Isn't it true how different this is from our thoughts? We so joyfully accept invitations to feasts and fun, we are so afraid of news of death and funerals that these words are as far from most people as heaven is far from earth.
But this is what the prophet Isaiah says about the thoughts of God, that they are separated from the thoughts of men, like heaven from earth. Let us therefore read further that passage of Scripture where it speaks of the house of mourning in order to delve deeper into them.
“It is better to go to a house of mourning for someone who has died, than to go to a house of feasting; for this is the end of every man, and the living will apply it to his heart.
Lamentation is better than laughter; because with a sad face the heart becomes better.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of joy" (Eccl. 7:2-4)
We have all heard about the works of mercy that the Savior praises in the Gospel and for the creation of which he calls the righteous into the Kingdom. This is “Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, bring a traveler into the house, visit the sick, show mercy to the prisoner.” Truly, we will enter the Paradise of God, brothers and sisters, if for the sake of Christ, and not for the sake of praise or vanity, we, without laziness, do deeds of mercy. But there is one more good deed, which has been placed among spiritual works since ancient times. This is assistance at burial, prayer for the deceased, consolation for the mourners who have lost a loved one. Among the Jews in ancient times, these works were valued even higher than the distribution of alms or bread to the hungry.
Indeed, when giving money to the poor, you can involuntarily think something falsely lofty about yourself, like, I’m a good person. But when washing a dead body, or digging a grave, or carrying a coffin with the deceased on his shoulders out of the house, a person is least inclined to think highly of himself. At this time a person humbles himself and thinks: “And I am the same. When will my hour strike? And after these thoughts, prayer will come. And not only about yourself, but about everyone. “We are poor people. Lord, have mercy on us!”
The Monk Seraphim of Sarov, and with him all the holy fathers, advised to think often about death. Think and say to the Lord: “When I stand before You, what will I tell you? Holy Mother of God, help me"
Thus, the thought of death gives rise to prayer and compassion for those already deceased.
In general, prayer for the dead, for those who have ears to hear, is the most convenient means of fulfilling the two main commandments. The two main commandments are love for the Lord God and love for one's neighbor.
And love for God is manifested most of all through love for church prayer and worship. He who loves church service loves God, according to the words of John Climacus. And prayer for a deceased person is the only way to help his soul. He can't help himself anymore. He himself, with a clarity and precision that had never been seen on earth, suddenly understood and remembered his whole life. His soul was horrified and ashamed. Now if I could return to earth, everything would be different. But God’s judgments are terrible and there is no turning back. Only love remains, “which never fails, although prophecies cease, and tongues are silent, and knowledge is abolished” (1 Cor. 13:8)
Moved by this love, people will beg the Judge, and He, who previously promised to hear all those calling on Him during the tribulation (See Ps. 49:15), will not turn away his ears from this plea.
This is how people pray, expressing love for God, and pray for defenseless souls, expressing love for their neighbor. Both commandments are fulfilled simultaneously.
Every second people die around the world. We don't think about it because we are used to thinking only about ourselves and our needs. But whoever thinks about it will be afraid. And the elder in Dostoevsky’s novel is right a thousand times when he says that a person who wants to do something good right now should pray, saying: “Lord, have mercy on the souls who appear before you in these moments.”
And it’s not only in church or at home that funeral prayers can be heard. There is another great place on earth where we should all come from time to time. This is a cemetery.
There is a popular proverb: If you are sad, go to the cemetery. If you're having fun, go to the cemetery. Why is this so?
Because your little sorrow will dissolve in the sea of general sorrow, and your stupid joy will not want to spill over.
Let's listen to the word "cemetery". It comes from the root “to put.” It was death that laid it in the ground, as if it had overcome it in a struggle and laid it on the shoulder of both the strong and the weak, the educated and the illiterate, both man and woman. But she didn’t just “put it down.” We, the living, buried the deceased. And this word “bury” means “to hide.” It’s the same in Russian, and it’s the same in Ukrainian: “khovati.” They hide something that needs to be found eventually. We hide a human body in the ground, and God will find and resurrect it on the Last Day. We hide a body in the ground according to the word: “Earth you shall return to earth,” and God will find a person according to the word of Ezekiel: “I will bring you out of your graves.”
Let us understand and remember, brothers and sisters, that the place of burial is at the same time the place of the future resurrection. So look at these places that are sacred to our hearts and, coming to the cemetery, read with heartfelt faith the words of the Symbol: I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.
And when going to the cemetery to clean and decorate the grave, to sit silently in the place where the body of a loved one found peace, take the Psalter or Gospel with you. If it is the Gospel, then read from there about the Resurrection of Christ or Christ’s conversations about eternal life and the Bread of Heaven (chapters 5 and 6 of the Gospel of John). These words are also read in the rite of burial. And if the Psalter, then – the 17th kathisma and the 90th psalm. It is these psalms that the Church uses in prayers for the departed.
Psalm 119 (17th kathisma) is a magnificent tree with twenty-two branches, each of which has eight fruits. All Jews had to learn this psalm in order to read it during the long journey to the Jerusalem temple. There are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and in the psalm there are twenty-two parts. Each part begins with a different letter of the alphabet. And each part contains eight verses. Eight, because seven is a symbol of the present age, and eight is a symbol of the coming age and the eternal Kingdom. And Sunday is the Eighth Day, the Day that breaks out into eternity and introduces humanity there. Our Sunday services are sung in eight voices and are collected in a book called Octoechos (from the Greek for "eight")
Although this psalm is very long, it is so sweet and deep that it would be good to learn it over time. The voice of Christ Himself is heard in the prophetic verses of this long prayer and, perhaps, Christ Himself buried Himself, preparing for suffering, with the words of this psalm. Since it is written that after the Last Supper He and the disciples “sang and went to the Mount of Olives” (Mark 14:26)
We started with the idea that going to a crying house is better than going to a laughing house. This might seem to some to be synonymous with gloom. But the Church calls us not to gloom, but to depth, and distracts us from emptiness in order to give fullness and true, not feigned, joy.
Emil, Novorossiysk
- Emil asks: "Hello! I wanted to ask you: could you tell me about praying in other tongues, is this a gift? Can every person visited by the Holy Spirit pray in other tongues? In a word, everything you know about it. And if possible, cite a scripture in the Bible where the Lord speaks about praying in other tongues.”
On this topic we can talk for a very long time. And we, of course, plan to devote one of our conversations to her at the club. Here we will try to answer Emil’s question in a nutshell. We encourage you to carefully study chapters 12, 13, and 14 of First Corinthians. As you read them, pay special attention to the following things:
1. Tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
The main thing to understand about tongues is that tongues are a gift of the Holy Spirit. This is written about in 1 Corinthians 12:4-10 “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; and the services are different, but the Lord is the same; and the actions are different, but God is one and the same, producing everything in everyone. But everyone is given the manifestation of the Spirit for their benefit. Alone given by the Spirit a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge to another, by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to others gifts of healings by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diversities of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.”.
Please note that the gift of tongues is not the only gift of the Holy Spirit. In this list of gifts, in addition to the gift of tongues, other gifts are mentioned, such as the gift of the word of wisdom, the gift of the word of knowledge, the gift of faith, gifts of healings, gifts of miracles, the gift of prophecy, the gift of discerning of spirits, and the gift of interpretation of tongues.
2. The Holy Spirit himself decides who to give what gift.
Some Christians, for some unknown reason, believe that every believer in Jesus Christ should have the gift of tongues. But from the above passage it is clear that the Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people. Please note what is said in 1 Corinthians 12:11 “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He pleases.”. In other words, the Lord God distributes spiritual gifts at His discretion.
A gift is a gift. It cannot be earned or deserved. It is given freely, that is why it is called “gift”. Thus, the Lord God, firstly, decides who to endow with a spiritual gift and who not. And, secondly, He decides who to bestow with what gift.
3. The Bible does not teach that every Christian must have the gift of tongues.
The Word of God compares the Christian church to a body that has many members. Each member of the body is endowed with a specific function. It is the same in the Body of Christ: 1 Corinthians 12:27-30 “And you are the body of Christ, and separately members. And God appointed others in the Church, firstly, apostles, secondly, prophets, thirdly, teachers; further, to others he gave miraculous powers, also gifts of healing, help, government, and different languages. Are all Apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are everyone miracle workers? Does everyone have gifts of healing? Does everyone speak in tongues? Are everyone interpreters?”
Why do you think the apostle Paul asked this rhetorical question: “Do all speak in tongues?” Because every Christian has his own function in the Body of Christ. God's Word emphasizes that not all Christians are apostles, not all Christians are prophets, not all Christians are teachers, not all are healers and prophets... Including, not all speak in tongues!
4. The purpose of spiritual gifts is the edification and creation of the Church.
In addition to all that has been said above, it is necessary not to forget about the purpose of spiritual gifts. The Lord gives Christians spiritual gifts not in order to emphasize the spirituality of some over others, and not in order to elevate some believers in the eyes of others or in their own eyes, but for the building of the Church - the Body of Christ.
The Lord gives believers spiritual gifts for mutual edification. If all Christians have the same gift, how will they edify one another? The following is said about the gift of tongues: 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 “Achieve love; be zealous for spiritual gifts, especially to prophesy. For whoever speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to men, but to God; because no one understands him, he speaks secrets in the spirit; and he who prophesies speaks for people's edification, admonition and consolation. He who speaks an unknown tongue edifies himself; and whoever prophesies edifies the church. I wish that you all spoke in tongues; but it is better that you prophesy; For he who prophesies is superior to him who speaks in tongues, unless he also interprets, for the church to be edified» .
1 Corinthians 14:6-11 “Now, if I come to you, brothers, and begin to speak in unknown tongues, then what benefit will I bring to you when I do not express myself to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophecy, or by teaching? And soulless things that produce sound, a pipe or a harp, if they do not produce separate tones, how can one recognize what is being played on a pipe or harp? And if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? So if you also pronounce unintelligible words with your tongue, then how will they know what you say? You you will talk into the wind. For example, there are so many different words in the world, and not one of them is without meaning. But if I do not understand the meaning of the words, then I am a stranger to the speaker, and the speaker is a stranger to me.”.
Apostle Paul's advice: 1 Corinthians 14:12 “So you too, being zealous for spiritual gifts, try to be enriched by them for the edification of the church»
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Paul backs up his words with actions. Pay attention to his attitude towards other languages and the behavior that follows from this attitude: 1 Corinthians 14:15-19 "What to do? I will begin to pray with the spirit, I will also pray with the mind; I will sing with my spirit, I will also sing with my mind. For if you bless with the spirit, how will one who stands in the place of a commoner say: “Amen” when you give thanks? Because he doesn't understand what you're saying. You thank me well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God: I speak in tongues more than all of you; But in church I would rather say five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in an unknown language»
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5. The Word of God does not prohibit Christians from praying in other tongues.
1 Corinthians 14:5 “I wish that you all spoke in tongues; but it is better that you prophesy..."
1 Corinthians 14:39-40 “Therefore, brethren, be zealous to prophesy, but do not forbid speaking in tongues; only everything should be decent and orderly".
What does "decent and decorous" mean? Read about this in the next paragraph.
6. God's order of prayer in other tongues.
1 Corinthians 14:26-28 “So what, brothers? When you come together, and each of you has a psalm, there is a teaching, there is a tongue, there is a revelation, there is an interpretation - let all this be for edification. If someone speaks an unknown language, speak two, or many three, and then separately, and explain one. If there is no interpreter, then be silent in church, and tell yourself and God".
This Bible verse clearly explains that unless there is a person in the church with the gift of interpreting a tongue, those speaking in other tongues should refrain from publicly praying in other tongues.
7. The gift of tongues is a sign for those who do not believe.
1 Corinthians 14:21-23 “It is written in the law: I will speak with other tongues and other mouths to this people; but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord. So languages are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers; prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for believers. If the whole church comes together, and everyone begins to speak in unknown tongues, and those who do not know or do not believe come in to you, will they not say that you are mad?”
This is why the Lord established a strict order of prayer in other languages, so that Christians would observe it. So that it would not happen that the whole church began to pray in other tongues, and non-believers, coming to church, would be tempted by this and think that the whole church is going crazy.
The task of the church on earth is to testify to the lost about Christ, to save souls, and not to push them away from God and the church. That is why the Lord gave the command through the Apostle Paul that when praying in other languages: do not pray out loud without an interpreter, and if there is an interpreter, pray to one or two, no more. And then everything in the church will be decent and orderly. And nothing will push non-believers away from Christians and from God.
8. Is speaking in tongues a sign of spirituality?
Nowhere in the Bible is it written that the true spirituality of a Christian is confirmed by the presence of the gift of tongues. You may have heard statements like this in some churches:
speaking in other tongues is a sign that a person has received salvation;
a person does not have the Holy Spirit in him unless he prays in other tongues,
those who do not pray in other tongues have not yet achieved true spirituality...
Such a plan of statement is nothing more than a lie of Satan, the purpose of which is to sow the seed of doubt and unbelief in your heart. Spiritual gifts are not indicative of an individual's spirituality or salvation. Remember that the Bible tells us that both demons and the devil have miraculous gifts, but no one calls demons spiritual or saved. The Revelation of John the Theologian says that in the last days the Antichrist will surprise the whole world with miracles. But these miracles are called false, because these miracles will not be given to the Antichrist by the Holy Spirit, but by the unclean spirit of Satan. Finally, remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:22-23 « Many will say to Me on that day: Lord! God! Are we not in Your name? prophesied? and is it not in Your name demons were cast out? and is it not in Your name worked many miracles? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you; Depart from me, you workers of iniquity».
The indicator of spirituality is not gifts, but the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, described in Galatians 5:22-23 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.”.
Chapter 13 of the First Epistle to the Corinthians is devoted to the same idea. She emphasizes that love (which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit) is the first and main indicator of true spirituality and evidence of being born again. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, then I am ringing brass or sounding cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I could move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing. And if I give away all my property and give my body to be burned, but do not have love, there's no benefit to me» .
Answered by Vasily Yunak, 06/11/2007
502. sveta azeez (sazeez@???.net) writes: “Please write the passages from scripture where it is said that Jesus is God.”
Here are some texts. I hope this is quite enough:
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; the government is upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, MIGHTY GOD, ETERNAL FATHER, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6) -
This is the testimony of the Old Testament, the prophecy of the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) - The context shows that by “Word” is meant Jesus Christ.
“No one has ever seen God; the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed” () - EXISTING IN THE BOSS OF THE FATHER literally means “eternally existing within
God,” which directly speaks of Jesus Christ’s membership in the Divinity.
“Then they said to Him: Who are You? Jesus said to them: From the beginning I AM, just as I tell you.” () - Again Jesus calls Himself AM, which is literally in Hebrew
means YHWH or Jehovah.
“I and the Father are one” (); “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” () - Jesus equates Himself to the Heavenly Father.
“Know the Spirit of God (and the spirit of error) this way: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ who has come in the flesh is from God; but every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ who has come in the flesh is not from God, but it is the spirit of Antichrist , about whom you have heard that he will come and is now already in the world" () - Although this text does not specifically speak about the divinity of Christ, it indirectly shows that Jesus Christ, "who came in the flesh," was naturally "outside the flesh" before His coming.
“And unquestioningly is the great mystery of piety: God appeared in the flesh, justified Himself in the Spirit, showed Himself to the Angels, preached to the nations, was accepted by faith in the world, ascended in glory” () - And this text is a good commentary on the previous one.
“We also know that the Son of God has come and given us light and understanding, so that we may know the true God and may we be in His true Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” () - John unequivocally calls Jesus Christ the True God.
“theirs are the fathers, and from them is Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all, blessed forever, amen” () - Not only the Apostle John recognizes Jesus Christ as God.
The Apostle Paul agrees with him.
“for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Divinity bodily” () - The whole FULLNESS of the deity was present in Christ, that is, he was fully God, although at the same time he was fully Man.
“Thomas answered Him: My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him: You believed because you saw Me; blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” () - Christ had the opportunity to correct Thomas if he had made a mistake. But Thomas expressed the same understanding as all the disciples of Christ had.
So, anyone who recognizes the truth of the Bible must also recognize the deity of Jesus Christ.
Read more on the topic “Trinity in Christianity”:
| 01 Jun |
Throughout its narrative, the Bible teaches the worship of the One Alive To God - the Creator of heaven and earth. The second commandment of the Decalogue unequivocally and clearly prohibits believers from idolatry - the divine veneration of idols, idols and images. This is how it is set out in the Holy Scriptures and, accordingly, was engraved on stone tablets:
"Don't do it to yourself idol and no image what is in the sky above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water under the earth; do not worship them or serve them, for I am the Lord your God, God zealot, punishing the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”(Ex. 20:4-6>).
Jesus repeated this thought: “Worship the Lord your God and Him alone serve"(Matt. 4:10, Luke 4:8), quoting the Old Testament (see Deut. 6:13, Deut. 10:20, 1 Chron. 7:3).
From some representatives of Orthodoxy you can hear the explanation: “We do not have idolatry. We worship the One God, and not the idols of other gods. And we turn to shrines to “get closer” to the Creator.”
However, the second commandment prohibits not just idolatry, as the worship of idols symbolizing other gods, but reverence for everything living and nonliving, what is not By God himself. Look, the Creator has already prohibited the worship of other gods with the first commandment of the Decalogue: "May you not have other gods before me"(Ex. 20:3). This means that the second commandment, without repeating the first, proclaims not only about other gods. Look, she’s talking specifically about something else: idols and images . So, the second commandment is not just about idols, which are foreign gods. With the second commandment God declares that attention directed to Him must All belong only to Him, not to anyone or anything. Here and in other places of Scripture, speaking about His relationship with man, the Creator calls Himself zealot(see Ex. 20:5, Ex. 34:14, Deut. 4:24, Deut. 5:9) - a husband, where His wife is His chosen people: “The Creator is your husband”(Isa. 54:5, see also Jer. 3:1, Hos. 1:2, Eph. 5:25, Rev. 12:1,6, Rev. 19:7). From the texts of the Bible it is clearly clear what (who) God is jealous of - zealot. What kind of husband would like it if his wife gave some of her love to someone or something? Each spouse will be angry, even if adultery does not reach the level of intimacy, but is limited only to kisses, attentions or caresses. I think few people will argue with the fact that when turning to God through an icon, relic or saint, a believer transfers part of his love to this “mediator.” In a relationship between two spouses the third, fourth, fifth enters... extra. All “holy mediators” are not faceless “conductors” for people to the heavenly Spouse, but acquire features inherent in the living personalities: each of the relics is perceived as part of the earthly body of the intercessor now living in heaven; famous icons have proper names, people choose between two icons at home and five in the temple - one is always nicer than the others, and it is more pleasant to pray to, and if one icon does not help, the believer goes to another; if the saint does not protect, the petitioner turns to the next, etc. But God is One. Believers, kissing icons and relics, objects in which there is no God, know that God is alive, but continue adultery. This is what causes jealousy Creator.
As we have seen in previous chapters, only God answers prayers. Prayer in secret (see Matt. 6:6) illustrates the intimacy of the relationship between the Creator and each person. Only the Creator is the other side of the relationship. Therefore, God’s categorical attitude towards any type of idolatry is understandable. Lord husband- zealot Through the Bible, he repeatedly warns menacingly about the coming punishment for infidelity:
“For all the adulterous acts of the apostate daughter of Israel, I let go and gave it to her adjustable letter... Judea... by open fornication... desecrated the land, and committed adultery with stone and wood"(Jer. 3:8,9, see also Jer. 3 (whole chapter), Ezek. 16 (whole chapter), Ezek. 23 (whole chapter), Hos. 2 (whole chapter).
God, through the Holy Scriptures, explains the meaninglessness and danger of idolatry - the veneration by people of any product of human hands:
“What is the use of an idol, made by the artist this litago false teachers although the sculptor, when making dumb idols, relies on his work? Woe to him who says to the tree, “Arise!” and to the dumb stone: “Wake up!” Will he teach you anything? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, but there is no breath in it. And the Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth be silent before Him!”(Hab. 2:18-20).
As we have already noticed, the Creator in the Bible, speaking about idolatry, forbids All idols and images, even those associated with Him. The Lord knows that anything that takes us away from Him Alive, even that Dedicated to him. After all, any object that at first serves only as a symbol of God, over time begins to acquire in the eyes of people creative power, inherent only to the Creator. Therefore, it was in the 2nd commandment that the Lord said that He zealot.
Look, immediately after receiving the commandments and concluding a covenant with God, the people of Israel, without waiting for Moses to ascend the mountain to receive the tablets of the covenant, fell into idolatry - they made a sculpture for themselves God of Israel:
“And all the people took the gold earrings out of their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took them from their hands, and made a molten calf out of them, and dressed it with a chisel. And they said: Behold your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!» (Ex. 32:3,4).
Here people did not violate the 1st commandment of the Decalogue, because they did not find another god. The Israelites did not say, “Now our god is a calf.” They only depicted God, who brought out their from the land of Egypt, how they imagined Him - in the form of a strong calf. However, it was for the Creator don't like it since the people violated the 2nd commandment about idolatry:
“The people have become corrupt... they have quickly turned away from the way that I commanded to them: they made themselves a molten calf and bowed to him"(Ex. 32:7,8).
There is also an example in Scripture when the people of Israel began to serve the brass serpent, through which God saved them in the wilderness (see Numbers 21:7-9). The venom of snakes symbolized killing sin. And looking at the serpent, raised by Moses on a banner at the direction of God, healed people, being an act of faith (without kissing or touching) in the heavenly Savior. However, later the Israelites made an idol out of the copper serpent, which is also a type of idolatry. Despite the fact that this object was a type of Christ (see John 3:14), such veneration it wasn't like To the Creator:
"And he did(King Hezekiah - Author's note) pleasing in the sight of the Lord in everything as David his father did; he abolished the heights, smashed the statues, cut down the oak grove and destroyed the copper serpent, which Moses made, because until those days the children of Israel they burned incense to him and called him Nekhushtan» (2 Kings 18:3,4).
Look, people here are convicted of what they started serving the snake was burned incense in front of him and they even gave him his own name Nekhushtan. Unfortunately, today many do not carefully read the Word of God. But in the second commandment about idolatry, not only worship is prohibited, but also service idols and images "Do not worship them and do not serve them» (Ex. 20:5). Therefore, the statement of some representatives of historical churches: “We do not worship, but only honor” is not an argument. After all, in any case, if Orthodox Christians do not worship, then certainly serve icons, relics and saints, which has signs of idolatry and is also a direct violation of the second commandment of the Decalogue. Service is action for someone or something. It is obvious that the icons and relics are given ministry: religious processions dedicated to them, prayers, chants, holidays, candles, incense, services in the temple, etc.
The biblical story of Gideon also clearly demonstrates the prohibition of worshiping objects dedicated to God. So that the glory of victory would not be attributed to people, Gideon, at the command of the Lord, disbanded his army and defeated the Midianite army with only three hundred men. The rescued Israelis each gave him an earring from the spoils. In memory of the great victory bestowed by God, Gideon made an ephod from the collected decorations, which then turned into an object of worship for the people, which was don't like it To the Creator:
“Out of this Gideon made an ephod and placed it in his city at Ophrah, and all Israel stood prodigal go there for him, and he was network Gideon and all his house"(Judges 8:27).
And in chapters 17 and 18 of the book of Judges of the Bible, a certain Micah, living on Mount Ephraim, is ridiculed, who placed in his house an idol, a cast idol, an ephod and a teraphim dedicated to the God of Israel. He hired a Levite to serve in the home tabernacle. Subsequently, the Israelites from the tribe of Dan stole the items from his home tabernacle and bought the priest. The idols, of course, did not resist theft. But Micah, the owner of the “personal temple,” chased after the robbers. The Word of God denounces Micah: he is pitiful, in despair, his whole world is destroyed, he whines to his offenders: "You have taken my gods, which I made and the priest, and left." Although the Living God, as he was, remained with him. Then the sons of Dan built a city nearby, destroying the people who lived in that place. There they served the idols stolen from Micah, although God's real tabernacle was in Shiloh at that time (see Judgment 18:31, Joshua 19:51, 1 Samuel 1:3,24).
According to the text of Scripture, the Jews did not worship either the ark or the temple utensils. None of the common people had the right to enter the tabernacle, then the temple of Solomon, and then the second temple built after the Babylonian captivity. In accordance with the law of Moses, only priests from the clan of Aaron performed services in the sanctuary (sacrifices, laying out the showbread, burning incense on the altar of incense before the veil, maintaining the fire in the seven-branched candlestick) - each family at a certain time of the year (see Numbers 4:16 , 2 Chron. 13:10,11). And only the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies and only once a year on the Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur (see Lev. 16:2,34). The Israelis from the tribe of Levi helped carry out the auxiliary functions of the Aaronids in serving at the temple:
That is, neither the ark nor the temple utensils were ever seen by ordinary believers and even by Levites who were not members of Aaron’s family. When moving the sanctuary, all the objects in it were first wrapped by representatives of the clan of Aaron so that no one could see them, including the Levites from the clan of Kohath, who carried the tabernacle and its internal contents:
“When it becomes necessary for me to go up on the journey, Aaron and his sons will come in and take away the curtain that covers it, and cover the ark of the testimony with it; And they will put on it a covering of blue skins, and on top of it they will put a covering all of blue wool, and they will put in the poles thereof; And they will cover the table of showbread with a robe of blue wool, and they will place on it dishes, plates, cups and mugs for drink offerings... and they will put a scarlet robe on them... and they will cover the lampstand and its lamps... When... Aaron and his sons will cover the whole sanctuary and all the things sanctuary, then the sons of Kohath will come up to carry ... do not destroy the tribes of the tribes of Kohath from among the Levites ... themselves they should not suit see the shrine when they cover it, so as not to die» (Num. 4:5-20).
The above biblical texts prove that in Old Testament times there was, and could not have been, worship and service of believers to the holy things of the sanctuary (see 2 Chron. 2:4), because no one except the Aaronid priests had ever even seen them. This is explained simply: God forbade believers to see the utensils of the temple in order to exclude the possibility of idolatry - to deify the things of the sanctuary and worship them, because it was not these objects themselves that were important, but their functions in the service of “cleansing” people from sins, which we already thought about in the chapter "Rituals".
Let us conclude: the Bible not only does not encourage the veneration of objects dedicated to God and service to them, but, on the contrary, prohibits such actions by believers.
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1) “...I am the Lord your healer” (Exodus 15:26).
2) “...You will be buried in a good old age” (Genesis 15:15).
3) “You will enter the tomb at maturity “Be as sheaves of wheat are laid down in their season” (Job 5:26).
4) “...I will see blood and pass by you, and there will be no destructive plague among you...” (Exodus 12:13).
5) “...I will turn away sickness from you...I will make the number of your days complete” (Exodus 23:25-26).
6) “I will not bring upon you any disease that you fear; I will take away all your infirmities” (see Deuteronomy 7:15).
7) “Everything will be fine with you, and the days of your life will be multiplied as many days as the heavens are above the earth” (see Deuteronomy 11:21).
8) “The Lord your God has turned his curse into a blessing for you, for the Lord your God loves you” (Deuteronomy 23:5; Nehemiah 13:2).
9) “I have redeemed you from all sickness and distress” (see Galatians 3:13).
10) “…As your days [shall] increase your wealth” (Deuteronomy 33:25).
11) “I have redeemed you. Your body will become fresher than that of a child, and you will return to the days of your youth” (see Job 33:25).
12) “I healed you, brought your soul out of the grave. I have kept you alive so that you will not go to the grave” (see Psalm 29:3-4).
13) “I will give you strength and bless you with peace” (see Psalm 28:11).
14) “I will protect you and keep you alive” (see Psalm 40(cat)).
15) “I will strengthen you on your sickbed. I will change your bed in your sickness” (see Psalm 40:4).
16) “I am your support, and I am your God” (see Psalm 42:5).
17) “No evil will befall you, and no plague will come near your dwelling” (Psalm 91:10).
18) “I will give you long life” (see Psalm 90:16).
19) “I will heal all your diseases” (see Psalm 103(cat)).
20) “I sent my word and healed you, and delivered you from destruction” (see Psalm 106:20).
21) “You will not die, you will live and proclaim My works” (see Psalm 117:17).
22) “I will heal your broken heart and heal your wounds” (see Psalm 146(cat)).
23) “The years of your life will be many” (see Proverbs 4:10).
24) “Trusting in Me brings health to your body and gives nourishment to your bones” (see Proverbs 3:8).
25) “My words are life for you and health/healing for all your body” (see Proverbs 4:22).
26) “My good news will make your bones fat” (see Proverbs 15:30).
27) “My pleasant words are sweet to your soul and healing to your bones” (see Proverbs 16:24).
28) “My joy is your strength. A cheerful heart does good as medicine” (see Nehemiah 8:10; Proverbs 17:22).
29) “And the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the eyes of the blind will be opened” (see Isaiah 32(cat), 35:5).
30) “The ears of the deaf will be opened, their ears will listen” (see Isaiah 32(cat), 35:5).
31) “The tongue of the dumb will sing, and the tongue-tied will speak clearly” (see Isaiah 35:6 32:4).
32) “...The lame shall leap like a deer...” (Isaiah 35:6).
33) “I will heal you and give you life. I am ready to save you” (see Isaiah 38:16, 20).
34) “I will give strength to him who is weak, and I will strengthen him who has no strength left” (see Isaiah 40:29).
35) “I will renew your strength. I will strengthen you and help you” (see Isaiah 40:31, 41:10).
36) “And until your old age I will be the same, and until your gray hair I will bear [you]; I created and will bear, support and protect you” (Isaiah 46:4).
37) “I have borne your sorrows” (see Isaiah 53:4).
38) “I have taken your pain upon Myself” (see Isaiah 53:4).
39) “For your sake I gave Him over to torment” (see Isaiah 53:10).
40) “By My stripes you are healed” (see Isaiah 53:5).
41) “I will heal you” (see Isaiah 57:19).
42) “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly increase…” (Isaiah 58:8).
43) “I will put a plaster over you and heal you from your wounds, says the Lord...” (Jeremiah 30:17).
44) “I will apply plaster and medicine to you, and heal them, and show you abundance of peace and truth” (see Jeremiah 33:6).
45) “...I will bind up the wounded, and strengthen the sick...” (Ezekiel 34:16).
46) “Thus saith the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will put spirit into you, and ye shall live... and I will put my spirit into you, and ye shall live...” (Ezekiel 37:5, 14).
47) “...And the waters [of the sea] will become healthy, and where this stream enters, everything will live there” (Ezekiel 47:9).
48) “...Seek Me, and you will live” (Amos 5:4, 6).
49) “Healing is in My rays” (see Malachi 4:2).
50) “...I will, be cleansed...” (Matthew 8(cat)).
51) “I have taken upon myself your infirmities” (see Matthew 8:17).
52) “I have borne your sorrows” (see Matthew 8:17).
53) “If you are sick, you need a doctor. I, the Lord, am your physician” (see Matthew 9:12; Exodus 15:26).
54) “I have compassion on the sick, and I heal them” (see Matthew 14:14).
55) “I heal every disease and every disease” (see Matthew 4:23).
56) “...According to your faith, be it done to you” (Matthew 9:29).
57) “I give you power and authority over all unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every disease” (see Matthew 10:1; Luke 9:1).
58) “I heal everyone” (see Matthew 12:15; Hebrews 13:8).
59) “Everyone who touched Me was healed” (see Matthew 14:36).
60) “Healing is bread for My children” (see Matthew 15:26).
61) “I do everything well. I make the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak” (see Mark 7:37).
62) “...If you can believe as long as you can, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23, 11:23-24).
63) “When hands are laid on you, you will be healed” (see Mark 16:18).
64) “My anointing heals the brokenhearted, sets the captives free, gives sight to the blind, sets the afflicted at liberty” (see Luke 4:18; Isaiah 10:27, 61:1).
65) “I heal everyone who needs healing” (see Luke 9:11).
66) “I did not come to destroy the souls of men, but to save” (see Luke 9:56).
67) “Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19).
68) “Sickness is the bondage of Satan, and you must be set free from it today” (see Luke 13:16; 2 Corinthians 6:2).
69) “In me is life” (see John 1:4).
70) “I am the bread of life. I give you life” (see John 6:33, 35).
71) “...The words that I speak to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63).
72) “...I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
73) “...I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live” (John 11:25).
74) “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14).
75) “Faith in My name will make you strong and give you healing” (see Acts 3:16).
76) “I stretch out My hand to heal” (see Acts 4:30).
77) “I, Jesus Christ, heal you” (see Acts 9:34).
78) “I do good and heal all who are possessed by the devil” (see Acts 10:38).
79) “My power will make sickness leave you” (see Acts 19:12).
80) “The law of the Spirit of life in Me has set you free from the law of sin and death” (see Romans 8:2).
81) “The same Spirit that raised Me from the dead dwells in you, and He will also give life to your mortal body” (see Romans 8:11).
82) “Your body is a part of Me” (see 1 Corinthians 6:15).
83) “Your body is the temple of My Spirit, and you should glorify Me in your body” (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
84) “If you judge correctly about My body, which was broken for you, and judge yourself, you will not be condemned, you will not be weak and sick, and you will not die prematurely” (see 1 Corinthians 11:29-31 ).
85) “I have distributed gifts of healing in My Body” (see 1 Corinthians 12:9).
86) “My life can be manifested in your mortal body” (see 2 Corinthians 4:10-11).
87) “I have delivered you from death, I am delivering you, and if you trust in Me, I will continue to deliver you” (see 2 Corinthians 1:10).
88) “I have given you My name and put all things under your feet” (see Ephesians 1:21-22).
89) “I want that it may prosper you and that you may live long on earth” (see Ephesians 6(cat)).
90) “I have delivered you from the power of darkness” (see Colossians 1:13).
91) “I will deliver you from all evil” (see 2 Timothy 4:18).
92) “I tasted death for you. I destroyed the devil who had power over death. I have delivered you from the fear of death and slavery” (see Hebrews 2:9, 14, 15).
93) “I wash your body with clean water” (see Hebrews 10:22; Ephesians 5:26).
94) “Strengthen your drooping hands and weak knees. Do not let the one who is limping slip away, but rather let Me heal him” (see Hebrews 12:12-13).
95) “Let the elders anoint you and pray for you in My name, and I will restore you” (see James 5:14-15).
96) “Pray for one another, and I will heal you” (see James 5:16).
97) “By My stripes you are healed” (see 1 Peter 2:24).
98) “How His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1(cat)).
99) “Let him who is thirsty come, and let him who desires take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
100) “Beloved! I pray that you may be well...” (3 John 2).
