The Household of God
Volume 1
The early history of mankind
- Chapter 82 -
SETH REBUKES ENOCH
When Adam had heard this from the mouth of Enoch he became extremely upset in his heart, for the reference to Cain's fratricide committed out of evil self-love tore open the old wound and he was unable to utter a word but kept silent and shaking.
2
Then Seth stepped up to Enoch and said: "Dear Enoch, this you should not have done, causing the old father this dangerous anxiety and grief with your somewhat ill-advised allusion to Cain's evil deed. You could surely have told him all this in a quite different, more delicate way. Behold, it is the first time that I felt I had to rebuke you. In future do weigh your words on such occasions so that they may comfort but not grieve the father. You yourself always teach us love and gentleness, but first you must act yourself according to what you teach us, only then will your blessed teaching win power and might over our hearts. Amen."
3
But Enoch, who silently thanked Me in his heart for the word he had spoken to Adam, was most astonished at this reproof. He did not say anything in his defense, but promptly turned again to Me and asked Me what he should do about Seth's brief reproof.
4
"O holy, most loving Father, You Who behold all the world's darkness in the brightest light," began Enoch to pray to Me in his heart, "You know that I proclaimed Your holy Word to Adam without adding or omitting anything, How come that the so worthy father Seth has misunderstood it?
5
"I could not possibly have spoken differently from the way Your boundless love has given it to me.
6
"Besides, Seth has only just witnessed how You, Jehovah, freed Adam from his weakness and strengthened him in every fiber of his life.
7
"O holy Father, You Who are so full of love and mercy, let my unconditional obedience to Your most holy will know what has caused this and how the matter can be once more completely straightened out with Seth. I, Your poor and weak Enoch, promise You in my heart that loves You above all that not a hair shall move on my head without Your most holy will. Amen,"
8
Then Enoch beheld a fiery script in his heart, reading: "O Enoch, why do you worry about this? The heart does not understand everything unless the whole heart is filled completely by eternal Love. Once this has come, also Seth will hear the stones, grass, plants, shrubs and trees exchange clearly perceptible words with each other.
9
"You shall remain silent for the time being, and let your pupil speak for you. Amen."
10
Seth, seeing that Enoch did not look as if he would speak, began to seriously ask himself in his heart why now everything seemed to have become silent; even his own heart remained silent. And so Seth had no other choice but to turn again to Enoch to ask him why he had not answered to his reproof.
11
But Enoch said full of respect and love: O worthy father Seth! Does a child have the right to rebel against a father's admonition? You have censured me because of the Word of God, which I had to utter. If you speak to me in the name of the Lord I can, and may, discuss questions and answers freely with you, however, if you speak to me as a father, sounding like a teacher, it is my duty as a child to obey unconditionally, to be silent and in my own heart unite with the love of Jehovah. Look expectantly and without fear to the speaker the beast is carrying, for it is the Lord's wish that just now he speak for me. Ask him and he will give you the most seemly answer in tl1e name of Him Who has called him to do so. Amen."
12
This very modest remark by Enoch silenced Seth but instead released Adam's tongue once more and he said to Seth: "But beloved son! You, whom Jehovah gave me to comfort me for Abel's loss, tell me, what could have blinded your heart so completely?
13
"How could you reprove God's speaker for uttering the holy Word of the Lord, when only a few moments earlier you were able to convince yourself of how marvelously it has strengthened me!
14
"The Word of the Lord through the mouth of Enoch concerning the children has worked a new miracle within me which is superior to Cain and Abel.
15
"It is true that Cain's self-love and the turning to stone of these children through my fault has hurt me very much in Enoch's speech. However, it was so necessary for me to be hurt like that, for otherwise I could not possibly ever have achieved a complete healing of this old, constantly burning wound as I have now. For where the Lord wounds, He heals in a marvelous way whereas, when men harm each other, truly, they could not make good the harm in eternity unless the Lord showed mercy to them as He has now done to me.
16
"I have sinned against my faithful wife in Paradise, and the firstborn became a great wound to me which until now I was unable to heal. Already three hundred years ago I harshly separated the children, and only now do I understand that I have thereby poisoned my old wound.
17
"Now the Lord has removed the poison and healed my old wound through Enoch's miracle-words. Why did you attack love before you in your heart recognized and beheld its marvelous meaning?
18
"O Seth, Seth, see that the Lord does not again take from your heart what He has already so gloriously given you! In future let everyone first listen to my voice and the one I will summon to my support may then come and help me. On occasions like this one, when the Lord is so obviously with us, it is quite unnecessary for us to want to help each other unasked, considering that the best human help is nothing compared to the true, unspeakable help of the Lord through His almighty Word, which is not like a human word but is always an accomplished act for all Eternities of eternities.
19
"And so, dear Seth, acknowledge your error before the Lord; prostrate yourself and ask the Lord for His grace and mercy and that He may once more look upon you. Amen."