Saint Andrew of Crete
As we approach Great Lent, the time given to us specifically for
repentance, the Church gives us a whole host of images to help us. St.
John of Kronstadt teaches that:
“Imagery or symbols are a necessity
of human nature in our presently spiritually sensual condition; they
explain [by the vision] many things belonging to the spiritual world
which we could not know without images and symbols.”
We need pictures to help us think, to help us digest and understand
the truths given to us. What St. Andrew of Crete does in the Great Canon
written by him, is to being to remembrance many characters of the Old
Testament and a few from the New Testament. In earlier times, people
knew the scriptures much more than we do. Mention a name like Korah,
Datham, Hophni or Phinehas and many people would be able to tell you all
about them. When they heard these names in St. Andrew’s canon, they had
the opportunity to be struck in the heart and brought to repentance.
Unfortunately we are not that scripturally literate so the names can
just fly by and not mean anything to us. We could be virtually untouched
by the canon. The reason for this talk is to at least start us on the
way to knowing to whom St. Andrew is referring.
However, we need to do more than simply know who all those people
are. We need to take the canon personally. Their sins and failings are
our sins and failings. That St. Andrew expects us to approach the canon
personally is clear from the way he writes it.
Adam and Eve
The first people mentioned are, understandably, Adam and Eve. In Canticle One we read:
“I have rivaled in transgression
Adam the first-formed man, and I have found myself stripped naked of
God, of the eternal kingdom and its joy, because of my sins.
And:
“Instead of the visible Eve, I have
the Eve of the mind: the passionate thought in my flesh, showing me what
seems sweet; yet whenever I taste from it, I find it bitter.”
It is interesting that St. Andrew refers to Eve as the mind. Last
week, on March 16/29, in the For Consideration section of the Prologue,
there is a quote from St. Hesychius which reads: “If you make yourself
fulfill [God's commandments] in thought, you will rarely find it
necessary to toil over the fulfilling of them in action.”
So in the beginning of the canon, St. Andrew, through mentioning Adam
and Eve tells us of the results of sin (separation from eternal life)
and the cause of sin (turning from God in our thinking). St. John of
Kronstadt teaches that we do not actually think with our mind. The
thoughts we have are generated in our hearts, or are the result of
suggestions by the devil. One of the things which the elder Simeon told
the Mother of God was that her child “shall be spoken against, that the
thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
In the prayer read at Midnight office on Sunday morning, there is a
phrase which reads something like “I have become a slave to pleasure
through slothfulness of mind”. I have even seen a warning on a bumper
sticker which read, “Don’t believe everything you think”. If we believe
everything we think, and, in our laziness, do not weigh our thoughts
against the commandments of Christ, we become enslaved. By being aware
of our thoughts, we can come to know what lies in our heart. We may not
like what we come to know, but such is the spiritual life.
Perhaps the rest of the Old Testament figures mentioned in the canon
could be seen as symbolizing the various ways in which we sin against
God, in thought word, and deed.
Cain
Cain was half-hearted in his devotions and sacrifice toward God. He
didn’t give his best. He gave lip service, empty words, to God; he did
not give his heart. He knew that the sacrifice he was making was only an
outward show, but “killed” his conscience by not listening to it.
Next mentioned is Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve.
“By my own free choice I have
incurred the guilt of Cain’s murder. I have killed my conscience,
bringing the flesh to life and making war upon the soul by my wicked
actions.”
However, God was not mocked; He saw the shallowness of Cain’s efforts
and therefore did not accept the sacrifice and reward Cain.
Abel
Of course, Cain is mentioned in contrast to his brother Abel, who offered to God an unblemished lamb. St. Andrew writes:
“O Jesus, I have not been like Abel
in his righteousness. Never have I offered Thee acceptable gifts or
godly actions, a pure sacrifice or a life unblemished.”
Some interpreters of the story of Cain and Abel see Cain’s sin as not
offering the correct kind of sacrifice; he offered the fruits of his
garden, not a lamb as did Abel. This is missing the point. God, of
course wants our hearts. Our responsibility is to give our best in all
we do.
Cain’s sin could more correctly be seen as jealously which led to
murder. Jealousy comes when we are ungrateful and have not given with a
sincere and humble heart. When we feel jealous, it is a sign that we got
caught in our ingratitude and we don’t like it. We got caught trying to
give our second best but still expecting to receive the best reward. We
kill our conscience which tries to tell us that our disappointment is
our own fault. Of course, our disappointment, our dissatisfaction, must
be someone’s fault so we turn on our brother.
We probably do not murder outwardly as did Cain, but we all know the
judgments and anger that accompany jealousy. Our Lord tells us in the
sermon on the mount that, “Ye have heard that it was said of them of old
time ‘Thou shalt not kill’… But I say unto you “Whosoever shall be
angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment.”
Mention the school children. Cain and Abel mean “I can’t” and “I am
able”. When one of them is not putting their heart in their works, we
simply need to ask Cain? or Abel?
Canticle Two
Lamech (descendent of Cain)
In Canticle two, we hear of Lamech. There are a few Lamechs in the
Old Testament. This one was a descendant of Cain. Cain had a son named
Enoch, and, according to Genesis 4:17, built a city and named it after
his son. Enoch had a son named Irad, Irad had a son named Mehujael.
Mehujael had a son named Methusael (not to be confused with Methuselah).
Finally Methusael had a son named Lamech.
Lamech’s sin was, like Cain, murder. Whereas Cain killed one person,
Lamech kills two people – an older man and a young man. The canon reads:
“To whom shall I liken thee, O soul
of many sins? Alas! to Cain and to Lamech. For thou hast stoned thy body
to death with thine evil deeds, and killed thy mind with thy disordered
longings.
“Through sin, a man ends up destroying his own soul, (the man) and his mind (the young man).”
St. Andrew then mentions four righteous men.
“Call to mind, my soul, all who lived
before the Law. Thou hast not been like Seth, or followed Enos or
Enoch, who was translated to heaven, or Noah; but thou art found
destitute, without a share in the life of the righteous.”
Seth was a son of Adam and Eve born after Abel had been murdered and
Cain had been cast away. Seth had a son named Enos. The last verse of
the fourth chapter of Genesis reads:
“And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.”
Enos had a son named Cainan. Cainan had a son named Mahalaleel.
Mahalaleel had a son named Jared, in turn had a son named Enoch. This
second Enoch did not die as men normally do. When he was three hundred
five years old, he was “translated.”
I cannot tell you exactly what “translated” means, but Enoch was true
to the meaning of his name “dedicated”. The scriptures say: “Enoch
walked with God: and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). Enoch
had a very famous son, the oldest recorded person in history
-Methuselah.
We have now been introduced to two people named Enoch. The first
Enoch was Cain’s son. He was dedicated to this world, symbolized by his
connection to a worldly city. The second Enoch was the one mentioned by
St. Andrew, who was dedicated to God and was found worthy to enter the
heavenly city.
Noah
The fourth righteous man mentioned in canticle two is Noah. We all
know Noah. He was a righteous man in the midst of a very unrighteous
society. Only Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives survived
the Great Flood.
Canticle Three
Lot
Canticle three begins with a reference to Lot, Abraham’s nephew and
the son of Abraham’s brother, Haran. Apparently Haran had died and
Abraham was looking after Lot in Haran’s place.
The reference to Lot in the canon is:
“O my soul, flee like Lot to the mountains, and take refuge in Zoar
before it is too late. Flee from the flames, my soul, flee from the
burning heat of Sodom, flee from the destruction by the fire of God.”
This verse of the canon is in reference to the destruction of the
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Three angels were sent by God to destroy
these cities for their extreme wickedness. However before destroying the
cities, angels first went to visit Abraham who was living on the Plain
of Mamre, not too far from Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham offered them
wonderful hospitality. It was during this visit that the angels told
Abraham and Sarah (99 and 89 years old at the time) that Sarah would
bear a son who would be called Isaac. This incident is the inspiration
behind the icon we know of as “The Hospitality of Abraham.”
When the angels told Abraham that they were on their way to destroy
Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham realized that his nephew lived there and
asked the angels if they would destroy the cities if they found fifty
good people there. They said, “No.” Abraham kept questioning the angels,
lowering the number of righteous people required to warrant a reprieve.
The angels finally agreed that if ten righteous people were in the
cities they would not destroy them.
As it turned out, only four good people were found – Lot and his wife
and two daughters. The angels told them to flee to the mountains and
not turn back. This is when Lot’s wife disobeyed and turned back. She
turned into a pillar of salt. It is very possible that the site of Sodom
and Gomorrah is now covered by the Dead Sea.
Toward the end of Canticle three there are more references to Lot. We are urged:
“Do not look back, my soul, and so be
turned into a pillar of salt. Fear the example of the people of Sodom,
and take refuge in Zoar. Flee, my soul, like, Lot, from the burning of
sin; flee from Sodom and Gomorrah; flee from the flame of every brutish
desire.”
Lot escaped destruction because he fled from temptation and did not
look back. So often we entertain sinful thoughts, thinking we can then
discard them at will. The Fathers of the Church urge us not to attempt
to fight temptation by our own strength but to immediately flee to
Christ.
The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah is generally considered to
center around unrestrained sexual desire which leads to depravity. This
is clear from the narrative as given in Genesis 19 and also from the
reference made in the epistle of St. Jude.
Canticle three also refers to the three sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
“O my soul, thou hast
followed Ham, who mocked his father. Thou hast not covered thy
neighbor’s shame, walking backwards with averted face. O wretched soul,
thou hast not inherited the blessing of Shem, nor hast thou received,
like Japheth, a spacious domain in the land of forgiveness.”
These verses refer to an incident that happened some time after the
ark had landed and Noah had planted a vineyard. He was affected by the
fermented grape juice and was found in an embarrassing position. His
son, Ham, saw him and made fun of his father in front of Shem and
Japheth. Unlike Ham, Shem and Japheth did their best to shield their
father and “cover his sin”. Ham’s sin was mocking the faults and
weakness of others. In the Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, which we
say many times during Lent, we beg God to prevent us from committing
this serious sin.
“Yea, O Lord, King, grant me to see my failing and not condemn my brother, for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages.”
When Noah realized what had happened, he cursed the descendants of Ham and blessed the descendants of Shem and Japheth.
Abraham
Canticle three also refers to Abraham:
“O my soul, depart from sin,
from the land of Haran, and come to the land that Abraham inherited,
which flows with incorruption and eternal life.”
Abraham probably does not need too much of an introduction. Abraham
was apparently born in Ur, a city in Mesopotamia. After the death of
Haran, Abraham’s brother, his father Terah moved his family north to a
city known as Haran (perhaps named after Terah’s son). This became their
new home. When Abraham was seventy-five, God told him to, “Get thee out
of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto
a land that I will show thee.”
So far we have been presented with two righteous men who were told to
leave the place they were living. This, of course, symbolizes the fact
that we have ingrained ways of thinking and perceiving that need to be
left behind. Prayer and the examination of our own thoughts and
perceptions are required of us in the spiritual life. This is part of
leaving the old man and allowing Christ to make us new. We venture
beyond our own “self-image” into the spiritual unknown, relying on God.
Ishmael
“Thou hast heard, O my soul, be
watchful! How Ishmael was driven out as the child of a bondwoman. Take
heed, lest the same thing happen to thee because of thy lust. O my soul,
thou hast become like Hagar, the Egyptian; thy free choice has been
enslaved, and thou hast borne as thy child a new Ishmael, stubborn
willfulness.”
Abraham was married to Sarah who was barren. At Sarah’s suggestion,
Abraham had a son by Sarah’s maid, Hagar, and this son is Ishmael. Egypt
is usually a symbol of evil, or of the passionate, unregenerate life.
Thoughts and actions which arise from the passionate in us enslave us.
This is a reoccurring theme in the canon.
Canticle Four
Jacob
“Thou knowest, my soul, the ladder
that was shown to Jacob, reaching up from earth to heaven. Why hast thou
not provided a firm foundation for it through thy godly actions.”
Leah and Rachel
“By the two wives, understand action
and knowledge in contemplation. Leah is action, for she had many
children; and Rachel is knowledge, for she endured great toil. And
without toil, 0 my soul, neither action nor contemplation will succeed.”
Once again, we are enjoined to be watchful rather than slothful with
our thoughts. If you remember, Jacob had to work for his uncle, Laban,
for seven years in order to marry Rachel. He was given Leah instead, so
he worked another seven years for Rachel.
Esau
“Thou hast rivaled Esau the hated, 0
my soul, and given the birthright of thy first beauty to the supplanter;
thou hast lost thy father’s blessing and in thy wretchedness been twice
supplanted, in action and in knowledge. Therefore now repent.”
Do you recall how Esau lost his birthright to Jacob? He came home
from an unsuccessful hunting trip very hungry and asked Jacob for a bowl
of lentil soup. Jacob said he would give Esau the soup if Esau, in
turn, would give him the birthright. Esau, so unwilling to suffer a
little, traded his birthright in order to appease his appetite. This is a
good lesson for lent.
Canticle Five
Reuben
“In my misery I have followed
Reuben’s example, and have devised a wicked and unlawful plan against
the most high God, defiling my bed as he defiled his father’s.”
Joseph
“I confess to Thee, 0 Christ my King:
I have sinned, I have sinned like the brethren of Joseph, who once sold
the fruit of purity and chastity. As a figure of the Lord, 0 my soul,
the righteous and gentle Joseph was sold into bondage by his brethren;
but thou hast sold thyself entirely to sin.”
Moses
“O miserable soul, thou hast not
struck and killed the Egyptian mind, as did Moses the great. Tell me,
then, how wilt thou go to dwell through repentance in the wilderness
empty of passions? Moses the great went to dwell in the desert. Come,
seek to follow his way of life, my soul, that in contemplation thou
mayest attain the vision of God in the bush.”
These passages, of course, refer to the time when while still a
prominent man in Egypt, saw an Egyptian guard beating an Israelite.
Moses killed the guard, thinking no one had seen him…. In this passage
we see an example of Egypt, and Egyptians, as symbols of the old,
unregenerated man.
Korah, Datham, Abiram, Aaron, Hophni and Phinehas
“Aaron offered to God fire that was
blameless and undefiled, but Hophni and Phinehas brought to Him, as thou
hast done, my soul, strange fire and a polluted life.” (Then in Canticle six) “Like
Datham and Abiram, O my soul, thou hast become a stranger to Thy Lord;
but with all thy heart cry out ‘spare me,’ that the earth may not open
and swallow thee up.”
Korah, Datham and Abiram were the leaders of a revolt against Moses.
When the Israelites were but a short distance from the Promised Land,
Moses sent six pair of men, one man from each tribe, as “spies” into the
Promised Land. They were to get a sense of the people who inhabited the
land and of the land itself. Five pair, (ten men) returned with glowing
reports of the land, but told Moses that the people were strong and
fierce, with many chariots. It would be impossible to defeat them. Only
one pair, Joshua and Caleb, said that although it was true that the
people were great, the Israelites could conquer them with God’s help.
When the Israelites shouted down Joshua and Caleb and despaired of
entering into the new land, God told them that they would wander in the
desert for 40 years, until they were all dead. Of the 600,000 people who
initially left Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb actually entered the
Promised Land.
God told Moses to lead the people south, away from the Promised Land.
This is when Korah and his friends lead a revolt. God responded to
their revolt by
opening the earth which swallowed them. All their families were also
killed. When the rest of the Israelites saw what had happened, they
blamed Moses and spoke against him, God then sent a plague to kill the
people. Aaron, however, took a censer and ran among the people, making
atonement for them. The plague then stopped.
The reference to Hophni and Phinehas concerns the two sons of the
priest, Eli. As sons of the priest, they had privileges and
responsibilities in the temple. The sons greatly misused their position
to steal from the people and do all kinds of immoral things. Eli knew
what was happening but did nothing but verbally scold his sons. A
prophet told Eli that his sons would be killed for their evil. When Eli
was told his sons had been killed by the Philistines, he fell backwards
and died also.
Although the reference to Eli is in the next canticle we will quote it here.
Eli, the Priest
“Thou hast drawn upon thyself, 0 my
soul, the condemnation of Eli, the priest: thoughtlessly thou hast
allowed the passions to work evil within thee, just as he permitted his
children to commit transgressions.”
Canticle Six
Ephraim (raging as a maddened heifer)?
Joshua, the son of Nun
“Like Joshua, the son of Nun, search
and spy out, my soul, the land of thine inheritance and take up thy
dwelling within it, through obedience to the law. Rise up and make war
against the passions of the flesh, as Joshua against Amalek, ever
gaining the victory over the Gibeonites, thy deceitful thoughts.”
This is a reference to Joshua’s work as one of the twelve spies sent
into the Promised Land. We are given a foretaste of heaven when we are
faithful to God.
Joshua against the Amalekites (descendants of Esau) was the battle
shortly before the Israelites reached Mount Sinai where Moses received
the Ten Commandments.
The reference to the Gibeonites concerns something that happened
after the Israelites had entered the Promised Land under the leadership
of Joshua. The Israelites had conquered Jericho and the city of Ai and
as a result, the surrounding peoples were very afraid of them. The
people of Gibeon devised a plan to join forces with several other
kingdoms in order to defeat the Israelites. Some of the men of Gibeon
dressed themselves in rags, gathered some old dry bread and dried out
wineskins and pretended to be emissaries from a distant country. The
told a story about how they had heard of the wonders of the Israelites
and were seeking to be their servants. The leaders of Israel, including
Joshua, were deceived. The scriptures say that, “And the men took of
their victuals (believed in the outer appearance), and asked not counsel
at the mouth of the Lord.”
Joshua finally realized the plot, gathered his armies together and
did battle with the opposing kingdoms. It was a very long and difficult
battle, so long in fact that Joshua had to pray that the sun stop in the
sky so he would have enough time to win.
Manoah
“O my soul, thou hast heard how
Manoah of old beheld the Lord in a vision, and then received from his
barren wife the fruit of God’s promise. Let us imitate him in his
devotion.”
Manoah was the father of Samson.
Samson
“Emulating Samson’s slothfulness, O
my soul, thou hast been shorn of the glory of thy works, and through
love of pleasure thou hast betrayed thy life to the alien Philistines,
surrendering thy chastity and blessedness.”
Once again we are given an example of the enslavement which follows slothfulness.
Barak and Jepthah with Deborah
“Barak and Jepthah the captains, with
Deborah who had a man’s courage, were chosen as judges of Israel. Learn
bravery from their mighty acts, O my soul, and be strong.”
Part of “see-saw days” after the death of Joshua. The Israelites did
evil in the sight of the Lord and as a result they were conquered by
another nation, this time by Jabin, King of the Canaanites. Deborah, a
prophetess was the judge of Israel. She called together two good men
Barak and Jepthat and they inspired the people to repent and regain
their freedom.
Jael, who pierced Sisera
“O my soul, thou knowest the manly
courage of Jael, who of old pierced Sisera through his temple and
brought salvation to Israel with the nail of her tent. In this thou
mayest see a prefiguring of the Cross.”
Sisera was the captain of the armies of Canaan. When the Israelites
routed the armies of Canaan, this Sisera fled on foot. He went to the
Kenites with whom the Canaanites were at peace and was invited into the
house of a man named Heber. Heber’s wife, Jael, knew the whole situation
and as Sisera was resting, she took a nail and hammered it into his
head. This made the defeat of the Canaanites complete.
Gideon
“O my soul, consider the
fleece of Gideon, and receive the dew from heaven; bend down like a hart
and drink the water that flows from the Law, when its letter is wrung
out for thee through study.”
Hannah and her son Samuel
“Hannah, who lovest self-restraint
and chastity, when speaking to God moved her lips in praise, but her
voice was not heard; and he who was barren bore a son worthy of her
prayer.”
“Great Samuel, son of Hannah, was
born at Ramah and brought up in the house of the Lord; and he was
numbered among the judges of Israel. Eagerly follow his example, O my
soul, and before thou judgest others, judge thine own works.”
Canticle Seven
Saul
“When Saul once lost his father’s
asses, in searching for them he found himself proclaimed as king. But
watch, my soul, lest unknown to thyself thou prefer thine animal
appetites to the Kingdom of Christ.”
David
“David, the forefather of God, once
sinned doubly, pierced with the arrow of adultery and the spear of
murder. But thou, my soul, art more gravely sick than he. For worse than
any acts are the impulses of thy will, David once joined sin to sin,
adding murder to fornication; yet then he showed at once a twofold
repentance. But thou, my soul, hast done worse things than he, yet thou
hast not repented before God.”
Uzzah
“When the ark was being carried in a
cart and the ox stumbled, Uzzah did no more than touch it, but the wrath
of God smote him. O my soul, flee from his presumption and respect with
reverence the things of God.”
While Saul was king and Eli was high priest, the Ark of the Covenant
was stolen by the Philistines, the archenemy of the Israelites. When the
Ark was brought into the Philistine’s temple where their idol was kept,
the idol fell and was smashed. The Ark caused the Philistines all kinds
of difficulties so they put it on a cart drawn by two oxen, and pointed
the oxen toward Jerusalem. The oxen did not make it all the way to
Jerusalem, but stopped about 7 miles short, at the house of a man named,
Abinadab. There it stayed there until David was crowned king.
Shortly after being crowned king, David started making plans to
return the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. It was put in a cart drawn
by two oxen. At one point the cart seemed to be tipping so Uzzah, one of
the sons of Abinadab, stretched out his hand to steady the Ark. He was
immediately killed.
Absalom and Ahitophel
“Thou hast heard of Absalom, and how
he rebelled against nature; thou knowest of the unholy deeds by which he
defiled his father David’s bed. Yet thou hast followed him in his
passionate and sensual desires.
“Thy free dignity, O my soul, thou
hast subjected to thy body; for thou hast found in the enemy another
Ahitophel, and hast agreed to all his counsels. But Christ Himself has
brought them to nothing and saved thee from them all.”
Absalom was one of the sons of David and was well respected. The
Scriptures say of him: in all Israel there was none to be so much
praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot to the
crown of his head there was no blemish in him.” However, Absalom’s
goodness and beauty were all on the outside. Inside he was full of
pride, ambition and deceit. He rebelled and fought against his father.
Ahitophel was one of David’s counselors, and like Absalom, was highly
respected. When Absalom decided to turn on his father and take over the
throne, Ahitophel joined him. Together they forced David to leave
Jerusalem. Ahitophel wanted to immediately pursue David before he
(David) had time to gather those faithful to him. Through a series of
events, Ahitophel was delayed and David rebuilt his forces. When
Ahitophel saw that he was to be defeated, he set his house in order and
hung himself.
We see here a foreshadowing of events which were to take place in the
life of Christ almost a thousand years later. Judas betrayed Christ,
just as Ahitophel betrayed David, the king. Both Judas and Ahitophel
hung themselves. Psalm 54, which is read at Sixth Hour refers to these
events:
“For if mine enemy had reviled me, I might have endured it. And if he
that hateth me had spoken boastful words against me I might have hid
myself from him. But thou it was, O man of like soul with me, me guide
and my familiar friend, thou who together with me didst sweeten my
repasts; in the house of God I walked with thee in oneness of mind.”
Solomon
“Solomon the wonderful, who was full
of the grace of wisdom, once did evil in the sight of heaven and turned
away from God. Thou hast become like him, my soul, through thy accursed
life.”
Rehoboam
“O my soul, thou hast rivaled
Rehoboam, who paid no attention to his father’s counselors, and
Jeroboam, that evil servant and renegade of old. But flee from their
example and cry to God: I have sinned, take pity on me.”
Rehoboam was a son of Solomon who became the King of Judah. Some
representatives of the northern tribes came to him asking for lower
taxes. Rehoboam told them that he would give his answer in three days.
He spoke with his father’s counselor’s who advised him to be merciful.
He then spoke with some men his own age who advised him to make the
taxes even greater. He listened to the younger men, who suggested that
he tell the people. “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to
your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you
with scorpions”
Jeroboam was the first king of the northern kingdom, of the Kingdom
of Israel. He gained his position through treason and encouraged the
worship of idols.
Ahab, Jezebel and Eliiah and Zarephath
“Heaven is closed to thy, my soul,
and a famine from God has seized thee; for thou hast been disobedient,
as Ahab was to the words of Elijah the Tishbite. But imitate the widow
Zarepheth and feed the prophet’s soul.”
Ahab was one of the kings of Israel. If you remember, after Solomon’s
rule the kingdom was divided into the Kingdom of Israel in the north
and the Kingdom of Judah in the south. Ahab and his wife, Jezebel
encouraged the worship of many different idols. The prophet Elijah, who
is also mentioned in the canon, was constantly in opposition to them.
Elijah was so enraged by the blasphemers of Ahab that he prayer to God
that it would not rain for three and a half years.
At one point Elijah fled because Ahab was going to kill him. God told
Elijah to go to a certain widow, Zarephath. He met the widow gathering
sticks in preparation for a last meal for her son and herself.
Christ referred to Elias and Zarephath, as recorded in Luke 4:25-26
Hezekiah and Manasseh (mentioned in other services)
“My days have vanished as the dream
of one awaking; and so, like Hezekiah, I weep upon my bed, that years
may be added to my life. But what Isaiah will come to thee, my soul,
except the God of all?
“By deliberate choice, my soul, thou
hast incurred the guilt of Manasseh, setting up the passions as idols
and multiplying abominations. But with fervent heart emulate his
repentance and acquire compunction.”
Hezekiah was one of the kings of Judah, whose capital was Jerusalem.
Hezekiah was one of the good kings. He destroyed the idols that had been
erected. However, at one point Jerusalem was being besieged by the
Assyrians who were conquering all the surrounding area and Hezekiah was
despairing. The servants of Hezekiah sought help from the prophet
Isaiah. Isaiah prophesied that Jerusalem would be spared; that God would
disburse the Assyrians. Hezekiah begged God for mercy and in the
morning the citizens of Jerusalem looked over the city walls and saw
185,000 dead Assyrians.
Later when Hezekiah was very sick, Isaiah came to him and told him
that he should set his house in order for he was indeed going to die.
Hezekiah wept upon his bed and begged again God for mercy. The Lord
heard him and granted him fifteen more years of life.
Manasseh was a son of Hezekiah, and therefore the next king of Judah.
However, he restored the idols and was very wicked, building altars for
idols in the temple itself. Once again God had to send punishment upon
the people; the Assyrians captured Manasseh and took him to Babylon.
There Manesseh humbled himself before God and repented. When Manasseh
was released from Babylon, he tore down the idols he had previously
erected and restored the temple to its proper use.
Canticle Eight
Gehazi
“O wretched soul, always thou hast
imitated the polluted thoughts of Gehazi. Cast from thee, at least in
thine old age, his love for money. Flee from the fire of hell, turn away
from thy wickedness.”
Gehazi was the servant of the prophet Elisha. Elisha had healed a man
named Naaman of leprosy. When Naaman wanted to give Elisha some money,
the prophet refused. After Naaman left, Gehazi thought of a way to get
some money for himself. He ran after Naaman and made up a story about
Elisha having a few visitors and needing some money. Naaman gave two
talents to Gehazi. Gehazi thought he had made some easy money, but when
he returned to Elisha, the prophet knew what he had done and prophesied
that the leprosy of Naaman would now come upon Gehazi.
Christ referred to this incident as recorded in Luke 4:27.
Uzziah
“Thou hast followed Uzziah, my soul,
and hast his leprosy in double form; for thy thoughts are wicked, and
thine acts unlawful. Leave what thou hast done, and hasten to
repentance.”
Uzziah was one of the kings of Judah and reigned very well,
conquering the pagan nations as God had directed and making many
improvements in the kingdom. “But when he was strong, his heart was
lifted up to his destruction” He decided one day that he could act as
one of the priests and burn incense upon the altar of incense. The
priests and several rulers confronted Uzziah but he rebuked them. As
Uzziah continued to swing the censer in violation of the Law, his face
was covered with leprosy. He died a leper.
Also mentioned are Jonah and the men of Nineveh who repented;
Jeremiah, in the muddy pit; and Daniel with the three holy children in
the furnace.
