The Household of God
Volume 2
Rise and spiritual prime of the first world empire Hanoch
- Chapter 143 -
ON THE TUESDAY OR THE DAY OF DISPUTE. THE OTHER ABEDAM'S SPEECH ON THE BURDEN OF A TEACHER'S OFFICE
Rather early in the morning the patriarchs went up to the height and praised and glorified God, the most holy Father, Who for this short time had so endlessly enriched them. Even Adam was not missing; on the contrary, in the company of the known Abedam and of Eve he was one of the first on the height and dealing out his blessing to all his descendants surrounding him.
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When the praising and glorifying had ended, Adam asked all the children, saying: "What do you think? Today is the day of dispute, - will any wisdom-arguers from midday, any melancholy brooders from the evening and any doubters from midnight turn up here today?
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"So far at least I see no one approach our dwellings from anywhere.
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"Truly, if no one turns up today, it will be regarded by me as one of the greatest miracles bestowed on us through the most holy visible presence of Jehovah."
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But the known Abedam promptly answered Adam's question as follows: "Listen, most venerable father, the day has hardly begun as yet; hence do not rejoice too soon.
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"Look, our thoughts, our words and our actions are not unnoticed; for my great Namesake can just as well be invisibly in our midst as He only yesterday walked among us visibly.
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"However, if you should perhaps rejoice on account of some temporal advantage, behold, He is in readiness and will promptly destroy for you all that would please you in a worldly sense.
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Therefore, I am of the opinion that we should not rejoice too soon. For in that case He may trouble us today with so many arguers that you may not be able to finish with them today, and at that arguers of the most hairsplitting kind who do not comprehend and see anything and always want to have the last say.
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"And how pleasant it is to talk to people who have a head of stone and an iron breast, - fathers, I have felt only too often!
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"So I think you should not rejoice too soon, but instead ask Him, the Lord over all conflict, to keep forever all futile argument far from us and rather give all of us a proper light so that all argument may be ended once and for all.
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"Look, dear fathers, this is my opinion which I do not want to impose on anyone - least of all on you fathers of the high midst.
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"But I say, since I am talking anyway: Let no one boast of a teacher's post and rejoice because the Lord made him a teacher and a prophet; for the teacher and the prophet are not loved, but at the utmost esteemed and feared.
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"I say here: Abedam declines with thanks such distinction if thereby He is deprived of love. Therefore, I will gladly be a teacher of active love; but leave me alone with any wisdom-argument wherever possible! And if the spirit told me that the Lord would do tomorrow to the whole earth what He did to that mountain of the morning region the day before yesterday, truly, I would entreat Him to be spared from announcing this to the people for I would only arouse their fear, but surely not their love. I reckon this is also a wisdom.
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"Brother Enoch, I tell you, you have certainly been given the most difficult office.
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"Truly, had I been in your place I would have laid it down three, even seven times, at the Lord's feet rather than accept it.
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"Believe me, dear brother Enoch, this office will give you much trouble! You are nothing but love yourself and will be preaching nothing but love, - but will thereby least of all enjoy love for as long as you live.
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"For there is no difference between being a teacher of wisdom and a teacher of love, for in love is contained the highest wisdom.
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"So you will surely enjoy the greatest respect, - but few brothers and sisters will embrace you.
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To me, however, a brother's or a sister's hug means more than the world's highest respect."
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Here Abedam fell silent. But all of them were amazed at his wisdom, and Enoch rushed up to him and said:
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"Brother, you have perfectly spoken. All that you have said I am feeling vividly within me; but how can it be helped at this stage?
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And Abedam said to him: "Brother, believe me, He is among us and in this case it can all be easily helped. Look, we have an active, open eye for Him; it is our heart.
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"So let us present whatever bothers us actively to Him in our heart, and He will be there and soothe what troubles us.
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"This is what I think and believe to be the truth.
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"Do you think otherwise?"