicti estis; Jer.: “et vos videntes respicitis”; euro “You are cursed with a curse” (sic., Khald.). Sir.: “into my treasures.” In Hebrew: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, and there will be food in My house” (var.: his); Chald.: “the prophet said” (so in Walton, but Lagarde does not have these words): “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, and there will be food for those who serve in the house of My sanctuary”; sire: “All” (his-he – suff. 3. l.) “people! Bring tithes into My treasuries, and it will be food in My house.” These words are obviously directed against the Kaffar sect. There appears to be a gap here and the sentence is not complete. Heb.: to abundance, to abundance; hald. and sire: “until you say: enough.” In some (codes 114 and 239 in Pars.) as in one Heb. at Kenn. there is only verse 12. Wed. Mal.2:3, - glory. “I will excommunicate”, i.e. for food for you. "Rest" apparently omits. Chald.: “Boldness before Me... and if you say: how have we increased (increased, exalted) our speech before You?” Khald.: “there is nothing to benefit (there is no benefit) who serves before God...”; Sir: “that we served God in vain.” From here to the end of the 15th century. op. Feud. Monc. (cf. 114 code. Pars.) Heb., Chald.: “the wicked.” In Hebrew, Chald., Sir. unit number. Sire. (and glory) verses 14–15 are understood as the words (complaints) of those who fear God. This is how St. interprets it. Cyril, Theodoret. From here onwards to the 18th verse there is no Theod. Monc. Wed code. 114.Pars. Heb. and other Russian: “and then you will see again” (free). So St. Kirill and to the point. But kudos. approx.: “to him”. You might be interested in: