Eber became the forefather of the Jewish nation, whereas Nevrod was the first ruler among the people. Both held significant honor among their kin, but their temperaments were as dissimilar as light is to darkness; Eber embodied goodness, while Nevrod was an embodiment of evil. Eber radiated light through his virtuous actions, while Nevrod cast a shadow over others through his sinful behavior. Eber was a promoter of righteousness, while Nevrod led the march of divine wrath, persuading people to engage in ungodly acts, which Eber himself would not stoop to do; he motivated them to construct a tower that reached the heavens, as we will elaborate upon later in our historical account.
It is curious why the vast population that grew post-flood chose to ignore the virtuous guidance of Eber and instead followed the wicked path of Nevrod. Why did they disregard the teachings of the God-fearing Eber, opting instead to heed the counsel of the instigator Nevrod? What could possibly explain this behavior? It seems, without doubt, that human nature, following the sin of Adam and stripped of God's former grace, has become increasingly predisposed to evil rather than good. Before Adam's transgression against God’s command, humanity was innocent, devoid of malice and sin, living in God’s grace as a beloved child knowing neither wickedness nor the desire for it. He was humble, possessing no ambition beyond what God had bestowed upon him, nor did he pursue glory or envy the noble nature of angels. There was no favoritism in him; he did not hoard material wealth, nor gold and silver, nor precious stones, nor any of the possessions that humanity desperately gathers today. He was devoid of rage; he bore no anger, malice, envy, or abuse, living righteously and holy. He knew nothing of carnal pleasure, gluttony, or the forbidden fruit, and he would have never disobeyed God’s command had he not been deceived by the adversary. However, upon being misled and inciting the Creator’s wrath through disobedience, he lost that original grace, subsequently becoming familiar with evil and susceptible to it. Henceforth, all manner of sinful desire took root in human nature: pride, addiction, greed, wrath, anger, jealousy, and lust.
The descendants of Adam adopted arrogance and contempt among themselves, accumulating wealth, harboring envy, engaging in anger, hostility, and causing injury to one another, while leading lives marked by indulgence and excess, ‘walking (as the Apostle states) in the course of this world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath’ (Eph. 2:2-3), since sin had become innate to them. Just as it is impossible to change natural instincts and needs, those long accustomed to sin find it incredibly challenging to break free from it. By the time Eber and Nevrod came into their own, evil had already proliferated among humanity, with sin having entrenched itself as a natural condition.
Consequently, individuals were more drawn to the wicked counsel of Nevrod rather than the virtuous guidance of Eber, as a matter of course, ‘being’ as the Apostle remarks, ‘by nature children of wrath.’ Eber offered commendable counsel aimed at pleasing God and avoiding His anger, yet such a notion appeared foreign to the people, who had little experience in righteous acts. In contrast, Nevrod presented contrary advice, which did not please God, and they embraced it as if it were second nature, having grown accustomed to disobedience. Thus, the righteous Eber struggled to persuade his kin to renounce ungodly actions, whereas Nevrod effortlessly led other clans to follow him. This underscores, firstly, that the ungodly are more inclined to heed malevolent advice than benevolent, and secondly, that those habituated to mortal sins will not hesitate to commit far greater transgressions. The wicked are naturally more responsive to evil than good, for evil aligns more closely with evil than with good. Goodness and wickedness are as fundamentally separate as the east is from the west, while evil's kinship to evil mirrors the bond between darkness and darkness, and filth and foulness. Hence, it is more common for the wicked to heed the evil than the good.
It is indeed perplexing, as St. John of the Ladder observes, that we, flawed beings with an omnipotent God as our ally and holy angels as His aids, find ourselves less inclined toward virtuous acts, while we can easily be tempted to commit wrongful deeds. Why is this the case? The Lestvichnik refuses to delve into the reason behind this dilemma, stating, ‘I cannot and do not wish to discuss this.’ We believe that the root cause lies in the human condition, tainted by ancestral sin, having lost its original goodness—so much so that evil has become an almost innate trait, ingrained within us from conception as affirmed in scripture: ‘In iniquities, I was conceived, and in sin did my mother conceive me’ (Psalm 50:7). Therefore, the inclinations of mankind lead them toward sin rather than virtue, failing to heed wise exhortations, and acting swiftly upon evil impulses. Despite the multitude of beneficial counsels and teachings available in prophetic, apostolic, and sacred theological texts, very few heed them; few are transformed, few find salvation.
Evil acts do not necessitate extensive teachings; a single malicious whisper from a demon can swiftly lead a sinner astray. The sinful nature itself easily entices everyone toward its own desires, leading to a companionship with immorality that does not instruct a person in righteousness. Frequently, it occurs that one individual serves as a demon to another, schooled and lured into wrongdoing. Besides what’s already mentioned concerning the adherence of individuals to Nevrod's advice, we can observe that once someone becomes entrenched in a sinful practice, they lose their fear of God and neglect to perform godly acts. These people grew accustomed to malfeasance, approaching the challenge of resisting God to construct a tower.
Hence, let us take heed, those who have erred, to break free from sinful habits and rise swiftly from our transgressions. If a person succumbs to mortal sin and fails to immediately repent, they risk falling into that same sin repeatedly; it is perilous to falter initially, but once one has sinned, the fear of committing that sin again fades, leading them to even greater transgressions. This fearlessness and audacity in sin stems from the individual’s failure to repent promptly after their first transgression. One might ask: had Adam repented right after his fall in paradise and sought God's forgiveness with humility and genuine remorse, would God have granted him pardon? The answer is undoubtedly yes, for it is not in the nature of God's goodness to withhold mercy from a sincerely repentant sinner. St. Dorotheus asserts that the Lord intentionally questioned Adam, ‘Where art thou?’ providing an opportunity for him to repent, to say ‘forgive!’ and thereby attain salvation.
Another question arises: if God had pardoned Adam's sin then, would he have dared to sin again and provoke God’s wrath a second time? Certainly not, for learning from his first fall the grave nature of sin, he would not have returned to that same evil post-forgiveness; it stands to reason that no further sins would have plagued his progeny. However, due to Adam’s failure to repent promptly, he became the catalyst for the proliferation of sin throughout humanity. From his initial transgression, uncorrected by swift repentance, a torrent of sins erupted, spreading through the world like polluted waters from a foul source.
Today, we witness similar behaviors. Had individuals risen immediately in true repentance following their first fall, they would not venture easily into further sin. However, since many, upon falling just once, neglect to rise again, they persist in the sin without fear and embrace further wrongdoing, as the Proverb states: ‘When the wicked come into the depths of evil, he does not heed’ (Proverbs 18:3). This illustrates that when a sinner reaches a state where sin becomes commonplace for them, as St. Chrysostom described as "the depth of evil," they may overlook their salvation, lacking a fear of God. Just as someone who falls from a high cliff plummets swiftly without grasping onto anything to halt their fall, ultimately hitting the ground with devastating consequences, a sinner who strays from their virtuous and God-pleasing life will find it increasingly difficult to curb their downward spiral unless they promptly restrain themselves through repentance. The deceitful habits they acquire can feel like innate urges, pulling them inexorably downward, leading to their eventual destruction through unchecked desire. Therefore, take heed, O individual who has stumbled into sin, lest you plunge into the depths of wickedness and perish!
THEOSIS