Making a Throne for God

Κύριος τὸν καταλυσμὸν κατοικιεῖ. Κατακλυσμος ὔδατός ἐστιν ἐπίκλυσις ἐξαφανίζοντος πᾶν τὸ ὑποκείμενον, καὶ καθαρίζοντος ἄπαν τὸ προεῥῥυπωμένον. Τὴν οὖν τοῦ βαπτίσματος χάριν κατακλυσμὸυ ὀνονμάζει, ὥστε τὴν ἀποπλυναμένην τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ψυχὴν, καὶ ἀποκαθηραμένην τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐπιτηδείαν εἶναι λοιπὸν πρὸς κατοικητήριον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν Πνεύματι. Συνᾴδει δὲ τούτω καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ πριακοστῷ πρώτῳ ψαλμῷ εἰρημένα. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εἰπεὶν, ὄτι Τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγνώρισα, καὶ τὴν ἀμαρτίαν μου οὐκ ἐκάλυψα· καὶ τὸ, ὅτι Ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς προσεύξεται πρὸς σὲ πᾶς ὅσιος· ἐπήγαγε· Πλὴν ἐν κατακλυσμῷ ὑδάτων πολλῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν ούκ ἐγγιοῦσιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐγγιοῦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῷ λαβοντι τὸ Βάπτισμα τῆς ἀφέσεως τῶν παραπτωμάτων διὰ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Συγγενὲς δὲ τούτῳ καὶ ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ Μιχαίου εὔρηται· Ὅτι θελητὴς ἐλέους ἐστὶν, ἐπιστρέψει καὶ ἐλεήσει ἡμᾶς· καταδύσει τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀποῥῥιφήσονται εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς θαλάσσης. Καὶ καθιεῖται Κύριος Βασιλεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰωνα. Τῇ λαμπούσῇ ψυχῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ ἐνιδρυθεὶς ὁ Θεὸς, οἰονεὶ θρόνον αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ ἀπεργάζεται.   Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΚΗ’

'The Lord makes a dwelling place of the deluge.' A deluge is an inundation of water, and everything below and before it is washed clean. Thus baptism is named an inundation of grace, since the soul is cleansed of sin, and the old man being washed off a man becomes capable of being a habitation of the spirit of God. Further what was said in the thirty first Psalm chimes with this, where it is said, 'I have made known my injustice and my sin I have not hidden'; and again, 'for this I prayed to you, all holy'; and below: 'Truly in the deluge of many waters they shall not come near him.' Indeed sin shall not approach him who receives baptism for the remission of sins in water and the spirit. And in Micah we find: 'Because he wishes to be merciful he turns and has compassion on us; he drowns our sins and they are thrown into the deep sea. And the Lord sits as king in eternity.' For in the soul made bright by the deluge God establishes himself as if there he has placed a throne for himself. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 28