Collect burning coals. “Now salvation has come to this house...for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost. Your enemy is hungry; feed him.”
and to the words of the apostle: If your enemy is hungry, feed him (Rom. 12:20), and about rancor.
1. It seems that we were not at all successful in recently offering you a lengthy speech on zeal for (church) assemblies; Our church is again left without children. Therefore, again I am forced to be strict and heavy - to reproach those present, condemn those absent; the latter because they do not give up their laziness, and you because you do not care about the salvation of your brothers. I am forced to be heavy and strict not for myself and my own gain, but for you and your salvation, which is dearer to me than anything else. Whoever wants, let him be upset and call me heavy and shameless; but I will not stop constantly repeating the same thing, because for me there is nothing better than such shamelessness. Perhaps, truly, it may be that you, being ashamed if not of something else, then at least of this, so as not to hear constant reminders of the same thing, will someday have care for your brothers. What good is praise to me if I do not see you succeeding in virtue? And what harm will it do to me from the silence of the listeners if I see your piety increasing? The praise of the preacher is not applause, but the zeal of the hearers for piety, not noise while listening, but diligence at all times. Noisy approval, as soon as it comes out of the mouth, dissipates in the air and disappears, and the correction of the listeners delivers an unfading and immortal reward to both the speaker and the listeners. The cry of your approval makes the speaker here famous, and the piety of your soul gives the teacher boldness before the throne of Christ. Therefore, if any of the speakers desires anything, then let him not desire applause, but the benefit of the listeners. An important evil is negligence about the brethren, but worthy of extreme torment and inevitable punishment. This was shown by the example of someone who buried talent in the ground. He was not convicted in any way for own life and did not do anything bad in hiding the talent, because he returned it intact; and, however, turned out to be guilty of the way he used the money. He did not double the amount entrusted to him, and for this he was punished. From this it is clear that, even if we were diligent and attentive, even if we had a great desire to listen to the divine
Scriptures, this is not enough for our salvation. Must
Double the deposit entrusted; It becomes doubled when, along with our own salvation, we take care of others. He said: here's yours whole; but this was not enough to justify him. You should have says the Lord, give away entrusted trading(Matthew 25: 25-27). And notice how easy the Lord’s commandments are. People force those who lend the master's money to be responsible for their return; you gave it, they say, you demand it back; I don't care who took it. But God doesn't do that; He commands only to give, and no longer makes us responsible for returning. It is in the power of the speaker to advise, not to produce persuasion. Therefore, He says, I make you responsible for giving and not for returning. What's easier than that? Meanwhile, the slave called the Lord cruel, so meek and humane. These are the habits of ungrateful and careless slaves: they always blame their sins on their masters. For this he was punished and taken bound into the pitch darkness. So that we do not suffer the same thing, we will pass on the teaching to the brethren, even if they obeyed, or even if they did not obey. By obeying, they will benefit both themselves and us, and by not obeying, they will incur inevitable punishment on themselves, but they cannot cause us the slightest harm. We did our part by providing advice; if they do not obey, then no harm can come from this to us. What is reprehensible is not when we did not persuade, but when we did not give advice; after advice and admonition, frequent and incessant, God will demand an account not from us, but from them. I would like to know exactly what you are trying to convince them, and whether they constantly remain in negligence: then I would not bother you; but now I’m afraid that they remain incorrigible because of your negligence and carelessness. It is, in fact, impossible for a person who constantly listens to admonitions and instructions not to become better and more diligent. The proverb that I intend to say is a common one, but it also confirms the same thing. A drop of water, they say, hollows a stone with its incessant fall. What's softer than water? And what is harder than stone? However, consistency overcomes nature. If constancy overcomes nature, then it can much more overcome the will. Christianity is no joke, beloved, and no small matter. We constantly say this, and have no success at all.
2. How do you think I am upset, remembering that on holidays the multitude gathered is like the vast waters of the sea, and now not even a small part of that multitude has gathered?
Where are now those who crowded us during the holidays? I look for them, I grieve for them, imagining what a multitude of those called to salvation are perishing, what a loss of brethren I am suffering, how small the number of those being saved is, and most of the body of the church is likened to a dead and motionless body. But, they will say, what do we care about that? This especially applies to you, to you who do not care about them, do not convince or advise, to you who do not force them, do not force them and do not divert them from great negligence. It should not only be useful for oneself, but also for many, as Christ showed by calling us salt, leaven and light (Matt. 5:13,14). These items are useful and beneficial to others. So the lamp does not shine for itself, but for those who are in darkness; and you are a lamp, not so that you alone may use the light, but so that you can guide the lost. What good is a lamp if it does not give light to him who is in darkness? What good is a Christian if he does not benefit anyone, if he does not lead anyone to virtue? Also, salt not only supports itself, but also strengthens rotting bodies, preventing them from deteriorating and dying. The same is true for you: if God has made you spiritual salt, then support and strengthen your rotting members, i.e. the careless and careless of the brethren, and having delivered them from carelessness, as if from some rottenness, unite them with the rest of the body of the Church. That is why He called you leaven (Matthew 13:33): leaven does not leaven itself, but the rest of the mixture, great and immeasurable, although it itself is small and insignificant. So it is with you: although you are small in number, be great and strong in faith and zeal for God. Just as leaven, despite its smallness, is not powerless, but acts because of the warmth contained in it and the strength inherent in it, so in the same way you can arouse much larger people to the same jealousy as you, if you want. But they can refer to the heat, because I hear them say: now there is strong stuffiness, unbearable heat, we cannot endure the difficulties and crowded conditions in the crowd, sweating and exhausted from the heat and crowding. I am ashamed of such people, believe me; These are excuses for women, or - better - excuses that are insufficient to justify them, whose bodies are more tender and their nature is weaker. Although it is a shame to refute such an excuse, it is necessary. If they are not ashamed to present such excuses, then we should not be ashamed in refuting them. What will I say to those who present such excuses? I want to remind them of the three youths who were in the furnace and the flame, who, seeing the fire, were surrounded on all sides by
He who declared their body, and their eyes, and their very breath, did not cease to sing with the creatures the sacred and mysterious song of God, but then standing in the middle of the flame, more diligently than those in the meadow, they sent praise to the common Lord of all; and together with these three youths, about the lions of Babylon, about Daniel and his den (Dan.6:24). And I ask them not only to remember this, but also about another ditch and a prophet, about Jeremiah, who was mired in mud up to his neck (Jer. 38:6). Coming out of the ditches, I want to bring those who plead the heat into prison and show there Paul and Silas, bound with stocks, burdened with wounds and sores, struck all over their bodies with many blows, and at midnight praising God and performing this sacred all-night vigil (Acts 16: 25). Isn’t it reckless, while these saints, being in the oven, in the fire, in the ditch, among animals, in the mud, in prison, in the stocks, in wounds, under guard and among unbearable disasters, never referred to anything like that, but with great readiness and fiery zeal, we constantly remained in prayers and sacred chants, we, having suffered neither small nor great of the calculable disasters, due to heat, little warmth and sweat, neglect our own salvation and, leaving these local meetings, wander outside, corrupted in meetings that have nothing sound? Such is the dew of divine sayings, and you refer to the heat? Water, says Christ, which I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life(John 4:14), and more : Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water(John 7:38). You, having spiritual springs and rivers, tell me, are you afraid of sensual heat? And in the market place, where there is such noise, crowding and great heat, tell me, why don’t you complain about the stuffiness and heat? You cannot say that there you can enjoy the coolest air, but here we have all the suffocating heat; quite the contrary, here, both from the slabs lying on the floor and from other amenities in the structure of the temple - because it rises to a great height - the air is lighter and cooler, and there everywhere there are strong rays of the sun, great crowding, smoke and dust, and other much big trouble. From this it is clear that these reckless excuses come from carelessness, from a careless soul and devoid of the flame of the Spirit.
3. I am now talking about this not so much for them as for you, who do not attract them, do not turn them away from carelessness and do not lead them to this saving meal. And the servants, intending to perform the common service, call upon their
Their colleagues, and you, intending to perform this spiritual service, do not care about your colleagues who are deprived of benefits. What do you say if they themselves don’t want to? Make them want it with constant persistence; If they see our persistence, they will certainly want to. But this is an excuse and an excuse. How many fathers are there with whom their sons do not stand? Was it really difficult for you to bring your children with you? From this it is clear that others remain outside (the church) not only due to their own carelessness, but also due to your neglect. If not before, then at least now correct yourself, and let each one come to church with his own member, and let the father of the son, the son of the father, the husbands of wives, the wives of husbands, the master of the slave, the brother of the brother, each other, let them encourage and attract to this place meeting; or - better - we will call not only friends, but also enemies into this common treasury of goods. When the enemy sees your concern for him, he will certainly stop the hostility.
Tell him: are you not ashamed of the Jews, who observe the Sabbath with such precision and stop all work from the very evening? As soon as they see on Friday that the sun is leaning towards the west, they terminate contracts and end trade; and if someone, having bought something from them before the evening, comes in the evening and brings payment, then they do not allow themselves to accept it and receive the silver. But what am I saying about payment for what is sold and about contracts? If they had a treasure to gain, they would sooner decide to lose the profit than to break the law. This is how the Jews keep the law, and, moreover, untimely, and with such precision they adhere to an institution that does not bring them any benefit, but even harms them; and you, who are above the shadow, have been honored to see the Sun of truth, strive for heavenly life, accepted the truth, do not even show the same zeal as those who untimely apply themselves to an evil deed, but, being called here for a small part of the day, you do not want to use even this time to listen to divine sayings? What kind of forgiveness, tell me, can you receive? What solid and fair justification can you give? It is impossible, impossible for someone so careless and careless to ever receive forgiveness, even if he refers a thousand times to the needs of everyday affairs. Don’t you know that if you come and pray to God and take part in the meeting here, then the things ahead of you will be much more successful? Do you have everyday worries? It is for them that you come here in order to gain God’s favor.
Neem is here, you have come out in safety, so that you may have God as an assistant, so that you may become invincible for demons with the help of the highest Hand. If you use the prayers of the fathers, you will take part in common prayer If you listen to divine sayings, gain God’s help, and thus leave here protected by these weapons, then the devil himself will not dare to look at you, not just evil people who try to slander and slander. If you leave home and go to the marketplace without this weapon, you will easily be caught by all your enemies. That is why much, both in public and private things are going well It is not according to our desire that we do not care about the spiritual in advance, and then about the worldly, but we have perverted the order. As a result, the correct course of affairs was distorted, and everything among us was filled with great confusion. How, do you think, am I upset and grieved when I think that at the onset of a celebration and holiday the whole city flocks, even if no one invited you - and after the celebration and holiday, even if we spent the whole day straining and inviting you, no one doesn't heed? Often imagining this in my mind, I sighed heavily and said to myself: why offer admonition or advice when you do everything simply and out of habit and do not become at all more zealous from our instruction? If during the holidays you do not need our admonition at all, and after them you do not benefit from our instruction at all, then aren’t you making our words unnecessary, as much as it depends on you?
4. Perhaps many of those listening to this are indignant. But the careless think not so; otherwise they would abandon their negligence, like us, who take care of you every day. Are you getting as much profit from external affairs as you are causing harm to yourself? It is impossible to leave another meeting or society with such benefit as staying here brings, whether you point to the court of law, or to the meeting place, or to the royal palace itself. It is not the government of peoples and cities, nor the command of armies that we teach to those who come here, but another power, more important than the reign itself, or - better - we do not teach, but the grace of the Spirit.
What kind of power is this, more important than kingship, that those who come here receive? Here they learn to dominate shameful passions, reign over vicious lust, control anger, suppress envy, enslave vanity. The king sitting on the royal throne and wearing a diadem is not so important as the man who has built health within himself.
Place your mind on the throne of power over slavish passions and clothe your head with dominion over them, as if with some kind of brilliant diadem. What is the use, tell me, of wearing scarlet, golden robes and a crown with expensive stones when the soul is captivated by passions? What is the use of external freedom when the dominant faculty in us subserviently in a shameful and pitiful manner? Just as when a fever hides in the depths and burns all the insides, there is no benefit from the fact that the surface of the body does not tolerate anything like this, so when our soul is tormented by internal passions, there is no benefit either from external power or from the royal seat , if the mind with great violence is cast down from the throne of dominion over the passions, submits to them and fears their uprising. To prevent this from happening, prophets and apostles flock from everywhere to tame our passions, to purge from us all fierce recklessness and to teach us power more important than kingship. That is why I said that those who deprive themselves of such care receive a mortal wound, experiencing such harm as is not experienced from anything else; but on the contrary, those who come here receive benefits that they could not receive from anything else, as was proven in our conversation. Yes Let them not come before Me empty-handed, said the law (Ex. 23:15), i.e. don't come without sacrifices. If one should not enter the house of God without sacrifice, then even more so one should not enter the meetings of the brethren; The best sacrifice and offering is when you enter here with your soul. Don't you see how the learned pigeons, when they fly out, carry others with them? We will do the same. Indeed, what excuse will we have when dumb animals can catch animals like themselves, and we, distinguished by speech and wisdom, neglect such catching? In a previous conversation, convincing you, I said: let each of you approach the houses of your neighbors, wait for those who come out, hold them and lead them to your common mother; let him imitate people addicted to the spectacle, who, with all their zeal, gather together, from early morning, await this lawless spectacle. But our exhortation was not at all successful. Therefore, I speak again, and I will not stop speaking until I am convinced. Listening will be of no use unless it is accompanied by activity. Even we will incur the heaviest punishment on ourselves if, constantly listening to the same thing, we do not fulfill anything that is said. And that for this the gravest punishment awaits, listen to Christ, who says: if I had not come and told them,
then they would have no sin; and now they have no excuse for their sin (John 15:22); and the apostle says: It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified(Rom.2:13). This he speaks to those who listen; and in order to teach the speaker that there will be no benefit to him from teaching if his teaching is not accompanied by activity and life in accordance with the word, listen to how both the apostle and the prophet address him. One says: But God says to the sinner: Why do you preach My statutes and take My covenant in your mouth, but you yourself hate My instruction and throw My words away for yourself?(Ps. 49:16,17). Likewise, the apostle, addressing those who think too much of themselves because of their teaching, says this: and I am confident of myself that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, a teacher of the ignorant, a teacher of babes; How can you, while teaching others, not teach yourself?(Rom.2:19,20,21)? If, however, my speech cannot bring any benefit to me, the speaker, or to you, the listeners, without fulfilling what is said, but still serves to greater condemnation, then let us not limit our zeal only to listening, but let us begin to carry out what is said in practice. It is good to constantly engage in listening to divine sayings; but this good is useless when it is not combined with the benefit that comes from obedience. So, so that you do not gather here in vain, with all your zeal, as I have often asked and will not cease to ask, bring the brethren to us, convince those who are mistaken, advise not only in word, but also in deed. The best instruction is instruction by way of life, instruction by action. Even if you didn’t say anything, but after leaving the meeting, with your appearance, gaze, voice, gait and any other position of your body, you showed the absent people the benefit that you received here, then this is enough for instruction and admonition. We must leave here as if from an impregnable sanctuary, as if we had descended from heaven itself, becoming modest, wise, speaking and doing everything decently; and the wife, seeing her husband returning from the meeting, and the father of the son, and the son of the father, and the servant of the master, and each other, and the enemy of the enemy, let everyone feel what benefit we receive here; and they will feel if they see that you have become more modest, more pious. Imagine what mysteries you are initiated into, initiated into them, with whom you lift up the mysterious song together, with whom you invoke the Trisagion. Teach those outside that you rejoiced with the seraphim, that you belong to the highest host, that you are numbered among the angels, that you conversed with the Lord,
What did you do with Christ? If we set ourselves up this way, then when we leave here, we will not need words for those who are absent, but due to our benefit, they will feel their own loss, and will soon come running to get the same. Seeing the beauty of your soul, manifested in your very feelings, they, even if they were the most careless of all, will be imbued with love for your beauty. In fact, if physical beauty touches those who look at it, then spiritual beauty can touch the viewer much more and excite them to competition. Let's decorate our inner man, and what is said here we will remember outside, because there it is especially timely to remember it. Just as a warrior shows what he learns in the martial arts school during his exploits, so exactly what we learn here must be shown in external affairs.
5. So, remember what is said here, so that when you go out and the devil attacks you - either through anger, or through vanity, or through some other passion - you, remembering the teaching here, can easily evade the snares of the evil one . Do you not see in the fields of warfare how teachers of young men, after countless exploits, due to old age, who have finally received a release from warfare, sitting outside the fence near the dust, prompt those who are inside and are entering into the struggle to grab their hand, to draw them away? leg, so that they take hold of the back, and they say a lot of other similar things, for example: if you do this and that, then you will easily defeat the enemy - and in this way they help the students a lot? So you, too, look to your teacher, blessed Paul, who, after countless crowns, is now outside the field, i.e. real life, prompts us ascetics and calls out through messages when he sees those possessed by anger and rancor and tormented by some kind of passion: if your enemy is hungry, feed him(Rom. 12:20). And just as the teacher of young men says: if you do this and that, then you will overcome the enemy, so he adds: By doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. I." But while I read this commandment, a question appears that seems to be born from it and gives many a reason to speak against Paul, which I want to offer you today. What worries the thoughts of those who do not want to examine everything carefully? Paul, they say, by turning away from anger and urging them to be meek and kind to their neighbors, irritates them even more and disposes them to anger. In fact, in the words: if your enemy is hungry, feed him
his; if he's thirsty, give him a drink , contains a beautiful commandment, full of wisdom and useful both for the one doing it and for the one receiving it; but the words that follow lead to great bewilderment and, apparently, do not agree with the thought expressed in the first. What is this? In what he says: . With these words, they say, he harms both the doer and the recipient of the benefit, burning the latter’s head and placing hot coals on it. In fact, can there be as much good from feeding and drinking as there is evil from laying down a heap of coals? Thus, they say that he does evil to the one who receives the benefit, subjecting him to greater punishment, and on the other hand, he causes harm to the one who provides the benefit, because the latter can also benefit from the benefit to his enemies if he does it in the hope of inflicting punishment on them. ? He who feeds and gives drink to the enemy in order to heap hot coals on his head cannot be humane and kind, but is inhuman and cruel, causing unspeakable torment through a small good deed. What, in fact, could be more cruel than the feeder in order to collect hot coals on the head of the feeder? This is the objection. Now it is necessary to offer permission, so that you, from the very thing that apparently humiliates the words of the commandment, clearly see all the wisdom of the legislator. What kind of permission is this?
This great and valiant man knew well that it is a difficult and difficult task to quickly make peace with the enemy, difficult and difficult not because of our nature, but because of our negligence. Moreover, he commanded not only to reconcile, but also to feed, which is much harder than the first: if some, just seeing their offenders, become embittered, then how would they decide to feed their hungry? But what am I saying: seeing? If anyone reminds us of them and utters their name alone, he will irritate the wound in our soul and increase irritation. That is why Paul, knowing all this and wanting to make what is inconvenient and difficult convenient and easy, and to win over someone who does not even want to see his enemy, to become his benefactor, added burning coals so that he, prompted by the hope of punishment, decides to do good to the one who insulted him. Like a fisherman, having covered his fishing rod on all sides with bait, throws it to the fish so that they, resorting to regular food, it was more convenient to be caught and restrained, so Paul, wanting to incline the offended one to do a good deed to the one who offended him, offers not the empty bait of wisdom, but, covering it with hot coals, as if some kind of bait, hope
Punishment inclines the offended person to do good to the offender; and when he has already bowed down, he holds him back and does not allow him to leave, since the very nature of the matter binds him to the enemy, and, as it were, says to him: if you do not want to feed the offender out of piety, then feed him at least in the hope of punishment. He knows that if he begins such a good deed, the path to reconciliation will begin and continue. No one, after all, no one can have as an enemy the one whom he feeds and waters, even if at first he did this in the hope of punishment. Time, in its passage, weakens the power of anger. And just as a fisherman, if he threw an empty fishing rod, would not catch a fish, but, having closed it, imperceptibly inserts the fishing rod into the mouth of an approaching animal, so Paul, if he had not offered the hope of punishment, would not have convinced the offended to begin doing good to those who had offended. Therefore, wanting to persuade those very people who shy away, are indignant and irritated at the mere sight of their enemies to do the greatest good deeds for them, he proposed burning coals- not in order to subject them to inevitable punishment, but so that, having convinced those offended by the hope of punishment to show benefits to their enemies, convince them over time to abandon all their anger.
6. So he calmed the offended; Look how he reconciles the offender with the offended. And firstly - in the very way of doing good, because no one can be so low and insensitive that, receiving drink and food, he would not want to be the slave and friend of the one who does this for him; and secondly - fear of punishment. Apparently, he addresses the feeder with the words: by doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head; but they are primarily directed against the offender, so that out of fear of punishment he would not remain an enemy forever, but, knowing that food and drink can greatly harm him if he remains constantly in his enmity, he would cease his anger. Thus, he will be able to extinguish hot coals. So punishment and the upcoming torment disposes the offended to do good to the offended, and frightens the offender, corrects and forces him to reconcile with the one who feeds and waters him. Consequently, he connects both of them with double bonds - the bonds of beneficence and punishment. It is difficult to begin and make an attempt at reconciliation; and when it is done in any way, then everything that follows will be easy and convenient. Even if the offended one first nourished his enemy in the hope of punishing him, but through feeding himself, having become his friend, he can reject the desire for punishment,
Because, having become a friend, he will no longer nourish the one who has reconciled with him in such expectation. Likewise, the offender, seeing that the offended one intended to feed and water him, therefore himself and out of fear of the punishment ahead of him, will leave all enmity, even if he were a thousand times cruel, like iron and adamant, ashamed of the goodwill of the feeder and fearing the punishment ahead of him, if after eating he will remain an enemy.
That is why the apostle did not stop here in his admonition, but when he destroyed the anger of both, then he corrected their disposition and said: don't be overcome by evil(Rom. 12:21). If, he says, you remain vindictive and vengeful, then, apparently, you defeat him, and meanwhile you yourself are conquered by evil, i.e. anger, so if you want to win, then reconcile and do not take revenge. A brilliant victory is when you overcome evil with good, i.e. forbearance, leaving behind anger and rancor. But at first these words would not have been accepted by the offended and burning with anger. Therefore, the apostle, when his anger was satisfied, then presented him with the best incentive for reconciliation and did not allow him to remain with the bad hope of punishment. Do you see the wisdom of the lawgiver? And so that you may be convinced that due to the weakness of those who otherwise did not want to be reconciled among themselves, he proposed such a commandment - listen to how Christ, offering the same commandment, did not appoint the same reward, but saying: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, - which means to feed and drink - did not add: by doing this, you collect hot coals on their heads, but what? yes you will like your Father, Heavenly(Matt. 5:44). And fair enough. He talked with Peter, James and John and with the other apostles; That's why he appointed such a reward. If you say that despite all this, this commandment is difficult, then again you will give us the opportunity to justify Paul, and you will deprive yourself of all justification. Why? Because - I will show you - this task, which seems difficult, was carried out even in old testament when such wisdom had not yet been demonstrated. Therefore, Paul did not express the commandment in his own words, but used the very words that he who first proposed this commandment expressed himself, so that there would be no excuse for those who do not fulfill it. Words: if your enemy is hungry, feed him with bread; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink It was not Paul who used the first word, but Solomon (Prov. 25:21,22). That's why he used these words to convince the listener that it was very shameful - the ancient law, which
Roy was often fulfilled by the Old Testament, but now - with such high wisdom - it is considered difficult and difficult. And who, they will say, of the Old Testament fulfilled it? Many, especially David with greater completeness. He not only fed and watered the enemy, but also repeatedly saved someone in danger from death and, having the opportunity to kill him, spared him once, twice, and many times. Saul could not tolerate and hated him so much after his countless good deeds, after his brilliant victories and salvation from Goliath, that he could not even hear his name and called him by the name of his father. So once upon a time, at the approach of the holiday, when he formed some intention against David and prepared evil intrigues, but did not see him come, he asked: where son of Jesse(1 Samuel 20:27); called him by his father's name, both not wanting to remember his name out of enmity, and thinking through his father's ignorance to darken the fame of the righteous man - thinking pitifully and unhappily, because even though he could blame his father for something, it did not harm David at all . Everyone is responsible for their own affairs, and only for them can they be approved or condemned. And here he, unable to say anything bad about David, exposed the ignorance of his origin, hoping in this way to darken his celebrity; it was extremely crazy. What kind of guilt is there, really, in coming from humble and humiliated parents? But he did not know how to be so philosophical. So Saul called David the son of Jesse; and David, finding him sleeping inside the cave, called him not the son of Kish, but an honorary name: May the Lord not allow me, he said, lift my hand against the Lord's anointed(1 Samuel 26:11). So he was clean from anger and all rancor! He calls the Lord's anointed the one who offended him so much, thirsted for his blood, and after countless good deeds often tried to kill him. He did not look at what Saul was worthy to endure, but looked at what he himself needed to do or say; this is the highest limit of wisdom. How? Having captured the enemy, as if in a prison, bound with double, or - better - triple bonds, and cramped space, and the lack of helpers, and the need for sleep, you do not demand an account from him and do not subject him to punishment? No, he says; I now look not at what he is worthy to endure, but at what I should do. He did not look at the ease of killing, but looked at the fulfillment of his characteristic wisdom. Meanwhile, which of the circumstances at that time was not enough to motivate him to murder? Was it that the enemy was betrayed to him bound? Of course you know how
Soon we begin to do easy things, and the hope of fulfillment awakens in us a greater desire to act, as it was then with him.
Was it the military leader who advised and encouraged him then? Is it a memory of the past? But nothing prompted him to kill; on the contrary, the very ease of killing turned him away from it. He thought that God had given him the enemy in order to give him a reason and opportunity for greater wisdom. So, you may be surprised that he did not remember any of his past disasters; I am much more surprised at him for another reason. For what? Because the fear of the future did not prompt him to kill the enemy. He knew well that Saul, having escaped his hands, would again rebel against him; but he decided it would be better to expose himself to danger by sparing the enemy than to kill the enemy for his own safety. What can compare with this great and noble soul, who, while the law commanded to tear out an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and reward equals (Deut. 19:21), not only did not do this, but showed even greater wisdom? Meanwhile, even if he had killed Saul then, even then he would not have lost praise for his wisdom, not only because he was not the first to take revenge by starting violence, but also because he would have fulfilled the law: an eye for an eye - with great meekness . He would not have repaid for one murder with one murder, but for the many deaths with which he threatened him, not once or twice, but repeatedly trying to kill him, he would have repaid with one death; or - better - not only this, but also the fact that the danger in the future disposed him to revenge, and this, together with the above, would give him a whole crown of patience. In fact, he who is angry and seeks punishment for what was done to him before cannot receive praise for patience; and the one who, having left everything that was past, much and difficult, feared for the future and was concerned about his safety, and therefore was forced to turn to vengeance, no one would deprive him of the crowns of meekness.
7. But David did not do this, but showed extraordinary and wondrous wisdom. Neither the memory of the past, nor the fear of the future, nor the advice of the military commander, nor the desolation of the place, nor the convenience of killing, nor anything else prompted him to kill, but as if a benefactor had done him a lot of good, he spared the enemy and the offender. What kind of justification will we have, who remember past misdeeds and take revenge on those who insulted us, while this innocent one, who endured so many evils and expected even greater and more severe ones upon deliverance?
The enemy, he spared him so much that he decided it would be better to expose himself to danger and live in fear and trembling than to justly kill the one who intended to do him a lot of harm?
So the wisdom of David can be seen from the fact that he not only did not kill the enemy, in such a need, but did not even utter a blasphemous word against him, which, moreover, the insulted person could not even hear. We often say bad things about absent friends, but he did not do the same to an enemy who had done him so much harm. So, from this one can see his wisdom; His philanthropy and thoughtfulness are visible from what he did afterwards. Cutting off the hem of his garment and taking a vessel for water (1 Sam. 24:5; 26:13), going far away and standing, he cried out and showed this to the spared man, doing so not out of vanity and ambition, but wanting to convince him by deeds that it was in vain and in vain he considered him an enemy, and, hoping through this to win him over to friendliness. However, even without convincing him and having the opportunity to kill him, he again decided it would be better to leave his fatherland and live in a foreign country and live in poverty every day, obtaining the necessary food for himself, rather than staying at home and insulting the offender. What could be gentler than his soul? Truly rightly he said: remember, Lord, David and all his contrition(Ps. 131:1). Let us also imitate him; Let us neither say nor do evil to our enemies, but let us even do good to them to the best of our ability; through this we will do more good to themselves rather than to them. If you forgive people their sins, said the Lord, then your Heavenly Father will forgive you too(Matt. 6:14). Forgive the sins of the servant, so that you may receive forgiveness of sins from the Lord; if he has seriously offended you, then the more you forgive, the more forgiveness you yourself will receive. That is why we are taught to say: forgive us as we forgive, (Matthew 6:12), so that we know that the measure of forgiveness initially depends on us. Thus, the more evil the enemy does to us, the more benefits he will provide. Let us hasten and try to make peace with those who have offended us, whether they are angry justly or unjustly. If you are reconciled here, you will be freed from judgment there; If the enmity remains, meanwhile the ensuing death will stop the hatred, then judgment will inevitably befall you there. Like many of the people who quarrel with each other, if they resolve the quarrel among themselves amicably outside the court, then they get rid of loss, fear and many dangers, putting an end to the quarrel at the request of both parties, but if they turn to the judge, then there is often a waste of money, and punishment, and endless enmity remains, that’s right
And here, if we stop enmity in this life, then we will get rid of all punishment, but if, remaining enemies, we come to that terrible judgment, then we will certainly undergo extreme condemnation according to the definition of the Judge, and we will both receive inevitable punishment: and the one who is unjustly angry - for that who is unjustly angry, and he who is justly angry - because he held a grudge, albeit justly, because, even if we unjustly suffered evil, we must give forgiveness to those who offended. Look how the Lord disposes and encourages those who have unjustly offended to make peace with the offended. If, He says, you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, go first and be reconciled with your brother(Matthew 5:23,24). He did not say: prepare, make a sacrifice, but: make peace, and then bring it. Leave it, he says, let it lie, so that the need to bring it will force you to involuntarily go for reconciliation with someone who is justly angry. See also how He encourages us to go to the one who has offended us when He says: Farewell to your debtors, so that your heavenly Father may forgive you your sins(Mark 11:25). He appointed no small reward, but it greatly exceeded the importance of the matter itself. So, remembering all this and imagining the reward assigned for this, and how little work and effort is needed to atone for sins, let us forgive those who have offended us. What others barely achieve through fasting, sighing, prayer, sackcloth, ashes and repeated repentance, i.e. atonement for our sins, we can easily achieve this without sackcloth, ashes and fasting, if only we eradicate anger from our souls and sincerely forgive those who have offended us. The God of peace and love, having torn away all irritation, bitterness and anger from our souls, may he give us, as fellow members, to unite closely with each other, and accordingly, with one mouth and one soul, constantly send up to Him the appropriate hymns of thanksgiving to Him, glory and power in forever and ever. Amen.
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Today, while discussing the Bible with a friend, I came across a saying of the Apostle Paul, which immediately aroused my great interest. First of all, due to the ambiguity of interpretation.
Romans 12:20: “So if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink: for in doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.”
It was these very burning coals that confused me. From the previous and subsequent verses, which talk about repaying the evil done to us with good, it seems logical that "heaping coals" on someone's head should not be something negative. It also says that God himself will bring justice to the offender, but wouldn’t this mean that by doing good, we further increase the guilt of the ill-wisher? The expression looks somehow terrifying, to me. I immediately tried to imagine myself in the place of this enemy: how does a person feel whose evil was responded to with a good deed? In general, you don’t have to go far - this happens in my life, and I’m not always on the side of virtue. The only thing I feel is burning shame and remorse. In my opinion, this is combined with coals - “burn with shame.” This thought led me to another, which, as I thought then, did not come out of the text: that the one who offended us, seeing that we are not angry with him, should become better, that is, our good deeds are pushing him towards salvation?
In general, I was puzzled). I’m still quite new to deciphering (and even reading) the Bible, so I looked for answers on Christian sites. There opinions differ, and diametrically. Some consider “gathering coals” to bring God’s punishment upon the offender, but another idea, close to mine, seems to me more plausible and interesting:
"Modern translation of RBO.
Quote
19 Do not avenge yourselves, my dears, leave room for God’s wrath. After all, it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, and I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 On the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. By this you will make him burn with shame.”
21 Do not let evil overcome you, but overcome evil with good.
(Rom.12:19-21)
Comment: "literally: With this you will heap burning coals on his head. This is probably a proverb expression."
Here is NJB's comment:
Quote
20 You will heap burning coals on his head. Our kindness can lead the offender to conversion, or at least shame him enough to correct his behavior.
Here's Barkley's comment:Quote
To touch a person, a heartfelt attitude is appropriate, not revenge. Revenge can break a person's spirit; and kindness will touch his heart. By doing good to your enemy, Paul says, “you will heap burning coals on his head.” This, however, does not mean that by doing so we will bring upon him additional punishments, but it will prompt him to terrible shame, c) Whoever deigns to take revenge will be defeated by evil. Evil is never overcome by evil. If you respond to hatred with more hatred, it will only increase; but if you respond to it with love, then the antidote is found. As Booker Washington said, “I won’t let anyone bring me down to hate him.” Only effective way to neutralize an enemy is to turn him into a friend." ( predanie.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=78 2)Or here's another one:
This scripture is taken from Proverbs of Solomon 25:21,22. Fire has always been necessary to keep the house warm and for cooking, in other words, vital. In Solomon's day it was difficult to make a fire; it was much easier to keep the coals burning so that they could be used to start a fire at the right time. If someone's embers went out, then it was very a big problem for family. It was much easier and simpler to get burning coals than to start a fire new fire. The man went to his relatives and neighbors and asked them for at least one burning coal. In the East in those days, and even to this day, people carry their burdens on their heads. This man walked around the neighbors, collected burning coals and carried them home in a basket on his head. This type suggests that if you (saved) are kind to the enemy (unsaved), then you give him the opportunity to receive from God what is vital for him, what he needs (salvation, blessing), which he has never had before had.(jesuschrist.ru/forum/362812,2.php)
I especially like the last explanation :)
z.y. Maybe someone knows what RBO and NZHB are?
It happened as my father said. This was in Belarus. Our unit was stationed in Porechye not far from Pinsk, there is a town called Yanovo. When the question concerned the oath, the unit commander, Major Rymsha, called me; his deputy was Captain Fedorenko.
I'm standing in their office. The major took out two pistols and said: “You see, with one pistol in this eye, and the other in the other, your brains will fly out onto the wall. We know that you are a sectarian, and you refuse to take the oath, you don’t want to take up arms, you don’t want to kill. Now in war time I can shoot you right here. Understand?" "Understand".
He put down one pistol and holds the other. I think: “Will he really shoot? Well, if I’m supposed to be shot, then there should be some kind of trial.” But during the war this was not always the case. There they could mercilessly shoot you at any minute.
And yet he shot. When a bullet hits, I know how bullets make you fall. She turned me around and I fell flat on the floor. And he's standing with a gun. I think: will he still shoot, finish off, or not? My throat began to bleed. When he saw this, he left. But I still got up, undressed and said to the orderly soldier who was standing there: “Look where the bullet entered?” “There’s nothing anywhere, there’s blood on your face, and the bullet hit your arm.” He raised his hand: “Is there anything there somewhere?” He says: “Nowhere.” I told him: “How did the bullet hit the arm, and blood is flowing from the throat?” However, they still took me to the hospital.
I know that God not only controls the wind, the storm and everything in the world, He also controls the bullet. Then I found out that the bullet touched the bone, rebounded and missed the heart by four millimeters. When the x-ray was taken, it was clear that my lungs had been punctured, so my throat began to bleed.
And so it turned out that I walked around with this bullet for a whole year. A year has passed and they tell me: “You need to have an operation to get the bullet out.”
They cut me from the back and took out a bullet. The operation was performed without anesthesia. Can you imagine cutting your back without anesthesia? The two who stood there hooked the ribs with hooks, pulled them apart, and the surgeon dug into the lungs and pulled out this bullet. They placed a basin on my back and I felt like the nurse was using a syringe to select blood and pour it into the basin so that the surgeon could work. I can’t convey, of course, what a difficult operation it was. At the end of the operation I began to lose consciousness, I can no longer see anything, everything is blurry...
The operation ended, I lay on my stomach for seven days, I could neither turn nor move. On the eighth day, at 9 o’clock in the morning, my stitches were removed, and at 10 o’clock I was already in prison. After all, they processed my documents to imprison me. Several days passed; the wound is festering, there is no dressing, from the lungs blood is flowing, clothes stick. You pull it off, but I can’t see what’s there.
And this is what happens next. The door to the cell opens, and they bring in this Major Rymsha, who shot at me. And captain Fedorenko is also with him. I couldn't believe my eyes. The major looks at me, and I look at him and think: “Murderer. This is my enemy, this is the real enemy.” This cannot be conveyed, it’s hard to remember. I say: “Comrade Major, come in,” I was just lying on the edge, I moved over, “there’s a place here, you’ll lie down here.” They both lay down next to me. I ask the major: “Why did you get caught? You served your master so diligently and suddenly you found yourself next to me, on the bunk?” He says, "I don't know." “And I will tell you: God has a law of the harvest; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” And he says: “How can I understand this?” I ask: “What case are you accused of?” “I am going under Article 57 as a traitor to the motherland.” “So you’ll be shot.” He says: "I know." “You shot at me, and now they will shoot at you. God has a law of harvest. What goes around comes around". He answered me: “But you’re alive.” I say: “Yes, I’m alive.” And he says: “Do you know why you are alive? Do you remember when I shot, you fell, your throat started bleeding. I looked at you and thought: why did I kill this boy? - I remembered that he immediately left the office then. He continued: “I told them to take you to the hospital.”
I remember thinking then: I didn’t shoot, and they took me to the hospital. There they pumped me out. Both lungs are filled with blood, there is nothing to breathe, there is no strength, but God gave - he remained alive. And when the medical general arrived, he wanted to look at me and said: “This is a unique wound, a blind bullet wound.” chest" And he says: “Son, you shouldn’t live.” “No, Comrade General, on the contrary, I must live.” “You can’t live with a wound like that, it’s a fatal wound.” And I tell him: “As God lives and as my soul lives.” He looked at me and didn't say anything. A person should not live from such a wound. The major says: “How amazing it is, for some reason you’re alive?” I answer: “Yes, he’s alive. And it’s even more surprising to me why you ended up in the cell.”
I see them sitting on the bunk with the captain. I say: “Have you not eaten for a long time?” “For two days already, while we were being transported, they weren’t giving us anything to eat.” And I had a ration, and the soldiers there gave me a package. He took it out: “Let’s eat.” And here I remembered the word: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him,” feed your killer. This is not a simple matter. It may seem - what's special here? Try! He is, well, a real killer. I brought them boiling water and gave them a mug so that they could wash down the boiling water with bread. I look at the major, the captain was eating in silence, and the major’s tears were rolling down...
Well, they ate, he said to me: “But they’ll still shoot me.” I say: “You know, comrade major, they won’t shoot you.” He says: "Why?" “If you were shot, they would immediately take you to Lubyanka and finish with you there. But for some reason you ended up in a cell with me! When I saw you enter the cell, I realized that this was God’s plan. My killer is standing in front of me, this is no accident. And so, I forgive you in the name of the Lord and ask God to have mercy on you.” He says, "This won't help." "Will help". “I,” he says, “when I shot at you, I saw that blood was coming from your throat, and I remembered the words of my mother. My mother is Orthodox, she always told me: son, be honest. And I looked at how dishonestly I had treated you, and then I ran out. And so, this dishonesty of mine did not give me peace, more than a year passed, and all the time I saw before my eyes how you fell and your throat began to bleed and your mother’s words: “Son, be honest.”
This tormented him so much that he could not find peace: “You have a mother.” I say: “Of course there is a mother.” “After all, you shouldn’t have survived, such a mortal wound, I think I killed you.” “Yes, you are a murderer, but the Word of God says: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who offend you.” This is exactly what is happening to you and me today.”
It was harder for him than for me. How much harder it was for him! He suffered.
They were with me in the cell for several days. And in these days something happened that God forbid and have mercy on seeing this.
The cell was jam-packed with criminals. Four young guys stood up, grabbed one, twisted his arms back, one tied his mouth with a towel, and dragged him to the bucket. They bent him over and began to cut his throat with a piece of blade, not even with a razor, but with the corner of the blade. Two are holding him, one by the towel, the other by his hands, and the fourth is cutting him... You can imagine, they tilted him so that the blood would flow into the bucket, so that there would be no blood on the floor. Nobody intervened. And the major saw it all. I then told him: “You know, Major, if I had told them that you shot at me like that, you would be next in line now. This is your share." He says: “I knew it right away.” When they stabbed him, all the blood drained away, the convulsions stopped, they tied the same towel around his throat and threw him under the bunk.
And in the evening check. We all stood near the bunks and stood. Korpusnoy is counting, and there were 73 of us in the cell. One thing is missing. I counted it again. Lacks. I counted again. Lacks. Maybe someone is sleeping under the bunk? Sees legs there. They pulled me out by the legs. So what's going on here? A man was stabbed to death. He asks: “Who?” But who can say who? And I was just on the edge. He looked at me: “Who?” I'm silent. He took me to the corridor. “Tell me who!” They took me in for interrogation: “Who?” “I won’t say who.” “You will say!” "No". “You will say! We will torture you and you will tell.” “I won’t say, do you know why? Because you can’t bring this person back, and how many more people will die? They will be shot, or something else will be done to them, and I will be guilty of this, I won’t say.” “To the isolation ward! And then you will say.”
In the isolation ward, every other day they were given 300 grams of bread and a mug of water. It was possible to sit on a block of wood, sawed off from a log; it stood in the middle. It was a particularly cruel prison, Pinsk, it is no longer there, it was destroyed. You had to sit on this block from 6 am to 12 midnight, your hands should be on your knees and you should only look at the “top” or the “feeder” in one direction. Lights out at 12 midnight. And after lights out, sleep on the “coffin.” There was a cement “coffin” standing near the wall; it was specially made to torture people. Sleep until 6 am, and at 6 am get up and again sit on this block and sit until 12 am. My whole body began to ache, it was unbearable, but I couldn’t bend over or walk. Just sit and look at this “top”.
For some days I couldn’t stand it anymore, I leaned my elbow on my knee and sat. The warden saw this violation of the punishment cell regime. Commands: “Put a shirt on him!” Who knows what this is? The shirt is made of canvas, it has sleeves that are four meters long, maybe more, and so long. When putting it on, the arms are crossed. They wrap one sleeve in one direction, the other in the other, three people each begin to pull. The doctor stands, looks at the second hand so that they don’t tighten it too much, because the heart will stop if it’s pinched.
This is the shirt they put on me. I lost consciousness, they threw me on the floor, took off my shirt, poured cold water on me and left. How long I lay there, I don’t know, then I woke up and crawled onto this “coffin”, so that at least I could lie down for a while not on the floor, worms were crawling on it, some bugs were everywhere, and they were crawling on the “coffin”. It's so damp and dirty. Afterwards I could no longer get up from this “coffin”, I just lay there, even though they told me: sit on a stump. But I no longer had the strength, I could not sit. Eventually I was sent back to my cell.
When I came to the cell, I looked, of course, nondescript, they said, some kind of green. The major says: “And it’s all my fault. You wouldn’t have gotten here and now you’re in such torment again, but what else will happen?” I answer: “Do you know what will happen ahead? It is written in the Word of God that our temporary sufferings are not worth anything compared to the glory that will be revealed.” “Oh, you’re a fanatic, what glory? To endure such torment! What are you talking about?" “I'm talking about what's written in the Word. The Lord lives and my soul lives! Victory will be God’s, because our Lord is alive, and we will be alive.” This is the road we walked.
So, I propose today to make the following prayer: forgive everyone who has something against whom. Forgive all enemies. God help us with this!
