The ways of the Lord are inscrutable - what does this mean? A parable about God and a young monk who wanted to know why the ways of the Lord are inscrutable. The ways of the Lord are inscrutable, leading to salvation What does the expression of the ways of the Lord mean?
After the greeting, I ask the listeners one biblical riddle: which of the heroes of the Bible told lies three times, and God was with him, and as soon as he told the truth once, God left him. For the answer, just open the book of Judges 16:4-22.
Let's turn now to Job 11, verses 7-8. “Can you find God by searching…” We can also read about this in the epistle to Romans 11:33 “…how incomprehensible are His judgments and unsearchable are His ways!”
In the book of Joshua we can read about Rahab the harlot (Joshua 2:1 and 6:16-24), in 2 Kings 11, about David and Bathsheba.
In this amazing dream, a man approached him and simply demanded that the monk go with him. They immediately, without long gatherings, left the refuge of this hermit, and in the evening spent the night in a remote village with some person who shared great joy with them. There was a long-standing enmity between him and his neighbor, there were no ways to reconcile, no points of contact, but literally today (on this very day) the neighbor came to him in peace and presented him with a golden cup as a sign of reconciliation.
But in the morning, when they set off on their journey, the hermit was very surprised when his companion showed him the most beautiful cup he had stolen from this hospitable host. Taken aback by such deceit, the monk barely opened his mouth, when this man strictly told him: “Be quiet, these are the ways of God…”
So they walked for another whole day and towards evening they came to a hut that was almost falling down from dilapidation. It seemed inconvenient for them to disturb such a poor man, but the owner received them very friendly and even treated them to what he himself had for dinner - a bowl of lean stew.
The next day, when they set off again, the hermit saw that his companion was a little behind. When he heard the steps of his fellow traveler, he turned around and saw the hut in which they happened to spend the night burning. To a direct question, this incomprehensible companion clearly answered that it was he who set fire to the hut. Disappointed by his behavior, the hermit wanted to turn away and leave him, but he again uttered yesterday’s phrase: “Understand, these are the ways of God…”
Silently they went on, and the hermit reasoned to himself - well, how can this be God's ways, God would never do that!
In the evening they had to spend the night in the first house they came across, although the look of the gloomy owner did not at all inspire confidence. But it quickly got dark, and they still stayed for the night in this house. It seemed to them that this man was hardly capable of something good, they should, apparently, be wary of this master. Only for a short time did his face brighten up when he made some request to his son, who was busy in the corner. The night passed, and the next morning, the companion of our monk asked the owner that the boy would accompany them to the main road in this area.
The owner did not agree for a long time, but still was forced to let the baby go with them. After a while they came to a narrow bridge thrown over a mountain stream. And, to be more precise, these were just a few perches, below, the river rustled and bubbled in rapids and waterfalls. The hermit ventured to go first.
When he reached the opposite bank, he turned around. Oh God! His companion pushed the boy into the churning stream. The noise of the stream drowned out his death cries, and soon he was completely out of sight.
The completely indignant monk shouted in his hearts: “Yes, you are Satan himself! I will no longer take a single step with you ... ”But the companion repeated to him this time:
“Be quiet, these are the ways of God!” At the same time, an indescribable heavenly light illuminated his face.
Wishing to calm the hermit, he continued to say - “Do you want to know the reason for these events ?! Yes, I took the cup in the first house, because the reconciliation was feigned, and the cup was poisoned. As soon as the owner tried to use it, he would immediately die on the spot. The second case was not clear to you either. And it's even easier...
In the garbage of a burned-out hut, the owner must find gems left by one of his ancestors. They will help the poor, and rebuild a new house, and start a new, this time a comfortable life. Here is today's incident. The owner, out of love, would inspire the boy to become just like him, a robber and a murderer.
Sorrow for a lost son can still help him change, it will be a blessing to his father. Isn't it so?.. You see, God had good and wise intentions in each case, although they were incomprehensible to you and even seemed objectionable to God.
Having finished his story, the mysterious companion (and it was an angel of God!) simply vanished into thin air. The hermit woke up with tears in his eyes. This dream taught him to trust God, not trying to reason and comprehend His, God's, actions.
Finally, I would like to give you another example from the Bible. Let's open Genesis, the 43rd chapter. The steward, the head of the house of Joseph, unquestioningly accepted the commands of the owner. "Throw these people in the dungeon!" or "Go invite them to dine with me!" or "Give them back their silver!" or “Bring them back soon!” He knew how to trust and accept all decisions and requests, no matter how strange and contradictory they might look at first glance. Much later he saw God's great plan for Joseph. I think that each of us should develop this important habit in ourselves - in trusting the Lord to go to the end. It is not for nothing that in the Epistle of James it is written - "A man with double thoughts is not firm in all his ways." (James 1:8)
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The publishing house of our monastery published a new book - "The Life of Hieromartyr Veniamin (Kazan), Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdov, and others like him who suffered the Monk Martyr Sergius (Shein), Martyrs Yuri Novitsky and John Kovsharov » .
In the new book of the famous Russian hagiographer, Archimandrite Damaskin (Orlovsky), the reader is offered the life of Metropolitan Veniamin (Kazansky) of Petrograd, one of the first holy martyrs, who did not sin in his soul or conscience during the persecution that began and gave his life for Christ and His Church .
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all videos →Inscrutable are the ways of the Lord that lead to salvation
Oh, the reviving of the soul is accomplished by the will of God and the power of God, but a person is required to have his will in bringing repentance to God. The period of repentance required by the sinner is known to the One God. The repentant sinner, even being, as it seems, forgotten by God, as it seems to him, by the wonderful will of God, gains spiritual benefit, comes to prosperity: the Lord leads to salvation! The wondrous wisdom and goodness of God in God's permission for man to fall.
Every business requires a spiritual attitude towards oneself, and not a universal one. To great regret, for the most part, you see and hear murmuring around you and in yourself, unwillingness to obey what the Lord sends, the demand for a fair attitude towards yourself, and other crazy manifestations of opposition to the will of God. How great is our weakness! How weak is our faith! It is not our business to argue why and why this or that comprehends us; one must know that this is the will of God, one must humble oneself, and to demand, so to speak, an account from God - there is extreme madness and pride. So, everyone should demand from himself (that is, force himself to do) the fulfillment of all the commandments and everything that other people do to us, that without the help of people is done to us - consider it a righteous judgment of God for our benefit, our salvation, and humbly all that tolerate.
It will be soul-saving and bring peace to our hearts.
God! May your Holy will be done.
They have colossal authority even among those who are biased towards religions. Ordinary people who feel the gravity of their situation often resort to seeking comfort and hope within the Bible texts. Many wish to correctly understand the meaning of the phrase "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable." To do this, it is necessary to trace the history of the appearance of the aphorism and its church interpretation.
Interpretation of meaning in Orthodoxy
For the first time the phrase "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable" (Investigabiles viae Domini) was voiced by the Apostle Paul in the Book of the New Testament. The expression compels people to accept on faith the power of the most just Almighty Father, who knows all events at all times. This phrase has the greatest ability to comfort in times of adversity.
Read about biblical texts:
Bible, Holy Scripture
Rational materialists believe that this phrase is not a pure answer to the mysterious question, because it does not increase the degree of human knowledge. They believe that a simple assertion is hidden here about the impossibility of true knowledge of things and concepts.
About the Orthodox faith:
In order to correctly comprehend this aphorism, a person needs to understand what was said by the soul, and not by a restless mind. There are several interpretations that explain to us the essence of the expression:
- Man does not have the greatest mind to realize the absoluteness of being, in contrast to the Almighty, who, even recreating the universe, does not waste his infinite energy.
- It is impossible to know the path (destiny) that God has determined for each individual that exists in nature.
- The Church understands this phrase in another way: the desire to know the future, always hidden from us by a veil of mystical prohibition, is a terrible sin. Therefore, Orthodoxy has always condemned fortune-telling and other trials of fate.
- Human pride, which causes great trouble, is constantly punished by the mighty right hand of the Lord. It is a mistake to think that the commission of any action without the permission and help of God is permissible.
Every believer should rely on the Almighty and sacredly honor his omnipotence, and also show gratitude for the smallest good that he receives. If fate has presented the most difficult trials, patience and courage should be shown by daily reading prayer rules. The Lord opens the veil of His secrets to those who, with a clear conscience, walk an individual path without despondency or blasphemy.
In the past, the Almighty was revered better, most people firmly believed in the Heavenly Father and knew that the fate sent to them was fair, and it was blasphemous to ask for another life. The believers understood: the righteous path given by the Almighty God will certainly lead the soul to purification and reunion with the Absolute.
The Lord never abandons his children, providing everything necessary to complete the goal
Today, pride has taken over people, which encourages them to think that higher powers do not decide fate. Most of humanity relies only on their own strength, completely ignoring the Holy Scriptures and the existence of the One Creator. The proud make plans that concern only their egos. However, when fragile hopes break on the waves of the universe, people begin to look for support and comforting words.
Important! The source of this great aphorism about the ways of the Lord is the words spoken by the apostle Paul in the letter to the Romans. The saint here is amazed at the boundless grandeur and endless wisdom of Divine Providence.
The Lord never forsakes his children, justly giving them everything they need to complete a certain goal. The apostle said that the ways of God cannot be traced, comprehended by the mind, there is no trace in them that could enable us to recognize the great plan.
Parables to help understand the meaning of the saying
“The ways of the Lord are inscrutable” is a paraphrased expression from the New Testament, which is a moral consolation for a person in difficult moments of life. These words of support are often heard from the lips of wise and calm people, priests.
A person must completely rely on the Creator, not getting entangled in useless speculation, because the most sorrowful incidents can turn into great joy, and vice versa.
The Lord reveals himself to those who walk their path with a clear conscience
Parable of Justice
Once upon a time there lived an old man who had gone through a long path of suffering and fleeting pleasures. He did not want to put up with worldly injustice and with an inner voice appealed to God, demanding an explanation. Once an angel appeared to him, led him to climb onto the crown of a tree and observe everything that happens on earth.
Soon the elder saw the rider who had lost the bag of gold. The next morning, this wealth was discovered by a simple peasant resting under a tree. On the third day, a beggar came here and found lunch left by a happy farmer. However, the cruel horseman soon returned and with one blow of the sword killed the homeless man, believing him to be the one who stole the gold.
The old man descended to earth in deep disappointment and decided to renounce the Father because of the shown cruelty. The angel mercifully explained the essence of what had happened. He made it clear that the rider is a cynical tax collector whose job it is to ruin the people. And the beggar is a former robber who prayed to the Lord for the forgiveness of his monstrous sins. With the help of this money, the farmer was able to pay off his debts and feed his family.
About Orthodox symbols:
The Parable of the Hermit
For many years the lonely and righteous monk prayed in his cave. His mind was restless, he wanted to penetrate the secrets of life and gain sacred knowledge. In a dream, a strange man came to the monk, who called him with him. The road lasted three days and brought only grief, as it seemed at first.
In the first hours of the journey, the monk's companion took a golden cup from the house of a simple peasant - a gift from a neighbor in honor of the long-awaited reconciliation. On the second day, the guide burned down the hut of the poor man who sheltered them. And in the last hours, he threw a young man into the river, who volunteered to be an escort.
The monk was indignant, but the companion was unshakable and referred to the phrase "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable." Soon the plot of the events was revealed: the golden cup was cynically poisoned; on the ashes of a hut, a poor man will discover a treasure hidden by his ancestors; and the dead youth would have become a bloodthirsty robber at the instigation of a cruel father. The latter changed his views after the death of his only son and embarked on a righteous path.
After awakening, the monk realized the power of the Supreme Mind.
Video conversation with the father. God works in mysterious ways
The wisdom of the Bible is not questioned even by those who do not consider themselves believers. In a difficult situation, ordinary people, enjoying a previously worldly life, turn to the Holy Scriptures to find comfort and hope in it. Quite often, the suffering comes across the phrase "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable." What does it mean? How to understand and interpret this very common expression? In this article, we will try to make sure that you never again wonder what the "Inscrutable ways of the Lord" are.
The Bible is the source of wisdom
Preachers say that the Lord himself directs a person at the right time to the Bible and opens in front of him that very page, the lines from which will pour balm on a wounded soul. Therefore, when you find the phrase “The ways of the Lord are inscrutable” in the Holy Scriptures, do not think what it means. Be sure - this is directly related to your life and the events taking place in it. Otherwise, why would this expression catch your eye?
Not every inhabitant correctly understands what the phrase "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable" means. Even fewer people know where it came from. Let's clear up this difficult question.
Where did the expression "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable" come from?
This phrase is used by both clergy and ordinary laity. Most often it is used as a comforting word in sermons and in personal conversation. Few people think where in the New Testament it can be found and in what context it was first used.
If you open the Bible to Paul to the Romans, you will find the following text there: "O abyss of riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His judgments and unsearchable are His ways!" This verse can be considered the first use of the phrase "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable", the meaning of which does not change from the wording of the expression itself.
The fact is that the interpretation of many words from the Bible has no analogues in the Russian language. Therefore, the Orthodox clergy had to choose more understandable and close-sounding substitute words. It is not surprising that it has undergone some changes and now sounds different than in the original source.
What does the expression "Inscrutable ways of the Lord" mean?
It is difficult to interpret biblical wisdom, because preachers believe that it is necessary to perceive it with the soul and heart. But we still try to understand the true meaning of the expression.
If you carefully read the original source, that is, the New Testament, it will be clear that he admires the plans of the Lord. He does not offer to follow His plans, but admits that they are difficult to understand for the average person. And do not even try to figure out which way God will lead you. In addition, many Christian preachers warn people against trying to look into God's plans. Otherwise, the pride of a person can be punished, and therefore they teach a person with phrases about the inseparability of God's providence.
In modern Russian, the word "inscrutable" has long been replaced by "inscrutable". It is much clearer in sound, but the meaning of the phrase remains the same - a person must trust God and perceive everything that happens in his life with gratitude and humility. It is to the humble that the Lord, according to Scripture, reveals his plans, but not always.
If it is still difficult for you to understand what the expression "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable" means, then draw a parallel with the no less famous folk proverb "Everything that is done is for the better." Both of these expressions testify that everything in a person's life goes according to God's plan and his will simply needs to be trusted.
In what sense is the common biblical phrase used?
We already understand where the phrase "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable" came from. What does this mean in today's world? How different is the understanding of the expression by today's people from the Orthodox believers of past centuries? Priests believe that the difference is significant.
Previously, people more easily trusted the plans of God and obeyed all the changes in their lives. The believers were sure that their path was determined from above, and it only leads to the salvation of the soul. There was practically no desire to argue with God and His plans. There are cases when the most difficult trials that befell a person, passed with dignity, prayer and gratitude, brought a person to a new level of life. And then people said that God brought man to happiness, or they said that the ways of the Lord are inscrutable. What this means, no one even thought, so strong was the faith in God's plans.
Of course, few people today can boast of such a strong faith. No wonder so many troubles and misfortunes occur in people's lives. According to the priests, until a person gives his life into the hands of God and passes all the milestones of the path, he will be tested. In the modern world, we quite often say a well-known phrase as sympathy or consolation when we don’t know how to explain an unpleasant incident and encourage a person. It does not sound in her former admiration and reverent awe before the plans of God, only the recognition of her weakness and defenselessness before higher powers.
"The ways of the Lord are inscrutable" - the founding phrase of Christianity
Many theologians who pay great attention to the study of the Bible believe that there is a list of phrases that most accurately characterize the meaning of Christianity. What does the phrase "The ways of the Lord are inscrutable" mean in this sense?
Everything is more than simple, but at the same time surprisingly difficult for the understanding of independent and self-confident inhabitants of the twenty-first century. Theologians say that humility before God is expressed in gratitude for everything that comes into life. After all, only the Lord knows the past, present and future. He knows how to avoid dangers and temptations or which way to go. Therefore, in many parables it is explained how it is necessary to pass tests in order to find happiness. They are able to allegorically convey the importance of accepting the will of the Lord.
Parable of the Elder and the Angel
There are many legends on the topic of our article, but one parable very colorfully characterizes how little we see and understand in what is happening around us. According to this parable, the old man, wise with gray hair, could not understand the injustices of our world and constantly appealed to the Almighty with questions and lamentations. One day, he found an angel nearby, who ordered the old man to climb a tree and watch what would happen below for three days. The wise man obeyed and on the first day he saw how a rich rider lost a bag of gold. On the second day, the gold was found by a farmer who sat down to eat under a tree. On the third day, a beggar came to the tree and greedily began to eat the food forgotten by the happy peasant. But to his misfortune, the rider returned and killed the beggar, believing that he had stolen the lost bag of money. After these events, the old man got down from the tree in tears and deep indignation. He was ready to renounce his faith, seeing such injustice, but an angel stopped him and explained the essence of what was happening. He said that a rich horseman is a cruel tax collector who ruins the people. And he killed the former robber, who prayed for death to atone for his past sins. After this murder, the tax collector will repent of his deed and turn to God. And the farmer was practically ruined by exorbitant taxes, and a bag of gold saved his entire family from certain death.
"The ways of the Lord are inscrutable" - what this means, we think, will become even more clear after reading the next parable.
The dream of a hermit monk
In one of the caves, a hermit monk lived righteously and in prayer for many years. But he was haunted by the plans of God, he dreamed of penetrating into their essence and possessing knowledge. Once in a dream a man came to him and called for him. The monk spent three days on the road with him, and each of them brought him more and more disappointment in faith. On the first night, the monk's companion stole from the peasant's house a golden cup, a gift from a neighbor in honor of reconciliation after a long quarrel. After the second night, he set fire to the hut of the poor man who sheltered them. And on the morning of the third day, he asked for the son of one of the peasants, who gave them shelter, as a guide, and threw him into a stormy river. He stopped all the indignations of the monk with a phrase about the plans of God.
At the end of the journey, the man revealed to the elder the true meaning of the things that happened during the journey. As it turned out, the golden cup was poisoned, and on the ashes of his house, the beggar will find a rich treasure hidden by his ancestors, and completely change his life. And the dead baby, at the instigation of his father, was to become a bloodthirsty robber and destroy several thousand innocent souls. After the death of his only son, the father will grieve greatly and become the most pious person in his village. He will be able to help many people with advice and deed, and he will die at an advanced age.
After this story, the mysterious man disappeared, and the monk woke up. Since then, he has learned to trust the Lord without asking for explanations.
Conclusion
Summing up everything written, I would like to say that faith in God involves blind trust. Do not look for meaning in what is happening in your life. After all, even negative situations lead to a happy ending. Do not allow pride and do not try to decide your own fate. Remember - the ways of the Lord are inscrutable.
Sometimes it seems to us that what is happening in our lives or the lives of our loved ones, relatives, friends is unfair. We do not understand why God allowed this or that to happen in someone's life, considering it wrong, condemning. At the same time, completely forgetting about the commandment " Judge not lest you be judged".
We do not remember our past lives, so we do not know what we are suffering for. But knowing about the existence of the law of cause and effect, we can assume that if someone was killed in this life, then most likely in a past life he himself was a killer, and thus simply receives karmic retribution in order to understand from his own experience the error similar action and not repeat such a mistake in the future.
The ways of the Lord are inscrutable to us.
Our the future is based on our past. The program of our life is compiled by specialists in the hierarchy of God in order to take into account many nuances, among which karmic debt and measures to work it off are necessarily taken into account, and a specific goal is set for developing the necessary qualities and skills in the soul in order to move further in evolution.
In the living Cosmos, everything must always develop and progress constantly, and everything that does not want to develop is destroyed as a marriage and thus has no future.
Our choices determine our future.
We are given the opportunity in certain situations of our life to make a choice. By our choice we determine our future, we choose the energies with which our soul is filled. We do a good deed - we are filled with the energies of good, we do an evil deed - we accumulate the energies of evil in the soul. What kind of energies in our soul are more after ten incarnations on Earth, to that hierarchy we become to belong - God or the Devil.
God provides his soul with freedom of choice up to 30%, which means that heavenly programmers, when compiling programs for a person belonging to the hierarchy of God, form a 70% hard scenario of events that a person cannot avoid in his life, but in 30% of situations he is presented with several different situations from which he can choose.
Different paths lead to different fates.
Different paths will lead the soul to the development of different types of energies, provide different fate - more or less happy, which will be determined by the person himself within the allowed freedom of choice. Thereby forming in a person due to the choice - the energy of creativity, developing and educating high moral qualities and professionalism in a person.
The devil does not give his souls freedom of choice, his souls develop according to a rigid linear program without the right to deviate from it even a single step. Developing unquestioning submission in their souls, forming predominantly negative types of energies in the souls of their subordinates.
Since we don’t know our life program, we don’t know the ways of God, which remain inscrutable for us, we should believe that everything that happens in our lives and the lives of others happens according to His plan, in accordance with the great goals of the education and development of souls in the universe. Therefore, one should not condemn anyone, especially God himself. What happens to us is primarily our own fault. Our task is to realize our mistakes in order to move further along the path of constant progression.