Then the prophetic word, indignant at the madness of the idolaters, says: "What do the dead search for the living?" Why do you, a rational being, ask the dead? Do you pray for a living son, who has no life, who is breathless? Whether you go to a soothsayer or invent purifications for yourself, you resort to the dead, who have lost their lives themselves and will cause death to you for disobedience.

"For the law is given to help, let them not speak as this word, so that they do not pour out gifts to give." Do not be curious about the future, but dispose of the present in your favor. For what profit does it profit you to anticipate knowledge? If the future brings you something good, it will come, although you did not foresee it. And if it is sorrowful, what gain is it for you to languish in sorrow beforehand? You have received the law to help you. In you and by nature there was already a great predisposition to the beautiful, but God, perfecting this, added the law to guide you. Do you want to make sure of the future? Do what is prescribed by the law and expect to enjoy good things. "Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be good for thee, and that thou mayest live long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Exodus 20:12). Do you wish for good things? Do what is prescribed. Do not ask a soothsayer about health, but accept a physician who offers for health the means in your power. What will you learn from the other? No soothsayer gives immortality, no one raises you to heaven, no one will set you before the Judge who is not feared, but this will be given by the law and its exact observance. Keeping the law, do not be curious about the future, but expect recompense.

Посему «закон в помощь даде, да рекут не якоже слово сие, заньже не леть дары даяти» о сем. А закон сей не то, что сие слово чревовещателя; ибо не для обмана вымышлен, как это слово, но он — учитель истины. Те прорицают за серебро, и это всего смешнее — обманываемые в награду за ложь платят им серебром. А это слово, то есть слово закона, не таково, чтобы за него давать дар, потому что никто не продает Божией благодати. Сказано: «туне приясте, туне дадите» (Мф. 10, 8). Видишь ли, как вознегодовал Петр на Симона, предлагавшего серебро за благодать Духа? «Сребро твое», — говорит он, — «с тобою да будет в погибель, яко дар Божий непщевал еси сребром стяжати» (Деян. 8, 20). Итак, слово евангельское — не то, что продажные слова чревовещателей. Ибо кто может дать достойное за них вознаграждение? Послушай Давида, который недоумевает и говорит: «Что воздам Господеви о всех, яже воздаде ми» (Пс. 115, 3)? Итак, «не леть дары даяти» за сие, — дары, равноценные благодати Его; один дар достоин — сбережение даруемого. Давший тебе сокровище требует за сие не цены дарованного, но сбережения, которое было бы достойно дара.

«И приидет на вы жесток глад», — говорит Пророк, — «и будет, егда взалчете, скорбни будете и зло речете князю и отечеству». Устрояющий все во спасение, Господь посылает иногда и голод к пользе детоводствуемых. Ибо сказано: «озлоби тя, и гладом замори тя» (Втор. 8, 3), чтобы сделать тебе добро. Посему «жестоким» называет голод непреодолимый и невообразимый. Ибо в голоде есть разность. Бывает голод, происходящий только от недостатка хлеба; бывает голод от оскудения и всего прочего, годного в пищу. Но сей голод, который обещает наслать пророческое слово, есть «глад жесток», так что скудостью произведет печаль, которая может соделать спасение «нераскаянно» (ср.: 2 Кор. 7, 10).

А когда будут скорбеть по Богу, тогда «зло рекут князю и отечеству». Кто сей князь, которому зло изрекают прекрасно скорбящие? Очевидно, князь мира сего, которому «зло рекут» из раскаяния, когда придут в сознание причиненного им вреда. Но зло изрекают и «отечеству». А «отечество» живущих во грехах — житейские дела, которыми опутываются славолюбивые. «Отечество» для грешника — «дела плотская, яже суть прелюбодеяние, блуд, нечистота, студодеяние, идолослужение» (Гал. 5, 19–20), страсть, злое вожделение. «Отечество» — коварство, ложь, злоумышления, обманы, лицемерие. Посему, как бы от некоторого опьянения, отрезвившийся от дел мирских зло речет князю мира, который руководил его к делам погибельным; но зло речет и отечеству, в котором живя, не принимал дарованного нам Богом в помощь закона. Ты не можешь принадлежать истинному Царю, если не зло речешь князю. Посему Церковь научила тебя говорить: «Отрицаюсь тебя, сатана» — вот злоречение князю! Какое же злоречение «отечеству»? «Отрицаюсь и дел твоих». Вот «отечество» — дела диавола. Блажен, кто искренно изрекает зло князю. Ибо приступает уже к истинному Царю и просвещается. Блажен, кто хулит древнее отечество, ибо найдет себе отечество — «вышний Иерусалим, иже есть мати всех» (ср.: Гал. 4, 26), которые подобны блаженному Павлу. «Отечество» — и лукавые нравы, преданные нам от отцов. Оставил тебе отец имение, приобретенное любостяжанием? Отдай его обиженному, не стой за него как за собственность, ибо это — наследие греха. Оставил тебе отец раба, порабощенного неправедно? Дай ему свободу — и отцу облегчишь мучение, и себе приуготовишь истинную свободу. Что говорит Пророк после сего?

«И воззрят на небо горе, и на землю низу призрят, и се, скудость тесна и тма, скорбь и теснота и тма, якоже не видети; и не оскудеет в тесноте сый даже до времене». О сих, которые теснотой приведены в раскаяние, говорит слово, что «воззрят на небо горе», которые прежде были согбенны, не могли разуметь возвышенного в Божественных созерцаниях, те самые, как бы от некоторых уз, отрешившись от пристрастия к земному, свободное око свое возведут к небу, созерцая естество невидимого и мысленного и уразумевая то место, в котором надобно полагать сокровище. Потом «на землю низу призрят», познают малоценность своего естества по сродству его с землей, которые незадолго прежде надмевались и высоко о себе думали. Подивись же, с какой тщательностью Писание употребило выражения, придумав каждому предмету соответственное речение. Ибо небо и земля предложены нашему созерцанию; и о небе говорит: «воззрят на небо горе», а о земле: «на землю низу призрят». Потом в удивлении, по уразумении столь великих предметов, почувствуют скудость, стеснение и омрачение ума, когда изумление земному произведет в них это великое смущение. Ибо сказано: «Егда скончает человек, тогда начинает, и егда престанет, тогда усумнится» (Сир. 18, 6). Никто не знает, сколь многого он не ведал, пока не получил вкуса в сем ведении. Впрочем, благий Владыка обещает им полезнейшее. Ибо сказано: «не оскудеет в тесноте сый даже до времене». Сие неведение не навсегда будет одержать род человеческий; напротив того, кто ныне ищет истины познания и болезнует об ее обретении, тот со временем узрит лицом к лицу и приобретет совершенство ведения, когда настанет время всеобщего обновления. Ибо сие значат слова «даже до времене».

Толкование на 9–ую главу

(1) "Drink this first, do quickly, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali," "and the rest of those who dwell by the sea, and the land of the Jordan, the Galilee of the tongues." (2) "People who walk in darkness see" (in Slavic: videsha, i.e. people) "great light; who dwell in the land and shadow of death, the light shall shine upon you." (3) "The multitude of the people whom Thou hast brought forth in Thy gladness, and they shall rejoice before Thee, as they rejoice in the harvest, and as they rejoice in the gain." (4) "Lie on them with a yoke, and the rod that is on their necks, the rod that is on their necks, is the rod of those who torment them, as in the day that is upon Midian." (5) "For they will give up all their garments with flattery and garments with reconciliation, and they will that they may be burned with fire." (6) "As the Child was born unto us, O Son, and was given unto us, His beginning was upon His frame; and His name is called: Great is the Angel of Counsel... for I will bring peace upon the princes, peace and health to Him." (7) "And His great beginning, and His peace has no end in the throne of David and in his kingdom, correct it and defend it in judgment and righteousness, from henceforth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this."

The prophetic word, having to preach the gospel of the Lord's incarnation and proposing, as it were, a certain beginning of spiritual joy, greets the one to whom the gospel is addressed with these words: "Drink this first." A drinker takes a drink for the first time, absorbing it with thirst. For then the pleasure of drinking is especially perceptible, when, without nausea and vomiting, due to excessive dryness in the larynx, the one who wants to quench his thirst with drink cools himself with the moisture of the desired drink. For this reason, even now, as if preaching to thirsty people about the expected grace, the Prophet says: "Drink this first." Take joy into your soul, put into it the dogma of salvation. Do not consider him inferior to anything else, do not think that anything else is preferable to him: he is above all; it is impossible for you to imagine anything more original than Him who created you, or by nature more honorable than "the Firstborn of all creation" (cf. Col. 1:15). "Drink first." Know that "in the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1); there is nothing before the beginning; there is nothing before the Eternal in the beginning. "Drink" is not first an age, not a distance, not a place in which the Son does not exist, not a time, not a moment, not some empty idea that can be formed in the soul. "Drink this first, do it quickly." Do not do your work with laziness, not with negligence, not with carelessness, not with relaxation, but with exertion of strength, with all haste. Such was Paul; he suddenly drank the faith, did not know how to begin preaching; he "was not joined to flesh and blood" (Gal. 1:16), but as a short-flower, as soon as he received the sign to begin the race, he hastened to the end, "to the deliberate persecution, to the honor of the highest calling" (cf. Phil. 3:14).

"Strano Zavulonya". The prophet addresses himself to those with whom the Lord dwelt, to those who formerly walked in the darkness of ignorance, but at the ascent of the true Light, "Who enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9), they saw "the great light." Let no one think that there is a disagreement with the prophetic words in Matthew, if he said: "People who sit in darkness" (Matt. 4:16), while in Isaiah we find it said, "walking in darkness." For it is the same to walk and to sit in darkness, because both equally fail to attain the intended goal: the one as having no motion, and the other as walking in vain. For he who walks without a goal will never come to it, and he who is bound by inactivity will not attain it. And so, these people, darkened by pagan ignorance, saw the light; not the light of fire, nor the light of the stars or the moon, nor the light of the sun or lightning, but the "Great Light" that shines forth to the imaginary and sensual beings — the Light Which dwells with the Father and enlightens men, enlightens the Angels, is sufficient for all, and even beyond that extends His rays. In what country did the pagans live? In a country overshadowed by death. For upon them, because of idolatry, lay as it were a thick cloud, until the coming Light dispelled the fog and spread over them the radiance of truth.

Then the prophetic word passes to the very face of the Lord. What does it say? "Many people, whom Thou hast brought out, in Thy joy." For not all received the Word, but the greater part followed Him who called to eternal gladness; they will also "rejoice" before God, "as they rejoice in the harvest. For as he sows, so shall he also reap" (cf. Gal. 6:7). For this reason, on the day of recompense, those who have received the Word and have borne fruit in proportion to what has been entrusted to them here, having received a reward from the Righteous Judge, "shall rejoice as they rejoice in the harvest, and as they that rejoice in gain." Those who rejoice in the harvest have in their own labors the beginnings of gladness; those who are enriched by self-interest discover for themselves a sudden source of enrichment. For this reason the Prophet mentioned both the blessings that we will receive as a reward, and the benefits that will be granted by the grace of the Generosity.

For "they shall be cut off by the yoke, lie down" upon the Gentiles; they overthrew the heavy yoke of Him Who subjected them to the bondage of sin and forced them to bow their necks with a rod — they overthrew them so that, having established the Apostolic preaching in their souls, they would no longer be subjected to the slavery of sin.

"For the Lord scattered the rod of those who tormented them, as in the day that came upon Midian." A terrible torturer has approached human life, striking with a rod and demanding the fulfillment of his will – this is our common enemy. Do you want to know what the blows of his rod are? Listen to him who says: "Thou shalt stink and rot my wounds" (Psalm 37:6). This evil rod produces fetid scabs on the one who is struck. Imagine a man possessed by various lusts and strongly given over to the enjoyment of pleasures — what a resemblance he has between being beaten with a rod and being led into sin! Lust does not cease to sting and torment the intemperate until it produces in the soul a sinful scab, which emits a stench when it remembers vile deeds. This rod is "scattered," as it scattered the principality and dominion of the Midianites, whom I think you remember the story both in the book of Numbers and in the book of Judges. For in the book of Numbers it is said: "And he took up arms against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and slew all the males; and he slew the kings of Midian, together with their wounded ones" (Num. 31:7-8). And in the Book of Judges it is written: "Gideon returned to the host of Israel, and said, Arise, for the Lord has delivered into our hands the host of Midian" (Judg. 7:15).

What does it mean, then, to give away "all garments gathered by flattery and robe with reconciliation"? I think this is an expression of the fact that those who, by imposing a heavy yoke of sin and striking with a rod, compel to sin, will return "the garments gathered together with flattery and garments" "with reconciliation." Those who have robbed people and exposed their veils with flattery, will return it "with reconciliation." For when the common enemy takes us under his power, then he will take away from us the garments that clothe our ugliness with decorum. And the robe of Christians, covering the ugliness of our sin, is faith in Christ. "For if you were baptized into Christ, you put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27). But even before faith in Christ, our enemy laid bare human ugliness, stole from us those thoughts with which our life was adorned, and made our nakedness visible to all. Therefore, since he has stripped us of our garments with the help of his cunning ingenuity, he will give "all garments gathered to flattery and garments" "with reconciliation." For not only do we restore what has been taken from us, but we are even made better through the addition of the knowledge of Christ. "Clothe me," says the Prophet, "with the robe of salvation" and with the garment of "gladness" (cf. Isaiah 61:10). Thus, all garments "collected by flattery," that is, secretly stolen, "they will give up with reconciliation, and they will desire, that they may be burned with fire. As the Child was born unto us." The evil powers, after the coming of the Lord, cried out: "What have we to do with Thee, Jesus the Son of God? Thou hast come before the time to torment us" (Matt. 8:29). Then they would rather be burned by fire than condemned by the appearance of Christ in the flesh.