Беседа 16

Acts 7:6–7. And God told him that his descendants would be migrants in a foreign land and would be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. But I, God said, will execute judgment on the people to whom they will be enslaved; and after that they will come out and serve Me in this place. Pre-depiction of the resurrection in the Old Testament. - Divine Providence. - Sorrow is good. - What is real joy? - Voluptuousness is a burden for the soul. 1. Look how many years this promise (was given) and what is the form of the promise, while (there was) neither sacrifice nor circumcision. Here Stephen shows that God Himself allowed the Jews to suffer and that (their enemies) will not go unpunished. “They will be enslaved and oppressed... I will execute judgment, said God.” Do you see? He who promised and gave the land first allows disaster. So it is now: having promised the kingdom, He allows temptations to be experienced. If there is freedom here after four hundred years, then what is surprising if it is not otherwise with the kingdom? God, however, fulfilled (His promise) and for a long time His word did not turn out to be false, although they (the Jews) did not endure easy slavery. Stephen does not dwell on their punishments alone, but also announces the benefits bestowed upon them. By this, it seems to me, he reminds them of the benefits they have received. “And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. Therefore he begat Isaac” (Acts 7:8); and then further adds: “And he circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs, out of envy, sold Joseph into Egypt” (Acts 7:8, 9). It was the same with Christ, since Joseph was a prototype of Him. It is with this in mind that Stefan sets out his full story. They could not accuse him of anything, but they treated him badly when he came to them with food. Look, here too the promise is distant, but despite that it is finally fulfilled. “But God was with him”; and, moreover, because of them: “and delivered him from all his sorrows” (Acts 7:10). Here he shows that they, without knowing it, contributed to the fulfillment of the prophecy and were themselves the culprits of this, and the disasters turned on themselves. “And he gave wisdom and favor to the king of Egypt, Pharaoh” (Acts 7:10). “He bestowed wisdom and favor upon him,” and this before the king of the pagans, the slave and the captive; his brothers sold him, but he honored him. “And famine and great tribulation came to all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no food. Jacob, having heard that there was bread in Egypt, sent our fathers there for the first time. And when [they came] the second time, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers” (Acts 7:11–13). They came to buy (bread) and needed it. What is he? He not only showed them philanthropy in this need, but also announced this to Pharaoh and resettled them there. “And the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five souls. Jacob went over to Egypt, and he and our fathers died; and they were carried to Shechem and laid in a tomb, which Abraham bought at the price of silver from the sons of Hamor Shechem. And as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God swore to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, until another king arose, who did not know Joseph” (Acts 7:13-18). Another new surprise: the first is famine, the second is that they fell into the hands of their brother, and the third is that the king issued an order to kill (their descendants); and yet they escaped from all this. Showing (in this) the wisdom of God, (Stephen) further says: “at this time Moses was born, and was beautiful before God” (Acts 7:20). If it is surprising that Joseph was sold by his brothers, then it is even more surprising that the king raised the one who later overthrew his kingdom, (raised) himself, who was supposed to perish from him. Do you see how in (Scripture) the resurrection of the dead is prefigured almost everywhere? Truly, it does not matter whether something is done by God himself, or comes from the will of man. And this did not happen from human will. “And he was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). With these words he expresses that he was their savior, and they are ungrateful to their benefactor. Just as then (the brothers) were delivered by the sufferer Joseph, so now they are delivered by the sufferer, that is, Moses. What does it matter if they did not kill him by the act itself? They, like those, killed him with a word. They sold (Joseph) from their own country to another, foreign; but these are expelling (Moses) from a foreign country to a foreign country; there - the one who brought food, and here - the one who led them to God. So in these events the truth of what Gamaliel said is revealed: “if it is of God, then you cannot destroy it” (Acts 5:39). Seeing how the persecuted are the culprits of the salvation of the persecutors, marvel at the wisdom and mind of God. If the former had not been persecuted, the latter would not have been saved. Famine came and they did not die; and not only did they not die, but were saved by the very one they wanted to destroy. The king's command came out, and did not destroy them; but then they multiplied more when (the king) who knew them died. They wanted to destroy their savior, and were not successful in this. 2. Do you see how through the very thing with which the devil tried to make the promise of God in vain, it was even more fulfilled? It was then that they should have been told that God is wise and powerful - to get us out of there. The wisdom of God was especially revealed in this, that even in the midst of persecution the people multiplied, being enslaved, embittered and killed. So great is the power of the promise! After all, if they multiplied in their own country, it would not be so surprising. And they lived in a foreign country for quite some time—four hundred years. From here we learn how great wisdom they showed, because (the Egyptians) treated them not as masters and slaves, but as enemies and oppressors. Therefore, God predicted to them that they would receive perfect freedom; This is exactly what the words mean: “they will serve Me” and “and after that they will go out,” and, moreover, not without punishment (of their enemies) (Acts 7:7). And look how He apparently grants something to the circumcision, and yet grants it nothing; the promise (was given) before him, and this after him. “Patriarchs,” says (Stephen), “by envy”; Joseph does not harm them for this, but does good. He calls the forefathers “patriarchs”, since (the Jews) were much proud of them; and on the other hand, this shows that the saints were not free from sorrows, but even in the midst of sorrows they received help. Not only did they not alleviate (their sorrows), but they also assisted their enemies, when, on the contrary, they should have stopped these sorrows. Just as they made Joseph very famous by selling him, so did the king of Moses by ordering the killing of infants. If he had not commanded this, then this would not have happened. And look at the actions of God's Providence. He expels Moses, but God, arranging the future, does not interfere with this, so that there he becomes worthy of the (Divine) vision. So he makes a person sold into slavery a ruler where he was considered a slave. Just as (Joseph) becomes a ruler where he was sold, so Christ shows power in death; and this was not only a sign of honor, but a consequence of His own (His) power. However, let's turn to the above. “And he made him ruler over Egypt and over all his house” (Acts 7:10). Look what (God) arranges through hunger. Among “seventy-five souls,” he says, “Jacob went over to Egypt, and he and our fathers died; and they were carried to Shechem and laid in a tomb, which Abraham bought at the price of silver from the sons of Hamor Shechem" (Acts 7:14-16). This shows that they were not previously the owners of the tomb. “And as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, until another king arose, who did not know Joseph” (Acts 7:17, 18). Note that God did not multiply them for so many years, but when the end was already approaching, although in total they lived in Egypt for four hundred years or more. This is what is surprising. “This one,” he says, “wielding against our race, oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their children so that they would not live” (Acts 7:19). In the words: “wielding against our race” indicates a secret murder; (the king) did not want to kill them obviously; to express this, he added: “forcing them to abandon their children so that they would not survive. At this time Moses was born and was beautiful before God." It is surprising that the future deliverer is born not before or after, but in the midst of the disaster itself. “For three months he was fed in his father’s house” (Acts 7:20). When all human hopes were exhausted, and when he was abandoned, then the economy of God appeared throughout the whole world. “And when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and raised him as her own son” (Acts 7:21). There was no temple or sacrifice anywhere yet, although so many actions (of God's Providence) had already taken place; and he was brought up in a pagan house. “And Moses was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). It amazes me how, after living there for forty years, he was not recognized by his circumcision; and even more, just as he and Joseph, living in safety, did not care about themselves in order to save others. “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers the children of Israel. And, seeing one of them being offended, he stood up and took revenge for the offended one, striking the Egyptian. He thought his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand; but they did not understand” (Acts 7:23–25). Notice that (Stephen) has not yet become unbearable (for his listeners), but when he says this, they continue to listen to him: they were so captivated by the grace on his face! “He thought,” he says, “his brothers would understand.” Although the protection was actually provided, and there was no need to argue here, but for all that they did not understand. Do you see how meekly he talks and how, having shown anger (Moses) towards one, he also expresses his meekness towards another? “The next day, when some of them were fighting, he appeared and persuaded them to peace, saying: you are brothers; Why do you offend each other? But the one who offended his neighbor pushed him away, saying: Who made you a leader and a judge over us? Don’t you want to kill me too, just as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?” (Acts 7:26–28) In the same spirit and almost the same, they spoke against Christ: “We have no king except Caesar” (John 19:15). This is what the Jews usually always did, even when they received benefits. Have you seen their madness? The one who had to deliver them is reproached, saying: “At these words Moses fled and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where two sons were born to him” (Acts 7:29). He ran away, but flight did not hinder the economy (of God), nor did death (which threatened him). “When he was forty years old, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai in the flames of a burning thorn bush” (Acts 7:30). 3. Do you see how this economy does not stop with time? When he was a fugitive and a wanderer, when he had already spent a lot of time in a foreign country and already had two children, when he no longer hoped to return from there, then an angel appeared to him. An angel, as well as (sometimes) a man, (Scripture) calls the Son of God. And where is it? In the desert, not in the church. Do you see what miracles are being performed, and there has never been a church or a sacrifice anywhere? And here, in the desert, (appears) not just, but in a bush. “When Moses saw it, he marveled at the vision; and as he approached to look, the voice of the Lord came to him” (Acts 7:31); so he was awarded a voice. “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Acts 7:32). By this (Stephen) expresses not only that the Angel who appeared to Moses was “a great angel of counsel” (Is. 9:6), but also shows the love for mankind that God shows in this vision. “Moses, overcome with trepidation, did not dare to look. And the Lord said to him, “Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Acts 7:32–33). There is no church, and yet this place is holy from the appearance and action of Christ. It is even more wonderful than the place in the Holy of Holies, because here God never appeared in this way, and Moses was never so overcome with awe. Have you seen (God's) love for mankind? Then look at His providence. “I see,” he says, “the oppression of My people in Egypt, and I hear their groaning, and I came down to deliver them: therefore go, I will send you to Egypt” (Acts 7:34). Look how (Stephen) shows that (God) guided them with blessings, and punishments, and miracles, and they remained the same. From this we know that God is omnipresent. Hearing this, we too will run to Him in our sorrows. “His groaning,” he says, “I hear.” Not just, he says, “I hear,” but because of their suffering. If someone asks: why did God allow them to suffer like this? - let him know that every righteous person, especially for suffering, is awarded rewards; or for this reason He allowed them to suffer, in order to demonstrate His strength through this in the whole world, and to teach them through these sufferings to be wise in everything. Look, when they were in the desert, then not only did they “grow fat, fat and fat,” but also “he forsaken both God” (Deut. 32:15). A carefree life, beloved, there is always evil! That is why in the beginning (God) said to Adam: “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread” (Gen. 3:19). So, so that they, instead of great suffering, taking advantage of a carefree life, do not become vicious, He allows them to endure sorrow: sorrow is a great good. And that sorrow is good, listen to David, who says: “It is good for me that You have humbled me” 19 (Ps. 119:71). If sorrow is a great blessing for great and wonderful men, then much more so for us. If you want, let us consider this grief in itself. Let's imagine that someone is overly happy, has fun and bursts into laughter: what is uglier, what is crazier than this? Let someone else grieve and grieve: what is wiser than this? Therefore, the Wise One inspires: “lamentation is better than laughter; because with a sad face the heart becomes better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of joy” (Eccl. 7:3, 4). Maybe you laugh at these words? But let us remember what Adam was like in paradise, and what he was like after that; what Cain was like before (the murder), and what he was like after. The soul of one who is having fun does not remain in its place; but, as if by some wind, she is carried away by pleasure, becomes frivolous and has nothing solid. She is easy on inventions, quick on promises, and there is a great storm of thoughts in her. Hence - inappropriate laughter, unaccountable gaiety, excessive flow of speeches and a lot of idle talk. But what am I saying about the others? Let us imagine one of the saints and see what he was like in the midst of pleasure and what, in turn, he was like during sorrow. Let's look, if you like, at David. When he lived in pleasure and joy because of many trophies, victories, crowns, luxury and self-confidence, then look what he said and did? “I said in my prosperity: I will never be shaken” (Ps. 29:7). When he was in sorrow, listen to what he says: “And if He says this: “I have no favor with you,” then here I am; Let him do to me whatever pleases Him” (2 Samuel 15:26). What is wiser than these words? Let it be so, he says, as God pleases. He also said to Saul: “If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let this be from you a fragrant sacrifice” (1 Sam. 26:19). When he was in sorrow, then he spared even his enemies, and after that neither his friends nor those who had not offended him in any way. Jacob, when he was in sorrow, said: “If the Lord God... will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear” (Gen. 28:20). And the son of Noah had not done anything like this before, but when he was assured of safety (from the flood), then you hear how bold he turned out to be (Gen. 9:22). And Hezekiah, when he was in sorrow, look what he did for his salvation: he put on rags and sat on the ground; when he began to live in pleasures, then he fell from the height of his heart. Therefore, Moses exhorts: “When you eat and are satisfied, beware that you do not forget the Lord” (Deut. 6:11, 12), because the path of pleasure is slippery and leads to forgetting God. When the Israelites were in tribulation, they multiplied more and more; and when (God) delivered them, then they all perished. But why do I give examples of the ancients? Let us turn, if you like, to ourselves. Very many of us, when they prosper, are arrogant, enemies to everyone, angry, while they have power; and when it is taken away from them, they become meek, humble, quiet, and come to the consciousness of their own nature. And that this is so is confirmed by David, saying: “their pride has completely taken possession of them: their unrighteousness comes as from fat” 20 (Ps. 72:6, 7). I say this so that we do not seek pleasure by all means. How then, they will say, does Paul say: “rejoice always”? He didn’t just say, “rejoice,” but added, “in the Lord” (Phil. 4:4). 4. This is the highest joy; the apostles also rejoiced in it; this is joy that brings benefit; it has its beginning, root and foundation in bonds, in scourging, in persecution, in bad rumors, and in general in sorrowful objects, but its end is desired. Worldly joy, on the contrary, begins with pleasure and ends with sorrow. I do not forbid rejoicing in the Lord, but I even especially urge you to do so. The apostles were scourged - and rejoiced; were connected - and thanked; were stoned - and preached. I wish for such joy too; it originates not from anything sensual, but from spiritual objects. It is impossible for one who rejoices in the world to rejoice in God; everyone who rejoices in the world rejoices in wealth, luxury, glory, power, honors; and he who rejoices in God rejoices in dishonor for His sake, in poverty, in poverty, in fasting, in humility. Do you see how opposite their objects are? He who does not have joy here is alien to (spiritual) sorrow; and whoever here does not have sorrow is a stranger to joy (about God). Undoubtedly, these (objects) bring true joy; and those bear only one name of joy, but in essence they constitute sorrow. How many sorrows does an arrogant person have! How he torments himself with pride, inventing thousands of insults for himself, (nurturing in himself) great hatred, strong enmity, great envy and extreme ill will! If one of his superiors insulted him, he will be annoyed; if he has not yet risen above everyone, he is tormented. On the contrary, a humble person enjoys great pleasure without expecting honor from anyone. If he is honored, he rejoices; if they do not, he does not grieve, but even loves that he was not given honor. Thus, not seeking honors and receiving them is a great pleasure. But for him it’s the other way around: he seeks honors and does not receive them. And those who seek them and those who do not rejoice in honors differently. The first, no matter how much he receives, thinks that he has received nothing; and the latter, although you don’t give him much, accepts it as if he had received everything. Also, a person living in luxury has a lot of wealth, and acquisitions flow to him easily, as if from a source; but he is afraid of disasters (arising) from luxury and the uncertainty of the future; and he who has accustomed himself to a modest way of life is always calm and enjoys pleasure; It is not so much that it saddens him that he does not have a luxurious table, but it delights him that he is not afraid of the uncertainty of the future. Everyone knows how many disasters come from luxury, but it is necessary to talk about this now. From it there is extreme warfare, that is, both body and soul, extreme storm, extreme illnesses, and, moreover, incurable illnesses, accompanied by great misfortunes. But such are not the fruits of moderation; (from her) great health, great blessings. “Healthy sleep,” says the Wise One, “comes from a moderate stomach” (Sir.31:22). Moderation is desired everywhere, but immoderation is the opposite. For example: put a large bunch of firewood on a small spark, and you will no longer see a bright fire, but only very unpleasant smoke. Place on a very strong and large person a burden that exceeds his strength, and you will see him, along with the burden, prostrate and lying on the ground. Pile too much cargo on a ship and you will cause a terrible shipwreck. Such are the fruits and luxuries. Just as on ships that are too loaded, there is great confusion among the passengers, when the helmsman, and those sitting at the stern, and others sailing on him begin to throw everything into the sea, both above and below, so here: they throw up both up and down, and die amidst torment. And what is most shameful of all, the lips themselves do the work of the hind parts and even become more shameful than them. If your mouth is in such a shameful state, then imagine what it’s like in your soul. Everything there is darkness, everything is a storm, everything is darkness, great confusion in thoughts, restless and heavy, and the soul itself cries out from oppression. Then the gluttons themselves blame each other, become annoyed and rush to vomit out their inner uncleanness. However, even after the eruption the storm does not stop, but fevers and other diseases appear. So, you say, they are exposed to disease and shame; but it is in vain to describe this and count our illnesses; I am sick, I suffer, I am exposed to the shame of not having what I have: but these living in luxury, as you see, are in good spirits, blooming with health, having fun and riding horses. Alas, such words are worthy of tears! And who, tell me, do we see suffering from gout, carried on a stretcher, bandaged? And if they did not consider it offensive to themselves and did not take my words as an insult, then I could call them by name. But there are also those, you might say, who remain healthy. This is because they do not indulge in pleasures alone, (but are engaged in) work. Show me at least one person who, constantly pleasing the belly, lying inactive and not working at all, would be healthy. You won't find (such a person). At least thousands of doctors have gathered, and they are not able to relieve those who are constantly fed up from illness, because this is contrary to the nature of the matter itself. And I will offer you a medical instruction: not everything that is taken into the womb is turned into food, because in the very essence of food not everything is nutritious; there is a part of it that goes for eruption, and another for nutrition. Therefore, whoever, having taken it in moderation, allows it to be completely digested, this is done and it reaches its destination; everything healthy and useful takes its place, and what is superfluous and useless is separated and thrown out; if it is taken in excess, then what is nutritious in it becomes harmful. To explain this to you more clearly, let me give you the following example: bread contains semolina, flour and bran. If you pour into a millstone as much as it can grind, then it separates it all; and if you pour more, everything gets mixed up. Likewise, wine, if it has the proper preparation and fermentation at the right time, then at first everything in it is inseparable, and then one turns into yeast, another into foam, and another becomes a sweet drink for those who drink it, and this latter is useful and does not quickly spoil, whereas at first there was neither wine nor yeast, but everything was mixed. You can also see it at sea, during a strong storm. Just as we then see fish floating dead on the surface, unable to hide from the cold in the depths, so it happens with us. When a strong rain of satiety falls on us, disturbing everything, then it happens that our thoughts, which were healthy and calm until then, float as if dead on the surface (of our soul). So, having learned from these examples how great the harm is (from satiety), let us cease to please those who should be considered unfortunate, and mourn ourselves for what we should call blessed, and let us love moderation. Or don’t you know the doctors’ saying that poverty is the mother of health? I will say that poverty is the mother of health, not only physical, but also mental. Paul, this true physician, also inspires when he says: “having food and clothing, we will be content with this” (1 Tim. 6:8). Let us obey him, so that we can do healthy what we ought to do in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. These conversations were delivered by the saint in Constantinople in 400 or 401. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “The ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: