THE HOLINESS AND DEALINGS Having spoken about the forbidden marriages, and the abominable bodily relationships, He speaks here about translating the holy life, practically, through our relationship with God, parents, and brethren, even with our behavior toward beasts and plants. 1- Statutes concerning our relationship with the Holy God 1 - 2 2- Statutes concerning revering the parents 3 3- Statutes concerning keeping the Sabbath, and rejecting idol-worship 3 - 8 4- Statutes concerning the harvest 9 - 10 5- Statutes concerning our relationship with the brethren 11 - 18 6- Statutes concerning the animals and agriculture 19 7- The statute concerning committing sin with a concubine 20 - 22 8- The statute concerning the firstfruit of trees 23 - 25 9- General statutes 26 – 27 1- STATUTES CONCERNING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOLY GOD: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy’” (1, 2) God is the secret of our holiness; Entering with Him into a fellowship, by abiding in the Holy Son, through His Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we carry His features in us, to be counted as holy. Holiness is not only keeping away from evil, and not even just practicing virtuous works; but it is to receive the Holy God, and to enjoy Him, to carry His features as a gift from Him. Holiness is a gift from the Holy God to His children; saying: “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” )John 17: 19) Perceiving this holiness as a divine gift that we enjoy through our enjoyment of the Holy One Himself, particularly in the water of baptism, St. Augustine says: [By the righteousness You grant me, I shall be righteous. Let my righteousness be Your righteousness, for You grant it to me]. ; And he says: [He who has got the grace of holiness, of baptism, and of the forgiveness of sins (1 Corinthians 6: 11), will say to his God: I am holy because You sanctify me; not because holiness is from me, but because I received it, not because I deserve it, but because You granted it to me]. And, [If all the believers who get baptized become clothed in Him, according to the words of the apostle: “For as many of you that were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ” (Galatians 3: 27). If they have become members of His body, and still say that they are not saints, they are doing wrong to the Head, of whom they are His members. … Now see where you are, and who your Head is, to have honor]. And more clearly he says: [The holiness of the Christian is realized by Christ Himself; He is the power of holiness … hence holiness is consummated in the water of baptism, where he glitters]. Presenting to us another concept of the sanctification, the scholar Origen believes that it means consecrating man in his wholeness to the account of the kingdom of God, even the temporal things would be sanctified by consecrating them to the Lord; giving as examples, the firstfruit consecrated to the Lord, are delivered to Him; and the priestly garments, the holy vessels, and the tools of the temple or the tabernacle, are consecrated, namely, would not be used except for the service of the Lord… So it is for the holy man, who, with all his energies, possibilities, and all the breaths of his life, will be consecrated to the account of the kingdom of Light.. He says: [If we understand in what sense will the animal (the sacrifice), the holy tools and garments be consecrated, we shall, by good logic, be able to understand man as a saint. …In truth, we are committed to consecrate ourselves to the Lord, and not be preoccupied by any temporal work, according to the words of the apostle: “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldiers” (2 Timothy 2: 4)….Let us then keep away from those who live a carnal way of life, and who hold fast to the temporal things; … Let us separate ourselves from them; as it is said: “Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3: 2); For by that we shall be counted as saints … … We should “withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us (from the apostle)” (2 Thessalonian 3: 6); … and according to the prophet Isaiah: “Depart! Depart!, Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing, Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the Lord” (Isaiah 52: 11; Revelation 18: 4). … Keep away from the earthly things;… Forsake the covetousness of the world, “For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2: 16). … Forsake all that and consecrate yourself to the Lord; … By “depart”, he does not mean to leave the place, but rather to leave the works; to change the way of life. For the word “holy” in Greek (hagios), means soaring above the earthly things. He who consecrates himself to the Lord, soars above the earth and the world; and can say, while still on earth: “We have a city in heaven”].. 2- STATUTES CONCERNING REVERING THE PARENTS: The commandment “Everyone of you shall revere his mother and his father” (3), came directly after, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am Holy” 92). The first sign of holiness will appear in our practical life through our relationship with our father and mother, which represent the fatherhood of God, and the motherhood of the church. The commandment of revering the parents occupies a prominent place among the ten commandments (Exodus 20: 12), as well as in several other places; and as the apostle says: “It is the first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6: 2). In the fifth commandment, the father came before the mother; but here, the mother comes first; to proclaim the equality between the father and the mother, and the non-partiality to one at the expense of the other, but that their reverence should be the same in the sight of their children. 3- STATUTES CONCERNING KEEPING THE SABBATH, AND REJECTING IDOL-WORSHIP: The Lord cared for keeping the Sabbath as a divine commandment (Exodus 20: 8), as a covenant between God and His people; and as a sign of God’s comfort in His people, and the people’s comfort in their God alone. Hence the Sabbath was considered as a weekly feast with its special rite; on which we shall talk in our interpretation of chapter 23, if God wills. The Lord warned them against caring for the idols (4), making them, or sacrificing to them…. This commandment is addressed to us, not to set for ourselves idols to worship; whether they are our bellies, honor, riches, or bodily lusts! … I wish nothing would occupy our heart except the Lord; toward whom we look, and to whom we long and worship. He also commanded them, saying, “If you offer a sacrifice of peace; … it shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day; and if anything remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire” (6). As we already said, this refers to receiving the Lord, risen from the dead on the third day. Anything remaining of the sacrifice may cause it to corrupt; and as it refers to Jesus Christ risen from the dead; His body 4- STATUTES CONCERNING THE HARVEST: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your fields, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger” (9). This commandment touches the life of the believer himself; Bearing in his heart a wide space for his needy brethren and the strangers, he would present to them of his harvest, without embarrassing them. By giving instructions to the reapers to leave the corners of his fields, and not to gather what fall down during transport, the poor and the needy, entering into the field, would find what they can pluck without feeling embarrassment; as what Ruth the Moabite did. This commandment, not only exhorts us to give the poor and the needy, but rather more not to touch their self respect, nor wound their feelings; We should give them love from the heart, before giving them food or clothing; for Solomon the Sage says: “He who mocks the poor, reproaches his Maker” (Proverb 17: 5) With the same spirit, He says: “nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard” (10); namely, you shall not bare it from all its fruits, but you shall leave some portion for the poor and the stranger; and you shall leave for them, as well, what fall down naturally from the trees, or during reaping or transport. 5- STATUTES CONCERNING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BRETHREN: After talking about our relationship with God Himself, with our parents, with the needy and the strangers, here He presents to us statutes concerning our relationship with the brethren, the most prominent items of which are: a- “You shall not steal” (11; Exodus 20: 15). The true believer, not only refrains from stealing what belong to others, but longs to give of what is his to others, according to the words of the apostle: “Let him who stole, steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Ephesians 4: 28); by which he would bear the Spirit of His Lord, who labors to give satisfaction to every needy, and comfort to every disturbed soul. b- “nor lie to one another” (11); about which St. John Klimacos says: [Lying destroys love; and the false vow is a denial of God]. The child knows nothing about lying, so is the soul that does no evil]. c- “nor deal falsely to one another” (11).By that he means betrayal in every way, and not opening the heart wide with love toward the others; the way Cain did to his brother Abel (Genesis 4: 8); Joseph’s brothers to him (Genesis 27); and Judas to his Lord Christ (Matthew 26: 47). As according to St. John El-Dargi: [If you must hate, hate the demons; If you must have animosity, let it be against the evil lust of your body]. And, [A hermit full of hatred is like a serpent in its hole, that has deadly venom inside it]. d- “You shall not swear by My name falsely; nor shall you profane the name of your God” (12) According to St. John Chrysostom [Jerusalem, the city of God, that embraced the temple, and the ark of the covenant, and enjoyed the prophets and the promises of God, perished because of false swearing. The commandments of God came to forbid taking the name of the Lord in vain (Exodus 20: 7). Although the people were allowed to swear by the name of God in the old covenant, as a sign of cherishing their God, and to keep them from swearing by the idols, yet it strongly provoked them not to do it in vain: And as the Lord Christ came, He utterly forbade it, saying: “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’, and your ‘No’ ‘No’, for whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5: 37). e- “You shall not defraud your neighbor, nor rob him, The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning” (13). The law, warning us against defrauding or robbing our neighbors, presents something that could happen unintentionally, like keeping the wages of a hired hand to the next day; when he and his family may be in bad need of it the same day. It therefore would imply, not just robbing something that belong to others, but even delaying giving it to him would be considered as oppression, robbing and stealing! He clearly says: “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your hands within your gates. Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun get down on it, for he is poor and set his heart on , lest he cries out against you to the Lord, and it will be sin to you” (Deuteronomy 24: 14, 15). And our teacher St. James the apostle says: “Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud cry out, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth” (James 5: 4). f- “You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord” (14). Here he presents another kind of oppression set upon making use of the weakness of others instead of supporting them; to curse the deaf who does not hear to defend himself; and to put a stumbling block before the blind instead of helping him out of his fall; all of which God considers as being directed personally to Him; for, by saying: “Fear your God”, it implies that He is the Father of the poor, the needy and the handicapped; By “the deaf” we curse, he probably means, whom we revile behind his back, and does not hear it; and by “the blind” before whom we put a stumbling block, he probably means the one spiritually weak, whom we judge and destroy, instead of supporting him with the spirit of hope. St. Maccari the Great, warning us against cursing the deaf, and seeking from us to keep away from the word of backbiting, says: [Keep your tongues from saying any evil against your brethren; for he who so does, will provoke God who dwells in him to anger. Whatever you do to your brother, you do it to the Lord]. And St. Jerome says: [If you hear someone revile another, flee of him the way you do from a venomous serpent; to make him ashamed of himself, so as not to do it again]. Concerning refraining from putting a stumbling block before the blind, St. John Chrysostom says: [It is befitting of us to put soothing oil on the wounds of the weak, and not something inflammable that would increases their suffering]. g- “You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness you shall judge your neighbor” (15). It is befitting of us to judge with justice and with no oppression; for poverty shall not intercede for the poor, to be partial to him; nor riches shall support the mighty to honor him. h- “You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people, nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord” (16). By being a talebearer he means to speak evil against others before their friends, families, or bosses; as according to the prophet Jeremiah: “They have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity” (Jeremiah 9: 5). As to taking a stand against the life of your neighbor, it means not to be a cause for his perdition, or for his destruction physically or mentally, through a false testimony, or refraining from coming to his defense… etc. Saying: “I am the Lord”, it is as though He says: ‘If you do so and destroy the life of your neighbor; I am the Lord, who defends the honor of the oppressed, and the life of those destroyed’. i- “You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him” (17). If your brother wrongs you, you shall not hate him in your heart, but “go and tell him his fault between you and him alone” (Matthew 18: 15-17), and warn him. For you may have misunderstood him, or heard a baseless evil claim about him from somebody; and he, himself, might have acted through misunderstanding … Give yourself a chance not to bear hate in your heart, and give your neighbor a chance to defend himself, or to repent. We have already dealt with this topic in our interpretation of the gospel of St. Matthew (Chapter 18). As to saying: “and not bear sin because of him”, it means that, if you hate your neighbor, even if he has sinned against you, By such hatred you corrupt your heart, and bear sin inside you. Hence, St. Augustine sees in the words said by the apostle: “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer of a soul” (1 John 3: 15); that by anger, one murders his own inner soul; Saying: [In case you find in your houses scorpions and serpents, will you not do your best to get rid of them to live in peace? Now, you are angry; and anger takes root in your hearts, and grows in them like scorpions and serpents, and yet you do nothing to purify your hearts - - the dwelling place of God]. According to St. John Cassian, by saying “You shall not hate your brother in your heart”, the law intends to uproot evil, before the inner anger and hate would turn into a desire to take vengeance, or to bear grudge (18); he says: [Why would we talk about the evangelic and apostolic commandments, if even the old law, which is thought not to be firm enough, warns us against anger, saying: You shall not hate your brother in your heart” … Behold, you see how the commandment come against evil, not only in executing it, but to uproot hatred while still in the heart]. J- “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (18).God does not endure hatred, particularly if it turns into grudge … According to the scholar Tertullian: [The Creator put no limits to forgiveness, but commands you to bear no hatred against your neighbor, with no limits; … He commands you to give, not only to him who asks you, but even to him who does not. … He commands you, not only to forgive any transgression against yourself, but even to forget it]. Finally, the cure of all that is to “love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord”. Namely, the way the believer, truly loves himself, and longs for its salvation and eternal glory, he will rejoice in the salvation of his brother, and, seeing him as a member together with him in the Body, whose Head is the Lord Himself, he will have a wide heart toward him. According to St. Augustine: [To love himself, it is befitting of man to “love God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might” (Deuteronomy 6: 5); … to have all his thoughts, and his whole life, absorbed in God, the Grantor of life; and his inner streams unceasingly flow with love; … By loving his neighbor as himself, he would wish for his brother to love God, as well, with all his heart, all his soul, and all his might. By that, even in his love for his brother, man would direct his love for God, and for his brother, to the channel of the inexhaustible love of God. Commenting on those statutes of not having grudge, St. Augustine says: [It should not be understood as a commandment addressed to a righteous man, but rather as a voice of comfort addressed to a weak man]. 6- STATUTES CONCERNING THE ANIMALS AND AGRICULTURE: He starts all those statutes by saying: “You shall keep My statutes” (19), to confirm that those statutes, whether concerning the relationship of the believer with his parents, the neighbor, the poor, or even the animals and agriculture; are all “the statutes of God”, which we should keep for the sake of our relationship and unity with Him; … We should love the statute on account of that it is the statute of our beloved God, which He presents to embrace us by love to Himself. “You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed; nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you” (19) a- According to some, the statute came to forbid interbreeding, so that man would not think that he is creating new races, and would claim divinity for himself. It is amazing how God made any new race that results from a procedure of interbreeding, barren, and non-productive; as is the case of the mule, a fruit of interbreeding between a horse and a donkey. Although the Jews used the mule as a beast of burden, which they purchased from the surrounding nations, yet they did not do the procedure of interbreeding to get it; except if it unintentionally happens. What is this barren and unproductive animal, the fruit of interbreeding between two different races, but the body, corrupted by man through the controversial lusts and pleasures; for it to bear division and controversy between the thoughts of pleasure, and pride; and to bear no befitting spiritual fruit, that would bring pleasure to God. The body of the true believer, on the other hand, bears an inner harmony within itself, and with the soul, being submitted to the Holy Spirit of God, by his body, as well as by his soul. According to St. Augustine: [The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of unity, whereas that of the evil one is the spirit of divisions and dissensions. Whoever walks by the Spirit of God will bear the Spirit of unity; whereas he who walks by the spirit of the evil one, would bear the spirit of divisions and dissensions, not only against his brethren, but even within himself, between his own body and soul. b- God forbade sowing a field with mixed seed; probably on account of that it makes reaping the harvest difficult or even impossible. And according to some, mixing the seed may cause a decrease in production. Anyway, that field planted with two kinds, is not the church of God which embraces only one kind – the saintly children of God. And it is not the heart of the true believer that embraces light and not darkness. The field that embraces two kinds of seeds, is the wavering heart, which mixes between light and darkness, does not walk by the spirit of discernment, but falters between the two ways. Whereas the heart of the true believer, is simple, has one single goal; to walk in the light, and reject the darkness; receives the truth, and will not endure vanity! c- According to some, mixing two kinds of threads in the same fabric, like linen and wool (22: 11) causes dermal inflammation and allergy. Anyway, the church of Christ is His garment of one fabric, the fabric of the one indivisible spirit, and mind. In short we can say that the non-interbred animal, refers to the holy body in the Lord, spiritually fruitful, and in harmony with the holy soul; The field with one kind of seed refers to the church of God, that walks in the light and not in the darkness, and has the spirit of discernment; And the garment with one kind of fabric refers to the oneness of spirit and mind. 7- THE STATUTE CONCERNING COMMITTING SIN WITH A CONCUBINE: “Whoever lies carnally with a woman who is betrothed as a concubine to another man, and who has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom, for this there shall be scourging, but they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord” (20, 21) Whoever commits sin with a concubine who is betrothed to another man, but has not been redeemed, both will fall under chastisement, which is mostly scourging. The adulterer will have to offer a trespass offering, but the concubine, who possess nothing, will be exempted from offering a sacrifice. Anyway, blood has to be offered for purification. But in case the betrothed concubine was set free before falling, she together with her partner will be stoned to death. The relative ease with which the slaves and the concubines were treated, was probably because God dealt with the old people as spiritually beginners, still under the influence of the nations around them. But now, as the believers have matured, there is no discernment between the slave and the free; they are both one in the Lord (Galatians 3: 28). THE STATUTE CONCERNING THE FIRSTFRUIT OF TREES: “When you come into the land (the promised land), and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. But on the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord. And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase. I am the Lord your God” (23- 25) The fruit in the first three years should be left to fall down, lest they would absorb the juice, and the tree will be handicapped. Otherwise if will grow normally, and on the fourth year, the crop will so plenty, to be offered as firstfruit to the Lord. Then the tree will be sanctified, and remain the rest of its life for the one who planted it. Commenting on this statute, St. John Chrysostom says:[Beloved brethren, we do not present the firstfruit when they are poor and weak, but when they are befittingly rich and strong. During the first three years, the fruit are weak and not ripe; but on the fourth year, no one should take of the rich, strong, and ripe fruit before the Lord. So you see that the early fruit could not be called firstfruit, but those fit to be offered to the Lord are so called]. By this view, according to St. John Chrysostom, the first Adam, the fruit of the first year, was weak because of sin, and, accordingly, not counted as firstfruit; But the second Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the befitting fruit, the true Firstfruit, smelled as sweet fragrance by the Father. We can say that man in the first year in paradise, could not offer firstfruit to God, And in his second year, after being driven out of paradise, when he was under the natural law, he failed, as well; And in his third year, as he came to be under the Mosaic law, God did not find one who could be a blameless firstfruit. But in the fourth year, in the era of grace, there was the Lord Christ, the true Firstfruit, presented by humanity from her tree to the Father, because of whom the whole tree was sanctified. That was the fruit of the fourth year by which we were sanctified along all eras. 9- GENERAL STATUTES: This chapter ends by some general statutes that touch the holiness of the people of God; most of which came to warn against faults and kinds of behavior into which the surrounding heathen peoples have fallen, of which are: a- “You shall not eat anything with the blood” (26). According to the Jewish scholars, this statute provokes the following: -- Not to eat the flesh of an animal with its blood; and not to eat blood itself. -- Not to eat the flesh of an animal directly after slaying it, but to wait a while until all its blood is drained. -- Not to eat the flesh of the sacrifices, except after its blood is offered on the altar for atonement. --The judges should not eat flesh on the same day they condemn someone to death. -- Not to eat with greed, which is counted by the Jewish teachers like eating blood. b- “Nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying” (26). These were two kinds of magic practiced to know the future (Genesis 44: 5, 15), . Soothsaying, on the other hand, was using birds in such practices. c- You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard” (27) God wished for His own people not to adopt any of the customs of the heathen peoples, like shaving the hair on their heads around, leaving a bald patch in its middle; and cutting the edges of the beard, and leaving its lower part intact; all for the sake of bringing pleasure to their gods; Those two practices referred to the dedication to a specific heathen gods. But concerning the Nazirites, dedicated to the true living God, no razor was to touch their heads or beards. Leaving the hair of the head to grow refers to the church, gathering around the Lord Christ, her Head, without whom the hair loses its beauty and value. Every soul, isolated from her Christ, will be like the hair fallen from their source, only worthy to be cast into the trash can. Leaving the hair of the beard to grow, refers to the reverence of priesthood; The Christian, entering into the waters of baptism, will become a spiritual priest, in the general concept, who should keep the hair of his spiritual beard; namely his behavior, as is befitting to a son and a priest of God. d- “You shall not make any cutting in your flesh for the dead” (28). As a show of extreme grief for the dead, the heathens used to paint their faces black or blue (a custom that was, until recently, followed in Upper Egypt), and to tear off their clothes, or sometimes cut their flesh; some kinds of behavior that reveal a loss of hope, and non-attachment to heaven; about which the apostle warns, saying: “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonian 4: 13, 14). The children of God who see the Lord risen from the dead, will not cut their flesh as a show of sorrow for those who have fallen asleep, but will say together with the psalmist: “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Samuel 12: 23); longing to set forth to be with Christ, risen from the dead. e- “Nor tattoo any marks on you. I am the Lord” (28). The ancient peoples used to tattoo the images of their gods on their bodies, as a show of love toward them, and to seek their blessing. And nowadays in the Western countries, we see many, tattoo on their chests or arms images of nude women, fierce beasts, or demons, etc. … How disgraceful! …. Instead of presenting his body as a tool of righteousness to the account of God, man delivers it, even for the sake of adornment, to carnal stirring, and to unclean spirits. f- “Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land become full of wickedness” (29).In the old, men used to deliver their daughters to adultery, either for material profit, or as a work of worship to their heathen gods, as nazirites for abomination and uncleanness to the account of the heathen temples…. Who is that daughter whom you defile, other than the soul that deflects from her goal, and runs after the pleasures of the body, to fill our land (our body) with iniquity?! g- “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuaries. I am the Lord” (30). Warning them against the heathen practices, God also reminds them to keep the Sabbath, not through just practicing its rite, which we shall discuss in chapter 22; nor through refraining to work on that day,, but through keeping themselves away from the abominations and defilements of the heathen nations, and through sanctifying their inner life; hence He says: “and reverence My sanctuaries”. By keeping the Sabbath, and revering God’s sanctuaries, He probably meant keeping the purity of their bodies, the way Jacob commanded his sons, as he was preparing to set the house of the Lord in Bethel (Genesis 25: 2, 3). … Contrary to the practices of many heathens, who used to find in worship a chance to practice abomination and defilement. I wish we keep the day of the Lord, and His inner sanctuary, through our behavior, as is befitting to the children of the Holy God. h- “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits, do not seek after them, to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God” (31) Having forbidden them to practice divination and soothsaying (26), namely the works of magic, intended to know the future, exhorting them to trust in the Lord their God, who controls the future of their life; Now He warns them against adopting the customs of the heathens, who resort to mediums, like the spirit of divination that was driven out by the apostle Paul (Acts 16: 16-18); … so that God Himself would become their Helper, who cares for every detail of their life. i- “You shall rise before the gray headed, and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God. I am the Lord” (32). Here, he binds between honoring the gray headed (the old man), and the fear of God. For any reverence you give to the old, for the sake of the commandment, will be through our union with the Lord, and presenting it to the Lord Himself. It was the custom among the Jews, that the young does not sit in the presence of an old man, unless the later allows him to do. J- “And if a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him” (33). The stranger in most cases was added to the fatherless and the widow in the commandment (Deuteronomy 10: 18); on account of that the stranger often feels as though fatherless with no one to defend him…. Hence it is befitting of the believer not to oppress a stranger, but to have compassion on him, and to support him; remembering that he himself has been a stranger in a foreign land, in need of God’s support and compassion. k- “You shall not do injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume”. He ends the statutes here by the commitment not to do injustice in judgment, and not to practice deception nor oppression, to let everyone have his due. The true measurement probably refers to the spirit of inner discernment; to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. To give the body its right to live, yet without evil pleasures; and to the soul her right to bear the image of her Creator and His likeness, to find comfort in His bosoms, together with the body. According to St. Theonas, to use the good and non-deceptive measurements, implies not to measure for ourselves with the balance of ease, and for others with the balance of cruelty and violence, saying: [We should have in our hearts no oppressive balances, nor have in our consciences double balances; Namely, we should not burden those to whom we preach the word of the Lord, with statutes too strict even for us to endure; while giving to ourselves more freedom and ease…. For if we do, the Lord will reproach us, according to the words of Solomon the Sage: “Diverse weights and diverse measures; they are both alike, as abominations to the Lord” (Proverbs 20: 1o)].
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