THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
If hail should fall, it will not descend upon you. Though many nations opposed them during Zerubbabel's time, they were unable to inflict any harm. In a different manner, those who reside among the oaks will find security, just as those who dwell in the fields. One who cherishes righteousness in the wilderness will be safer than in the city; conversely, one who yields to wrongdoing, even when fortified by countless walls, is no more secure than one who is defenseless. The greatest blessing is virtue, safeguarded with utmost diligence; the gravest danger is sin, which is surrendering to moral decay. Wisdom grants strength to the wise beyond the command of ten rulers in the city (Ecclesiastes 7:19). Flee from the foolish individual who lacks discernment (Proverbs 14:7).
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Let us don this armor, for there is nothing mightier than this protection that ensures we are never left vulnerable. What harm did John’s choice of solitude bring? To which wrongdoers did God betray the one dwelling in the wilderness? What peril did Mount Carmel pose to Elijah? Were not the fortified cities more anxious and exposed than that mountain? There is nothing as secure as virtue, and nothing as hideous as vice. If you desire to grasp the essence of her life, her paths are unpredictable, and you will not understand them (Proverbs 5:6). Is it any surprise that a virtuous soul was not ensnared by human deceit, remaining steadfast when divine judgment fell? Likewise, Christ refers not to internal trials but to those that descend from above when He speaks of rain, equating those heavenly tribulations to rain, with rivers flooding, representing the cleverness of others, while the winds blew, and He stood firm (Matt. 7:25). Do you wish for me to reveal such a person who, faced with trials and tricks, suffered no harm and remained unconquered by both heaven and earth? He declares, The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21). Have you observed the rain that falls from above? It lies within your grasp (cf. Job 2:6). Consider the schemes that arise from men: curse God and die, they say (Job 2:9); yet he did not utter such words. Have you not noticed how the river struck the structure, and it did not collapse? It was built upon the rock of reverence for God.