And as if a dove escaped destruction from a hawk, so the righteous man escaped from the hands of that woman. It does not seem to me so much surprising that the three youths in the Babylonian furnace were conquerors of the fire, and that their bodies did not suffer in the least, as it is wondrous and extraordinary that this righteous man, cast into a furnace more terrible than that of Babylon — I speak of the lewdness of the Egyptian woman — remained untouched and came out of it, preserving the pure garment of chastity. However, do not be surprised, beloved; since he, on his part, used all his strength for this, he also had help from above, which helped him, quenched that flame, and in the midst of the furnace gave him dew from the Holy Spirit. Do you see how virtuous people, both being here and after their repose from here, are examples for us for our benefit? Now we have cited this righteous man (Joseph) as an example, so that everyone would follow him. Thus, let us all compete with him, let us rise above sensual deceptions, and, knowing that "our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world" (Ephesians 6:12), let us arm ourselves in this way. Imagining that we, clothed with a body, are forced to struggle with incorporeal forces, let us protect ourselves with spiritual weapons. Since we are clothed with flesh, but have a battle with invisible powers, the Lover of mankind the Lord has prepared for us an invisible weapon, so that by the power of this weapon we may be able to overcome the nature of our opponents. Thus, trusting in the power of this weapon, let us also use everything that is necessary on our part: then we will be able, protecting ourselves with this spiritual armor, to strike the devil in the very face. He cannot endure the lightning emanating from such a weapon, and even if he strives to resist it, his sight is immediately blinded. The grace of the Spirit is sent down in abundance where chastity, honesty, and other virtues are combined; therefore Paul said: "Strive to have peace with all, and holiness" (Rom. 12:18; Heb. 12:14). And so, I exhort you, let us cleanse our conscience and mind, so that, freed from every impure thought, we may attract the grace of the Spirit upon ourselves, overcome the wiles of the devil and be worthy of the enjoyment of eternal, ineffable blessings, which may we all be vouchsafed, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 45

"Abraham went up from there to the south and settled between Kadesh and Shur; and he was for a time in Gerar" (Gen. 20:1).

The importance for the preacher of the good will of the listeners towards him. - Abraham's settlement in the Gerar land and the fear of death; true marriage. — The divine deliverance of Sarah from disgrace and the justification of Abraham before Abimelech. — Fulfillment of the divine promise of the birth of a son to Sarah. — An exhortation to firm hope in God.

1. I rejoice to see that you are gathered together to hear (the word) and receive our teaching with great pleasure. And that is why I myself with great diligence try to offer you my meager and poor meal every day. Your increased zeal covers the poverty of the meal and gives the small the appearance of greatness. A similar thing can be seen in sensual foods. Thus, whoever receives guests who are already satiated, even if he offers them a multitude of viands, the gluttony of the guests reduces the price of the treat, so that even great things often seem not worth any price, because the guests approach the dishes without pleasure. On the contrary, whoever receives the hungry who have a strong desire for refreshments, even if he offers a meager meal, it seems great, since those who are treated eat with great pleasure what is offered. In the same way, we, confident in your spiritual hunger, do not hesitate to constantly offer our meal to your love, although simple and meager. Thus the Most Wise One said: "Better is a dish of greens, and love is with it, than a fattened bull, and hatred with it" (Proverbs 15:17), expressing that love looks differently at what is offered, that to its eyes even the meager seems luxurious and the small great. And so, what state can be more blessed than ours, when we converse among such a multitude of listeners, who nourish such ardent and active love for us? Nothing is more necessary for the speaker than the disposition of the listeners. When he sees in his listeners ardent zeal, he himself is strengthened and, as it were, acquires great strength, knowing that the more abundantly he offers a spiritual meal, the more profit he will receive for himself. In this respect, the spiritual is the opposite of the sensual. There, the abundance of the table causes loss and diminishes the wealth of the host, but here, quite the opposite, the more people participate in the meal, the more our wealth increases, because we do not speak our own, but what the grace of the Lord gives us, out of His love for mankind and for your edification. Therefore, if you approach the hearing with such pleasure and diligence, then let us continue the explanation of the recently read passages of the Scriptures, and draw fruits from them for our own benefit. The great commandment of Christ: "Search the Scriptures" (John 5:39) shows that in the Scriptures there are many treasures hidden in their depths; wherefore inquiry is necessary, so that, knowing the power hidden in the depths of the Scriptures, we may gain all the benefit thereof. For this reason the grace of the Spirit was pleased to depict in the Scriptures the virtues of all the righteous, so that we might have constant instruction and, by the imitation and example of the righteous, order our own lives. So, let us listen to what the Divine Scripture wants to tell us today about the forefather (Abraham). "Abraham went up," he says, "from thence to the south, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur; and was for a time in Gerar." "Abraham arose," says the Scripture, "from there." Where did it come from? From the place where he lived in a tent, and where he was vouchsafed to receive the Lord with the angels. "Abraham rose up from there... and was for a time in Gerar." See how simple and unrefined was the way of life of the righteous, with what convenience they made their migrations, arranged their lives as strangers and strangers, and here and there erecting their tents, as if they had spent their whole lives in a foreign country. That's not what we do. Living in a foreign country, as if in our own country, we erect magnificent houses, with porticoes and galleries, acquire estates, build luxurious baths, and many other things without number. See, then, how the righteous man has all his possessions in his household and in his flocks, and how nowhere else does he have a permanent abode, but now he sets up his tent at Bethel, now under the oak of Mamre, now he goes to Egypt, and now he moves to Gerar, and endures all this with good humor, and for all he gives sincere thanks to his Lord. After such great promises and good news given to him by God, seeing himself surrounded by such (difficult) circumstances, exposed to many and varied temptations, he remained steadfast as adamant, constantly showed in himself a pious spirit, and in the midst of all obstacles he did not weaken in his activity. See now, beloved, what temptation befalls him in Gerar, and marvel at the firmness of the righteous man in virtue. This temptation, unbearable for anyone, so that someone else could not even hear about it, he endured without grief, without demanding an account of what had happened from the Lord, as many people do, being themselves burdened with an innumerable multitude of sins. When they are subjected to any sorrows, they immediately give themselves over to anxiety and inquisitiveness, and ask: Why did this and that happen? Why did God allow this? But the righteous man was not like that: for this reason he received the greater help from above. Such is the characteristic of a truly well-meaning servant – not to experience what happens from the Lord, but to receive everything from Him in silence and with thanksgiving.

2. Notice also how in the very temptations the virtue of the righteous shone forth more and more, because God in all cases revealed it. As before, having come to Egypt as a stranger, a man unknown and unknown to anyone, the righteous man suddenly returned from there with great honor, so now, having settled in Gerar, he first does what depended on him, and then receives such great help from God, that both the king and all the inhabitants there with all diligence render services to the righteous man. "And Abraham said," says the Scriptures, "of Sarah his wife, 'She is my sister' (Gen. 20:2). See what heavy feelings oppressed the soul of the righteous man, and what fear struck him. The former, though very strong, fear of losing his wife now gave way to the fear of death. And in order to avoid death, he had to see with his own eyes how his concubine fell into the hands of the King. And how unbearable this is, those who have wives know it. That is why the Most Wise One said: "Jealousy is the wrath of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance, nor will he accept any ransom" (Proverbs 6:34, 35). But this is a difficult and unbearable circumstance for everyone else, see how generously the righteous man endured, for fear of death. The same usually happens in bodily sufferings. When two diseases strike our body at the same time, the intensification of one overwhelms the other; we give ourselves over entirely to the feeling of the strongest pain, and often we do not even feel another at all, because the feeling of the strongest pain carries us away and does not allow us to feel the weakest disease. In the same way, this righteous man, seeing the fear of death threatening him, considered everything else more bearable. However, hearing this, beloved, do not accuse the righteous man of cowardice, because he feared death. But it is better to marvel at what great love for mankind the Lord showed us in that Christ made death, which at that time was terrible for the most righteous and holy, contemptible for us, that the very death that virtuous men feared, who had such boldness before God, are now laughed at by young men and virgins. Death is no longer what it used to be, but sleep, removal and migration from a worse world to a better one. The death of the Lord has granted us immortality; having descended into hell, He crushed his strength and destroyed his might; and this hell, formerly terrible and insurmountable, Christ has now made so contemptible that some people (not fearing it) strive and hasten to move from here. In the same way, Paul exclaims, saying: "To depart and be with Christ... incomparably better" (Phil. 1:23). But all this is only now, after the coming of Christ, after the brazen gates have been broken and the Sun of righteousness has shone throughout the whole world. And in those (ancient) times (death) still had a terrible appearance and shook the souls of the righteous men of that time, so that everything else, even if apparently unbearable, they endured easily. Thus this righteous man, fearing the treachery of the inhabitants of Gerar, did not marry Sarah to his wife, but to his sister, and thus dwelt there. And just as God allowed him to move to Egypt in order that the ignorant and insensitive (inhabitants) there might know the virtue of the righteous man, so here also the Lord shows His long-suffering, so that the patience of the righteous may shine forth in all things, and God's favor toward him may be manifest to all. "Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah," v. 2. Imagine the spiritual storm that a righteous man had to endure when he saw the abduction of his wife, and had no way to protect her. But he endured everything in silence, being sure that the Lord would not leave him, but would give him an ambulance. One should also marvel at the great love of Sarah in how she wanted to deliver the righteous man from the danger of death. After all, she could, by revealing the secret, avoid the dishonor that undoubtedly threatened her. But she decided to endure everything generously in order to save the righteous man. And what was said was fulfilled: "They shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). They were so concerned about the salvation of one another, as if they were one flesh, and showed such unanimity of mind, as if they had one body and one soul. Let husbands hear this, and wives also hear: wives, in order to have the same love for their husbands and not to consider anything more important than their salvation; and husbands, that they might have the same great affection for them, and act in all things as if they had one soul and were one body.

3. This is true marriage, when such harmony reigns between the spouses, when there is such a close union between them, when they are united by such love. Just as the body can never be in disagreement with itself, so the soul with itself, so the husband and wife should not disagree, but live in unity. From this an innumerable number of benefits can arise for them. All blessings flow where there is such unanimity, there is peace, there is love, there is spiritual joy; there is no quarrel, no strife, no enmity, no quarrelsomeness; all this disappears, because the root of all good, i.e., unanimity, destroys all this. "Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. And God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou shalt die for the woman whom thou hast taken, for she hath a husband" (vv. 2-3). See how God loves mankind. Knowing that the righteous man, out of fear of death, magnanimously endured the abduction of Sarah, and that the king took her as the sister of the righteous man, God manifests His providence, at the same time glorifying the righteous man even more, and delivering Sarah from dishonor, and restraining the king from transgression. "And God came to Abimelech by night in a dream." God, says the Scriptures, wishing to protect the king from transgression, during his sleep communicated to his soul his knowledge and revealed to him the unseen, and at the same time brought great fear upon him by the threat of death. "Behold, thou shalt die," he said, "for the woman whom thou hast taken, for she hath a husband. But Abimelech did not touch it" (v. 3, 4). And all this was done so that the promise of God given to the forefather would come to pass. Since it had been promised to him a short time before that a son, Isaac, would be born of him, and that time was already approaching, so that the promise of God would not be subjected to any defilement, God inspired Abimelech with such fear that he, being amazed, did not dare to touch Sarah. For this reason the divine Scripture added that "Abimelech did not touch her." But the king still justifies himself in his boldness and says: "Lord! wilt thou destroy even an innocent people" (v. 4)? Did I, he says, do this, knowing that she is a wife? Did I mean to offend the stranger? Did he take her as his wife? I wanted to take her as his sister, thinking thereby to do honor to her and to him. And so, "Wilt thou destroy even the innocent people?" Then, explaining his words, he says again: "Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister?' And she herself said, He is my brother" (v. 5). See how unanimous and concordant they were: he himself, says (Abimelech), told me this, and she confirmed his words. "In the simplicity of my heart and in the purity of my hands," (he says), "having no intention of doing anything unlawful, but I did it as a permissible and possible thing, having nothing reprehensible in it. What then is the Lord, who loves mankind? "And God spoke to him in a dream" (v. 6). See what condescension the Lord shows, manifesting His goodness in everything. "I know," he says, "that you have done this in the simplicity of your heart." I know, he says, that they themselves arranged this plan, and that you did it, being deceived by their words; and therefore, lest their deceit lead thee into sin, "keep thee from sin before me." Great is the condescension in these words, great is the Lord's love for mankind! "Against Me," he says, "this sin would have turned." As among men, when someone offends a servant who enjoys great honor with his master, the master takes this offense to himself, and says: "You have offended me by doing this to my servant, what is done to him concerns me," in the same sense the good Lord says: "He has restrained you from sinning before Me." They, he says, are My servants, and I have such care for them that I attribute to Myself all that is good or bad that happens to them; "Therefore I did not allow you to touch it." Since I care much for them, knowing that you had unknowingly inflicted this offense on them, "I restrained you from sinning before Me." Do not look upon this man simply as one of the ordinary people; know that they are among those for whom I am most concerned and who have a special affinity for me. "Now restore the wife to her husband, for he is a prophet and will pray for you, and you will live" (v. 7). See how God reveals the virtue of the righteous; he calls him a prophet and, as it were, disposes the king himself to ask him for mercy. "He will pray," he says, "for you, and you will live." He, fearing thy death, arranged such a plan, and almost contributed to the disgrace of Sarah himself; but know that his prayers will save your life. But in order that the king, (inflamed with passion) and seduced by the beauty of Sarah, should not disregard the commandment, God instills fear in him and threatens to subject him to a grievous punishment. "And if you do not return," he says, "then know that you and all yours will surely die." Not only will you, he says, be punished for disobedience, but because of you death will befall your whole house. For this reason God proclaimed all this to him at night, so that, having received the suggestion in silence, he would fulfill the command with great fear. "And Abimelech arose early in the morning," says the Scriptures, "and called all his servants, and spoke all these words into their ears" (v. 8).

4. See how the king himself becomes the herald of the virtue of the righteous and declares him to all. "These people were very afraid." Do you see how the righteous man did not make his migrations in vain and not without benefit? If he had remained in the same place, how could all the inhabitants of Gerar know what favor this righteous man enjoys from God? "These people were very afraid." Great fear seized them; Everything that happened amazed them. Then "Abimelech called Abraham," says the Scriptures, "v. 9." Imagine with what honor a righteous man is now brought before the king, one who a short time before was considered unworthy of any attention by them, as a wanderer and a wanderer. As soon as everyone had gathered, the forefather was summoned, who knew nothing about this, and had only been informed by the king himself that God had created for the king for his sake. "And he said to him, 'What have you done to us? Wherefore have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done unto me such works as are not done. What did you mean when you did this work" (vv. 9, 10)? Why, says the king, did you want to lead me into such a sin? Why and with what intention did you do this? See how the king depicts in his own words the threat he has heard from God. As God said to him: "And if you do not return, then know that you and all yours will surely die," so, recounting the same thing, Abimelech says: "What have I sinned against you, that you have brought a great sin upon me and my kingdom?" Was the punishment to fall on me alone? My whole kingdom could have completely perished from the deception you have invented. With what intent did you do this? But now, beloved, pay attention to the wisdom of the righteous man, with which, in the matter of his justification before them, he introduces to them the teaching of the knowledge of God. "Abraham," he says, "said, I thought that there was no fear of God in this place, and they would kill me for my wife's sake" (v. 11); that is, I feared that you, still in error, did not care in the least about justice; and therefore I did this, sparing you, so that when you learn that she is my wife, out of passion for her, you will not attempt to kill me. See how with these few words he rebuked them, and taught that a man who always has God in his mind should do nothing iniquity, but should fear His watchful eye, and under pain of punishment from Him should always be concerned about justice. Then, wishing to justify himself, the forefather says: "Do not think that I have lied in this case as well; "Yes, she is truly my sister: she is my father's daughter, but not my mother's daughter; and she became my wife" (v. 12). I, he says, and she have one father; That is why I called her sister. Therefore, do not condemn me; Though the fear of death made me so compelled, because I feared lest you should put me to death on account of it, and appropriate it to yourselves, yet in this case I did not tell a lie. See how the righteous man tries to prove that he did not lie here either. If, he says, you want to know everything from me exactly, then listen to the very conference that we had between us. "When God led me to wander out of my father's house" (v. 13). Pay attention here to the great wisdom of the righteous man, with which, in order to narrate himself, he shows them that from the very beginning he was one of God's chosen ones, that God Himself called him from his house, and brought him to their country, so that the king might know that he was one of the people who had great boldness before God. "When," he said, "God led me to wander out of my father's house, I said to her, 'Do this mercy to me, wherever we go, everywhere say of me, 'This is my brother.'" Since he had said above, "I thought that there was no fear of God in this place," and it seemed to him that he had already struck them too much with these words, then, wishing to mitigate the force of this reproach, he now says: "Do not think that we have decided to do this only to you." No, even then, "when God led me to wander out of my father's house, I said to her, 'Do this mercy to me, wherever we come.' I gave her, he says, this warning concerning all who dwell on this earth; and yet this intention does not contain a lie, but is compelled to resort to it by the fear of death. Having said this, the righteous man tamed their anger, and revealed his own virtue, and gave them sufficient instruction in the worship of God. After that, the king, respecting such great meekness of the righteous man, rewards the forefather with the generosity characteristic of a king. "And Abimelech took flocks and herds, and male and female handmaids, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored to him Sarah his wife" (v. 14). Do you see, beloved, the providential wisdom of God? He who feared death and used all means to avoid it, not only escaped death, but also received great approval and became famous beyond his expectation.

5. Such are the works of God! God not only delivers from sorrows those who try to generously endure the temptations sent upon them, but also gives such consolation in the sorrows themselves that we completely forget them and receive a great multitude of blessings. See further, what services the king renders to the righteous. He not only honored the righteous man with rich gifts, but also gave him permission to live in his land: "Behold," he says, "my land is before you; dwell where thou wilt" (v. 15). When the king was convinced that he had been granted life for the sake of the righteous man and through his prayers, he began to serve a stranger, a stranger, and a hitherto completely unknown person, as his benefactor and protector. "And Sarah (says the Scripture) said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand shekels of silver," v. 16. See how he, having received admonition from the righteous man and believing his words, calls him her brother. Which, says I have given to thy brother, behold, this is a veil for thy eyes before all that are with thee, and before all thou art justified.

What does it mean: "To the eyes before all, ... and in the sight of all you are justified"? Because I unknowingly attempted to bring you, the wife of a righteous man, into my house, only because I became the author of your dishonor, I gave a thousand didrachmas, desiring to reward you for what I have done to you. But "in the sight of all you are justified." What does it mean: "In the sight of all you are justified"? Let them know from thee, he says, that no crime has been committed on my part, that thou hast left my house untouched. Assure thy husband, he says, that I am not guilty of sin; let him know from you that I have done nothing to you. Why does he say this? So that the righteous man, having learned from her and made sure of this, would lift up prayers for him to the Lord. In fact, immediately after his words: "In the sight of all you are justified," i.e., tell your husband all that it was, the Scripture adds: "And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his handmaidservants, and they began to bear children; for the Lord shut up every womb in the house of Abimelech for Sarah Abraham's wife" (vv. 17-18). See how the Lord, through all such cases glorifying the righteous more and more, through the prayers of the forefather, grants salvation to the king and to all in his house. "And Abraham prayed," says the Scripture, "to God, and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants, and they began to bear children; for the Lord shut up every womb in the house of Abimelech for Sarah Abraham's wife." Although the king refrained from sinning, the good Lord sent this punishment upon him in order that later, bowing down to the prayers of the righteous man, he might grant the king deliverance and thus glorify and magnify the righteous man even more. Thus the Lord always creates and arranges, and directs every event in such a way that those who faithfully serve Him shine like luminaries, and their virtue becomes known everywhere. Finally, beloved, see how, after being delivered from sorrows, the righteous receive the crown of all good things, the fulfillment of the promise, the fulfillment of what God had long foretold him. "And the Lord," says the Scripture, "looked upon Sarah, as He said; And the Lord did to Sarah as He had said. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God spoke to him" (Gen. 21:1-2). What is the meaning of the expressions: "as he said, as he spoke"? This means: as the Lord promised when He was received as a stranger with angels by His forefather under the oak of Mamre and when He said: "At the appointed time I will be with you next year, and Sarah [will have] a son" (Gen. 18:14); And so it came to pass. What nature could not do, they saw accomplished, not according to the ordinary order of human affairs, but by divine grace. "And Abraham called the name of his son that was born to him, whom Sarah, Isaac, bore him" (Gen. 21:3). Not without reason did the divine Scripture add: "whom Sarah bore him." It did not simply say, "Abraham called the name of his son," but added, "whom Sarah bore him," i.e., a woman who had not borne before, barren, and aged. "And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son on the eighth day, as God had commanded him" (v. 4). So it was commanded (from God) that newborn babies should be circumcised on the eighth day. Further, in order that we may understand still more the ineffable power of God, according to which "is there anything difficult for the Lord?" – the Divine Scripture again indicates to us the very time (of this event), and, having spoken of the birth (of Isaac), remarks to us: "Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him. And Sarah said, God has made me laugh; whosoever hears of me shall laugh" (vv. 5-6). What does it mean, "God has made me laugh"? They mean: the birth of a son is an object of joy for me. However, what would be surprising, if only for me? And all who hear of it will rejoice with me, not because I have given birth, but because I have given birth in this (extraordinary) way. The wonder of the event will amaze everyone, and will bring all the greater consolation when they learn that I, in my condition, am no better than the dead, have suddenly become a mother, have given birth to a child from a mature womb, and can still nourish him with my breasts and exude milk, I, who no longer had any hope of procreation. "And she said, Who would say to Abraham, 'Sarah will suckle the children' (v. 7)? For this reason the sources of milk were communicated to her, in order to certify the reality of the birth, so that no one would consider the child to be false; the streams of milk clearly showed to everyone that the event had taken place beyond all human expectation. "Who would say, Sarah will suckle the children," that I bore a son in my old age? That I, an old man, have been able to give birth and, at such an age, can still nourish a child with my breasts? "The child grew up," says the Scriptures, "and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned" (v. 8).

6. Do you see the ineffable wisdom of God, how God, having tested the patience of the righteous in every way, brought His promise to fruition, when both the forefather himself and all those who looked to him, judging by human nature, seemed to have no hope? In the same way, beloved, let us show the same patience, following the example of the righteous, and let us never despair, but will begin to feed on good hopes, knowing that neither the difficulty of the matter nor anything else human can hinder you too much, when the grace of God is pleased to show us its own generosity. To God's beckoning, everything obeys and submits, and then the difficult becomes easy, and the impossible becomes possible. If only we have firm faith in Him and, beholding the greatness of His power, stand above all human things. He who promised in the future unspeakable blessings to people who lead this life in virtue. Does he not bestow all the more temporal blessings, especially if, striving for the former, we desire the latter less? It is then that we will primarily enjoy these blessings in abundance, when we decide to despise them. Therefore, knowing this, let us desire constant, unchangeable and endless blessings, so that we may spend our present life without sorrow, and attain those blessings, which may we all be vouchsafed to receive, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 46

"And she said, Who would say to Abraham, 'Sarah will suckle the children?' for in his old age I bore a son" (Gen. 21:7).