The Spiritual Warfare and the Choice of Company

God is with the upright in heart. As for me, my feet were shaken a little, and my steps were poured out a little, because I sought peace among the lawless, seeing sinners (Job 13:15). For it does not waver, it is clear; for he says, 'How good God is to Israel' (Job 10:18). He thinks these things as being understood by those having a straight heart.

He posits himself as being shaken while being firm, and receiving the countenance of those being displeased, so that after the words of doubt, the words of teaching might be brought forward. And Job, indeed, inquiring of God, wants to learn—for this he brings forward the countenance—the cause of such a struggle. For indeed, regarding the cause of the way in the body, he says as if receiving it: for indeed... having fallen into so much evil, as if they had sought the fellowship of the body and the helpers of the providential economy, so as to say the things set forth.

'Why then did I not finish in the womb?' (Job 10:12). For the saints, in reverence, entreat that they not grasp the benefit of the weaker ones. Because of this, he also says the following: 'And from the stomach I came out and was not immediately lost' (Job 10:18); likewise also: 'Why did my knees meet me? Why did I suck breasts?' (Job 10:9). For the holy one willed that disease should not happen to the rational ones, so that the pure might not come through them in a medicinal way.

And also good is: 'Why did my knees meet me?', which indicates a journey. For with others, because of their own faults, life followed here, but with the saints, they met not as those responsible, but as those executing an economy. 'Now, having slept, I have rested, but having awoken, I have not ceased with kings and counselors of the earth' (Job 3:13, 29:25).

For if, he says, such a sequence and order had not occurred as that which led me to this state through those needing treatment—that is, if I had happened to finish in the womb, not coming out from the stomach and being immediately cut off, and not having met knees nor sucked breasts—it would be, if not through the providential economy administered through us, 'now having slept, I have rested', which is: having ceased my course in that life of the divine and heavenly rational ones. The kings and counselors tyrannize the earth of the gentle, concerning whom it has been said: 'Blessed are the gentle, for...'

"They shall inherit the earth" (Psalm 37:11), taking for ourselves kings in high positions and counselors of a lower rank, over whom the kings rule. Such an analogy is contained in the parable in the Gospels: "become more than ten cities or five." "who were proud upon swords." The saint, not being a lover of war, did not want to have his social intercourse with such kings readily available, who, being ready to fight, consider such social intercourses to be good; but knowing "that our struggle is not against blood and flesh" (Ephesians 6:12) according to the apostle, "but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of wickedness," against whom those living well fight, having armed themselves with the salvation "panoply," he wanted to have his social intercourse without being provoked by human generation. But one of those peaceful ones was the one seen by Jesus, son of Nun, as a commander of the Lord, to whom he said: "Are you of ours or of the adversaries?".

Being discerning, the saint knows and does not readily recognize that even the adversary often "is transformed into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). These, however, are also men, not preferring arrogance, but rejoicing in the victory over the adversaries and "rejoicing in God" (2 Corinthians 6:10). "Or with rulers, of whom there is much gold, who filled their houses with silver" (1 Timothy 6:17). Having the same mind and what has now been set forth, let us receive it familiarly with the person of the saint. For not being a lover of silver or a flatterer, it did not seem right for him to spend time with the rich, he who bravely brought about the loss of all possessions and wealth and did not accept riches, being without following friends and having a free intention and an unshakable word; how would he want to have his social intercourse with such rulers and kings, who happened to be adorned with wealth? To some, appearing as a good wealth, the wonderful Paul writes: "You have already become rich; you have reigned without us; and would that you had reigned, so that we might also reign with you" (2 Corinthians 6:10). For they have possessed much gold, which indicates a pure mind, pure ones, approaching clearly with the light of knowledge. These themselves also, by the analogy of nature, not by the spoken word...