78A HISTORICAL RECAPITULATION This is the seventh psalm to carry the name ‘Asaph’; and the first of the historical psalms (78; 105; 106; 135). It is the longest psalm after psalm 119. Psalm 78 turns history into a practical sermon, exhorting us to learn God’s law and to preach it, in order to enjoy the Holy One dwelling in us. It presents as well, a lesson on the enjoyment by the believers of blessings, and the fall of the disobedient under chastisement. While psalm 105 transforms history into a praise and an invitation to joy; Psalm 106 refers to the history of the denial of man; and psalm 107 exhorts us to reject idolatry, and to glorify God. Its goal: 1- If psalm 119 talks profusely about the work of the Word of God in the life of believers; this psalm also does to reveal the commitment to sanctify the soul as a dwelling place for the Word of God, so that the divine presence would not be taken away from us; as it was when Shiloh was denied the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, which was moved instead to the city of Zion. 2- It exhorts the people to be faithful to God, presenting to them beneficial lessons from the events of history. It recapitulates the history of the people since the time they were in the land of Egypt, until the reign of David as their king. Those events reveal a series of God’s goodness that reveals His Person; met by the peoples’ denial and disobedience, that led them to be put under chastisement, to bring forth to them God’s forgiveness, and new goodness. 3- This psalm reveals the denying nature of man along the history, and under all situations; As sin reigned on man by death; but God, his Savior did not forsake him, but sent to him David as a king, and a symbol of the Son of David, the Savior; He who reigns with righteousness. That is why the psalm ends with the words: “He shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands” (72). The author of the psalm: 1- Some believe the author to be a contemporary of David the prophet, or right after his departure; for he ended it by the era of David the prophet; and referred to the episode of moving the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh (60) to the city of Zion, where “He (God) built His Sanctuary like the Heights” (69). 2- Some scholars like Clarke1, believed that this psalm was written after the division of the kingdom, following Rehoboam from the tribe of Ephraim, and before the Babylonian captivity; based on putting the blame upon Ephraim (9– 11), who led the movement of rebellion and division. Yet other scholars interpret the mention of Ephraim as a symbol of all Israel, being the largest in number and the strongest of all the tribes; and on account of that the Ark of the Covenant was kept in Shiloh, within the domain of that tribe in the days of the judges. The circumstances of its writing: 1 W. S. Plumer: Ps. 745. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 190 Some connect the writing of this psalm to moving the tabernacle from Shiloh in the land of Ephraim to Zion in the land of Judah; exhorting us to keep the practical life of faith, lest we would be denied the divine presence, as it happened to Shiloh; but to receive its presence in us, as though we are the spiritual Zion. Let us not stop at the vain formalities, by saying together with the elders of Israel: “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us, it may save us from the hands of our enemies” (1 Samuel 4: 3); To which the Lord of hosts, God of Israel would say: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying: the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these” (Jeremiah 7: 3-4).”But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel” (Jeremiah 7: 12). Psalm 78 and the New Covenant: The Lord Christ quoted verse 2 of the psalm (Matthew 13: 35); presenting a new meaning to it through the secrets of the word. In 1 John 1: 1-4, St. John quoted what came in verse 3, reminding us of the importance of encountering the divine Word to get in touch with Him, that He would perform wonders in our life. In 1 Corinthians 10: 8, it refers to verse 18; confirming that it is not befitting of us to tempt the Lord. St. Peter quoted verse 37, when he rebuked Simon the sorcerer for attempting to purchase the gifts of the Holy Spirit with money (Acts 8: 21). Verse 44 appears in the book of revelations, as the third angel was about to pour the bowl of wrath on earth. With the spirit of the psalm we notice that the moments of wrath are followed by the proclamation of a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21: 1) 1. Its divisions: This psalm presents an instructive poem about the preparation of the heart to become a sanctuary for the dwelling of the Word of God, concentrated on the dealings of God along the history. 1- Listening to the divine word along the generations 1 – 8 2- The experiences of the wilderness 9 – 32 3- The complaint of man and his chastisement 33 – 37 4- God’s mercy in the midst of His wrath 38 – 41 5- Salvation from the bondage of Pharaoh 42 – 51 6- The entry into the promised land 52 – 55 7- A collapse in the era of the judges 56 – 58 8- God forsakes Shiloh 59 – 64 9- The kingdom of David is established 65 – 72 The title: 1 Stuhlmueller, p. 30. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 191 A contemplation of Asaph. We have already spoken about Asaph as a chief musician. David was probably the author of this psalm, then gave it to Asaph to put it into tunes. 1- LISTENING TO THE DIVINE WORD ALONG THE GENERATIONS: The psalmist starts by calling the people to listen to the voice of the Lord on his mouth, saying: “Give ear, O my people to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth” (1) St. Augustine believes that the Speaker here is God who calls the people “My people”, and the law “My law”. Yet many scholars believe that the speaker is the psalmist David, on account that, by the spirit of love, not only the kings, the rulers, the prophets, and the apostles, feel that the people of God are their people; but every single believer feels likewise; referring them to himself, and himself to them. It is the right of the head to refer every member of the body to itself; as it is the right of every member, whatever its position is, to call the other members as his members. That is why ‘Ruth’ the Gentile, was counted as a ‘believer’, when she said to her mother-in-law ‘Naomi’: “Your people shall be my people” (Ruth 1: 16). And ‘Jephthah said to the men of Ephraim: “My people and I were in a great struggle with the people of Ammon, and when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands” (Judges 12: 2). And talking about his longing to build the house of the Lord, David says: “Hear me, my brethren and my people” (1 Chronicles 28: 2). The psalmist counts God’s law as his law, referring it to himself, being a personal message presented from God to the believer; that is why the apostle says: “My gospel” (Romans 2: 16; 16: 25; 2 Timothy 2: 8). If the author is the prophet David, by calling God’s law as “My law”, he proclaims his great love for the divine commandment, cherishes it, and refers it to himself; not as something put on him to obey, but as a gift from God, to become his own, to acquire for himself, and to live it with his complete free will. By saying “my law” David probably confirms that he, as a prophet and a king, submits to the law like every other member of the holy congregation; namely, he is not above the divine law, but submits to it. He requests from his people to incline their ears, not to some of the words of his mouth, but “to the words of my mouth”, counting every word coming from his mouth, as conforming to the law of the Lord. This way, the believer, with all his thoughts, words, and works, turns into “an epistle of Christ, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God” (2 Corinthians 3: 3). On another aspect, it could be said that the Speaker here is the Lord Christ, the Son of David, addressing His people whom He called from the Gentiles; as according to the prophet Hosea: “I will call them My people, who are not My people; and call her beloved, who was not beloved” (Romans 9: 25). He presents to His people His law and the words of His mouth; He talks to them mouth to mouth. Our Christ used to talk to the multitudes by parables and riddles (Matthew13: 3; mark 3: 23). then interpret them to His disciples in private, saying: “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables” (Luke 8: 10). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 192 “Incline your ears to the words of my mouth” (1), conforming to the same line of thought in the gospel phrase: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8: 8). The Speaker here is the Lord Christ, who gave the law; and the addressees are the Gentiles, whom He calls ‘His people’, according to what came in the second chapter of the prophecy of the prophet Zechariah: “’Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming, and I will dwell in your midst’, says the Lord. Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people” (Zechariah 2: 10-11); and in the prophecy by Hosea, God says: “I I shall call them My people, who are not My people”. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) Here, the Savior Himself speaks; whereas the rest of the verses until the end of the psalm, are understood to be on the tongues of the apostles. That is why when the Lord says: “Incline Your ears to the words of My mouth” (1); He means to say to them: O My apostles, “What you hear in the ear, preach on the housetop” (Matthew 10: 27); to which the apostles respond by saying: What You say to us, O Lord, have been proclaimed to us by the fathers Patriarchs and prophets, that we shall not hide from our children, but declare to the generations to come. Namely, As their children, we know that God has spoken to them, to deliver His word to us. They taught us – their children – His message, and we shall teach it to our children1. (St. Jerome) Therefore, although the word of God is presented to all, that all would be learned from God; but there is a commitment on our part, that, as we have been delivered the living evangelic faith, with no diversion, by the past generations, we are committed to deliver it to our children; so that the living tradition would remain active along the successive generations, read by all; so as to hear the voice of the Lord, saying: “These words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6: 6-7). This psalm includes things said to have happened with the old people, and bears instructions to the new people of later time, to be aware not to fall into denial of the blessings of the Lord, to avoid being subject to His wrath, and to receive His grace2. (St. Augustine) You learn from us; your wives from you; and their children from them; But you cast everything on our shoulders; which make our burden double as much3. (St. John Chrysostom) “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter hidden things, things of old” (2) “I shall open my mouth in parables” (2). I shall open for you what was shut up for the Jews; “Without a parable He did not speak to them (Mark 4: 34); But to His disciple, He used to interpret the parables in private. 1 On Ps. Hom. 11. 2 On Ps. 78. 3 Homilies on Col., hom 9. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 193 The word “parable” implies (control) or (submission); for speaking in parables has its effect and influence on the soul and mind. Whereas “hidden things” means that the talk is very deep and vague, not perceived except by him who loves and finds pleasure in pondering what he hears; as it is written, ”A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel” (Proverbs 1: 5-6). While the word “utter” means here (talk profusely); the psalmist is like a river that flows with divine mysteries on the souls longing for knowledge. The Lord Christ spoke in parables, and uttered hidden things, namely, exalted divine mysteries; whoever seeks and research them will find his heart’s desire. St. Jerome says: To someone who may probably wonder why those words were applied to the Person of the Lord Christ, I say that, as Christians, we should respect the counsels and views of the evangelists in this concern1. As you notice, St. Mathew the evangelist applied this verse to the Lord Christ (Matthew 13: 34-35), when he said that the Lord spoke in parables that surpassed the perception of the common man, “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘I will open My mouth in parables, I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world2 (Psalm 78: 2)” (St. Jerome) In the days of our Savior, the Logos told the apostles secret things, according to the prophecy in Psalm 78: 2 It is the activity of the Word Himself, “For the Word of God is living and powerful” (Hebrew 4: 12), drawing to Himself, in a secret and unseen way, every one who receives Him3. (St. Clement of Alexandria) Having begun to recite and refer to such things that seem to need those who listen rather than those who interpret; he says: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter hidden things of old”. Who would not here awake from his sleep? Who would dare and hasten to read the parables and the hidden things, as though they are obvious in themselves; although from their names it is clear that they should be considered with great and deep research? (St. Augustine) “Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us” (3) The psalmist presents no fantasies nor human inventions; but an experience of life that he and his fathers before him have lived, as a sort of life, lived and delivered through history and living tradition. The amazing works of God that our fathers told us about, are the creation made by God for our sake. That is concerning the touched things; but what concerns the psalmist here –according to St. Augustine – is that what our fathers of the Old Covenant have told us, has been fulfilled in the New Covenant. The divine promises have been realized by the coming of the Lord Christ the Savior. 1 On Psalms, hom. 11. 2 On Psalms, hom. 11. 3 Stomata 5: 12. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 194 The (beginning) “of old” is the Old Covenant; and the (end) is the New Covenant. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111: 10). And the goal (the end) of the law is Christ for righteousness for everyone who believe in Him; He who grants “the love of God that is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5: 5). (St. Augustine) “(They) will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, His strength, and His wonderful works that He has done” (4) They tell “the praises of the Lord, His strength, and His wonders”. Man used to be more preoccupied with wonders which amaze him; then with the strength of the Lord, and finally with His praises. But the psalmist puts the praises first, followed by the strength of the Lord, then His wonders. For the most important things for the believers to present to their children is the spirit of praise and joy. For, when the new generations enjoy the experience of the exultant heavenly life, they would then perceive the might of God, and would believe in His exalted wonders. This is how the living church delivers, when the present generation hand the icon of heaven to the new generation. It does not stop at speaking about the works of God, and in particular those which touch the salvation of mankind; but should extend to the enjoyment of the new generation of the deposit of heaven, and the fellowship with the heavenlies in their praise. What our fathers have presented to us of living tradition, namely, of faith translated in our thoughts, feelings, words, and works; we are committed to deliver to our children with the same living spirit. This would be our testimony to the generations to come; not to the presence of the tabernacle of testimony among us, which was eventually moved by David to his city; but to the proclamation of the dwelling of God in our hearts and in the midst of His people. This is the tradition which we should deliver. Our fathers – according to the command of the Lord God – hid nothing from their children; but they told them what the entire Lord has done, which are worthy of praise and thanksgiving. (Father Onesimus, bishop of Jerusalem) Praise is good in itself; and the psalm presents a lot of experiences. It separates the mind from the earth, gives the soul wings, and makes the wings light to be able to fly in air. That is why the apostle Paul says: “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5: 19) There is need for man to praise for the sake of his life, his prayer, and his success1. (St. John Chrysostom) “For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children” (5) That is the work of the church of God (the new Jacob or Israel); which is the testimony to the divine truth; a testimony before the world for its salvation; a testimony along the generations. According to Onesimus, bishop of Jerusalem, God presented to His people, His law, the tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant, as a testimony to keep His covenant. But, having broken the covenant, He presented to them the body and blood of His only begotten Son, as a living testimony in His church. 1 On Ps. 147. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 195 The true believer is like a candle that testifies to the divine Light by its own light up to the end. Yet, it is befitting of it to kindle other candles around it, to keep the divine Light working in a multitude of candles, never to be quenched. He who keeps the light without delivering it to other candles will certainly lose the light. Through the living faith, the spiritual birth, and the Eucharist, we came to have a living testimony to God’s work, full of compassion for the whole humanity. As to the goal of this testimony, it is to invoke in us the spirit of hope, to lean upon God our Savior, and not upon human arms. According to St. Augustine; the psalmist, as he used to do, repeats his words. Here he proclaims that “God established His testimony in Jacob”, then repeat: “appointed it in Israel”. He used “Jacob” first, who took the place of his brother Esau, as the firstborn; then used “Israel”, for he enjoyed seeing God. It is befitting of us as the new Israel, to strive together with Jacob to enjoy the membership in the church of the firstborns; and to become truly the new Israel to enjoy seeing God. This is the goal of the law of God: the heavenly church membership and seeing God. He also says that God has established the testimony of the Old Covenant (the prophesies and the symbols) in a hidden way; and did not present it exposed without veil. But, in the New Covenant, crossing over to Christ, “the veil is taken away”, according to the words of the apostle in (2 Corinthians 3: 16); “For all the promises of God are ‘yes’, and in Him ‘Amen’” (2 Corinthians 1: 20). He who attaches himself to Christ will have all the goods, even what he does not perceive through the letter of the law; Whereas he who alienates himself from Christ will neither perceive, nor will not enjoy the law that is in Israel. (St. Augustine) “That the generations to come might know them; the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children” (6) That is the message of the believers, that every generation should deliver to the new generation the words of the divine love and His promises and works; according to what the Lord said about Abraham: “For I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord” (Genesis 18: 19). And it is also said: “My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your descendants’ descendants’, says the Lord, from this time and forevermore” (Isaiah 59: 21). This is the delivery or the living tradition, to which the church of Christ, every family, and every true believer are committed. St. John Chrysostom considers the role of parents in raising their children a holy work, practiced by the parents to present to God sacrifices of thanksgiving, the subject of His pleasure. He confirms that he does not seek that every child should be prepared to practice the monastic life, but he seeks from every parent to raise his child to lead an honorable life since their early youth. This commitment concerns both parents. Unfortunately there are parents who sacrifice everything to provide their children with wealth and means of pleasure; but they do not care for making them good Christians who practice piety. What a crime, blindness, and stupid slothfulness, responsible for the confusion and bitterness of the society. For if you leave your children a great fortune, yet you raise them to be ignorant of how https://coptic-treasures.com/ 196 to walk upright in their life, they will soon scatter what they inherit, and perish together with what you left them1! (St. John Chrysostom) According to St. Augustine and Father Onesimus of Jerusalem, men of the Old Covenant were the early generation; while men of the New Covenant to whom were delivered the prophecies from their fathers, are the later generation. “That they may set their hope on God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments” (7) This delivery is not just a formality, and is not some sort of bigotry, but its goal is that the new generation would become filled with the spirit of hope in the Lord, trust in Him, do not forget his works with their fathers, and keep His commandments. By that, faith would be a practical experience with God, lived by the successive generations, to the account of the glory of God, and the extension of His kingdom. “And may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that did not set their heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God” (8) The psalmist wish for the new generation to be perceptive to what is behind the prophecies, the parables, and the hidden things; to enjoy what the generation of the Old Covenant have not enjoyed; through the salvation work of the Lord Christ, and the work and leadership of the Holy Spirit. The goal of the testimony is to have hope in the Lord, with the whole heart, faithfulness, and obedience, without rebellion or grumbling; to remember the works of God, and to keep His commandments. By that, they would not do what the people did in the wilderness, who committed four main sins: They were a stubborn generation who apostatized from faith (having worshipped the golden calf); and have gone astray from the faith of their father Abraham, who entered into a covenant with God. They were a rebellious generation They did not set their heart aright. Bearing the spirit of treason, and plotting to kill Moses and Aaron, they could not seek God. Their spirit was not faithful to God. Walking with hypocrisy, they were pushed around by the violent winds, and the mighty storms. According to St. Jerome, the generation that came out of Egypt bore four features: loss of goal; blasphemy of the Creator; resistance and rebellion; and rejecting of, and not receiving the work of the spirit of God in them. Why does the psalmist call that generation as having gone astray? Although God created them to be good, and held them in His hand as a bow by which to aim His arrows against His enemies; yet “they turned aside like a deceitful bow” (Psalm 78: 57); they blasphemed their Creator. “A generation that did not set their hearts aright” (8). Up to this very day, Israel are an opponent people. “Their spirit was not faithful to God”; For Israel did not accept the Son of God, nor His Holy Spirit2. 1 On Vainglory and the Right Way for Parents to Bring up Their Children, Ch. 19. 2 On Psalms, hom. 11. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 197 (St. Jerome) According to St. Clement of Alexandria, God deals with such people with a kind of firmness to lead them to repentance through fear, having not done so through love1. God seeks, not only the inner faith, but the apparent one as well; He seeks from us to proclaim trust, great love; saying: “whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven” (Mathew 10: 32) 2. He who believes would endure much; Man’s faith appears through his works, abidance, and zeal3. As long as God’s gift is utterly beyond perception, It would be only logic that we need faith. Lack of faith is a deep abyss; whereas faith is a stronghold With faith – mother of all blessings -- we would be like those who resort to an utterly calm harbor; sail the ship of our life aright; keep our orthodox faith; and enjoy the blessings by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ4. Like a lamp that gives light to the house; faith gives light to the soul, a straight way for life; and a foundation to the eternal salvation5. (St. John Chrysostom) To believe in God is to get attached to Him through doing good. (St. Augustine) 2- THE EXPERIENCES OF THE WILDERNESS: “The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle” (9) Calling them to listen, the psalmist presented to them the experiences of their fathers along the history; starting by the dealings of God with them in the wilderness, in their strife after their exodus from the land of Egypt, setting forth toward the Promised Land. He then talked about the children of Ephraim who, despite their abundance in number and might, they were defeated in war for not keeping the covenant of God, not walking according to the divine commandment, and forgetting God’s works and wonders. According to St. Athanasius, and all the other scholars; by Ephraim, the prophet means all Israel; and he probably refers to the defeat that dwelt upon them in the days of Eli the high priest (1 Samuel 4: 10-11). The children of Ephraim, although known for their might in battle, yet, because they were not thankful to God who provided them with strength, they became slothful, were defeated in war, and were the first to be led into captivity by the Babylonians from Samaria. On account of that many of them worshipped idols, they were the cause of the perdition of all Israel. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) 1 Paedagogus (Fc. 23: 76-77). 2 In Matt. Hom 34. 3 In 1 Thess., hom 1. 4 In Rom. Hom 2. 5 In Cap. 25 St. Mat. PG 56: 930 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 198 In the book of Hosea, we find that all his prophecies were against Ephraim, among which: “Ephraim is like a silly dove, without sense” (Hosea 7: 11). Doves always live in towers; but Ephraim, like a silly dove, deserted the temple, the house of God, to live in the forest and wilderness1. “Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained the law of righteousness” (Romans 9: 31). Why? Because they were a generation, who did not put their trust in God, but in the works of the law. Having aimed their arrows, namely their works of the law, they did not set their hands (their hearts) aright; something that the righteous do, by living by the faith that works with love, by which man attaches to God, “to will and to do for God’s good pleasure” (Romans 1: 17; Galatians 5: 6; Philippians 2: 13). (St. Augustine) We can also say that the children of Ephraim refer to all the heretics, who have withdrawn from the house of God; deserted David and his kingdom; to live in the wilderness like the silly doves. Although they read the Holy Book, yet their reading is silly. Like the children of Ephraim, they were defeated in the day of war, for they do not know Him who says: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14: 27); and they even do not know how to talk eloquently; they may talk fluently; yet they should be aware of the words: “Scatter the people who delight in war” (Psalm 68: 30) 2. (St. Jerome) “They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law” (10) God has brought them out of the land of bondage, and set a covenant with them, to bring them forth into the promised land, as a symbol of entering into the heavenly Canaan. But they broke the covenant, and could not present a living testimony about Him; despite their pledge: “All the words which the Lord has said we will do” (Exodus 24: 3). They surrendered to idol worship and to its iniquities; rebelled against the law of God; and disobeyed His commandment. The prophets themselves testified to the way Israel lived all along history breaking the divine covenant. According to St. Augustine, the words “they turned back in the day of the battle” (9), is interpreted here by saying: “They did not keep the covenant of God, they refused to walk in His law” (10). Turning back in the spiritual war is their disobedience to the Lord and not keeping the covenant with Him. Whoever trust in God will faithfully keep His covenant. God is upright, and whoever attaches to Him should walk, and keep his heart upright; whereas he who disobeys Him walks in a diverted and distorted way. “They forgot what he had done, the wonders He had shown them” (11) As not keeping the covenant, and disobeying the divine commandment usually come together with forgetting the goodness of God and the wonders He has done with them and their fathers; the Holy Book warns us against forgetfulness.; saying: “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (Deuteronomy 4: 9). 1 On Psalms, hom. 11. 2 On Psalms, hom. 11. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 199 “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Deuteronomy 6: 12). “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commandments, His laws, and His decrees, that I am giving you today” (Deuteronomy 8: 11). “Then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the Land of slavery” (Deuteronomy 8: 14). “When the Lord your God gives you rest from all your enemies around you in the land He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, yo shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” (Deuteronomy 25: 19). “Does a maiden forget her jewelry; a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet My people have forgotten Me, days without numbers” (Jeremiah 2: 32). The heretics have forgotten their Father and His wondrous works in the Land of Egypt, in the darkness of this world; and have forgotten, how, by His salvation they have been born anew in the church; yet they were never satisfied1. (St. Jerome) “He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan” (12) Some believe that ‘Zoan’ was a prominent city in Egypt, where Pharaohs set their royal court, and was given several names in different eras; the most famous of which was what the Greeks called ‘Tanise’, on the eastern bank of the Nile in the delta, about 18 miles south east of Damietta, the remains of which are still in the region of Sa-el- Hagar. The Psalmist called Moses, Aaron, and the elders of Israel “their fathers”, before whom God has done wonders in ‘Tanise’ the capital of Egypt. There, by His mighty hand He brought His people out; a wonder that was a symbol of a greater work; namely, the descent of the Word of God to grant us the sonhood to the heavenly Father; through which we cross over to heaven itself; according to the words of the Lord: “Do not call anyone on earth ‘father’, for you have one Father, and He is in heaven” (matthew23: 9). We also hear His apostle say: “For in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4: 14). Such a spiritual sonhood in the Lord bears a heavenly feature, and touches the salvation of the believers through Christ the Savior of the world. It is not an alternative to the sonhood to the Father, nor a hindrance to enjoying it; but is a spiritual fruit of it. “He divided the sea and led them through; He made the water stand firm like a wall” (13) The waters of the Red Sea and the River Jordan retreated to open a dry path for the children of Israel. Water stood solid like a mountain. It is written: “With the blast of Your nostrils, the waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; and the depths congealed in the heart of the sea” (Exodus 15: 8). And, “The waters of the Jordan has been cut off; the waters that come down from upstream stood as a heap” (Joshua 3: 13). The Lord walked on the sea; He calmed the waves and let us pass. Up to this very day, O faithful believer, whenever you are led out of Egypt, the sea is split to let you pass. 1 On Psalms, hom. 11. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 200 According to St. Augustine, God cut off the waters, and shut them up, as a reference to cutting off the bodily lusts, and their corrupt work in our life, so that the believers cross over in peace through baptism. By His strong arm, God split the sea, and set crystal walls on all sides, that no drop of water would hit them until they pass through1. (St. Jerome) “He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night” (14) Some believe that God appeared as a pillar of cloud rising up to heaven, as a sign of His presence among them, and His care for them. He appeared as well as a pillar of light by night, that moved behind them, to separate between them and the Egyptian army, giving them light, while darkness dwelt over the Egyptians (Exodus 14: 19-20). The believer, in this world, walks as though in daylight by the work of the Sun of righteousness in his life, He who covers him like a cloud, to keep him from getting burned by temptations; until the great day of the Lord comes to proclaim his splendor, and not to be burned together with the wicked. How wonderful it is to say “by day”, because there is never darkness in the cloud, but always light. God has been and always is for His people, a cloud by day to protect them against the heat of the sun of temptations, but not to bring them into darkness; and a light of fire by night, to reveal the way before them, lead them to His eternal light; and be a wall of fire all around them (Zechariah 2: 5) to protect them against the fiery arrows of the enemy2. “The Lord rides on a swift (light) cloud and is coming to Egypt” (Isaiah 19: 1). We should think of such a (light) cloud that suits the (light) body pf the Savior, never burdened by a sin; as St. Mary who carried a child with no human seed; we can understand how the Lord would enter (Egypt) of this world on a swift cloud; namely, the Virgin3. Behold, the Lord enters the Egypt of this world on a cloud light, the Virgin. “He guided them with the cloud by day " (Ps 78: 14). Creativity in the said "day", because the cloud were not never dark, but always enlightening. “and with light from the fire all night” (Ps 78: 14). For you darkness itself is not dark, and night shines by day (Ps. 139: 12). "Light the fire all night." The Lord our God is a consuming fire Psalmist did not say whether the fire-eating, leaving it to our intelligence “For our God is a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4: 24; Hebrew 12: 29), for those who builds with wood, hay, or straw on the foundation laid by Christ (1 Corinthians 3: 12). For fire has a double nature: it gives light to us if we are righteous, and it would consumes us if we are wicked4. (St. Jerome) “He split the rocks in the desert, and gave them water as abundant as the seas” (15) 1 On Psalms, hom. 11. 2 On Psalms, hom. 11. 3 Homilies on Ps 11 (PS. 77). 4 On Psalms, hom. 11. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 201 Here, he does not say “the rock”, being a symbol of the Lord Christ; but saying “the rocks”, he probably means the believers whose hearts were hardened like rocks, then fountains of water erupted in them through the cross, not only to quench their thirst, but to flow on others as well. “He brought streams out of a rocky crag, and made water flow down like rivers” (16) It was said by Isaiah: “I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys; I will turn the deserts into pools of water, and the parched grounds into springs” (Isaiah 41 18); and, “I am making a way in the desert, and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43: 19). By the Lord Christ, the Rock struck by the cross, we enjoyed the streams of the Holy God, the Grantor of life. The rock in the wilderness was struck for our sake, and the water flowed from the Rock who says: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink; out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7: 37, 38). In the barren wilderness, water profusely flowed for us1. (St. Jerome) “But they sinned even more against Him, by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness” (17) This refers to what happened in Rephidim where there was no water for the people to drink, and the people contended with Moses, and said: ‘Give us water that we may drink’, and Moses said to them: ‘Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord’?” (Exodus 17: 2). The expression “they sinned even more” refers to a repetition of rebellion. It is amazing that the more God cared for them, and provided them with more than their needs, performing wonders that shocked the nations all around them for a long time; the more they sinned and rebelled against Him. He brought them forth to a wilderness where there was no possibilities of life; that if they resort to Him, He would not let them in need of anything; Yet, the more gifts He gave them, the more evil and opposition to the truth flowed out of their hearts. God provided them with streams of water to quench their thirsty bellies ; whereas their hearts and minds rejected the water of the Spirit, and remained dry and fruitless like a barren wilderness. “And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy”(18) There is a great difference between asking for food while man is hungry, and challenging God to provide a proof of His presence, might, and care! He would be pleased when we seek from Him even our material needs, yet without tempting Him in our hearts; Namely, when we seek food, to feed, move, and work, but not to satisfy our fantasy and craving. It is written: “The children of Israel also wept again and said: ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes” (Numbers 11: 4-6). Although the creation has no right to tempt her Creator, yet God in His love for man, gave him freedom which he abused, tempting his Creator. 1 On Psalms, hom. 11. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 202 Asking with faith is different from asking to tempt God. They did not ask for food with faith. With such sense, the apostle James says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting” (James 1: 5-6). That generation have not got such faith to guide their hearts and spirits that did not trust God. (St. Augustine) Souls, according to the way man was created in the image of God, are in no need of material food; but those that lost their way and turned fleshy, became fond of earthly things, which are meant by the words of the Holy Scripture: “Soul, you Have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12: 19). (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “Yes, they spoke against God; they said: ‘Can God prepare a table in the wilderness” (19) “Behold, He struck the rock, so that the water gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?” (20) He abundantly provided them with water; In their hearts, they tempted Him; whether He could He provide them with a table of meat instead of that manna coming down from heaven?! Instead of giving God thanks and praise for the daily manna and the rock that accompanied them, overflowing with running and renewable water; they tempted Him by seeking meat as a fantasy, instead of the sweet and useful manna. Although He did not forsake them hungry or thirsty, yet they sought what would satisfy their lusts; and in their lack of faith, they assumed that He who provided them with manna and water, would not be able to prepare a table for them according to their stupid desires. By such behavior they insulted the might of God, and misjudged His divine care! Although not denying the wonders that God performed for their sake, yet their hearts and minds were overcome by their lack of faith. “Therefore the Lord heard this and was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel” (21) “The Lord heard this and was furious” His anger was not for no reason; but being the One who searches the hearts and minds, and knows the hidden things that go on in them, is aware of all their sins. In both the Old and the New Testaments, fire often refers to the divine wrath; as for example: “Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire, brimstone, and a burning wind”(Psalm 11: 6); and: “Every tree which does not bear good fruit, is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3: 10). It so seems that some of them said that drawing water out of a rock is something easy, as water normally lie underneath the ground; but from where will He get the food to prepare a table for His hungry people?! Because seeking food from God was not in faith of His work and love, but out of ridicule for Him and testing Him, the fire of the divine wrath was kindled against them, and His anger dwelt upon them as a natural fruit for their work, and not out of hatred against them. As we wrote in our book “The Brotherly Love”, God has got no such human reactions of anger; but that could be said concerning those who, rejecting God and His love, casting themselves by themselves in the corruption of sin, are counted as subject for the divine wrath, https://coptic-treasures.com/ 203 “Because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation” (22) The greatest sin of the world all along the generations, is the lack of faith in God’s might, goodness, and care. As without faith, it is not possible to enjoy His pleasure. He who does not believe in God would not trust Him, nor give Him pleasure. Having been dwelling among them, and caring for them like a mighty and wise Father, He counted their words and thoughts as an insult and blasphemy against Him; and His wrath and anger kindled, not as a revenge, but because of their lack of faith, and of not enjoying His free salvation. According to St. Augustine; When the psalmist was asked why the fire of God’s wrath dwelt upon them, he responded by saying: For their lack of faith and trust in God. “Yet He commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven” (23) “He rained down Manna on them to eat, and given1 them of the bread of heaven” (24) “Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full” (25) God remains faithful despite our unfaithfulness. According to the scholar Origen, setting forth along the royal path in the wilderness journey – as done by Moses and his people -- dwelling in holy tents, knowing no rest for his body, nor slothfulness; man gets the heavenly manna, or the bread of the angels, as a gift to the wise believing souls. Perceiving what peace would be brought forth to you by walking along the way of wisdom, and what grace and meekness you will get, you should cast away any slothfulness, go along that way, and never retreat before the solitude of the wilderness. By dwelling in such tents, you would get the heavenly manna, and eat the bread of the angels2. By setting forth to that horrible maze of the wilderness, the righteous will be granted food from heaven3. (The scholar Origen) The angels’, because it came down from above by angels according to God’s command. According to the revered St. Athanasius:, the prophet means to say that God, not only fed their bodies by material food, but fed their souls by spiritual food, which is called ‘the bread of angels’ by the apostle. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) The great stores of heaven opened up wide, and on them came down a new manna they did not know before, did not labor to plant, reap, grind, or prepare, but was a ready prepared meal for instant consummation by all, with no discrimination between rich or poor, big or small; but for all to find satisfaction. Who were they who fell down in the wilderness along the journey to the promised land (Hebrew 3: 17)? Were they not those who sought to eat meat (Numbers 11: 33)? Were they not those who were not satisfied with the manna and the water that gushed from the rock? Were they not those who have overcome the Egyptians and crossed over the Red Sea? But on account of that they craved for pots of meat (Exodus 16: 3), they were denied the entrance into the Promised Land. Are not we afraid to follow that 1 Meaning wheat, which is the righteousness of the word 2 In Lev. 17. 3 In Josh. 4: 1. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 204 miserable example? Are we not terrified by the fact that gluttony may probably deny us the anticipated goods? I can say to you that not even the wise Daniel would have seen his visions, if he was not purified first by fasting. I should tell you that out of fatty food comes vapor that dims the lights of the mind brought forth by the Holy Spirit. “Men ate angels’ food” (Psalm 78: 25), which differs from all other kinds of food; It is not meat, nor wine, after the fancy of men1. (St. Basil the Great) Getting the strength to carry out their assignments through meditating in the truth and wisdom, we find written in the psalm that the angels share the food with the Hebrew men of God, to come to be (table partners). However, concerning that specific verse, saying: “Men ate angels’ food” (25), our mind should not be so shallow to assume that angels – the ministering spirits of God (Hebrew 1: 14) 2 -- partake of, and feed forever on a certain kind of material food like that which came down upon those who came out of Egypt (Exodus 16: 15; Psalm 78: 25). As the demons, presiding beside the altars of the Gentiles, sustained upon the smell of the sacrifices offered on those alters; So are the angels, attracted by the blood of the sacrifices offered by the children of Israel, and the fragrance of incense, as spiritual symbols, preside beside the altars, and feed upon such kind of food3. Upon those who came out of Egypt, who followed the pillars of cloud and fire, and entered into the wilderness, came down from heaven a simple and delicate kind of food, described as “angels’ food” (25) 4. (The scholar Origen) “He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens; And by His power He brought in the south wind” (26) “He also rained meat on them like the dust, featherhead foul like the sand of the sea” (27) “And He let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their habitation” (28) If the devil was called ‘the prince of air’, God, having the authority over air, storms, and tempests. caused the east wind to blow, to drive the fouls to the required direction, toward the camp. Winds are often described as being unstable; Yet the Almighty God, who is preoccupied with the winds of our inner souls, is alone capable of directing them to our edification, and of calming them down in due course. He did not rain on them fire because of their lack of faith, but in His longsuffering, He rained on them meat, uncountable featherhead fouls like dust and sand of the sea. He gave them their heart desire, in the hope that they would repent and regret their thoughts of denial and disbelief. “So they ate and were well filled; for He gave them their own desire” (29) Instead of remorse, they ate and were well filled with the food, harmful for their health; rejecting the healthy “manna”. He did not only give them meat to eat, according . 1 عظة 9 :1 ؛ ص 25 2 On Prayer 27: 11 (ACW). 3De Principiis 1: 8: 1 (Cf. Butterworth). 4 Commentary on Sang of Songs 1: 4. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 205 to their hearts’ desire, but He let the foul fall in the midst of their camp, to spare them the labor of collecting them. God, in His longsuffering, gave them what they thought He could not provide, not as a demonstration of His might, but to give them the chance to repent. Yet, instead of repentance “they ate and were well filled”. There was no fault in eating, but in being overcome by desire, and in not reconsidering their behavior, despising God, and trusting Him no more. “They were not deprived of their craving; but while their food was still in their mouths, (30) “The wrath of God came against them, and slew the stoutest of them, and struck down the choicest men of Israel” (31) While God’s mercies dwell upon the humble, His wrath comes against the haughty proud. God rained on them meat to eat; but when they did not give thanks to Him for it, ate and were filled, and got haughty, the wrath of God came against them for their denial. By “the stoutest of them” he means the haughtiest, about whom is said: “Their eyes bulge with abundance” (Psalm 73: 7). (St. Augustine) Some believe that the expression “the choicest men of Israel” does refer to those chosen by God, but those chosen by the people, being strong men of war who could defend them during their journey to the promised land. Those, having been overcome by their desire and lack of faith. were not able even to defend themselves. “In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works” (32) Their desire conceived and gave birth to the sin of gluttony together with denial; to produce a fruition of physical and spiritual death. The banquet turned into a collective funeral for the stoutest and the choicest among them, probably because they were the greediest in eating; or on account of that they were the ones who have led the movement of disobedience and rebellion against God. They were not killed by the sword, but by their greed and evil desire. They sinned, yet they did not learn their lesson; They saw those killed by the evil desires; yet they did not return with repentance to their God, the Maker of wonders. 3- THE GRUMBLING OF MAN AND HIS CHASTISEMENT: “Therefore their days He consumed in futility, and their years in fear” (33) The journey to Canaan that could have been done in few days, took a duration of forty years; God “consumed their days in futility, and their years in fear”. Denial, grumbling, and lack of faith; produced a fruitless futile life. While if man return to his God with repentance, he would enjoy the divine promise: “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust; the great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2: 25). Having rejected faith, they got connected to futility which consumed their days, living without a goal. And as their lack of faith turned the wilderness into a maze, instead of reaching the Promised Land, they were driven to terror and death (33). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 206 The wilderness turned into a graveyard for innumerable counts of them, and consumed the whole generation that came out of Egypt, except for Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh. God did not wish for them to die, but, with their complete choice, they adopted the way of disbelief; and therefore, “their days He consumed in futility”. Having fallen under chastisement, and seen death reaping the stoutest and the choicest among them, they remembered that God was the Rock in whom they take refuge, and the Most High who cares for them; and came back to Him in apparent piety, while their hearts did not abide in Him; by which they fell in the sins of deceit, lying, and hypocrisy. Such is the law of human nature of men after their corruption. When God present to them free gifts in abundance, they rebel and deny; and when He chastises and kills, they return to Him and seek Him; yet in fear of further chastisement, and not in longing for Him. Seeking Him, yet not with the whole heart, He admonishes them, saying: “The pride of Israel testifies to his face, but they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek Him for all this” (Hosea 7: 10). That is how the long history of Israel with God reveals. They enter with Him into a covenant, which they do not care to keep, but breaks for no reason. And when they return to Him after being chastised, they proclaim their repentance by words and not by deeds, to turn into liars and deceptive. The life of those going to perdition are swift; and even though they may seem long, it is no more than vapor which will soon disappear. (St. Augustine) “When He slew them, then they sought Him; they returned and sought diligently for God” (34) In the book of Isaiah, God admonishes them, saying: “When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make prayers, I will not hear” (Isaiah 1: 12, 15). To receive their worship as a sweet fragrance, God seeks from them a return from the whole heart. “When He slew them, then they sought Him”; not for the sake of the eternal life, but for fear that the vapor (their life) would very soon come to an end. They sought Him not in truth, but for fear that they would have the same fate of those who perished before their eyes. (St. Augustine) How could I get what I seek? By not seeking what God does not intend to grant; what is not befitting to ask from the Great King; by seeking, not what is temporal; but the spiritual blessings. By approaching Him, as well with no malice in heart, and with pure and holy hands, used in giving holy alms; If I approach Him as such, I shall certainly get what I seek1. (St. John Chrysostom) Whoever spends his days in futility, his time will soon come to an end; whereas he who spends them in good works, his days will be abundant and futile. 1 In 1 Tim. Hom. 8 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 207 (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “Then they remembered that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer” (35) “Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, and lied to Him with their tongue” (36) Although they perceived that God is their Rock, capable of protecting and sustaining them, they returned to Him by their mouths and not by their hearts; for they loved the world and not God; they returned to God, not for the love of Him, but for fear that they might lose the temporal goods, or fall under the afflictions of this world.. We should perceive that God’s chastisements are not haphazard nor without a goal; but are intended for man to forsake disobedience, to seek God’s care, to remember His goodness, and to recognize His might. When God struck the Israelites, they were committed to resort to Him, and prayed to Him to come to their rescue. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “For their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant” (37) What was on their tongues differed from what was in their hearts, which are bare before the eyes of God. The heart would be upright with God when it seeks God for God’s sake. Let us beware of praying to Christ with our mouths, when we stay silent with our life. He properly prays to Christ, who rejects the temporal pleasures; he who, by his behavior and not by his words, say: “The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6: 14); and he who generously gives to the poor (Psalm 112: 9) 1. Do not ever ask, seek, or knock, just by your voice, but by your life as well2. (St. Augustine) 4- GOD’S MERCY IN THE MIDST OF HIS WRATH: “But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath” (38) Despite their lies and hypocrisy; yet, being Compassionate and Longsuffering, who wishes for the salvation of mankind, and not their perdition, God often turned away His anger, presenting opportunities for repentance. Yes indeed, if it is not for God’s mercies on us, who could ever be saved?! According to Rabinicals3, verse 38, is the center of the whole book; coming exactly in its middle; It proclaims God’s great work of salvation in history, as the centerpiece of prayer and worship. This verse, speaking of the compassion of God, the Forgiver of sins, who turns His anger away from man; together with the two following verses; are recited when someone is being chastised with 40 “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, then the Lord will bring upon you 1 Sermon 88. 2 Sermon Marin 16: 8. 3 Kiddusin 30a. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 208 and your descendants extraordinary plagues – and serious and prolonged sicknesses” (Deuteronomy 28: 58-59) 1. The two verses (38-39) talk about the meaningless repentance, carrying deception; to say to those who bear the appearance of repentance: “O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away”(Hosea 6: 4). God dealt with them, not according to their denial, but according to His compassion; He did not destroy them according to their worthiness. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “For He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again” (39) In His exalted love, God remembered the weakness of man; how he is like a breath that passes away, not to come again; hence he is worthy of the divine love and compassion, to abide and become strong. He remembered that they are but flesh; namely, they lean toward the will of the body; And that their spirits after coming out of their bodies do not come back to this world; namely, their spirit goes forth after the desires of their body, and does not return in repentance. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert” (40) He brought them out to the wilderness to proclaim His exalted care for them; and to let them know that He is the only refuge for them. Yet, as they often rebelled against Him. Instead of enjoying God’s company with them, to turn the wilderness into a garden, they turned it into a cause for the grief of God on them. “Yes, again and again they tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel” (41) They returned with their hearts, not to God, but to the pots of meat in Egypt, to the life of bondage. Because they kept on tempting God, “They provoked the Holy One of Israel”; namely, they opposed His divine might, or doubted it, He admonishes them, saying: “They have put Me to the test now ten times, and have not heeded My voice” (Numbers 14: 22). 5- SALVATION FROM THE BONDAGE OF PHARAOH: In order to abide in faith, and to practice love, we are committed to be filled with hope in the Lord, through remembering His prior dealings with us; That is why He says: “They did not remember His power; the day when He redeemed them from the enemy” (42) Although it was not easy to forget His works, yet sin blinded their memory concerning God’s goodness and blessing on them. Hence came the commandment, saying: “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life” (Deuteronomy 4: 9). And the apostle Paul, from whose heart and memory, the cross never 1 Stuhmuller, p. 27. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 209 departed, says: “You, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified” (Galatians 3: 1). “When He worked His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan” (43) Here He reminds them of the plagues He brought upon the Pharaoh and his people because of them, calling them signs and wonders. “turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, that they could not drink” (44) The River Nile, which was worshipped by the Egyptians as a god who grants them life, turned for them into a source of filth and death; proclaiming God’s wrath that brought the spirit of terror and perdition among them. “He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them, and frogs which destroyed them”(45) They were attacked by swarms of flies (mosquitoes) which tormented them. Those swarms did not fear nor cared for Pharaoh’s army, authority, nor his majesty. And instead of fish, the River Nile got filled with frogs, which invaded every place in their homes including their bedrooms and kitchens; and the heaps of those they killed got rotten and became the source of defilement and sickness. “He also gave their crops to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust” (46) “He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost” (47) “He also gave up their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to fiery lightning” (48) Their crops were devoured by pests, and their labor was in vain. And as the vines were the drink of the rich, and the sycamore was the food of the poor, the plague of hail and frost struck both the rich and the poor. Hail and frost are not common phenomena in Egypt; Yet God changes the laws of nature to chastise the wicked. And because of the evil of man, the cattle, as well, perished by the wrath of nature. “He cast on them the fierceness of His anger; wrath, indignation, and trouble, by sending angels of destruction among them” (49) God sent the angel of destruction to kill the firstborn of the Egyptians, in retaliation to what the Pharaoh and his men did when they killed all the male infants of the Hebrews. In a vision seen by the prophet Ezekiel, he saw the Great King sitting on His high throne above the stars Ezekiel 10: 1). And like “a Potter who has power over the clay to make from the same lump one vessel for honor and another for dishonor; What then if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory” (Romans 9: 21-23). While sending His angels to His saints to fill them with good life and peace, God casts the fierceness of His wrath and indignation over the cruel rebels, “by sending angels of destruction among them” (49) 1 (St. Gregory, bishop of Nyssa) I wish to add that God does not execute all His actions by Himself, but He sometimes sends intermediaries, whether to punish or to heal; as we see in the Psalm, saying: “He 1عظة 14 على نشید الأناشید ترجمة الدكتور جورج نوّار. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 210 cast on them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, by sending angels of destruction among them” (49). For them, did not lead them to God's punishment himself, but he used to do the evil angels of the implementation of the task of punishment. May use the Lord as well as pure angels to punish some people. But it happens sometimes that the Lord rejects the use of such intermediaries, and signs the sanctions themselves, as is the case with Babylon. When the wounds are minor and heal fast, only a doctor or to send his student assistant, and addresses the way the patient. May sometimes be a patient in need for amputation of one of its members and to use the scalpel, however, also does not go to the doctor himself, but chooses one of his aides are able to do this work, and send to address the patient. When the wounds are superficial and curable, the physician sends one of his aids to treat the patient. But in case the wounds are serious, and the damage spread all over the body; the situation then needs the services of the master physician himself. Likewise, if the sins are simple, God does not punish the sinners by Himself, but through intermediaries; but if the sins are very serious, as it was the case with Babylon, God hastens to bring the punishment by Himself1. (The scholar Origen) “He made a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the plague” (50) The angels who brought forth the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians, as it came in a translation by ‘Simachus’, were called: “the angels of destruction’, the same way this same prophet called the day of Judgment ‘an evil day’, in the sense that in it, God’s punishments will come upon the non-repentant. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) “And destroyed all the firstborn of Egypt, the first of their strength in the tents of Ham” (51) God’s wrath came in stages upon the Egyptians, with the hope that they would repent. He denied them the water to drink, then disturbed them by the frogs, then struck their cattle and crops, and finally He destroyed their firstborn with no exception, that grief came forth intoevery house, from the palace of Pharaoh to the captive inside the prison. God deals with those He intends to chastise with a great deal of mercy and compassion. With the Egyptians, He started by striking their possessions, like their cattle and crops, and when they did not repent, He destroyed their firstborn. If they did repent after the first strike, He would have spared them the second one. Saying “in the tents of Ham”, refers to the fact that Egypt was a portion of Ham the son of Noah. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) 6- THE ENTERY INTO THE PROMISED LAND: .L.II. 1 عظات للعلامة أوریجینوس على سفر إرمیا ترجمة جاكلین سمیر كوستي 6 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 211 “But He made His own people go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock” (52) Now, having destroyed the vicious wolves, God made those who were humiliated go forth like sheep and flock under the care of a Good and a Heavenly Shepherd, guiding them from the land of bondage to a land that flows with milk and honey. From the beginning, He brought them forth to the bottom of the sea, and brought them out singing and praising; to give them the feeling ofsurety that they will be safe in their journey across the wilderness. “And He led them safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies” (53) An amazing contradictory portrait: the weak and helpless came to be safe, exulting without fear; while the strong and mighty wrestled with death in the bottom of the sea. “And He brought them to His holy border, this mountain which His right hand had acquired” (54) He led them to the border of the holy land, where He intended to set His temple, and to turn its mountains into holy mountains. It is an magnificent portrait of God’s care for us while we are in the wilderness of this world, to bring us forth to the deposit of the heavenlies, and to let us enjoy the divine Sanctuaries. “He also drove out the nations before them, allotted their lands to them as an inheritance, and made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents” (55) That was realized by the hands of Joshua the son of Nun. If you perceive what peace would be brought forth by walking along the path of wisdom, and what grace you may get, you should therefore cast from yourself any slothfulness, proceed along that path, and never retreat before the seclusion and isolation of the wilderness; As once you reside in those tents, you will get the heavenly manna, and eat the angels’ food1. (The scholar Origen) 7- A COLLAPSE IN THE ERA OF THE JUDGES: Having settled down, and come to inherit the promised land; Instead of praising and giving thanks to God, they fell into idol worship, and diverted to iniquities, in the era of the Judges “Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, and did not keep His testimonies” (56) Settling down in the promised land, their hearts and minds went astray from God, seeking the temporal pleasures, and the satisfaction of their lusts through idol worship. “But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers. They were turned aside like a deceitful bow” (57) Their entrance into Canaan, and their enjoyment of the successive conquests, did not take away from them the spirit of apostasy and deceit. They repeated the history of their rebellious fathers, practiced their sins, and did not keep God’s covenant. Bringing along with them their corruption to the land of inheritance, they came to be like a bow that sends forth arrows without a goal. 1 In Lev. 17. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 212 “For they provoked Him to anger with their high places, and moved Him to jealousy with their carved images” (58) 8- GOD FORSAKES SHILOH: “When God heard this He was furious, and greatly abhorred Israel” (59) What came here brings back to mind what happened in the days of Eli the high priest, when the glory of the Lord forsook His people; the Philistines captured the ark of God, the neck of Eli the priest was broken, his two sons were killed in the war, and his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas gave birth to a son she called ‘Ichabod’, meaning (the glory has departed from Israel) (1 Samuel 4: 21-22). If God got angry over His people who often rebelled against Him, while being in the wilderness, enjoying His unique care; How much more would he be angry, and even greatly abhorred, when He finds that they haven’t learned a lesson from the past, and carried the same spirit to the promised land?! Before the persistence of the people, whom He brought forth out of the land of bondage into the promised land, on sacrificing to idols over every hill, and under every tree, God disregarded them, which is the most severe kind of chastisement; as through disregarding them they would certainly loose everything, and be brought to perdition. “So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which He has placed among them” (60) By forsaking Shiloh, where the tabernacle of the meeting was, God proclaimed His abhorrence of His people; as the most horrible sins were committed its doors; and wooden images were set over every hill. The divine glory departed, and ‘Ichabod’ (the departure of glory) came in its place. God allowed the Philistines to capture the ark of the meeting in Shiloh, as a chastisement to His people who rejected Him and sacrificed to the idols. “And delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemies’ hand” (61) By allowing the ark of the covenant, that represents His glory, to be captured by the Philistines, God demonstrated the seriousness of the situation. He showed that He would rather endure the reproach of the enemies who assumed that their god Dagon has defeated the God of Israel, rather than to endure the treason of His own people who have enjoyed His wonders. “He also gave His people over to the sword, and was furious with His inheritance” (62) “There fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers” (1 Samuel 4: 10), for God was no more on the side of His own inheritance. His jealousy made Him chastise them in such seemingly harsh way. “The fire consumed their young men, and their maidens were not given in marriage” (63) “The fire consumed their young men”. Namely, the fire of God’s wrath came upon His denying people whom He delivered to the fire of war. “And their maidens were not given in marriage”. As the sword in war consumed the young men, the maidens remained without marriage, and the songs of wedding were never heard from their mouths; as it came in the prophet Isaiah: “In that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: ‘We will eat our own food, and wear our own apparel; Only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach” (Isaiah 4: 1). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 213 “Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation” (64) By the priests he refers to Hophni and Phinehas the sons of Eli the priests who fell by the swords of the Philistines. “And their widows made no lamentation”. The widows made no lamentation on the loss of their men, for their sorrow over what happened to the people as a whole has swallowed every personal sorrow. The relatives of those killed in war made no lamentation on them, because of the extent of the general grief, and anguish that overshadowed every grief on individual level. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) 9- THE KINGDOM OF DAVID IS ESTABLISHED: “Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior shouting because of wine” (65) The period of chastisement will soon pass by, and the people will enjoy a new beginning, when God grants them the strength of resurrection. God seems like someone awoke from sleep to work diligently in the life of His people. “The Lord neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121: 4). Yet, getting up to Judge after an extended period of silence in longsuffering, He would seem as though awakening from sleep. This phrase is used in the morning, in the liturgy of the feast of resurrection – the Christian Passover – to declare the resurrection of the Lord Christ as though awakening from sleep. He, on whom death has no authority, awakes like a warrior overcoming death and destroying the authority of Satan over the believers. By His resurrection He established His church, like a unicorn (rhinoceros), set in the whole world to partake of His eternal glory. (According to St. Athanasius: [The unicorn is an unconquerable beast, by whose corn or horn it can overcome any other animal. Like a unicorn, according to the psalmist, when the temple of God was built, all the nations submitted to the power it represented]. We hear those who attempt to justify that very harmful ailment that comes over the soul, through a repulsive way of interpreting the Holy Book; claiming that there is nothing wrong in being angry over those who sin, as long as God Himself is said to become furious and angry over those who do not know Him, or who Knew Him then denied Him, according to the text: “God was furious and greatly abhorred Israel” (59); or according to the words of the prophet, praying: “O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure” (Psalm 6: 1). They do not perceive that by so doing, they are committing a very serious and harmful sin, by referring to the divine Person, the Source of every purity, one of the worst shortcomings of man. Such things should never be referred to God. If such things are literally interpreted, we could say as well that God sleeps, according to the text: “Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?” (Psalm 44: 23); although it is said somewhere else: “The Lord neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121: 4); And that He stands and sits; according to the text: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool” (Psalm 66: 1). And “The Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior shouting because of wine”(Psalm 78: 65); while He “alone has immortality, dwelling in an unapproachable https://coptic-treasures.com/ 214 light” (1 Timothy 6: 16); Not mentioning the ‘ignorance’ and ‘forgetfulness’ that are often mentioned in the Holy Book. And finally the description of body members referred to Him, as though He is a man. Like hair, head, nose, eyes, face, hands, arms, fingers, belly, and feet. It would be really horrible to take them all in a literal sense, and should not be considered at all in our mind. When we read about God’s wrath and anger, we should not understand them in a way unbefitting to God, who is above any lowly human emotion; and we should perceive that He is the divine Judge and Avenger on every injustice committed in this world. And according to these terms and their significances, we should be fearful of Him, being the One who deals with us according to our deeds, and should beware not to do anything against his will; for the human nature, specially of those whose conscience is not at peace, used to fear those whom we knows to be firm, and be careful not to do wrong against those of hot displeasure, as is the case for certain human judges, who are actually fair and impartial, although would be called otherwise by those who are punished fairly by them, according to the spirit of the law1. (St. John Cassian) “And He beat back His enemies; He puts them to a perpetual reproach” (66) The enemies of Israel did not enjoy the joy of conquest for long; for the hand of the Lord struck them with the tumors (1 Samuel 5); and their cries for pain went up to heaven. “Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim” (67) Although God honored Ephraim by having Joshua the great leader, and Gideon the judge come from them, and by designating Shiloh within their territory to be the place for the tabernacle for the duration of three centuries; Yet now, “it is weighed in the balances, and found wanting”; and God rejected Shiloh to have this honor any longer. It is a prophecy of the division of the kingdom in the reign of ‘Rehoboam’, and of ‘Jeroboam’ of the tribe of Ephraim taking over all the tribes, except for Judah and Benjamin, to form a separate kingdom of Israel, with Samaria as its capital. “But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved” (68) According to the prophecy of Jacob, the tribe of Judah took prominence, and from it came the Lord Christ, the Savior of all mankind. And the tabernacle with the ark of the Covenant was moved to the village of Jearim in the land of Judah, then to Mount Zion. Here he refers to the tribe of Judah in whose possession the temple of Solomon has been; hence it became very strong like the unicorn (Rhinoceros), He also refers to the church of the New Covenant, based upon the (one) baptism. “And He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which He has established forever” (69) “He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfold” (70) Having been a shepherd of sheep, God set David as a shepherd of His people, and said to him: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel” (2 Samuel 7: 8). “From following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance” (71) 1 Cassian: De institutes caenoboum., 8: 2-4. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 215 Having been compassionately used to follow the ewes with young, while wandering about searching for grass; and to feed the little lambs, David was highly qualified to take over his responsibility as a king to faithfully shepherd the people of people. “So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands” (72) The prophet David was upright before God, and his heart never went astray from obeying His commandments, faithful to God and His people. We remember how Jacob shepherded the flock of sheep of Laban, his father-in-law, faithfully laboring and watching over them; and how he shepherded his own children, guided them, and taught them the basics of the shepherding work. We also remember how Joseph used to shepherd his father’s flock of sheep, together with his brothers; and how in Egypt he became a leader of a huge population, and guided them like a good shepherd, guiding his flock. And how Moses used to shepherd the flock of sheep of Jethro, his father-in-law; then was chosen by God to shepherd His people; How he carried his rod over his shoulder, went ahead of his people, and guided them in the wilderness for a duration of forty years; watched and labored for their sake as a good shepherd; and when it so happened that God intended to destroy them because of worshipping the calf, Moses prayed to God for their sake, saying: “Now, if You will forgive their sin – but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written” (Exodus 32: 32). That is how a good shepherd delivers himself to the account of his flock; a watchful leader gives himself up for the sake of his people; and a merciful father embraces and raises his children. With such great wisdom, Moses knew how to teach Joshua the son of Nun, his disciple full of the Spirit, to succeed him to shepherd such a great flock. Then came David to shepherd the flock of sheep of his father; then chosen by God to shepherd his own people, “and he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart” (72). And when it happened that David gave his order to count the people against the will of God; and the wrath of God dwelt upon them, and started to perish, David did not hesitate to deliver himself to the account of his flock, praying to God: “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me, and against my father’s house” (2 Samuel 24: 17). That is how all the watchful shepherds used to deliver themselves to the account of their flocks1. (St. Aphrahat, the Persian wise man) 1 Demonstrations, 10: 2. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 216 AN INSPIRATION FROM PSALM 78 YOUR WORKS TESTIFY TO YOUR LOVE Your love is an incessant song; You have created everything for my sake; And did not In all generations, Your works testify to Your exalted love; You always wished to embrace all mankind, and to set out of them children for yourself; You are their Rock, their Refuge, their Joy, and their pleasure; Whoever acquires You will be in need of nothing; Yet the story of mankind with You has been always a story of rebellion and denial; While Your own story with them has been one of love and longsuffering; You always gave them whatever they sought; Yet, instead of seeking your love; Their hearts foolishly flowed with rebellion and denial. Under chastisement, man would tend to return to You; Yet, he often seeks Your gifts, and not to get attached to You; O my Lord, grant us the upright, faithful, and pure heart; That seeks because it truly loves you; That desires to see You, on account of that You are its satisfaction, joy, and glory.
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