The voice exposes hidden sins and the Lord dwells through baptism
Basil continues his interpretation of Psalm 28, explaining how the voice of the Lord—John the Baptist—shakes the desert, reveals hidden sins, and how the Lord dwells in purified souls through baptism.
So he was cutting through that flame by bringing the terrible things before the people's eyes. “The Lord will shake the desert of Kadesh” (Psalm 28:8 LXX). For John was baptizing in the desert. He shook that desert by the arrival of peoples from every direction, which, because those who came repented, was called holy desert. For Kadesh means “holy.” This voice also perfects the deer—the holy souls who seek the heights, who destroy serpents, who make their dwelling on the high mountains. These would be great-souled souls, running up from lowly things to the heights of the heavenly way of life, light and lifted up, waging war against the opposing powers just as deer wage war against serpents. But it also reveals forests, so that the serpents hidden by the shade of the forests become visible, and the deer can consume them with less labor. Perhaps, then, the one who exposes the evils done in secret reveals forests—that is, he brings into the open the sins lurking in material nature, which are called serpents because of the many-colored character of pleasure. And he will reveal them in the day when he will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and the purposes of their hearts. Perhaps John too, being the voice of the Lord, spoke to Israel in a riddle: “Already the axe is laid at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:9). He was revealing the forests—that is, he was exposing the uselessness of fruits, for a forest is fruitless timber. By showing them its harmful character, he was summoning them to the fruit-bearing that was required of them, saying, “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). From all these things there is one result: the building of the temple of the Lord, where everyone who is constituted there can truly bring glory to the Lord. But also, “the Lord will inhabit the flood.” For through baptism the Lord comes to dwell in the souls of his sanctified ones. God inhabits the soul that is being washed clean of sin. For this reason it is said that he inhabits the flood. That Scripture calls the forgiveness that comes from baptism a flood we have also learned from the thirty-first psalm, where it says, “Surely in a flood of many waters they will not draw near to him” (Psalm 31:6 LXX). For the sins of sinners, in the redemption that comes through baptism, will no longer be permitted to approach him. “And the Lord will sit as king forever” (Psalm 28:10 LXX). After all these things, it remains for us to acknowledge the rule of the Master over all things, who gives strength to his people, so that having conquered the evil one, we may receive the blessing given by the Lord in peace to those who are worthy of him. For to him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Greek
Ἐκείνην οὖν τὴν φλόγα διέκοπτε τῷ ὑπ' ὄψιν ἄγειν τὰ φοβερὰ τῷ λαῷ. Καὶ συσσείσει Κύριος τὴν ἔρημον Κάδης. Ἦν γὰρ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Τὴν ἔρημον οὖν ἐκείνην συνέσεισε τῇ ἐπιδημίᾳ τῶν πανταχόθεν λαῶν· ἥτις, διὰ τὸ μετανοεῖν τοὺς ἐρχομένους, ἔρημος ἁγία προσηγόρευτο. Κάδης γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται ἡ ἁγία. Αὕτη ἡ φωνὴ καταρτίζει καὶ ἐλά-φους, τὰς ἁγίας ψυχὰς, τὰς τὰ ὑψηλὰ ζητούσας, τὰς τῶν ὄφεων δαπανητικὰς, τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ὀρέων τὴν διατριβὴν ποιουμένας. Αὗται δ' ἂν εἶεν ψυχαὶ μεγαλοφυεῖς, ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ τῆς κατ' οὐρανὸν πολιτείας ἐκ τῶν ταπεινῶν ἀνατρέχουσαι, κοῦφαι καὶ διηρμέναι· πόλεμον ἔχουσαι πρὸς τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις, ὡς πρὸς τοὺς ὄφεις αἱ ἔλαφοι. Ἀλλὰ Καὶ ἀποκαλύπτει δρυμοὺς, ἵνα οἱ ὄφεις φανεροὶ γένωνται, οἱ ὑπὸ τοῦ συσκιασμοῦ τῶν δρυμῶν καλυπτόμενοι, πρὸς τὸ ἀπονώτερον αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐλάφων καταναλίσκεσθαι. Τάχα οὖν ὁ ἐλέγχων τὰς ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ κακίας, ἀποκαλύπτει δρυμούς· τουτέστιν, εἰς ἐμφανὲς ἄγει τὰς ἐμφωλευούσας τῇ ὑλικῇ φύσει ἁμαρτίας, ὄφεις λεγομένας διὰ τὸ ποικίλον τῆς ἡδονῆς. Ἀποκαλύψει δὲ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ὅτε ἀποκαλύψει τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους, καὶ τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης, φωνὴ ὢν τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐν αἰνίγματι τῷ Ἰσραὴλ διελέγετο, ὅτι Ἤδη ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται. Πᾶν οὖν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν, ἐκκόπτεται, καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται. Ἀπεκάλυπτε τοὺς δρυμοὺς, τουτέστι τῶν καρπῶν τὸ ἄχρηστον ἐφανέρου· ἄκαρπος γὰρ ὕλη ὁ δρυμός. Οὗ τὸ βλαβερὸν ἐπιδεικνύων αὐτοῖς, εἰς τὴν ἐπιβάλλουσαν καρπογονίαν προσεκαλεῖτο, λέγων· Ποιήσατε τοὺς καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας. Ἐξ ὧν πάντων ἕν ἐστιν ἀποτέλεσμα, τὸ οἰκοδομηθῆναι τὸν ναὸν Κυρίου, ἔνθα πᾶς ὁ γενόμενος δύναται ἀληθῶς ἐνεγκεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ δόξαν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Κύριος τὸν κατακλυσμὸν κατοικιεῖ. Διὰ γὰρ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἡ εἰς τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἡγιασμένων τοῦ Κυρίου κατοίκησις. Τὴν οὖν ἀπολουομένην τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ψυχὴν, ταύτην κατοικεῖ ὁ Θεός. Διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται τὸν κατακλυσμὸν κατοικεῖν. Ὅτι γὰρ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἄφεσιν κα-τακλυσμὸν προσηγόρευσε, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τριακοστοῦ πρώτου ψαλμοῦ μεμαθήκαμεν, ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν· Πλὴν ἐν κατακλυσμῷ ὑδάτων πολλῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐγγιοῦσιν. Αἱ γὰρ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἐν τῇ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἀπολυτρώσει, ὡς προσεγγίζειν οὐκέτι συγχωρηθήσονται. Καὶ καθιεῖται Κύριος βασιλεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις ὑπάρξει ἡμῖν γνωρίσαι τὴν ἐπὶ πάντων ἀρχὴν τοῦ Δεσπότου, τοῦ διδόντος ἰσχὺν τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα νικήσαντες τὸν πονηρὸν, τὴν εὐλογίαν χωρήσωμεν τὴν διδομένην ὑπὸ Κυρίου ἐν εἰρήνῃ τοῖς ἀξίοις αὐτοῦ· ὅτι αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.