Basil of Caesarea — Commentary on Scripture

Jeremiah 5:22

Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

When I say “we,” I do not refer to human power but to the grace of God, who in the weakness of people shows forth his own power. This the prophet, speaking in the person of the Lord, says, “Will not you, then, fear me? I have set the sand as the boundary for the sea.” For by this weakest and most contemptible of all things, sand, the mighty One has bound the great and ponderous sea. Therefore, since our condition is somewhat similar, it would follow that some of the true brethren should be sent continuously from your charity to visit us in our afflictions and that affectionate letters should come more frequently to us, on the one hand to strengthen our zeal, and on the other to correct us if we fail in any respect. Indeed, we do not deny that we are subject to many faults, since we are people and are living in the flesh.

Jeremiah 8:4

Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?

Have the strength to rise up from the earth. Remember the good Shepherd and how he will pursue and deliver you. And if there are but “two legs or the tip of an ear,” leap back from him who has wounded you. Remember the compassion of God, how he heals with olive oil and wine. Do not despair of salvation. Recall the memory of what has been written: how he who falls rises again, and he who is turned away turns again. He who has been smitten is healed, and he who is caught by wild beasts escapes. He who confesses is not rejected. The Lord does not wish the death of the sinner but that he return and live. Do not have contempt for yourself, like one who has fallen into the depths of sin.

Jeremiah 8:18-22

When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.

“Shall not he that falls rise again, and he that is turned away, shall he not turn again?” Why, then, is the virgin “turned away with a stubborn revolting,” even though she heard Christ, her spouse, saying through Jeremiah: “And when she had committed all these fornications, I said: Return to me, and she did not return?” “Is there no balm in Gilead? Or is there no physician there? Why, then, is not the wound of the daughter of my people closed?” Indeed, you will find many safeguards against evil in the divine Scripture, and many remedies which from destruction bring salvation. There are the mysteries of death and resurrection, the words of terrible judgment and everlasting punishment, the doctrines of repentance and the forgiveness of sin and those innumerable examples of conversion. There are the drachma, the sheep and the son who spent his livelihood with harlots, who was lost and found, was dead and lived again. Let us use these safeguards against evil. Through them, let us heal our soul.…While we can, let us lift ourselves from the fall. Let us never despair of ourselves, if only…

“Shall not he that falls rise again, and he that is turned away, shall he not turn again?” Why, then, is the virgin “turned away with a stubborn revolting,” even though she heard Christ, her spouse, saying through Jeremiah: “And when she had committed all these fornications, I said: Return to me, and she did not return?” “Is there no balm in Gilead? Or is there no physician there? Why, then, is not the wound of the daughter of my people closed?” Indeed, you will find many safeguards against evil in the divine Scripture, and many remedies which from destruction bring salvation. There are the mysteries of death and resurrection, the words of terrible judgment and everlasting punishment, the doctrines of repentance and the forgiveness of sin and those innumerable examples of conversion. There are the drachma, the sheep and the son who spent his livelihood with harlots, who was lost and found, was dead and lived again. Let us use these safeguards against evil. Through them, let us heal our soul.…While we can, let us lift ourselves from the fall. Let us never despair of ourselves, if only we depart from evil. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. “O come, let us worship and fall down; let us weep before him.” The Word who invited us to repentance calls aloud, “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” There is, then, a way of salvation, if we want it. “Death in his might has swallowed up, but again the Lord has wiped away tears from off all faces” of those who repent. The Lord is faithful in all his words. He does not lie when he says, “Though your sins are scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” The great Physician of souls who is the ready liberator, not of you alone, but of all who are enslaved by sin, is ready to heal your sickness. From him come the words, it was his sweet and saving lips that said, “They who are whole do not need a physician but those who are sick.… I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” What excuse have you, what excuse has anyone, when he speaks in this way? The Lord wishes to cleanse you from the trouble of your sickness and to show you light after darkness. The good Shepherd who left those who had not wandered away is seeking after you. If you give yourself to him, he will not hold back. He, in his love, will not disdain even to carry you on his own shoulders, rejoicing that he has found his sheep that was lost. The Father stands and awaits your return from your wandering. Only come back, and while you are yet far off, he will run and fall on your neck, and, now that you are cleansed by repentance, will enfold you in embraces of love. He will clothe with the chief robe the soul that has put off the old person with all his works. He will put a ring on hands that have washed off the blood of death and will put shoes on feet that have turned from the evil way to the path of the gospel of peace. He will announce the day of joy and gladness to those who are his own, both angels and human beings, and will celebrate your salvation far and wide. For “truly I say unto you,” he says, “there is joy in heaven before God over one sinner who repents.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

No sensible person, then, will be proud of his wisdom or of possessing the other goods I have mentioned but will follow the excellent advice of blessed Anna and of the prophet Jeremiah: “Let not the wise person glory in his wisdom, and let not the strong person glory in his strength, and let not the rich person glory in his riches.” But what is true glory, and what makes a person great? “In this,” says the prophet, “let him that glories, glory that he understands and knows that I am the Lord.” This constitutes the highest dignity of humankind, this is his glory and greatness. Truly it is to know what is great and to cleave to it, and to seek after glory from the Lord of glory.

Jeremiah 16:16

Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

In this great household of the church not only are there vessels of every kind—gold, silver, wooden and earthen—but also a great variety of pursuits. “The house of God, which is the church of the living God,” has hunters, travelers, architects, builders, farmers, shepherds, athletes, soldiers. To all of these this short admonition will be appropriate, for it will produce in each proficiency in action and energy of will. You are a hunter sent forth by the Lord, who says, “Behold, I send many hunters, and they shall hunt them on every mountain.” Take good care, therefore, that your prey does not elude you, so that, having captured them with the word of truth, you may bring back to the Savior those who have been made wild and savage by iniquity.

Jeremiah 17:6-7 · 3 passages

For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

One who puts his trust in humankind or is buoyed up by some other concerns of life, such as power or possessions or any of the things considered by the many to be glorious, is not able to say, “O Lord my God, in you have I put my trust.” In fact, there is a command that we should not put our trust in rulers, and “cursed is the one who trusts in humankind.” As it is proper not to worship anything else besides God, so also is it proper not to trust in any other except God the Lord of all things. “The Lord,” it is said, “is my hope and my praise.”

A person who relies on himself, however, or even on the person whose duty it is to provide for his needs, and thinks that his own activity or that of his associate is a sufficient resource for his livelihood runs the risk, as he places his hope in humankind, of falling under the curse that reads, “Cursed is the one that trusts in humankind and makes flesh his arm and whose soul departs from the Lord.” Now, by the words “that trusts in humankind” the Scripture forbids a person to place his hope in another, and by the words “and makes flesh his arm” it forbids him to trust in himself. Either course is termed a defection from the Lord. Further, in adding the final issue of both, “He shall be like tamarisk in the desert, and he shall not see when good shall come,” the Scripture declares that for anyone to place his trust either in himself or in anyone else is to alienate himself from the Lord.

One thing you must flee, sin. One refuge from evil must be sought, God. Do not trust in princes. Do not be exalted in the uncertainty of wealth. Do not be proud of bodily strength. Do not pursue the splendor of human glory. None of these things save you. All are transient. All are deceptive. There is one refuge: God. “Cursed is the one who trusts in humankind” or in any human thing.

Jeremiah 18:13

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

Who would not grieve over such things and say, “How is the faithful city become a harlot?” How would not the Lord say to some of those who are now walking in the spirit of Jeremiah, “Have you seen what the virgin of Israel has done to me?” I betrothed her to me in trust, in purity, in righteousness, in judgment, in pity, and in mercy; as I promised her through Hosea the prophet. But she loved strangers, and while I, her husband, was yet alive, she is called adulteress and is not afraid to belong to another husband.

Jeremiah 23:23

Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

He also observes the rule, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever else you do, do all to the glory of God.” But one who departs from the strict observance of the commandment in performing his actions clearly shows that he has given small thought to God. Mindful, therefore, of the voice of him who said, “Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord” and again, “Am I a God at hand and not a God afar off?” Also, “Where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” We should perform every action as if under the eyes of the Lord and think every thought as if observed by him. Thus, fear will abide constantly within us who hate iniquity, as it is written, insolence, pride, and the ways of the wicked, and love will be made perfect, fulfilling the words of the Lord: “I seek not my own will but the will of him that sent me.”

Jeremiah 37:15

Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

Thus there is the expression in Exodus: “From the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the captive woman who was in the pit.” But they even threw Jeremiah also into a pit. His brothers through jealousy confined Joseph in a pit without water. Each act, therefore, either draws us downward by oppressing us with sin or lifts us upward by raising us on wings toward God. Therefore, you have saved me, I who formerly lived a wicked life, and have separated me from those who go down to the dark and frigid region. The meaning of the words “you have upheld me” is to say, “you have led me back from my downward course, so as not to give my enemies an occasion to rejoice over me.”

Jeremiah 48:10 · 4 passages

Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

What condemnation, then, ought we to expect to fall on those who are frivolous and irresponsible in the management of goods that are already consecrated to the Lord? Are they not liable to the sentence of doom pronounced on the negligent, as it is written, “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord negligently”?

Do not allow another to do the work that is rightly yours, so that the reward as well may not be taken from you and given to another and he be enriched with your wealth while you are put to shame. Perform the duties of your ministry decently and with care as if you were serving Christ, for “cursed,” says the prophet, “is everyone who does the work of the Lord negligently.” Fear, as if the eye of the Lord were on you, the perversity that arises from fastidiousness and contempt, even though the task in hand seems to you a menial one. The work of the ministry is an exalted work and leads to the kingdom of heaven.

It is hazardous for a superior to be delinquent, since he holds the position of arbiter in everything. It is both injurious and detrimental for those under their charge when they are disobedient. It is especially perilous if, in addition, the one who is in a superior position is scandalous. Each one who shows in his own place a tireless zeal, fulfilling the apostle’s precept, “in carefulness not slothful,” merits praise for his promptness. But for negligence he deserves the opposite, that is, unhappiness and woe. For the prophet says, “Cursed is the one who does the work of the Lord negligently.”

Elsewhere, he expresses his condemnation more vividly: “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels.” Then he alleges not the commission of any forbidden act but the omission of commended ones, saying, “For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink,” and so on. There are many passages like that that one might find to prove that not only are those who do wicked things worthy of death—for whom has been prepared the inextinguishable fire as well—but that along with these those are condemned who leave good works undone or who perform them negligently. For it is written, “Cursed is every person who does the work of the Lord negligently.”

Job 1:20-21

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

Be perfectly assured of this, that though the reasons for what is ordained by God are beyond us, yet always what is arranged for us by him who is wise and who loves us is to be accepted, be it ever so grievous to endure. He himself knows how he is appointing what is best for each and why the terms of life that he fixes for us are unequal. There exists some reason incomprehensible to us why some are sooner carried far away from us, and some are left a longer while behind to bear the burdens of this painful life. So we should always adore his lovingkindness and not express discontent, remembering those great and famous words of the great athlete Job, when he had seen ten children at one table, in one short moment, crushed to death, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.” As the Lord thought good so it came to pass. Let us adopt those marvelous words. At the hands of the righteous Judge, those who demonstrate similar good deeds shall receive a similar reward. We have not lost the boy; we have restored him to the Lender. His life is not destroyed; it is changed for the better. He wh…

Be perfectly assured of this, that though the reasons for what is ordained by God are beyond us, yet always what is arranged for us by him who is wise and who loves us is to be accepted, be it ever so grievous to endure. He himself knows how he is appointing what is best for each and why the terms of life that he fixes for us are unequal. There exists some reason incomprehensible to us why some are sooner carried far away from us, and some are left a longer while behind to bear the burdens of this painful life. So we should always adore his lovingkindness and not express discontent, remembering those great and famous words of the great athlete Job, when he had seen ten children at one table, in one short moment, crushed to death, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.” As the Lord thought good so it came to pass. Let us adopt those marvelous words. At the hands of the righteous Judge, those who demonstrate similar good deeds shall receive a similar reward. We have not lost the boy; we have restored him to the Lender. His life is not destroyed; it is changed for the better. He whom we love is not hidden in the ground; he is received into heaven. Let us wait a little while, and we shall be once more with him. The time of our separation is not long, for in this life we are all like travelers on a journey, hurrying on to the same shelter. While one has reached his rest, another arrives, another hurries on, but one and the same end awaits them all. He has outstripped us on the way, but we shall all travel the same road, and the same hostel awaits us all.

Job 19:21

Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.

The noble Job in his harsh adversity cried out in blame not misery.
That is to say, 'You're meant to be merciful not unjustly reproach me! Instead you assail me and overwhelm a man with whose sufferings you ought to show sympathy for friendship's sake.

Joel 2:6

Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.

And so he will deserve to fulfill, likewise, those other words that have a bearing in this connection: “buried together with him by baptism unto death.” For what purpose? “That as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life.” He who is dead must be buried, and he who is buried in the likeness of death must rise again by the grace of God in Christ. No longer, because of sin, should he bear about in the inner man a countenance like a blackened kettle, but, after his sins have been made manifest by fire and pardon has been granted through the blood of Christ, he should shine forth in newness of life, by the justifications of Christ, more precious than any jewel.

Joel 2:11

And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Therefore he called the beginning of time not a “first day” but “one day,” in order that from the name it might have kinship with eternity. For the day that shows a character of uniqueness and nonparticipation with the rest is properly and naturally called “one.” If, however, the Scripture presents to us many ages, saying in various places “age of age” and “age of ages,” still in those places neither the first nor the second nor the third age is enumerated for us. By this, differences of conditions and of various circumstances are shown to us but not limits and boundaries and successions of ages. “The Day of the Lord is great and very terrible,” it is said.

Joel 2:30-31

And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

The Lord has already foretold that the signs of the dissolution of the universe will appear in the sun and moon and stars: “the sun shall be turned to blood, and the moon will not give its light.” These are the signs of the consummation of the world.