Homilies on Judges 7.1–8.5

The land is at rest as long as sin is at rest. But the land, that is, those who dwell on the land, is said to be moved when sins have begun to move and disturb the souls of men. And that is why what the present reading contains is written: "And the land," it says, "had rest forty years. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he handed them over into the hands of Midian for seven years, and Midian prevailed over Israel." While there was righteousness in the land, then, that is, in those who dwell on the land, the land is said to have had rest; but when iniquity increased and they did evil in the sight of the Lord, "then the Lord," it says, "handed them over into the hands of Midian for seven years." Nor are the Midianites said to have prevailed over the people of the Lord as long as the people kept the Lord's precepts. But when it began to neglect the divine commandments, the hand of the enemies was made stronger and mightier against it. And against that former people, when it had sinned, bodily enemies rose up; but against us, who are called Israel according to the spirit, a spiritual enemy doubtless rises up, and when we neglect God's commandments and despise Christ, the hand of the demons is made stronger against us, and we too are handed over to enemies when we are forsaken by grace.

But let us see what happened to those who were handed over for their sins. "And the children of Israel fled," it says, "from the face of Midian to enclosures in the mountains and to caves and strongholds; and whenever a man of Israel had sown, Midian and Amalek and the sons of the East came up against them and fell upon them and destroyed all the produce of the land as far as Gaza." This was suffered by the one who was Israel according to the flesh. He sowed the land, but since for his sins he had been handed over to enemies rising against him, he reaped corruption instead of crops. But let us consider what of this kind can happen to us, who are called Israel according to the spirit. There are times when we sow and the enemies cannot spoil the seeds we sow; the boars cannot lie in wait for our cultivation; but there are times when we sow and what we sow is spoiled. Let Paul the apostle teach us about this difference in sowing. Hear, then, what he says: "He who sows," he says, "in the flesh will reap corruption from the flesh; and he who sows in the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit." Those, then, whose seeds the Midianites spoil are those who sow in the flesh. These are the ones whose fruits are destroyed and perish. But the seeds that are sown in the spirit the Midianites cannot spoil. For the opposing powers cannot go up into the spiritual fields and violate the fallow ground of the spirit of those who do not sow upon thorns but break up fallow ground for themselves. But this too must be added, for I want to warn myself together with you about guarding the seeds and taking care of the spiritual fruits. It often happens that someone who has laboured hard at spiritual work has produced a great many fruits, filled his barns with the produce of righteousness, and stored up many good works in the chamber of his conscience; but afterwards, if he grows careless and after his labour inclines more readily to pleasures and luxuries, all the seeds of good things and the fruits of holy work are spoiled for him as lust takes control. For when sin has crept in and taken a man's mind captive, so that he no longer looks to God's commandments nor willingly climbs the steep road of virtue, everything that had previously been gathered in the barn of his conscience perishes. That is why the warning of holy Scripture must be kept by us, which says: "Keep your heart with all vigilance." The heart, then, must be guarded from every sin, and especially in time of persecution. For if it happens that someone gathers the fruits of righteousness for a time, acquires works of virtue, and cultivates himself in all the most approved disciplines, but in time of persecution denies the faith, he has emptied out all he had stored up, and has suddenly become bare and empty of all his resources, because all the labour long sought and gathered with much toil has suddenly been poured out; and, as the prophet says, "none of the righteous deeds he has done will be remembered." Therefore, brothers, let us beseech the Lord, confessing our weakness to him, that he may not hand us over into the hands of Midian, not "hand over to the beasts a soul that confesses to him," not hand us over into the hands of the powerful who say: "When will the time come when power is given us against the Christians? When will these who say they have, or know, God be handed over into our hands?" And if we are handed over and they receive power over us, let us pray to receive strength from God so that we can endure, so that our faith may become more glorious in pressures and tribulations, so that their shamelessness may be overcome by our patience, and, as the Lord said, we may "gain our souls by our patience"; for "tribulation produces patience, patience proof, and proof hope." For our proof extends not only to blows, but reaches even to the shedding of blood, because Christ too, whom we follow, shed his blood for our redemption, so that we may go out from here washed in our own blood. For it is the baptism of blood alone that makes us purer than the baptism of water made us. And I do not presume this; Scripture relates it, when the Lord says to the disciples: "I have a baptism to be baptized with, which you do not know. And how I am pressed until it is accomplished!" You see, then, that he called the shedding of his blood a baptism. And, if I may say this without giving offence, I suspect that this baptism is more excellent than the baptism that is given through water. For after receiving that one, very few are so blessed as to be able to keep it unstained to the end of life; but whoever has been baptized with this baptism can no longer sin. And if it is not rash to venture something in such matters, we can say that through that baptism past sins are cleansed, but through this one future sins too are destroyed. There sins are forgiven; here they are shut out. If God were to grant me to be washed in my own blood, so as to receive a second baptism by accepting death for Christ, I would depart from this world without fear, so that, when he comes to my soul as it goes out of this life, the prince of this world would find nothing in it; rather he would be put to rest by the shedding of my blood, and would not dare to accuse in anything a soul washed in its own blood, glorified by its own death, cleansed in its own blood. After that baptism the Midianites would no longer rush in to ruin and destroy the fruits of the soul. For who could follow the soul of a martyr, which, passing beyond all the powers of the air, makes for the heavenly altar? For there, under the altar of God, the souls of the martyrs are said to be placed and to cry out day and night, saying: "How long, O Lord, who are just and true, will you not avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" For, placed there, they attend the divine sacrifices. But blessed are those who merit these things. Blessed are those whose heart does not tremble for sin when they depart from the world, whom fear of their offences does not terrify as they go to the Lord. Blessed is that soul which, with the blood shed in martyrdom, drives off the airy troops of demons that come to meet it. Blessed is he of whom, as he goes to heaven, the angels speak that prophetic word: "Who is this that comes up from Bozrah?" that is, who goes up from the flesh to heaven? "Who is this that comes up from Bozrah, with the redness of his garments?" signifying by the redness of the garments the gore of blood. Blessed, then, are the souls who so follow Christ as Christ went before them. And because they so follow, they come even to the very altar of God, where the Lord Jesus Christ himself is, "the high priest of the good things to come," to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Granted, the Midianites gathered against Israel, whose name means "outside judgment." Granted, those gathered against Israel who are outside the judgment of God, and "who have sinned outside the law and will perish outside the law." Granted, Amalek too gathered, whose name means "a people licking up." Granted, this earthly nation too, given over to belly and gluttony, came to attack fleshly Israel. What does it mean that the sons of the East also mingle with them and are said to come with them to attack Israel? Tell me, hearer: if it had been written that the sons of the West gathered with them, I would ask nothing, for you would say, in allegorical sense, that the sons of the West are the sons of darkness, and that they join those nations which either are outside the judgment of God or, given over to the belly, attack those who strive to see God with the mind. But now, since it is said that the sons of the East came with the Midianites and Amalek, how can this be fittingly explained? Let us see, then, whether in such difficult passages of Scripture we can find some meaning in them worthy of the divine pages. Everyone who in any way takes upon himself the name of Christ becomes a son of the East. For so it is written of Christ: "Behold a man, the East is his name." Whoever, then, takes the name of Christ is said to be a son of the East; but not all who receive the name of Christ also remain in the church of Christ. If, then, you see heretics counted under the name of Christ, yet attacking the church of Christ, taking up arms against the faith of Christ, assailing the people of the Lord, stirring up wars against the catholic faith, do not hesitate to say of them that they are indeed sons of the East, but they come with the Midianites and with Amalek to attack the people of God, because together with the pagans and the Jews the heretics too persecute the church of God. And I think it is they who are signified by the sons of the East.

"All the Midianites, then," it says, "and Amalek and the sons of the East gathered together, and went up and came upon them, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel." Those who want to attack the people of God pitch their camps in valleys, in low and humble places: "in the valley," it says, "of Jezreel." We find that Jezreel means "seed of God." Do you see where the adversaries pitch their camps? They have not dared to go where the fruits of the spirit already appear to have sprung up, but where the seed of God still lies, where the fruit has not yet come up. For "he who went out to sow" sows his seed on every place. But hear the Lord himself saying what the seed of God usually suffers: "Some," he says, "fell beside the road, and the birds of the air came and snatched it away." This he himself interpreted afterwards, saying: "Those sown beside the road are those who hear the word and receive it with joy; but the devil comes and takes away from their heart what was sown." So these too come to the seed of God and want to take it out of the hearts of those in whom it has been sown, because they find them placed in valleys and pursuing all that is low. For these are among those who receive the word of God in a lowly and unworthy way, and, so to speak, with a Jewish understanding; and so the demons can snatch it from their heart. But whoever climbs up from the lowliness of the letter to the heights of the spirit, and, shunning a fleshly understanding, pursues on higher ground the things that are of the Spirit of God, from him the Midianites can snatch nothing, nor the Amalekites; not even the sons of the East will be able to plunder him, set as he is on the high summit of spiritual understanding.

They, then, pitch their camps in the valleys. "But the Spirit of God," it says, "strengthened Gideon, and he blew the trumpet and called Abiezer after him." The continuity of the explanation would require another order; but since we are now speaking not so much as commentators on the Scriptures as comforting the people about what has been read, we treat here and there whatever occurs to us on each point. "He called Abiezer after him," who certainly was nowhere to be found. Abiezer means "my father's help." He seems, then, to have called upon not some man but the help of his father. Meanwhile he sends out and summons help. The peoples gather, and all the armies are assembled to Gideon.

"And then," it says, "Gideon said to God: If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I will take a fleece of wool and lay it on the threshing floor; and if dew falls on the fleece and there is dryness on all the ground, I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said. And it was so." Since there are so many, indeed countless, signs and wonders which Gideon could have asked of God to confirm God's promise, why did it seem good to him, after the angel's voice and the heavenly promise, to ask of God this so novel sign? For he says: "I will lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor, and if there is dew only on the fleece and dryness on all the ground, I shall be confident that you will save Israel by my hand." And when Gideon had asked this sign of God, he was granted it. But granted that you obtained this, Gideon: why do you also take the fleece of wool on the threshing floor and wring it out into a basin? What moved you to do this? And granted that you obtained the first sign, why did you ask for a second sign too, with the order changed and reversed? For perhaps one of those who listen more attentively to what is read says that these things do not seem to agree with what is written, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God," which the law commanded. But the outcome shows that it was not done against the commandment. For God would not hear a petition that asked something against the law. But now, since we see that in the first sign the dew fell on the fleece of wool while on all the ground there was dryness, and in the second the dew fell on all the ground while there was dryness on the fleece, and by this Gideon received confidence that the Lord would save Israel by his hand, we must look into the meaning of this mystery. I remember that one of our predecessors, in his little books, said that the fleece of wool was the people of Israel, and took the rest of the ground to be the other nations, and the dew that fell on the fleece to be the word of God, which had been granted from heaven to that people alone. For on Israel alone the dew of the divine law had come; all the nations had dryness, because no moisture of the divine word was poured on them. The meaning of the second sign is reversed, when he says that the dew should come down on all the ground and dryness remain on the fleece; and some such meaning of this is found. See this whole people, gathered from the nations over all the earth, now having the divine dew in itself. See it moistened with the dew of Moses, watered with the writings of the prophets. See it green also with the moisture of the Gospels and the apostles. But that fleece, that is, the Jewish people, suffers dryness and drought of the word, as it is written that "the children of Israel will be for a long time without a king, without a prophet; there will be no altar, nor victim, nor sacrifice." You see how great a dryness remains among them, how great a drought of the divine word has befallen them. These things have been passed on to us, as is fitting to confess, by the labour of our elders; but since, as it is written, when we hear a word from the wise we ought to praise it and add to it, let us see what we too can build on top of such things. When I was often examining the seventy-first Psalm by myself, I was struck in this matter by the fact that, in describing the coming of Christ, it asserts that this too will happen: "And he will come down," it says, "like rain upon a fleece, and like drops falling upon the earth." The fleece is named here, and a fleece is described in the Psalms too. For "he comes down like rain," it says, "upon the fleece." He came down, then, upon that fleece of the people of the circumcision, "and like drops falling upon the earth": that is, our Lord Jesus Christ came down upon the rest of the earth, dropping on us too and bringing us also drops of heavenly dew, so that we too may drink, who were over all the earth parched with continual dryness. Holy Gideon, then, beholding the order of this mystery with a prophetic spirit, not only asked the first sign of God, but also asked again for the second in reversed order. For he knew that the divine dew, which is the coming of the Son of God, would come not only to the Jews but afterward also to the Gentiles, since "through the unbelief of Israel salvation has come to the Gentiles." And this is why, because of the dryness of the fleece, the whole earth is moistened with the grace of the divine dew. But I think that this too in the deed of the most faithful Gideon must by no means be passed over, which can serve us as a model of spiritual caution. He saw an angel; but being an instructed man, and having already the example of his predecessor Joshua, he acts more cautiously. For he knew that it is possible for angels of darkness too "to transform themselves into angels of light"; and so with the most careful examination he says, as it were, "I want to test the spirit, whether it is from God," because "the spiritual man examines all things." For so his predecessor, Joshua the son of Nun, had done when he saw the commander of the heavenly army: he asks and examines whether he is ours or of our adversaries. In this way the most holy Gideon too examines the angelic vision by the variety and change of the signs.

But what do you make of Gideon's saying "I will lay the fleece" not just anywhere, not in a field nor in a wood, but on a threshing floor? On a threshing floor, where the harvest is: "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few." "I will lay," he says, "the fleece where the harvest is." What had moved the holy man Gideon, or what had seemed good to him, to do this? He foresaw by the Spirit that Christ gathers his people onto his threshing floor and there cleanses it, holding the winnowing fan in his hand, and there separates the chaff from the wheat. Not without reason, then, did so great a man, one whom the holy apostle too mentions in the list of prophets when writing to the Hebrews, choose a threshing floor to lay the fleece on; nor without reason did he wring out the fleece into a basin, when he also filled it with water. Let us look in the holy Scriptures about this too, whether some occasion of this understanding is offered. Let us come to the Gospel. There we find our Lord and Saviour taking off his garments and, girded with a towel, pouring water into a basin and washing his disciples' feet. You see, then, that the prophets foreshadowed what was to be fulfilled by the Lord in the last times. That water, then, which Jesus poured into the basin was the dew of heavenly grace, with which he washed his disciples' feet. That is why he rightly said to them: "You are clean because of the word which I have spoken to you." But if we now offer our feet, the Lord Jesus is ready to wash the feet of our soul and to cleanse them with the dew of the heavenly grace of the Holy Spirit, by the word of teaching. For he did not want only the apostles to be clean, but all who believe through their word. And to all believers he says what he said to Peter too: "Unless I wash you, you will have no part with me." For it is certain that no one has a part with Christ unless he has been washed and is clean. Come, I pray, Lord Jesus, Son of David, take off the garments which you, Lord, put on for my sake; gird yourself for my sake; pour water into a basin, wash the feet of your servants, and wash away the dirt of your sons and daughters. Wash the feet of our soul, so that, imitating and following you, we may take off our old garments and say: "By night I have taken off my garment; how shall I put it on?" And let us say again: "I have washed my feet; how shall I soil them?" For as soon as you have washed my feet, make me also recline with you, so that I may hear from you: "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I, then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." I too, then, want to wash the feet of my brothers, to wash the feet of my fellow disciples. And so I take water and draw it from the fountains of Israel, which I wring out from the Israelite fleece. For in one way I wring water from the fleece of the book of Judges, at another time water from the fleece of Kingdoms, water from the fleece of Isaiah or Jeremiah; and I pour it into the basin of the soul, conceiving the meaning in my heart; and I take the feet of those who offer and prepare themselves to be washed, and as far as I am able I desire to wash the feet of my brothers and fulfil the Lord's commandment: that by the word of teaching the hearers may be cleansed from the dirt of sins, cast off from themselves all the uncleanness of vices, and have clean feet with which to walk rightly "in the preparation of the gospel of peace"; so that, all of us together purified in Christ Jesus by the word, we may not be thrown out of the bridegroom's chamber for soiled garments, but in white robes, with washed feet and a clean heart, we may recline at the banquet of the bridegroom himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.