Homilies on the Book of Numbers. Book II

“Homilies on the Book of Numbers. Books I-II" (19 homilies: in the first book - 10, in the second - 9) written by Origen in 239-242. and cover most of the book of Numbers. They deal in most detail with the story of Balaam and his prophecies, which is the subject of a cycle of several homilies (13-19). Considering the historical events and ritual instructions set forth in the Book of Numbers, Origen pays primary attention to their symbolic reading and spiritual and moral meaning. Origen understands the long journey of the Israeli people through the desert described in the book of Numbers as an allegory of the complex and long path of salvation by which the true “people of God” (i.e. Christians) follow from the earthly world to eternal glory and inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven. The struggle of the Israeli leaders with the internal disturbances of the rebellious people and with external enemies, according to Origen, indicates the struggle of Christians with the attacks of evil spirits, as well as with external temptations and internal passions. *The title of the work in Latin is In Numeros homiliae. Homily XI. About offering the firstfruits 1.1. The Law commands that the firstfruits and firstborns of animals be offered to the priests (cf. Num. 18:8 ff.); Thus, everyone who has a field, a vineyard, an olive grove, or at least an orchard, who has everything that the earth gives, anyone who raises livestock, from all this must offer the firstborn to God, that is, to the priests. For it is said: what is given to the priests is an offering to God. And the law teaches us the same thing, for no one can legally or legally enjoy the fruits of the earth or the offspring of livestock, unless the firstborn of all this is offered to God, that is, to the priests. 1.2. I think it is necessary to observe this law, like others, even in its literal sense; for sometimes the disciples of the New Testament consider it necessary to fulfill the prescriptions of the law. And if you wish, let us first consider what was written in the law, what must be fulfilled, as if it were indicated in the Gospels. And when it becomes obvious, let us examine what we should understand about it from a spiritual point of view. For there are those who say that if there is something that must be fulfilled literally, then why should not everything be observed; if what is contained in the law relates to spiritual understanding, then nothing in it should be taken literally, but everything should be understood spiritually. However, we will try to move away from the extremes of both statements and, based on the authority of Divine Scripture, we will establish what instructions in the words of such a law must be observed. 1.3. In the eighteenth Psalm it is written: “The law of the Lord is perfect, strengthening the soul; The revelation of the Lord is true, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are righteous and gladden the heart; The commandment of the Lord is bright, it enlightens the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure and endures forever. The judgments of the Lord are true, all are righteous; they are more desirable than gold and even much pure gold, sweeter than honey and drops of honeycomb” (Ps. 18:8-11). If all of the above did not have different meanings, Divine Scripture would never reflect the characteristics inherent in each of these concepts, stating one about the law of the Lord, another about commandments, another about revelation, and another about judgments. Thus, as we have just shown, the law is one thing, the command is another, the commandment is another, the revelation is another, the judgment is another. In addition, in the law itself there is an obvious difference between them, for it is said: these are the law, commandments and statutes and testimonies and judgments, “which the Lord gave to the children of Israel through Moses” (cf. Num. 36:13). 1.4. So, since the truth of this distinction is shown by the testimony of the law itself, and these concepts differ from each other in their characteristics, it is necessary to consider more carefully in what is read aloud to us from the law, how, for example, one is written that it is a command, and this command should not immediately be accepted as a law, or how, when it is written that it is a justification, the given justification should not be considered either a law or a command; in the same way, when something written is a testimony or a judgment, it should not be confused with the rest, but each of them is different from the others. 1.5. So, when we read that “the law has a shadow of good things to come” (Esr. 10:1), we should not immediately believe that commands or justifications or judgments that are not written are “a shadow of good things to come.” And finally, let us give an example - one of many that we can give: it is not written “this is the commandment of the Passover,” but “this is the law of the Passover 1” (Ex. 12:43). And since “the law has a shadow of future blessings,” then, without a doubt, the Easter law has a shadow of future blessings. 1.6. So, when I get to the place where Easter is described, I should see in this material lamb a “shadow of future blessings.” I must understand that “Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). In the same way you will perceive what is written about unleavened bread (cf. Ex. 12:8) and the observance of other festivals. And since all this is written in the law under the title “law” and since the law, through the presence of the shadow, invariably designates future good things, then I must find out what the unleavened bread of “future good things” is, and if I ask, the Apostle will answer me, saying: “Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, not with the leaven of vice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of purity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). 1.7. And about circumcision it is said: “This is the law of circumcision.” Since circumcision is signified as the law, and the law is a shadow, then I ask what shadow of future benefits is contained in circumcision, lest Paul say to me, as one who is in the shadow of circumcision: “If you are circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing” (Gal. 5:2) and “For he is not a Jew who is one in appearance, nor is circumcision that is outwardly in the flesh; But he who is a Jew inwardly, and that circumcision which is in the heart is in the Spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not from men, but from God” (Rom. 2:28-29). And thus you will see that the Apostle considers it completely useless to observe almost all the regulations designated by Moses as law. 1.8. Further, we do not find that what is said: “Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal” (Rom. 13:9) and the like is preceded by the word “law”; rather, they are seen as commandments, and therefore the disciples of the Gospel do not violate this Scripture, but fulfill it (cf. Matt. 5:17), for, as I already said, it is said that the “shadow of good things to come” has a law, but not a commandment; and therefore we must do this literally. As elsewhere it is said: “Righteously advance in righteousness” (cf. 1 Tim. 6:11). Why look for allegory in this when the letter teaches? 1.9. So, we have shown that there are instructions that should not be observed by the letter of the law, and there are those that the allegory should not completely change, but must be fulfilled in all ways, as stated in the Scriptures; Now I will ask if there are any other precepts that, although they can be observed to the letter, still require an allegorical interpretation. And let's see if we can cite evangelical and apostolic testimonies in support. 1.10. It is written in the law: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife; and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). And since in what has been said there are allegorical mysteries, Paul, when he gives this example in his epistle, says: “This mystery is great; I speak in relation to Christ and to the Church” (Eph. 5:32). And the Lord and Savior Himself teaches that this must be done in a literal sense when he says: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:5-6). And He clearly shows that this must be observed to the letter when he adds: “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” And in another place where the Apostle says that “Abraham had two sons, one by a bondwoman, and the other by a freewoman” (Gal. 4:22), who doubts that this is said in the literal sense? After all, it is obvious that Isaac from Sarah and Ishmael from Hagar were the sons of Abraham (Gen. 21:3;16:15). And yet the Apostle adds to what has been said: “There is an allegory in this” (Gal. 4:24), turns them into “two testaments” and speaks of the descendants of the New Testament as the children of Sarah, who gives birth to them in freedom, and about the children of Hagar, who “gives birth to slavery,” as the sons of earthly Jerusalem. 1.11. It seems to me that, relying on the authority of Divine Scripture, we have shown that from what is written in the law, one should beware and avoided, so that the disciples of the Gospel do not observe it to the letter, one should be fulfilled in all ways as it is written, and the other, although it carries the truth according to the literal understanding, but also has an allegorical meaning, useful and necessary. 2.1. What is needed now is a wise “scribe, taught in the kingdom of heaven, like a master, who brings out of his treasury new and old” (cf. Matt. 13:52) to determine in each passage of Scripture whether the letter, which kills, should be completely rejected, and the spirit that gives life should be sought (cf. 2 Cor. 3:6), or whether to establish it in every way and show that the teaching of the letter is useful and necessary, or appropriately add a mystical interpretation while maintaining the literal meaning. 2.2. I think this applies to the statement we are now considering; for it is fitting that the first fruits of the Gospel should also be offered to the priests. After all, “even so the Lord commanded those who preach the Gospel to live from the gospel,” and “those who serve the altar take a share from the altar” (cf. 1 Cor. 9:14,13). And just as it is fitting and worthy, so, on the contrary, it is unbecoming and unworthy, or rather, ungodly, when one who worships God and enters into the Church of God, who knows that priests and ministers stand at the altar, who, whether they devote themselves to serving the word of God or church service, does not bring to the priests the first fruits of the earth, which God gave him by raising His sun above the earth and watering it with His rain. It seems to me that such a soul does not remember God, does not think and does not believe that God gave it the fruits that it collected and stored, as if God had nothing to do with it; after all, if she believed that all this was given to her by God, then, of course, she would know how to glorify God by bringing gifts and offerings to the priests. 2.3. And in order to show even more clearly in the words of the Lord Himself that such instructions must be fulfilled to the letter, let us add the following. The Lord in the Gospel says: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you give tithes” - that is, a tenth - “of mint, anise and caraway seeds, and have abandoned the most important things in the law: judgment, mercy and faith; This ought to be done, and this ought not to be abandoned” (Matthew 23:23). Look carefully at how the words of the Lord command us to fulfill in every way the most important things in the law, but also not to neglect what must be observed to the letter. But if you say that He is not saying this to the disciples, but to the Pharisees, listen also to Him who says to the disciples: “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, then you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). So, what He wants the Pharisees to do, He demands even more that His disciples do it; What He does not want from His disciples, He does not command the Pharisees either. And He says that He demands more from His disciples than from the Pharisees in the following passage: “You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not kill” (Matthew 5:21), and the Pharisees fulfill this; and He says to His disciples: “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:22). In the same way, He speaks about what is written: “Do not commit adultery” (Matthew 5:27), and He wants the righteousness of His disciples to become even higher and they would not even look “at a woman with lust” (cf. Matthew 5:28). 2.4. Thus, from the little that we have given, if anyone is diligent in studying the Divine Scriptures, he can easily find differences in other places. It is said: “When a wise man hears it, he not only praises the word, but also adds to it” (Sir.21:15). What does he add? He examines each chapter of the law and delves into it to determine when the letter should be abandoned, when it should be accepted, and when the historical narrative agrees with the mystical interpretation. For “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Gal. 3:13); He redeemed us not from the curse of the commandment, not from the curse of testimony, not from the curse of judgments, but “from the curse of the law,” that is, He made it so that we were not bound by circumcision of the flesh, keeping the Sabbath, and other similar things (cf. Col. 2:16), contained not in the commandments, but in the law. 2.5. How can our righteousness “exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees” (cf. Matt. 5:20), if they do not dare to eat from the fruits of their land before they bring their firstfruits to the priests and separate a tenth of the Levites, and I do none of this, but I use the fruits of the earth in such a way that the priest does not even know about it, the Levite does not know it, the Divine altar does not see them? 2.6. It should be noted that the law is spoken of in two ways; in general, all this, that is, commandments, justifications, commands, testimonies and judgments, is called law, but a certain part of what is written in it is also called law, like what we talked about above. The law in a general sense is understood, for example, when it is said about the Savior that He “came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it” (Matthew 5:17); and elsewhere: “Love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10). Here the law refers to everything that is written in the law. We say all this in order to show that the commandment about the first fruits and the first offspring of livestock must be fulfilled to the letter. 3.1. Let us now see what allegorical, that is, spiritual meaning is contained in this. To do this, let us examine whether there are references to the firstfruits in other places of Scripture, in addition to the one we spoke about above. In the next passage, the Lord said: “All the best of the oil, and all the best of the grapes and bread, the firstfruits thereof, which they give to the Lord, I have given to you” (Num. 18:12). And now I will ask where else is it said about first fruits. After all, if all the firstfruits belong to the high priest, then we also need to look for the high priest, to whom those firstfruits are to be brought, which are spoken of in other places of Scripture. 3.2. First of all, we read about the Lord Jesus Christ Himself that “He is the firstfruits, the firstborn from the dead” (cf. Col. 1:18); So, He Himself, in a certain sense, is the firstfruits. And, on the other hand, we find that the Apostle speaks of one “who is the firstfruits of Asia” (cf. Rom. 16:5), and of a certain family “that it is the firstfruits of Achaia” (cf. 1 Cor. 16:15). It follows that in every church there are believers who can be called firstfruits, but only those who have been confirmed by the apostolic spirit. It seems to me that one of these was Cornelius, who was rightly called the “firstfruits” of the Church of Caesarea, along with those with whom he was worthy to receive the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 10:1ff). And Cornelius should be called the firstfruits not only of this church, but perhaps of all the pagans; for he was the first of the Gentiles to believe (cf. Acts 21:25) and the first who was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (cf. Luke 1:67), and therefore it is fair to call him the firstfruits of the Gentiles. 3.3. But perhaps you will ask who brings these firstfruits to God or who is the High Priest who receives them. I think that, according to the word of the Lord, the “world” is a “field” (cf. Matt. 13:38), but by it we mean not only the earthly field, but also the field of the human heart, which is entrusted to the angels of God to cultivate. Thus, they gather their fruits and store them, namely those who are “subject to trustees and stewards” (cf. Gal. 4:2) and have not yet reached the pinnacle of perfection. And if their hearts are carefully cultivated and led to perfection, then the angels bring them, as the chosen and the best, as firstfruits to the great High Priest. In the end, we find that Cornelius himself, before he was instructed in the word of God and received the grace of baptism from Peter, heard from the angel: “Your prayers and your alms have come for a memorial before God” (Acts 10:4), and, apparently, it was through him that Cornelius was offered to God as the firstfruits. 3.4. And about Peter and Paul we can say that they themselves bring the firstfruits of those who believed through them, just as the Apostle says: “The gospel of Christ has been spread by me from Jerusalem and the surrounding area to Illyricum. Moreover, I tried to preach the gospel not where the name of Christ was already known, so as not to build on someone else’s foundation” (Rom. 15:19-20). See how Paul brings forth as his fruit all those whom he taught, to whom he preached, who, thanks to him, grew in faith, and how day by day he sought new fields to cultivate, and new lands to scatter seeds, and how he tells the Romans about this: “I intended many times to come to you, that I might have some fruit also among you, as well as among other nations” (Rom. 1:13). Look, I say, how he points out that some are chosen from all these fruits, and speaks about them, as he said above, that some of them are “the firstfruits of Asia” (cf. Rom. 16:5), and others are “the firstfruits of Achaia” (cf. 1 Cor. 16:15), and how he selects the firstfruits from each church and brings them to God. Perhaps he considers some to be “first-born”. I think, however, that the least of them, those whom he cannot bring either as firstfruits or as firstborn, he considers as tithes. 3.5. I believe that every teacher who instructs, enlightens and admonishes those who listen, cultivates the field of the church in which he teaches, that is, the hearts of believers. And thus he also receives the fruits of this cultivation and, without a doubt, finds among them the best, the elect, whom he brings as firstfruits, and those whom he brings as firstborn, and others as tithes. And if it does not seem rash to dare to talk about such things, perhaps the firstborn are “those who have not become defiled with women, for they are virgins” (Rev. 14:4), or, I think, we can say this about the martyrs. By firstfruits we can also understand virgins of the Church, and by tithe we can understand those who live piously and abstinently in marriage. 4.1. We began our conversation with the firstfruits of the angels' fruits, which they bear from cultivating the human race. Then we turned to the apostles, and from them we went to all the teachers. Let us now return to where we began our reasoning. Each of these angels will be present at the judgment at the end of this age, and they will bring with them those for whom they had care, those whom they helped and taught, and for whose sake “they always see the face of the Heavenly Father in heaven” (cf. Matt. 18:10). I believe that an inquiry will be held there in order to find out whether the angel showed negligence in working with his charges or the negligence of the person himself is to blame for the fact that the angelic care did not receive a worthy response. And thus the judgment of God will determine whether there was negligence of the ministering spirit, “sent out to serve for those who will inherit salvation” (cf. Heb. 1:14), or whether so many falls in a person’s life occurred due to his laziness. 4.2. But if so, God will judge men and angels, and perhaps some of the myriad believers will be judged with Paul and compared with his labors and fruits; and it may happen that in his deeds he will surpass some of the angels, and, undoubtedly, that is why the Apostle said: “Do you not know that we will judge the angels?” (1 Cor. 6:3). This does not mean that Paul himself will judge the angels, but his works, which he did in the Gospel and in relation to the souls of believers, will condemn the angels; not all, but some. And perhaps it was on this occasion that Peter said: “What angels desire to penetrate” (1 Pet. 1:12). However, the apostles themselves resorted to the help of angels in order to fulfill what they were called to do and preach the Gospel, for in the Acts of the Apostles it is said that it was Peter’s angel who “knocked at the gate” (cf. Acts 12:13,15). It should be understood that Paul, like Peter, has an angel, and another - another apostle, and so with all the apostles, and after them with all other teachers, according to order or merit, which, of course, consists of their labors and teaching. It is necessary that the angels have the firstfruits of souls that they lead, and that they bring them, together with those through whom they received this fruit, before the face of the Lord. Thus, in the whole harvest of fruits, that is, in the assembly of believers, there will be one who, for example, is the most worthy in this church and the best of the firstfruits; and this last one will be surpassed by the firstborn of this church, brought, for example, by this angel. 4.3. And so everything foreordained in the law, for “the law has a shadow of future good things” (cf. Heb. 10:1), will likewise be fulfilled through the ministry of angels in the truth of future good things; what was predicted in the image of that Israel, which is called “Israel according to the flesh” (cf. 1 Cor. 10:18), will be fulfilled in the true heavenly Israel. For the name “Israel” has reached the ranks of angels, and this name is much more fitting for them, insofar as they truly are “the mind that sees God”; because that is what the word “Israel” means. I think that just as we see in Scripture the names of peoples and rulers who, without any hesitation, should be attributed to evil angels and opposing forces - for example, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon and Assyria - so we must attribute what is written about saints or about some pious people to holy angels and forces of good. And to be convinced that the Scripture classifies the king of a wicked people among the forces of evil, listen to how Isaiah speaks of Nebuchadnezzar: “And I will lift up a sword against a great nation, against the king of Assyria 2,” for “he says: “By the strength of my hand and by my wisdom I rearrange the borders of the nations, and spoil their treasures”” (Is. 10:12,13). And he also says in another place, as if about the ruler of a certain people: “How you fell from heaven, O star, son of the morning” (Is. 14:12). If the understanding of the truth forces us to attribute this to the angels of the forces of evil, then does it not follow that what is written about pious kings and peoples should be attributed to the angels and servants of the forces of good, as we said above? 4.4. And when we read what is written in the book of Genesis, that God, without a doubt, addressing the angels, says: “Let us go down and confuse their language there” (Gen. 11:7), what else should we understand, if not that it is the angels who create the various languages ​​and dialects that people speak? For example, the angels give one the Babylonian language, another the Egyptian language, another the Greek language; and it is possible that the creators of these diverse languages ​​and dialects became the leaders of various peoples. But the language that was given at the very beginning through Adam - as we believe, Hebrew - remained in that part of humanity that did not become the lot of any angel or ruler, but remained a part of God (cf. Deut. 32:9). 4.5. So, as we said, the angels bring the first fruits - each, as I believe, from his own people, and each from his church. Apparently, it is to these angels that the Apostle John writes in the book of Revelation, for example, “The Angel of the Church of Ephesus” or the “Church of Smyrna” or the “Church of Laodicea” (cf. Rev. 2:1,8; 3:14) and other churches mentioned in the book. Thus, each of these angels brings the firstfruits of his own church or people entrusted to him. Besides them, perhaps there are other angels who gather the faithful from all nations. Look: just as, for example, if there are no Christians in some city yet, then someone goes there and begins to teach, works, instructs, leads its inhabitants to the faith and then becomes a ruler and bishop for those whom he enlightened, so in the future the holy angels themselves can become leaders of those people whom they gathered from different nations, those people who grew up through their work and service. Thus, Christ is called not just “king”, but “King of kings”, and not just “Lord”, but “Lord of lords” (cf. Rev. 19:16). After all, if they become kings of those whom they led and whose growth they contributed, then they themselves offer some to the high priest, others to the sons of the high priest (cf. Num. 18:10), that is, to the higher powers and archangels, and others to the Levites (cf. Num. 18:24), that is, to those who are a little lower, but only if we consider that the angelic ranks differ in the same way as the Israelites, for it is said that they “serve the image and shadow of the heavenly things” (cf. Heb. 8:5). 4.6. Thus, we can say that perhaps in the future, when the entire harvest has been harvested, some portion will belong to the High Priest, the true High Priest - Christ. The other part will be with the Levites - as we said above, separated both from the angels and from other heavenly powers. I think that there will be some part for people, at least for those who in this life were faithful and wise stewards of the true God. And, as I believe, the Lord indicates this when he says to the one who was entrusted with five minas, and they brought ten: “Take ten cities into your administration” (Luke 19:17); to the same one to whom He gave one mina, and it brought him five, He says: “Be over five cities” (Luke 19:19). What kind of government over cities should we understand here, if not the government of souls? Hence, it seems to me not unreasonable that among the angels themselves, some take precedence and dominate others, while others obey and submit to their authority. Both the one who was given ten cities to rule, and the one who was placed over five cities, because they increased the money entrusted to them, received such power not without merit. For with God everything is done according to understanding and judgment, and therefore, not by favor, but by merit, one is appointed ruler over many, while another becomes his subordinate. 4.7. It may seem that we have gone too far from the topic, but it is necessary to say about all this in order to explain the meaning of the first fruits, since the Divine Scripture contains this name - so worthy that Christ Himself is called “the firstfruits, the firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:18). And just as Christ is the “King of kings” and “Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16) and the “Shepherd” of shepherds (cf. 1 Pet. 5:4) and the “High Priest” of high priests (cf. Heb. 4:14–15), it can also be said that He is “the firstfruits of firstfruits.” These firstfruits were no longer brought to the high priest, but to God, according to the fact that He “gave Himself up for us as an offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:2) and, having risen from the dead, “Christ sits at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). He is called the firstfruits and the begotten “before all creation” (Col. 1:15); but whether this is to be understood as being said about every creation, and whether the “first of the dead” of men is meant here, or whether it is to be understood in a more sublime and befitting sense to God, now is not the time to discuss. 5.1. But let us return to the firstfruits, which, as we said, are brought by the angels, who gather them from the fields of this world. These fields of angels are our hearts. And thus, each of them brings to God the firstfruits of the fruits collected in the field that he cultivates. And if today I am worthy to say something significant, worthy of the High High Priest, and from all that we say and teach, there is something so outstanding that the High High Priest will certainly like it, then it may happen that the angel who rules the church will select something from what we have said and offer it to the Lord as the firstfruits of the fruits gathered from the tiny field of my heart. But I know that I did not deserve this, and I understand that I cannot have such a thought that the angel who enlightens us would consider worthy of bringing it to the Lord as the firstfruits or as the firstborn. But if we were not condemned for what we say and what we teach, such mercy would be enough for us. 5.2. So, the angels bring the firstfruits of us, and each of them cultivates those whom he, with his zeal and diligence, turned away from error and turned to God; and every person is a part and ward of one or another angel. As if at the beginning of this world: “when the Most High scattered the sons of Adam 3, then he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the Angels of God” (Deut. 32:8), and each nation found itself under the guidance of one or another angel, and only one chosen people of Israel became “a part of the Lord,” “His inheritance” (cf. Deut. 32:9), and I believe that at the end of this world and at the beginning of the next century, the Most High will again resettle the “sons.” Adam"; and those who cannot be so “pure in heart” that they “will see God” (cf. Matt. 5:8) and become part of the Lord, even if they see the holy angels and will be His people Jacob and His inherited inheritance Israel “according to the number of the Angels of God.” 5.3. And therefore it is desirable, as we said, that everyone should grow so much as to be chosen as the firstfruits or firstborn and be offered to God and become “a part of the Lord.” If this fails, it is advisable to at least deserve to become part of the holy angels - just not to be among those about whom it is said: “They will descend into the nether regions of the earth; they will slay them with the power of the sword; they will fall as prey to foxes” (Ps. 62:10–11). So, you see that in the resurrection, when the Almighty begins to separate the nations and settle the “sons of Adam” according to their merits, some “will go down to the nether regions of the earth,” and “they will become the prey of the foxes,” that is, the demons, for these foxes are the ones “who spoil the vineyards” (Song. 2:15), and one of them was Herod, about whom it is said: “Go, tell this fox” ( Luke 13:32). 5.4. Let us flee from earthly affairs and earthly understanding, so that earthly thoughts do not burden us and they do not say about us: “They will go down to the nether regions of the earth” and “they will become a prey for foxes.” For those who interpret the law of God and the blessings of promises, guided by earthly understanding, and who do not raise the souls of those who listen to the expectations of heavenly things and the contemplation of things above, descend into the depths of the earth. After all, the Apostle clearly says: “If you have been raised with Christ, then seek the things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God; Set your mind on things above, and not on earthly things” ( Col. 3:1–2 ). The Apostle, without a doubt, addressed those who, in their earthly understanding, said: “Touch not, do not taste, do not touch” (Col. 2:21), for whom he adds: “That all things perish through use, according to the commandments and teaching of men” (Col. 2:22). 6.1. Then it is written: “And the Lord said to Aaron: Behold, I charge you to oversee the offering to Me” (Num. 18:8). And although some Latin lists say “observe,” it would be more correct to say “preserve.” We must, however, consider how, according to the law, the first fruits of the fruit are preserved. After all, the priests do not receive them in order to store them, but in order to consume them. Why then does He say: “I charge you to keep offerings to Me”? It follows from this that what has been said must be applied not to the letter of the law, but to its spirit. For the first fruits, as we have explained from the point of view of spiritual understanding, can be preserved. After all, if, according to the Apostle, Christ is the “firstfruits,” then truly these firstfruits are given to us in order to “preserve” them. For what could be more blessed than a soul in which Christ, accepted by it, is unceasingly preserved and always abides? Such a soul truly receives the firstfruits to preserve them. Those firstfruits of the fruits that were brought in the law were eaten and, according to the word of the Gospel, passed into the womb and were cast out (cf. Matt. 15:17). The one who eats these firstfruits and eats the “living bread that came down from heaven” (cf. John 6:51,56) will not die, but will have eternal life. For this bread, although constantly consumed, always remains, or rather, always multiplies. Because he, as the Apostle says, is “spiritual food” (cf. 1 Cor. 10:3), which the more it is consumed, the more abundant it becomes. For the more you accept the word of God, the more insatiably you absorb this food, the more abundantly it abides in you. This is what is said: “Keep the firstfruits.” 7.1. Further it is said: “...from everything dedicated to the children of Israel” (Num. 18:8). What has been said is not without mystery, for God does not want to accept the firstfruits from anyone unless they are sanctified by Israel. After all, even among the pagans deeds worthy of God can be discovered. For they too cultivate certain virtues of the soul, and to a certain, albeit very small, degree, philosophy is not devoid of some of them, but God does not want such things to be offered to Him as firstfruits. God desires to accept good works from those whose minds see God and who are sanctified by God through faith. Even if a pagan is an honest and morally worthy person, this is not enough, because he does not attribute the virtues of his soul to God, but attributes them to himself, and therefore he is not accepted as a firstfruits. Judged from the point of view of the requirements of the letter of the law, it seems to exclude the possibility of such offerings being made even by converts; for He wants only the sanctified of the children of Israel to bear the firstfruits. I think that one can be called an Israelite who is allowed to enter into the church of God; for it is written: “Do not disdain the Edomite, for he is your brother; Do not disdain the Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land; the sons that will be born to them in the third generation may enter into the congregation of the Lord” (Deut. 23:7-8). 7.3. Anyone who reads Divine books should be very careful and not skip the words of Scripture as he pleases, but carefully consider each statement. Note that it is not said “the sons and daughters that will be born to them,” but “the sons that will be born to them in the third generation may enter into the congregation of the Lord” (Deut. 23:8). And consider, if you can, why, according to the mystical understanding, only sons, and not sons and daughters, allow fathers to “enter into the society of the Lord.” You will find that even the saints, to whom God gives an exceptional testimony, gave birth to daughters with difficulty, but they gave birth to sons. Abraham did not give birth to daughters, and neither did Isaac, only Jacob had one daughter, and even she was a burden to her parents and brothers, for when she was dishonored by “Hamor the son of Shechem 4” (Gen. 34), she brought shame and reproach upon them and aroused the anger of vengeance in her brothers. In addition, “three times a year all the male sex shall appear before the Sovereign, the Lord” (Ex. 23:17); the female sex is not called to appear before the face of the Lord. And therefore, if anyone looks carefully at the Divine Scripture, he will find that it is no coincidence that in one place, along with sons, daughters are also spoken of, while in another, daughters are not mentioned. Here the firstfruits are prescribed to be brought only to those who are sanctified as sons of Israel, and not to daughters. However, according to spiritual understanding, this should refer to the distinction not of genders, but of souls. 7.4. It is said: “For the sake of your priesthood I have given you and your sons an everlasting statute” (Num. 18:8). It is said: “To you.” To whom? Of course, you will answer: “Aaron.” However, what was said after this suggests that it should rather mean the true High Priest of Christ and the sons of His apostles and teachers of the Church. For it is said: “By an everlasting statute.” How can the visible be eternal when the Apostle says: “The visible is temporary, but the invisible is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18)? And if the firstfruits of the fruits that are brought to Aaron are visible, and what is visible, as has been said, cannot be eternal, then in the same way the visible circumcision, and the visible unleavened bread, and the visible Passover must, of course, not be eternal, but temporary, for “what is visible is temporary.” And again, if “the invisible things are eternal,” then the invisible “circumcision which is in the heart” (cf. Rom. 2:29) is eternal, and the “unleavened bread of purity and truth” (cf. 1 Cor. 5:8) are also eternal, since they come from the invisible. In like manner, the everlasting statute was not given to the Jew “who is one outwardly,” but to the Jew “who is one inwardly,” and who keeps the law “in the spirit and not in the letter” (cf. Rom.2:28–29), and “according to the inner man” (cf. Rom.7:22). “This is yours from the sacred things 5” (Num. 18:9). 8.1. Considering the same thing with regard to sacrifices, I have often asked myself what these “sanctified shrines” are. And it seems to me that it is said here “sanctified shrines” to distinguish them from unconsecrated shrines. I believe that the Holy Spirit is so holy that it was not sanctified; for no additional sanctification could come to Him from somewhere outside, which would not have been in Him before; He is always holy, and His holiness has no beginning. This applies equally to both the Father and the Son; for the essence of the Trinity is unique, it did not receive sanctification from the outside, but its very nature is holy. And every creation, marked by the Holy Spirit and its merits, will be called “sanctified shrine.” So we read what is written: “Sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev.20:7). It does not at all follow from this that it is necessary to establish a similarity between the holiness of God and the holiness of man; for it is said of God that He is holy, but man must become holy, as if he were not always holy. Moreover, what we say “be holy” in the Greek text rather means “become holy.” But our translators, without understanding, put “be” instead of “become.” So, each of us becomes holy when the fear of God is found in him, and he accepts the Divine teaching when he surrenders himself to God, but only if he surrenders himself with all his heart. Such a one may be called a sanctified saint; but only God is always and truly holy. 8.2. Would you like me to show you a similar difference using an example from the Divine Scriptures? Listen to what Paul writes, addressing the Jews: “For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one” (Heb. 2:11). Who is this One who sanctifies? Without a doubt, Christ. And who are those who are sanctified? Believers in Christ. Thus it is clear that He who sanctifies is holy, for He is always holy; those who are sanctified should be called not just saints, but sanctified saints. Do not think that this interpretation is contradicted by what is written about Christ: “To him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world” (John 10:36). Because he who is sanctified is Christ according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit. For Christ says, equally in the flesh and in the spirit: “I sanctify 6 myself, that they also may be sanctified” (John 17:19), since he who sanctifies is understood according to the spirit, and he who is sanctified for the sake of his disciples is understood according to the flesh; however, it is one and the same Christ, who sometimes sanctifies in the spirit and is sometimes sanctified in the flesh. 8.3. So, the consecrated holy firstfruits must be brought from all fruits, but to the spiritual High Priest. The firstfruits of what fruits should we bear? Listen to what fruits the Apostle lists: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering” (Gal. 5:22) and so on. So what firstfruits should I bring to the High Priest of the fruit of love, the first fruit of the Spirit? It seems to me that the firstfruits of the fruit of love is that I will love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind (cf. Matt. 22:37). This is the beginning. And what should the fruit of love bring me in the second place? That I will love my neighbor as myself (cf. Matt. 19:19). The firstfruits of the fruits of love are offered to God through the true High Priest; those that are brought in the second place remain for my use. And, as I see it, there is something else from this fruit that I need to have in the third place - I must love my enemies (cf. Matt. 5:44). 8.4. Now, if you can, consider the firstfruits of other fruits of the Spirit in the same way. Joy is named in second place among the fruits of the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:22). If I rejoice “in the Lord” (cf. Phil. 4:4) and am filled with joy in hope (cf. Rom. 15:13), if I rejoice when I endure suffering for the name of the Lord (cf. Matt. 5:11), then with all this and the like, through the true High Priest, I bring to God the firstfruits of the fruits of joy. Moreover, if I accepted the “plunder of my property” “with joy” (cf. Heb. 10:34) and if I accept misfortune, poverty and all kinds of reproaches with joy, then all this is also in me the fruits of joy, which ranks second among the fruits of the Spirit. For if I rejoice in worldly affairs, wealth, honors, then this is a false joy that comes from “vanity of vanities” (Eccl. 1:2). But if I rejoice in anger, if the misfortunes of others make me happy, then this is not only vain, but devilish joy, or rather, it cannot be called joy at all. For “there is no joy for the wicked, says my God” (Is. 57:21). But I would like to consider another fruit of joy, or rather, other firstfruits of the fruit of joy. If I rejoice in the word of God, in the knowledge of the mysteries of God, if I rejoice that I have been worthy to comprehend the secrets of God’s wisdom, if I rejoice that I have left everything pertaining to this world, and not only useless, but also necessary, not only vain, but also necessary, and have completely devoted myself to the word of God and His wisdom, then in all this I will bring to God enough of the firstfruits of the fruits of joy. And let everyone at his leisure - unless, of course, our conversation lasts longer than the allotted time - apply similar reasoning to other fruits of the Spirit. 9.1. It is said: “And from all their gifts” (Numbers 18:9). When a gift is offered to God, the High Priest is to offer the firstfruits of those gifts. I think that in an allegorical interpretation it can be explained like this. If someone gives away his property to the poor or does other good deeds, then, according to the commandment, he brings a gift to God. And if, in addition to distributing, for example, food and money, expressing his love, he shows mercy and compassion, then he will bring the first fruits of this gift. For God wants from man that his very mind be filled and structured with good and pious feelings. 9.2. “And from all their offerings” (Num. 18:9). This spiritual offering is the one about which we read: “Offer praise to God and render your vows to the Most High” (Ps. 49:14). Thus, praising God and making vows of prayer is making an offering to God. And the firstfruits of this gift will be brought through the High Priest, when we begin to pray not only with words and voice, but also with our mind and heart, just as the Apostle teaches: “I will begin to pray with the spirit, I will also pray with the mind; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding” (1 Cor. 14:15). 9.3. For the angels of God, who cultivate and till the fields of our hearts, help us and seek whether any of us may have such a mind, so alive, so attentive, that he will with all zeal accept the word of God as the Divine seed; they look to see whether the mind bears fruit immediately as soon as we get up to pray, that is, whether we gather our thoughts to pray to God, and whether it wanders and whether thoughts are scattered, for otherwise the body bows in prayer, but thoughts scatter in different directions. If, I say, the one praying feels that his prayer is attentive and sincere, realizes that he stands before the gaze of God, in His inexpressible light and makes “prayers, petitions, supplications, thanksgivings” (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1) and no outward ideas and images disturb him, then he will learn from the angel serving at the altar that his sacrifice is the firstfruits offered to the great and true High Priest - Christ Jesus our Lord; “To him be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Gal.1:5). Homily XII. About the well and its songs 1.1. We are read a passage from the book of Numbers, which tells about the well and the song that the Israelites sang at it, and we see that this reading is filled with secrets, as usual, or rather, even more than usual. For it says: “From here they went to the well; This is the well about which the Lord said to Moses: Gather the people, and I will give them water” (Num. 21:16). It seems to me that there is little in the literal sense of what has been said. For what is special about God commanding Moses to gather the people to give them something to drink from the well? As if people could not gather at a well and drink at will! Why then is the prophet so strictly commanded to gather the people to draw water from the well? 1.2. The paucity of the letter compels us to turn to the treasury of spiritual understanding. And therefore, I think it will be appropriate to collect secrets about wells from other places of Scripture, so that, by comparing several passages, we can clearly see what is now unclear to us. So, the Spirit of God speaks through the mouth of Solomon in Proverbs: “Drink the water from your cisterns and the water that flows from the source of your wells. Let not your waters overflow in the street,” although other lists say: “Let your waters overflow throughout the street”; “Let them belong to you alone, and not to strangers with you” (Prov. 5:15-17). As we can see, this shows that each of us has a well inside. Or rather, let’s say even more: each of us has not one, but many wells, and not one, but many reservoirs. For it is said not “drink water from your reservoir,” but “from your reservoirs,” and not “from the source of your well,” but “from your wells.” We also read that the patriarchs also had wells: Abraham had one, Isaac also had one; I think that Jacob also had a well (cf. John 4:6). Start with these wells, look through all Scripture in search of wells, and you will come to the Gospel and find there the well at which our Savior sat down, “weary with the journey,” when “the woman from Samaria came to draw water” (cf. John 4:6ff.). The Scriptures explain the virtue of the well or wells and compare the waters, thereby also revealing the secrets of the Divine mystery. 1.3. For it is said that “he who drinks this water” from a well of the earth “will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that [Jesus gives] him will never thirst; but this water will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life” (John 4:13–14). Elsewhere in the Gospel, neither the spring nor the well are mentioned, but something more is said. It is said: “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). So you see that he who believes in Christ has within him not only a well, but wells, not only springs, but also rivers; Moreover, these springs and rivers not only support mortal life, but also bring us closer to eternal life. Thus, according to the words we cited from Proverbs, where wells with a source are mentioned, the Word of God should be understood by us as a well if It keeps some deep secret, and as a source if It flows out and abounds for people. 1.4. It would not be out of place to wonder how it can be explained that the wells are indicated in the plural, and the source in the singular. For Wisdom says in Proverbs: “Drink water from the source of your wells” (Prov. 5:15). Let's see what wells that have one source are mentioned here. It seems to me that the knowledge of the unborn Father can be understood as one well, and the knowledge of the only begotten Son should be understood as the second. For the Son is different from the Father, and the Father is not the same as the Son, as He Himself says in the Gospel: “The Father who sent Me bears witness of Me” (John 8:18). The third well seems to me to be the knowledge of the Holy Spirit. For He is neither Father nor Son, as it is said about Him in the Gospel: “And the Father will give you another Comforter, the Spirit of truth” (cf. John 14:16–17). And so the plurality of wells expresses this difference between the Persons of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, these wells have the same source; for there is one essence and nature of the Trinity. And therefore this difference in the Holy Scripture, where it is said: “From the source of your wells,” seems to be no coincidence. It precisely expresses in mystical language that the plurality of Persons converges in the uniqueness of the essence. 1.5. However, these wells can also be considered as relating to the knowledge about which the one filled with the wisdom of God said: “He Himself has given me a true knowledge of things that exist, in order to know the structure of the world and the action of the elements, the beginning, the end and the middle of times, the changes of turns and the changes of times, the circles of the years and the position of the stars, the nature of animals and the properties of animals, the tendencies of the winds and the thoughts of people, the differences of plants and the strength of roots” (Wis. 7:17-20). Do you see how many wells there are in knowledge? For example, knowledge about the planets is a well, and perhaps the nature of each plant has its own well. There is also a well in the knowledge of animals, and it is possible that each species has its own well. And, again, there is a well in the knowledge of the seasons, their change and alternation. And since each of them contains deep and complete knowledge, they are rightly allegorically called treasure troves. And while the mystery of Christ was hidden “from ages and generations” (cf. Col. 1:26), this knowledge was rightly called treasures. But when, as Paul says, “God revealed them” to believers “by His Spirit” (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10, then they became springs and rivers, for this knowledge is no longer kept in secret, but is open to many, feeding and nourishing the believers. I think this is why the Savior told His disciples that whoever believes in Him and drinks from the well of His teaching will no longer find a well or a spring, but “rivers of living water” (cf. John 7:38). For just as one well, which is the Word of God, becomes wells and springs and countless rivers, so the soul of man, created “in the image of God” (cf. Gen. 9:6), can contain and pour out wells, springs and rivers. 1.6. However, it requires someone to dig the wells that are within us; for they must be cleansed, and all earthly things must be removed from them, so that the channels of rational thought, which God has made in the soul, may pour out pure and unclouded streams. For as long as these water channels are clogged with earth, they do not allow streams or currents to pass through, and clean water cannot flow through them. This, in the end, explains what is written that “all the wells that the servants of [Isaac’s] father Abraham had dug, the Philistines filled them up and covered them with earth” (Gen. 26:15). In addition, Isaac, having received his father’s inheritance, “dug again wells of water” and removed from them the earth with which the “Philistines” had “filled up” them (cf. Gen. 26:18). And from the book of Genesis, from which this historical narrative is taken, we see that while Abraham was alive, the Philistines did not dare to block the wells or throw earth into them. But when he departed from this life, the Philistines became stronger and attacked his wells. However, a little later, Isaac restored them and returned them to their proper condition. 1.7. And again, when Abraham wanted to marry Isaac, his servant finds Rebekah, which is translated as “patience,” “at the well of water” (cf. Gen. 24:10–16). She became Isaac's wife not just anywhere, but only “at the well of water” (cf. Gen. 24:62 ff.). So Jacob, when he in turn came to Mesopotamia, having received a command from his father not to take a wife from another tribe, from someone else’s blood, finds Rachel “at the mouth of the well” (cf. Gen. 29:3 ff.). And Moses finds Zipporah “by the well” (cf. Ex. 2:15–21). So, if you have understood the meaning and properties of the wives of saints, then you, if you want to receive patience or wisdom or another virtue of the soul as a bride and repeat what was said about wisdom: “I wished to take her as my bride” (Wis. 8:2), be persistent, come to those wells more often and you will find a similar wife there. For, undoubtedly, by the living waters, that is, by the streams of the living Word, all the virtues of the soul abide. 1.8. So, as we said, there are many wells in the soul. And there are many others that we find in various places in Scripture. But there is one exceptional well, superior to all others, about which in today's reading it is said that it was not dug by ordinary people, but by “princes” and those even higher, called “kings 8” (cf. Num. 21:18); therefore at this well a song is sung to God (cf. Num. 21:17). And for this reason it is written: “From here they went to the well; This is the well about which the Lord said to Moses: Gather the people, and I will give them water” (Num. 21:16). Moses is commanded to gather the people so that the people come to the well and drink the water. We are often shown what Moses is to understand as the law. Thus, the law of God calls us to come to the well. And to which well, if not to the one we talked about above, to Jesus Christ the Son of God, who abides in Himself, but is called, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the source of Divinity? So, the law calls us to this well, that is, to the faith of Christ. For He Himself says: “Moses wrote about Me” (cf. John 5:46). Why does He call us? So that we drink water and sing a song to Him, in other words, believe with our hearts for righteousness, and confess with our lips for salvation (cf. Rom. 10:10). 2.1. It is said: “Begin from this well” (Numbers 21:17). This is the meaning of what was said. The Lord commands: make the well the beginning of everything, just as the Apostle says that He is the beginning and the firstborn, “the firstborn of every creation; for in Him all things were created 9” (cf. Col. 1:15–16). Therefore, “start from this well,” that is, realize that this well is the beginning of everything. But we can also understand this in such a way that the words of Moses are addressed to the people and he exhorts them, saying: “Start with your heart, so that you can begin to understand who this well is, from which you must draw spiritual waters, so that the faithful may drink from them.” So start with it, that is, with Israel, this well, so that if there is someone who sees God with his heart, he can draw mystical meaning from its depths. Therefore, the fact that Moses calls us to this well, that is, the law, is not said by chance. For it may happen that someone will come to this well, but if Moses did not call him, God will not accept him. Marcion seems to have come to this well himself, like Basilides and Valentinus, but since they did not come through Moses and did not accept the law and the prophets, they cannot glorify the Lord God for the sources of Israel. So, people like them do not come to the well, “which princes have dug and kings dug” (cf. Num. 21:18). 2.2. Would you like me to show you, using an example from Scripture, what wells they came to? There is a certain “salt valley” where there are “many salt wells 10” (cf. Gen. 14:10); and every heresy and every sin ends up in the valley, in the salty valley. For sin and iniquity do not rise, but always sink to the bottom. Therefore, it is in this valley that every salty and bitter heretical interpretation and every sinful act is found - for what sweetness and pleasantness can there be in sin? But that's not all. For if you have accepted a heretical judgment, if you have tasted the bitterness of sin, then you have come to the wells of tar. Resin is fuel, food for fire. Therefore, if you draw water from those wells, if you accept heretical judgments, if you taste the bitterness of sin, then you will prepare food within yourself for the fire and flame of Gehenna. That is why it is said to those who do not want to drink water from the well, “which princes have dug and kings dug” (cf. Num. 21:18), but prefers to drink from the wells in the valley of sin and eat food for the fire: “Go into the flame of your fire and the arrows that you have burned!” (Isa.50:11). 2.3. So what is sung at this well? It is said: “Begin with this well, which princes have dug, kings have dug” (Num. 21:17–18). And although princes and kings may seem similar, if it is necessary to make a distinction between them, then by princes one should understand the prophets, for they established knowledge and prophecy about Christ, buried and hidden in the depths of the letter, and therefore one of them said: “If you do not hear the hidden things, your soul will weep” (Jer. 13:17). Also, another prophet says: “How many blessings You have, which You store up for those who fear You” (Ps. 30:20). So, these are the princes who “dug” this well, and the kings are the ones who “dug” it. The word “dug” (excuderunt) comes not from “excido” - to dig, but from “excudo” - to carve; for that which is carved or formed from stone is said to be carved. Thus the princes, who were a little lower than the kings, are said to have "dug" the well, that is, they dug into the soft earth to a certain depth. Those who are called kings, because they are taller and stronger than princes, penetrate not only into the depths of the earth, but also into solid rocks. And therefore they are able to reach deeper waters and, so to speak, contemplate the very streams of the abyss, remembering that “the destinies of God are a great deep” (Ps. 35:7). 2.4. Thus, we will say that the kings who are able to contemplate what is hidden in the depths of this well are the apostles, one of whom said: “But God has revealed these things to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). And since they can contemplate the depths of God with the Spirit and penetrate the inexhaustible and bottomless secrets of this well, they are called kings who carve a well even in a rock and penetrate hidden and difficult to comprehend knowledge. And the fact that the apostles can be called kings, I think, is easily confirmed by what is said about all believers: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9). And if those who believed at their word were called kings, how much more deserving of this title are those who create kings! From this it is easy to conclude that if those who rule are called kings, then all who rule the churches of God are rightly called kings, and those who rule the Church by their words and writings are much more worthy of being called kings. And therefore the Lord is rightfully called “King of kings” (Rev. 19:16); for if they and those who imitate them had not become kings, He would not, apparently, have been the King of kings. In addition, the Apostle Paul himself, addressing the Corinthians, ironically reproaches them, saying: “You began to reign without us. Oh, if you really reigned, so that you and I could reign!” (1 Cor. 4:8). Here the Apostle declares that although the Corinthians certainly ought to be kings and that he himself would like to reign with them, he nevertheless condemns them for the fact that in their pride they arrogated to themselves a dignity that they had not yet earned. 2.5. So, princes dig a well, and kings of nations hew it out (cf. Num. 21:18). The apostles are “kings of the nations”, who called the nations to the obedience of faith and communicated to everyone the knowledge of Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3), at the command of the Lord, they went around the whole world, fulfilling what was said, to teach “all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), and thus cut out a well, that is, imparted knowledge about it and brought it to all nations. And that which has been read to us today, together with all the Scripture of the law and the prophets, is a well; and the Gospels with the apostolic epistles are a well that people cannot dig and hew out, unless they are princes and kings. For those who can remove the earth from it, remove the veil of the letter and draw spiritual meaning from it, like living water “from the spiritual stone that follows”, which is Christ, are worthy to be considered true princes and true kings (cf. 1 Cor. 10:4). This is only appropriate for princes or kings to do; They are called kings because they overthrew the kingdom of sin in their body and founded the kingdom of justice in their members. For the one who teaches others must first fulfill what he teaches himself. After all, it is said: “Whoever does and teaches, he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:19). And to be great in the kingdom means to be a king. It is said: “The kings of the nations hewed out this well in their kingdom when they possessed them” 11 (Num. 21:18). For they cannot dig this well or open the hidden streams of living water unless they first begin to possess the barbarian peoples. And if they overcome everything cruel and ferocious in their actions, everything barbaric in their habits and subordinate them to the royal understanding and gain power over them so that they live not according to paganism, but according to the law, then they will become true kings who will penetrate into the depths of this well and will contemplate the hidden secrets of the word of God. 3.1. It further says: “From the well they went to Matanna, from Matanna to Nagaliel, from Nagaliel to Bamoth, from Bamoth to the grove that is in the valley of Moab, on the top of the hewn mountain, facing the desert” (Num. 21:18-20). These names, which seem to designate places, in the meanings they originally have, indicate a sequence of mysteries rather than designations of proper names. For it is said: “We went to Matanna.” But "Matanna" is translated as "their gifts." So, you see that the one who drinks from this well, “which princes and kings dug,” immediately goes to this place to bring gifts to God. But what does a person bring to God? This is exactly what is written in the law: “My gifts, my offering” (cf. Numbers 28:2). Thus, people make sacrifices to God from what God has given them. What did God give to man? Knowledge about Self. What does a person bring to God? Your faith and love. This is what God wants from man. After all, it is written: “Now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? This only is that you fear the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, and love Him, and serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deut. 10:12). These are the gifts, these are the sacrifices that must be offered to God. However, we offer these gifts of our heart to the Lord after we have come to know Him and, having perceived His goodness, have drunk from the depths of His well. 3.2. Pay attention, however, to how the prophet says: “Now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you?” These words confuse those who deny the participation of human free will in salvation. For how could God demand something from a person if it were not in his power to bring to God what he required? So, there is what God gives, and there is what man brings. For example, it was in a person that “a mine brought ten minas” or “a mine brought five minas,” but the mina that brings a person ten is given to him by God. When he brings the ten minas that he himself received, he receives from God not even more money, but power and control over ten cities (cf. Luke 19:16-18). And, again, God requires Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to Him “on one of the mountains about which” He will tell him (cf. Gen. 22:2). And Abraham, undaunted, “sacrificed his only begotten” (cf. Heb. 11:17), “laid him on the altar and took a knife to slay his son” (Gen. 22:9–10). But he was immediately prevented and given a ram to sacrifice in place of his son. So, you see: what we bring to God remains with us, but He wants us to show our love for God and our faith. This we said regarding the statement: “From the well the children of Israel went to Matanna” (cf. Num. 21:19), which is translated as “their gifts.” 3.3. “From Matanna” we come “to Nagaliel” (cf. Num. 21:19), which is translated as “from God.” What from God? After we bring something from ourselves, we come to receive what is from God. For when we offer Him our faith and love, then He pours out on us the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, about which the Apostle says: “All things come from God” (1 Cor. 8:6). And “from Nagaliel” we come “to Bamoth,” which is translated as “the coming of death.” The coming of what other death should we understand here, if not the one by which “we died” with Christ in order to live with Him (cf. 2 Tim. 2:11), and by which we must put to death our “earthly members” (cf. Col. 3:5)? And again: “We were buried with Him through baptism into death” (Rom. 6:4). So, if someone comprehends the structure of this path of salvation, then he must go through all the places we mentioned and, after a long journey, come to that place, which, as we said, means “the coming of death.” But, as we learn from the Scriptures, there is death hostile to Christ, and another death favorable to Him. Here we are not talking about death hostile to Christ, about which it is said: “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26), which is the devil, but about the death by which we die with Christ in order to live with Him, and God says about it: “I kill and give life” (Deut. 32:39). For He puts to death so that we may die with Christ and be worthy to live with Christ. 3.4. It is said: “From Bamoth to the grove that is in the valley of Moab, on the top of the hewn mountain, facing the desert” (Num. 21:20). If we undertake this journey, which, according to rational explanation, implies not so much the names of places as the stages of growth of the soul, we will eventually come “to the grove,” or, as it is written in other lists, “to Ai,” which means “ascent” or “top of the mountain.” So, through all this they come to the well-known grove of the Divine paradise and to the pleasant pleasures of the ancient dwellings, or at least to the pinnacle of perfection and bliss, so that you too can say: “And he raised up with him, and seated him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Do you see how far you can walk from this well? Do you see through what stages, or rather through what degrees of growth, the soul’s path to heaven runs? And if you look at this carefully, observing the measure of your growth in yourself every day, you will see in what place you are and how close to the Kingdom of Heaven you are, just as the Lord Himself said about someone: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34). 4.1. This is followed by another narrative. It is said: “And Moses sent” - or, as it is written in other copies, “and Israel sent” - “messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, with a peace proposal, to say: let me pass through your land; We will go by the way, we will not enter the fields and vineyards, we will not drink water from your wells, but we will follow the royal path until we have passed your borders. But Sihon did not allow Israel to pass through his borders; And Sihon gathered together all his people, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came as far as Jaatzah, and fought with Israel. And Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land” (Num. 21:21–24). 4.2. The events in this story are clear, but let us ask the Lord to help us find something important in the deeper meaning of this story. “Sigon” in translation has two meanings: “barren tree” or “arrogant.” So Israel sends messengers to Sihon, sends them to the barren tree, sends them to the haughty and arrogant. Sihon is the king of the Amorites, which means “the one who leads to bitterness” or “the one who speaks.” So, “Moses sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites with a peace proposal, saying, “Let me pass through your land” (Num. 21:21–22). If, according to spiritual understanding, we say that King Sihon, being barren and arrogant, contains the image of the devil, I think you should not be surprised that I call him a king, since you hear that our Lord and Savior Himself speaks of him like this in the Gospels: “The prince of this world comes, and has nothing in Me” (John 14:30); and again: “Today the prince of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). And if in the Gospels he is called “the prince of this world,” then it should not seem strange that Sihon, king of the Amorites, or the king of any other people is compared with him. 4.3. However, he is called the prince of peace not because he created this world, but because there are many sinners in this world. And since he himself is the prince of sin, he is called the prince of peace, of course, among those who have not yet left the world and have not turned to the Father. According to this, it is said that “the world lies in evil” (1 John 5:19). For what good is it for us to say that our king is Christ, if our deeds and actions testify that the devil rules in us? Or is it not obvious under what ruler the shameless, dissolute, unrighteous man lives? Can such a person say, “I do this because I live under the authority of Christ,” even if he seems to be considered a Christian? The one in whom Christ reigns does not allow any impurity, any lawlessness, there is no place in him for unrighteous aspirations. And thus, it would be fair to call Christ the ruler of virtues, and the devil the prince of evil and all lawlessness. 4.4. So, “Israel sends messengers to the king of the Amorites,” to the king of those who cause bitterness, to the barren king, to the haughty king. How will it be shown that the devil is proud and arrogant? This is what he himself says: “With my strength I will do this and with the wisdom of my understanding I will erase the boundaries of nations, and I will plunder their power, and I will shake the inhabited cities and I will take with my hand the whole inhabited earth as a nest” (Is. 10:13-14). And the arrogant and arrogant one also says: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, on the edge of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Is. 14:13–14). And do you still doubt that he is proud and arrogant? Of course, there is one who is proud and arrogant, and there is his, so to speak, only begotten, about whom it is written: “He who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the church of God as God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:4). And therefore, everyone who is proud and arrogant is either the son of this arrogant person, or his student and imitator. So the Apostle speaks about someone: “Lest you become proud and fall into condemnation with the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). By this he shows that everyone who is proud will be condemned by the same court as the devil. 4.5. So, we are those who want to pass through this world so that we can come to the holy land promised to the saints; and we are sent “to Sihon with a peace proposal” and promise that we will not stay in his land and will not linger with him, but only “we will cross” and “go the king’s way”, “we will not enter the fields and vineyards, we will not drink water from the wells” (cf. Num. 21:22). Let's see when we made these promises, when we said these words to the devil. Let every believer remember when he came to the waters of baptism, when he first accepted the seal of faith and approached the source of salvation, what words he spoke then, how he declared to the devil that he would not accept his pompousness, condone his deeds, submit to any of his henchmen, or succumb to his temptations. This is precisely what is ordained in the words of the law - that Israel will not enter its fields and vineyards and promises not to drink water from its wells (cf. Num. 21:22). For the faithful will no longer drink from the devil's theories, astrology, magic and all other teachings that are contrary to devotion to God. After all, the believer has his own springs, and he drinks from the springs of Israel, he is drunk from the springs of salvation; he does not drink from the wells of Sihon, does not leave the “fountain of living waters” and does not cut out “broken cisterns for himself” (cf. Jer. 2:13). In addition, he promises that he will follow “the royal path.” What kind of royal path is this? Without a doubt, the One who said: “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). And he is, in all justice, royal, for it is about him that the prophet says: “Grant to the king your judgment” (Ps. 72:1). Therefore, one must follow this path, without entering either the fields of King Sihon or his vineyards, that is, the mind of the faithful should no longer turn to the deeds or thoughts of the devil. 4.6. But why do we want to cross the borders of the Amorites in peace? The Amorites can be understood as unbelievers who are in this world; but, as we said above, they are translated either as "leading to bitterness" or as "speaking." It is not difficult to explain how unbelievers and unbelievers lead God to bitterness; and the meaning “speaking” can be applied to them, because the infidels and those who live under the power of the devil only know how to speak, but their speeches are meaningless. For example, their poets, astrologers and some philosophers say empty and meaningless things. But for the faithful, “The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20). So we want to walk through the world in peace, but by this we irritate the prince of this world (cf. John 14:30), and even more so by our statements that we do not want to stay with him, or be in communication with him, or touch anything that belongs to him; That’s why he becomes even more embittered, that’s why he rebels and gets angry and initiates persecution against us, exposes us to danger, and threatens us with torment. That is why it is said: “Sihon gathered all his people and came out against Israel” (Num. 21:23). And who is “all the people” of Sihon, which he raises up against Israel? The rulers and judges of this world, all the servants of evil, who constantly enmity the people of God and persecute them. 4.7. What is Israel doing? It is said: “And he came to Jaatza” (Numbers 21:23). “Iazza” is translated as “fulfillment of command.” Thus, if we come to this place, that is, to fulfill the commands, then even if Sigon himself, this arrogant and proud devil, comes against us with all his army and fights with us, if he raises all his demons against us, we will defeat him if we fulfill the commands of God. For to fulfill the commands means to crush the devil and all his army. And then the prayer of the Apostle will be fulfilled in us: “God will crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20) and what the Lord said: “Behold, I give you power to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19). For nothing can harm us if we “reach Jaatza,” that is, fulfill the commandments and commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XIII. About what remains from the previous conversation, and about Balaam and his donkey 1.1. Yesterday we talked about Sihon, king of the Amorites, an arrogant and barren tree, who opposed Israel and was defeated. Scripture says that he fell “by the slaying of the sword” or, in another reading, “by the presence of the sword” (cf. Num. 21:24). But if you want to know exactly by what sword he fell, “like the cedar of Lebanon 12” (cf. Ps. 36:35), this barren and arrogant one, we learn this from the Apostle Paul, who says: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any sword” (Heb. 4:12), and in another place says: “Take also the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” ( Eph.6:17). Thus the spiritual Sigon, who is the devil, fell "by the slaying of this sword." 1.2. After this it is added: “And Israel took possession of all his land.” This entire earthly region is called the land of Sihon, but Christ and His Church rule over the entire land of Sihon. “And he took possession of all his land from Arnon to Jabbok” (Num. 21:24). Arnon and Jabbok are cities in the kingdom of Sihon. The beginning of his kingdom was Arnon, and the end was Jabbok; that is why it is said that “Israel took possession of all his land from Arnon to Jabbok.” "Arnon" is translated as "their curses"; Thus, the beginning of the kingdom of the arrogant and barren Sihon is marked by curses; and the end of it is Jabbok, which means “struggle.” For anyone who wants to get out of the kingdom of the devil and move beyond its borders must wage the struggle and warfare that the servants and accomplices of the devil raise against him. But if the struggle ends in victory, then it will no longer be Jabbok, the city of Sihon, but the city of Israel. This, of course, is what we read about the patriarch Jacob, when he came to a certain place where a battle was prepared for him, and wrestled with God all night, held strong and became stronger, and from now on his name became Israel (cf. Gen. 32:24-28). 1.3. It is said: “And Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites” (Num. 21:25). In all the cities of the Amorites there lived not Israel in the flesh, not “a Jew in appearance” (cf. Rom. 2:28), but Israel in Christ. For the churches of Christ have spread throughout the whole world. Each of us was first a city of the kingdom of Sihon, the arrogant king, for foolishness, pride, wickedness and everything that comes from the devil reigned in us. When the strong man is defeated in the fight and his things are plundered (cf. Matt. 12:29), we become cities of Israel and the inheritance of the saints; but only if the power that previously dominated us is completely torn out of us, the barren tree is cut down, the arrogant king is overthrown, we are under the authority of the King who said: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). 1.4. Then the cities of the arrogant and barren king are listed one by one, and it is said: “In Heshbon and in all those who depend on him” (Num. 21:25). What is hidden under the name of the main city of the kingdom of Sihon - Heshbon? “Heshbon” is translated as “thoughts.” And it is very fair that most of the kingdom of the devil and his main power rule in thoughts; for the Lord also said: “From the heart of man come evil thoughts, adultery, murder, theft, extortion, malice, deceit, lewdness, blasphemy; all this evil comes from within and defiles a person” (Mark 7:21-23). That is why it is necessary to burn this city, to destroy it with fire (cf. Numbers 21:28). What kind of fire? Of course, those about whom the Savior says: “I have come to bring down fire on the earth, and how I would like it to be kindled already!” (Luke 12:49). 2.1. A little further on, the following is reported about this city. It is said: “Therefore the tributaries say: go to Heshbon, so that the city of Sihon will be built and established; for fire came out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon, and devoured Moab” (Num. 21:27-28). Sihon, as we have said, was a king, and Heshbon was his city. You should pay attention to the order of words: “the tributaries say: go to Heshbon, so that the city of Sihon will be established and established.” Now let's see who these inflows are. Parables are allegorical stories; therefore, those who speak allegorically are called tributaries. And who else speaks allegorically, if not “the law and the prophets” (cf. Matthew 7:12)? Listen to how David says: “I will open my mouth in a parable and speak fortune-telling from ancient times” (Ps. 77:2). And Isaiah, who wrote allegorically, says this: “And every prophecy is to you like words in a sealed book, which is given to someone who does not know how to read, and they say: “Read it”; and he answers: “I can’t read.” And they hand the book over to someone who can read and say: “read it”; and he answers: “I can’t, because it is sealed” (cf. Is. 29:12,11). The book is said to be sealed because it is entwined with allegories and shrouded in parables. 2.2. “Therefore the tributaries say: Go to Heshbon, that they may build and establish the city of Sihon” (Num. 21:27). That former Heshbon fell, or rather was captured and burned, and another must be built. Let's show how this happens with an example. If you see that a pagan lives dissolutely in religious error, then without hesitation you will say about him that he is the city of Heshbon in the kingdom of King Sihon; for in his thoughts reigns a barren and arrogant king. If Israel, that is, the son of the Church, approaches this pagan and shoots the arrow of the word of God at him and draws out the sword of the Spirit against him (cf. Eph. 6:17) and destroys in him all the fortifications of pagan teachings and the fire of truth burns up the arrogance of his arguments in him, then, I repeat, Heshbon, the city of Sihon, is destroyed. But the one in whom pagan theories are crushed does not immediately become abandoned and abandoned. For it is not in the character of the children of Israel to leave captured cities in ruins; but when they overcome and destroy evil thoughts and wicked desires in a person, then in the heart of the one who was destroyed, they will build everything anew, plant good thoughts, pious aspirations and the teaching of the truth, pass on religious rituals, teach the structure of life, instill high morality and accepted institutions. 2.3. And then the tributaries will truly say to themselves: “Let us go and build Heshbon, which was the city of Sihon.” For they, that is, the sons of the Church, are called tributaries, because they understand the images and parables of the law according to the spirit. Jeremiah also points to this in an allegorical speech when the Lord says to him: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. Behold, I have set you this day over nations and kingdoms, to uproot and destroy, to destroy and to destroy, to build and to plant” (Jer. 1:9-10). What does He destroy and what does He destroy? The city of Heshbon, which was the city of Sihon. What does He destroy in him and what does He uproot? Unclean and unholy thoughts. And what does He create and plant in him? Pure and pious thoughts, so that it becomes the city of Heshbon, but not the Amorites, but the city of the children of Israel. 3.1. But if we talk about this in detail, we will not be able to discuss what concerns Balaam; this reading is so difficult that it is unlikely that we will be able to present any consistent explanation of the historical narrative. What difficulties will we have in explaining the spiritual meaning if one glance at the letter causes us such difficulties? And although we are eager to discuss more obscure things, we should not completely omit what is simply reported. So, after the children of Israel captured the cities of the Amorites, they “turned and went to Bashan,” where “Og the king of Bashan” reigned (cf. Num. 21:33); but they did not consider it necessary to send envoys to him or ask his permission to pass through his land, but immediately entered into battle with him and defeated “him and all his people” (cf. Num. 21:35). 3.2. Let's see what Vasan is. "Vasan" is translated as "immorality"; therefore the children of Israel do not send ambassadors and do not ask permission to pass through his land. For we must not pass through the realms of immorality, nor even enter them, but we must immediately enter into combat with it from the very beginning and guard against it in every way. "Og," who is said to be the king of Bashan, means "obstacle." He can be an image of everything carnal and material, by the love and desire of which the soul, attached to it, moves away and is separated from God. That is why it is commanded to wage war against this, as it is said, “so that not one is left alive” (Numbers 21:35); for it is necessary that the children of Israel leave no one alive in the kingdom of immorality and wickedness. But it is necessary for the moral perfection of Israel to remove and eradicate all immorality in the soul, to arrange in it everything worthy and to plant in it everything virtuous and pious. 3.3. It is not said about either the kingdom of Sihon or the kingdom of Moab that there was not a single living person left in them. For perhaps we need them, and we need some of them in order to practice the struggle in this life; “For otherwise you would have to come out of this world” (1 Cor. 5:10). And yet we do not need anything from Bashan, that is, from immorality, and we should not leave anything alive in it; but we must destroy everything, destroy all acts of immorality; for in no one can wickedness be found worthy. 4.1. “And the children of Israel departed and stopped in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan, opposite Jericho. And Balak the son of Zippor saw” (Num. 22:1–2) and the rest. The whole historical narrative of Balaam and his donkey is full of difficulties; however, its hidden meaning is much more complex, and I do not know whether it will be easy to explain at least the historical outline. Let us, however, with God's help, briefly touch upon what we can explain. 4.2. War threatens you, O King Balak, son of Zippor; “six hundred thousand” armed soldiers invade your borders (cf. Num. 26:51). You had to prepare weapons, gather an army, think about the order of battle in order to meet the enemy fully armed, “while he was still far away” (cf. Luke 14:32). And you send “ambassadors to Balaam” (cf. Num. 25:5), the soothsayer, and bring him gifts and promise even more and say: “Come, curse me this people who came out of Egypt” (cf. Num. 22:6,5). Then Balaam, as the Scripture teaches, turns to God, and He does not allow him to go. But the king again sends envoys and, leaving his weapons, places all his hopes on Balaam, that he will come, shower curses with arrows and strike with words those whom the king’s army was unable to defeat (cf. Numbers 22:8,12,15). What logical consequence does this story have, what intention does it show? Where and when has it been heard that a king, threatened by war, did not think about weapons, ignored the army and sought refuge in the words of a fortuneteller or soothsayer? That is why we must ask God again and again to send us His grace, so that we can explain this not with the help of “Jewish fables” (cf. Titus 1:14), but with a reasonable interpretation worthy of the law of God. 4.3. First of all, it should be recognized that in some cases words have greater power than bodies, for what the army of many nations strives for, what it cannot achieve by force of arms, is achieved by words; I do not speak in sacred words or in the words of God, but in those by which men communicate among themselves; those that I don't know what to call; they are invented by useless art, for this art calls things as it pleases. So, as I said, there is something among people that is accomplished through words, for it cannot be accomplished by the power of the body, no matter how great it may be. 4.4. For example, in Egypt there were wise men and sorcerers. Which man can, by the power of his body, turn a rod into a snake, as they are reported to have done? Or who can turn water into blood by his bodily strength? And the magicians and sorcerers of Egypt succeeded in this (cf. Ex. 7:11,22). For Moses did this first (cf. Ex. 7:10,20); and since the king of Egypt knew that such things could be done by the art of pronouncing certain words that people use, he decided that Moses did this not by the power of God, but by sorcery, and since the king did the same thing by human art, he was able to counterfeit what was done by the power of God. And immediately “Pharaoh called the wise men of Egypt and the sorcerers” (cf. Ex. 7:11). He sets up a competition between those who work by the power of God and those who call upon demons. And in like manner the opposing forces turn the rod into a snake, as the power of God did; however, the snake created by the power of God “swallowed up” and devoured those snakes that were made from the rods by sorcery (cf. Ex. 7:12). For demonic power is unable to turn evil, created from good, back to good. She was able to make a snake from the rod, but was unable to recreate the rod from the snake, and so they are all consumed by the rod, turned into a snake by the power of God. But then the rod, by the power of God, recreates its nature so that the Lord of nature is revealed. 4.5. “And the magicians of Egypt with their spells” (cf. Ex. 7:22) turned water into blood, but could not turn the blood back into water; and the power of God turns not water into blood, but an entire river (cf. Ex. 7:21), and when Moses prayed, he turned it again into a pure, natural stream. And again, the “magicians of Egypt” produced midges, but could not drive them away; Moses both brought them forth and turned them away; for our God sends sorrows and turns them away again; the opposite force can cause evil, but is unable to erase it. 4.6. We said all this as a preface, so that we could turn to the words and deeds of Balaam; for there are differences between sorcerers: some have greater power, others less. Balaam was the most famous in the art of sorcery and powerful in harmful spells. For he had not the power or art of the word of blessing, but used his skill to curse; for demons are summoned for curses, not for blessings. And therefore in the East everyone considered him to be skillful in this. After all, if he had not had previous experience of repeatedly repelling the enemy army with curses, then, of course, it would not have occurred to the king that words accomplish what can hardly be achieved with sword and army on the battlefield. So, Balak, having more than once had the opportunity to verify this from experience, abandons all means of warfare and sends envoys to him, saying: “Behold, a people came out of Egypt and covered the face of the earth, and they live near me” (Num. 22:5). 4.7. I think that the king was prompted to this by something else, for he apparently heard that the children of Israel were in the habit of defeating their enemies not with weapons, not so much with the sword, but with prayer. For Israel did not raise a sword against Pharaoh, but it was said to him: “The Lord will fight for you, but you be calm” (Ex. 14:14). And the Amalekites were defeated not so much by force of arms as by the prayer of Moses. For “when Moses lifted up his hands” (cf. Ex. 17:11), Amalek was defeated; and when he relaxed and gave up, Israel was defeated. Balak, king of Moab, of course, heard about this. For it is written: “The nations heard and trembled: terror seized the inhabitants of the Philistines; Then the princes of Edom were troubled, and trembling seized the leaders of Moab” (Ex. 15:14–15). As you can see, what Moses predicted in the song happened to them when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. So the king of Moab heard that this people conquered through prayers and fought their enemies not with the sword, but with the words of their mouths. And, undoubtedly, that is why he thought and said to himself: “Since no weapon can compare with the prayers and petitions of this people, then I must look for such petitions and such weapons that are in words, and such prayers that could surpass their prayers.” 5.1. And so that you know that the king thought this way, understand this from the words of Scripture, which were explained to me by a certain Jewish teacher who became a believer. Thus, it is written: “And the Moabites said to the elders of Midian: This people is now eating up everything around us, as an ox eats up the grass of the field” (Num. 22:4). This Jewish convert used to say, “Why do they use this example, saying, ‘As an ox eats the grass of the field’?” Undoubtedly, because the ox plucks grass from the field with its mouth, and with its tongue, like a sickle, it cuts it off wherever it finds it. So this people fights with their lips and tongue, like an ox, and their weapons are words and prayers. And the king, knowing this, sends to Balaam so that he contrasts his words with their words and his prayers with their prayers. 5.2. Do not be surprised that this happens in the art of sorcery, for Scripture clearly says that this art exists, but forbids its use. Thus, Scripture also speaks of the existence of demons, but does not allow us to honor them and contact them (cf. Luke 11:19). Therefore, it rightly prohibits the use of magic, for its servants are fallen angels and evil spirits and unclean demons; and no holy spirit is subject to the sorcerer. He cannot summon Michael, Raphael or Gabriel; much less can a sorcerer summon either Almighty God, or His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, or His Holy Spirit. Only we have received the opportunity to call on the Only Begotten Son of God - Jesus Christ. I will also say: the one who has received the opportunity to call on Christ can no longer call on demons, and the one who has become a partaker of the Holy Spirit should no longer turn to unclean spirits; for if he calls forth unclean spirits, then the Holy Spirit departs from him. 5.3. There are sorcerers who summon Beelzebub. After all, those who slandered my Lord Jesus knew this and lied when they said: “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons” (Luke 11:15; Mark 3:22). However, the Savior, knowing that there really is a prince of demons, Beelzebub, does not condemn them for lying about this, but answers them: “If I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, by whose power do your sons cast them out?” (Luke 11:19). So, it has been established that some demons are evil, and when magicians call them, they come to do not good, but evil; for they are ready to do evil and do not know how to do good. Thus, those demons, with the help of certain skills and verbal formulas, obeyed Balaam and became, as it were, his friends, and, relying on their friendship, he seemed great among people. That is why the king sends to him, saying: “Come, curse this people for me, for they are stronger than me: perhaps I will then be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land” (Numbers 22:6). It seems to me that the king does not rely entirely on the soothsayer Balaam, but I think that he is horrified by the spread of rumors about the miracles performed by the people of God. That's why he says that "perhaps" if Balaam's curses take effect, he will be "able to smite" some of them, and frighten others, put them to flight and "drive them out of the land." 6.1. He goes on to say, “I know that whomever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed” (Num. 22:6). I don’t think the king knew that whomever Balaam blessed would be blessed; It seems to me that he said this to flatter him and, by exalting and praising the art of Balaam, to encourage him to diligently fulfill his plan. Because magic cannot bless, because demons do not know how to do good. Isaac and Jacob know how to bless (cf. John 27:4;48:9), as do all the saints; but no wicked man knows how to bless. 6.2. Finally, the ambassadors come to Balaam, for it is said: “And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with objects in their hands for sorcery 13” (Num. 22:7). In the art of sorcery, invented by human curiosity, there are certain things that Scripture calls “objects for sorcery,” but among the pagans they are called “kote” or tripod” or other similar names; and the pagans are in the habit of touching and moving these, so to speak, objects consecrated for this purpose. Scripture, truly Divine, in its narration indicates the presence of a certain “ephod” among the prophets (cf. Hos. 3:4), which, according to legend, was the attire of those who prophesied. But in the Divine Scriptures, prophecy is one thing, and sorcery is another, for it is said: “There is no magic in Jacob and no sorcery in Israel. In due time they will say to Jacob and Israel 14: This is what God is doing!” (Numbers 23:23). So, sorcery is completely rejected; for, as we said above, it is accomplished by the works and service of demons. 6.3. So, Balaam accepts objects for magic; demons tend to come to him, but he sees the demons running away and God appears to him; That’s why he claims that God is asking him (cf. Numbers 22:8), since he does not see demons usually appearing to him anywhere. And so God Himself comes to him - not because Balaam was worthy of it, but so that those who usually appeared to him would run away in order to utter curses and do evil; for even then God cared about His people - therefore “God came to Balaam and said: what kind of people are these with you? Balaam said to God: Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent them to me to say: behold, a people has come out of Egypt and covered the face of the earth, and is living near me; So come, curse him for me; perhaps I will then be able to fight him and drive him out of the earth. And God said to Balaam: Do not go with them, do not curse this people, for they are blessed” (Num. 22:9-12). 7.1. Here a question of a higher order arises, and I do not know whether a subject of such deep mystery should be revealed and presented to the crowd, those who join only for a few days to hear the word of God and immediately leave without stopping to meditate on the word of God; and yet, for the sake of those who seek to know and long to hear and are able to perceive the spiritual meaning, we will say a little of the much that can be said. The following objection may arise. Let Balaam call upon demons, curse people, and let the demons who appear do what they want; but can't God protect people from demons by depriving them of the ability to do evil? And why is it necessary that He Himself come to Balaam and prevent the habituated demons from approaching, so that they do not tempt His people and try to harm them? 7.2. To this, although we will not give everything that can happen, we will answer in part and say that God does not want to condemn the race of demons “before the time” (cf. Matt. 8:29). For the demons themselves know that their time is limited to the present age. That is why they asked the Lord not to torment them “before the time” (cf. Matthew 8:29) and that He “not command them to go into the abyss” (cf. Luke 8:31). But He does not deprive the devil of dominion over this world, because his works are necessary for the blessed to exercise and win in battle. So He does not want to forcefully exclude the rest of the demons from His plan “before the time”; and therefore from the very beginning he did not allow them to appear at the call of Balaam, so that they would not be destroyed and perish when God defended His people. For it is one thing for a demon to wait until God decides to put someone to the test, like Job, and gives him to a certain extent power over him, saying, for example: “Behold, all that he has is in your hand; just do not stretch out your hand on him” (Job.1:12), and also saying: “Behold, he is in your hand, just save his soul” (Job.2:6). And it’s a completely different matter if demons rage uncontrollably when the sorcerer demands this and subjugates them with certain spells. Of course, if they had freedom of choice, they would betray the people of God to destruction, but if freedom is taken away from the demon, then this rational being is condemned “before its time,” and everyone who could have been crowned in the fight against them is deprived of such an opportunity. For if the freedom of choice is taken away from the demons, then the athletes of Christ will no longer fight, and if there is no fight, there will be no victory or reward. 7.3. And thus, for this reason, God makes it so that even unskilled people, those who have only recently begun to move away from the worship of demons, do not give themselves over to demons and the sorcerers who call them receive an answer and the race of demons is not deprived of the ability to choose. And so God warns Balaam and does not allow him to go and call demons to damnation, so that he will only abandon his passion. But since he persists in his passion for money, God graciously gives him freedom of choice and allows him to go again, but puts His words in his mouth so that the curse of demons will have no power (cf. Num. 23:5) and there will be an opportunity for blessings. And God made it so that instead of curses, Balaam uttered blessings and prophecies that could teach not only Israel, but also other nations. 7.4. After all, if Moses wrote down the prophecies of Balaam in the sacred books, then how much more were they rewritten by the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, among whom Balaam enjoyed great fame and who, as is known, were his students in magic? In the end, it is reported that from him, in all parts of the East, a whole galaxy of sorcerers grew up, who carefully preserved everything that Balaam predicted; They also have the following scripture: “A star rises from Jacob, and a rod rises from Israel” (Num. 24:17). The sorcerers have similar writings, and therefore, when Jesus was born, they recognized this star and understood better than the people of Israel, who did not want to hear the words of the holy prophets, that the prophecy was being fulfilled. Thus, relying only on the words left by Balaam, when they knew that the time was approaching, they came to look for Him and immediately began to worship Him and, declaring their great faith, welcomed Him as king. 8.1. Let us return, however, to our topic. Balaam bothers God, and the one to whom God came seeks His permission to go and curse the children of Israel and call on demons. He saddles his donkey (cf. Num. 22:21), but he is met by the angel guarding Israel, about whom, as it is written, the Lord says to Moses: “My angel will go before you” (Ex. 32:34). So the stubborn one is allowed to go, but on his way the donkey crushes him; the sorcerer sees demons, but does not see the angel; but the donkey sees (cf. Numbers 22:23). Not that the donkey is worthy to see the angel, for she is unworthy, but in order to restrain Balaam, as it is said elsewhere in Scripture, “the dumb ass, speaking with a human voice, stopped the madness of the prophet” (2 Pet. 2:16). 8.2. Much has already been said about historical narration, and therefore, in conclusion, let’s say a little about allegory. If you see that the opposing force is fighting against the people of God, then you will understand who is sitting on the donkey; and if you think about how demons persuade people to evil, then you will understand what kind of donkey this is. For in the same way in the Gospel you will understand that Jesus sends the disciples after a donkey tied and a young donkey with it, and they untie and bring the donkey so that He can sit on top of it (cf. Matt. 21:2 ff.). And, perhaps, this donkey, that is, the Church, previously carried Balaam, but now – Christ, for she was untied by the disciples and freed from the chains that bound her. Thus, the Son of God sits on her and, together with her, enters the heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Heb. 12:22), and this is how what is said in Scripture is fulfilled: “Rejoice with joy, daughter of Zion, rejoice, daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving, meek, sitting on a live animal and on a colt” (Zechariah 9:9). The prophet, without a doubt, calls the yoke animal, that is, the donkey, those who believed among the Jews, and the young donkey, those Gentiles who believed (cf. Acts 21:25) in Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XIV. More about Valaam 1.1. There is still much left for us to explain from the reading about Balaam and his donkey; but since the duration of the sermon, which is read in church for the instruction of those listening, is limited, we will not have enough time to interpret the words of Scripture so that nothing is left unexamined, and to explain everything in detail, for such an approach is more likely to be characteristic of written interpretation. We will therefore turn again to what is worthy of study, and, reflecting on what we can interpret, we will try to dissect it and bring it into wide discussion. 1.2. In explaining the historical narrative itself, it is difficult to understand how God, as it is said, “came to Balaam” the first time at night and asked him: “What kind of people are these with you?” And God answered him: “Do not go with them, do not curse this people, for they are blessed” (Numbers 22:12). And again it is said: “And God came to Balaam by night and said” that he should go with them, but He also made Balaam pronounce the words that He Himself put into his mouth. And again, for the third time, it is said that when he set out on the road, he was met by an angel of God, to whom the path chosen by Balaam seemed so worthless and inappropriate that he even wanted to kill him, if the donkey, seeing the angel whom Balaam could not see, had not “turned off the road” (cf. Num. 22:23-30). And yet, after the angel condemned Balaam for wanting to go, the same angel allows him to go on; but Balaam must speak those words that God puts into his mouth, and it is necessary that only they come from him and nothing else (cf. Numbers 22:35). All this is very difficult to explain; but, as we said above, we will give you the opportunity to understand some things, so that you too do what is written: “A wise man will listen and increase knowledge” (Prov. 1:5), and: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be even wiser” (Prov. 9:9). 1.3. But before we enter upon the subject of discussion, it is worth mentioning what the more attentive reader will notice in this passage. In Hebrew writing, the name of God, that is, God or Lord, is written in different ways; for in one way every god is written, and in another - that God about whom it is said: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, there is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4). Thus, the God of Israel, the one God, the Creator of the world (cf. 2 Mac. 13:14), is designated by a certain symbol consisting of letters, called the “tetragrammaton.” Therefore, when this symbol appears in Scripture, then, without a doubt, we are talking about the true God and Creator of the world. Where other letters appear, that is, ordinary ones, it is unclear whether the true God is meant or one of those gods about which the Apostle says: “For although there are so-called gods, either in heaven or on earth, for there are many gods and many lords, yet we have one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we are to Him” (1 Cor. 8:5-6). Thus, those who read the Hebrew books assert that in this passage God is not designated by the Tetragrammaton; but let him investigate it to whom it belongs. 1.4. Regarding what God says to Balaam, as if asking him who these people are, the question arises why He pretends not to know (cf. Num. 22:9), and why He says: “Do not curse this people, for they are blessed” (Num. 22:12), if this can be understood as if He said: “Do not curse my people.” 2.1. At the same time, we affirm that by the providence and wisdom of God everything in this world is arranged in such a way that nothing - neither good nor bad - remains unused. Let us explain what has been said more clearly. God did not create evil; however, although He could prevent others from creating it, He does not prevent it, but, if necessary, uses it through those who are its source. For in comparison with those in whom there is evil, those who strive for the glory of virtues stand out more clearly. After all, if evil were destroyed, then nothing would oppose the virtues. And virtue, having nothing to oppose it, would not shine and become more glorious and tested. And untested and untried virtue is not virtue. However, if we do not confirm what is said with Divine words, it will seem more like an elegant invention of human literature than an indisputable truth. Therefore, let’s see if similar thoughts are contained in the Divine books. 2.2. Let's take Joseph. Take away the anger of his brothers, take away their envy, take away that fratricidal lie with which they raged against their brother until they sold him into slavery; If you exclude all this, then see how much you also remove from God’s plan. For by this you will cut off everything that, thanks to Joseph, happened in Egypt for the salvation of all (cf. Gen. 41:25-57). If Joseph, as a result of the envy of his brothers, had not been forcibly torn out of the usual course of life and would not have ended up in Egypt, there would have been no interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, no one would have understood what God revealed to the king, no one would have stored grain in Egypt, no one would have saved the famine with wise foresight (cf. Gen. 41:47–49); both Egypt and the neighboring countries would have been struck by famine, Israel itself would have died, and its seed would not have gone to Egypt in search of bread, and the children of Israel would not have come out from there, accompanied by the miracles of the Lord (cf. Ex. 6:10–15:21); there would be neither the plagues of Egypt, nor those great deeds that God performed through Moses and Aaron (cf. Ex. 7–11); no one would cross the Red Sea as if by dry land (cf. Ex.14:16,22; 1 Corinthians 10:1); mortals would not have known about the saturation of manna (cf. Ex. 16:13ff); the stream of water would not have flowed “from the next stone” (cf. Ex. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4); God would not have given the people a law; what was written in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy would not have become the property of the knowledge of the human race; and certainly no one would enter into the inheritance of the fathers and into the promised land. 2.3. And to return to the topic we are discussing, imagine that there is no anger of the wicked king Balak, which prompted him to turn to Balaam with a request to curse this people (cf. Num. 22:5-6), and you will also eliminate God’s plan for the children of Israel and the grace of His providence; and prophecies would never have been uttered by the mouth of Balaam both about the children of Israel and about the pagans. 2.4. If you want to see confirmation of this in the New Testament, if you take away the anger of Judas and remove his betrayal, then at the same time you will eliminate the Cross of Christ and His suffering; and if there had been no Cross, “the powers of the principalities and powers would not have been taken away,” and the tree of the Cross would not have triumphed over them (cf. Col. 2:15). And if there had not been the death of Christ, then, of course, there would have been no resurrection and no one would have become the firstborn from the dead (cf. Col. 1:18). And if there were no firstborn from the dead, then we would have no hope of resurrection. 2.5. The same should be assumed in relation to the devil himself. If, for example, he were forced to refrain from sin, or after he had sinned, the desire for sin were taken away from him, then our struggle against the devil’s wiles would disappear, and there would be no hope left for him who strives lawfully to be crowned (cf. 2 Tim. 2:5). If there were no those who oppose us, there would be no struggle, no reward for the victors, and the kingdom of heaven would not be prepared for those who win (cf. Matt. 25:34), and “a short moment of light suffering” would not produce “eternal glory in immeasurable abundance” (cf. 2 Cor. 4:17), and none of us would expect great glory in the future for enduring tribulations. 2.6. From all this it follows that for good deeds God uses not only good, but also evil; and it is truly amazing that God uses evil vessels for good works. For “in the great house” of this world “there are vessels not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; and some for honorable use, and others for base use” (2 Tim. 2:20), however, both are necessary. But since the vessels in question must be understood as endowed with reason and free will, it is no coincidence that one becomes a vessel “for honorable use” and the other “for low” (cf. Rom. 9:20-23), and the one who is worthy to be chosen becomes a chosen vessel for honorable use. The one who lives according to shameful and wicked aspirations becomes a “vessel for low use,” but it is not the Creator who makes him such, but he himself through his wickedness. So, it is not the Creator who makes them such, but by the justice of His providence and in some incomprehensible way He distributes such minds according to their aspirations. 2.7. This is reminiscent of what, for example, happens in big cities: unworthy people, those who lead an unholy and secretive life, are condemned to do the most difficult and dirty work, but necessary for the city - for example, they heat the stoves in the baths so that you can get pleasure and enjoyment, or clean latrines or do other similar work so that your life in the city is pleasant; and - whether they do it of their own free will or deservedly endure - their work benefits those for whom this good and blessing is destined; as we said, God, of course, did not create evil, but He did not want to completely destroy evil, since those who deviate from the straight path strive for it, for He foresaw that even if evil does not bring benefit to those who create it, it will be beneficial to those against whom it is committed. 2.8. Thus, although we must avoid evil, lest it be found in us (cf. Eze. 28:15), we must overcome it in others, without destroying it, since those in whom it is, do the necessary work for everyone. For with God there is nothing useless, nothing aimless, because He either uses man’s good intentions for good, or his evil ones for what is necessary. But blessed are you if, from your virtues, you bring something good into this whole life, like those about whom the Apostle Peter 15 says: “Do everything without grumbling or doubting, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish among a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15-16). As we see, luminaries are necessary for glory in this world. And what is so majestic and beautiful as the action of the sun and moon, which illuminate this world? 2.9. However, in this world we need both angels who are entrusted with animals and angels who manage earthly affairs. Angels are also needed to watch over the birth of animals, the growth of trees and plants and other plantings. And, again, we need angels who look upon holy deeds, teach us to perceive eternal light and comprehend the mysteries of God and the Divine. So take care that you don’t end up among those angels who look after the animals if you live like cattle, or among the angels who manage earthly affairs if you are attached to earthly and material things. But hasten to do what is necessary in order to be received into fellowship by the angel Michael, who unceasingly offers to God the prayers of the saints. And you will be numbered among them if you continually devote yourself to prayer and vigilantly do what the Apostle says: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). 2.10. Or at least you can be accepted into fellowship by the angel Raphael, who is responsible for healing (cf. Tov. 3:16); and if, when you see a person wounded by sin and struck by the arrows of the devil, you apply the medicine of the sayings and words of God, then you will heal him with the medicine of repentance and confession. And if anyone does similar things in this world, he gives the Creator the opportunity in the next century to make himself “a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful to the Master, fit for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21); if he does the opposite of this, he will present himself to Divine providence as “a vessel for low use” (cf. 2 Tim. 2:20). Therefore, as I see it, both good and evil deeds committed are recorded in the Divine Books, and both right and wrong deeds are told in the Divine Scriptures, so that we understand that nothing lies idle with God - neither good deeds nor evil. And now, after a long but necessary digression, let us return to our topic. 3.1. Balaam, as we said above, was a soothsayer - in other words, he sometimes managed to predict the future with the help of demons and magic (cf. Numbers 22:6). King Balak asks him to come and curse the people of Israel; Ambassadors are sent to him, they carry fortune-telling devices in their hands; The stricken and terror-stricken peoples are waiting for Balaam to answer, confident that he is worthy to talk with God. Now see how the wisdom of God compels this vessel, prepared “for low use” (cf. 2 Tim. 2:20), to serve for the good not only of one nation, but of the whole world, and to the one before whom demons usually appear, God appears, and He restrains him from this evil path (cf. Num. 22:12). Balaam is amazed and delighted by the power of the one who restrains, for evil was not in the habit of being dissatisfied with demons. Meanwhile, he sends the ambassadors back, saying that he can do nothing but utter the words that God has put in his mouth. The ambassadors return, Balaam again pesters with his requests, again longs to hear an answer (cf. Numbers 22:18,38); for it is not easy for the greedy to refuse reward. And what does he hear from God for the second time? It is said: “If these people have come to call you, get up and go with them” (Num. 22:20). God yields to the desire dictated by greed to fulfill what is written: “I have left them to the stubbornness of their hearts, let them walk according to their own thoughts” (Ps. 80:13), which does not at all interfere with the fulfillment of God’s plan, for it is said to Balaam: “Say what I tell you” (Num. 22:35). 3.2. If Balaam had been worthy, God would have put His words not in his mouth, but in his heart. But the desire for profit and passion for money reigned in his heart, and therefore the word of God was not put into his heart, but into his mouth. Here a great and amazing plan is being accomplished: those prophetic words that were contained in the courts of Israel and could not reach the nations, through Balaam, whom all nations trusted, became known to them, and they learned the hidden secrets about Christ, and a great treasure was transferred to them - not so much in the heart and understanding, but in the mouth and speech. But so that detailed descriptions do not detain us - for now is not the time to resolve all questions - let us return to the story: Balaam mounted a donkey and set off on the road (cf. Num. 22:22). An angel appeared before him - no doubt the one who looked over the children of Israel. And he opened the mouth of the donkey (cf. Num. 22:28) in order to convict Balaam through her, and the one who was known as a soothsayer and sage was put to shame by the dumb animal. 4.1. After this, apparently, we should talk a little about allegory. Balaam, whose name means “vain people,” as I see it, symbolizes the scribes and Pharisees (cf. Mark 7:5) of the Jewish people. And Balak, whose name is translated as “removing” or “consuming,” as it should be understood, personifies one of the nasty spiritual forces of this world, which seeks to eliminate and consume Israel, but Israel is not “according to the flesh” (cf. 1 Cor. 10:18), but according to the spirit. This nasty force, wanting to destroy and completely destroy spiritual Israel, uses none other than the priests, scribes and Pharisees; she calls them and promises them reward and reward. Indeed, they, like Balaam, pretend that they do everything for the sake of God and are jealous of Him, for they say: “Search the Scriptures and you will see that no prophet comes from Galilee” (John 7:52); and they also say: “We have a law, and according to our law He must die, because He made Himself the Son of God” (John 19:7). In each of these examples, the scribes and Pharisees seem to have zeal for God, but it is feigned. 4.2. As for the donkey on which Balaam sat, since the Scripture says: “You save men and beasts 16 You, O Lord” (Ps. 35:7), then this can be understood as that part of the believers who are compared to animals either by their stupidity or innocence. For the Apostle says this: “Look, brethren, who you are who are called: not many of you are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong things” (1 Cor. 1:26-27). The Gospel speaks in parables when it describes people subject to the worst of teachers - the scribes and Pharisees, who keep them in bonds, but the Lord frees them - not Himself, but through His disciples; for He says to them: “Go to the village that is right in front of you; and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie, bring him to Me” (Matthew 21:2). 4.3. So, just as in the Gospel it is not the Lord Himself, but His disciples who untie the donkey, so here it is not God Himself, but an angel who opens “the donkey’s mouth” (cf. Num. 22:28). And just as in the Gospel the blind accuse those who see, so here the speechless accuses the one who has the gift of speech. The Lord said about this: “I praise You, Father, that You hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes” (Matthew 11:25). Thus, it was the scribes and Pharisees who sat on this donkey and kept it tied. And therefore the angel is angry with them and, if not for a look into the future, would have destroyed them, but at the same time would have saved the donkey, who saw the one who “stood on the narrow road between the vineyards” (cf. Num. 22:23), and stopped in fear of him. However, she pinned the foot of the one sitting on her to the wall (cf. Num. 22:25), and perhaps for this reason this former horseman can neither walk nor come to the One who says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). And yet the donkey, led by the disciples, comes, and if then the greedy Balaam sat on it, now Jesus sits on it. 4.4. Do not be surprised if you see that the one who, as we said, has the image of the scribes and teachers of the people, prophesies about Christ, for we read that Caiaphas did the same, who said: “It is better for us that one man should die for the people, than that the whole people should perish” (John 11:50). However, it is written that “he did not speak these things on his own, but being high priest that year, he foretold that Jesus would die for the people” (John 11:51). So, Balaam also prophesies about Christ, therefore no one should be exalted, even if he utters prophecies, even if he is awarded foresight, but let him turn to the statement of the Apostle, who says this about it: “And prophecies will cease, and tongues will be silent, and knowledge will be abolished” (1 Cor. 13:8). So what's next? And then he says: “Faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). And, as the Apostle says, “love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8). Thus, love is higher than prophecy, higher than knowledge, higher than faith and even, as Paul teaches, higher than martyrdom itself (cf. 1 Cor. 13:1-2), and love must be cultivated, because “God is love” (1 John 4:16) and Christ His Son, Who has made us worthy of the gift of perfect love, is love. “To him be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). Homily XV. About the prophecy of Balaam 1.1. Although the order of the readings offered to us requires that we talk about what the reader states, yet, since some of the brothers want us to discuss what is written about the prophecy of Balaam, I thought that it would be more correct not to follow the order of the readings, but to satisfy the desire of those listening. So, first of all, let us consider why Scripture speaks of Balaam himself as worthy of either praise or blame. He deserves condemnation when, despite the fact that God keeps him from going to the king, he insists on his own and, striving for profit, turns to God a second time and asks Him again, until God leaves him to follow the stubbornness of his heart and walk according to his own thoughts (cf. Ps. 80:13). He is reprehensible when he builds altars and sacrifices to demons and seeks divine response through magic (cf. Num. 23:1-3; 24:1). He also deserves condemnation when, on his advice, “the people began to commit fornication with the daughters of Moab” and turned to idolatry (cf. Num. 25:1–3; 31:16). On the contrary, he is depicted as worthy of praise when the Lord puts the word of God in his mouth (cf. Num. 23:5,16), when the “Spirit of God” comes upon him (cf. Numbers 24:2), when he prophesies about Christ, when he foretells to Jews and pagans future secrets about the coming of Christ, when instead of curses he pours blessings on the people of Israel and mystically lifts up the name of Israel above its visible glory (cf. Numbers 24:16–19). 1.2. And since the Divine Scripture tells us so many different things about him, it seems to me difficult to accurately determine his personality so that not only all this diversity corresponds to it, but it would also be possible to reconcile what he says about himself when he prophesies: “Let my soul die among the souls of the righteous, and let my seed be like the seed of the righteous” (Num. 23:10). And the Lord testifies about him something similar when he says through the prophet Micah: “My people! What have I done to you and how have I burdened you? answer Me. I brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam before you. My people! remember what Balak king of Moab planned, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may know the righteous actions of the Lord” (Micah 6:3-5). This shows that Balaam, the son of Beor, answered King Balak what is reported and written in the books, in order “to know the righteous actions of the Lord.” 1.3. Who do you think will be so skillful that he can show that Balaam’s very answers reflect the “righteous actions of the Lord”? For if truly the word of God was put “into the mouth of Balaam” (cf. Num. 23:5), if the “Spirit of God” descended on him (cf. Num. 24:2) and “the righteous actions of the Lord” are evident from his answers and reflected in them, then everything he said undoubtedly deserves to be accepted as nothing other than prophetic and Divine words. And although it is difficult to find a place in Scripture where it would be said: “The Spirit of God came upon the prophet,” we still read that “he had a vision” or “the word of the Lord came to him” or “the word of God came upon so-and-so” (cf. 1 Samuel 3:1; 15:10), and other similar things about the prophets. But now I don’t remember reading that “the Spirit of God came upon” any of the prophets, except what comes to mind is what is written about David: “And the Spirit of the Lord rested”—or shone—“on David from that day onwards” (1 Sam. 16:13). However, it does not say: “The Spirit of God came upon David.” I remember that it is written about Saul: “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and become another man” (1 Samuel 10:6); and it is also said about him: “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him” (1 Samuel 16:14); and again: “And when the spirit from God came upon Saul, David took the harp and played, and Saul felt happier and better, and the evil spirit departed from him” (1 Sam. 16:23). I have given these examples because what is written: “And the Spirit of God came upon him” may seem ordinary. 1.4. For this reason, and in accordance with what we have concluded from what was previously discussed, let us now try to explain how Balaam reflects the character of the scribes, Pharisees and the like. But first let us consider the words of his prophecy, which he spoke when, as it is written, he “spoke his parable” (cf. Num. 23:7). It is said: “Balak the king of Moab brought me from Mesopotamia, from the eastern mountains” (Num. 23:7). He calls Mesopotamia the land lying between the rivers of Babylon, about which it is written: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept when we remembered Zion” (Ps. 137:1). So, if there is someone between the rivers of Babylon, if someone is filled with streams of lust and surrounded by a stormy current of luxury, they say about him that he does not stand, but sits; and therefore those who were imprisoned there said: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept when we remembered Zion” (Ps. 137:1). But they cannot even cry until they first remember Zion, because when they remember good things, the causes of misfortunes become deplorable. After all, if someone does not remember Zion, does not look at the law of God and the peaks of Scripture, then he will not begin to cry about the evil he has created. 1.5. So, Balaam is called from these rivers and from the eastern mountains. These mountains are not those holy mountains about which it is said: “The foundation of it [Jerusalem] is on the holy mountains” (Ps. 86:2); and again: “Jerusalem, built as a city, merged into one” (Ps. 122:3). “The mountains are around Jerusalem, and the Lord is around his people” (Ps. 124:2). And therefore the Mesopotamian mountains are not like that, but those about which it is said: “Mountains of darkness” (Jer. 13:16); and it is also said: “Behold I am upon you, O mountain of destruction” (Jer. 28:25). They are mountains in which there is “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5). It is from these mountains that Valaam is called. 1.6. And like the mountains, so is the east, where they are located; for the one who “takes the form of an angel of light” also has his own east of light (2 Cor. 11:14); he owns the light about which it is written: “The light of the wicked will go out” (Job 18:5). And since this is the light of the lawless and the one who “takes the form of an angel of light,” then it is opposed to the One about whom it is said: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), and this east is also opposed to the One about whom Jeremiah writes: “Behold a man, his name is East 17” (Zech. 6:12). Thus, from the borders of that and not this east came Balaam, no doubt illuminated by that Lucifer about whom it is said: “How you fell from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Isa.14:12). 2.1. Let's see what Balak, the king of Moab, says, who called Balaam from between the rivers, “from the eastern mountains: come, curse Jacob for me, come, curse Israel for me” (Num. 23:7). In the Latin phrase this repetition seems unnecessary: ​​“Curse Jacob for me, curse Israel for me.” But in the Greek list, a prefix was added to the verb “to curse” next to the name of Israel, which our translators omitted, considering that it either did not quite fit the meaning or did not add any meaning to what was said. We, contrary to the usual usage, can cite these words so as not to lose anything from what was said; and therefore this statement can be read as follows: “Come, curse Jacob for me, come, curse Israel for me.” This shows that by repeating the word, Balak seeks a stronger and more severe curse on Israel than on Jacob. For as long as someone is only Jacob, that is, as long as he remains such at the level of actions and deeds, he is subject to less powerful curses. But as soon as he grows and begins to cultivate and perfect the inner man (cf. Rom. 7:22) and opens the eye of the mind to see God, then he suffers from enemies not curses, but additional curses, that is, more severe curses. 2.2. And then Balaam’s mouth became “full of curses, deceit and lies; under his tongue is torment and destruction; sits in ambush with the rich” (Ps. 9:28–29), for he expects a reward from the rich king for “killing the innocent in hidden places” (Ps. 9:29). But God, “Who alone works great wonders” (Ps. 135:4), works good through enemies; therefore, “the Lord put the word in Balaam’s mouth” (Num. 23:5), although his heart could not yet accept the word of God. He had a passion for gain in his heart, so even after the word of God came into his mouth, he said to Balak: “Go, I will tell you” (Num. 24:14), and taught him how to seduce the children of Israel so that they would eat things sacrificed to idols and indulge in fornication. Therefore, the people fell, and a great defeat began in them, until Phinehas killed an Israeli who had committed fornication with a Midianite woman, turning away the wrath of the Lord (cf. Num. 25:8). After this, as it is said, Phinehas led an army against the Midianites, and they killed twelve thousand men, including Balaam, the son of Beor, they killed with the sword (cf. Num. 31:8). However, we got ahead of ourselves a little and said this as a digression, in order to show that the word of God was not in Balaam’s heart, but only in his mouth. But what he expresses, what he says, he pronounces from the word of God, and therefore what he speaks is the word of God. 3.1. So, Balaam says: “How can I curse? God doesn't curse him. How will I curse you? The Lord does not curse him purely 19” (Num. 23:8). We use the phrase “to curse” according to the meaning of the Greek word because we want to show the power the prefix gives it. So what do we say? The Lord curses neither Jacob nor Israel; do you think he curses anyone else? In Scripture we read how the Lord says to the serpent: “Cursed are you above all cattle and above all the beasts of the field” (Gen. 3:14); and Adam says: “Cursed is the ground because of you” (Gen. 3:17); and to Cain: “Now you are cursed from the earth, which opened its mouth to receive the blood of your brother from your hand” (Gen. 4:11); and: “Cursed is he who makes a carved or cast image” (Deut. 27:15). And lest you think that similar things are found only in the Old Testament, you will find similar things in the Gospels. For it is written that the Lord will say to those on the left side: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:41). And when he says: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:29) and “Woe to you who are rich!” (Luke 6:24) and pronounces every similar saying, what else does He affirm but that they are cursed? 3.2. And what do we say about the command given by the Apostle when he says: “Bless and do not curse” (Rom. 12:14)? It turns out that the One who sets people an example of life, Himself acts in ways that He does not want others to do? No, that's not true. Those whom God curses are cursed according to their merits, and He pronounces judgment without being deceived either in the nature of the sin or in the condition of the sinner. But a person cannot know this - he is not able to see or comprehend the intentions and mind of another, therefore, even if the curse is pronounced by the one who judges or pronounces a sentence, there cannot be a fair basis for the curse when the condition of the sinner is unknown, especially since human depravity knows how to pronounce curses when, perhaps, it is caused by an insult or insult. The Apostle wants to eradicate this vice, giving us an immutable command not to incur curses by cursing, and insults by insulting, so that we bless and not curse; so that the vice of reproach is eliminated and the truth of judgment and the right to pass judgment, hidden from people, are not destroyed. 3.3. However, let us listen carefully to why the Lord does not curse either Jacob or Israel through Balaam, or rather, with the word that God puts in his mouth (cf. Num. 23:5): “From the top of the rocks I will see him, and from the hills I will comprehend him 20” (Num. 23:9). Since, as it is said, Israel is located on the tops of rocks and high hills, that is, leads an exalted life, which is not easy to understand and comprehend unless one rises to the heights and peaks of knowledge, God does not curse him; for his life is high and exalted, and not low and base. As I see it, this is not said about Israel according to the flesh, but about the one who walks on earth, but his “dwelling is in heaven” (cf. Phil. 3:20). After all, even if what was said should be attributed to carnal people, Scripture rightly makes a distinction between “I will see” and “I will comprehend,” pointing to the future when “all Israel,” having come to the faith of Christ, “will be saved” (cf. Rom. 11:26) and will look “from the top of the rocks and from the hills” (cf. Num. 23:9) those who led an exalted and heavenly life on earth and “were raised from Christ" (cf. Col. 3:1). As for what was said about Jacob: “I will see,” and about Israel: “I will comprehend,” the difference between them must be accurately established, for one refers to visible actions, and the other to invisible faith and intelligible knowledge. And if we transfer this to the next century, in other words, to the time of resurrection, then the words “I will see Jacob” can be understood as referring to bodies, and “I will comprehend Israel” - to the spirits and souls of the resurrected. 3.4. It is said: “Behold, the people live separately and are not numbered among the nations” (Numbers 23:9). Here the literal meaning can also be preserved: for truly the people of Jacob did not mix with other people and were not counted among other nations, since they had certain advantages in their institutions and laws, which set them apart from other nations. Just as the tribe of Levi is not mixed with other tribes and is not counted among them, so all Israel is not mixed with other nations and is not counted among them. And while in that nation this was accomplished as a “shadow of good things to come” (cf. Heb. 10:1), the true Jacob and the spiritual Israel will truly dwell separately among the nations. And therefore, if we “have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem” (cf. Heb. 12:22), if we have reached spiritual Judea, which is the “hereditary portion” of God (cf. Deut. 32:9), and while we are on earth, we have made ourselves a “residence” there (cf. Phil. 3:20), then we will not be counted among other nations and their borders will not be interspersed with ours; even if Sodom were restored to its former state (cf. Eze.16:55) and Egypt would return to its position and so on, written in the prophecies, these nations were restored according to the prophecies, when these spiritual Jacob and Israel ascend to the “church of the firstborn” (cf. Heb. 12:23), then even then no one will compare with them, no one will mix with them. For if the “wild olive tree” had not been grafted into the place of the broken branches and had not become “a sharer of the root and juice of the olive tree” (cf. Rom. 11:17), then how could it then be united and combined with Jacob or Israel, if without this root no one can be called either Jacob or Israel? And if anyone from the people of Jacob or Israel sins, he can no longer be called Jacob or Israel, and if anyone from the pagans enters the Church of the Lord, he will no longer be numbered among his people. 3.5. “Who will number the seed of Jacob and number the people of Israel? 21" (Num. 23:10). This phrase resembles what is written: “And he brought him out and said: Look at the sky and count the stars, if you can count them. And he said to him: You will have so many descendants. Abram believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:5-6). But neither Abraham, nor any other person, nor an angel, nor any higher power could count the stars and the descendants of Abraham, about whom it is said: “You will have so many descendants” (Gen. 15:5). However, God, of whom it is written: “He numbers the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names” (Ps. 146:4), and Whoever said: “I command all the stars” (cf. Is. 45:12) can number the seed of Jacob and number the people of Israel (cf. Num. 23:10). For only He knows who is the true Jacob and who is the true Israel. Because he does not pay attention to the one who is a Jew “outwardly”, nor to “that circumcision that is externally in the flesh” (cf. Rom. 2:28), but sees the one “who is one inwardly, and that circumcision that is in the heart, and not in the flesh” (cf. Rom. 2:29). Only He can count and explore, only He, in His inexpressible and incomprehensible wisdom, could lead to a heavenly image, known only to Him, those Numbers that we are now considering; and in them He commands: “Number all the congregation of the children of Israel by their generations, by their families, by the number of names, every male, from twenty years old and upward, all who stand in the strength of Israel” (Numbers 1:2-3). And their total number is expressed by the sacred number (cf. Numbers 3:39), which, by the grace of God, we have already talked about above. However, this number is sacred and pleasing to God only when He Himself commanded the calculation. If, on the contrary, someone wants to number the people contrary to the command of the Lord, even if it is David, even if it is a great prophet, he has broken the law, is condemned by the prophet and receives punishment, as we read about in the second book of Samuel (2 Samuel 24:1ff). So, only He who “counts the number of the stars” (cf. Ps. 147:4) and “has ordered all things by measure, number and weight” (Wis. 11:21), “will number the seed of Jacob and number the people of Israel” (Num. 23:10). 4.1. After this, Balaam seems to pronounce a prophecy about himself when he says: “Let my soul die among the souls of the righteous 22, and let my seed 23 be like theirs!” (Numbers 23:10). In relation to the personalities of Balaam and Israel, this prophecy did not come true and could not come true, because Balaam did not die among the righteous, but accepted death from them. This, as we have said, is more applicable to the persons of those who may in the present age be considered a “vain people,” since they are deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit, and at the end of the age, when “the full number of the Gentiles shall come in,” and all the prophecies spoken concerning Israel shall be fulfilled in spiritual Israel, then “[his] soul shall die among the souls of the righteous” (Num. 23:10). For they will accept the faith of Christ in such a way that they will say: “All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. We were buried with Him through baptism into death” (Rom. 6:3–4), and again: “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12). And so what Balaam said will truly be fulfilled, that “[his] soul will die among the souls of the righteous.” 4.2. As for what is said: “Let my seed be as the seed of the righteous,” this can be understood as referring to Balaam, for the wise men who came from the east and were the first to worship Jesus were from his seed, either through a succession of generations or through the tradition of the disciples. After all, it is quite obvious that they recognized the star that Balaam predicted would rise in Israel (cf. Num. 24:17), and therefore they came and worshiped the King who was born in Israel. However, this also applies to ancient people, according to what we said above; for it is not so much they themselves, but their descendants who become the seed of the righteous, that is, those who believed among the Gentiles (cf. Acts 21:25) are justified in Christ. So, it is obvious that, as the Apostle says: “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has power, but faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6). And therefore, let no one boast either of the antiquity of circumcision, or the newness of uncircumcision, but, as the Apostle says: “Let each one test his own work, and then he will have glory only in himself, and not in another” (Gal. 6:4). Finally, the prophet says: “Your Savior is coming; His reward is with Him and His recompense is before Him” (Isa. 62:11), and He “will render to everyone according to his works” (Matthew 16:27) in Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). 1.1. In the previous conversation we tried to explain, as far as possible, the first part of Balaam's prophecy. Now we will take the beginning of the second prophecy, so that, if the Lord helps us, to the best of our ability we will present to you the thoughts that arise in our minds. And difficult as it may seem, I think that we should not interrupt the discussion without explaining what we can comprehend. 1.2. So, King Balak, seeing that Balaam was saying the opposite of what he expected - for instead of curses he heard blessings - amazed and surprised, unable to bear it, he interrupts his speech and says: “What are you doing to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and here you are blessing? (Numbers 23:11). The annoyed king cannot bear the sweetness of blessing, but expects curses, demands curses; for he is similar to the one to whom the Lord said: “Cursed are you above all livestock and above all the beasts of the field” (Gen. 3:14). How does the one to whom God has put the word in his mouth respond to this? He says, “Shouldn’t I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth?” (Numbers 23:12). Balak, considering that Balaam is afraid of the large number of the people of Israel and therefore does not dare to pronounce curses, thinks that a change of place will do him good, and says to him: “Come with me to another place, from which you will see it, but you will only see part of it, and you will not see all of it; and curse it for me from there” (Numbers 23:13). This madman thinks that the grace of the Israelites can be hidden behind the terrain, and does not know that “a city standing on the top of a mountain cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). 1.3. It is written: “And he took him to the place of the guards, to the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. And Balaam said to Balak: Stay here by your burnt offering, and I will go there to meet God. And the Lord met with Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said”—no doubt God—“return to Balak and speak thus. And behold, he”—that is, Balak—“stands at his burnt offering, and with him are the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What did the Lord say?” (cf. Numbers 23:14–17). 1.4. All this, of course, is accompanied by unholy sacrifices and is performed by magic and fortune telling. God wants that “when sin abounded, grace abounded” (Rom. 5:20), and therefore He deigns His presence and does not shy away from what is done not in accordance with the institutions of the Israelites, but with the errors of the pagans. God is still present - not at the sacrifices, but open to the one who comes to the assembly, where, since the faith and rapture of the Gentiles are not yet determined, He speaks His word and announces future mysteries, so that those who do not want to believe our prophets will believe their soothsayers and soothsayers. 2.1. It is said (Num. 23:18-24): “He spoke his parable and spoke.” So Balaam tells a parable: [23:18] “Rise, Balak, and listen, give ear to me, son of Zippor. [23:19] God is not a man, that He should lie, and not a son of man, that He should be afraid 24 . Will he say it and not do it? will he speak and not fulfill it? [23:20] Behold, I began to bless, for He blessed, and I cannot change this. [23:21] No trouble is seen in Jacob, and no trouble is seen in Israel; The Lord his God is with him, and the royal sound of the trumpet is with him; [23:22] God brought them out of Egypt, the speed of a unicorn was with him; [23:23] There is no magic in Jacob and there is no sorcery in Israel. In due time they will say about Jacob and about Israel: this is what God is doing! [23:24] Behold, the people rise up like a lioness and rise up like a lion; He will not lie down until he has eaten the spoils and drunk the blood of the slain.” 2.2. This is the content of Balaam's second prophecy. Let us first consider what was said: “Rise, Balak, and listen.” If it had not been said above that Balak “stands by his burnt offering” (cf. Num. 23:17), then there would be no question why Balaam said: “Stand up, Balak.” But when the one about whom it is said that he is standing is commanded to stand, the prophetic word should not be ignored. Therefore, what was said above that “he stands at his burnt offering” means that he stood incorrectly. He really stood in idolatry, stood as an enemy of God, and fell more than he stood. Thus, Balaam, believing that the standing Balak must fall, or rather, has already fallen, in a prophetic sense commands Balak to stand up; for he who stood in idolatry has fallen. So let such a one arise, rise in hope, rise in faith and become a witness; if he is converted, let him testify to faith, but if he persists in unbelief, let him testify to his own condemnation. 3.1. Let us listen, however, to what Balaam says to Balak: “God is not a man, that He should lie, and not a son of man, that He should be afraid” (Num. 23:19). It is said that you cannot have this idea of ​​God, that He is like a man who can lie in what he says. For in many cases and as a result of many vices, people speak lies. Sometimes they spew out words in anger, and when the anger subsides, they lie; sometimes they are moved by fear, lust, boasting and other similar motives, and everything they say while under the power of vice will be lies and idle talk. And everything that God says, in Whom there is no passion, no weakness, He speaks for worthy reasons; and therefore He cannot be disingenuous, for what is spoken with reason cannot be devoid of reason. And therefore, “God is not a man, that He should lie, and not a son of man, that He should be afraid,” or, as we read in other lists, “not a son of man, that He should be afraid.” People sometimes change their minds because of fear, but what can frighten God, Who is above all, so that He changes His judgment? 3.2. If we accept the second option expressed in other lists, namely: “He is not the son of man, that he should be afraid” (Num. 23:19), then what is said, apparently, will apply to those people who, out of boasting, resort to intimidation and threats, sometimes even in relation to those whom they cannot harm; God does not frighten people, as if he cannot punish them, but if he instills fear in them, he does so not without reason; for He frightens a person so that, having heard about the torment that threatens him, he will correct himself, so that the word of threat will restrain and cleanse the doer of evil and the punishment for his evil deeds will not befall him. Thus God is not frightening as man is; for man, as we said, does this out of boasting, but God does it for the sake of correction. 4.1. After this it is said: “Will he say and not do? will he speak and not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:9). This phrase should be read as if it were expressed in the form of a question: what He - that is, God - says, will He not do? And what he says, won’t he do it? People do not do what they say, and due to the disease of human weakness, they do not fulfill what they promise; for man is changeable, but God is unchangeable. Some, however, may object and say, “Did God do what He said about Nineveh, namely, that in three days it would be destroyed? (cf. Jonah 3:4) Or did He fulfill what he said to David when he promised that for three days he would send destruction and death to the people (cf. 2 Sam. 24:13), but stopped them on one day at the hour of the meal? It may seem that what is said is expressed in the form of a question and should not be taken as a statement, but it should not be taken in the literal sense, but rather as a kind of figure of speech, which seems to indicate moderation; this does not express the statement definitely and unambiguously, and the written: “Will he say and not do?” seems more moderate than if it were written: “He will say and will certainly do.” 4.2. But let us turn to the passages of Scripture in the books of Jonah and Kings and see if there is any secret in them that is inherent in Divine Scripture. So, in the book of the prophet Jonah it is written: “And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amathite: Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach in it, for its wickedness has come before Me” (Jonah 1:1-2). And after He commanded the whale and it cast Jonah onto dry land (cf. Jonah 2:11), it is written again: “And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach in it what I have commanded you” (Jonah 3:1–2). And, of course, Jonah “preached, saying, Three more days,” or, as the Jews claim, the Scripture says, “Yet forty days”—“and Nineveh shall be destroyed. And the Ninevites believed God, and declared a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jonah 3:4-5). And a little lower it is said: “And God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, and God had compassion” - or, as we read in other lists, “he listened to the prayers” - “about the disaster that he said he would bring on them, but did not bring” (Jonah 3:10). Notice that in the passage that we took from the book of the prophet, among the words that God speaks to the prophet, there is no statement “Three more days, and Nineveh will be destroyed,” but it is said that when Jonah came to this great city, “three days’ walk,” he himself said: “Three more days, and Nineveh will be destroyed” (Jonah 3:4), and thus, the words spoken and not fulfilled, as we see, were spoken rather Jonah, not God. 4.3. Let us now cite what is written in the second book of Samuel, where it is said that when David “numbered the people,” “then the word of the Lord came to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: go and tell David: Thus says the Lord: I offer three punishments to you; choose for yourself one of them that would happen to you. And Gad came to David and told him and said to him: Choose for yourself whether there will be a famine in your country for seven years, or that you will flee from your enemies for three months, and they will pursue you, or that death will rage 25 in your country for three days? Now judge and decide what I should answer to Him who sent me. And David said to Gad: It is very hard for me; but let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for great is His mercy; I just wish I didn’t fall into human hands. And the Lord sent death upon the Israelites from morning until noon 26; and of the people died, from Dan to Beersheba, seventy thousand. And the angel stretched out his hand against Jerusalem to lay waste it; but the Lord heeded the cries for disaster and said to the angel who was striking the people: enough, now let go of your hand” (2 Samuel 24:11-16). 4.4. Notice that in these three threats we do not see that God is talking about death “in three days.” For this is not stated in the commandments of the Lord, but in the words of Gad, and what is said through the prophet is not always accepted as statements of God. After all, God spoke a lot through Moses, but at the same time Moses commanded something on his own; So in the Gospels, the Lord makes a clear distinction when He is asked about a divorced woman, and He says that Moses wrote this to you “because of the hardness of your hearts, but at first it was not so” (cf. Matt. 19:8). For it is said that He who created man in the beginning “created man and woman” and blessed them “and said: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (cf. Matt. 19:4-6), and added: “Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). You see that God does not command divorce and does not encourage divorce. However, Moses, “out of the hardness of heart” of the Jews, “commanded to give a letter of divorce” (cf. Matt. 19:8,7). Paul also points to this in his epistles when he says to some: “It is not I who command, but the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:10), to others: “I speak, not the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:12), and again to others: “I do not have a command from the Lord, but I give advice” (1 Cor. 7:25), and again: “What I say, I will not speak in the Lord” (2 Cor. 11:17). 4.5. And the same is true in relation to other prophets: one thing, undoubtedly, is spoken by the Lord, and not the prophets, while another is spoken by the prophets, and not the Lord. And thus the above objection is apparently resolved, since the Lord cancels and turns to the better not so much His words as those spoken by the prophets. 4.6. I think that such an explanation corresponds to the spirit of Scripture in general and, in particular, to those statements that say that God is “good and merciful and abundant in mercy” (Ps. 86:5; 144:8), and especially those spoken by Jeremiah, where it is clearly shown that God, in His many bounties and ineffable goodness, speaks and does not do, speaks and does not fulfill. Thus, God, through the mouth of Jeremiah, says: “Sometimes I will say about a nation and a kingdom that I will uproot, crush and destroy it; but if this people, against whom I have spoken this, turn from their evil deeds, I will put aside the evil that I thought to do to them. And sometimes I will say about a nation and a kingdom that I will establish and establish it; but if he does what is evil in My sight and does not obey My voice, I will cancel the good that I wanted to do to him” (Jer. 18:7-10). How can we prefer what Balaam said in hesitation to what Jeremiah said with complete confidence, unless the first is affirmed for the careless and neglectful, and the second for the more perfect, listening in secret? 5.1. Then Balaam says: “Behold, I have begun to bless, for He has blessed, and I cannot change this” (Num. 23:20). In order to bless, Balaam was chosen not by Balak, but by God, who “put the word in his mouth” (cf. Num. 23:16) and blessed the people, and he does not turn away from this blessing. For even if he wanted to, he could not change the word of God with human language. After this it is said: “No trouble is seen in Jacob, and no trouble is seen in Israel” (Num. 23:21). With these words he clearly announces the conditions of the future life; for who passes through this life without sorrows and sorrows? Even if he is Peter or Paul. After all, how does Paul not have sorrows and sorrows, when “three times [he] was beaten with sticks, once he was stoned, three times [he] suffered shipwreck, a night and a day he spent in the depths of the sea” (2 Cor. 11:25) and many more things he endured, which he writes about, telling about his troubles and sorrows? But all this will be fulfilled in what is said: “Sorrow and sighing will be removed” (Is. 35:10). 5.2. This, however, does not apply to everyone, but only to those who, according to their merits, became Jacob and Israel; Such was the beggar named Lazarus, whose life undoubtedly passed in sorrows and sorrows, but the rich man was told: “Child! remember that you have already received your good in your life, and Lazarus received your evil; now he is comforted here, but you suffer” (Luke 16:25). Thus, he is Israel and Jacob, and has not been touched by sorrow or sorrow. The rich man, of course, was also Israel, but Israel “according to the flesh”; for he was told that his brothers “have the law and the prophets; let them listen to them” (cf. Luke 16:29). And since he was not Israel “in spirit,” sorrows and sorrows came to him. 6.1. “The Lord his God is with him, the glorious ones among the rulers among him 27” (Num. 23:21). For God never abandons His Israel. Let us see what kind of leaders these are, whose greatness is with Israel. The greatness of rulers lies in their strength, dominion and kingdom. But since there are rulers who either must be removed from power or have already been overthrown, and true Israelites have been put in their place, then all the greatness that the rulers had in heaven who did not retain their power and left “their habitation” (cf. Jude 1:6), will be received by Israel and Jacob, who fought and prevailed (cf. Gen. 32:28), and thus the greatness of the rulers will be with him. 6.2. “God brought them out of Egypt; the glory of the unicorn 28 was with him” (Num. 23:22). Undoubtedly, that Israel was brought out of earthly Egypt, and this, spiritual Israel, from the Egypt of this world, from the kingdom of darkness, and its glory is like the glory of a unicorn. They say a unicorn is an animal whose name reflects its appearance. We often read about this animal in Divine Scripture, especially in the book of Job (cf. Job 39:9-12), where the voice of God Himself shows its strength and power, and, as in many other places, this should be understood as a reference to Christ. In the Divine Scriptures we often find the word “horn” in the meaning of “kingdom,” just as the prophet says: “It [the horn] was broken, and four others came out in its place: these are the four kingdoms” (Dan.8:22). And thus, by the word “unicorn”, referring to Christ, it is shown that all that He is is His one horn, in other words, His one kingdom. “For [the Father] put all things in subjection under His feet” (1 Cor. 15:27), until the last enemy is destroyed - death (cf. 1 Cor. 15:26). Christ has one kingdom of all, like a unicorn, for, as it is said, “His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:33). That is why it is said that for him, that is, for spiritual Israel, his glory is like the glory of a unicorn. After all, the Lord Himself says in the Gospel: “As You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21). Israel will be given glory like the glory of the unicorn, especially since Christ “will transform our lowly body so that it will be like His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). 7.1. “There is no magic in Jacob and no sorcery in Israel. In due time they will say about Jacob and about Israel: this is what God is doing” (Num. 23:23). And since it has become customary for us to carefully discuss every detail, it will not seem at all absurd if we examine what magic and divination are, for in Scripture they are mentioned quite often, so that someone would not inadvertently, out of ignorance, get carried away by them. I think that foreseeing the future in itself is something in between, that is, inherently neither good nor bad; for sometimes the prediction of the future can enter into the knowledge of those who are involved in the devil. But, without a doubt, when time and circumstances require and it is the will of God, foreknowledge can be granted to man by God through the prophets; That’s why we say that foresight is inherently neither good, since sometimes it comes from the evil one, nor bad, because sometimes it comes down from God. 7.2. And although many examples can be given from Divine Scripture, we believe that it will be enough if we limit ourselves to what is written in the books of Kings, where it is said: “And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the church of Dagon, and set it up next to Dagon. And behold, Dagon lies with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Azothites, and He smote them and punished them” (1 Samuel 5:2-6). It further says: “When the ark of God came to Ashkelon, the Ashkelonites cried out and gathered all the rulers of the Philistines. And the Philistines called priests and soothsayers, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord?” teach us how we can let him go to his place. They said: if you want to let go of the ark of the God of Israel, then do not let it go empty-handed, but offer Him a trespass offering; then you will be healed and you will know why His hand does not depart from you” (cf. 1 Samuel 5:10–6:3). 7.3. And a little lower it says: “Take, make one new chariot and take two first-bred cows that did not have a yoke, and harness the cows to the chariot, and take their calves home from them; And take the ark of the Lord, and place it on the chariot, and put the golden articles which you offer to Him as a trespass offering in a chest at the side of it; and let him go, and let him go; and look, if he goes to his borders, to Bethshemesh, then he has done this great evil to us; if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us, but that it happened to us by chance” (1 Samuel 6:7-9). Pay attention to how the priests and soothsayers, according to established signs, are looking for the cause of the disasters that befell the Philistines - whether they were sent down by the hand of God for desecrating the ark or they happened by accident: “If he goes to his borders, to Bethshemesh, then he has done this great evil to us” (1 Samuel 6:9). 7.4. And finally, in what follows it is reported: “And they set the ark of the Lord on a chariot. And the cows went straight to the road to Bethshemesh; They walked along the same road, and walked and moaned, but did not turn aside to the right or to the left” (1 Samuel 6:11-12). And who, after careful consideration, will say that the prediction of the direction chosen by the cows is the result of chance or some art, and not of the action of demons who fear the power of the ark of the Lord, which was the cause not only of the defeat and punishment of the Philistines, but also of the eradication of demon worship itself, for whenever the ark of the Lord appeared, it overthrew their statues and churches? This is what the demons do with regard to foresight, acting through the art of those who have given themselves over to them, who acquire knowledge by what is called the lot, now by sorcery, now by the observation of scales, now by divination from the entrails of sacrificial animals, called extispicions, and other similar methods through which their predictions seem to be communicated and made intelligible. 7.5. These arts were so successful in befuddling the human race that even Manasseh, the son of the most just Hezekiah, was deceived by this deception and, as the Scripture says, “built altars for all the host of heaven in both courts of the house of the Lord” (2 Kings 21:5). I think that this heavenly host is what Paul described as “spirits of wickedness in high places” (cf. Eph. 6:12). And if there had not been so much deception and error in these arts, I do not think that the son of such a great king could have fallen into such wickedness as is related in the fourth book of Kings. For it says there: “And he told fortunes, and cast spells, and brought forth conjurers of the dead and magicians, and brought θυηλήν (sacrifice), and led his son through the fire; He did many things that were disgraceful in the sight of the Lord to provoke Him to anger” (2 Kings 21:6). He committed such sins that we can say that they were done “with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9), so that they are capable of deceiving even the elect. After all, through Manasseh the people were also deceived “to the point that they did worse than those nations whom the Lord destroyed from before the children of Israel” (2 Kings 21:9). 7.6. Something similar is written about Manasseh in the second book of Chronicles: “And he built oak groves, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them, and built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said: In Jerusalem will my name be forever; and he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. He led his sons through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and told fortunes, and cast spells, and cast spells, and established conjurers of the dead and magicians; He did many things that were disgraceful in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger” (2 Chronicles 33:3-6). And therefore I have no doubt that all this, that is, sorcery, fortune telling by the entrails of animals, various kinds of sacrifices, lots, observation of scales, the flight of birds, the behavior of animals, everything that seems to indicate the future, is performed by the actions of demons, for they direct the flight of birds, the behavior of animals, the movement of scales, determine the will of the lot in accordance with those signs that show that demons are also watched by those to whom they transfer skills this art. 7.7. Anyone who is a man of God and counted among His portion (cf. Deut. 32:9) must be completely alien to all this and have nothing to do with what the demons do with their secret tricks, lest through this they again become associated with the demons, are not filled with their spirit and strength, and do not again turn to idolatry. For our Divine and heavenly religion rejects all this, and in the book of Leviticus it is expressly expressed in the law, which says: “You shall not use magic or guess” (Lev. 19:26); and a little further it is said: “Do not turn to those who call the dead, and do not go to wizards, and do not bring yourself to defilement from them. I am the Lord your God” (Lev.19:31); and it is also said in Deuteronomy: “When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, then do not learn to do the abominations that these nations have done: you shall not have anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, a soothsayer, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a sorcerer, a charmer, a conjurer of spirits, a magician, or a questioner of the dead; For everyone who does these things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you” (Deut. 18:9-12). All this probably shows that everyone involved in this is doing nothing more than questioning the dead; for the dead are those who do not participate in life. “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). 7.8. To all these laws is added that he who would be perfect must receive knowledge from no one else, but only from a prophet chosen by the power of God to minister to people. For it is said: “Be blameless before the Lord your God; For these nations, whom you will inherit, 29 listen to fortunetellers and soothsayers, but the Lord your God has not given you that. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from among you, from among your brethren; listen to Him, just as you asked the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the meeting, saying, “Let me never hear the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, lest I die” (Deut. 18:13-16). 7.9. God does not want us to become listeners and students of demons, so that from them we learn what we want to learn. For it is better not to know something than to learn it from demons, and it is better not to learn something from a prophet than to turn to soothsayers, for divination is not a gift from God, as some believe. On the contrary, it seems to me that it gets its name from the opposite, as if it were something that comes through people possessed by a demon. But in paganism, everything that comes from any spirit is considered divine; God, on the contrary, commands us not to learn anything from them, so as not to become accomplices and not to fall into what Isaiah says: “And you will be humiliated, you will speak from the earth, and your speech will be deaf from under the dust, and your voice will be like the voice of a ventriloquist, and from under the dust your speech will whisper” (Is. 29:4). 7.10. Therefore, our Lord Jesus does not consider it necessary to accept evidence from demons, but says: “Be silent and come out of him” (Mark 1:25). Also, His apostle Paul, imitating Him, became sad, “turned and said to the spirit of Python: in the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her” (Acts 16:18). You may ask why Paul is upset when he rebukes the spirit of Python. Did he say something blasphemous? After all, it is said: “A certain maidservant, possessed by the spirit of Python 31,” followed Paul and those who were with him, and “cried out, saying: These men are the servants of the Most High God, who tell us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:16-17). “This she did for many days” (Acts 16:18). This shows that it was not the blasphemy that grieved Paul, but that he was grieved because he considered it inappropriate for the spirit of Python to testify to his words. But if Paul does not allow this spirit to bear witness to himself, but grieves over it, how much more should we grieve when we see how souls are deceived by those who believe in a certain spirit of Python as if it were from God, or in ventriloquists, or soothsayers, or sorcerers, or other demons like these? That is why it is said: “There is no magic in Jacob, and there is no sorcery in Israel” (Numbers 23:23). 7.11. But what is added to this? It is said: “In due time they will say about Jacob and about Israel: this is what God is doing” (Num. 23:23). What does it mean: “In due time they will tell”? When it is necessary, when it is appropriate, that is, in due time. If we must foresee future events, then God will tell us about them through the prophets of God, through the Holy Spirit; if nothing is said or announced about them, know that we should not foresee what is coming. But if we are not told about future events, because we should not know about them, those who are impatient to foresee the future, through various arts and by invoking demons, do nothing more than strive to know what they should not know. By Jacob we must understand anyone who fights against the authorities and world rulers of this age (cf. Eph. 6:12). Understand that Israel is everyone who sees God through purity of faith and purity of mind. 7.12. But someone may say that if we should know about the future only from God and should not accept either a soothsayer, a sorcerer, or anyone like that, then we should not accept Balaam himself, for he is one of those whom we are not allowed to accept by Divine judgment. But look more carefully and remember what we read above, where it is said about the one to whom the Lord put His word into his mouth (cf. Num. 22:38; 23:5,12,16); Thus, what we recognize does not come from Balaam, but is the word of God put into his mouth. For if these words were not the words of God, then, of course, God would not have revealed them to His servant Moses, who was far away when Balaam spoke all this to King Balak, and if God had not revealed them to Moses, he could not have known them. 7.13. And in order to completely crush divination, sorcery, and the like, we will properly add that in these actions birds or animals are used, but those about which it is written in the law that they are unclean, and which always turn out to be lying in ambush on the human race, and this, of course, indicates that they are well suited for the service of demons. Thus, dragons and other reptiles are presented as being in the service of the Pythons; for sorcerers and those who are believed to foresee the future from the behavior of animals, wolves or foxes or hawks or horns or eagles or the like (cf. Lev. 11:13-19), and I think that for this reason they are designated as unclean in the Law of Moses. 8.1. After this it is said: “Behold, the people will stand up like a lion’s cub and be lifted up like a lion 32” (Num. 23:24). This, as I see it, describes the trust of people who believe in Christ, and the freedom they have in faith, and the joy they find in hope. For they are compared to a lion cub when they strive for perfection, joyful and quick; and become like a lion when they achieve perfection. Just as a lion and a lion cub do not fear any animal or beast, but everything is subordinate to them, so the perfect Christian, who takes up his cross and follows Christ, who can say: “The world is crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14), subjugates everything, tramples on everything (cf. Luke 10:19). Because he despises and rejects everything in the world, and imitates the One who is called “[the lion] of the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 5:5) and the lion cub (cf. Num. 23:24), for just as His disciples become “[the light] of the world” (Matt. 5:14), since He Himself is “the light of the world” (John 8:12) and sends down this gift to them, so do the believers in Him they are called lions and lion cubs, because He Himself is a lion and a lion cub. 8.2. Please note that all this is obviously said not about those who lived at that time, but about those who will come later; for it is said: “Behold, the people will stand up like a lion’s cub and be lifted up like a lion” (Num. 23:24). Certainly, the people who are said to rise will arise in the future. For if Balaam had spoken about the people he saw, then, without a doubt, he would have said: “Behold, the people have risen like a lion cub.” But he, of course, is talking about those who, as it is said in the Psalter, “will come and proclaim His righteousness to the people who are born, what the Lord has done” (Ps. 21:32). Thus, this people is a lion cub, for “like newborn babes they desire the truthful milk of the word” (1 Pet. 2:2); but he becomes a rising lion when he becomes a man and leaves child (cf. 1 Cor. 13:11). 9.1. “He will not go to sleep until he has eaten the spoils and drunk the blood of the wounded” (Num. 23:24). Who, having heard these words, will become a stubborn defender of the historical narrative, or rather, will be so unreasonable that, of necessity, he will not resort to the charm of allegory and will not recoil from the sound of the letter? For how can people so praiseworthy and noble, about whom so many praiseworthy words have been said, come to the point of drinking the blood of the wounded, despite the fact that God with many strict commands forbids the use of blood as food, so that even we, called from among the Gentiles, are commanded to “abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood” (Acts 15:29)? 9.2. So let them tell us who these people are who are accustomed to drinking blood. As it is written in the Gospel, the Jews who followed Christ, hearing this, were indignant and asked: “Who can eat flesh and drink blood?” (cf. John 6:52–53). But the Christian people, the believing people, hear and accept this and follow the One who says: “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. For My Flesh is truly food, and My Blood is truly drink” (John 6:53,55). And he who said this was wounded for the people, for, as Isaiah says, “He was wounded for our sins” (Is. 53:5). But we are commanded to drink the blood of Christ not only in the sacraments, but also when we accept His words, in which there is life, just as He Himself says: “The words that I speak to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). Thus, we drink the blood of the One who was wounded, that is, we accept the words of His teaching. Those who preach His word to us are also wounded, and therefore when we read their words, that is, the words of His apostles, and through them we partake of life, we drink the blood of the wounded. 9.3. So, it is said: “He will not go to sleep until he has eaten the spoils” (Num. 23:24). For the people, who are compared to a lion cub or a lion, will not lie down and sleep until they have seized the prey, that is, they have captured the Kingdom of Heaven, for “since the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of Heaven has been taken by force, and those who use force take it away” (Matthew 11:12). And now, in order to understand more clearly for you that this is written about our people, who are united in the mysteries of Christ, listen to how Moses affirms something similar when, on another occasion, he says: “Butter of cows and milk of sheep, and the fat of lambs and rams of Bashan and goats, and fat wheat, and you drank wine, the blood of vines” (Deut. 32:14). So, this blood is called here the blood of “grapes” - berries from that Vine, about which the Savior says: “I am the true vine, the disciples are its branches, and My Father is the vinedresser” (cf. John 15:1,5), Who cleanses the vines so that they bear more fruit. So, you are the true people of Israel and you know how to drink the Blood and eat the Flesh of the Word of God and drink the Blood of the Word of God and press the blood from the berries growing on the true vine, on those of its branches that the Father frees from excess sprouts. The berries from these branches are rightly called the blood of the wounded, and we drink the blood of their words and their teachings, but only if we rise like a lion cub and rise like a lion. 9.4. Let what has been said about the second vision of Balaam be sufficient for now. And we will pray to the Lord that, also in relation to other things spoken in the prophecies, He will consider us worthy to show us what should be seen more clearly, and to open to us the closest understanding to the truth and to consider in the spirit what is written by the Spirit, so that, “conforming spiritual with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13), we may explain what is written by the inspiration of God and the Holy Spirit in a manner fitting for them in Christ Jesus the Lord ours, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). 1.1. Now we have before us the third prophecy of what the word of God revealed through Balaam, and let us, Lord willing, discuss some of it. Since this miserable Balak thought that the soothsayer Balaam was prevented from uttering curses not by lack of favor, but by a bad location, he considered that a change of place would be beneficial, and said to him: “Go, I will take you to another place; Maybe God will please, and from there you will curse him for me. And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which faced the desert” (Num. 23:27–28). God leads those he calls to the top of Mount Sinai, and Balak, who is hostile to God, takes “Balaam to the top of Mount Peor.” "Phegor" is translated as "pleasure"; thus Balak places men at the pinnacle of pleasure and enjoyment, because he loves pleasure more than God, and places men at the pinnacle and highest degree of pleasure in order to separate them from God; for "Balak" means "separating," "consuming." Therefore, Pegor is turned to the desert, that is, to empty and fruitless activities for God. 1.2. “And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams. And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar” (Num. 23:29–30). The opinion of the Apostle is known, who said: “The pagans, when they offered sacrifices, sacrificed to demons, and not to God” (1 Cor. 10:20), and the prophet, who said something similar: “They offered sacrifices to demons, and not to God” (Deut. 32:17). But since the law of God commands sacrifices and transmits to the children of Israel the rites of sacrifice, the question may arise why sacrifices should be made to God if, as it appears, they are offered to demons. The answer will be simple and quick: just as in other places where we showed that although it was not the will of God to “give a letter of divorce” and to separate “what God had joined,” Moses himself allowed the Jews to divorce “because of the hardness of heart” (cf. Matt. 19:6,7,8), the same can be seen when God through another prophet says: “I do not eat the flesh of oxen and drink the blood of goats.” (cf. Ps.49:13), and in another place it is written: “I did not speak or give them a commandment on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt about burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Jer.7:22), but Moses, “out of the hardness of their hearts” and due to the bad customs they acquired in Egypt, ordered them that if they cannot do without sacrifices, then at least let them offer them To God, not to demons. 1.3. It is necessary, however, to see whether there is some less obvious, secret reason for sacrifices to God. I mean that we need to consider whether sacrifices offered to God can destroy sacrifices to demons so that the wounds inflicted on souls by some sacrifices can be healed by other offerings. Just as snake venom is neutralized by means obtained from snakes, as those with experience in healing claim, so the poison of demonic sacrifices is neutralized by sacrifices offered to God, and so the death of Jesus does not allow the death of sin to dominate believers (cf. Rom. 6:9,14). After all, while time endured, some victims were opposed to others; but when the perfect sacrifice appeared, the spotless Lamb came (cf. 1 Pet. 1:19), who “took away the sin of the world” (cf. John 1:29), the sacrifices that were offered to God one after another became unnecessary, for one sacrifice overthrew all demon worship. As for Balaam, either according to the disposition of his heart, which he did not correct, or according to the image in which, as we said, he embodies the essence of the teachers and Pharisees of the unbelieving people, he commands to perform a sacrifice and bring sacrifices. For those whose hearts do not accept the faith of Christ place all their hopes on them. 2.1. What's next? “Balaam saw that the Lord was pleased to bless Israel, and he did not go, as before, to practice magic, but turned his face to the desert. And Balaam looked and saw Israel standing by his tribes, and the Spirit of God was upon him. And having received his parable 33, he said” (Num. 24:1-3). One may wonder how “Balaam saw that the Lord was pleased to bless Israel,” and think that this understanding came to him as a result of the sacrifices he had made: when he saw that there was not a single demon, that no enemy force dared to come to his victims, that all the servants of evil, who usually helped him to curse, were overthrown, then he perceived that “it pleased the Lord to bless Israel.” 2.2. I am, however, inclined to believe that what is being said here is that those people who are now barren, and those teachers who do not believe in Christ and keep this people in ignorance, will one day receive their sight, that is, “in the last days” (cf. Acts 2:17), when “the full number of the Gentiles will come in,” and all Israel will begin to come to the faith of Christ (cf. Rom. 11:25). Those, I say, who now have eyes and do not see (cf. Mark 8:18), then they will see. They will lift their eyes to a sublime and spiritual perception, they will see and understand “that the Lord is pleased to bless” spiritual Israel. For they will see that it is organized according to generations and according to tribes and according to families (cf. Num. 1:20), and “everyone in his own order” (1 Cor. 15:23) must receive the glory of the resurrection, and, “having received their parable,” they will comprehend what is written in the parables, which they cannot yet understand or see, for “a veil lies on their heart” (2 Cor. 3:15). Finally, it is said: “I did not go out to practice magic as before” (Numbers 24:1); for, listening to the will of God, he will no longer allow himself to be carried away by stupid and empty judgments based on the behavior of dumb cattle and animals, like those who collect signs and omens from them, because he recognizes that God does not care about oxen (cf. 1 Cor. 9:9), just as he does not care about sheep, not about birds, not about other animals, and if anything is written about them, then it should be understood as what was said about people (cf. 1 Cor. 9:10). 3.1. Now let's see what Balaam's third prophecy says. “Says Balaam, son of Beor, says a man who truly sees 34, says he who hears the words of God, who saw in a dream a vision of the Almighty 35; his eyes are open” (Num. 24:3–4). It is surprising, of course, that Balaam receives such praise that, “having accepted his parable,” he says this about himself. Indeed, why is Balaam a “truly seeing man” if he devoted himself to predictions and fortune-telling, also practicing sorcery, as we showed above? This is very surprising, unless what was said above, that “the Spirit of God was upon him” (cf. Num. 24:2) and that “the Lord put the word in the mouth of Balaam” (cf. Num. 23:5), is not considered an expression of very great praise. For neither Moses nor any other prophet is given such great praise. 3.2. That is why it seems to me preferable to relate what was said to those people and to those times when they “turn to the Lord” and “the veil” that “lies on their hearts is taken away,” “The Lord is the Spirit” (cf. 2 Cor. 3:15,16,17). That is why it is said: “His eyes are open” (Num. 24:4), as if previously they were closed, but now by the Spirit of God, which “was upon him” (cf. Num. 24:2), the covering is removed from them. Therefore, now is the time when he truly sees, when he truly hears the words of the Almighty and sees a vision of God in a dream (cf. Numbers 24:3-4), in other words, he will see the times fulfilled that were indicated in the dreams of the prophet Daniel. He sees the visions that were given to Daniel in dreams, that is, he understands and knows them, for “his eyes are open” (Num. 24:4). He will become like those who said: “But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18). 3.3. But I would like to know what kind of eyes Balaam is, about which it is said that they are open; perhaps they will turn out to be those who in other places of Scripture, as we read in some copies, are called “the eyes of the earth” and those whom Paul calls “the carnal mind” when he tells some that they are foolishly puffed up with “their carnal mind” (cf. Col. 2:18). I also think that about these eyes the serpent said to Eve: “God knows that in the day that you eat of them your eyes will be opened” (Gen. 3:5), and a little further it says: “And she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave it also to her husband, and he ate. And the eyes of both of them were opened” (Gen. 3:6-7). For if there were not different eyes - those that are opened by disobedience, and those with which Adam and Eve saw before their fall - Scripture would never, under any circumstances, say: “And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes and desirable because it gives knowledge; and she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave it also to her husband, and he ate. And the eyes of both of them were opened” (Gen. 3:6-7). After all, if their eyes had not yet been opened, how then did the woman “see that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes”? And for what eyes is it, as it is said, “desirable, because it gives knowledge”? 3.4. But I listen to the voice of my Lord Jesus Christ and, knowing the power of His goodness, I turn to what He says: “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind” (John 9:39), for sinners see not with their best eyes, but with those that are called the “carnal mind,” those that were opened at the instigation of the serpent. And therefore our Lord and Savior performed a great deed, so that those who do not see good with their best eyes, but see evil with eyes open at the instigation of the serpent, would be blind, and those who cannot see with eyes open at the instigation of the serpent would see the goodness of the Lord with those eyes that Jesus our Savior came to open. For if the vision of evil does not first darken, the contemplation of good will not open. This is how I understand the words of the good God, who said: “Who makes the sight or the blind?” (cf. Ex. 4:11) - seeing to what is according to Christ, and blind to the instigation of the serpent. 3.5. We have remembered all this in order to clearly show which eyes are closed and which are open; at the same time, from what is written by the prophet: “With your eyes you will see and will not see” (Is. 6:9), we know with what eyes they see, and with what eyes they look and do not see. Thus, it is clear why Balaam, about whom it is said that “his eyes are open,” himself speaks of himself as “a man who truly sees” and “he who hears the words of God speaks.” And just as some eyes are closed and others are open, so it should be understood that some ears are open and others are closed. But if someone wants to take what was said literally, we can say that from the fact that “Balaam saw that the Lord was pleased to bless Israel,” it follows that his eyes were truly opened and he became a man who truly sees; for he saw the true future of Israel and Jacob. Balaam will also say that he heard the words of God when God came to him and said to him in a dream: “Speak only what I will tell you” (Num. 22:35), and this will be the “vision of the Almighty” that he saw in the dream. He will claim that through this his eyes were opened and he was able to see what he saw. This is what Balaam apparently prophesied about himself in his preface. 4.1. Now let's see what he says next. “How beautiful are your houses, O Jacob, your tents, O Israel! They are spread out like shady valleys, like gardens of Eden by rivers, like tents pitched by the Lord 36, like cedar trees by waters” (Num. 24:5-6). As for the houses of Jacob, which are called beautiful, I do not think that he praises their earthly dwellings; for nothing is mentioned that they had anything that other nations did not have. Let us see, however, whether this does not refer to the fact that this people was divided “by tribes,” and each tribe was divided “by tribes,” and each tribe consisted of clans, and the clans were composed of the houses of their families. And the houses of families, in turn, were counted “according to the number of names, without exception,” that is, all persons “of the male sex from twenty years of age and above, all fit for war” (cf. Numbers 1:3,4,20), and Balaam, seeing these houses in the spirit, glorifies them. But the meaning that must be comprehended is not contained in the letter alone, for what Balaam says, he pronounces in a parable (cf. Num. 24:3). So let us also listen to what is said in the parables (cf. Matt. 13:3). After all, if you consider the division and order of nations, which will be fulfilled in the resurrection of the people of the true Israel, when “every one [will live] in his own order” (cf. 1 Cor. 15:23), and if you can see these tribes, tribes and clans, connected not so much by flesh and blood, but by mind and soul, then you will comprehend how beautiful the houses of Jacob and the tents of Israel are. 4.2. If you ask about the difference between houses and tents, between Jacob and Israel (cf. Num. 24:5), then, of course, there must be some difference. The house has a foundation, it is strong and enclosed within certain boundaries, and the tents serve as a home for those who are always on the move, always walking and never finding the final destination of their journey. Thus, Jacob represents those who are perfect in deeds and deeds, and by Israel we should understand those who diligently strive for knowledge and wisdom. And therefore, exercise in deeds and actions will sooner or later reach a certain limit - for improvement in deeds is not endless: when someone does everything that he should and achieves perfection in deeds, this perfection will be called his beautiful home (cf. Num. 24:5). But there is no limit for one who zealously strives for wisdom and knowledge - for what limit can there be for God's wisdom? Indeed, as he approaches it, even greater depths open up before him, and the more he explores, the more he discovers the inexpressible and incomprehensible; for the wisdom of God is incomprehensible and inexplicable (cf. 4 Ezra 8:21); Therefore, Balaam does not praise the houses of those who follow the path of the wisdom of God - for they do not reach the end - but admires the tents in which they are always on the move, always improving, and the more they improve, the longer becomes the path that they must travel, stretching into immensity. And therefore, seeing in spirit these stages of their growth, he calls them the tents of Israel. 4.3. And, truly, if someone has grown in knowledge and gained experience in this, then he knows for sure that when he comes to any idea or knowledge of spiritual secrets, his soul dwells there, as if in some kind of tent. When he understands this, he again seeks something else, heads towards a different understanding, folds up his tent, as it were, and rushes to a higher one, and there he builds a dwelling for the soul, built on the strength of judgments. And then again from this another spiritual perception is found, based, undoubtedly, on what was discovered before; and thus always “stretching forward” (cf. Phil. 3:13), the soul seems to be walking through tents. For the soul, ignited by a spark of knowledge, can never calm down and rest, but is always drawn from good to better, and from better to the best. 4.4. So, Balaam describes this journey to the wisdom of God with great enthusiasm when he says: “They are spread out like shady valleys, like gardens of Eden by rivers, like tents pitched by the Lord, like cedar trees by waters” (Num. 24:6). Those who take this path pass through “shady valleys”; because the valleys are shady for them - the whole council of the righteous and the host of the holy prophets. For in the shadow of the meanings that they seek in those writings, their souls find coolness and, dwelling in their teachings, they find delight in the shade of the oak groves. They even enter the “gardens of paradise by the rivers,” similar to where the tree of life is located (cf. Gen. 3:22; Rev. 2:7). These rivers we may understand as referring either to the Gospel and Apostolic Scriptures, or to the co-operation which angels and heavenly powers give to such souls; for they wash and flood them and give them to drink with all the knowledge and comprehension of heavenly things; but since our Savior is also a river stream, gladdening the city of God (cf. Ps. 45:5), and the Holy Spirit is not only Himself a river, but is also sent down to those who “out of their bellies will flow rivers of living water” (cf. John 7:37), and God the Father says: “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters” (cf. Jer. 2:13), then it is from this source that these rivers flow. 4.5. And therefore, when these rivers wash the tents of Israel, they become “like the tents pitched by the Lord” (cf. Num. 24:6). However, an attentive listener may be confused by the words that mention two types of tents. For Balaam says: “How beautiful are your houses, O Jacob, and your tents, O Israel! They spread out like shady valleys, like gardens of paradise by rivers” (Num. 24:5–6). And again he compares tents with tents and says: “Like the tents pitched by the Lord” (cf. Num. 24:6). And therefore, after what we expressed above, we can accept another explanation and say that the house of Jacob is the law, and the tents of Israel are the prophets. For he does not praise Jacob himself, but his houses, not Israel itself, but his tents, and praises them when “his eyes are open” (cf. Num. 24:4). For while “the veil remains uncovered when reading” (cf. 2 Cor. 3:14) the law and the prophets, they do not at all seem like beautiful houses or praiseworthy tents. But when the “veil is removed” and the law, like the prophets, begins to be understood spiritually (cf. Rom.7:14), then the houses of Jacob become beautiful and amazing; and the tents of Israel are made worthy of admiration when the “letter” that “kills” is eliminated and the “spirit” that “gives life” begins to be felt (cf. 2 Cor. 3:6). 4.6. This can be understood in another way: the bodies and souls of believers and perfect ones, whom Christ chose from the pagans, seem to be praised equally. The house of Jacob refers to bodies, as it is written in a certain book that Israel is the house of Jacob, that is, his body is called Jacob, and his soul is called Israel. Likewise, the bodies of the perfect are called beautiful houses. For Jacob has a beautiful body when he is adorned with abstinence and chastity, and sometimes with martyrdom. Truly the tents can be attributed to the perfect souls, to whom the name Israel as “seeing God” befits. 4.7. So, it is said that these tents “are spread out like shady valleys, like gardens of Eden by rivers, like tents pitched by the Lord” (Num. 24:6). Thus he shows that there are other tents “pitched by the Lord,” similar to the tents of Israel. And I must go beyond this world to see what the tents that the Lord has pitched are like. Undoubtedly, these are the same tents that He showed Moses when he was building a tent in the desert, telling him: “See that you do everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain” (Ex. 25:40). And therefore, in imitation of the tents pitched by the Lord, Israel should make tents, and each of us should prepare and build our own tent. That is why it seems to me no coincidence that Peter, Andrew and the sons of Zebedee “were fishermen” (cf. Matt. 4:18-21), and “[Paul’s] craft was making tents” (cf. Acts 18:3). And since they, having been called, left fishing and became “fishers of men” when the Lord said to them: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), then there is no doubt that Paul, when he became a “called Apostle” (cf. Rom. 1:1), chosen by my Lord Jesus Christ, likewise changed his occupation; and just as they turned from fishermen into fishers of men, so he turned from making earthly tents to creating heavenly tents. For he built heavenly tents, teaching everyone the means of salvation and showing them the way of the righteous to the heavenly palaces. Paul also creates tents when, establishing churches “from Jerusalem and the surrounding area to Illyricum” (Rom. 15:19), he spreads the gospel; and thus he also makes tents “after the pattern” of the heavenly tents “which was shown to [Moses] on the mountain” (cf. Ex. 25:40). 4.8. Each of us, if he came out of Egypt and is in the desert, must live in a tent and celebrate holidays in tents. For just as in remembrance of the exodus from Egypt the Passover and unleavened bread were celebrated (cf. Ex. 12:11,17), so in remembrance of the stay in the wilderness the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated, because our fathers lived in the desert in tents. However, what are those tents made of, if not from the words of the law and the prophets, from what was spoken in the Psalter and everything contained in the law? After all, when the soul, relying on what is written, improves and, always “forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead” (cf. Phil. 3:13), from the lower regions reaches out to the higher ones, as it increases in virtues and as it grows, they will rightly say about it that it dwells in tents. But see if these “tents pitched by the Lord” (cf. Num. 24:6) are not those that the Savior mentions in the Gospel when he says: “Make for yourselves friends with unrighteous wealth, so that when you become poor, they may receive you into eternal tents 37” (Luke 16:9). That is why it is said that they are scattered by God, so that they would not be “tossed to and fro and carried away by every wind of doctrine” (cf. Eph. 4:14). 4.9. These tents are also “like cedars by the waters.” And these cedars are not those to which, as it is said, the wicked man who boasts and exalts himself is like (cf. Ps. 37:35), but “the cedars of God,” supporting the “vine” brought “out of Egypt,” and in which its fruit rests, and “the mountains were covered with its shadow” (cf. Ps. 79:9-11). And if you understand what peace the path of wisdom brings, what grace and sweetness it gives, reject all carelessness, all carelessness and take this path, and the desolation of the desert will not frighten you. For while you stay in these tents, you will receive manna from heaven and you will eat “the bread of angels” (cf. Ps. 77:25). Stand on it, and let not, as we said, the desolation of the desert frighten you. And immediately the angels will join you, represented, I think, in the form of cedars. 5.1. Let us now consider what he prophesied about Christ. For it is said about Him: “His seed will be like great waters; His reign will surpass Agag, and His kingdom will be exalted and will rule over many nations. God brought Him out of Egypt; His glory was like the glory of a unicorn 38” (Num. 24:7–8). So, Christ came from the seed of Israel according to the flesh and rules over the nations, which does not require explanation, especially if you read what the Father said to Him: “Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Your inheritance and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Ps. 2:8). But what does the phrase “his reign will surpass Agag” mean? “Agag” is translated as “above the roofs” and in this verse does not, as one might think, refer to the name of any people, but, as in other places, this Hebrew word is left untranslated, and therefore it seems that a people is named by it. Thus, the following is written: “His reign will be exalted above the rooftops, and his kingdom will be exalted.” 5.2. So, “he will be exalted above the housetops” is said about the perfection of believers, and “he will be exalted” refers to many nations. And therefore, in those who are perfect, the reign of Christ rises above the rooftops, that is, above those who are on high and even higher. It is possible that there are those in heaven who contribute to an even greater exaltation of those in the Kingdom of Christ. This is why, I believe, the Savior said: “Let him not go down to take anything out of his house” (Matt. 24:17), warning those who had reached the height of perfection, lest they descend again into the lowlands and lowlands of this world, which is here called home. And in what was said: “What I say to you in the dark, speak in the light; and whatever you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops” (Matthew 10:27) means the same thing. And so “his reign will surpass Agag and his kingdom will be exalted” (Numbers 24:7). For the churches multiply, and the number of believers increases, and the Kingdom of Christ grows in them, “until the Father has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (cf. 1 Cor. 15:25–26). 6.1. It is further written about Christ that “God brought Him out of Egypt” (Num. 24:8), which seems to have been fulfilled when, after the death of Herod, He was called back from Egypt, as the Gospel indicates when it says: “Out of Egypt I called My Son” (Matt. 2:15). Some believe that this phrase was taken from here and included in the Gospel, others believe that it was borrowed from the prophet Hosea (cf. Hos. 11:1). However, it can also be understood allegorically that after He came to the Egypt of this world, the Father led Him and took Him to Himself, so that He would pave the way for those who should ascend to God from the Egypt of this world. “His glory is like the glory of a unicorn” (Num. 24:8). For, having overthrown all the kingdoms of demons, Christ founded His one Kingdom, as if in the glory of a true unicorn. For by the horn, as we have shown, the kingdom is often meant. And the same thing is said: “He will devour the nations hostile to him, he will exhaust their fatness 39” (Numbers 24:8). It is said that He will devour the nations that His enemies possessed, and, having deprived the enemies of their strength, will exhaust their fatness, when He will exhaust every gross and carnal idea and convert it into spiritual understanding. The fact that obesity is considered reprehensible in Scripture is shown in what is written: “The heart of these people 40 grew fat” (Acts 28:27; cf. Is. 6:10); and again: “And Israel became fat and stubborn; became fat, fat and stout” (Deut. 32:15). 6.2. So, He devours the nations and consumes those who believe in Him as food (cf. Matt. 16:8). This is what He Himself says in the Gospel: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). His will, undoubtedly, was to convert the nations to faith. But if, as we said above, obesity is considered reprehensible, then, on the contrary, subtlety should be praiseworthy, for the spirit of wisdom, called intelligent, holy, only-begotten and many-parted, is also called subtle (cf. Wisdom 7:22). “And he strikes down the enemy with his arrows” (Num. 24:9). His arrows are His words, with which He overcomes the devil and gains the upper hand and defeats all His enemies and those who oppose Him; For everyone who sins is His adversary as long as he sins. But if someone hears the words of God and admits his sins, is pierced and struck by these arrows and turns to repentance, then about him, pierced by the words of truth, they will say that he was struck down by His arrows. 6.3. Then Balaam, turning to the dispensation of His Passion, says: “He bowed down, he rests like a lion and like a lion’s cub 41, who will lift Him up?” (Numbers 24:9). He rested like a lion when he was lifted up to the Cross and, “taking away the strength of the principalities and powers, triumphed over them with the tree of the Cross” (cf. Col. 2:15), and like a lion cub when it rises from the sleep of death. And the fact that He is simultaneously compared to both a lion and a lion cub can be understood in such a way that the perfect ones are called lions, and the beginners and unskilled ones are called lion cubs. As for the words “who will raise Him up?”, they are said because sometimes it is said that the Father raised Him up, and sometimes He claims that He Himself will raise up the church of His body in three days (cf. John 2:19,21; Matt. 26:61), and this rightly shows the disposition of the questioner. 6.4. “He who blesses you is blessed, and he who curses you is cursed” (Num. 24:9). Naturally, those who bless Christ are blessed and share in the blessing of the Father, and those who curse Him are cursed. After all, if you look at those who curse Christ, you will see that they are cursed with tears. For what else can expect those who curse Wisdom, who curse Truth, who curse Life (cf. John 14:6), if not rejection from all that is good? Because everything good is Christ, and he who curses Christ by cursing everything good is condemned to eternal damnation. 6.5. I, however, believe that Christ is cursed not only by those who spew words of curse at Him, but also by those who, calling themselves Christians, do evil and act dishonestly, and through his shameful words and actions “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles” (Rom. 2:24); just as, on the contrary, the one who blesses the Lord with words alone is considered blessed, but who by his actions, behavior and life itself encourages everyone to bless the name of the Lord. And moreover, in this, what Balaam points out in his third prophecy will be fulfilled, saying: “He who blesses [Christ] is blessed, and he who curses [Him] is cursed” (cf. Num. 24:9). So let us beware of slandering the name of Christ by our deeds and actions, but let us act in such a way as to be worthy of becoming partakers of His blessing. To him be “glory and dominion forever and ever” (Rev. 5:13). Amen. 1.1. Let us now take the fourth prophecy from what Balaam spoke in the words of God, for we want to reveal what God has given. Something similar to what was said in this prophecy was said in the preface given above. For it is said: “And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he clasped his hands, and Balak said to Balaam: I called you to curse my enemies, and you are blessing them for the third time; so run to your place; I wanted to honor you, but behold, the Lord deprives you of honor” (Num. 24:10–11). This shows that Balak also realized that Balaam is no longer deceived by the ministry of demons, but by the power of God is turned to something better, and therefore says: “The Lord deprives you of honor” (Num. 24:11). But let's skip the obvious and move on to what comes next. 1.2. “And Balaam said to Balak: Did I not say to your ambassadors whom you sent to me: “Even though Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the commandment of the Lord to do anything good or bad according to my own will: whatever the Lord says, I will speak”? So, behold, I go to my people” (Num. 24:12–14). Balaam knows that these answers are not given to him by ordinary servants, but by Him who rules over all, and he seems to rightly assert that he cannot “transgress the commandment of the Lord to do anything good or bad according to his own will” (Num. 24:13). For the one who spoke to him was not one who can be changed by offerings and sacrifices, but He “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). And therefore it is impossible to change a priest with rewards, because God cannot be changed with gifts. 1.3. And yet Balaam, before leaving, begins to prophesy again and says: “So, behold, I go to my people; Go, I will give you advice 42 what this people will do to your people in the last days 43 . And he spoke his parable and said” (Num. 24:14–15). But before moving on to the explanation of what was predicted, I would like to know the meaning and structure of what was said in the phrase “Go, I will give you advice.” However, it seems that Balaam does not give any advice, but says: “What will this people do to your people in the last days” (Num. 24:14), whereas it would be more appropriate to say: “Go, I will tell you what this people will do to your people in the last days”; Then there would be coherence here and it would become clear that Balaam is prophesying about what the people of Israel will do to the people of Balak or other nations, which he will do with power (cf. Num. 24:18), so that he will not leave anyone alive in the cities of Moab. 2.1. And the prophecy about Christ, which he appends further, where it says: “A star will rise from Jacob and a man will arise from Israel 44” (Num. 24:17), would be more consistent with the writing: “Go, I will tell you.” But what do we now say about what is written: “Go, I will give you advice, what this people will do to your people”? Let's see how we should understand what was said: “Go, I will give you advice” (Num. 24:14). Trying to find the meaning of this statement, I cannot reveal it completely, if we proceed from the fact that “I will give you advice” is used in the meaning usual for this phrase. But it seems to me that the phrase “I will give you advice” relates better to what follows if we understand it this way: I will reveal to you the Divine plan 45, which must be fulfilled in the last days; this is revealed to me, and I convey it to you and show it, so that you may know “what this people will do to your people.” I think that the meaning of what was said: “Go, I will give you advice what this people will do to your people,” can be defined as follows: I proclaim and show you the plan of God. 2.2. Studying the Divine Scriptures and encountering similar statements, I find it necessary to pay special attention to them, and therefore I should consider something similar to what the Apostle says: “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who was His adviser?” (Rom.11:34). After all, “who” here does not mean “no one,” but “few people.” For how can the mind of His Only Begotten not know the mind of God, who said: “No one knows the Father except the Son, and to whom the Son wants to reveal it” (Matthew 11:27)? But what does it mean to know the Father, if not to know His mind and plan? And what does the Holy Spirit, Who searches the depths of God (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10), know if not His mind? Thus, both the Son and the Holy Spirit and those “to whom the Son wants to reveal” know the mind of the Lord. But if the Son knows the mind of God, then He is also His advisor. Counselor not in the sense that the Son and the Holy Spirit give advice to one who does not know what he should do; but this, on the contrary, means that the Son and the Holy Spirit know His will and purpose and participate in them. 2.3. And in like manner Balaam, since God had revealed to him a part of His plan, made Balak partaker and knowledgeable, saying: “I will give you counsel,” as one who truly sees and truly hears the words of God, as he further says: “Says Balaam, the son of Beor, says a man who truly sees, speaks one who hears the words of God, who knows the knowledge of the Most High, who saw in a dream the vision of God; his eyes are open” (Num. 24:15–16). We have already said all this above, since the same thing is written in the preface to the third prophecy. Now, only in this verse the phrase is added: “He who knows the knowledge of the Most High.” For these words had not been spoken about Balaam before; and it is not easy to find places where this phrase applies to any of the holy prophets. 3.1. That is why I am extremely surprised that this is written about Balaam, who is not given the power to say what the prophets usually proclaim: “Thus says the Lord”; he also says: “He who hears the words of God speaks” (Num. 24:15). How and why will Balaam be worthy of what was said about him: “He who knows the knowledge of the Most High” (Num. 24:16)? He teaches King Balak how to throw a stumbling block before the children of Israel so that they will commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to idols (cf. Numbers 25:1-3). After all, hardly anyone will find a place in Scripture where it would be said about the holy prophets or apostles that they “know the knowledge of the Most High.” And although Paul said that he “heard unspeakable words, which it is impossible for man to tell” (cf. 2 Cor. 12:4), he did not claim to have “the knowledge of the Most High.” But let's take a closer look in the hope that perhaps God will be pleased to reveal something important to us regarding what was said. 3.2. In the book, which we consider to be one of the books of Solomon, called “Ecclesiastes”, and among the Greeks - “The Book of the Wisdom of Jesus, the son of Sirach”, it is written: “All wisdom is from the Lord” (Sir.1:1). And, probably, we can understand this in such a way that the wisdom of this world, which, as it is said, is transitory (cf. 2 Cor. 12:4), is from God, and the wisdom of the authorities of this age and someone else who imparts false wisdom. However, lower in the same book it is said: “The knowledge of evil is not wisdom” (Sir.19:19). This clearly shows that any knowledge that asserts something false, even if it seems convincing and plausible and difficult to refute, should in no way be called wisdom. What then does it mean when it is said, “All wisdom is from the Lord”? The meaning of this statement, as I see it, is that the wisdom bestowed by the Lord can be called both the skill necessary for a person and knowledge in any field. After all, the book of Job says, “Who gave women the wisdom to weave and the ability to embroider? 46" (Job 38:36). And in the book of Exodus it is said: “And Moses said to the children of Israel: See, the Lord appointed precisely Bezalel the son of Uriah, the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah, and filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all kinds of skill, to make cunning fabrics, to work in gold, silver and brass, and to cut stones for setting, and to carve wood, and to do all kinds of artistic work; and behold, I have given him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as an assistant, and I will put wisdom in the heart of every wise man, that they may do all that I have commanded you” (cf. Ex. 35:30–35; 36:1; 31:1–6). 3.3. Understand from all this that the wisdom of a craftsman who works with gold or silver or any other material comes from the Lord, and the wisdom to make fabrics; Note that it can rightly be said about all this that this knowledge is from the Almighty. But if it is asserted that the skills of a craftsman are from the Almighty, why is the knowledge of geometry not the same, from which come the skills called construction skills in Scripture? After all, Zechariah also speaks of a measuring rope with which an angel measures Jerusalem (cf. Zech. 2:1–2). And therefore it does not seem absurd to me to assert that such knowledge is from the Almighty. What can we say about music? After all, the wisest David reached such heights in it and mastered the laws of melody and rhythm so well that he always found sounds capable of comforting the king who was restless and tormented by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:23). I think no sane person will deny that in this knowledge “all wisdom is from the Lord.” Undoubtedly, the same is true of medical knowledge; for if there is a science from God, then what is greater than the science of health, where the power of plants and the properties of various drugs are known? 3.4. So, from all this it follows that even the knowledge of Balaam, for the sake of which he was brought from Mesopotamia, from the eastern mountains, in order to curse Jacob, originates and comes from the Most High, from Whom comes knowledge about the nature of animals, and about the flight of birds, and about their various voices, but he turned the good knowledge he received to evil. This is as if someone who studied medicine, who knew the power of plants and the art of preparing potions - all that God gave to people with His grace for healing - wanted to turn the knowledge he received for bodily healing to evil and instead of a doctor, he would become a poisoner, instead of healing ailments and healing, he would bring death. 3.5. And in order to better understand that the wisdom of all knowledge comes from God, but people of evil will or even demons, mixing filth with the wisdom of God, incline this knowledge to evil, let us reread in the book of Daniel what is written about Daniel himself and his three friends, whom King Nebuchadnezzar ordered to educate for three years, wanting them to become the most instructed in the wisdom of him, that is, his country Babylon. For it is said there: “God gave them knowledge and understanding of all book wisdom, and to Daniel he also granted understanding of all kinds of visions and dreams. They stood before the king’s gaze, and about every matter of wise understanding, whatever the king asked them, he found them ten times higher than all the sophists and philosophers who were in his whole kingdom” (cf. Dan. 1:17-20). 3.6. So it is written in the Septuagint, but in the Hebrew manuscripts I have discovered something stronger, and although we do not use them, we need to mention them in order to know about this [difference]; they say: “And God gave to these four youths knowledge and understanding of all books and wisdom, and to Daniel he also granted understanding of all kinds of visions and dreams” (Dan. 1:17); and a little lower it says: “And about every matter of wise understanding, whatever the king asked them, he found them ten times higher than all the mysticians and magicians who were in his whole kingdom” (Dan. 1:20). From all this one can understand why Balaam said about himself: “He who knows the knowledge of the Most High” (Num. 24:16), namely, so that we would understand that the beginning of all knowledge ascends to the Most High, but through the vices and malice of man, as well as through the wickedness and plunder of demons, what was given for benefit turned into destruction. Let this be our reasoning about the phrase “knowing the knowledge of the Most High.” 4.1. Then Balaam says: “He who saw a vision of God in a dream; his eyes are open” (Num. 24:16). But enough was said about this in the third vision, and there is no need to repeat what was said before. Therefore, let us consider what is said next: “I will show him, but now not yet; I will bless, but 47 does not come near” (Num. 24:17). In other lists we read: “I will see Him, but now not yet.” If we accept this reading, then it will be easier to understand that Christ, about whom it is further said: “A star will rise from Jacob and a man will arise from Israel” (Num. 24:17), must be seen, but not now, that is, not when this was said; for in the last days, “when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son” (Gal.4:4). But if we read this passage as it is written in our lists, that is: “I will show him, but now not yet; I will bless, but does not draw near” (Num. 24:17), then what was said does not refer to Balaam, through whom it was conveyed, but to the One Whom, as we said, he represents. For the teachers of the law and the scribes will point to Christ, about whom it was foretold in the law and the prophets, but not now, that is, not when He came, but when “the fullness of the Gentiles is come in; and thus all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25–26). Then they will point to Him and then they will bless Him Whom they now revile. But the times when what was spoken will come true are not coming; for they are far away, and one must hope that they will come at the end of this century. That is why it is said: “I will show him, but now not yet” - to him, that is, to the people who will be saved in those times. 4.2. After this it is said: “A star will rise from Jacob, and a man will arise from Israel” (Num. 24:17). We have already spoken before about what is clearly foretold here about that star that appeared to the wise men in the east; and, following her, they came to Judea in the hope of finding the One who was born King of Israel, and, having found Him, they brought Him gifts (cf. Matt. 2:2-11). But with regard to this star, it strikes me that after the Gospel says that it walked before the wise men to Bethlehem and “at last came and stood over the place where the Child was” (Matthew 2:9), nothing more is said about whether it moved away from there or disappeared or was moved; The Gospel narrative does not say anything about this; it only says that she “came and stood over the place where the Child was.” Perhaps, just as during baptism, when “having been baptized, Jesus immediately went out of the Jordan, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and descending on Him,” and heard “a voice from heaven saying: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16–17), so this star, which “came and stood still” over the place where the Child was,” similarly remained over Christ, just as the Spirit of God “descended like a dove and descended upon Him.” And how from the fact that the Spirit of God was over Him and remained on Him (cf. Matthew 2:9), we understand that the Spirit of God never departs from Him, so, I believe, we should also understand that star that stopped and stood above Him; she stood above Him and never moved away from there. That's why I think this star is evidence of His Divinity. So the order of prophecy indicates the same thing when it speaks of His Divinity: “A star will rise from Jacob” (Num. 24:17a), and about His human nature: “And man will arise from Israel” (Num. 24:17b), and thus, as we see, both natures of Christ are clearly predicted - Divine and human. 4.3. “And he will defeat the princes of Moab” (Num. 24:17c). Moab is a people, and its princes, in our understanding, are none other than the spiritual forces of evil and those principalities and powers against which we wage war (cf. Eph. 6:12). So, the man from Israel will defeat them when he triumphs over the principalities and powers and nails them to the cross (cf. Col. 2:15). For He could not have saved the Moabites and brought them to the knowledge of God if He had not first defeated those princes who ruled over them and kept them in wickedness. “And he will make 48 all the sons of Seth a prey” (Num. 24:17d). Seth is the son of Adam, about whom Eve said at his birth: “God gave me another seed, instead of Abel, whom Cain killed” (Gen. 4:25). This is the Seth from whom, as it is said, the entire human race in this world descended, for those born of Cain perished in the waters of the flood. Thus, all people in this world are the sons of Seth. And when it is said: “He will make prey of all the sons of Seth,” understand prey in the same way as we interpreted what was said above, where it is written: “He will devour the nations hostile to him” (Num. 24:8) and where He is compared to a lion cub and a lion (Num. 24:9). 4.4. So, all the sons of Seth become His prey. Christ, having crushed the hostile demons, leads back those over whom they dominated, as if taken captive as a result of His victory and the spoils of salvation, as in other places it is written: “Having ascended on high, He brought captivity captive” (cf. Eph. 4:8; Ps. 67:19; Col. 2:15), that is, He led back, as if captives, and again turned from death to life the captive human race, captured by the devil to destruction. Oh, that Jesus would always keep me captive and lead me like His prey, and I would be chained with His chains and would also be worthy to be called “a prisoner of Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:1), as Paul proudly spoke of himself. 4.5. “Edom will be a heritage, and Esau his enemy will be a heritage 49” (Numbers 24:18). Edom is the same as Esau (cf. Gen. 25:30). And although, according to the historical narrative, Esau is an enemy of Israel, at the coming of Christ, as it is said, he will become His inheritance, that is, accepted by faith, and not excluded from the inheritance of Christ. But if we perceive this spiritually, then Edom is understood as the flesh that is opposed to the spirit, as its enemy (cf. Gal. 5:17). Thus, at the coming of Christ, when the flesh is subjected to the spirit by the hope of resurrection, it itself will become an inheritance. For not only the soul, but also the flesh, which was once hostile, having submitted to the spirit, will become a participant in the future inheritance. “And Israel will show her strength” (Num. 24:18). This means that Edom, or Esau, that is, the nature of the flesh, will then be called to share in the inheritance when Israel, that is, the soul, “shows its strength” and, as it should be, is filled with power. For if the soul does not come into strength, but persists in its negligence, then the flesh will not enter into the inheritance, but will appear before the judgment of Him “who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). 4.6. “And he will arise from Jacob and destroy him who was freed from the city 50” (Numbers 24:19). It is said that the One who, like a star, will rise from Jacob will destroy the liberated one from the city. Not only what is written here, but almost everything said in prophetic style is hidden behind very vague sayings. For the Holy Spirit, who wants this to be written, does not want it to be presented directly, given, so to speak, to be trampled under the feet of the ignorant (cf. Matt. 7:6), but He made it so that what was said, although it seems obvious, is kept in secret, hidden behind the obscurity of the words. And therefore, the phrase “he will arise from Jacob and destroy him who was freed from the city” will be very difficult to understand if you do not take into account that special prophetic language about which it is said: “No prophecy in Scripture can be explained by oneself” (2 Pet. 1:20). Let us see, however, whether this can be explained in the following way. 4.7. Let us understand this world as a city, just as the Gospel speaks of a son who is not indifferent to pleasures, who “wasted his father’s property by living dissolutely,” that he, as it is said, “went and pestered one of the inhabitants of the city of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs” (cf. Luke 15:16-24). Therefore, here the city in which this noble man lives is understood as the world. And Christ will “destroy him who is freed from the city,” that is, the one whom He frees from this world. For he says to him: “Whoever loses his soul for My sake will save it” (cf. Luke 9:24). And therefore, with saving destruction, Christ will destroy the one whom He will free from the city of this world. So we, if we want to achieve salvation and free ourselves from the world, must destroy our souls with this necessary and beneficial destruction. For he destroys his soul for the sake of Christ who curbs his desires, who tames his passions, who restrains his desire for pleasure, and who does not his own will, but the will of God; and so, according to what has been said, the soul is destroyed. For the old life of the soul is destroyed, and it begins to lead a new life, which is in Christ. The saying is similar to what was said: “If we died with Him, we will also live with Him” (2 Tim. 2:11); and again: “If you died with Christ to the elements of the world, then why do you, as those living in the world, adhere to the decrees?” ( Col. 2:20 ). This clearly shows that the one who dies with Christ destroys his soul in this world, and whoever destroys it in this way will find it there, where, according to the Apostle, “your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3), “To Him be glory forever and ever.” Amen" (Gal.1:5). 1.1. Examining the fifth and last vision of Balaam, as in other interpretations, let us pray to the Lord that He will not leave us at the end (cf. Ps. 77:8; Lamentations 3:31) and we could find an interpretation of this vision that is close to the true one. So, it begins with the words: “And he saw Amalek, and uttered his parable, and said: Amalek is the first of the nations, but his end is destruction” (Num. 24:20). I think it is necessary to find in the Divine Scripture in what place and at what time the name “Amalek” is mentioned, and to find out what people he comes from. After all, what we are looking for here will be easier to understand if we look at the many places where the same thing is written. So, in the book of Genesis, after it is said that five kings went to war against the four kings ruling in Sodom (cf. Gen. 14:1), it is reported: “And returning from there, they came to the source of judgment, which is Kadesh, and struck down all the leaders of Amalek, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hatzzon-Tamar” (Gen. 14:7). Here is the first passage where Amalek is mentioned. 1.2. But perhaps someone will ask whether two peoples bear the same name, since the list of the sons of Esau and the leaders descended from this people speaks of Amalek. For it is written: “And this is the genealogy of Esau, the father of Edom on Mount Seir. These are the names of the sons of Esau: Eliphaz the son of Adah, Esau's wife, and Reuel, the son of Bashemath, Esau's wife. Eliphaz had sons: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatham and Kenaz. Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and she gave birth to Eliphaz Amalek. These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife” (Gen. 36:9-12). And a little lower: “These are the elders of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau: Elder Teman, Elder Omar, Elder Zepho, Elder Kenaz, Elder Korah, Elder Gatham, Elder Amalek” (Gen. 36:15-16). Thus, Amalek is the son of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau, born to a concubine named Timna. 1.3. But let us return to the first memory of Amalek, where those who “came to the source of judgment, which is Kadesh, struck down all the leaders of Amalek” (cf. Gen. 14:7). "Kades" means "sanctified" or "sacred." “Amalek” is translated as “devouring people” or “turning away people.” Thus, those who come to the sacred and turn to sanctification kill and slay Amalek, namely, the one who devours or turns away people. And who else turns people away from God, if not the opposite force and spirits of evil? Who are their bosses? Without a doubt, those against whom the saints are fighting. For their war is against the principalities, powers and rulers of this world; however, the saints cannot overcome them unless they turn to the sacred. 1.4. In the sacred, which is Kadesh, there is a “source of judgment.” After all, anyone who turns to the sacred always has the source of judgment before his eyes. For he awaits the day of judgment and with a pure heart looks at both the punishments of the wicked and the bliss of the righteous; and so he strikes and overthrows all the leaders of the Amalekites. If they do not rush to Kadesh, that is, to the sacred and to the source of judgment, then they do not think about the coming day of judgment. Such are subject to the rulers of Amalek; for he devours and consumes such a people and turns them away from God. This refers to the first Amalek. 1.5. Now let us consider another Amalek, the son of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau, born of a concubine named Tamnah (cf. Gen. 36:12). His father is Eliphaz, whose name means “God has scattered me,” and his mother is Tamna, who is herself of low station, and whose name is translated as “flight in excitement”; and, of course, the one born of such parents is the enemy of Israel, devouring and turning away people. For he was the first to attack the Jews and fought with them in Rephidim when they came out of Egypt - then when “Moses said to Joshua: Choose us husbands, and go and fight the Amalekites; Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, and the rod of God will be in my hand. And Joshua did as Moses commanded him, and went to fight against the Amalekites; and Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed, and when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed" (Ex. 17:9-11). And a little further on it is written again that “Jesus overthrew Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord said to Moses: Write this in a book for remembrance, and teach Joshua that I will completely blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven. And Moses built an altar and called its name: The Lord is my refuge. For, he said, the Lord fights with a hidden hand against Amalek from generation to generation 52" (Ex. 17:13-16). Understand from this who should be understood by Amalek, against whom, as it is said, God fights from generation to generation with a hidden, that is, invisible hand (cf. Ex. 17:16). 1.6. So in Deuteronomy it is written: “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you came out of Egypt: how he opposed you 53 on the way, cut off your tail and beat up all those who were weak behind you, when you were tired and weary, and he did not fear God” (Deut. 25:17-18). Notice how here, too, Amalek opposed Israel on the way, but could not cut off its head, but only its tail, that is, it took possession of those who lagged behind, who walked last, and not those who, forgetting what was behind, stretched forward (cf. Phil. 3:13). And, I think, that’s why the Lord commanded in the Gospel, saying: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). And it's deserved; for if someone is behind, in the tail, then Amalek will cut him off. 1.7. Let us, however, present one more historical testimony about Amalek, so that what we are studying can be seen even more clearly from a larger number of passages from Scripture. In the first book of Samuel, Samuel says to Saul: “The Lord has sent me to anoint you king over His people over Israel; now listen to the voice of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have remembered what Amalek did to Israel, how he stood against him on the way when he came out of Egypt; now go and smite Amalek, and destroy all that he has; and give him no mercy, but put to death from man to wife, from child to suckling, from ox to sheep, from camel to donkey. And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Gilead, 54 two hundred thousand of Israel on foot, and three thousand of the tribe of Judah.” 1.8. “And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid an ambush in the valley. And Saul said to the Kinites: Go, separate, come out from among Amalek, lest I destroy you with him, for you showed favor to all Israel when they came out of Egypt. And the Kinites separated from among Amalek. And Saul smote Amalek from Havilah to the region around Shur, which is before Egypt; and Agag, king of Amalek, he captured alive, and he destroyed all the people with the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and the oxen and the fattened lambs, and everything that was good, and did not want to destroy it, but destroyed all the things that were of little importance and evil. And the word of the Lord came to Samuel: I regret that I made Saul king” (1 Samuel 15:1-11). 1.9. Notice how here too God, through the prophet, commands Saul to strike Amalek and not spare any of them, and since he spared Agag, king of Amalek, he committed an unforgivable offense and so upset God that He, contrary to the Divine nature, said: “I regret that I made Saul king.” And therefore we should not spare the one who turns away or absorbs and devours people, namely, that invisible Amalek who attacks us and opposes on the way those who want to come out of Egypt, turn away from the darkness of this world and hasten to the Promised Land; and if he sees that we are tired, we are walking, stumbling and looking back, trailing behind, in the tail, then he cuts us off and hits us. And therefore we must, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” strive towards the goal (cf. Phil. 3:13-14), or rather, climb to the mountain top, constantly raising our hands to heaven in prayer, and then Amalek will be defeated and fall. 1.10. Do you want to know that no one will set foot on the holy land and enter the Kingdom unless Amalek is defeated first? Although David fought many wars and had frequent violent encounters with the Philistines, it is not written about him that he achieved kingdom without defeating Amalek. For the Scripture says: “David returned from the defeat of Amalek” (2 Samuel 1:1) and received the kingdom of Saul, while it is written about Amalek himself that he first brought many disasters to the people of Israel and burned many of their cities. 1.11. For, truly, before the coming of the true David, who was born “of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3), the spiritual Amalekites, who are opposing forces, brought many disasters to the people of Israel. And it is said about this David that “both of David’s wives were taken captive” (1 Samuel 30:5); I think the first is the Jews, and the second is the pagans. “For we have already proved that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin” (Rom. 3:9; cf. Gal. 3:22). However, this was not the end of the matter; for listen to what David does when he comes. It is said: “And behold, the Amalekites were scattered throughout all that country, eating and drinking and celebrating because of the great spoil” (1 Samuel 30:16); and attacked them, as it is said, “and David smote them from twilight until the evening of the next day” (1 Samuel 30:17). And after this beating of the Amalekites, he returned and took over the kingdom (cf. 2 Samuel 5:3). 2.1. So, seeing this Amalek, “Balaam, the son of Beor, a man who truly sees, who hears the words of God, who knows the knowledge of the Most High, who saw the vision of God in a dream,” “spoke his parable” (cf. Num. 24:15–16), as it was written in the previous vision, and said: “Amalek is the first of the nations, but their seed will perish” (Num. 24:20). Of course, the phrase “the first of the nations Amalek” can in no way refer to the Amalek who was in the flesh at that time - for he was not the first in ancient origin - but it is better to attribute what was said to the invisible Amalek, so called because he turns people away from God and does not allow the pagans to worship God. And therefore he is rightly called “the first of the nations,” as some kind of opposite force that first gave rise to people who became pagans, who “changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:23) “and worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). And as it is written that Christ is the first of the people of God (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:3; 15:23), and, on the contrary, Amalek is the first of the people to turn away from God and become pagan. 2.2. “But their seed will perish” (Num. 24:20). Their seed is beliefs and theories through which they teach people to turn away from God. Thus it is the wicked teachings and the evil seed that will perish, not those in whom the seed is present. For when those who mourn themselves are converted, they will be saved (cf. Is. 45:22). So consider whether such an interpretation does not refute the arguments of those who accuse the God of the law of severity and cruelty, who claims that not only the people of Amalek will perish, but also his seed; and, since this people is combined with spirits of evil (cf. Eph. 6:12), its seed represents the teaching of pagan superstitions, idolatry, and every sect that persuades people to depart from God. 3.1. After Amalek, the prophecy mentions Kenite, saying: “And he saw Kenite, and uttered his parable, and said, Thy dwelling is strong, if thy nest is built on a rock; but if Beor becomes a nest of deceit for you, the Assyrians will take you captive” (Num. 24:21–22). It seems to me that Keneas is not spoken of here as worthy of severe condemnation; for he is the one to whom Saul above said: “Go, separate yourself, come out from among Amalek, lest I destroy you with him, for you have shown favor to all Israel” (1 Samuel 15:6). Therefore, now it is said about him: “Strong is your dwelling if your nest is built on a rock.” The stone is Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 10:4). Therefore, if he has strengthened his nest on a rock, then his dwelling is strong; if not, then Veor will become a nest of deceit for him. 3.2. Beor is the father of Balaam, and may be taken to symbolize the heretics; This probably means that Caeneas can be saved if he establishes his nest on the rock, that is, places his hopes in Christ, and does not allow the cunning of heretics to surround and entangle him. Otherwise, it will be of no benefit to him if he is established on the rock, which is Christ; and it will be captured by the Assyrians, that is, the forces of evil who take captive and subjugate those who are entangled in heretical errors. It may seem that in what was said about Kenea, the conjunction “and” does not make sense. But you should know that Jews often use it in their spoken language and place it where, from the point of view of our language, it is not necessary. You need to be lenient about this, since each language has its own features that seem like errors in other languages. Thus, the use of the conjunction “and” here must be considered unnecessary and redundant. 3.3. So, let Caeneas, whose name is translated as “possessing,” beware, even if he deservedly possesses the grace of belonging to the Church of Christ, let him beware, I say, lest the cunning of Beor deceive him and he deviates to false and destructive teachings and is not betrayed to the Assyrians. For those who blaspheme in the Church are handed over to Satan (cf. 1 Tim. 1:20), like Figellus and Hermogenes (cf. 2 Tim. 1:15), of whom Paul says: “I delivered [them] over to Satan, so that they might learn not to blaspheme” ( 1 Tim. 1:20). Therefore, those who fall into heretical blasphemy are handed over to the Assyrians, for Assyrian means “to guide,” but they are handed over not in order to destroy or completely destroy, but to guide and correct them and, as Paul says, “so that they may learn not to blaspheme” (1 Tim. 1:20). 4.1. After this, Balaam concludes his prophetic speech, saying: “And he uttered his parable, and said: Oh, oh, who will survive when God brings this? And he shall come out of the hand of Chittim, and shall smite the Assyrians, and smite the Hebrews; but they themselves will also perish 55” (Num. 24:23–24). The fact that Balaam, as it is said, always speaks in parables, causes confusion in the reader and does not allow him to think that there is something here that is not said in a parable, but in the literal sense. So he says, “Oh, oh, who will survive when God brings this?” (Numbers 24:23). Here we are not talking about this ordinary life, but about life according to God, and it is said that when all this happens, when “a star rises from Jacob and a man arises from Israel and strikes Amalek, and his seed perishes” (cf. Num. 24:17), that is, when Christ comes and destroys idolatry and subdues all the power of demons, who will be so blessed, so happy that he will see this? That is, who will perceive, understand and believe that God created all this? 4.2. “And they will come out of the hand of Chittim and defeat the Assyrians” (Num. 24:24). "Kittim" is translated as "disaster of the end." Thus, those who turn to the Lord and are enlightened by Christ will escape the disasters that will befall the wicked at the end of this age, and will themselves smite the Assyrians, that is, those who fight the battle of godliness and for whom God will “break Satan under his feet” (Rom. 16:20), will smite the Assyrians - in other words, a race of demons. For they will “tread on serpents and scorpions and all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19) and defeat them. 4.3. “And they shall smite the Jews; but they also will perish” (Num. 24:24). The word "Jews" means "transitioners." And therefore this people is called “Jews”, since they pass from Egypt to the promised land, “from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18), “from death to life” (John 5:24). But since, as we said, this is impossible to achieve without intense struggle, without battle, they fight and either hit the enemy or are defeated; first they defeat the enemy, then he defeats them. Thus, the Assyrians will defeat the Jews, that is, the people of God, and they themselves will be struck by them; but they, that is, the Assyrians, when they do this, when they direct all their strength to defeat the Jews, they themselves will immediately perish. Therefore the words “and shall smite the Jews; but they too will perish” should not be understood to mean that the Assyrians will perish along with the Jews; but “also,” that is, “immediately,” as soon as they do this, when they defeat the Jews, they themselves will perish. For in the Greek the word “also” can mean “immediately.” 4.4. Thus, the end of all will come when Assyrian himself, to whom the guilty ones from among God’s people were “delivered” “for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved” (1 Cor. 5:5) or “so that they may learn not to blaspheme” (1 Tim. 1:20), will also perish through “the one who is able to cast into Gehenna” (cf. Luke 12:5). For the “righteous Judge” will say to them (cf. 2 Tim. 4:8): “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). And so Assur will perish. 4.5. One day the good shepherd lost one sheep out of a hundred, and “he left the ninety-nine in the mountains” (cf. Matt. 18:12) and went down into our valley, the valley of mourning, (cf. Ps. 83:7), searched and found it (cf. Luke 15:4-5) and, taking it on his shoulders, carried it back and joined it to the flock that remained above in security. As for Assur, about whom it is said that he will perish at the end of everything, I do not know whether he can ever be sought or whether he will be found; for he perishes not as a result of errors, but of his own free will, not because of sudden sinful impulses, but because of long-rooted stubbornness. As for what is written: “I kill and I give life (cf. Deut. 32:39), I bring down to the grave and I raise up” (cf. 1 Samuel 2:6), I don’t know whether what was said applies to everyone or only to those whom the devil, by his cunning, brought down to death. 4.6. This is what we had to say to the best of our abilities about the last prophecy of Balaam. And since this passage is difficult to explain, we reasoned rather than interpreted. But what does this matter if everything is said for instruction and everything contributes to the glory of God, “Who is blessed forever. Amen" (Rom. 1:25)? In the Synodal translation: “These are the rules of Easter.” In the Synodal Translation: “I will look at the success of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria.” In the Synodal translation: “sons of men.” In the Synodal translation: “Shechem, son of Hamor.” In the Synodal translation: “from the great shrines.” In the Synodal translation: “I dedicate.” In the Synodal translation: “there is no peace for the wicked.” In the Synodal translation: “leaders.” In the Synodal translation: “For by Him all things were created.” In the Synodal translation: “many salt pits.” In the Synodal Translation: “The well that the princes dug, the leaders of the people dug with the lawgiver with their rods.” In the Synodal translation: “like a rooted tree with many branches.” In the Synodal translation: “With gifts in hands for magic.” In the Synodal Translation: “In due time they will speak about Jacob and about Israel.” In the original, Paul's words are attributed to Peter. (Note per.) In the Synodal translation: “keep.” In the Synodal translation: “branch”. In the Synodal translation: “speak evil against Israel.” In the Synodal translation: “How can I utter evil? The Lord speaks no evil against him.” In the Synodal translation: “From the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I look at him.” In the Synodal Translation: “Who will number the sand of Jacob and the number of the fourth part of Israel?” In the Synodal translation: “by the death of the righteous.” In the Synodal translation: “my death.” In the Synodal translation: “to change.” In the Synodal translation: “there was a pestilence.” In the Synodal translation: “until the appointed time.” In the Synodal Translation: “The Lord his God is with him, and the royal sound of the trumpet is with him.” In the Synodal translation: “the speed of a unicorn.” In the Synodal translation: “those whom you drive out.” In Latin, “divination” is divinio, “divine” is divinus (approx. trans.) In the Synodal translation: “possessed by a spirit of divination.” In the Synodal translation: “like a lioness rises and like a lion rises.” In the Synodal translation: “he spoke his parable.” In the Synodal translation: “a man with an open eye.” In the Synodal translation: “who sees the visions of the Almighty.” In the Synodal translation: “like trees planted by the Lord.” In the Synodal translation: “to the eternal abodes.” In the Synodal translation: “he has the speed of a unicorn.” In the Synodal translation: “breaks their bones.” In the Synodal translation: “The heart of these people has become hardened.” In the Synodal translation: “Lies like a lion and like a lioness.” In the Synodal translation: “I will tell you.” In the Synodal translation: “in the aftermath of time.” In the Synodal translation: “A star rises from Jacob, and a rod rises from Israel.” The Latin word "consilium" means "counsel" and "plan". In the Synodal translation: “Who put wisdom into the heart, or who gave meaning to the mind?” In the Synodal translation: “I see Him, but now I am not yet; I see Him, but not close.” In the Synodal translation: “will crush.” In the Synodal Version: “Edom will be under the dominion, Seir will be under the possession of its enemies.” In the Synodal Translation: “He who is descended from Jacob will take possession and destroy what is left of the city.” In the Synodal translation: “will lose.” In the Synodal translation: “Hand is on the throne of the Lord: the Lord has war against Amalek from generation to generation.” In the Synodal translation: “met you.” In the Synodal translation: “in Telaim.” In the Synodal translation: “But they too are destroyed.”