A RETURN TO THE REPROACH OF SIN AND AN ENJOYMENT OF THE LORD CHRIST, OUR LIFE Why for is the return to talk about the reproach of sin? Having bringing us forth, in the previous lamentation, into the bosoms of the Crucified, and making us in touch with the amazing Forgiver of sins, Was it necessary for the prophet Jeremiah to return to talk about the reproach of sin? We expected after the third lamentation, that the prophet will no more talk about sin; but through the divine wisdom, came the lamentation within our hands, to talk about the intense change that could shake our whole being because of our slothfulness with the sin. It is befitting of us, as believers, to sing together with the Psalmist, saying: “My sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51: 3); Yet with the spirit of the joyous hope in the Savior, who opens the gates of heaven before us. We can say that in the first and second lamentations, the prophet talked about the bitterness of sin generally to the believers and the non-believers. But here, the prophet warns us – believers -- lest, because of our hope in the Lord our Savior, we may go back to be slothful with sin. Then the fifth lamentation comes to proclaim our continuous need for the Savior, who perpetually longs to bring us forth to a new beginning! The gate of hope will stay open before all mankind until the last breath in the life of man. In other words, the arms pf the Lord will remain outstretched to everyone, to welcome him, to embrace him, and to lift him up into the bosom of the Father. Seeing what dwelt upon his city of utter desolation, in spite of his continuous warnings to them, he could not believe his eyes, and came to suffer great bitterness in his depths. He represents what has dwelt upon the human nature after her disobedience of her Creator, and represents what would dwell upon the believer if he disregards the divine grace, and the grace of sonhood through baptism. As according to the apostle: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5: 1); “For you brethren have been called to liberty; Only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5: 13). That desolation which covered all people, refers to the danger of being slothful with sin, on the soul, the body, all senses, emotions, and talents. A desolation that could be described as follows: 1- “The precious sons of Zion, valuable as fine gold, how they are regarded as clay pots, the work of the hands of the potter?!” (2). Meaning that the believer would lose the heavenly thought, and the angelic life, to live in the dust and mire, enslaved by temporal things. 2- “The tongue of the infant clings to the roof of its mouth for thirst” (4) ; meaning that man would lose his simplicity even while still a suckling. Before having the chance to get in touch with the world; he would be denied of the water of the true spiritual knowledge. 3- “The young children ask for bread, but no one breaks it for them” (4). As the congregation come to be unable to offer the Word of life, and to lift the hearts up to heaven, although the Holy Book is within their reach. 4- “Those who ate delicacies are desolate in the streets” (5) 5- “Her Nazirites who were brighter than snow and whiter than milk; … now their appearance is blacker than soot”.(7, 8). Instead of cherishing their sonhood to God, and waking under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, by the spirit of power as kings, they enslaved themselves to the evil one and his covetousness. 6- “The hands of the compassionate women have cooked their own children; they became food for them” (10). Sin would corrupt the width of the heart which embraces even the enemies, to live with a narrow heart, prevailed by selfishness, hate, etc. 7- The streets of Jerusalem, the city of God, were covered with blood because of the sins of her false prophets (14). Man would lose the work of the Holy Spirit in him, to lose his insight; and instead of being a temple of the Lord, dwelt by the Holy Trinity, he would become a playground of the devil, and a dwelling place for everything defiled. 8- Nebuchadnezar captivated king Zedekiah who attempted to escape, to be caught by the army who purchased him like eagles, killed his children before his eyes, plucked off his eyes, put him in chains of bronze, and took him into captivity (18-200. Man would lose his position as a king who enjoys the King of kings, and come to be a captive of the devil. He would lose his spiritual children, for many would stumble. He loses as well his spiritual insight, to count salvation as a fiction of human invention; and eternity as a fantasy by which man calms down his feelings, from what he encounters of troubles. We can divide this lamentation into three divisions: 1- A drastic change 1 -- 12 2- The secret behind the calamity on Jerusalem 13 -- 20 3- The punishment of Edom 21 -- 22 1- A DRASTIC CHANGE: When the calamity dwelt upon Jerusalem, there before the mind of the prophet Jeremiah, came an unbelievable bitter portrait of how the city of Jerusalem has been before the captivation, and how it has become through it. “How the gold has become dim! How changed the fine gold1The stones of the sanctuary are scattered at the head of every street” (1) In the eyes of the prophet, the young men of Jerusalem have been like pieces of gold that would never rust, nor lose its beauty with time. Many of the fathers of the church saw in the gold, particularly that which was used in the temple of Solomon, its furniture and vessels, a reference to the heavenly spiritual nature of the temple. As the city has been utterly desolate, the soul of the prophet was embittered to see how the gold rusted and corrupted, contrary to its nature! … How the city lost her goal, position, and even her being as the city of God! … How, instead of being the icon of heaven in the midst of the evil world, she became desolate and a laughing stock before the nations! … How the stones of the sanctuary, that no stranger was allowed to touch, nor an impure priest or a Levite to approach, has become scattered in the streets, treaded upon by the pagans, who threw on them their unclean trash! God intended for man to be a living stone in the heavenly temple of the Lord (1 Peter 2: 5); But through disobedience, he lost his role, and he even corrupted the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3: 17). That is the condition of the man of God whom the devil fears, and cannot even look at, because of the splendor poured on him by the grace of God, and of the heavenly thought which leads him. When he becomes slothful and disregards his role and mission as the ambassador of Christ, he becomes the laughing stick of the demons and the wicked. “At the head of every street”; probably refers here to the leaders and shepherds in particular; being the heads of the herd; which should always look ahead and high above, so that the feet would walk ahead in a straight course. But with the distortion of the straight stature of the body, the head bows toward the ground, and the feet become confused in their walk, and unable to go in a straight forward heavenly way. How could the conscience of a shepherd, being a head, enjoy the honor of priesthood, when he becomes preoccupied with the earthly things, about which he is supposed to rebuke the others?. That is indeed what the Lord has warned against in His anger, on the tongue of the prophet, saying: “It shall be, like people, like priest” (Hosea 4: 9); when the priests, responsible for the spiritual ministry behave the same like the people; when their works are like those who seek everything carnal!. Meditating in all that, the prophet shows how much his heart is disturbed for the desolation of the temple, saying: “How the gold has become dim! How changed the fine gold!” (1). What does he mean by “the gold”, but the heavenly life of the priest, and the exaltation of his holiness? What does he mean by “the fine gold”, but the spiritual reverence which we awe toward them? What does he mean by “the stones of the sanctuary”, but the ones with holy ranks? And what does he mean by the expression “at the head of every street”, but the excessive luxury of life? about which the divine truth, Himself, says: “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction” (Matthew 7: 13). + The stones refer to the minds of the strong, when St. Peter said: “As living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2: 5); which is promised by the Lord to the church, saying on the tongue of the prophet: “Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles with rubies; your gates of crystals, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the Lord” (Isaiah 54: 11-13); … Setting its stones in the right order; and arranging the holy souls according to their diverse worthiness. “Laying its foundation with sapphires”, as these stones themselves bear the color of heaven; namely, the strength of the church in the souls is set in the souls that seek the heavenly things. But as that gold has become dim through the darkness of the lack of faith, the prophet Jeremiah lamented its blackness, saying: “How changed the fine gold?”(1); the gold became dim; … the past splendor of faith became dim. (Pope Gregory the Great) + He who is chosen to be ordained a priest should be tested if he is blameless in the things of this world. (The laws of the apostles – section 3) + A priest has to have an exalted mind, an extraordinary sense of perception, and a limitless number of eyes on all sides; For he is to live, not just for himself, but for the sake of a multitude. + Meditate in what kind of man is the chosen as a priest: He has to be reverend, yet free of pride He has to be awesome, yet compassionate He has to be fit for leadership, yet sociable He has to be impartial, yet amiable He has to be humble, yet not lowly He has to be strong, yet noble He has to be all that, to be able to confront all difficulties. (St. John Chrysostom). “The precious sons of Zion, valuable as fine gold; how they are regarded as clay pots; the work of the hands of a potter!” (2) What makes the heart of the prophet sad, is not the honor of the city of God, and the building of the temple that has lost its holiness, but what is more serious, namely, the inhabitants of the city, particularly the leaders, and those who work in the temple: the priests, Levites, elders, etc. who were in the sight of God like pure valuable gold, whom He cherished as His own children, who were honorable, even in the sight of the heavenly creatures; those who have become like clay pots, that nobody cares to clean of the dust that come on them, for when dust became an integral part of their being; they lost every value in heaven and on earth. The gold of the temple was robbed, scraped off the walls of the buildings, whose stones were cast as trash on the streets. Gold refers to heaven. God created man from dust, but He granted him a soul that could be likened to that of the angels. But unfortunately the fine gold vessel turned through the corrupt life into a clay pot, broken and valueless. + By virtues we come to be equal to the angels, and the kingdom will be presented to us; to be counted as united with Christ. Knowing that without the virtue, we would become lower than the irrational animals, it is befitting of us to train ourselves to be human, … No, but rather to be angels, in order to enjoy the blessings, promised through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. + If we will, and by the help of God working in us, we can, with our souls, compete with the heavenly spirits, and even surpass them. + Teach those on the outside, that you, in the church, are in the company of the hosts of the heavenly Seraphim, are counted with the heavenly creatures, and among the ranks of the angels, when you talk to the Lord, and be in the company of the Lord Christ. If you so set your souls, there will be no need to say what we would, to those who do not attend, who, seeing what we have got, and perceiving their loss, they would hasten to come to enjoy what we do. However foolish they may be, being exhorted by the beauty of your glittering souls, their hearts would be enflamed by our good appearance. For if the beauty of the body seduces the onlooker, how much more would the beauty and harmony of the soul draw him to have the same zeal? … We, therefore should adorn our inner man;… For if the wrestler wrestles according to how he is trained; We, in our dealing with the world, do not use what we hear here. (St. John Chrysostom) “Even the jackals present their breasts to nurse their young; But the daughter of my people has become cruel, like ostriches in the wilderness” (3) How horrible is this portrait of how the daughter of Zion has become! … When even the jackals, whom no one expect to bear any kind of care to her young, once they enjoy motherhood, through the natural instinct, like all the other animals, would present their breasts to nurse their young; while the daughter of Zion would not do the same, but has become like the ostrich in the wilderness that disregard its young (Job 39: 13-18). According to the Mosaic statute, the ostrich is an animal full of uncleanness (Leviticus 11: 16; Deuteronomy 14: 15); its voice is like wailing (Micah 1: 8), no heavenly joy would enter into it; With a dry nature, does not care for her laid eggs (Lamentations 4: 3); buries its head in the sand when she sees a hunter approaching it; which was once interpreted as to become invisible to the hunter; but it was recently found that it so does on account of that it is too coward to see itself a victim of the hunter. So the sin does by corrupting even the natural instinct; when the jackals nurse its young, while the daughters of Zion unfortunately did not care for their young ones. They even offered their children as sacrifices and burnt offerings to the god Molok; and because of their sins, their children suffered much from the Babylonian captivation. “The tongue of the infant clings to the roof of its mouth for thirst. The young children ask for bread, but no one breaks it for them” (4) During the last stages of the siege on Jerusalem, there happened a bitter famine, of which the children suffered the most (Lamentations 2: 19). Here, the cruelty of the people was clearly shown, as they dealt with their hungry children with so much dryness not even found among the jackals and the ostriches. The scene of the hungry children crying to their mothers, who did not care for their cries because of the tribulation they were going through, shook the being of the prophet, and filled him with bitterness. The daughter of Zion, having lost the spiritual motherhood; no more suckles the infants with the milk of the pure teaching; and their tongue clang to the roof of their mouth for thirst; And even if there is the spiritual bread to feed the young children, their mother will not move to break it, and to present it to them. According to Pope Gregory (the Great), this is a prophecy about Judaism. It was befitting of the Jews, when the Lord Christ came, to testify to Him, preach Him, and present Him to the world as the bread of life; But because of the envy of the Jewish leaderships, ‘Judaism’ turned into a hidden fire, deadly to the souls…. “As for the earth, from it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire” (see Job 28: 5). All what preoccupied Judaism, was to go on presenting the bread of the law before the people. But, being the sons of perdition, they even could no more interpret that law itself, which made the prophet Jeremiah wails in his lamentations, saying: “The young children ask for bread, but no one breaks it for them” (4). But, “underneath, this earth is turned up as by fire”, killing itself by the live coal of envy, as she watches the signs performed by our Savior; that some of their men said: “What shall we do? For this man works many signs” (John 11: 47); Or, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him” (John 12: 19). According to the prophet Amos: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord” (Amos 8: 11) What are those days in which a famine came because the daughter of Zion refused to break the bread to give to her children, but when the Lord Christ, the living Bread, came, and rejected by the high priests and the rulers, who denied the people of recognizing His divine Person. + The Jewish people who could be counted as rich, on account of that they had the adoption, the divine worship, the promises, and the fathers, have became poor because of their sin against the Lord. “But those who seek the Lord, shall not lack any good thing” (Psalm 34: 10). They came to be in need for getting replenished in a certain way; They suffered hunger; and because they delivered “the Bread of Life” to death , hunger for the bread dwelt upon them. (St. Basil the Great) + The Word of God is food for the soul, her jewelry, and her surety. And in not listening to it, there will be a famine and deprivation. (The scholar Origen) “Those who ate delicacies, are desolate in the streets. Those who were brought up in scarlet, embrace ash heaps” (5) Their children were brought up in scarlet; Namely, practiced the life of kings; But because of captivation, they came to be as though on trash heaps.. A great difference between how the daughter of Zion was living as a royal family in the spiritual palace; enjoying the delicious Word of God, giver of the satisfaction and life, and how it ended up in famine, through her rejection of the Lord Christ, the Bread of life who came down from heaven; How it became spiritually frail, and had perdition in the streets; as though spiritually homeless. And instead of wearing precious attire of scarlet, that bring joy to the angels, seeing her putting on the clothes of true holiness, she was cast on a heap of ashes to embrace denial. + Meditate in the words said by John: “He came to His own” (John 1: 11), not because of any need on His part, for it is impossible for the divine Being to be in need; But He came for the sake of doing good to His own. Making the blame on the Jews more stingy, John added: “And His own did not receive Him” (John 1: 11). Although the Lord Christ came for their benefit, they rejected Him; and they even brought Him out of His vineyard and killed Him. + Although the Jews had more knowledge than the Samaritans, recognized the prophets, and ate together with them; Yet because those Samaritans believed in the Lord Christ according to the testimony of one woman, without seeing him perform a single sign, and hastened to come out to seek from Him to stay with them; While the Jews, for whose sake He originally came, who saw His signs by their own eyes, did not only let Him stay with them, but they even drove Him out, and did their best to keep Him away from their land, + It is as though the Lord Christ says here to the Jews: You did not follow Me, not because I am not a Shepherd, but because you are not My sheep. He so said to exhort them to become His sheep, and to plant that desire in them. (St. John Chrysostom) + We Christian say that the Jews, despite their prior enjoyment of God’s care, and His love for them more than any other people; Yet the divine ordinance and grace have become our own, when Jesus transferred the authority that used to work among the Jews to the believers of the Gentiles. (The scholar Origen) “The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, though no hand was laid on it” (6) Sodom for the Hebrew, has been the serious example of evil, and its destruction in a moment revealed how God hates sin, and does not endure it. Yet what dwelt upon Sodom is considered by the prophet as more bearable than what dwelt upon Jerusalem and Judah through the captivation. Presenting a serious comparison between the daughter of Zion, who has got the law, entered into a covenant with God, who sent to her the prophets, and provided her with the divine promises; And the pagan Sodom, who got no law, nor priests, or a holy temple, like what the people of Judah had (See 1 Peter 4: 17), which was well known for her sexual immorality; that was burnt down with brimstone and fire from heaven; According to the prophet Jeremiah, the punishment that dwelt upon Judah has been more bitter than what dwelt upon Sodom, on account of that the later was overthrown in a moment, whereas the people of Israel have gone through an extended torment and reproach because of the captivation. + They became no longer the people of God, nor a holy nation; They surpassed the sins of Sodom; as according to the prophet Ezekiel: “Your sister Sodom nor her daughter have done as you and your daughters have done” (Ezekiel 16: 48; Lamentations 4: 6); For the people of Sodom have opposed angels; whereas the people of Judah opposed the Lord, the King of kings, and dared to kill the Lord of angels; not perceiving that Christ whom they killed is still living among us even today. (Pope Athanasius the apostolic) “Her Nazirites were brighter than snow, and whiter than milk. They were more ruddy in body than rubies, like sapphires in appearance” (7) The word ‘Nazirite’ came in Genesis 49: 26; and in Deuteronomy 33: 16, to mean him whose personality and even his appearance qualify him to be dedicated for a specific task, for which no other is befitting; like those dedicated to the ministry of the Lord; Or the princes and the nobles; whose privilege, honor, and role in the society are recognized. But now the Nazirites of Judah ended up to a horrible condition, having become fitting only to be buried as dead, not capable of doing any task. The prophet weeps on how the daughter of Zion has been; when her Nazirites who dedicated their life to the Lord, were pure and blameless as snow, white as milk, and red as rubies. The whiteness refers to the purity, the redness to the work of the blood of Christ (Romans 7: 14); whereas their blue color refers to having an almost heavenly feature, according to the words of the apostle Paul: “He made us sit together in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 2: 6).. “Now their appearance is blacker than soot; they go unrecognized in the streets; their skin clings to their bones; It has become as dry as wood” (8) The colors of exalted spiritual significances, have been taken away from them; They came to bear the color of darkness; Their almost heavenly light and splendor transformed into pitch darkness; And their life full of vitality into death. + What a horrible cruelty! What a strange ferocity. … Having no fear of God; nor respect for others, or any sense of reproach from your friends, All things in you were destroyed, and you have deprived yourself of every goodness at the same time. Again, I feel sad for your sake, O miserable one! You who, showing zeal for the kingdom, has fallen from the kingdom! You who had the reverence for the sake of teaching, had no fear of God before your eyes. You who preached holiness, is now defiled; You who were in glory while being poor, ended up stealing money. You who, under whose leadership, you referred to the punishment of God, has, yourself fallen under chastisement. How can I wail on you? How can I be sad for your sake? The morning star who shines early, has fallen, and knocked down to the earth; That makes the ears of everyone who hears it ring. How could it happen that the Nazirite (7 – 8), who shone more splendidly than gold, becomes blacker than soot? How could the son of Zion, an example of beauty, become as a corrupt vessel? (St. Basil the Great) “Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger. For these pine away stricken for lack of the fruits of the field” (9) Seeing how the gloating nations have entered into the fields, trample on them with their feet, to become like a barren and fruitless wilderness; and seeing the bodies of the children of Israel, particularly the young and the children, scattered like pieces of clay and dust on the streets, the prophet said: “Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger” (9). In the midst of that reproach and bitterness, all wished for death and found none; and, And according to the prophet Jonah: “It is better for me to die than to live” (Jonah 4: 8). “The hands of the compassionate women have cooked their own children. They became food for them, in the destruction of the daughter of my people” (10) It so seems that that siege has been the most horrible known in history; as through the terrible hunger, they had to practice what was utterly against human nature (2 Kings 6: 25-290, Having rejected the Word of God, they went through a deadly famine; and their depths were transformed into a vicious portrait, to practice what the beasts never do by the natural instinct. In God’s threats to His people in case they worship idols and disobey the divine commandment, it came that they will “cut off their supply of bread, ten women shall bake bread in one oven, and they shall bring back to you the bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied” (Leviticus 26: 26). “Cutting off their supply of bread”, God cut off from them the bread of life – the divine Word – so that their souls will live in hunger. The first sign of famine will be that, instead of every woman having her own oven, ten women will bake the bread in one oven, as they do not have enough bread, nor enough fuel to use more than one oven. The second sign of famine will be that they will use the bread by weight because of its rarity and the absence of blessing; And the famine reaches its climax when the hands of women stretch to eat the flesh of their children, the way it happened in the days of Jehoram, the son of Ahab king of Israel (2 Kings 6: 24-30); in he days of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (1)0, and when the Roman commander Titus put Jerusalem under siege. Those who mercilessly offered their children a sacrifice to the god Molok, have ended up tasting the bitterness of hunger, and cooking their children. “The Lord has fulfilled His fury; He has poured out His fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion, and it has devoured its foundation” (11) Every now and then the prophet intends to confirm that what dwelt upon Jerusalem was allowed by God. Fire usually burn what lie above the ground, but we never heard that it could devour the foundations of the city. It is therefore, not a regular fire, but the fierce fire of God’s wrath to chasten the rebellious Zion, that stretched down to devour the foundations of the city. The prophet Jeremiah often likened the divine judgment to a fire that no one can quench (Jeremiah 4: 4; 17: 4, 27; 21: 12; 43: 12; 49: 27). About such a fire it was said: “How long, Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire?” (Psalm 89: 46) “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; and take away the foreskins of your hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings” (Jeremiah 4: 4). “O house of David! Thus says the Lord: ‘Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him who is plundered, out of the hand of the oppressor, lest My fury goes out like fire, and burn that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings” (Jeremiah 21: 12) “Yes I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst” (Ezekiel 22: 21) “I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; And I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads’, says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 22: 31) + The wrath of God will kindle like fire on those who did not circumcise themselves to Him; who did not take away the foreskin of their hearts. The fuel of such a fire is the evil works which they do; For if there were no evil works, fire will find nothing to consume! (The scholar Origen) “The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem” (12) The kings of the earth could not believe what dwelt upon Jerusalem, as all of them thought that no one could enter into her by force, nor touch her people; on account of that she was built upon high mountains; and because the Lord God was her heavenly king, dwelling in her…. Sennacherib himself, and the nations around Judah, perceived in their depths, through their past experiences, that Jerusalem, being the city of God, no one could force himself into her, as long as the hand of God embraces her. That is why its collapse and the entrance of the enemy through her gates, were a sudden shock even to those who used to reproach her. 2- THE SECRET BEHIND THE CALAMITY ON JERUSALEM: “Because of the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests who shed in her midst the blood of the just” (13) The verses 4 – 13 came looking at how the priests and the false prophets have caused the shedding of innocent blood; which was a prophecy about what will be done in the future by the high priests and other Jewish leaders during the events of the crucifixion of the Righteous Lord Christ. That immunity of Jerusalem in the minds of the pagans, was broken, because of her false prophets and priests. Calling them ‘blood-shedders’ or ‘killers’ bears a wide meaning. It not only implies shedding the blood physically and literally, but implies, as well, the shameful oppression, the provocation of the others to shed blood without directly taking part themselves, and the slothfulness and partiality with the actual blood-shedders and killers. Unfortunately, the priests whose foremost task was to pray for the sake of humanity, to enjoy reconciliation with God, became an offense and a hurdle even before the pagans. That was what St. John Chrysostom warned against, Namely, that the sins and iniquities committed by a believer, are more serious than those committed by a non-believer; and that committed by the priest, the bishop, or a monk, is far more serious. “They wandered blind in the streets; They have defiled themselves with blood, so that no one would touch their garments” (14) The religious leadership stirred up the people against Christ; “the blind leading the blind” (Luke 6: 39), that it was written: “Al the people said: ‘His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew 27: 25). Here, to show the seriousness of the behavior of those prophets and priests; the prophet Jeremiah says that instead of longing to see every leper healed and purified, they, themselves, came to be in the eyes of the Lord and in the eyes of people defiled by a serious kind of leprosy, namely, oppression and murder! + The ruler washed his hands, and accused all of them of iniquity and shedding innocent blood; While washing his hands, the oppressors cried out: “His blood be on us and on our children” The ignorant fathers ate the sour grapes to set their teeth and those of their children on edge; Now, looking at the ruler washing his hands; You should approach and swim in the holy waters and be set free; Behold, your Lord waits for you in the water of baptism, to free you of your sin by His forgiveness; + The wretched people committed iniquity, covered themselves with blood, and kept it as well to cover the generations to follow; It was not enough for them to commit iniquity, but were keen on leaving it to the generations to follow; The ignorant fathers ate the sour grapes, had their teeth were set on edge and kept them as well to set the teeth of their descendants on edge. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) “They cried out to them, ‘Go away, unclean! Go away! Go away, do not touch us’. When they fled and wandered, those among the nations said, ‘They shall no longer dwell here’” (15) The blind leaders defiled themselves, all along the generations, by the innocent blood, from the blood of the righteous Abel to that of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah; together with the blood of the children who were offered as sacrifices to the idols, until the time came for them to shed the blood of the Lord Christ Himself. Those were the cry outs of the people when they saw the destruction that dwelt upon the false prophets who have for so long deceived them with their smooth words. Those who were supposed to be a holy leaven to sanctify the world, the world came to refrain to touch their garments. They, together with the priests and the elders have all lost their honor. According to some, those were the cry outs of the pagans, who, while practicing their own abominations, counted what dwelt upon Jerusalem as defilements that even they could not endure, and they do not wish for anyone of her people or of her priests to touch them lest they would be defiled. “The face of the Lord scattered them; He no longer regards them . The people do not respect the priests, nor show favor to the elders” (16) According to some the expression “The face of the Lord” refers to the divine wrath, as it came in psalm 34: 16; saying, “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off all the remembrance of them from the earth”; not discerning between a priest and one of the people; nor between an elder and a young man. That was reflected on how the pagans started to deal with them with despite, not regarding a leader, nor feeling compassion toward an elder. Whoever does wrong to the truth of God, his behavior will return on him; “For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6: 38); even from the pagans and the atheists, and from the hosts of darkness themselves. “Still our eyes failed us, watching vainly for our help; In our watching we watched for a nation that could not save us” (17) Their souls bowing down, they could not look up toward Him who dwell in heaven, but sought help from those down on earth. Although the Egyptians pretended to be their allies, yet they could not, and were not even wishing to support them. It is written: “The king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for the king of Babylon had taken all what belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates” (2 Kings 24: 7); “For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose; Therefore I have called her “Rehab-Hem-Shebeth” (Isaiah 30: 7). The leaders of Judah used to consider their alliance with Egypt as a source of hope for the salvation from the Babylonians (Jeremiah 37: 3-10); which was an object of controversy between Jeremiah and the king, his counselors, statesmen, the religious leaders, and the people; all of whom counted his attack against the alliance with Egypt, as directed against the Chaldeans, and not for sake of repentance. And when Jeremiah warned king Zedekiah against such a policy, he put him in prison (Jeremiah 37: 5-21). Judah was infected with a kind of spiritual insight blindness, and of foolishness of thought. … They kept on watching in vain from the watching towers, in anticipation of some help to save them from the siege of Babylon. The towers of watching, namely, the holy books (the Old Testament) were within their hands; It was befitting of them to recognize the Lord Christ through the prophesies and the symbols; Yet, when He did come, they hated Him. Deceiving themselves by seeking the Messiah according to their human material concept; the devil sent them the false Messiah “They tracked our steps so that we could not walk in out streets. Our end was near; our days were over, for our end had come” (28) By erecting high siege mounds and plateaus, the Chaldeans could track those walking in the streets inside the city and aim their arrows and spears to anyone who intended to escape. All those in Jerusalem felt that even walking in the streets was dangerous, both because of the dead corpses that fill them, and of the spears aimed at them by the Chaldeans; They felt that snares were set for them on all sides, that their end was near, and their days were over. “Our pursuer were swifter than the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains, and lay in wait for us in the wilderness” (19) The talk here concerns the danger that dwelt on everyone, specially on king Zedekiah who assumed that he could flee away (Jeremiah 52: 6-9). But the Chaldeans chased him in an unexpected way, like the eagles of the heavens that can catch its prey from high up. + In the Holy Book the word “eagle” sometimes, referring to flying swiftly above the lowly things, and seeking the high things, it refers to the keen concepts of the saints, or to the incarnate Lord. Yet It refers as well to envious spirits, corruptive to the souls;; that Jeremiah testifies to the spirits lying in wait, saying, “Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens” (19). It also symbolizes some earthly power; as according to the prophet Ezekiel: “A great eagle with large wings and long pinions, full of feathers of various colors, came to Lebanon, and took from the cedars the highest branch. He cropped off the topmost young twig” (Ezekiel 17: 3-4) … By that eagle he actually refers to Nebuchadnezer, king of Babylon. The word “eagle” also refers to the sharp understanding of the saints; Hence the same prophet (Ezekiel), describing the four Evangelists whom he saw, under the appearance of living creatures, he proclaimed to have seen them with the faces of man, lion, bull, and eagle. By the eagle-faced fourth living creature, he surely referred to St. John, who, in his flying high, he forsook the earth; and through his sharp understanding, he pierced inner secrets by seeing the Word … Let us meditate in where the eagle builds its nest up on the tops of the highest trees. The apostle Paul says: “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3: 20); And, “He raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 2: 6) … As he who ascend a mountain would look down and see things down there, little and tiny; So it is with him who progresses to higher levels, strives to care for the high things; he, with the same effort, finding out that the glory of the present life is as good as nothing; he would soar above the earth. (Pope Gregory (the Great) + I am not saying this on my own, but it was said by the Lord of all humanity, when He said to the prophet who interceded for them: “Therefore, do not pray for these people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you. Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger” (Jeremiah 7: 16-18). “The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead”; Namely, no one will be innocent of sin. Striving hard for the sake of their sins, they will justly hear the voice of the Lord, saying:: “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me. Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4: 6). The punishment always being according to the weight of the sin; the guilty should endure a punishment equal to their sins. There is no suffering greater and more severe for those who have fallen into sin, than to be denied the holy priesthood, and to lose the right to enjoy God’s reference to them; through which they used to have an honorable life, and the feeling of the lack of nothing, but had every gladness. That is what happened to Israel, when they despised God’s love for mankind; opposed the law of God; arrogantly held fast to their slothfulness, perverted to unnatural desires, and were not ready to do anything beside their duties, according to the requirement of the law- Giver. Their own desires were their law.. The saints have truly grieved for those people because of their views and their heart imaginations, saying: “Hear this word which I take up against you, this lamentation, O house of Israel; The virgin of Israel has fallen, she will rise no more” (Amos 5: 1-2); And, “Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for skillful wailing women, that they may come. Let them make haste and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run with tears” (Jeremiah 9: 17-18); because the herd of the Lord has been crushed. The prophet Jeremiah saw them as though their punishment was at hand, saying: “Our days were over, for our end had come; Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens” (Lamentations 4: 18-19). Such horror prevailed upon everything, upon the whole world defeated by the devil; As according to the prophet: “Sheol has enlarged itself, and opened its mouth beyond measure” (Isaiah 5: 14). Concerning the Greeks, because of their great foolishness, they fell into the snare of believing in a multitude of gods; and “changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man – and birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things” (Romans 1: 23; Numbers 4: 15-19; Psalm 106: 20; Jeremiah 2: 11). Hastening in their journey to exceed the speed of the wind, they were actually hastening toward the inner pit of death. (St. Cyril the Great) “The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was caught in their pits; of whom we said, ‘Under his shadow, we shall live among the nations’” (20) King Zedekiah assumed that being a descendant of David according to the flesh, will save him from the hands of the Chaldeans. And the hope of the people has been, even if it so happened that the city collapses, they will become, although servants to Nebuchadnezar, yet will remain under the leadership of Zedekiah, who would pay him the due taxes, but remain practicing the law of his country. But now, having his eyes put out, he is no more fit to lead the land, and their hope to live under his shadow was utterly lost. “The breath of our nostril”, a Canaanite expression, used in describing kings. “Caught in their pits”, Also a Canaanite expression referring to accepting him as a king to protect them. It probably means that king Zedekiah, under whose shadow and government they hoped to live among the nations, has fallen captive, and all their hope was lost. This verse also bears a prophecy about the Lord Christ, whom the Jews hoped to reign as a king to save them from the Roman occupation, and to restore to the literal Israel its glory; That was “the breath of their nostrils” , a longing they breathed every day and night; And when he rejected the earthly kingdom, they crucified Him, and “He was caught in their pit”. … Concerning us; Our Christ has come, He who is our life; under the shadow of His cross we live among the nations, until the time comes when we encounter Him on a cloud of all nations and peoples. + The saying: “I will return again to my place till they acknowledge their offense; Then they will seek My face; In their affliction, they will diligently seek Me” (Hosea 5: 15), perfectly applies to the secret of Christ, and the salvation through Him, referring to being transformed toward God. For the face of God whom they will seek surely refers to the Son Himself, “being the brightness of His glory (of the Father), and the express image of His Person” (Hebrew 1: 3). The face of The Father is the Son, known through Him; for “Who has seen the Son has seen the Father” (John 14: 9). The Psalmist calls Him when He cries out to the God of all, saying: “Make Your face shine upon Your servant” (Psalm 119: 135). For he is indeed one of those who were transformed according to the Son through the Holy Spirit: “Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us” (Psalm 4: 6); Or as said by the prophet Jeremiah: “The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord (Christ)” (Lamentation 4: 20). (St. Cyril the Great) + The church, carrying so much grace, exhorts her children and her friends to come and partake of the sacraments, saying, “Eat, O friends! Drink, Yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones” (Songs 5: 1). What we eat and drink are made clear by the Holy Spirit in another situation, on the tongue of the prophet saying: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him (Psalm 34: 8)“.. In this sacrament Christ is found, for it is His body; it is therefore not a carnal food but spiritual; hence the apostle says about this kind of food: “Our fathers all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink” (1 Corinthians 10: 3). The body of God, being a spiritual body, the body of Christ is the body of the divine Spirit; For the Spirit is Christ, as we read: “The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord (Christ)” (Lamentations 4: 20). And in the epistle of Peter we read: “Christ died for us”; And finally, as is said by the prophet :”This bread strengthen man’s heart; and this wine makes his heart glad” (Psalm 104: 15). + To know more about the nature of the good, Life is good for it perpetually and steadfastly gives all, their existence and being; and the source of life for all is Christ, about whom the prophet says: “Under His shadow we shall live” (Lamentations 4: 20). Now, “Out life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3: 4). Therefore, it is befitting of us not to fear death, which is rest to the body and freedom to the soul …”We should not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10: 28). For we do not fear him who takes our garment away, or robs our possessions, but cannot rob us of our souls. We are, therefore, souls; and our members are our garments. We should protect our garment from being torn or grow old (Hebrew 1: 11); but it is befitting of him who wears it to protect his soul first and guard it. + Why is it so strange to call the Father and the Son “Spirits”? … Do we not read how the Lord in the gospel, says “God is Spirit” (John 4: 24)? … And how the prophet Jeremiah also calls Christ “A Spirit”, saying: “The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord” (Lamentation 4: 20)? … Therefore, the Father and the Son are both Spirits; For whoever is not a created body is a Spirit. Yet, calling the Father a Spirit, and the Son a Spirit, does not imply that the Holy Spirit is dissolved in them, but He is distinguished from the Father and the Son. (St. Ambrose) + By His first coming He fulfilled the law, “having a shadow of the good things to come” (Hebrew 10: 1). Through His glorious second coming, as well, the shadow of this coming will be fulfilled, and will reach perfection; And as said about Him by the prophet: “The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord” (Lamentations 4: 20).,about whom we said: “Under His shadow we live among the nations”. + Our portion whose shadow protects us against the heat of temptations, is Christ and the Holy Spirit. (The scholar Origen) THE PUNISHMENT OF EDOM: “Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom; You who dwell in the land of Uz! The cup shall also pass over to you, and you shall become drunk, and make yourself naked” (21) After the loss of the vain hope, whether in the alliance with Egypt, or the fleeing away of the king, the descendant of David, Judah came to be in a sorrowful situation. This is a prophecy about the exultation of Edom on the fall and the desolation of Jerusalem. But her rejoice is short-termed, as she will drink from the cup of God’s wrath on her. Jerusalem and Judah have come to be a laughing stock of Edom which represents all the nations surrounding Judah, who gloat on their fall; Edom, was always looked upon as a bitter enemy of Jerusalem, exulted on her misery and desolation. As “Edom”, meaning (of blood), or (earthly), refers to the devil – the bloodshedder, who gives those whom he enslaves, the spirit of violence, of the preoccupation with the earthly things, and of the despite of the heavenlies; The daughter of Edom, here, refers to the kingdom of the devil, who opposes the spiritual daughter of Zion. The time came for the kingdom of the devil to gloat and exult in the collapse of Jerusalem on the hands of Babylon. Yet, by drinking from the cup of God’s wrath”, “She will become drunk, and make herself naked”; namely, she will get confused in all her counsels against the people of God, and all her evil plots will be exposed. Through the alliance of the Jewish leadership and people, with the devil, to crucify and murder of the Lord Christ, their plot turned into a collapse of the devil, and the loss of his dominion upon the believers. “The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion. He will no longer send you into captivity” “He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, He will uncover your sins” (22) With the fulfillment of the goal of chastisement, Judah returned to the Lord; and the kingdom of Edom, and the gloating surrounding nations, were exposed and became naked. The time came for the daughter of Zion, who came under the divine chastisement through the Babylonian captivation, to be liberated, and for Babylon to be punished for her violence, vain pride, and haughtiness even against God Himself. As by the cross, the devil thought that he could get rid of the Lord Christ, the Savior of the world; By the cross itself the devil was judged, his kingdom collapsed, and its destiny came to be the everlasting perdition. ----------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH (Chapter 4) UNDER YOUR SHADOW, I WISHED TO LIVE + Allow me, O my Savior, to enjoy two of the prophet Jeremiah’s Spirits; To have in me fountains of bitter tears; When I see Your holy city, Jerusalem, Desolate, defiled, and lost her splendor. + Allow me to walk along with Your amazing prophet; To meditate in my inner Jerusalem; Not only to cry over it, but to desire to sit under the shadow of Your cross And to breathe the new life, by and in, You; My sin made me lose the heavenly senses; And corrupted my longing toward the angelic life; Made me count the fellowship with You an impossible thing; Made my soul bow toward the dust; To play in the mire of this world + I cry out to You like a suckling whose tongue clang to the roof of his mouth; My depths dried up for thirst; The water of the whole world could nor quench my thirst; For I have forsaken You, the Fountain of living water. + With my foolishness, I have often forsaken You, O the bread that comes from heaven; The deadly hunger killed me; I acquire You, and have communion in Your body. The life-Giver; Let Your Holy spirit work in me; To find a unique bread in Your gospel; You are my perpetual satisfaction; Why should I seek food from someone else?! + My soul is embittered when I see the princes and nobles cast on the streets of Jerusalem; instead of enjoying their magnificent banquets, they beg for bread; You have set me a king, O King of kings; And offered me the fellowship in the heavenly banquet; Why then, should I disregard it; And go down to beg what is for the world?! + Let my soul forsake wandering in the streets of this world; Let me set forth by Your Holy Spirit, to make me sit in the heavenlies; To enjoy the flood of Your grace, and the riches of Your exalted goods; Behold, my sins deny me the enjoyment of Your splendor; Let me encounter You, O the true Light; To shine in me, O Sun of Righteousness. + Behold, the enemy does not cease to seduce me; He set traps before me; And hides snares on my way; Lift me up, so that my feet would not stumble in the snares of this world; Set me forth from glory to glory; So as not to fall into the bondage of the devil; Let me enjoy Your sweet yoke and Your light burden; To be liberated from the yoke of sin and the bondage of the devil. + How could the enemy have peace of mind, when he sees me enjoy sonhood to Your Father? He aims his arrows toward me to make me fall in his narrow-mindedness; To deny me the width of Your love; To make me lose the love and compassion; And to plant in me the seeds of hate and envy; Let me sit underneath the shadow of Your cross; To open my heart to all mankind, even to my oppressors. + The streets of Jerusalem are covered with blood because of her sins; She lost her holiness, and came to be defiled in the strangers’ eyes; Who will set in my depths a holy temple for You? Except Your fiery Holy Spirit?! Who will set in me a holy sanctuary? By which both the heavenly and earthly creatures be amazed? + King Zedekiah intended to flee away; When the Chaldean army chased him like eagles; They picked him up by their nails, and killed his sons before his eyes; They put out his eyes, and put him in bronze chains; To make him spend the rest of his life in prison; Who will save me from those deadly eagles? Except Your cross, the power of God for salvation?! + Hiding in You, O my divine Refuge; All hosts of darkness will not be able to crawl to me; No power can bring my talents to perdition; Nor make me lose my insight; Your gift to me; In Your shadow, I shall live, not only among the holy nations; But also among the heavenly hosts; In Your shadow, I shall enjoy the eternal heavenly glories; I shall enjoy the glory of the children of the living God; Glory be to You, O the Crucified Lover of mankind.
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