CREATION. Part 2

COMMENTARY ON THE PROPHET ISAIAH

Preface

"Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath" (cf. Matt. 24:20). Therefore, it should be noted that God did not create winter or an unpraiseworthy Sabbath. For it is written: "Thou hast made the harvest and the spring" (Psalm 73:17). And we are "in winter," when carnal passions rule in us. For this reason it is necessary to understand this Gospel saying: let not our flight be when the worst prevails in us, or when we destroy our lives in idleness. For it inspires such a thought with the word "Sabbath," so that we may be vouchsafed this blessing: "Blessed is that servant, whose master comes, and shall find him watchful" (cf. Matt. 24:46).

"Be wise as a serpent" (cf. Matt. 10:16), perhaps in the sense that the serpent prudently and intelligently casts off old age. For when she needs to throw off her skin, she crawls into a narrow place, where her body would be compressed from everywhere, and thus, pushing herself through it, throws off her old age. Thus, perhaps, this word requires of us that, walking the narrow and sorrowful path, we should put off the old man and put on the new, and that "our youth should be renewed like an eagle" (cf. Psalm 102:5).

The great and first gift, which requires a soul thoroughly purified, is to contain within oneself the Divine inspiration and to prophesy of the mysteries of God, and the second gift, which also requires no small and difficult diligence, is to listen to the intention of what is spoken by the Spirit and not to err in the understanding of what is proclaimed, but to be led directly to this understanding by the Spirit, according to Whose dispensation the prophecy is written, and Who Himself guides the minds of those who have received the gift of knowledge. For this reason the Lord also added, saying: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matt. 11:15). And the prophet Hosea says: "Who is wise and understands this? and is this message meaningful?" (Hos. 14:10). Likewise, the Apostle, speaking of gifts, calls some gifts "prophecy" and others "spiritual reasoning" (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:10). For whoever gives himself up as a worthy instrument to the work of the Spirit is a prophet. And whoever understands the power of what is proclaimed has the gift of "spiritual reasoning." For this reason, prescribing the rules to the Corinthians, the Apostle says: "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the friends reason" (1 Corinthians 14:29). And this is so important that it is placed among the Lord's threats – "to take away from Judah a prophet, and a watcher, and a wondrous counselor, and a wise hearer" (cf. Isaiah 3:1-3).

And we must desire to receive the gift of wisdom, the gift of knowledge, and the gift of teaching, so that all these, coming together in the dominion of our souls, may imprint the image of all the truth contained in prophecy. The word of knowledge is needed for the contemplation of the mysteries of the Spirit, the word of wisdom is needed to bring it into full meaning and to clarify what is said in secret and in brief utterances. For wisdom tends to expand the word. It is said: "Stretch out your words, and give no heed" (Proverbs 1:24). Then it is necessary to give teaching for the edification of those who hear.

For this reason, in the soul that has the power to prophesy, by its free striving, must be implanted in advance so that the word instilled in all, which chooses for itself more harmonious souls, in which, to the extent of their good humor, not the slightest passionate movement contradicts the word, should bring down upon it the action of the Spirit of God. But in order to prepare for the reception of the Spirit, it is necessary not only to curb the passions, but also to have one's own measure of disposition to faith, and the benefit of the one who receives grace himself and the listeners of his time, or those who will later use the prophets. For it is said: "For the manifestation of the Spirit is given for profit" (1 Cor. 12:7), and again "according to the measure of faith" (Rom. 12:6). But, however, it is beyond human nature to explain the reason why the Spirit of God works differently in the worthy: one is entrusted with prophecy, and that to a certain extent, another receives the gift of healing, and that to a certain extent, and another the action of greater or lesser powers. For He alone knows this, Who delves into the spiritual merits of each one and gives to each according to the invisible measures of Justice what he deserves.

How did pure and enlightened souls prophesy? Having become, as it were, a mirror of God's action, they showed in themselves a clear, unmerged image, undarkened by carnal passions. For the Holy Spirit dwells in all, but reveals His own power in those who are pure from passions, and not in those whose dominion of soul is darkened by sinful impurities. In addition to purity, they must show in themselves the equality of a well-ordered state. For he is not pure who behaves unevenly in relation to chastity, but he who has subjected the wisdom of the flesh to the Spirit. Just as we see images of faces not in every substance, but only in smooth and transparent substances, so the action of the Spirit is not reflected in every soul, but only in souls that have nothing "obstinate" or "corrupt" in them (cf. Proverbs 8:8). Snow glitters, but does not show in itself the image of those who look into it, because it is rough and composed of frozen foam. Milk is white, but it does not take on images, because it also has some small bubbles. And in the water, because of its smoothness, even a black image is visible. In the same way, the unevenness of life is incapable of accepting God's action into itself.

For this reason the prophets were formerly called "seers" (cf. 1 Samuel 9:9), because they saw the future as the present. But the ideas that occur in dreams can serve us to the easiest understanding of prophetic excitement.

For there was not anything that could be seen, but the high and exalted Throne and Him Who sat on it, Whom Isaiah saw (Isaiah 6:1). Nor was the "electrum" like the "electrum" and "from the loins down" the fiery described in Ezekiel (cf. Ezekiel 8:2) human-like, "from loins to loins."

The prophets, on the other hand, see not only the future, but also the hidden in the present, as Paul says: "But if you prophesy, a certain unbeliever or ignorant will come in, the secret of his heart is revealed" (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:24, 25), or as Elisha says: "Did not my heart walk with you, when the man returned from his chariot to meet you?" (cf. 2 Kings 5:26). But prophecy also includes foreknowledge by means of dreams, as was revealed to Joseph in Egypt (Matt. 2:19-20) and to Daniel in Babylon (Dan. 1:17).

But why did both Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar have such foreknowledge? Because, ruling the state of worldly affairs, they had to foresee in order to arouse faith in others. And why do both Balaam and Caiaphas prophesy? For they also had people who obeyed them, one as a bishop, and the other as a sorcerer (Joshua 13:22). Here the reason is not the purity of the soul, not the enlightenment of the mind, which contemplates God and draws strength from Him, but the word communicated to it in a house-building way, not according to its worth, but according to the requirements of the time.