The extraordinary joy of Sarah after the birth of Isaac and the departure of Hagar with Ishmael. — Divine providence for the exiled. — The strength and safety of the one who uses divine help. — The pernicious actions of envy and exhortations to eradicate it.

1. Let us continue today's conversation, beloved, and once again offer you a spiritual meal, in order to see once again, as you heard yesterday, the ineffable providence and condescension of the good God, and, on the other hand, the great obedience of the forefather and his spiritual disposition. You have seen how Sarah was pleased with the birth of Isaac. "And Sarah said," says the Scripture, "God made me laughter; whosoever heareth of me shall laugh," v. 6. Whosoever hears of it, saith he, shall take part in my joy. Great is the gift sent down to me from God; it exceeds human weakness. Who, she says, will not be amazed to see how I feed with milk from my breasts, already being in extreme old age, and being barren to this day? And as if surprised and amazed at this event, Sarah adds: "Who would say to Abraham, 'Sarah will suckle the children?' for in his old age I bore a son"? Since this event was above nature, therefore Sarah says, "Who would say?" That is: who will think? Who would have imagined this? What mind is able to comprehend, this? What reasoning will suffice to fully explain what has happened? It is not so much surprising that springs of water flowed from a stone in the desert when Moses struck it with a rod, but that a child was born from the womb, already dead, and streams of milk appeared. In order that the reality of the birth may be evident to all, and that all contemporaries and descendants who hear of it may be assured of the miracle, Sarah herself nourishes the child, and takes upon herself the trouble to nurse him with her own milk, and says: "Who would say to Abraham, 'Sarah will breastfeed the children?'" Is this not a new, wondrous consolation, and beyond all expectation, given to me, that I have borne a son in my old age? What does it mean: "In his old age I bore a son"? This means that, apart from barrenness, the very years of age were such that it was necessary to renounce all hope of birth. But the Lord, having removed all these obstacles, granted me both the birth of a son and the springs of milk. Let us now consider the following events. When the time of feeding with milk was over, "and Sarah saw," says the Scriptures, "that the son of Hagar of Egypt, whom she bore to Abraham, mocked and said to Abraham, 'Cast out this handmaid and her son, for the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son Isaac.' And it seemed to Abraham very disagreeable for his son's sake" (vv. 9-11). See here, beloved, how Sarah again does not tolerate the liberties of Ishmael, and cannot indifferently endure that the son of a slave girl should treat Isaac in this way. And as before, wishing to subdue the arrogance of Hagar, in great indignation she forced her to take to flight, so now, wishing at the very beginning to curb the pretensions of Ishmael, and not being able to endure indifferently that a son born by grace and given by God himself should be treated with the son of an Egyptian slave girl, she says to Abraham: "Drive out this handmaid and her son, for the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son Isaac." Sarah saw that she herself was in a very old age, and that her forefather had already reached old age (for both had already lived many years), and she feared that, in the event of their sudden death, Ishmael, by right of birth from the seed of her forefather, would seek to share in his father's inheritance and make himself equal to Isaac, so she began to say: "Cast out this slave girl and her son." Let Hagar, he says, know that the son of a handmaid will have nothing to do with my son Isaac; and it is not proper that the son of a slave woman should treat the son of a mistress so closely. However, Sarah did not act unjustly in this case, but very justly, and so justly that God Himself approved of her words. And the forefather, being loving and attached to Ishmael, accepted Sarah's words with displeasure. "And," says the Scripture, "it seemed to Abraham very disagreeable for his son's sake." He did not care for Hagar, but had compassion for the lad, who was already of age. Notice here the extraordinary condescension of God, the lover of mankind. He saw that Sarah's indignation at the equality of children was a common feeling, inherent in human nature, but that Abraham could not indifferently endure the expulsion of Ishmael and the slave girl (although he did not contradict Sarah in his great meekness, it seemed to him cruel, that is, hard, unpleasant and unbearable). Therefore, the Lord, with His characteristic love for mankind, wishing to strengthen the union of their unanimity, says to Abraham: "Do not be grieved for the sake of your child and your handmaid; in all that Sarah saith unto thee, obey her voice" (v. 12). Do not receive her words with sorrow, he says; but in everything that Sarah says to you, listen to her.

2. All that, says God, that Sarah now tells you concerning Ishmael and Hagar, accept and obey her words. Do not wish to offend her, who at all the time (cohabitation with you) showed such great love for you, who not once, but twice, in order to deliver you from death, sacrificed herself for your salvation, and became the author of such glory for you: and, first, caused you to come out of Egypt with such riches; and then it was the reason why you received such an honor from Abimelech. Therefore, do not allow yourself to do anything contrary to her words. Yes, it will not be otherwise later. "For in Isaac, who is born of her, thy seed shall be called" (v. 12), and he shall be thy heir. "And from the son of the handmaid I will make a nation, because he is your seed" (v. 13). Therefore, do as she tells you, and listen to her words. See now what peace, what unanimity was suddenly established in their cohabitation, how soon the goodness of God sealed their union. "Abraham arose," says the Scriptures, "early in the morning, and took bread and a loaf of water, and gave it to Hagar, laying it on her shoulders, and the lad, and sent her away" (v. 14). Notice again the great prudence of the righteous man, and how he manifests a pious disposition in everything. When he heard Sarah say, "Cast out this handmaid and her son," it seemed disagreeable to him, because he had love for Ishmael. But when the Lord also commanded, he immediately fulfilled what he had been commanded and forgot his natural love; he reasoned that as soon as God commands, all passion must be abolished, because he who commands is the Lord of nature. And so, the slave girl, says the Scriptures, took the loaves and the fur of water, and "went" with the boy. But see again how, by God's good pleasure to the righteous, she is also worthy of care from above. Hagar, expelled (by Abraham), wandered in the wilderness, and, left without water, found no consolation for herself anywhere. "And she left," says the Scripture, "the lad under one bush" (v. 15). Her heart was broken with grief and love for her son, and so she "sat afar off," it is said, "at a distance of [one] shot from a bow. For she said, "I do not want to see the child die." And she sat down opposite her, and lifted up a cry, and wept" (v. 16). But the merciful and loving God, whose care for us surpasses all the love of father and mother, "heard the voice of the child from where he was" (v. 17), had compassion on the child, and had compassion on Hagar's suffering. He only allowed her to feel her loneliness, and immediately granted her His help. "And an angel of God from heaven called to Hagar," says the Scripture, "and said to her, 'What is the matter with you, Hagar?' Don't be afraid; God heard the voice of the child from where he was" (v. 17). "Arise, lift up the lad, and take him by the hand, for I will make of him a great nation" (v. 18). Oh, how loving the Lord is! He did not despise her, although she was a slave; but according to His promise to the forefather, from whose seed Ishmael was, He vouchsafes His great care to Hagar, and says: "What is the matter with you, Hagar? Don't be afraid; God heard the voice of the lad.... Arise, lift up the lad and take him by the hand, for I will make of him a great nation." Do not grieve, he says, because you have been cast out of the house, for I will have such a providence for your son, that he also will receive a multitude of offspring. "And God opened," it is said, "her eyes" (v. 19), not because she had no sight before, but because even open eyes did not profit her without revelation; over. Therefore, when God wanted to show her His care for her, He "opened," it is said, "her eyes," that is, He communicated His revelation to her ignorant, resurrected her Spirit, showed her the way, so that she also saw the place where streams of water flowed. "And she saw," says the Scripture, "a well of water, and went and filled the skins with water, and gave the child to drink" (v. 19). In impassable places, the Lord showed her the way; and when she was in such a helpless state, having no hope of salvation, He showed her His mercy, consoling her at the same time and showing His providence for the lad. Thus, even if we are in the wilderness, even if we are in the most extreme calamities, even if we have no hope of salvation, but as soon as it pleases God (to help us), we will have no need of anyone's help, and God's help alone will provide us with everything. If we gain His favor, then no one will overcome us, and we will be above all. "And," says the Scripture, "God was with the lad; and he grew up, and dwelt in the wilderness" (v. 20). Thus, when we have gained God's favor, then, even if we are in the wilderness, we will live safer than those who live in cities, because God's help is the greatest protection and an insurmountable wall. And in order to understand how he who is in the wilderness can be safer and more powerful than one who lives in cities and enjoys great help from people, let us remember how David, wandering from place to place, and spending his life as a stranger, was protected by the right hand on high. And on the contrary, Saul, who was in the midst of the cities, led so many troops with him, and had spearmen and bodyguards, Saul trembled every day and feared the attack of the enemy. The solitary one, having no one else with him, did not need human assistance; but this one, being clothed in a diadem and wearing a purple robe, had need of his help: the king needed a shepherd, the one clothed in a diadem needed a non-noble man (1 Samuel 18).

3. However, if you wish, let us begin our discourse a little earlier, in order to fully understand the whole event, and to be convinced that there is nothing stronger than (a man) protected by a higher help, and there is nothing weaker than one who is deprived of this help, even though he is surrounded by an innumerable multitude of troops. David was still very young, and, on account of his minority, lived in his father's house; but when the time had already come for his virtue to be revealed, then, having received the order of his father to visit his brothers, he obeyed him and went to them. Having thus come to see them, he learned that a battle was about to be fought with the foreigner Goliath, that all the Jewish people, together with Saul, were stricken with fear, and the king himself was in danger of losing everything. Then David at first wanted only to see this new and strange spectacle, how one man dared to oppose thousands. But the brethren, unable to endure the courage of his spirit, began to envy him and said, "Have you only come to see the battle" (1 Samuel 17:28)? So, did you not come to meet with us? Look at his prudence and great meekness. He says nothing impudent or coarse to them, but, quenching their flames and taming their envy, answers, "Are they not words" (v. 29)? Do you not see that I have not taken up arms and am not joining the ranks of the army? I just wanted to see and see where this man got such immeasurable pride, "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that so reproaches the army of the living God" (v. 26)? Then, hearing his exceedingly proud words, and seeing how all those who were with Saul were stricken with unspeakable fear, he said, "What will they do to him who kills this Philistine" (v. 26)? And having revealed the great courage of his soul with such words, he brings everyone to amazement. When Saul learned of this, he summoned to him a young man who knew nothing but the office of a shepherd, and seeing his (young) age, he showed contempt for him. But when he heard from him how he dealt with the bears when they attacked his flocks (it was not vanity that prompted this illustrious man to tell about it, but the necessity of inspiring Saul also with courage, and to turn his attention not to the weakness of the outside, but to the faith hidden within, and to the help from above, with which he, as a young man, was stronger than men, the unarmed – armed, the shepherd – the soldiers), – having learned, I say, from this the courage of his spirit, the king wanted to clothe him in his own (royal) weapons; but he, having taken this weapon upon himself, could not even bear it. And this happened in order that the power of God which worked through him might be all the more clearly revealed, and that the consequences might not be ascribed to the force of arms. And since, clothed in weapons, he felt a burden, he laid it down, and took only a shepherd's bag and a few stones, and with this he went out against that incarnate tower [the saint expresses the gigantic stature of Goliath]. The foreigner, on his part, looking at the weakness of his age, despises the righteous man, and at first attacks him with words, as if he were a powerless youth. It was when he saw that David was coming out against him with a shepherd's bag, and carrying with him only stones, he began to say to him almost thus: "Do you think it is evident that you are again assigned to the sheep and are chasing some dogs?" And you, as if chasing some dog, decide to fight with me with such weapons? But experience will now prove to you that you do not need to fight with an ordinary person. Uttering such haughty words, he hastily advanced, shook his military armor and raised his weapons. Thus, one went out to fight, confident in the strength of his arms, and the other protected himself with faith and help from above. And David, for his part, first of all humbles the arrogance of the foreigner with words, and says to him, "Thou comest against me with sword and spear, and thou thinkest to conquer by thy own strength; but I am in the name of the Lord God. Having said this, and taking one stone from the shepherd's bag, as if he really wanted to drive away some dog attacking the flock, he threw the stone with his sling; striking Goliath in the face, he immediately threw him (to the ground), and immediately, seizing his sword, cut off his head, brought it to the king, and thus put an end to the war. And so, through him the king also found salvation for himself, and all his army breathed freely. As soon as one looked at this wondrous and extraordinary deed, the armed man was struck down by the unarmed, the experienced in military affairs fell at the hands of a man who knew nothing but the life of a shepherd. Why did this happen? Because David was strengthened by help from above, and Goliath was deprived of it, and therefore fell into the hands of David. But then see what foolish actions the passion of envy produces. When the king saw that the righteous man was enjoying great glory, and that the exultant virgins were exclaiming: "Saul has conquered thousands, and David tens of thousands!" (1 Samuel 18:7), he did not tolerate such words complacently (although in fact he was ascribed more than David), but was overcome by envy and began to repay with evil the man who had done him good, and even tried to kill the one who should have been revered as a savior and benefactor. Oh, utter madness! Oh, the height of folly! The one who had spared his life and freed his whole army from the fury of a foreigner, he began to suspect after that as an enemy, and, not in the least remembering the good deed so recently done to him, falling into passions, darkening his mind with envy, as with some kind of intoxication, he began to look upon his benefactor as at an enemy.

4. Such is the evil of this passion: it first of all harms the very one in whom it is born. Just as a worm that originates in a tree first of all eats the tree itself, so envy first of all crushes the very soul that gave birth to it in itself. And to the one whom he envies, he does not do what he would wish for him, but quite the opposite. In deeds of envy, look not at the beginning, but at the end, and take into account how the very malice of those who envy brings only greater glory to those who are subjected to their envy, because those who suffer from envy incline God to their help and enjoy help from above, but the envious one, being deprived of the grace of God, easily falls into the hands of all. Enslaved before all external enemies by his own passion, he crushes himself, as it were, and as if devoured by invisible teeth and thus exhausted in himself, so to speak, sinks into the abyss. Knowing this, let us, I urge you, flee from this pernicious passion, and with all our might expel it from our souls. This is the most pernicious of all passions and harms our very salvation; This is an invention of the devil himself. That is why the Most Wise One says: "Through the envy of the devil death entered into the world" (Wis. 2:24). What does it mean: "Through the envy of the devil death entered into the world"? This means: when that evil beast saw the first-created man immortal, he in his malice led him to transgression of the commandment and thus caused man to be subjected to the punishment of death. Thus, envy produced deception, deception – crime, crime – death. That is why it is said: "Through the envy of the devil death entered into the world." Do you see what evil is from this passion? Exalted by immortality, she put to death. But while the enemy of our salvation, impelled by his own envy, was the cause of the fact that the first man, created immortal, was subjected to the condemnation of death, the benevolent and philanthropic Lord by His own death again granted us immortality, so that we gained even more than we lost. The devil deprived us of paradise, and the Lord raised us up to heaven; the one was the cause of our condemnation to death, and this one granted us immortality; this one deprived us of heavenly bliss, and this one prepared for us the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you see the wisdom of your Lord, how he turned the very weapons that the envy of the devil directed against your salvation, to his own head? Moreover, the Lord not only vouchsafed us greater blessings (than in Paradise), but also delivered the devil himself into our power, saying: "Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions" (Luke 10:19). Therefore, reflecting on all this, let us expel envy from our souls and strive to gain God's favor. It is our invincible weapon; it is our greatest power; with his help, Ishmael, although still young and in the wilderness and in extremely difficult circumstances, was magnified and had a large people in posterity, because "God was with the child," says the Scriptures (Gen. 21:20). Here we will conclude our present word. Therefore, I beseech you, let us despise the present, and strive in spirit for the future, esteem God's favor above all things, and by a virtuous life acquire for ourselves the firmness of hope, so that we may spend the present life without sorrow, and attain future blessings, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 47

"And it came to pass, after these things that God tempted Abraham" (Gen. 22:1).

The divine command to sacrifice Isaac and the invincible firmness of Abraham's faith and obedience to the divine will. — The Formative Significance of This Sacrifice. — An oath confirmation by God of the promises given before and an exhortation to the listeners to fulfill the divine commandments.

1. There is much that is useful to us in today's reading from the Scriptures, and an unspeakable treasure is hidden in these brief words. Such are the divine sayings: not in a multitude of words, but in brief expressions, they contain great riches. Thus, let us examine these words of Scripture and carefully study the meaning of the present reading. Here we will see new examples of the great virtue of the forefather and the wondrous love of God. "And it came to pass," says the Scripture, "that after these things God tempted Abraham." What is the meaning of these words: "And it came to pass that after these things God tempted Abraham"? See how the Divine Scripture already in these very words wants to reveal to us the virtue of the righteous. Intending to tell us about the temptation brought by God upon Abraham, the Scriptures first want to indicate to us the very time at which the forefather was commanded to offer (as a sacrifice) Isaac, so that you would know (more fully) the great obedience of the forefather, and how he did not allow himself to consider anything higher than pleasing God. What does it mean: "And it came to pass after these events"? After the birth of Isaac, Sarah, seeing the close treatment of Ishmael with Isaac, as we talked with you yesterday, was indignant at this, and said to Abraham: "Cast out this handmaid and her son, for the son of this handmaid will not inherit with my son Isaac," and it seemed cruel to the forefather. Then God, desiring to comfort the righteous man, said to him, Listen to Sarah thy wife, and do as she saith unto thee; "Do not be grieved for the sake of your child and your handmaid; … for in Isaac thy seed shall be called"; but also (from) Ishmael: "I will make a nation, because they are your seed" (Gen. 21:10-13). All the promise and gospel given to him by God was that the descendants of Isaac would multiply into a great nation. Nourished by these hopes, the righteous man approached the end of his career, as if he had already received retribution for such great and continuous sorrows and temptations, having already finally attained tranquility; he saw before his eyes the successor who was to succeed him. Thus, I say, the righteous man lived in the world, tasting the fruits of the greatest consolations for himself. But He who thinks innermost, desiring to show us all the virtue of the righteous man, and the great love which he had for God, after such great promises, and especially after the new one that had recently taken place [the promise that in Isaac Abraham should be called the seed; this promise was given for the last time at the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael from the house of Abraham], which was still fresh in memory,  — when Isaac had already come of age and was in the prime of life, and his father's love for him apparently increased more and more, then, after those words of promise, after it was said: "In Isaac thy seed shall be called," and he shall be thy heir — "And it came to pass, after these things God tempted Abraham." What does it mean, "tempted"? It is not that God did this out of ignorance; and He subjected the forefather to temptation so that both his contemporaries then and his descendants to the present time would learn, like the forefather, to have the same love (for God), and to show the same obedience to the commandments of the Lord. "And (God) said to him, 'Abraham! He said, Here am I," v. 1. What does the repetition of the name mean here? This is a sign of God's great favor towards the forefather, and such a call made him understand that God wanted to command him something especially important. Thus, with an intensified calling, urging him to increase his attention and carefully listen to the word of God, God says to him: "Abraham! He said, 'Here I am.'" And "[God] said, 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac; and go into the land of Moriah, and there offer him for a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you" (v. 2). The command is too heavy! A work that exceeds the forces of human nature! "Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac." See how these very words only inflamed and intensified the fire of love that the righteous man had for Isaac. "Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac." Each word in itself was enough to shake the soul of the righteous man. He did not simply say, "Isaac," but added, "thy son," whom thou hast received beyond all expectation, and whom thou couldst have borne in the very old age; "the only one" — your desired one, whom you love so dearly; "Isaac," — whom you hope to have as your heir, from whom I promised to multiply your descendants, and to multiply so many that his number will be equal to the multitude of stars and to the sand on the seashore. So take this very son, "and go to the land of Moriah, and there offer him for a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." For me, it is also surprising how only a righteous man could listen to such words. This very son, says God, so much desired for you, offer to Me as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. What about the righteous man? He was not troubled in spirit, did not waver in his thoughts, was not perplexed at such a strange command, did not begin to ponder or reason with himself in this way: what does this mean? He who gave me a helper beyond all expectation, who in His love for mankind gave life to the dead womb of Sarah, now that my son is already brought up, grown up, and in the blooming years, does He command me to kill my child and offer it as a burnt offering? He who recently said to me, "In him shall be called thy seed," now demands the opposite? How will the promises given by Him be fulfilled? How is it possible that branches ever sprang from a truncated root, or fruit sprang from a felled tree, or rivers flowed from a parched spring? According to a human court, this cannot be. However, for the will of God, everything is possible.

2. However, this righteous man did not think anything of the kind; but, as a grateful member of the household, he abandoned all human reasoning and cared only for one thing, in order to fulfill the command; he became, as it were, alien to human nature, and placing all compassion and paternal love below the commandments of God, he hastened to begin to fulfill them. "Abraham," says the Scripture, "arose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took with him two of his servants, and Isaac his son; He chopped wood for a burnt offering, and arose, and went to the place of which God had told him, v. 3. Notice how the Lord, the lover of mankind, by the very distance of the place, tempts the virtue of the righteous. Imagine what the righteous man had to endure for three days, pondering with himself about the command given to him — how he should kill such a beloved son with his own hands, and yet he could not tell anyone about this matter — and marvel at his God-loving and wise soul. Understanding the full importance of this command of God, he resolutely does not reveal it to anyone, neither to his servants, nor to Isaac himself, but he alone performs this feat, and remains indestructible as adamant, showing all the courage of his spirit, not thinking much, but with full readiness obeying the beckoning of God. Upon arriving at the indicated place, "On the third day, Abraham," says the Scripture, "lifted up his eyes, and saw the place from afar. And Abraham said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey" (vv. 4, 5). Note here also the great prudence of the righteous man: he wanted to conceal (his intention) even from his servants, showing in everything a fiery zeal and a resolute readiness to fulfill the will of God. He knew that this was a new and unusual thing, and that no one else had done anything like it before, and therefore he hid it from the servants, and leaving them with the donkey, he said, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the son will go thither, and worship, and return to you," v. 5. He said this, not knowing that it would be so; but he prophesied, probably without knowing it. And he said this to the servants, of course, in order to hide the real matter from them and force them to stay in that place. Then the forefather departed with his son. "Abraham took wood for a burnt offering, and put it on Isaac his son; He took fire and knife in his hand, and they both went together" (v. 6). What courage of spirit! What firmness of will! "And he laid upon Isaac," says the Scripture, "wood for a burnt offering"; and he took a knife and a fire, and they both went together. With what eyes did he look at his son, who was carrying the wood, on which, after a while, he was to offer it for a burnt offering? How could his hands hold fire and knife? And while he carried the fire of the senses in his hands, the inner fire inflamed his heart and crushed all thoughts (that arose in him), arousing in him a determination to conquer (the real temptation) by love for God, and forcing him to reflect that He Who gave him the opportunity to become a father, even beyond the strength of human nature, can even now accomplish a deed that surpasses human reason. Look, however, how, even before the fire of the senses, little by little the inner fire was kindled in him and burned the soul of the righteous man. "And Isaac began," says the Scripture, "to speak to Abraham his father, and said, 'My father!'" (v. 7). This word alone was enough to shake the entire interior of the righteous man. "He answered, 'Here am I, my son.'" You call him a father who will be childless a little later; and I call him my son who is soon to ascend the altar, whom I myself will slay with my own hands. The son said, "Behold, you are carrying fire, and I am wood; where is the sacrifice appointed for offering (to God); Imagine here all the torment of the righteous man, how could he endure what he heard, how he could answer his son, how he did not waver in spirit, how could he hide from his son and not reveal the work that lay ahead? But with firm thought and courage of spirit he answers his son, "God will provide for himself a lamb for a burnt offering, my son" (v. 8). See here, too, how he again foretells the future, without knowing it. By this answer he thought to conceal the truth from Isaac; but with these words he calmed his son for a while, while he himself endured even greater and stronger sorrow, reflecting on these very words, looking at the physical beauty of his son, and at the beauty of his soul, his obedience, attractiveness, and his very blossoming age. "And they both went [further] together. And they came to the place of which God had spoken unto him" (vv. 8, 9). They came, says the Scripture, to a high mountain, which God showed him, "and Abraham built an altar there." Again I am amazed at the courage of the righteous man, how could he build an altar, how did he have enough strength for this, how did he not become crushed in spirit from inner sufferings? But he also erected an altar, and put wood on it, "and having bound his son Isaac, he laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took a knife to slay his son" (vv. 9, 10).

3. Let us not leave this story unattended, beloved, but let us think about how the soul of the forefather did not leave the body, how he had the strength to bind with his own hands and lay on the wood of his beloved, dear to his heart, the only-begotten son. "And Abraham stretched out his hand," says the Scripture, "and took a knife to slay his son." O God-loving soul! Oh, courageous spirit! Oh, strong love! Oh, reason that conquers human nature! Take a knife "to stab your son." But who is more surprised and amazed here? Is it the courageous spirit of the forefather, or the obedience of the son? He did not run away, nor was he grieved by his father's action, but obeyed and submitted to his intention, and like a lamb he lay silently on the altar, waiting for a blow from his father's hand. When everything was already prepared and nothing else remained, the good Lord, wishing to show that He had given him such a command not for the actual slaughter of his son, but for the manifestation of all the virtue of the righteous man, finally revealed His own love for mankind, crowning the righteous man for his very will, i.e. taking the very determination of the forefather as a sacrifice really made. "But the angel of the Lord," says the Scripture, "called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham! Abraham!" (v. 11). As soon as God saw that the righteous man was ready to do His will and was already about to slaughter his son, He called out to him from heaven: "Abraham, Abraham!" "He said, 'Here am I.' [The angel] said, 'Do not lift up your hand against the child, nor do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, and have not spared your son, your only son, for my sake'" (vv. 11, 12). "Do not lift up your hand against the lad." I did not give My command in order that it might actually be carried out, and I do not desire that you should sacrifice your son, but that your obedience should be made manifest to all. So, "do nothing to him"; I am content with thy very will, and for it I crown and glorify thee. "Now I know that you fear God." See what condescension there is in these words. What then? Did not the Lord know the virtue of the righteous man before, and only now did He know it? No; Not that He says that He Himself has only now learned, but what? Now, he says, you have shown everyone how sincere your fear of God is. Of course, I knew My servant; but the deed which you have now accomplished will become an object of edification both for contemporaries and for future generations. Now you have shown everyone how much you fear God and diligently fulfill His commands. "And thou hast not spared thy son, thy only son, for Me"—thou hast not spared the son so dear to thee and so sincerely loved by Thee for My sake, for the sake of My demand, for the sake of the command I have given, but thou hast preferred My command to love for thy son. But take your son back to you. For I promised you to multiply the offspring of your seed. Go now, crowned for obedience. I consider even one will worthy of crowning, and I reward (good) intentions, and may that which thou hast said to thy servants and to Isaac come to pass. Thou hast promised them, "Let us worship, and let us return." And so it will be. And to the question, "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" you answered, "God will provide for Himself a lamb for the burnt offering." Look around you, and you will see the sheep that you have foretold; and thou shalt offer him for a burnt offering in the place of the son. "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw, and behold, behind him was a ram, entangled in the thicket with his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it for a burnt offering in the place of his son" (v. 13). I have seen, says God, godliness in thy heart: behold, I have prepared for thee that which thou hast previously told thy son. (And) "He took (Abraham) a ram and offered it for a burnt offering in place of his son." Do you see God's love for mankind? And the sacrifice was made, and the forefather showed the piety of his soul, received a crown for his one (good) intention, and, taking back his son, returned with innumerable crowns. And all this was a prefiguration of the cross of Christ. That is why Christ also said to the Jews: "Abraham your father rejoiced to see My day; and he saw and rejoiced" (John 8:56). How did a man who had lived so many years before see it? In the prototype, in the shadows. As here the sheep is offered in place of Isaac, so the verbal Lamb is sacrificed for the whole world. The truth had to be portrayed in the shadows. See, beloved, how indeed all things have been transformed into shadows. There is the only-begotten son, and here is the only-begotten. There is the beloved and true (son), and here is the beloved and consubstantial Son, as God the Father says: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Isaac was offered by the Father as a burnt offering, and Christ was betrayed by the Father, as Paul exclaims, saying: "He who did not spare His Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how with Him will He not give us all things" (Romans 8:32)? Here (appeared) a shadow; and afterwards the truth of things is revealed, which is far more excellent: the verbal Lamb is sacrificed for the whole world. He cleansed the entire universe. He freed people from error and led them to the truth. He made the earth heaven, not by changing the nature of the elements, but by establishing heavenly life among earthly people. He destroyed all service to demons. Through Him people no longer worship stones and trees, and those who are gifted with words no longer honor the senseless (idols). All error has been destroyed, and the light of truth has enlightened the universe.

4. Do you see the supremacy of truth? Do you see what is the shadow and what is the truth? "And Abraham called the name of that place, Jehovah. Wherefore it is now said, On the mountain of Jehovah it shall be seen," v. 14. Notice the pious feelings of the righteous man — how he always gives names to places according to the events that happened on them. Wishing to immortalize in the very name of this place, as if on some kind of brass pillar, the visitation of God that took place on the mountain, Abraham called the name of the place, as the Scripture says: "Jehovah-jireh." It seemed that the reward was sufficient for the righteous man, that he restored Isaac to himself alive, and was honored with great praise in the words (of the Lord): "Now I know that you fear God." But the loving God, whose gifts and blessings always exceed our considerations, even now showers the righteous man with His mercies, and giving him reward after reward, says again: "And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, By me, saith the Lord, that because thou hast done this deed, and hast not spared thy son, thy only son, I will bless thee, and multiply thy seed, and multiply thy seed. like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the cities of their enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice" (vv. 15–18). Since you have fulfilled My commandment, he says, and have fully shown your obedience, then listen: "I swear by Me, saith the Lord." Take note of God's condescension: "By me," he says, "I swear," so that you may be sure that all that I have said will be completely fulfilled. As people, accompanying their promises with an oath, give them greater firmness and thereby calm those who receive promises, so the Lord, applying human custom, says: "I swear by me, says the Lord, that because you have done this deed, and have not spared your son, your only son, for me." Notice the Lord's love for mankind. "Thou hast not spared," he says, "thy son, thy only son, for Me"; and yet He Himself brings him back alive. Do not look here, beloved, at the end of the event, but delve into the disposition of the soul, with which the forefather unquestioningly fulfilled the command. As for arbitrariness, the forefather had already stained his hand with blood, had already touched his son's breast with a knife, and was actually offering sacrifice. That is why the Lord, as if the sacrifice had actually been made, gives praise to the righteous man for this and says: "Thou hast not spared thy son, thy only son, for Me." But if you did not spare him for My commandment, then I spared him for your obedience. As a reward for such obedience, I, "blessing you, will bless you, and multiplying will multiply your seed." Notice the abundance of blessing, which means: I will multiply thy seed still more. The Son, slain in thy purpose, shall spread thy seed to such a multitude that it shall be equal to the number of the stars and the sand, and "in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice"... All this, he says, will be granted to you for your great obedience.