THE POSSIBILITY OF REALIZATION OF THE COVENANT After reminding them of the divine covenant, and speaking of the danger of disregarding or breaking it, even if by a single individual, lest his listener would fall into despair, he started to speak about the possibility of the realization of the covenant, and of keeping the commandment. Before man, there are two roads: life or death; obedience or disobedience! 1. God anticipates your return 1–10. 2. The commandment is near you 11–14. 3. The decision is within your hands 15–20. 1. GOD ANTICIPATES YOUR RETURN Here, God presents His divine promise to those who chose to return. Some scholars see in this promise, a prophecy about the return of Israel and their receiving faith at the end of ages. He presents a promise on condition; that is the return to God, a promise presented to every sinner or disobedient. “Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations which the Lord your God drives you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today,, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest part under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land, which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers” (Deut. 30:1-5) Here, it is to be noticed: (1) There is no way to be saved from the curses and to enjoy the blessings, except by returning to God. “Remember this, and show yourselves men; recall to mind, O you transgressors” (Isaiah 46:8). He calls on the mind to go back to remembering God; something that would grant them spiritual manhood; namely, maturity and strength. And it is not a matter of the mind alone, but the heart, likewise, has to be occupied by the Lord, to repeat His name with love all the time. If remembering the dealings of God in the past, would bring man over to repentance. It is fitting to translate repentance into love. Repentance is the way to forsake eating with pigs, to enter into the house of the father, where the repentant will see his father running toward him, to embrace him, to celebrate his return by a banquet, and even to defend him before his brothers (see Luke 15). (2) Listening to the voice of the Lord, keeping His commandments, and submitting to His will (2). Repentance should be translated into practical obedience. This voice is directed both to man and his household, especially his children (2); to receive the commandment with all the heart and all the soul; namely, with the whole strength, with great joy, and with a complete and a true desire. 7 By saying: “with all your heart and with all your soul” (2), he proclaims that God will never accept less than the whole love and the whole strength. He seeks the heart and the soul completely, without which He would reject any worship, ministry, or gift. (3) Obedience to all commandments, saying: “do all His commandments which I command you today” (8). And as the apostle James says: “Whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). One, who is holy to the Lord, will care for all His commandments; according to the words of the Psalmist: “I would not be ashamed, when I look into all Your commandments” (Psalm 119:6). (4) When we return to the Lord, listen to Him, and keep all His commandments, God will also gather us again from all the nations, and bring us back from the farthest parts under heaven (3, 4). What does he mean by “the farthest parts under heaven,” but that His ears listen to the screams of the heart of the repentant, to perform miracles with him. God, proclaiming His compassion toward those who return to Him, says: “‘My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:20). (5) We often look at God’s dealings with our fathers as amazing, unique, and unrepeatable. But here, he confirms that God is ready to perform with the same power, with all the generations; saying: “He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers” (5). (6) Our returning to God will bring Him pleasure: “For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers” (9). (7) By returning to God, all the curses that befell us will come over our enemies; namely, on the devils that provoked us to disobedience: “The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you” (7). (8) Some may wonder, saying, ‘what can we do, if we are unable to keep the commandments? How could we love the Lord with all the hearts? That is actually the work of the Lord in us if we deliver our life to Him. “The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (6). Man can circumcise his own flesh or that of others. But who can circumcise his heart and that of his descendants except God Himself, who searches the hearts, uproots evil from them, and renews them? And as the apostle Paul says: “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead”(Colossians 2:11, 12). “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh’ but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Romans 2:28, 29). As long as the circumcision is the seal of the covenant, it is fitting for this seal to touch, not only the flesh but also the heart, to be drawn completely to the love of God, and to be committed to the conditions of the covenant. Let us then return to Him, to work with His Holy Spirit in us, He, who alone, can circumcise the heart. “Turn at My reproof. Surely I will pour out My Spirit on you; I will make My words known to you” (proverb 1:23). (9) Speaking of the return to God, He repeats in these ten verses the expression “The Lord your God” 12 times, to confirm the special relationship between man and 8 God, being His God who yearns to him as His child. And as it is said in Jeremiah: “Return, you backsliding children; and I will heal your backsliding. Indeed we do come to You, for You are the Lord our God” (Jeremiah 3:22). When he threatened by curses, he referred to God, the powerful God, the Judge of all. But as he calls them to repentance, he confirms their return to the divine bosom, as the Lord their God is the God of the covenant and the grace. Finally, we notice in his talk here about repentance and the return to God, that he confirms God’s exalted gift; namely, the free will. It is man’s right to choose between the way of blessings and that of curses (1). And as man yearns to the Lord his God, he would find the divine possibilities within his hands. “And you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you today. The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul” (Deut. 30:8-10) 2. THE COMMANDMENT IS NEAR YOU Before the exalted blessings promised by God to those who return to Him by repentance, it is important to confirm that returning to Him is not a difficult matter. The commandment in its essence is entering through the narrow gate and the difficult way to encounter God who loves man, and present to him every heavenly possibility. Because there are many who count the commandment as something that do not fit their nature; but is fitting for those with heavenly nature; the prophet Moses, the receiver of the Law confirms here that the commandment is easy; within our hands, and its place is in our heart, filling it with sweetness and love. “For this commandment which I command you today, it is not mysterious to you, nor it is far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?.’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it” (Deut. 30:11-14) What does he mean by the commandment that is not mysterious or far off, but the Word of God who incarnated and dwelt among us; was born in Bethlehem, Judea, who came to give salvation to the whole world? He is not separated from us in heaven; that we have to ascend to acquire Him; Nor He is in the depths of the sea, that we have to go down to enjoy Him; but He came to be very near to us, to dwell in our depths. And as the apostle John says: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). His gospel became uttered by our mouths, and engraved in our hearts. This is what the apostle Paul realized, saying, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’(That is to bring Christ down from above) or ‘Who will descend into the abyss’ (that is to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”(Romans 10:6 10). St. Paul believes that the prophet Moses, in his sermon, about the commandment, which is at our hands and in our heart, means the Word of God, who, by His incarnation came among us and dwelt in our depths, coming to be 9 within our hands. Philosophers at that time used to experiment with thoughts and ideas, to gain philosophy. But our Christ came to us to present Himself ‘the true Philosophy,’ being the ‘Wisdom of God.’ The word of preaching the gospel came to be in the mouth of the church; as it is said: “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge; and people should seek the Law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 2:7). It is in the mouth; as God speaks with every man in the language he understands. And it is in the heart, where the word is found, not clothed with vague expressions; but directly comes in touch with man’s feelings, emotions, and all his depths. God, with his love for man, would not present to him a commandment above his abilities, nor beyond his reach; but an easy one, at his hands, and brings it into his heart; to be able to comprehend its true concept, and to realize its possibilities. In the Conferences of St. John Cassian, he dealt with the apparent controversy between the call of the Lord Christ to us to enter through the narrow gate; and His saying: “For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). St. Athanasius the Apostolic speaks about the possibility of the human soul to recognize God, using this phrase, saying: An accurate knowledge and understanding, needs nothing beyond your souls. Although God is above all, yet knowledge is in us and within our souls. As an example, the prophet Moses teaches us, saying, “The word of faith is in your heart.” The Lord Savior proclaimed and confirmed the same thing, in saying, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). As we have the faith inside us, and the kingdom of God within us, we can easily and quickly realize the word of God the Savior1. Pope St. Athanasius the Apostolic The apostle Paul says: “The word is near you” (Romans 10:8). Grace starts at home, the factory of all virtues2. St. Gregory of Nyssa If “the kingdom of God,” according to words of our Lord and Savior, “does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘see here! Or see there! For indeed the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20, 21). As “The word is near (us), even in (our) mouth and in (our) heart” (Romans 10:8), it is clear therefore, that whoever prays for the coming of the kingdom of God, is actually and truly praying for the kingdom of God to come within him, to get consummated and to produce fruits. Every saint, who takes God as his possession, and keeps His spiritual statutes, has God dwelling in him as a very disciplined city3. Origen 3. THE DECISION IS WITHIN YOUR HANDS Once again, and more clearly, he confirms that the commandment, which became very near, anticipates man’s decision, with no pressure or commitment. “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil” (Deut. 30:15) “Life and good” are now before the believer. If he receives them, he will enjoy them to cross over to the future blessings. They are set before him, to let him realize their secret, so as not to have an excuse later on; to feel their importance; and finally in order to take his ultimate decision. 1 Contra Gentes, 30:1-2. 2 St. Gregory of Nyssa: On Virginity, ch, 23. 3 Origen: On Prayer 25:1. 10 God has used every way to incite the free man to receive life and to enjoy the eternal happiness; as man is moved by either one or both things: fear and hope. Concerning fear: “In that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you” (Deut. 30:16-19) And concerning hope: “That I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; That you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them” (Deut. 30:19-20) Now, being put as though between water and fire; between the highest of goods and the lowest of evils (Sirach 15:17-18); between the destruction of the low hell and the high paradise. Let us hear the amazing good Lord, crying out to us in the Holy Bible, saying: “I have set before you life and death… therefore choose life that you…may live” (19). Concerning these two ways, the Lord advices us in the Holy gospel, saying: “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13, 14). The return to paradise is realized by going along the narrow and difficult way. Whereas descending to low hell is realized by going along the other way. Therefore, as long as we still, and through divine help, can choose; let us ascend to the joy of paradise, through the narrow and difficult way, instead of getting under the chastisements of hell by going through the broad way1. See O man; You have before you “water and fire; life and death; goodness and evil” (Sirach 15:17-18); heaven and hell; the legitimate king and the cruel tyrant; the vain sweetness of the world and the blessing of the truth for paradise. The Lord Christ, by His grace, has given you the strength: “has stretched His hand to point to you the right way to choose” (Sirach 15:17) 2. Fr. Caesarius of Arles God has already demonstrated His yearning for man to lead a blessed life: “that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God may bless you in the land which you go to possess” (16). He proclaimed how the situation came to be very serious; by calling heaven and earth as witnesses against man, that he has presented to him every possibility of blessing from His side; and it remains for man to choose that on his side: “I call 1 Sermon 150:2. 2 Sermon 151:5. 11 heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (19). And finally, He confirms the two commandments: “love of God” and “obeying Him”: “That you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them” (20). 12 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY (Chapter 30) MY SON: I AM STILL WAITING FOR YOU I have often broken your covenant; Yet, Your sweet voice rings in my ears: “I am still waiting for you, O My child” You anticipate my return to You; You yearn for my return to Your bosom. Let me remember Your dealings with me; Let me open my heart with love, for You; and translate my repentance into action. Let me translate my mental return into practical obedience; By listening to the voice of Your life-giving commandment. Granting me Yourself to acquire; You will accept nothing less than my whole mind, my whole heart, and my whole life. To possess and to acquire me; You are offering me Yourself in me to acquire. I wish to return to You. Gather me again from the nations. Bring me back from the captivity, deadly to my soul. You are the God of the impossible! Let me return to You, to pour Your blessing on me; To take away from me all the curses of my disobedience. To put all the curses which befall me on the heads of my enemies. I will rejoice when You rejoice over me, and bring me into your bosom; When You support me with Your Spirit, and circumcise my heart; To make me work diligently to keep Your commandment. Who can approach my heart to circumcise it but You? Who can bury it but You, O the Risen One from the dead? I will return, to find out that You are my Lord. You refer Yourself to me; and refer me to You. I am Your own child; And You are my own Lord. Let me return to You; as You are within me, waiting for me. I am in no need to ascend into the clouds to encounter You; Nor to descend down to the depth of the sea; But, I need only to enter into the depths of my soul to encounter you. You taught me how to take the ultimate decision. Before me, I have You, the Life; and also the death, my enemy. So let me choose You, O the whole goodness!
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