When Israel departed from Egypt, the house of Jacob emerged from a foreign land (Psalm 112:1). Judah became His holy place and Israel His domain (Psalm 112:2). The sea witnessed this and fled, the Jordan was turned back (Psalm 112:3). Do not think that what happened long ago is merely historical; rather, recognize that future events were signaled. While these miracles were certainly witnessed by the people of that time, they were simultaneously establishing a prophetic vision of what was yet to be fulfilled. For it is noted that the text does not say the Jordan receded, but that it stopped at the point closest to where its waters originate, as the Israelites crossed over. Moreover, we do not read about mountains jumping or hills leaping; these were interpretations and embellishments. He stated that “the sea saw it and fled; the Jordan was turned back,” and then added, “the mountains leaped like lambs, and the hills like young sheep” (Psalm 113:4). He then inquired, “What ails you, O sea, that you flee? And you, O Jordan, that you turn back?” (Psalm 112:5). “You mountains, why leap like lambs, and you hills like young sheep?” (Psalm 112:6).
Let us delve into what we learn here, for both these examples provide a type for us, and these words urge us to self-reflect. If we embrace the grace bestowed upon us, we are Israel, the descendants of Abraham. The Apostle affirms, “Therefore you are Abraham’s seed.” No Christian should feel disconnected from the identity of Israel. We are joined by faith with the believing Jews, including the apostles bestowed with primary significance. Thus, our Lord declares, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them in, and there shall be one flock, and one shepherd” (John 10:16). So, the realm of Christians can be seen as Israel, and indeed, the house of Jacob, as they are intrinsically the same. Conversely, a group of Jews, justly called out for their betrayal, forfeited their birthright for temporary pleasures, aligning not with Jacob but instead with Esau. This is evident from the hidden meaning of “the elder shall serve the younger.”
Moreover, Egypt often represents affliction or oppression and is symbolically related to this world; therefore, we are called to spiritually distance ourselves to avoid being yoked with the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Just as this people could not enter the promised land until they first left Egypt, so too cannot any soul truly depart from this world without the aid of divine grace. What once served as a type now finds its fulfillment in the faithful as they navigate their daily struggles within the Church, during this time, which Blessed John refers to as “the last hour” (1 John 2:18). Listen to the Apostle, the teacher to the Gentiles, saying, “I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and passed through the sea, and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; they all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Yet, with most of them, God was not pleased; for they were struck down in the wilderness. These things happened to us as examples” (1 Corinthians 10:1-6). What else do you seek, beloved brethren? This truth is clear, not based on human conjecture, but rather through the Apostle's revelation; it was God who spoke through them. It should be evident from such a profound testimony that all these figurative acts have been fulfilled in our salvation, for the future was first revealed, now the past is recounted, and the present is witnessed.
Hear this marvelous truth: the concealed and hidden truths of the ancient scriptures are partially unveiled by those same texts. The prophet Micah proclaimed that during the days of your coming out of Egypt, wonders will be shown (Micah 7:15). Thus, in this Psalm, even though the prophetic spirit gazes into the future, it may seem like mere recounting of the past. He states that Judah was His sanctuary: the sea saw it and fled; “was,” “saw,” and “fled” are past tense verbs. The Jordan was turned back, the mountains rose, and the earth quaked; all of these likewise convey past expressions, yet they are effortlessly understood as prophetic foretellings. Even though a significant time lapsed from the departure from Egypt to the days of the Church, the psalmist affirms he unreservedly anticipates the future. “In the days,” he asserts, “of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will perform wonders. The nations will witness and be ashamed.” The phrase “the sea saw it and ran” indicates that even within the recounting of former events, the future is subtly revealed. Who will dare to interpret “shall see and be confounded” as referring only to past occurrences? Furthermore, he makes a clear reference to our own enemies—the sins that pursue us—paralleling the Egyptians who were submerged in the sea, as our transgressions are also eradicated in Baptism. The Lord does not perpetually withhold His wrath; He is good and merciful and will return to us, showing compassion, casting all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
What does this mean for you, beloved? You who identify as Israelites by the lineage of Abraham, from the house of Jacob, inheritors of the promise, recognize that you too have come out of Egypt for you have renounced worldly living. You have departed from a foreign nation, separating yourselves from the blasphemies of the Gentiles through your professed godliness. It is not your voice, but a stranger’s tongue, that fails to glorify God, to whom you offer praise of Hallelujah. For within you, Judah has become His sanctuary; he is not a Jew, who is so only outwardly; nor is external circumcision what truly matters; rather, he is a Jew who is one inwardly, whose heart has been circumcised (Romans 2:28-29). Therefore, examine your hearts to see if faith has purified them; in you, Judah has become His sanctuary, and in you, Israel has become His dominion, for He has conferred upon you the grace to be called sons of God (John 1:12).
However, do not singularly seek your own desires, nor should you project anything negative, like the Jordan turning back. The Lord admonishes those who turn away from Him, not facing Him (Jeremiah 2:27). Anyone who forsakes the source of their existence to turn their back on the Creator will, like a river, slide into the bitterness and wickedness of this world. It benefits such a soul to return to God, ensuring that the One previously placed behind them is now before their eyes, while the sea of worldly distractions fades into their past, allowing them to forget what lies behind to attain what is ahead (Philippians 3:13), which shall be for their salvation.
Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, before the God of Jacob (Psalm 113:7). What does it mean to stand before the Lord, but to be in the presence of Him who declared, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:30)? The earth trembles not merely from sloth but to gain strength in the presence of the Lord.
He who transforms solid rock into flowing water and flint into springs (Psalm 113:8). He humbled Himself and what once seemed hard, now quenches the thirst of believers, making within them a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14), for He appeared harsh before being truly known. Thus, those who stated, “This is a hard saying; who can bear it?” (John 6:60) were confounded and failed to wait for the pouring out of understanding revealed in the Scriptures. That hard rock, once a barrier, has become pools of water, transforming at His resurrection when He explained to them beginning with Moses and all the prophets how the Messiah must suffer (Luke 24:26-27) and bestowed the Holy Spirit, of whom He proclaimed, “If anyone thirsts, let them come to me and drink” (John 7:37).
THEOSIS