From the spiritual lectures at the Markian Hall at Anba Rewis in Abbassiya
Based on the request of many: we continue here publishing a summary of some lectures that are delivered every Friday evening at Anba Rewis Hall, with answers to some questions until they are printed in detail soon, God willing.
Let me fall into the hand of God and not fall into the hand of man¹
(2 Sam. 24:14)

1- David and the three punishments
King David sinned when he counted the people. So Gad the prophet came to him informing him of the punishment of his action, saying: “Thus says the Lord: I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them… Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land, or shall you flee three months before your enemies while they pursue you, or shall there be three days’ plague in your land”… But David the wise, when the matter distressed him greatly, said his immortal phrase: “Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

2- Brothers who fell into the hands of their brothers!!
Yes, how hard it is for a person to fall into the hand of a person… who destroys him without mercy!! From the beginning of human history, this story is repeated day after day…
Since righteous Abel fell into the hand of his brother Cain, who killed him, and was not ashamed to face God without shame, saying: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”!! Since then, humans fear humans… even Cain himself trembled saying: “I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me” (Gen. 4:14)…
And Jacob the patriarch also lived terrified of his brother Esau who said in his heart: “I will kill my brother Jacob” (Gen. 27:41). Terror reached Jacob to the point that—after many visions and promises from God—he cried to God saying: “Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and strike me and the mother with the children” (Gen. 32:11)… And when he saw his brother approaching, he advanced and bowed to the ground seven times until he came near him (Gen. 33:3). His maidservants, wives, and all his children advanced and all bowed to him in supplication…
Jacob falls into the hand of God, wrestles with God, prevails, receives promises, sees visions, and beholds angels… but when he meets his brother he trembles, bows to the ground seven times, and sends his servants ahead of him with gifts to appease… and cries to God, “Deliver me from the hand of my brother”…
Truly: “Let me fall into the hand of God, for the mercies of the Lord are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man.”
Joseph the righteous also—we all know what he suffered from his brothers… He fell into the hands of his brothers, and they seized him like beasts, and threw him into the pit, and drew him out to sell him as a slave… But when he fell into the hand of God, He preserved him in his exile, delivered him from all evil, and entrusted to him the rule of Egypt…
It is a repeated story… It reminded me of the saying of the Arab poet:
“The wolf howled, so I felt comfort at its howl,
But when a human cried out, I almost flew.”

3- The woman caught in the very act
The sinful woman who was caught in the very act fell into the hands of people—people clinging to religion, expected to be merciful. What did they do to her? They filled her with humiliation and disgrace, dragged her to the Lord Christ demanding the execution of the law, that is, condemning her to stoning… trying to justify their cruelty with a verse from the Law!!
These filthy sinners, who resembled her in being under the judgment of death, demanded death for her! But when she fell into the hand of the holy, pure Lord—before whom the smell of sin is extremely odious—He delivered her from them and shamed them all, saying: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And when they all withdrew, leaving the woman in the hand of the Lord, He turned to her, with deep compassion in His heart for her as she stood humbled and miserable before Him, and asked her: “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said: “No one, Lord.” He said to her: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:3–11).
How wondrous these words! The Judge of all the earth, who will judge the whole world with righteousness, says: “Neither do I condemn you”… while a group of sinners demand stoning for her!! Truly: “Let me fall into the hand of God, for the mercies of the Lord are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man”…

4- An angry brother at the return of his brother!!
When the prodigal son fell into the hand of the father, he treated him with all gentleness: he asked for his inheritance, and the father did not rebuke him, but gave him his inheritance, knowing he would waste it in prodigal living. He left him free to travel to a far country, granting him freedom by which he could break His commandments!! And when the son returned hungry and needy, the father did not humiliate him nor wait inside the house until he would knock humbly; rather, “while he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). He showed him this affection before hearing a single word of apology. Out of excessive tenderness, the son could not say the phrase: “Make me like one of your hired servants,” which he had planned to say! The father did not stop there, but dressed him in the first robe, put a ring on his hand, sandals on his feet, killed the fatted calf for him, and held a feast celebrating his return.
Amid all this, we search for a punishment that fell upon this prodigal son in return for all he did, and we find none… We search for a single word of rebuke or even reproach that he heard, and we find none… Only tenderness all along!!
This son fell into the hand of his brother, and what a horror occurred!
The elder son became angry and refused to enter, forcing the father to come out pleading with him. He did not consider his brother’s feelings, nor his broken heart, nor care about spoiling the joyous feast. He even tried to stir the father’s feelings against his brother, disowning him, accusing him of wicked accusations—saying: “This son of yours” (not my brother), “who devoured your livelihood with harlots” (though Scripture did not mention this accusation, but only that he wasted his substance in prodigal living!). He also made a comparison filled with self-love, implying that rejoicing over his brother was injustice to him and bad treatment!!
Truly David spoke rightly when he said: “Let me fall into the hand of God, for the mercies of the Lord are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man.”

5- Between the hands of Christ and the hands of the Pharisee
That sinful woman who washed the feet of Christ with her tears and wiped them with her hair fell into the hands of Simon the Pharisee, the proud man, who looked at her with disdain and doubted Christ because of her, saying in his heart: “If this Man were a prophet, He would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39).
The Pharisee acted thus though he himself had his sins. He did not even offer the customary honor toward the Lord as hosts usually did: he did not welcome Him, nor offer water for His feet, nor oil for His head… And he was a debtor to the Lord like the woman he judged…
But the Lord, when the woman fell into His hands, delivered her from the Pharisee’s judgment, rebuked him for her sake, forgave her, and praised her because she loved much. And He said to her: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

6- You do not know of what spirit you are
And why speak only of evil people such as Cain, Esau, Joseph’s brothers, the scribes and Pharisees… even the apostles themselves were subject to the same principle…
A Samaritan village refused to receive the Lord because His face was set toward Jerusalem. The disciples were angered, and James and John said to the Lord: “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54). This village fell into the hands of two of the Lord’s disciples, and they asked destruction for it. But our kind and gentle God rebuked His two disciples saying: “You do not know of what spirit you are, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”
Blessed are You, O Lord, in Your compassionate hands, even toward those who drive You away. Let me fall into Your hands and not into the hand of man, for Your mercies are great.
Even the children—when they fell into the hands of Your disciples and were rebuked and kept away from You—You brought them near and said: “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And the two blind men who cried out asking for Your mercy—when they were rebuked, You brought them near and healed them…

7- All who fell into Your hands
You are compassionate, O Lord God, and good. All those despised and rejected by people and cast out found compassion with You.
The man born blind—when they cast him out, while he was outside Jesus found him and called him to faith. The tax collectors, despised by the leaders of the people—You made one of them an apostle, and accepted their chief Zacchaeus. You preferred the tax collector over the Pharisee. You accepted the Samaritans, and preferred the Good Samaritan over the priest and the Levite. You accepted the Gentiles and said: “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.”
Blessed are You in all Your compassion toward those upon whom the hand of their fellow human is harsh.
There are people who say to the one being beaten: “Do not cry”—without saying to the one beating: “Do not beat”!!!

1. An article by His Grace Bishop Shenouda, Bishop of Education – Al-Keraza Magazine, Year Two – Issue Six – August 1966

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