The modern de-Christianized world does not understand and does not accept humility. Modern culture imposes on a person the idea of ​​superiority and domination, and humility is pushed to the periphery and is seen as the lot of weak and oppressed people. Such thinking is born from a misconception about this virtue and spiritual ignorance. And therefore, one must turn to the Holy Scriptures, in which there is an indication of the most important properties the virtue of humility, which God especially approves of.


Foot washing. Restored by G.V. Tsirul at the All-Russian Artistic Research and Restoration Center named after V.I. academician I.E. Grabar in 2000-2002.

The Virtue of Humility in Scripture

Bishop Veniamin (Milov) gives a deep and versatile, sort of final, definition of the virtue of humility: “Humility is the joyful-sad self-abasement of the soul before God and people by the grace of the Holy Trinity, expressed mentally by prayer and vision of one’s sins, heartfelt feelings, effectively wholeheartedly obedience to the will of God and diligent service to people for the sake of God. The humble are surprisingly softened heartily, have a warm soul and warmth of love for all people, without exception, by some gift from above.

But we should consider what this result consists of, so to speak, historically. Therefore, we will begin our consideration with the Bible. Holy Scripture presents humility as one of the fundamental and fundamental virtues in the matter of human salvation and spiritual perfection. In the Old and New Testaments, humility appears to be an essential feature of a person's true piety, expressing the degree of repentant worship before God.

The New Testament idea of ​​humility becomes not just an abstract category, but is an integral Christian worldview, humility is the foundation of New Testament ethics

In the Old Testament, the virtue of humility revealed itself not only through the external forms of its manifestation - sprinkling ashes on the head, beating on the chest, mourning robes, a propitiatory sacrifice, and many others, but at the same time through its own self-abasement before God. It can be said that in the Old Testament the concept of humility was formed doctrinally and was fixed terminologically.

In the New Testament, the concept of humility is revealed in the fullness of Christ's teaching. “Christianity deepened the concept of “humility” and elevated the virtue of “humility” to the pedestal of the noblest and most necessary of all virtues, since it determines the essence and nature of a person’s innermost relationships both to God and to neighbors. The New Testament idea of ​​humility becomes not just an abstract category, but is an integral Christian worldview, humility is the foundation of New Testament ethics. Rev. Macarius of Egypt says: "... The sign of Christianity is humility."

The New Testament uses terms that the compilers of the Septuagint reproduced to convey the Old Testament concepts of ana, ani, anawa: ταπεινόω (belittle, humiliate), ταπείνωσις (humiliation, humility), πραΰτης (meekness), πτωχός (beggar), etc.

In general, the Bible describes humility as a state of meekness ( πρᾳότης ) : Moses was the meekest of all people on earth(Num. 2:13) ( Greek: πραῢς, lat.: humillimus, glory: green meek), a state of contrition and recognition of oneself unworthy (συντετριμμένοις, μή φρονειν ἐπάξιον ) : The Lord is near to the brokenhearted ( Greek: συντετριμμένοις τὴν καρδίαν) and humble ( Greek: ταπεινοὺς) will save the spirit (Ps. 33:19)), as the consciousness of one's sinfulness: Sacrifice to God- broken spirit; contrite and humble hearts ( Greek: συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην, lat.: contritum et humiliatum) You will not despise, God(Ps. 50:19), inner oppression and humiliation of a person in the face of danger: “ Have mercy on me, Lord! see the humiliation ( glory: see humility, Greek: ταπείνωσίν) mine from my enemies You who exalt me ​​from the gates of death, that I may proclaim all Your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion. We rejoice in your salvation"(Ps. 9:14), internal poverty and poverty: They long for the dust of the earth to be on the head of the poor ( Greek: ταπεινῶν, glory: poor ), and pervert the way of the meek. ( Am. 2:7).

Humility as Enduring Oppression and Oppression

Slavic word humility and Greek ταπείνωσις, corresponds to the Hebrew word ענווה (anaw α ) . It should be noted that in Latin "humility" is translated as humilitas from the word humus - fertile land and means: pressed to the ground, low.

Both the Greek and Hebrew concept is multifaceted, and therefore the text of the Holy Scriptures is defined differently. In one case the Hebrew word ענווה (anaw α ) from which the adjective comes ani And ana) - means oppression, a submissive way of life. IN Greek this word corresponds to the term τᾰπεινόω (reduce, humiliate, humble). For example: … but the Egyptians treated us badly, and oppressed us (glov.: and humble us, Greek: ἐταπείνωσαν ἡμᾶς ), and imposed heavy labors on us(Deut. 26:6) . Speaking about Greek terminology, researcher Zarin S. M. notes that the meaning of the word "humility" ( ταπεινός ) is - in its use and meaning - “in the closest synonymous relationship” with the adjective Χθαμαλός (“low”, “low”), which is related to χθών (“earth) and χαμηλός, χαμαίζηλος (“aspiring to the bottom”, “squat”) and is used in relation to oppression, in the sense of humiliation, downtroddenness.

The Slavic word "humility" is also multifaceted and comes from old Russian word die. What does “ moderate, soften, suppress” mean. On the other hand, there is a point of view that the word "humility" came etymologically from the word "peace", which is the root word formation "humility". If not, I exist still far away, sending a prayer, praying for humility(Luke 14:32) (in Greek it says ‘asks for peace’: ἐρωτᾷ τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην); Whenever a strong armed guards his yard, in humility is the essence of his name(Luke 11:21) (in Greek - ‘in the world, that is, in the security of his possession’: ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐστὶν τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ).

There is a point of view that the word "humility" came etymologically from the word "peace", which is the root word formation of "humility"

A wide range of meanings for the word "humility" is found in Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. Thus, the meaning of the word "humility" in the Slavic tradition also testifies to the pluralism of its understanding.

Word ענווה (anawα) and the Greek word τᾰπεινόω one can designate the pacification and internal oppression of an individual or an entire people. Strongly oppressed (Greek: ἐταπεινώθην ἕως σφόδρα, glory: reconcile to the green, Heb.: na aneti ad me od) I, Lord; revive me according to your word (Ps. 119:107). The explanatory Bible of Lopukhin says that the word ענווה (anaw α ) "one root with ana, and like this last one, expresses the inner physical oppression and humiliation of the person himself. In essence, this is a person's reaction to oppression, persecution, grief. " Have mercy on me, Lord! see humiliation(Greek: ταπείνωσίν, glory: see humility You are mine from my enemies, Who exalt me ​​from the gates of death, so that I may proclaim all Your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion. We rejoice in your salvation» (Ps. 9:14) . And elsewhere the humility of the people of Israel at the hand of God is described: When the sky is closed and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they will pray in this place, and confess Your name, and turn from their sin, because You have humbled them (Greek: ταπεινώσεις, glory: calm down) (2 Chr. 6:26).

It can be concluded that in the above cases the Jewish and Greek word - ana And τᾰπεινόω - similar in their semantic meaning and denote both external oppression and oppression, and the internal pacification of a person, the oppression of his soul in the face of danger and sorrows, therefore these two words include both positive and negative connotations.

God teaches a person humility through mournful circumstances and difficulties - humility is a universal path to reconciliation with God

Researcher priest Pavel Lizgunov writes that these two terms denote an exclusively negative meaning. "In various languages ​​of the Near East, the Hebrew verb ana displayed the position of influence with the help of force and was translated as "oppress", "conquer" . “This term finds a similar definition in the Hebrew language and is literally interpreted as “to bend, tilt”, from which a similar etymological relationship with Greek is visible. ταπείνω » .

But it is more correct to agree with the point of view of the researcher A.P. Lopukhin, who believes that the verb is not always ana reflects a negative connotation. In particular, he says that some researchers unfairly attribute an exclusively negative side to this verb, explaining this by the fact that before the Babylonian captivity, humility was not considered a religious virtue.

Humility as submission to sent trials

Like any virtue, humility is a special grace of God to man, it is a gift of grace. In order to accept this gift, it is necessary for a person to realize his weakness before God. The book of Deuteronomy says that God tested God's chosen people for forty years, so that they humble themselves, admit that they are incapable of autonomous existence. " And remember all the way that the Lord your God led you through the wilderness, for forty years now, to humble (Greek:ταπείνωσ ατε ) you, to test you and to know what is in your heart, whether you will keep His commandments(Deut. 8:2-3). Thus, it is emphasized that God teaches man humility through mournful circumstances and difficulties. It can be concluded that humility is the universal path to reconciliation with God, as the saying goes: And reconciled (Greek: ἐταπεινώθησαν) then the children of Israel, and the children of Judah were strong, because they trusted in the Lord God of their fathers(2 Chronicles 13:18).

According to St. Theophan the Recluse, in this case, humility means "when someone is humbled by external circumstances - deprivation, oppression, illness, need, loss of loved ones, and the like." Such a punishment from God calls a person to say: “I submit, I humble myself, I realize that I am nothing. Look, O Lord, at this self-humiliation of mine. Awareness of one's insignificance is valuable before God.

In this understanding, humility is considered in close connection with repentance, i.e. with a real transformation of the human ability to objectively evaluate things. "The Beginning of Repentance: Seeing Beauty, Not Ugliness, Realizing Divine Glory, Not One's Own Poverty". Therefore, repentance opens the way to humility.

Like the Old Testament understanding, the New Testament concept of humility has many shades. Just like in the Old Testament, the word humility And humble are used in understanding the humiliation of a person, his humility on the part of God:

So that again, when I come, I will not despise (Greek: ταπεινώσῃ, glory: humble lat.: humiliet) me with you, my God, and not to mourn for me many who have sinned before and did not repent of uncleanness, fornication and lasciviousness, which they did(2 Corinthians 12:21).

I know how to live in poverty (Greek: ταπεινοῦσθαι, glory: reconcile lat.: humiliary) I know how to live and in abundance; learned in everything and in everything, to be satisfied and endure hunger, to be both in abundance and in lack(Philippians 4:12).

Voluntary acceptance of poverty is an inherent quality of humility in the Old Testament view

which is our lowly body (Greek: σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως, glory: the body of our humility, lat.: corpus humilitatis) will transform it so that it will be in conformity with His glorious body, by the power with which He acts and subdues everything to Himself(Philippians 3:21). It is noteworthy that in the synodal text the word "humility" is absent, while both the Greek and Latin originals use this term.

In the above quotes, the Apostle Paul reveals the meaning of the word humility as the voluntary acceptance of sent down sorrows from God. Elsewhere in Scripture, the words Ana and Ana wa reflect the religious and ethical character of a person, his moral basis. In the Old Testament, this is reflected in the fact that God acts as a patron for humble people. For example, the psalmist David says that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and humble ( Greek: ταπεινοὺς) will save the spirit(Ps. 33:19). In this case, the Hebrew word corresponds to the Greek word ταπεινός (low, humble). And in another place it is said that among the charitable virtues is also called humbly walking before God. For example: Oh man! told you that- goodness and what the Lord requires of you: act justly, love works of mercy and humility (Greek:ταπεινά ) to walk before your God.(Mic. 6:8).

Humility as poverty

Researcher A.P. Lopukhin reveals another meaning of the Hebrew word ana w , which is marked " poor”, while in the Greek Septuagint this word denotes ταπεινός (low, humble ) , which corresponds to the Slavic translation: He will judge the poor ( Greek: ταπεινοὺς, glory: humble judge) in truth, and the affairs of the sufferers of the earth to decide in truth; and with the rod of his mouth he will smite the earth, and with the breath of his mouth he will kill the wicked.(Isaiah 11:4). And elsewhere: He dealt with the case of the poor and needy (Greek: ταπεινῷ οὐδὲ κρίσιν, glory: humble, lower judgment poor), and so it was good for him. Isn't that what it means to know Me? says the Lord(Jer. 22:16). Thus, in a word anaw, which corresponds to the Greek word ταπεινός (low, humble) denotes the moral quality of a humble person, acquired as a result of his poverty and poverty.

This underscores the idea that voluntary acceptance of poverty is an inherent quality of humility in the Old Testament view. As the researcher A. V. Malakhov writes: “From the whole system of notions of poverty characteristic of Christianity, there follows, of course, a positive assessment of the moral ideal of poverty, as adequate to the essential state of a person in the world, and an unconditional denial of any self-affirmation and self-exaltation that connects the vice of pride with the illusion of self-deception » .

In the Sermon on the Mount of the Savior Special attention given to the virtue of humility, and it is also associated with poverty, but poverty of spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι ), for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven(Matthew 5:3).

The classical understanding of this commandment in the patristic tradition is the ideological teaching of humility: the poor in spirit are humble . So St. John Chrysostom writes: “What does it mean: poor in spirit? Humble and contrite in heart…” At the same time, the saint distinguishes voluntary humility from forced humility and puts the former above the latter. “Since there are many who are humble, not because of their disposition, but because of the necessity of circumstances, He, keeping silent about such (because there is not great glory in that), calls, first of all, blessed those who voluntarily humble themselves and humiliate themselves” . The following holy fathers also speak about the fact that these words refer to the humble: St. Peter of Damascus, St. Macarius the Great, St. Anastasius of Sinai, Blessed. Jerome of Stridon, blzh. Theophylact of Bulgaria, Evfimy Zigaben and many others. Thus, the poor in spirit are the humble.

Many places in the Old Testament describe how the people of Israel humbled themselves before God, using an external form of humility - through tearing their clothes, putting on sackcloth, sprinkling ashes on their heads.

Researcher priest Pavel Lizgunov, referring to Western critical works, writes that the Savior used the Aramaic word anwana, analogous to Hebrew anaw, or possibly anya corresponding to ani . Thus, the philological understanding of the words of the Savior also confirms the patristic thought.

As mentioned above, the Old Testament comprehended the concepts of "poor" and "poor" with humble people. Thus, the Old and New Testaments on this occasion speak of the same thing.

It should be noted that in the apostolic sermon the theme of humility occupies a central place. "The very word humility they are often used in meanings close to the Old Testament concepts oni And anawa with different positive and negative connotations. In some cases, it clearly denotes poverty and mournful circumstances. I know how to live in poverty (ταπεινοΰσθαι , glory: reconcile), I know how to live in abundance ...(Philippians 4:12). So that again, when I come, I don’t humiliate(μη ταπεινώσει , glory: don't calm down) I am your God and [to] not mourn for me many who have sinned before... (2 Cor. 12:21).

Humility as an ascetic feat of man

In another positive sense, the Hebrew verb ana w viewed through a person's personal inner feat. In this case, this is internal oppression, ascetic work, leading the soul to humility. And let this be an everlasting ordinance for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, humble(Heb.:annie , Greek:ταπείνωσ ατε ) your souls and do no work, neither a native nor a stranger who has settled among you. (Lev. 16:29). In one of the psalms of the prophet David we read that he: I dressed them in sackcloth during their illness, exhausted them with fasting (Greek: ἐταπείνουν ἐν νηστείᾳ τὴν ψυχήν , Slav.: humble postom my soul) my soul.(Ps. 34:13) This humility of the soul is understood primarily as the exhaustion of the forces of the soul. In other words, this is the humility of the human heart and spirit in order to repent and propitiate God.

The Apostle Paul says that humility is realized through inner self-abasement. Have I sinned by humiliating myself (εμαΰτον ταπεινών ), to exalt you, because he preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?(2 Corinthians 11:7). The apostle, striving, by his own admission, to imitate Christ in everything (1 Cor. 4:16), is an example of Christian humility, calling himself the least of the apostles, but saying at the same time: But grace I am God's what I am; and His grace in me was not in vain, but I labored more than all of them: not I, however, but the grace of God, which is with me (1 Cor. 15:9-10). Thus, he realizes in himself the true character of Christian humility, which combines the awareness of one's own insignificance with faith in the power and greatness of God's grace, which manifests itself in the weakness of everyone, even the smallest person, who sincerely serves God. Also, the apostle Paul calls for humility, as the exact opposite of pride. Be of one mind among yourselves; do not be arrogant, but follow the humble(μη τά ύψηλά φρονοΰντες άλλά τοϊς ταπεινοις συνάπαγόμενοι ), don't dream about yourself(Rom. 12:16). Pride is a state of the human soul that closes in on itself, therefore, in order to overcome it, it is important to humiliate yourself to the most extreme limits.

Humility gives a person the opportunity to be a participant in the Mysteries of God, makes a person a contemplative of God

When the Jews were in very difficult and difficult circumstances, they resorted to a special form of repentance, which expressed their humility before God. Many places in the Old Testament describe how the people of Israel humbled themselves before God, using an external form of humility - through tearing their clothes, putting on sackcloth, sprinkling ashes on their heads. So, for example, Joshua tore his clothes when the Jews were in mortal danger. Jesus tore his clothes and fell on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord and lay there until evening.(Joshua 7:6). The custom of tearing clothes as a sign of humility in the East was not uncommon. It is noteworthy that the prophets watching this process pointed accusatoryly at the spiritual side of humble feeling. Thus, the prophet Joel addresses the following words: Rip your hearts, not your garments(Joel 2:13).

Also, in order to express sorrow, to bring repentance as a sign of humility, there was a custom to humble one's flesh by wearing coarse clothes made from goat hair, sackcloth. So, the king of Nineveh, having learned about God's decision regarding him and his people ... got up from his throne, and took off his royal robes, and put on sackcloth, and sat on the ashes(Jon. 3:6).

The next way, expressing humility and humility, is to sprinkle ashes on the head. And one Benjamit fled from the place of the battle, and came to Shiloh on the same day; his clothes were torn and dust was on his head(1 Sam. 4:12). Thus, we can conclude that in the Old Testament humility was both inward and outward.

As in the Old Testament, the New Testament requires from a person the effort of his own will in the matter of acquiring humility. In this context, humility is used in relation to the personality itself, i.e. to himself. Humble yourself (Greek: ταπεινώθητε, glory:calm down lat.:h umiliamini (James 4:10).

Pointing to the children, our Lord Jesus Christ says that every person must decrease like a child in order to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. So, who will decrease (Greek: ταπεινώσει , glory: reconcile, lat.: humiliaverit), like this child, that one and more in the Kingdom of Heaven(Matthew 18:4).

In addition, in addition to the words “humility, humble, humble” in the New Testament, there are concepts that are not denoted by the word humility, but in the interpretations of the holy fathers this word is assumed.

Special properties of humility reflected in the Holy Scriptures

God sends help to humble people

Holy Scripture abounds with the promises of God's grace and mercy to humble people. God comforts the humble. The humble in spirit gains honor (Greek: ταπεινόφρονας ἐρείδει δόξῃ κύριος ) (Prov. 29:23); Humble yourself (Greek: ταπεινώθητε ) before the Lord, and will exalt you(James 4:10); How great you are, humble yourself so much (Greek: ταπείνου) and you will find favor with the Lord(Sir. 3:17-18).

Humility gives a person the opportunity to be a participant in the Mysteries of God, makes a person a contemplative of God: “Mysteries are revealed to the humble, for great is the power of the Lord, and He is to the humble (Greek: ταπεινῶν ) is glorified"(Sir. 3:19-20).

The apostle Paul also says that God protects the humble. But the God who comforts the humbleτοΰς ταπεινούς ), consoled us with the arrival of Titus(2 Corinthians 7:6).

Summing up, it should be noted that in the Biblical understanding, humility is considered in several aspects. First, it is a life of truth and righteousness before God. Humility is valuable when it is done before God, i.e. awareness of one's position before him, full recognition of one's sinfulness before Him, modesty in relations with one's neighbors, reverence for one's neighbor above oneself.

As in the Old Testament, so in the New, the term humility is seen as a special mercy and comfort bestowed by God on humble people. So it testifies Mother of God: ... brought down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the humble (Greek: ταπεινούς, glory: humble, lat.:humiles ) (Luke 1:52).

The Apostle James testifies that humility gives inner sublimity, a special grace that brings a person into a state of joy. Let the humiliated brother boast (Greek: ταπεινὸς, glory: humble, lat.: humilis) with its height(James 1:9). And also: Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will exalt you ταπανωθητε έκωπιοκ κυρίου καί ύψωσα ύμας ) (James 4:10).

The Apostle Peter points out that the Lord sends grace to the humble. Put on humility ταπεινοφροσύνην ), because God opposes the proud, but the humble (Greek: ταπεινοῖς, glory: humble lat.:humilibus ) gives grace(1 Pet. 5:5).

Finally, the apostle Paul says that God gives consolation to humble people. But God who comforts the humble (Greek: ταπεινοὺς, glory: humble, lat.: humiles), consoled us with the arrival of Titus(2 Corinthians 7:6).

Humility Postpones God's Judgment

And, of course, it is important to note that humility postpones the judgment of God on a living person in a particular case. The biblical history provides vivid examples of the humility of individuals and even an entire nation before God. Many Israeli kings humbled themselves before God, repented, wept over their own misdeeds and ceased to do what was objectionable in the eyes of God, and then God changed His attitude towards them and sometimes replaced the punishment with a blessing.

So, Ahab, according to the teaching of his wife, killed Naboth the Israelite because of the vineyard, but awakened the mercy of God by his own humility, for which he was pardoned. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Thesbite [about Ahab], and the Lord said: See how humbled (Greek: κατενύγη, glory: touched, lat.: humiliatum) Ahab before me? Because he humbled himself before Me, I will not bring trouble in his days; in the days of his son I will bring trouble upon his house.(1 Kings 21:28-29).

Boasting about military achievements and successes, King Hezekiah became proud in his heart, for which he incurred the "wrath" of God. After that he reconciled (Greek: ἐταπεινώθη, glory: calm down lat.:h umiliatusque ) ... in the pride of his heart, himself and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah(2 Chr. 32:26).

When the Assyrian commanders took Manasseh captive and took him to Babylon, then Manasseh In his narrowness he began to beseech the face of the Lord his God and deeply humbled himself (Greek: ἐταπεινώθη, glory: take it easy, lat.:h umiliatusque ) before the God of their fathers(2 Chronicles 33:12). And then God bowed down to him and heard his prayer.

Thus, we can conclude that humility is a great virtue that is capable of propitiating God and abolishing punishment.

And the versatility in the understanding of humility suggests that “Greek translators found many different concepts for the Hebrew expression, for they knew well that the field of meaning of this word is unusually extensive ... thus the word tapeinos and acquired a new religious meaning, which it did not know in the Greek language of the pagans.

Priest Vladimir Tolstoy

Keywords: humility, Holy Scripture, origin of the word, polysemy, state of meekness, confession of sins, poor in spirit, achievement, repentance

Veniamin (Milov), bishop. Orthodox theology with asceticism. - M.: Moscow Compound of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 2002. - S. 145.

Lampe G.W.H. A Patristic Greek Lexicon. - Oxford, 1961. - P. 1374. Ibid. Zarin S. M. Asceticism in Orthodox Christian teaching. - K.: Ed. them. Saint Leo, Pope of Rome, 2006. - S. 469-470.

Fasmer M. Etymological dictionary of the Russian language. In 4 vols. T. III. Muse - Syat / M. Vasmer; per. with him. and additional O. N. Trubacheva; ed. and with preface. B. A. Larina. - M.: Progress, 1987. - S. 689.

Preobrazhensky A. G. Etymological dictionary of the Russian language. T. 2. - M.: Type. G. Lissner and D. Sobko, 1910-1916. - S. 336.

Shmelev A. D. Symbolic actions and their reflection in the language // Bulygina T.V., Shmelev A.D. Linguistic conceptualization of the world (based on Russian grammar). - M., 1997. - S. 134. Shmelev A. D. Peace and humility in the language picture of the world [Electronic resource] // URL: (date of access: 03/12/2017).

Bring into submission, deprive of natural wildness, make meek, calm, reconcile, etc. Cm.: Dal V.I. Explanatory dictionary of the living Great Russian language. - SPb.-M., 1882 .. - S. 240.

Orthodox experience of repentance // Inner Kingdom. - Kyiv, 2004. - S. 219. Peter of Damascus, St. Creations. - M .: Moscow Compound of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 2001. - P. 40-41; Macarius of Egypt, St. Creations. - M., 2002. - S. 57; Anastasius of Sinai, St. Selected creations. - M., 2006. - S. 45; Theophylact of Bulgaria, blj. Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew. ― M.: Siberian benefic, 2015. ― S. 234; Evfimy Zigaben. Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew. - M.: Rule of Faith, 2002. - S. 75.

Lizgunov P., priest. The concept of humility in antiquity, Holy Scripture and Greek patristics of the 1st-3rd centuries // Dissertation for the competition degree candidate of theology. - Sergiev-Posad, 2016. - P. 149.

There. S. 146.

Zarin S. M. Asceticism according to the Orthodox Christian teaching.V.1. Book. 2: The experience of systematic question disclosure. - St. Petersburg: V. F. Kirshbaum Printing House, 1907. - P. 473.

Schlosser M. Humility (Catholic) // Theological Anthropology. Russian-Orthodox/Roman-Catholic Dictionary / ed. ed. arch. Andrey Lorgus, B. Stubenrauch. - M.: Palomnik, 2013. - S. 513.

Ilchenko Yu.N.

Plan:

I. Introduction.

Deut.26:16-17 God's desire that we not only receive information about Him and His

blessings, but had a living relationship with Him and kept His Word. When your spirit is open to God, you respond to His Word. God wants us to do what we promised Him: to live a new life ( 1 Peter 3:21 "a promise to God of a good conscience"). Our spirit is our inner man, in which we have everything we need for a new life. But the outer man, our old nature, our old self, does not want to lose dominion over our life. It blocks the new life that God has given us, it blocks God's blessings and does not allow the potential that God has put into our spirit to be released.

By doing the old, we give strength to the outer man (the old nature), but when we fulfill the promise to God, He helps us and gives the strength to the new creation.

II. The meaning of crushing.

"Crush" - inflict a complete defeat, smash and destroy completely, bring to a state of sadness and despair.

Contrition comes when we act on the Word of God. In this way, we break the dominion of the outer man over our lives and allow God's power and God's anointing to operate.

Romans 7:22 it is only in the inner man that we have the pleasure of being in God's presence, in the Word and in prayer.

Ephesians 3:16 the inner man is established by the Spirit of God.

2 Corinthians 4:16 “our outer man is smoldering, the inner one is being renewed from day to day.” Brokenness is the path to God's blessings and the release of God's potential from our spirit.

III. Crushing the Outer Man.

John 12:24 the principle of life which comes through death.

There is life in the grain, but in the beginning it is in a shell that holds it back. To new life appeared, the shell must be torn. Our outer man is like this shell that holds back God's life in us. External restrictions (external values ​​and priorities, one's own wisdom and understanding) must be crushed, these obstacles that hold captive, fetter inner life. Matthew 16:25-26, Ephesians 4:22

Mark 14:3-6, 2 Corinthians 4:7 without contrition there is no change in life and God's blessings

Jeremiah 48:11-12. Contrition comes from God, it's His will. Let Him break your outer vessel, so that new songs, new ideas, and the fragrance of God spread through us.

IV. Examples of Contrition in the Bible: Abraham. Moses, Peter. Through contrition, blessings came into their lives and they were able to fulfill God's purpose.

V. God has prepared a place of destruction - the Cross.

Jesus conquered death and curses on the cross. Complete destruction led to complete victory. Matthew 10:38,39 Only by taking up our cross can we crush the outer man.

Sermon:

Today I want to speak on the subject of "Breaking of Heart" as a continuation of what we've been talking about for the past three weeks.

Humility, meekness, awakening, contrition - all this is connected in such a way that one theme flows from another. I deeply believe that God is preparing the church for a revival, for His visitation. And God won't move until we start moving. God wants, first of all, His church to change so that we become a holy nation. And that what we promise God should not be empty words and promises. Often we promise God a lot of things, agree to do something for Him, but often we do not fulfill it.

Deuteronomy 26:16“On this day the Lord your God commands you to do [all] these ordinances and laws: keep and do them with all your heart and with all your soul.” Often we say: "I already know this, I have already heard this information." But Christianity is not a collection of information, but living and real relationship with God. God speaks about it and expects reciprocity from us. He speaks to us: "I want you to take the words that I speak into your life to fulfill them." This shows that there is a reaction to the word.

God says, “You are alive. I have come, I have saved, I have cleansed you, I have made you capable of receiving My word.” What God says and does comes from His Spirit. This does not happen at the level of the soul and mind. Man is triune: spirit, soul and body. We see the outer part, our body. We also have a soul, we speak and feel. But the most important thing in us is the core - our spirit. When we were in sin, our spirit was dead and did not respond to God. But when we heard the gospel good news, God touched our heart, we let Him come into it, and He quickened us.

The Bible also calls our spirit the inner man, and God communicates with it. When God says something, it is not just for information, but, first of all, He sends it to our spirit and waits for a reaction from it.

That's why in Deuteronomy 26:16 written: "And do them with all your heart.""Heart" is a prototype of our inner man, our spirit. In other words: "Fulfill them with all your spirit." The Word of God also says that we should keep our heart, our inner man, more than anything else, because the sources of life come from there. Jesus says that rivers of living water will flow from our spirit. If your spirit is open to God, you are free to receive information from Him and give Him feedback.

The issue of breaking our outer man concerns our own self, our soul which is not saved. Our spirit is saved, and the soul is saved, our mind is renewed. And that which is not saved opposes God.

We always want to find the one who is to blame, we are looking for external enemies. But the biggest problem is right inside of us, it's our outer man. This outer man does not want to give up and die, he does not want to lose dominion over your life. The old always blocks your new life, which God has given, does not allow it to develop.

Deuteronomy 26:17 “Today you have said to the Lord that He will be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His ordinances and His commandments and His laws, and listen to His voice.” We exchange promises: God tells us something, we promise Him something. Sometimes we promise God, but we don't do it, and then nothing happens. But the uniqueness of our God is that He promised, He always fulfills. Even if we are unfaithful, but God always remains faithful. What God has promised you, He will fulfill.

Our outer man does not want to move in God and does not allow the inner man to dominate life, and he will always block God's blessings for you. The pride that hinders us so much is not in the inner man, not in your spirit, but in the old old man. And that makes it impossible to release what God has put in you.

Deuteronomy 26:17 « and the Lord promised you today that you would be his own people, as he told you, if you would keep all his commandments.”. Our God is a faithful God, what He said He does. If you are in business, then you understand how great it is to have a partner who fulfills his obligations. We all want to be treated well. We don't like people who don't keep their promises.

But let's take an honest look at ourselves today to see how we keep or break the promises we make to God. We say, "Lord, I'll never do that again." But some time passes, our promises evaporate somewhere, we forget something in the bustle. It is very important to be an honest person.

Honesty, loyalty, justice, mercy come from God. Everything else is mangled and perverted. Therefore, we see so much deception around. God says that we shouldn't be like that, and not only in relation to God, but also to other people.

If you start doing the wrong thing, then you give strength to your old sinful person, and he begins to come to life. Wrong things, sins resurrect him again. Since you buried him, do not give him a place and the right to rise again, come and torment you with old problems and sins. You promised something to the Lord, and He promised you. And what you promised, do it with all your heart, do not "throw words to the wind." When we keep our promises, we receive power from God and God's promises. When you do what you promise God, He helps you.

Romans 7:22 "For according to the inward man I delight in the law of God." In the inner man you find pleasure in being with God, in praying.

Romans 7:18-19 “For I know that no good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; because the desire for good is in me, but to do it, I do not find it. The good that I want, I do not do, but the evil that I do not want, I do.” I don’t want to be angry, but I’m angry, I don’t want to grumble, but I grumble, etc. The Holy Spirit lives in your inner man, your new nature is there.

In Ephesians 3:16 written: " be firmly established by His Spirit in the inner man.". You don't see it, but you have to believe that you have it. It is visible when you begin to seek the Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart; but if our outer man smolders, then the inner is renewed from day to day. The outer man is getting older, and your inner man is getting better and better. If you follow God, your life will get better. Scripture says it's blooming day by day, more of God's light is coming into your life and it's changing you.

God has a lot of what I would call "the law of opposites." If you want to get something, you have to give something. If you humble yourself, God will lift you up. And here Jesus is saying that in order for us to have life and bear much fruit, our life must die. What life must die? A life that is not pleasing to God.

In the very grain, in the seed, there is life. But until the shell of the seed disintegrates, life cannot come out of it. That is, the shell in which the seed is located restrains the growth of the seed. Therefore, in order for a seed to bear much fruit, the shell must open. To do this, the seed must fall into the ground and under these certain conditions it opens and life comes out of it.

Scripture says that we also have such a shell - our outer man, he does not allow new life to come out of you. Therefore, God says that this outer must be crushed and broken. And when the outside is taken away, then comes out the life that God has put in us.

The Bible tells us so much about "God looketh upon the brokenhearted" and that "offering to God, a broken spirit." In such a case, there are no obstacles that prevent the new life of God from coming out.

Remember, one day a woman came to Jesus with an alabaster jar of ointment. She came and did something that surprised everyone, she broke this vessel. And when she broke it, the fragrance of the pure world filled the whole house.

The Lord Himself lives inside our spirit, Scripture says that "we are the temple of the Living God." God lives in us, but our outer shell, our thinking does not allow His fragrance to come out of us. We don't want to break down, we don't want to break what is holding God back in us and restricting the Great Almighty God from being released through us.

The epistle to the Ephesians says that we have great strength, wealth, the power of God, but our shell holds it all back. Therefore, God wants everything external to be crushed and broken. We break it when we act on the word of God. The word "crush" means to smash to smithereens, to destroy completely.

If you have greed, for example, how will you crush it? Through what you will give. Do you give in such a way as to crush, to smash, to destroy? Contrition comes when we act on the word of God. When you are persecuted, the Bible says that we should pray for these people. Do not quarrel with them, do not act by their own methods. Jesus says, "Pray for those who persecute you, bless those who curse you." By these actions, you break this shell, the stronghold that allows the Spirit of God to act.

Brokenness is the path to blessing, to the release of God's potential. If you do not crush some things, you are in a cocoon, and the great potential that is in your spirit is not realized, not released. And then you think and ask the Lord about where your blessings are. And God asks you in response: “Are you crushing the things that are in your life”?

Jeremiah 48:11“Moab from his youth was at rest, he sat on his yeast and was not poured from vessel to vessel, and did not go into captivity; therefore its taste remained in it, and its smell did not change. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will send pourers to him, who will pour him, and empty his vessels, and break his jugs.”

We see God sending contrition into our lives. He wants this so much because He has invested so much strength, His power, talents, abilities, revelations in us. But if there is no contrition, nothing will flow from our spirit. And until contrition occurs, we will not run out of this oil, oil, and the blessings that God has already put in you. Because the desire of God is that we not only be blessed ourselves, but also become a blessing to many people. Contrition is the will of God for us and it must happen.

However, it is better to be broken yourself than to wait for the Lord to crush you. Sometimes God starts working in people's lives, and we start screaming, "Lord, take Your hand off me, Lord, not this." We are ready to “go to the cross”, but so that it does not hurt us, we want painkillers. Jesus, when He was hanging on the cross, was offered a sponge with vinegar, it was a kind of anesthesia, but He refused it.

We do not like discomfort, we do not like what concerns our "I", our egocentrism. When something starts to happen that we don't like, our whole old nature rises up in us. So God says, “I want to crush this old nature. The spirit gives life, but the flesh is of no use.” There is no use in the external that we are trying to preserve. Everything that animates us, blesses us, makes us fresh, comes from the Spirit of God. "The Spirit gives life" and we must not forget where the source of life, blessing, freshness is located.

When we look at God's heroes, we see that each of them has gone through his period of contrition and humility. If they had not gone through these periods, God could not have moved through them. For example, Abraham. God had His calling and plan for Abraham, but He could not use it and fulfill the promise until Abraham was broken, until he completely believed God, did not stop relying on himself, his strength, his outward. When the external was broken, then a miracle happened, and Isaac, the son according to the promise, was born.

The promise of God is fulfilled when the human, the outer shell that holds the power of life, is broken in us. That is why Jesus said that "if the seed does not die, it will remain alone, but if it dies, it will be destroyed, then it will bear much fruit." We love ourselves so much that we do not allow the Lord to touch us: “Lord, do not, it hurts. Lord, I don't want contrition, I don't want humility." We are not alone in this, it happened to all the heroes of the Bible. But there came a moment in each of their lives when they said, "Yes, Lord, do it, kill the old in me, crush me, so that Your life will be revealed, so that Your power will be released."

Jesus Christ did the same. On the cross, His outward man was crushed, literally. The soldiers pierced the body of Jesus, and water and blood flowed out of Him. In the place of this crushing, the most powerful and great victory took place. Through the death of His Son, God defeated the devil, death, damnation. The complete contrition of Jesus Christ resulted in complete victory. Was it easy for Him to do this? Of course not. But Jesus knew it was necessary, He knew His purpose, and we must not forget this.

Matthew 16:22-23 “Be merciful to yourself, Lord! may it not be with you! And he turned and said to Peter, Get away from Me, Satan! you are a temptation to me! because you think not about what is divine, but what is human.”

Our human understanding does not allow us to see the depth of God's revelations that He has prepared for us. So Jesus said to Peter: “You do not understand Me, you think like a human being, and like a human being you fear for Me. But this is a task that the Lord, My Father, has given Me, and I must fulfill it.”

Matthew 16:24“Then Jesus said to His disciples: if anyone wants to follow Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow Me, for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” .

God has prepared for us a place of contrition—the cross. Each time God will show you some new revelations about the cross. Because Jesus said we must "pick up our cross." If you don't take up your cross, your outer life will not be broken, it will continue to block what God has put within you. Therefore, God says that if you want to save your outer life, then you will lose everything.

When we come to God, our goals in life change. And if you see that a person seems to have come to God, but his values ​​and goals have not changed, he still goes in the same direction that he went before, it means that he wants to save his old life, its decrepit outer shell. Then he will lose everything. Your shell is nothing, the Bible calls us clay vessels. Inside these clay vessels there is a treasure, this is Jesus, eternal life, the Kingdom of God.

A vessel of clay is dust; we are made of the dust of the earth, and into it we shall return. Why do we worry so much about this external and hold on to this “clay pot”? God wants us to let Him crush the outside. The value lies not in the pot itself, but in what is in it. And sometimes, due to our irrationality, we cling to this clay, to what is dust. But the more we cling to this dust, the more we let the devil attack us. God told the snake when he tempted Adam and Eve that he would crawl on the ground and eat dust.

Let God break this earthen vessel to reveal the fragrance of Christ. Let Jesus be free within you and move, let Him break this yoke that's holding us back.

Jesus was talking about the fact that if you want to follow Him, you must reject this outside and take up your cross. The cross gives victory, the cross is the place of death of your outer man. "Whoever wants to save his soul will lose himself." We don't need to save what has no meaning, no use. We need to cherish Eternal values that is blessed by God. This understanding and revelation gives you freedom.

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." But our outer man restrains this freedom, it does not allow freedom to come out of us and bless other people. When the woman with the alabaster jar came and broke it, it blessed Jesus and those who were there. But people began to shout at her, reproaching why she did this, because the world could be sold for a lot of money? Who was the most outraged about this? Judas. But what did Jesus say? "She did it for Me." Your contrition is, first of all, joy for the Lord. When you do something for the Lord, many may not understand you, but we all need to go through brokenness.

I remember the time when I first came to God, then I worked as a musician in an orchestra. When God began to work with me, I realized that I needed to leave the orchestra. God told me to do it to break some things, pride, break strongholds that was in me. I asked God about where should I go to work? God said: "Work as a loader." It was not easy, but I understood that God wanted it. When I told the musicians in the orchestra that I was quitting, they all almost simultaneously twirled at the temple, said that I “prayed”. But in my spirit, I clearly and firmly understood that this was pleasing to God.

Therefore, when people come to me and say that when they came to God, it got worse, everything falls apart. I remember what happened to me and say: "Thank God." There are things in your life that need to fall apart. The Lord wants to destroy and crush them, because your pride is built on them, your hope is kept, your vanity is located there.

We ourselves said to the Lord, “Lord, do whatever you want in my life. You are my Master." So He began to act in a businesslike way in your destiny, to sweep, break, destroy. In the book of the prophet Jeremiah it is written that, before planting something, it is necessary to crush the old. Because God wants to do something completely new in your life.

We often don't want to agree with God because we personally don't like it. People often fail to understand God's ways. When we look at famous Biblical heroes, we can also see this. Where did Moses go after he learned God's plan? To the desert There, for forty years, God crushed his human "I", pride, humbled, prepared for future service. For if Moses had not been broken, the power of God could not have worked through him. If he had not been distressed, he could, having performed one miracle, say that he himself is a god. If he had pride, this could happen to him.

Many people pray, "Lord, I want You to work through me." But for that, He needs to crush and prepare you. I don't know exactly how many years it might take, maybe your whole life. Throughout life, we will go through stages of brokenness, greater or lesser. This cup will not pass you, because it did not pass Jesus. We need to go through this if we want to be in the will of God and serve Him, and so that God can serve people through us. Contrition is necessary for all those who want to follow Jesus. Let's let God do whatever He wants in us.

When I left my previous job and started working as a loader, God did a lot of wonderful things for me and my family. This was a huge blessing for me. Namely, while working as a loader, I read the Bible a lot, studied foreign language. When God puts you in certain, tight conditions, suddenly something begins to open up in you, to manifest itself. Rivers of life begin to unleash within you.

Therefore, you should not be afraid of crushing, but on the contrary, pray: “Lord, crush me. Lord, change me so that rivers of living water will flow from me.” God's plan is the best for us. But the best doesn't always mean you get the best job. Not everything is the best with God that is in our eyes. Very often I have seen people get more money and move away from God. What, then, would be really best for them?

So God wants you to really agree with Him. Agreed to have Him change and break you. Without this, nothing will happen. The seed must die. The outer shell must be destroyed so that the blessing of God can come out.

The apostle Peter was a very presumptuous man. When Jesus said that He would be betrayed, Peter said that everyone could do it, but not him. But the Lord told Peter that He would do it. And when this happened, Peter's heart broke, and he became different.

Blessings come through brokenness. Our God loves us, so He wants to crush everything that did not come from Him. Everything that is not from God must be removed from our lives, otherwise it will always be an obstacle, an obstacle to follow Him. God sends us His word, which is “sharper than a two-edged sword”, so that changes come, to separate the necessary from the unnecessary.

Isaiah 66:2“I will look: to the humble and contrite in spirit, and to the one who trembles at my word.”

Isaiah 57:15"I live in the heights of heaven and in the sanctuary, and also with the contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and revive the hearts of the contrite."

Psalm 50:19 "Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit."

Prayer:

“Lord, we thank You for the word. We give thanks that it breaks down the strongholds that limit and hold us. Your word comes to bring freedom. We pray and give ourselves to You unconditionally and unconditionally. Lord, we surrender into Your hands, under Your dominion and dominion. Lord, we belong to You, reign in our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen".

One of the most interesting characters in the Old Testament for me is Jacob. He was a deceiver, a conspirator, a manipulator, a crafty and indulgent person - just the same incredible character.

However, God loved this man so much! His life was truly filled with marvelous lessons that we learn from the way God deals with human characters.

I would like to enter into the story of Jacob from the moment he fled from his elder brother Esau. Jacob had already outsmarted Esau twice—and now his brother was furious!

First, Jacob deceived Esau from the birthright. When Esau returned from the field very hungry, Jacob, taking advantage of opportunity, fed him lentils in exchange for the birthright.

In the culture of their people, the birthright belonged to the firstborn male, who was to be the head of the family. It also meant "double blessing" - that is, taking possession of a double share of the father's estate.

But most of all, to have the birthright meant to become the progenitor of the patriarchal seed through which Christ would be born: “... and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 28:14).

Obviously, it was this birthright that had a very important spiritual significance. In the light of this meaning, the horror of what Esau did when he so nonchalantly sold his birthright for a pot of lentil stew is revealed!

Further, Jacob, through deceit, receives the patriarchal blessing of Isaac, a blessing that was rightfully meant for Esau. By this time, Isaac was old, his eyesight was dull, and he lay in bed due to weakness. And here again Jacob is deceiving - pretending to be Esau in order to get a blessing.

When Esau learned that Jacob had taken away his blessing, he immediately set out with determination to kill his brother. He said, "... he has already kicked me twice: he took my birthright, and behold, now he took my blessing... and Esau said in his heart... I will kill Jacob my brother" (Gen. 27:36, 41).

When Rebekah learned of Esau's malice, she persuaded Isaac to send Jacob to Mesopotamia, where her brother Laban lived. She reasoned that Jacob would choose his wife there and live in peace until Esau's anger subsided.

So, Jacob set off on his journey - and already on the way, he received an extraordinary vision from God. He saw a ladder, the top of which reached heaven, and Angels ascended and descended from the throne of God, performing His service: “And I saw in a dream: behold, a ladder stands on the earth, and its top touches heaven; and behold, the angels of God go up and down on it” (Gen. 28:12).

This vision was not given just for the edification of Jacob. Nor was it a special effect the Lord wanted to impress Jacob with. No — the Lord literally pulled back the veil and showed Jacob what ongoing activities are taking place in the spiritual world! At the throne of God, the angels were given instructions - and they went to perform tasks on earth: to guide and lead God's people, serve them, camp around them, warn against danger, protect, protect and take care of their needs.

Beloved, this staircase is still in the same place, in the same place! And the same angels that Jacob saw did not age one hour. They also work and serve for God's children.

Jacob saw that the Lord was at the head of these actions: “And behold, the Lord stands on it and says: I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring” (Gen. 28:13).

Through such a promise, the Lord brought Jacob into the blessing of the covenant He had made with his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac. The Lord said: “I accepted you among the patriarchs. You are now the firstborn, and you have the birthright. Therefore, I will pour out the blessings of the covenant of your fathers on you!”

God swore to Jacob, saying: “I will not leave you, Jacob - I will accompany you at every step. In all your affairs I will support you. I will guide you and complete in you an eternal purpose for your life. I will fulfill everything that I have said through you!”

Until the meeting of Jacob with God, I do not find in this man either faith, or kindness, or mercy. How could he become a patriarch to fulfill God's eternal purposes? When the Bible says, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Rom. 9:13), I feel like asking, “Lord, what did You see in this man? I know that You are righteous and holy and do not approve of the works that Jacob did. But why didn't you fix it? Why did You bless him, after all that he stole and took possession of by fraud?

GOD SAW SOMETHING IN JACOB'S HEART THAT GENERATED IN HIM GREAT LOVE AND THE DESIRE TO BLESS JACOB!

The Bible shows that God foresaw the fate of Jacob - that even from the womb of his mother, the younger brother was destined to have the birthright. Esau was the first to come out at the birth, and after him, holding Esau's heel with his hand, Jacob came out, as if declaring: “No, the birthright belongs to me!”

And God honored it. When Rebekah only felt that her sons began to fight in her womb, God explained to her what this meant: “You have two tribes in your womb - and the older will serve the younger!” The very name Jacob means, "displacing someone" or "taking someone's place" - which means, "one who secretly substitutes a foot for another; engages in intrigues to subvert someone and take his position.

Of course, God knew about this before He blessed Jacob. He saw that the flesh guided the man's actions. After all, Jacob had already reached the age when he should have been more prudent. At this period of his life, he was at least forty years old (some scientists think that he was over seventy). By this time, some traits of his character should have changed.

So why then did the Lord make a covenant with this man? Why was He so kind to Jacob? Scripture must always provide the answer. In the book of the prophet Isaiah we read: “I dwell in the heights of heaven and in the sanctuary, and also with those who are contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and revive the hearts of the contrite” (Isa. 57:15).

These words exactly describe the state in which Jacob was - a delinquent, discouraged person who is fleeing from retribution - and such a person is revived and God blesses. Isaiah further adds, “…this is the one I will look to: the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).

We know that people judge by outward appearances, but God always looks at the heart. We see only his cunning and desire by any means to get the blessing of another. But God looks beyond the flesh and sees something in his heart, a contrite and humble spirit. God knew that Jacob's heart was about to change.

And this is exactly what God is looking for in us! He's looking for a humble and contrite heart that He can work on. He is not able to work on such hearts as Esau, who accepted the gift of God as something due to him and shed false tears of repentance. Esau's heart was hard and unapproachable. Many Christians today are doing like Esau—driving through life without any spiritual purpose, desiring to enjoy only earthly pleasures.

Jacob, meanwhile, honored God's word. How do I know about it? Just think: Jacob must have heard from his father the many times retold story of how God made a covenant with Jacob's grandfather, Abraham. He heard about how childhood Isaac was placed on the altar for burnt offering - but when Abraham raised his hand with a knife over him, God stopped him and pointed to a ram in the bushes, ready for sacrifice. Finally, Jacob heard about the holy seed that would come from a patriarchal lineage.

In addition to all this, Jacob's mother, apparently, more than once reminded him of the revelation given to her by God - that Jacob should be the continuer of the lineage of this holy seed. Jacob was delighted with the fact that one day he could become the head of the clan, and thereby secure his link in the genealogy, according to which the Messiah would come.

James was also well aware of the great spiritual significance of the birthright. But, looking at his older brother, he found nothing in him but an attraction to earthly pleasures. Esau was a completely secular man, insensitive to this truth. In addition, he took two Canaanite wives for himself. Jacob simply could not allow the birthright to fall into such wicked hands, where it would be worthless and worth nothing. So he decided to seize Esau's birthright. He proclaimed, "I want to have the birthright!"

There is no evidence that Jacob sought this privileged position for some selfish reason of his own. After all, even if you think so, then he, hiding in a foreign land, will not become the head of his family for the next twenty years. In addition, he never tried to raise an army, return back and take possession of his double hereditary allotment. No, what becomes clear to me is that deep in his heart, Jacob had a longing and longing for a holy God. And the Lord saw that Jacob's actions were guided by a higher, spiritual purpose. I can find no other explanation for the fact that the Lord was so patient with Jacob's intention to seize the birthright by deceit.

Today, God also gives us wonderful New Testament promises. They are no different from those that He gave to Jacob - to always be with us, to keep us from falling, to give us absolutely all heavenly blessings, to fulfill His eternal purpose in us.

However, God does not make a covenant with anyone who claims to be a believer. His promise to keep and save does not extend to those who, like Esau, have little regard for the holiness of God. God loves and blesses people like Jacob who recognize their inconsistency and weakness. Such a person desires to be changed and transformed under the mighty hand of God. Something inside that person breaks down.

The word “contrite” means “broken with guilt; desiring sincere repentance, hating sin, and thirsting for change.” Even in Webster's explanatory dictionary, the word "contrite" is given such a definition: "saddened by his sin and repentant of his lack." Contrition is an aversion to sin and a desire to change your life.

WITH A FEELING OF GOD'S IMMENSE LOVE FOR HIM, JACOB WENT TO MESOPOTAMIA TO FIND HIMSELF A WIFE THERE!

From the moment Jacob enters the new earth, it immediately becomes clear that God was with him at every step, as promised - because his first stop was divine predestination. He met shepherds who told him that they knew his uncle Laban - and pointed out to him a beautiful girl who had come with the sheep to water them. "This is Laban's daughter, Rachel," they said. When Jacob saw Rachel, he thought, “Lord, You are truly with me. You gave me a meeting with the most beautiful girl who will become my wife!”

Jacob quickly set to work. The mouth of the well from which the sheep drank water was covered with a stone. Jacob rolled away the stone, and before Rachel had even reached the well, he had already watered her sheep. When Rachel came up, Jacob said to her: “I am the son of Rebekah,” and kissed her! It was love at first sight.

I can only imagine how excited Jacob was at that moment. He probably could not wait for the moment when he entered the house of his uncle Laban. When the long-awaited meeting with his uncle took place, he was received into Laban's house and began to serve as a shepherd. But Laban said to him: “Although you are my nephew, you will not serve me in vain. How do you want me to pay you?"

Jacob pointed to Rachel and hurriedly said, “I want her to be my wife. I will serve you for her for seven years.” So it was that Jacob worked for Rachel 2555 days. In his pastoral occupation, he endured the cold of the night and the heat of the day. But Scripture says that he loved Rachel so much that those seven years seemed to him like a few days.

Finally, the day of the wedding feast arrived. When the solemn ceremony ended and the celebration of the day came to an end, Jacob retired to his tent, where he began to anxiously wait for his bride Rachel. But Laban had other plans! He conceived that the eldest daughter Leah—who was obviously no different and unattractive in appearance—dressed the bride's wedding veil and entered Jacob's tent instead of her sister.

When Leah went in to Jacob, she must have spoken to him in a whisper for fear that her voice would betray her. Jacob probably thought this was the bride's modesty. In the darkness, Jacob had no idea that Leah was nearby - the one that was "weak in the eyes." What was this night! How many gentle and affectionate words did Jacob say to Leah, thinking that she was Rachel. He probably spent the whole night sharing his dreams with her: “I want to have ten children - no, twelve!” His new wife only nodded her head and whispered her lips in approval.

But, waking up in the morning, Jacob saw Leah lying next to him and cried out: “You are not Rachel!” Enraged, he ran to Laban and shouted: "You deceived me!" (a strange accusation from the lips of a deceiver, isn't it?).

Laban suggested to Jacob that a new contract be made. He said: “It is not customary for us to marry the youngest daughter before the eldest. Here's what I want to offer you - finish your honeymoon with Leah, and then we'll give you Rachel too. But for that you have to serve me for another seven years.”

“Jacob went in to Rachel, and loved Rachel more than Leah; and served him another seven years more” (Gen. 29:30). Scripture also says that Jacob not only loved Rachel more than Leah, he did not love Leah at all: “The Lord saw that Leah was not loved and opened her womb, but Rachel was barren” (v. 31).

Now envy and contempt arose between the sisters' relationship. They constantly bickered. One can only imagine how it must have been for Jacob. In addition, he pledged to serve an additional seven years of hard labor, the payment for which Laban would change ten more times. He was unable to provide for his family or carry out his personal plans.

One night, sitting by the flocks in the field, Jacob began to pour out his soul before God: “Lord, how did I find myself in this position? You made such great promises to me. You said that you would manage me, guide me, that through me you would fulfill Your plan. How is it that You did not prevent the deceit committed against me? Could this be your guide? Now my whole future is at stake. I can't even think of making plans for my life, because I'm bound by a promise to serve this man for another seven long years. He slowly takes away from his daughters all their inheritance. Soon there will be nothing left. I don't have any future. What is the fulfillment of the covenant?

You may think otherwise: “Perhaps Jacob did not ask God whom he should marry. Maybe, guided by false feelings, he chose Rachel according to the attraction of the flesh. Maybe only Leah was meant for him.” But all this is beside the point. God could have intervened in this whole marriage enterprise of Jacob, but He did not.

Indeed, it happens that we have both humility and contrition, but at the same time, family problems. Maybe you are familiar with the situation when you and your spouse endure severe trials. And you pray a lot: “Lord, this is simply incomprehensible to me! My heart is right before You and I walk in covenant with You, I seek Your face constantly. So why are You allowing this terrible test?”

Like James, many of us think that prayer books and meek-spirited Christians should not endure severe suffering. We don't have to face dire situations when they come hard times and our whole future is at stake. But in reality, we see that it is possible to be humble, penitent, prayerful, surrendered to the will of God, obedient in everything, walk in covenant with Him, and at the same time have great tribulations and be in danger!

Nowhere in the Bible will you find that God promised to protect us from marital or marital problems. Nowhere is a smooth, smooth road in life promised to us. Nowhere is it said that we will be able to arrange our service career without hindrance. Nowhere is it indicated that troubles and suffering pass us by. On the contrary, it is written: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver him out of them all” (Ps. 33:20). This verse does not say that God will not allow troubles to come to us, but that He will deliver us from them.

Paul speaks of the height and depth of God's love he knew for him. However, the Lord did not save the ship on which Paul was sailing from a shipwreck. He even allowed the apostle to be stoned, beaten and dishonored. Paul says that he was subjected to tribulations on land and sea, both at the hands of foreign robbers and at the hands of his countrymen.

At times we may cry, crying, “Where are you, Lord? Why don't You get me out of this situation?" Yet, even if the Lord allows sorrows to test our souls, then one way or another, He frees us from all of them, as was the case with Jacob, Joseph and St. Pavel.

I believe that only a few Christians have experienced such tragic family circumstances as Jacob did. For example, he did not know that his beloved Rachel was a secret idolater - as a result of which God closed her womb from childbirth. Long years Rachel had no children because she stole her father's idols: “Rachel took the idols and put them under a camel's saddle and sat on them. And Laban searched the whole tent; but did not find it” (Genesis 31:34).

Jacob didn't even know about it. But when Laban discovered his loss, he caught up with Jacob and demanded that the idols be returned to him. James was greatly indignant at such an accusation. How could he know that his beautiful wife was so attached to those idols that she hid them under her, sitting on a camel saddle!

What a family disorder! Leah, was in a marriage union without mutual love with no future. She gave birth to son after son, thinking: "Now my husband will love me." But there were no changes.

Rachel, constantly pestering Jacob with requests to give her children, however, continued to be childless, since her idolatry was hateful to God.

But, all the while, Jacob in obedience made his walk before God. When he finally served his second seven-year term, God told him, “Return to Bethel, the place where you first met Me. Build an altar there and, as you promised, offer your sacrifice.”

Jacob obeyed. He gathered all his family and his flocks and set off on his way to Bethel, towards his father's house.

JACOB WAS WALKING TOWARDS THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF HIS LIFE - ALTHOUGH HE WALKED THE PATH OF OBEDIENCE!

Jacob clearly heard the word from the Lord and acted in complete obedience to this word. He knew that he was in covenant with God—that God would keep him and do everything he had told him. However, at that time he was facing such a test, which almost became fatal for him!

He was returning back to his brother Esau and to his father Isaac, whom he had deceived and whom he now had to meet. Even while he was on his way, messengers came to him and warned him: “Esau is coming to meet you and with him four hundred men of the army. He's probably not going well!"

The Scripture says that, "Jacob was very afraid..." (Gen. 32:7). I can imagine Jacob in a panic. He quickly divided his family into two camps, thinking, "If Esau kills some, at least the others will be able to escape." But, even in such a critical period of his life, the following passages of Scripture serve as proof of his contrite heart: I will do good to you!” I am unworthy of all the graces and all the good deeds that You have done to Your servant; for I crossed this Jordan with my staff; and now I have two camps. Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I am afraid of him, lest he come and kill me and my mother and children. You said: I will do good to you, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered from the multitude” (Genesis 32:9-12).

Jacob trusted only in the covenant with God and His promises. He was saying, in effect, “Lord, You promised! I know that I am not worthy. I know that my name means "repressing the other." But now that I have become obedient to You, I find myself on the edge of despair.

You said you would accompany me. IN this moment I am in danger of losing my family and everything I have. I'm not saying that I deserve Your protection. But I know that I love You and that I obey You. So, Lord, where is the fulfillment of the promises of the covenant?

Further we see Jacob in a strong struggle. The whole night he wrestled with the Angel (it was the Lord Himself). The Bible says that the Angel did not "strike" him. But this night of struggle changed Jacob: “And he said: from now on, your name will not be Jacob, but Israel; for you have wrestled with God, and you will prevail against men” (Genesis 32:28).

Some Christians will think, “Jacob's ultimate anguish and affliction were because he lacked faith. Now, when he received overwhelming faith and strength, new trials with new worries and sorrows were not obligatory for him. He could just forbid the devil and go on his way with joy!”

But no! Jesus says that His Father sends rain "on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matt. 5:45). And as long as we are on the path to eternal glory, we will meet sorrow and suffering. There is nowhere to hide - there is no place on earth where a contrite heart would be free from sorrows and anxieties!

God saved Jacob from the wrath of his brother Esau. But then, instead of going to Bethel as instructed, he stopped halfway. Although he was in covenant with God and in His power, nevertheless, he settled near the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan.

One day, Jacob's daughter Dina went into the city and was raped by the young son of Prince Emmor, Shechem. After Shechem confessed to Jacob and said that he wanted to marry Dinah. But Dinah's brothers were angry with Shechem for dishonoring their sister, and plotted.

They were forbidden to enter into marriage alliances with residents of foreign lands. But the sons of Jacob said that they would give consent to the men of this land to take their sisters as wives, only on the condition that all the male sex would be circumcised. They agreed and performed circumcision, but when they lay sick, the sons of Jacob attacked the city with swords and killed all the men, and their children, and wives, and all their wealth they took as booty.

When Jacob learned about what his sons had done to the inhabitants of the city of Shechem, his sadness knew no bounds. This man of prayer looked at his sons, who had committed such insidious murders, and said: “You have disgraced me before the whole world. How could you do it?

Beloved, such grief and sorrow for Jacob came after he prevailed in prayer! But the end of his suffering has not yet come. In his old age, Jacob had a son, Joseph, who became the comfort of his life. Jacob loved him very much, taught him a lot and gave him colorful clothes. But the day came when nice clothes Joseph was brought to Jacob all torn and covered in blood. He was told that a predatory beast tore Joseph to pieces.

Jacob wept with bitter tears for his son. This was the sharpest pain, the most inconsolable grief of his life, and at the same time the greatest test of his faith. Even the overwhelming power of his prayer could not bring back his son.

Later, in addition to everything experienced, a famine came to their land - a very difficult time in the life of Jacob. He saw how the soil dried up and did not give fruit, and again his prayer could not give rain. Members of his family were threatened with starvation, inevitable death.

Further events developed even worse. When Jacob sent his sons to Egypt for bread, they returned and told him that his son Simeon remained a hostage in Egypt until he was brought younger son James - Benjamin. It was already just too much for the old man. He could hardly stand the extreme tension of the situation at that time.

At this period in the history of Jacob, one would like to ask: is there any limit to trials at all and when do they stop? Does it happen that trials and tribulations befall the one who walks in covenant with God - who has a humble and contrite heart? Does God keep his covenant promises? Is it worth serving Him faithfully?

NOW LET ME SHOW YOU ANOTHER PICTURE FROM THE LIFE OF JACOB!

In extreme old age - he was 130 years old - Jacob resides in Egypt, where he is met and embraced with tears of joy by his son Joseph, whom Jacob considered dead and did not hope to see alive. It so happened that Joseph, according to the authority handed to him by the pharaoh, became the manager of all the land of Egypt. He was second in rank to the pharaoh. Joseph took Jacob in his chariot, and wherever they passed—through the streets, to Pharaoh's palace—the people bowed before Joseph with reverence and fear.

When Pharaoh asked Jacob about the years of his life, Jacob answered: “... the days of my wandering are one hundred and thirty years; small and miserable are the days of my life…” (Gen. 47:9). In Hebrew, they sound like this: "Small and mournful are the days of my life." Simply put: "I have known much suffering and grief."

Was it worth the pain? Yes - definitely! Jacob and his family were saved from the famine. All seventy members of his extended family were out of danger and settled in the fertile plots of Egyptian land. They now had an abundance of food. And the son of Jacob was on the throne of power!

Now Jacob, a broken-hearted man, was able to look back on his journey and say, “When my brother Esau threatened me, it seemed to me that my life had come to an end. But God saved me! He was always with me. When Laban tried to ruin me, God blessed me. He freed my wife Rachel and my entire family from idolatry.

I have triumphed over all my enemies. None of them ever threatened me again. And I myself lived to see the day when I saw my seed multiplied and prosperous - the beginning of a great nation. I have lived to the point where I can walk among my great-grandchildren—even great-great-grandchildren. And my sons will become the patriarchs of Israel, the leaders of their tribes.

Not a single word that the Lord spoke to me at the beginning remained unfulfilled. My Lord has always kept His every word to me!”

And beloved, He will fulfill all His words to us as well!

New Life Ministries International, Seattle, Washington, USA
Copyright © 2001-2009 — English Edition

Gen.17:10-13

This is my covenant, which you [must] keep between me and between you and between your descendants after you: let all the male sex be circumcised among you; circumcise your foreskin: and this will be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

Eight days from birth, let every male [child] born in a house and bought with money from some foreigner who is not of your seed be circumcised among you in your generations. He who is born in your house and bought with your money shall certainly be circumcised, and my covenant in your body shall be an everlasting covenant.

Tue 10:16

So cut off the foreskin of your heart and be no longer cruel to you.

Jer.4:1-4

If you want to turn, Israel, says the Lord, turn to Me; and if you put your abominations away from my presence, you will not wander. And you will swear: "As the Lord lives!" in truth, judgment and justice; and the nations will be blessed by him and praised by him.

For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Plow for yourselves new fields, and do not sow among the thorns. Circumcise yourselves for the Lord, and remove the foreskin from your heart, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My anger be opened like fire and kindled inextinguishably because of your evil inclinations.

Romans 2:28,29

For it is not the Jew who [is] outwardly, nor the circumcision which is outwardly in the flesh; but [that] Jew who is inwardly [such], and [that] circumcision, [which] is in the heart, in the spirit, [but] not in the letter: to him the praise is not from people, but from God.

The covenant of circumcision is valid for us as an indispensable part of the spiritual life. Previously, he served as a sign of belonging to the chosen people of God and ordered the circumcision of the foreskin of every male. It is not external circumcision that takes place in New Testament times. (Romans 2:28,29 ) and circumcision of the heart. And here the commandment remains adamant: anyone who is spiritually uncircumcised cannot be part of the body of Christ and be considered a true believer.

Let's see what circumcision of the heart is. Some things in this world and the life around us have a price, and we become attached to them, keeping in our heart the joy and pleasure of having them or allowing ourselves to do what we like.

But not all these joys are pure and not all pleasure is good: some people have a bad influence on us, a favorite thing makes us fear for its safety, and many things simply divert attention from God and absorb our strength and means. The Lord sees this and sets an unconditional condition: cut out everything dearest from your heart and put it on My altar! Let Me decide what has a place in your life and what should be gone forever.

So, circumcision of the heart is the ability to part for the Lord with everything that is dear to us or brings satisfaction, in order to show our trust and love for God, and the willingness to be submissive to all His decisions, no matter how difficult or even painful they are for us. .

Without this readiness and inner decision to always choose the will of God, we will be considered strangers to the Lord, because there is no place in our heart for two rulers: either we are ready to obey Him in everything, or otherwise we must forget about eternal life, because there is only one Lord in heaven and all are obedient only to Him!

In fact circumcision of the heart is a willingness to die to self, the world, sin, the flesh, and the devil to be resurrected with Christ by faith in God for life in Him. A person with an uncircumcised heart cannot receive water baptism because he does not have good conscience acquired in the circumcision of the heart.

Circumcision of the heart is like plowing virgin soil: if we want to get a crop, we must first uproot all plants that grew in the soil, and therefore sow it with seeds.

It is not for nothing that many do not fit the word of God, because in their hearts there are so many things and character traits that they do not want to part with, that there is no room for the grains of truth - they are drowned out by the weeds of carnal life, which it was a pity to cut.

Also circumcision of the heart means a conscious decision to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit And open before God in everything. We no longer want to hide from God or reserve the right to decide or do things without Him. From now on, our life belongs to the Lord, and not to ourselves.

You don't have to be very spiritual to follow this commandment. In Israel, babies were circumcised on the eighth day, which suggests that every born again person should circumcise his heart as soon as possible to avoid many spiritual problems, after which he is ready to receive water baptism. Do not delay, do not be afraid of pain: it is better to experience a loss in your heart now than later to meet with unexpected hardships when we are absolutely not ready for this.

Ezekiel 44:9

Thus says the Lord God: No strange son, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, not even that strange son who [dwells] among the children of Israel.

The sanctuary is a place of worship, praise and communion with God. If you are uncircumcised in heart, you have nothing to do at the throne of grace, even if you have been in the church for many years and actively participate in the ministry. If you want the Lord to hear you: go through the circumcision of the heart!

It is not surprising that many cannot pray above the ceiling - to heaven, because their motives are directed in the wrong direction and the desires of the heart are not corrected by the Lord! And praise can be regarded as criticism of a specialist or flattery of a sycophant, and not as a child's admiration for his loving parents. Why?

Because a person with an uncircumcised heart, along with trust in God, always has other supports: past deeds, position in society, natural talents and abilities, achievements. Climbing this pedestal, a person gives praise to God, or, pursuing their further goals (even if unconsciously), or gives an assessment of God's deeds, as a person who represents something.

That is, this praise shows not humility and admiration, but pride and vanity. God, who sees the heart of a person, does not accept such praise, because it is not glorification itself that matters to Him, but a loving and devoted heart that expresses its state through praise.

So, being uncircumcised in heart, we are deprived of the sources of life and grace, and before it is too late, we should put this in order in order to constantly have access to God, for only He is our life!

Joshua 5:2,3

At that time the Lord said to Jesus: Make for yourself sharp knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time. And Joshua made sharp knives for himself and circumcised the sons of Israel at [the place called]: The hill of circumcision.

Before entering the promised land, the people of Israel had to be circumcised again. This suggests that we cannot have the rest of God without first circumcising our heart. We will again and again experience the pain of losses and life changes, and will not stop worrying about the future until we undergo spiritual circumcision.

In circumcision, we allow sin, lusts, and excessive attachments to leave our hearts, and in their place come peace, trust in God, and the desire to do His will. Any fear loses power over us, because in our hearts we have already experienced parting with everything dearest, so any loss will not come as a surprise to us.

In addition, we must always remember that nothing happens without the will of the Father, who takes care of all our needs and knows that we in fact necessary. It is better to undergo a not very pleasant course of treatment than to constantly suffer from an illness that, in the end, will bring you to the grave!

Circumcision of the heart is a process that must be repeated periodically. Because over time, we may have new attachments and objects that we get used to. Imagine the thing that you have long dreamed of having, and behold, God heard your prayer: it is in your hands. It will not be easy for everyone to part with her, but this must be done in your heart, otherwise she may turn into an idol. It is even more difficult when you have children or other close people in your life.

Remember Abraham: once again he had to be circumcised with his son Isaac, and he could do it only by trusting God. I think always before serious life stages circumcision of the heart follows, it's like a test of fitness - if we pass it successfully, then we rise up the spiritual step and acquire good fruit.

2. Crush.

James 4:8-10

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you; cleanse your hands, sinners; correct your hearts, double-minded. Lament, weep and weep; May your laughter turn into weeping, and your joy into sorrow. Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Ps.37:19

I acknowledge my iniquity, I repent of my sin.

Crushing is the realization of oneself as miserable, broken, like dust and ashes, incapable of any good deed, poor and helpless. Why is this needed, you ask? Doesn't God want us to be strong in Him and able to overcome all evil? Does He really want to see us completely unfit for spiritual affairs and full of tears and sighs? Yes exactly!

Without this, we will not feel our complete dependence on God, we will climb into trouble in spiritual battles, we will begin to serve Him according to the flesh with our own efforts and reason, we will show human zeal not at all where it is necessary, and in the end we will not only not please the Lord, but and we will fall into the net of the devil and suffer a complete defeat in our spiritual life. Do you want it? I do not think.

The fact is that people have a tendency to forget their dependence on God. They strive for independence. And it’s worth a little carelessness, how you can fall into a false sense of your own importance and the ability to influence the environment. For the time being, the Lord allows such self-deception, but then he begins to oppose us, turning our "perfect" plans into nothing.

Only in contrition do we have the opportunity to become fit vessels for every good work. If we want to remain in some one state in which the Lord once used us, then we run the risk of becoming opponents of God, who is waiting for our growth in spirit.

If the Lord wants to make a vase out of the pot that you represent, then your complete contrition is necessary, otherwise there is a danger of remaining a pot and being filled with all sorts of impurities.

Only contrition allows you to give God all the glory even after the most incredible deeds and ministries, because it does not let you forget about the true state of things: you are just clay in the hands of the Potter! Only by His power can we do anything, only by His grace do we live and breathe. If we forget about this, then we steal from God what He rightfully deserves and are criminals.

And further, if we do not repent of our sins, we will never be able to completely part with them in our hearts, and this will be a great obstacle to victory in the spiritual life.

Ps.119:158

I see apostates, and I lament, for they do not keep Your word.

Contrition for others or because of events that are displeasing to the Lord is one of the manifestations of compassion, which is often so lacking in the people of God. It also expresses love for God and participation with Him in the desire to save sinners and establish the holy Kingdom of God in this world of evil.

Broken people move away from superficial judgments and perceive everything in the light of the word of God.

Therefore, all people who call themselves Christians, but who deviate from the holy word, changing it and adjusting it to their own interests, desires or revelations, do not cause joy in contrite hearts because of the self-deception of apostates.

Such contrition for backsliders gives strength to pray for them so that they may receive the truth and receive genuine salvation. It removes us from useless disputes, and gives us the opportunity to lay hold of God, trusting that He will work His work in apostates and reveal His glory.

Ps.33:19

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the humble in spirit.

Ps.50:19

Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a contrite and humble heart You will not despise, O God.

Isaiah 57:15

For thus says the High and Exalted One, Who Lives Eternally, His Holy Name is: I dwell in the high [heaven] and in the sanctuary, and also with the contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and revive the hearts of the contrite.

Isaiah 66:2

For all these things have been done by my hand, and all these things have come to pass, says the Lord. And this is who I will look to: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at My word.

The contrite and humble man has great promises from the Lord. It is the contrite heart that is the sacrifice acceptable to God, which He will never leave unaccepted. The Lord always pays attention to humble and contrite hearts, turned with trembling before the word of God to the Most High, and it does not happen that God turns away from such hearts.

If we want to be truly close to God, we simply need to have contrition and humility, because God opposes proud and self-willed people and moves away from them.

The Lord lives with those who are humble and contrite in spirit in order to fill such people with life and make them feel His grace, in which salvation comes and deliverance from all vices and sins, from all evil and impurity.

The Lord is ready to reveal his glory through contrite hearts, because they do not look at themselves, but trust only in God, who builds up the destroyed and "he will not break a bruised reed, and he will not quench a smoking flax" (Isaiah 42:3 ) .

Ps.146:3

He heals the brokenhearted and heals their sorrows

Never forget how weak and incapable we are of taking care of ourselves. We often fight and tremble until we are completely exhausted, and then the state of insignificance and limitation of our capabilities comes.

And at this time, the question always arises, is there any hope for us? And then the Lord in all His mercy gives us a helping hand, granting us consolation in sorrows, completely healing all the pain received during this period of time, and replenishing with His consolation.

With a contrite heart, we can count on complete healing from our diseases, no matter what their origin is: spiritual, mental or physical. Sometimes we even hinder our healing during illness or sorrow, because we are trying to cope with it ourselves, and do not fall with tears of contrition into the arms of the Father, who is always ready to help, comfort and heal our pain!

Remember, God does not want us to struggle with difficulties ourselves: He always has an answer to our need and healing for any, even the most incurable disease, if only our hearts remain contrite before Him!

3. Humility.

Micah 6:8

Oh man! told you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: act justly, love works of mercy and walk humbly before your God.

Matthew 11:29

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Phil.4:5

Let your meekness be known to all men. The Lord is near.

Humility before God implies complete surrender and reconciliation with Him completely on the terms of the Lord. And the command to be humble is not desirable for Christians, but a vital necessity that allows us to have peace with God.

Humility recognizes God as the only Lord of human life and understands that the Lord has every right to do with those who have humbled themselves before God, whatever He pleases. Humility places everything in the hands of God, trusting with trepidation in the mercy of the Lord, and accepts everything that happens as having happened by the permission of God and by His sovereign will.

A truly humble person will never grumble at fate, get annoyed by unpleasant circumstances, or send silent reproaches to the sky, complaining about life difficulties. Peace comes to humble people from God, because they have no one to rely on, and they rely only on the word of God that He will not leave them and support them in difficult times.

A humble person understands that everything is under God's direction, and if you trust God in everything, striving to be obedient to Him, the Lord will not leave those who have entrusted their lives to Him.

Humility does not tell God what to do, but seeks how to obey the Lord in all circumstances. It does not claim titles and does not seek glory for itself, recognizing that the essence of each person is extremely corrupted, and we are no better than the dust of the earth or earthworms that dig in manure. In humility, we acknowledge that we deserve the worst and understand that any judgment or punishment from God will be just for us.

In humility, the highest form of meekness is manifested, when our inner nature has lost its rebellion and put aside all its attempts to influence the environment, becoming completely obedient to God. So, a humble person is the most obedient instrument in the hands of God, ready to give all the glory to Him alone!

John 13:1-8

Before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, [demonstrated by deed that], having loved His beings in the world, He loved them to the end.

And during the supper, when the devil had already put in the heart of Judas Simon Iscariot to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given everything into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, got up from the supper, removed [from Himself the upper] clothes and, taking a towel, girded himself. Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.

Approaches Simon Peter, and he says to Him: Lord! Do you wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him: What I am doing, you do not know now, but you will understand later. Peter says to Him, You will never wash my feet. Jesus answered him: unless I wash you, you have no part with me.

Real humility, which all Christians should learn, was shown by our Lord. At the supper, He, the Lord and Teacher, in His great love, showed humility by washing the feet of the disciples, thereby humiliating Himself to serve those whom He loved.

And if He who left heaven for our salvation also humbled Himself before serving people, then why should we consider ourselves insignificant and be ready to serve, and not dominate others? It is in humility that we can be able to respect and honor others as worthier than ourselves, honoring them according to their good qualities or characteristics.

For a humble person, following the example of the Lord, even enemies and traitors like Judas Iscariot are entitled to our love and service. No wonder the Lord said that we should pray for those who offend and persecute us. Humility does not emphasize its merits, knowing that they are bestowed by God, and can see even in the lowest and most worthless people the hope of correction, because by its own example it sees from which pit we have been pulled by the Savior.

Humility is the opposite of a veiled form of pride, which, under the guise of false humility, cannot accept anything from the Lord, considering it unearned gratuitousness on its part. But this is the essence of humility: it is ready to accept and obey God in everything, accepting undeserved grace, knowing that otherwise it is impossible to receive anything from God.

Therefore, in examining God's desires, a humble person joyfully looks forward to their fulfillment in his life, speaking in his heart like Mary, who, having heard the good news from an angel, said: "Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38 ) .

Luke 17:5-10

And the Apostles said to the Lord: increase our faith. The Lord said: If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, and said to this fig tree, Be uprooted and transplanted into the sea, then it would obey you.

Which of you, having a servant plowing or grazing, upon his return from the field, will say to him: go quickly, sit down at the table? On the contrary, will he not say to him: prepare me supper, and, having girded yourself, serve me while I eat and drink, and then eat and drink yourself? Will he thank this servant for having carried out the order? I do not think.

So also you, when you have fulfilled everything commanded to you, say: we are worthless slaves, because we have done what we had to do.

In this passage of Scripture, the Lord, through a parable, shows the principle of how, through humility, one can receive growth in faith. A humble person has enough faith the size of a mustard seed, which he can use to eradicate, first of all, sinful roots and ungodly fruits from his life (although such faith is also enough for a humble person to see miracles from the Lord in his life).

Then, in understanding that we first need to feed Jesus with our faithfulness in small things and bearing spiritual fruit, we will be able to go our way without losing heart until we see how the Lord Himself has grown this faith in us through daily walking before Him in humility!

And, pay attention, all this happens without our merits and efforts, but by the grace of God through the measure of faith that was given to us. Humility recognizes the complete lack of earned rights or privileges on our part, remaining in the understanding that, regardless of the fruit made or brought, we remain worthless slaves who are still dependent on the mercy of their Master.

Heb.12:6-11

For whom the Lord loves, he chastens; he strikes every son whom he receives. If you suffer punishment then God deals with you as with sons. For is there any son whom his father does not punish? If you remain without punishment, which is common to all, then you are illegitimate children, and not sons.

Moreover, [if] we, being punished by our carnal parents, were afraid of them, then should we not be much more subject to the Father of spirits in order to live? They punished us according to their arbitrariness for a few days; but this one is for profit, that we may share in his holiness.

Every punishment now seems not joy, but sorrow; but afterward, to those who have been taught through it, it delivers the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

One of the features of humility is the ability to endure punishment from the Lord. There are some people who deny that God can punish us, believing that the devil brings us all the trouble.

And although the enemy of human souls seeks to harm us, difficulties do not always come from him. Sometimes the Lord Himself punishes us, allowing us to experience the fruits of our wrong actions, so that later we would be more responsible and obedient to the Lord and His word.

Humility recognizes that it deserves the sorrows or difficulties that come along the way, and does not immediately try to get rid of them. First of all, we seek God, and if we receive from Him an understanding that we are currently experiencing punishment, then we arm ourselves with patience and ask the Lord to show us what to do in these circumstances and what lessons we need to learn so as not to fall into such mistakes again in the future or sins.

Humility is ready to obey God in any command, supporting a person with a reminder that God gives us punishment, because He loves us as His children, He wants our correction and participation in His holiness, and not humiliation and shame.

So, a humble person, undergoing punishment, acquires for himself a precious experience that allows him in the future to become a more worthy disciple of Jesus Christ and a pure vessel fit and useful to the Master for every good deed.

James 4:5-7

Or do you think that Scripture says in vain: "The spirit that dwells in us loves jealously"? But the greater grace gives; Therefore it is said: God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So submit to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you.

If by faith we accept the grace bestowed from above, then humility generally makes its descent possible. A proud person does not need grace, he earns everything by his own efforts, in which he opposes God's dispensation. Therefore, the Lord begins to build barriers for the proud and crush their efforts.

A humble person, on the other hand, does not inflate his worth, he understands that if he does not receive something from the Lord for free, then he will not be able to win the heart of the Lord in any other way.

The Lord sees our hearts, and He is grieved by any self-deception of a person who thinks that he can earn God's favor. All the efforts and sacrifices of such a person are enmity with God, because they have their source in wrong motives, coming from a proud heart, thinking that the Lord looks at their advantages, while God sees their ingratitude and appropriation of what belongs only to God.

So, we should show humility in obedience to God and accept the grace given to us. The deeper our humility, the greater the measure of grace available to us.

However, humility does not make us passive in the face of evil. Our meekness and submission to God does not mean that we will submit to the devil or the power of sin in our lives. Therefore, we should always remember that humility has a purpose - to live according to the will of God, and neither the intentions of the devil, nor the desires of people or our flesh are subject to humility for submission.

We can obey people only if their instructions coincide with the desires of God, otherwise we should obey God more than people. In this regard, humility perfectly makes us realize that our Lord is a jealous God, who does not tolerate any encroachment on us from the side of darkness.

And if we are truly humble people, then we will not look indifferently at the machinations of evil, but we will resist the devil! And the Lord promises that he will flee from us!

Do not think that humility is a way to sit back, no, it is rather manifested in a desire to do the will of the Lord in every way, even if we have to fight spiritual battles with the devil and his demons to do this. And in these battles, we can be sure of complete victory because the Lord supports the humble and opposes the pride of Satan!

Heb.5:9,10

And having been made, he became for all obedient to Him the author of eternal salvation, having been named by God High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.

In the section on contrition, we have already touched on the promises for humble people. For example, any person who is humble in spirit can count on intimacy with the Lord and the opportunity to always be heard by God. The humility of people is dear to the Lord, He is glad to revive and affirm humble hearts that preserve the contrition that occurred in the lives of these Christians.

In the same passage from Scripture we see that humility, manifested in obedience to God, is directly related to eternal life. In heaven, before a just Judge, there is an Advocate and Intercessor only for humble people. This is a strong argument for those who try to justify themselves by their works and strive to do what they think is right, instead of humbly seeking knowledge of the will of God and being obedient to God in His commandments.

So, a humble person can always count on the intercession of Jesus and eternal life in the heavenly mansions, and this statement should be a great incentive to achieve humility in our lives!

Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Jesus on the beatitudes and the poor in spirit. In MF. 5:1, Lk. 6:20 Gospel of Matthew, Luke. New Testament. Bible

The interpretation of the Gospel, the essence of the text: To the well-being, the holiness of the prophet, it is smarter to start from poverty, tears, meekness, thirst, selflessness, even spending money on mercy, the world, suffering for the truth. God will reward more than joyful and rich liars. Bible book: New Testament, compare: Gospel of Matthew, text: chapter 5, verses 1-12 Gospel of Luke, text: chapter 6, verses 20-26 Read the Gospel, from Matthew the holy gospel - Matt.: Matt. 5:1 Seeing the people, He went up the mountain; and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. Matt. 5:2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Matt. 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matt. 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matt. 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matt. 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Matt. 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matt. 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Matt. 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:11 Blessed are you when they reproach you and persecute you and slander you in every way unrighteously for me. Matt. 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Read the Gospel, from Luke the holy gospel - Luke: OK. 6:20 And He, raising His eyes to His disciples, said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for yours is the Kingdom of God. OK. 6:21 Blessed are those who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are those who weep now, for you will laugh. OK. 6:22 Blessed are you when people hate you and when they excommunicate you and revile you and carry your name as dishonorable for the Son of Man. OK. 6:23 Rejoice in that day and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. This is what their fathers did to the prophets. OK. 6:24 On the contrary, woe to you rich! for you have already received your consolation. OK. 6:25 Woe to you who are now satiated! for you will cry. Woe to you who laugh today! for you will weep and wail. OK. 6:26 Woe to you when all people speak well of you! for so did the false prophets of their fathers. Interpretation of the Gospel in questions and answers: What does blessed mean? Blessed means happy or fortunate. What does poor in spirit mean? Most likely, the poor in spirit are ordinary beggars; poor or needy people. Ah, the word spirit should be attributed not to the poor themselves, but to the phrase the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God, i.e. poor for the sake of the Spirit, for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, which are synonymous with that spiritual goal for which the righteous poor do not strive to be unrighteous rich. But, but apart from this, there is a whole palette of different opinions and interpretations about the poor in spirit. For example, some believe that the poor in spirit are humble, others that they are conscientious, i.e. people with a clear conscience, third, that they are acquiring the Holy Spirit bit by bit all their lives like poor alms, fourth, that these are those who refuse glory and ambition. And, such pious options are exaggerated ad infinitum in various literature in all sorts of ways, tk. To talk about spiritual poverty causes aesthetic pleasure for many. However, in such reasoning, it is difficult to see the answer to the question of why Jesus, for general clarity, did not call: humble, conscientious, acquirers of the Spirit, but used an incomprehensible phrase poor in spirit, causing so many options for understanding and discrepancies. In addition, the humble is absolutely the same as saying the meek, and specifically about the meek in the same Sermon on the Mount, a separate commandment that blessed are the meek. Read more in this article. How then to understand the verses or . Blessed are those poor who are such by the spiritual call, because in this way they reach the Kingdom of Heaven and draw nearer to God.

Who explains or translates in Luke chapter 6 verse 20 blessed are the poor without adding a word spirit

In addition to the traditional translation of the Synodal edition, the verse OK. 6:20 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for yours is the kingdom of God, there are similar translations, but without the word spirit, i.e. we are talking about the poor in the economic sense, i.e. about the poor strata of the population who do not have a high income.

B.A. Tikhomirov, On the History of the Text of the New Testament: Blessed are the Poor (Luke 6:20)

Tikhomirov B.A. wrote that the free handling of texts at an early stage of their existence, as well as natural the increase in errors as the manuscripts were rewritten led to a significant number of discrepancies in the handwritten New Testament heritage. There are more than 150 thousand of them! Of course, the vast majority of them do not affect the original meaning of the sacred text. These are discrepancies regarding the used prepositions, case and verb forms, used articles ... Nevertheless, there are differences that seem significant. For example, all ancient manuscripts give the first beatitude in the Gospel of Luke as blessed are the poor without the addition of spirit (Luke 6:20).

Translation of Bishop Cassian: blessed poor (Luke 6:20)

In the translation of ep. Cassian (Bezobrazov): OK. 6:20 Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Translation of the priest Leonid Lutkovsky, Lk. 6:20: blessed beggars

In the translation of St. Leonid Lutkovsky: OK. 6:20 Blessed are the poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you.

Translation by V. N. Kuznetsova: How happy are those who are poor for the sake of the Lord! The Kingdom of Heaven is for them

In a note to the translation of the Gospel of Matthew published by the Russian Bible Society, V.N. Kuznetsova writes that how happy (Heb. ashre) is not a wish for something that does not yet exist. In the eyes of God, it is not the rich who are happy, but the poor - those who completely rely on Him.

That they are poor for the sake of the Lord - literally: that are poor in spirit, or in the Spirit, or for the sake of, because of the Spirit. The meaning of these words depends on which spirit is meant: the spirit of man or the Spirit of God.

If this is the human spirit, then we are talking about meek, modest, humble people who are aware of their sinfulness and helplessness, their insignificance and need for God's help. If it is the Spirit of God, then the possible meaning is: the poor whom the Spirit of God has made so or voluntarily giving up property for the sake of the Spirit, for the sake of God. After all, Jesus is addressing here primarily to His disciples, who for His sake left everything and became poor. compare, Luke 6:20 How happy are the poor. Perhaps the text of Luke is original, and Matthew adds the word Spirit to emphasize the religious meaning of these words and to indicate not only external conditions human life, but also on his inner mood. This does not exclude material poverty, but the meaning of the words is clarified and is transferred from the economic to the religious sphere.

English version of The Holy Bible: King James Version, Luke 6:20

In the English version of The Holy Bible: King James Version. The Gospel according to St. Luke 6:20, it is written: Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God., i.e. Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God without a word spirit.

BUT, Kingdom of God- this is the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of Christ, and the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Kingdom of the Spirit of Christ, and the Higher Spiritual Heavenly Kingdom of Christ, and the Kingdom of those who have acquired the Spirit of Christ, and so on ad infinitum, depending on the preferences of the translator from English into Russian. And the poor in spirit are, respectively, those poor who are called by the Spirit to the Kingdom of Christ, and prefer the Spirit for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, and are drawn by the Spirit to the King-Christ, and for the sake of the Spirit of Christ labored on the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, etc.

If in OK. 6:20 missing word spirit, then how is its presence explained in the Gospel of Matthew Matt. 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Many understand the meaning poor in spirit based on the explanation of John Chrysostom. And, John Chrysostom himself, when explaining, refers to the prophet Isaiah. So, you need to understand what St. John Chrysostom and the prophet Isaiah poor in spirit.

Explanation of John Chrysostom about poor in spirit

John Chrysostom explains that he believes that Jesus used the phrase poor in spirit for expressiveness.

Saint John Chrysostom in Conversations on Saint Matthew the Evangelist says what does it mean: poor in spirit? Humble and brokenhearted. Spirit He called the soul and disposition of man. Why didn't He say: humble, but said poor? Because the latter is more expressive than the former; Here He calls poor those who fear and tremble at the commandments of God, whom God through the prophet Isaiah calls His own, saying: whom I will look upon: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at my word (Isaiah 66:2).

Indeed, it became more expressive, but, at the same time, there was a bewilderment of who the poor in spirit are and it is necessary to further explain what kind of category of people this is. It becomes not entirely clear why the semantic content of the phrase was sacrificed for the sake of expressiveness, because it would be easier to immediately call them humble, so that it would be clear to the simple listeners who surrounded Jesus what was being said.

There are among the beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew Matt. 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. The meek and humble are people of similar qualities, so much so that these qualities can be considered full of synonyms. Then, you need to decide what exactly they will inherit: the Kingdom of Heaven or the Earth. Because it's completely different concepts, directly opposite.

Jesus in the Gospel strove to express his thoughts clearly, to explain with examples and parables, and if he saw misunderstanding among the disciples, he always tried to clarify and clarify the confusion that arose. And Jesus specifically said about humility: Matt. 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls;. Ah, did not say in the abstract that for I am meek and poor in spirit, after all, it would be obscure what it means - poor in spirit.

It turns out that when reading the Gospels in any translation, you need to choose for yourself one of two translation options: either the poor, or the poor in spirit. In order not to try to combine both terms, simultaneously inventing on the go what these very poor in spirit mean, and, they say, in Matthew it is so, and in Luke in similar words, but with a different thought and with a different hint. It is obvious that Jesus said quite definite words in the Sermon on the Mount to all those around him, either the poor or the poor in spirit, and not one thing to Matthew, but another to Luke. And, here are heard and understood the words of Jesus, it could be different. And, it will be reasonable for yourself to hear the option that is more suitable for you to understand. One that you can defend in a discussion that you can explain to others in your own words if necessary. In short, the one that is closer and more understandable to you.

St. John Chrysostom refers to the prophet Isaiah 66:2, then, let's read what Isaiah said.

Isaiah chapter 66 verse 2 and poor in spirit

The book of the prophet Isaiah does not directly speak about the poor in spirit, but St. John Chrysostom refers to similar words: But this is whom I will look upon: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at my word (Isaiah 66:2). To understand what are distinctive features humble and contrite in spirit from the prophet Isaiah, what kind of people they are, what qualities they possess, it is necessary to read a sufficient fragment of the text, including the verse of Isaiah. 66:2 to understand the meaning of Isaiah's words from the surrounding context. Perhaps the people Isaiah speaks of are those poor in spirit about which Jesus spoke in the Gospel of Matthew according to St. John Chrysostom.

Summary of Isaiah 65:2 - 66:17 and broken in spirit

Upon careful reading of Isaiah 65:2 - 66:17 to verse 66:2 which John Chrysostom refers to, it turns out that those who are contrite in spirit are understood in two ways. In one case, as envious, regretting that they were not with God at the moment when their hour of reckoning came. In fact, these are the opponents of God, therefore, in fact, their spirit turned out to be crushed. And, in another case, as obedient servants of God trembling before God, always staying with God, to whom, just, Chrysostom refers. These two groups of people are constantly contrasted in the text. Some are like negative characters, whose example is not worthy of imitation, while others are like positive ones, i.e. as a model of behavior and obedience for all. And, these two groups should not be confused with each other, although in the verses of Isaiah the prophet they are tightly intertwined and called equally contrite in spirit, but the reasons for their contrition are different.

How does the prophet Isaiah describe the difference between good broken-hearted people and bad broken-hearted people?

The prophet Isaiah believes that good people they differ in that they do not eat pork and mice, do not sit in coffins and do not spend the night in caves, do not make sacrifices in groves, do not burn incense on shards, do not boil in pots for the deities of Gad and Meni. It seems that Isaiah is talking about the fact that those who want to please God should not engage in idolatry and superstition. It should be noted that the prophet Isaiah in the text does not describe what people with a good contrite spirit need to do in order to be considered pleasing to God, but, on the contrary, lists what they should not do, since this will equate them with people disliked by God.

In this way, avoiding idolatry and the manifestation of superstition, these humble and contrite-spirited people are putting into practice that they revere God and tremble at the word of God.

Summary of Isaiah 65:2 - 66:17

Isaiah 65:2 - 66:17 Every day I stretched out My hands to a disobedient people, who walked in an unkind way, according to their own thoughts, - to a people who constantly offend Me in the face, offer sacrifices in groves and burn incense on potsherds, sit in tombs and spend the night in caves; he eats pork meat, and a vile brew (a meal for Gad and a bowl for Meni - deities) in his vessels; I condemn you with a sword, and you will all bow down to the slaughter ...

Behold, my servants will eat, and you will starve; My servants will drink, and you will be thirsty; My servants will rejoice, but you will be ashamed; My servants will sing with heartfelt joy, and you will cry out with heartfelt sorrow and weep with contrite spirit. (Here, from contrition of spirit - this is from envy, from disappointment, and not from humility, i.e. those who are broken in spirit act as negative characters) ...

And, this is who I will look upon: the humble and contrite in spirit and trembling before My word (here, the servant of God, that is, the broken-hearted act as positive heroes) ... Hear the word of the Lord, trembling at His word: your brothers, those who hate you and cast you out for my name's sake say: let the Lord manifest Himself in glory, and we will look at your joy. But they will be put to shame... Those who sanctify and purify themselves in the groves, one by one, eat swine meat and abominations and mice, all will perish, says the Lord.

Are the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew about the blessedness of the poor in spirit connected with the words of the prophet Isaiah about the benefits of the servants of God who are humble and contrite in spirit?

If following the example of St. John Chrysostom to consider that the poor in spirit are the humble and contrite in spirit servants of God according to the description of the prophet Isaiah, then it turns out that the main feature of the poor in spirit will be the lack of craving for superstitious rituals and idolatry, refusal to eat pigs and mice.

And, if we dwell on the understanding that in the Gospel of Matthew, as well as in the Gospel of Luke, they simply mean the poor, and the word spirit understood as a synonym for the mention of the Kingdom of Heaven, then in the commandment of beatitude there is no need to refer to St. John Chrysostom and the prophet Isaiah, because the term disappears poor in spirit, it does not need to be interpreted and explained. And, only the commandments remain beggars in the sense of the poor, with a small income, striving for the Kingdom of Heaven. But then the commandment Matt. 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven will sound like butter oil, because spirit, in fact, this is already for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. And, a more correct version of the translation of the commandment would be the one indicated in the Gospel of Luke in the above translations, where the word spirit.

Choose for yourself the option that is closer to you, the point of view that will be easier for you to defend in a discussion about who the poor in spirit are. This topic constantly comes up and is discussed on the Internet, which indicates that people are not satisfied with the available answer options, do not remember them, and are looking for a more appropriate answer that you can offer for consideration.