"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.

How will we show our obedience? If we really fulfill His commandments. "Not the hearers of the law," says the Scriptures, "are righteous in the sight of God, but those who do the law will be justified" (Romans 2:13). And what good is it to us if we hear (about the commandments of God) every day, and do not care about their fulfillment? Therefore I exhort all, let us hasten to good works, for otherwise it is impossible to be saved, let us cleanse our sins, and thus be worthy of mercy from the Lord Himself, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 48

"The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 'You are the prince of God in our midst; in the best of our burial places bury thy dead" (Gen. 23:5-6).

The burial of Sarah and the acquisition of Abraham's first landed property; the denunciation of contemporaries in their addiction to acquisitiveness and exhortation to justice and almsgiving. Abraham's concern for the choice of a wife for Isaac from his kindred tribe and his firm faith in the Lord Provident. — The story of the journey of the slave Abraham to Mesopotamia, with moral application to the life of the listeners.

1. You saw yesterday, beloved, the courage of the forefather. We have seen a soul stronger than adamant. (They saw) how, as much as depended on him, out of his love for God, he became a priest of his own son, stained his hand with blood and offered a sacrifice; but, through the ineffable love of God, he received his son back alive and well, and for his readiness he was glorified and adorned with a bright crown. Such was his supreme feat, which he accomplished; here his God-loving soul was fully revealed. Let us now look at the power of this righteous man's (fatherly) love, at the care he takes for his son. After that extraordinary and wonderful sacrifice, when he returned (from the mountain), sorrow for Sarah came upon him. Having begged the sons of Hittite for possession of a tomb and bought a place, he buried his dead wife there, and thus, with the death of Sarah, the forefather made the first beginning of his acquisitions. The Divine Scriptures, showing in all things the virtue of this righteous man, and the fact that he spent all his time as a stranger and a stranger, also noted this (circumstance), so that we may know that, having enjoyed such help from above, having become so glorious and having received the promise of so many descendants, he did not even have a place of his own (burial), not as many do now, taking care to acquire fields and villages and all other riches without measure. He had enough wealth of soul, but did not take any care of material things. Let those who suddenly, in one minute, want to seize everything into their own hands, who extend, so to speak, the passion of their avarice to everything, hear this. Let them better imitate their forefather, who did not even have a place to bury the mortal remains of Sarah, and only on this occasion, prompted by extreme necessity, bought a field and a cave from the sons of Hittite. And that he was respected by the inhabitants of Canaan, listen to what the sons of the Hittites say to him: "You are the prince of God in our midst; in the best of our burial places bury thy dead; none of us will refuse you a burial place." But see how the righteous also teaches them by his very works, not before agreeing to take the tomb from them, but having paid the due price for it. Though you, he says, show me such favour, yet I will not consent to take the tomb from you before I have paid the proper price for it. And having given the money, it is said, he took the tomb, "buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field in Machpelah, opposite Mamre" (Gen. 23:16, 19). Therefore (a man) so illustrious and respected, who had such an intimacy with God, and who enjoyed such attention from all who lived in that place, that the sons of the Hittites even called him king, such a man did not possess even an inch of land. That is why Blessed Paul, glorifying the virtue of this righteous man, wrote: "By faith he dwelt in the promised land as in a strange land, and he dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, joint heirs of the same promise" (Hebrews 11:9). Then, teaching us how he traveled in faith, the apostle adds: "For he was looking for a city having a foundation, of which God is the maker and builder." In the hope of the future, he despised the present and, expecting great (blessings), cared little about the blessings of the present life. And so (he did) even before the law and before grace. Tell me, then, what excuse shall we have, after such great gospels and promises of unspeakable blessings, having so much addiction to temporal goods, buying fields, striving always and in all things to shine, acquiring all these things with greed and predation, and in fact fulfilling what the blessed prophet, weeping, said: "Woe to you, you who add house to house, who add field to field, so that there is no room for others" (Isaiah 5:8)? Is this not what we really see every day, whether the property of widows is not taken away, whether the orphans are not robbed, and whether the powerless are not oppressed by the strong? But this is not how the righteous man (acted). Wishing to buy the tomb, although he saw that those from whom he had asked for it were ready to give it to him, he did not consent to take it before, as having paid the due price. Reflecting on this, beloved, let us, who live under grace, imitate what has been to the end. Let us not inflame in ourselves a passion for greater and greater acquisitions, and through this prepare for ourselves only a greater and fiercer fire, an inextinguishable fire, an unbearable flame. If we continue in such predation and covetousness, we will hear it said to the rich man: "Fool! this night thy soul shall be taken from thee; Who will get what you have prepared?" (Luke 12:20)? And why, beloved, do you try to collect so many and such blessings? After a short time, having been taken from here, you will leave them here, not only not having received any benefit from them, but having also borne the burden of sins with repentance, already in vain. The treasures which you have greedily collected may pass into the hands of your enemies, and you yourself will be judged and punished for them. What madness it is to work for others, and to suffer execution for one's own labors!

2. But if we have been so careless until now, then at least from now on we will take care of what is due. Let us try not only to increase our possessions, but also to take care of justice. Our affairs will not be limited to the present life, and we will not always be in this alien country; but a little later we will move to our fatherland. Let us do everything in such a way that we do not endure deprivation there. Of course, what is the use of leaving one's wealth in a foreign country, and not having what one needs in one's true homeland? And so, I beseech you, let us hasten, while there is still time, to transfer there what we have acquired here, in a foreign land. Although the distance of places is great, it is very convenient to move there from here, because people are ready for us who are able to carry it there, people who are on the right path there, and who put in a safe treasury everything that we would like to send there through them. And if it is so convenient and reliable, why do we delay, why do we not do it with all care, in order to find our possessions where we will need them most? That is why the forefather (Abraham) lived in the land of Canaan, as a stranger to him, waiting for that "city whose artist and builder God is" (Hebrews 11:10). And so, if we wanted to imitate this righteous man, then we too would reach that city, and soon dwell in the bosom of our forefather, because the communion of deeds brings us communion and blessedness. But let us return, if you will, to the continuation of the discourse, and see how, after the death of Sarah, the righteous man cares for his son, I mean Isaac. Let us listen to how the Divine Scripture tells us about this. "Abraham," it says, "was already old and in advanced years. The Lord blessed Abraham in all things" (Gen. 24:1). Why does the Scripture notice this to us? Since at that time the forefather directed his care for Isaac to find him a spouse, therefore (the Scriptures) now mean the age of the forefather. When, it says, he had reached a very old age, then, wishing to turn Isaac away from kinship with the Canaanites, so that he would not take a wife from among them, (the forefather) summoned the most prudent of his household and, entrusting him with this task, said: "Put thy hand under my thigh" (Gen. 24:2). In Greek, it is written thus: "under my thigh"; and in Hebrew it reads: "under the loins." Why does the forefather say so? Such was the custom of the ancients; also because here was the beginning of the birth of Isaac. And in order to be convinced that this was the real custom, see how he, having commanded the servant to put his hand there, immediately adds: "And swear to me by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth" (Gen. 24:3). Notice how he teaches the servant to know the Creator of all things, because when he said, "God of heaven and God of earth," he signified (with these words) all creation. What was the oath? "You will not take for my son a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my land, to my homeland, and take a wife for my son Isaac" (Gen. 24:3-4). Do you see what commandment the forefather gave to his household? Do not ignore these speeches, but ponder the intention of the righteous man; Consider how in ancient times they did not care to acquire a lot of money, wealth, slaves, or so much space of land, did not seek only external decorum, but sought the beauty of the soul and purity of morals. The forefather, knowing the corruption of the inhabitants of Canaan, knowing what a great blessing it is to have a wife of the same nature (with her husband), with an oath, commands the servant: to bring a wife to Isaac from a kindred tribe. Neither the distance of the seats nor other inconveniences deterred him; but, knowing the necessity of this work, he exerts all his diligence, and sends a servant. The forefather acts this out of his concern for the virtue of the soul and out of aversion to the vices of the local inhabitants. And now hardly anyone would want to think of anything like this. On the contrary, even though the wife has a thousand vices, now they are looking for only one, a lot of money, and everything else is considered by them to be a secondary matter. But they do not know that, as soon as the heart is corrupted, even if immeasurable wealth flows, a man can very easily come to extreme poverty, and that there can be no benefit from wealth if there is no soul capable of using it properly.