The Bible, presented for family reading. Prophet Isaiah / Orthodoxy.Ru

The Bible, presented for family reading. Prophet Isaiah

Then one of the Seraphim flew to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he took with tongs from the altar, and touched my mouth and said: behold, this has touched your mouth, and your iniquity is taken away from you, and your sin is cleansed. Is. 6:6-7

Of the sixteen prophets (four so-called
major
and twelve
minor
), through whom God “speaked of old to the fathers in many ways and in many ways” (Heb. 1:1),
Isaiah
,
the first of the major prophets, was born and lived in Jerusalem during the reign of six kings: Amaziah, Azariah (or Uzziah), Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah and Manasseh.
Isaiah himself speaks about his calling to prophetic service: “In the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the borders of His robe filled the whole temple. The Seraphim stood around Him; each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And they called to each other and said: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! the whole earth is full of His glory! And the tops of the gates shook at the voice of those shouting, and the house was filled with incense.

And I said: Woe is me! I'm dead! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people also of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then one of the Seraphim flew to me, and in his hand he had a burning coal, which he took with tongs from the altar, and touched my mouth and said: behold, this has touched your mouth, and your iniquity is taken away from you, and your sin is cleansed.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Whom shall I send? and who will go for Us? And I said: here I am, send me. And He said: Go and tell this people: You will hear with your ears and will not understand, and with your eyes you will see and will not see. For the heart of this people is hardened, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, that I might heal them. And I said: How long, Lord? He said: until the cities are desolate, and there are no inhabitants, and houses without people, and until this land is completely desolate. And if a tenth still remains on it and returns, and it will be ruined again; But as from terebinth and as from an oak, when they are cut down, their root remains, so the holy seed will be its root.”

That is, that even after the destruction of the people, a holy remnant will remain, from which a new tribe will arise - a new Israel, believing in Christ.

From that time on, Isaiah entered into prophetic service to the Jewish people and for sixty years proclaimed to them the will of God and threatened them with punishment for their iniquity and for their ingratitude to God.

Prophesying by the Spirit of God about the destinies concerning Judea, Isaiah turned with special love to the times of the Messiah and with such clarity represented the life and suffering of Jesus Christ that he is called the “Old Testament evangelist.”

“The Lord Himself will give you a sign,” he proclaims, “behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel, which means: God is with us.”

“And a branch will come from the root of Jesse (that is, from the line of David), and a branch will grow from his root; and the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and piety... He will judge the poor in righteousness, and decide the affairs of the sufferers of the earth in truth; and with the rod of his mouth he will smite the earth, and with the breath of his mouth he will slay the wicked.

They will not do evil or harm in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And it will happen in that day that the Gentiles will turn to the root of Jesse, which will become like a banner for the nations, and its rest will be the glory.”

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; on those who live in the land of the shadow of death the light will shine. They (the people) will rejoice before You. For the yoke that weighed him down, and the rod that struck him, and the reed of his oppressor, you will break in pieces. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

(Isa. 6, 1-13; 7, 14 and Matt. 1, 23. Isa. 11, 1-2, 4, 9-10; 9, 2-4, 6)

Depicting the suffering of Jesus Christ, Isaiah speaks about them so vividly, as if, as the holy fathers note, he himself stood at the Cross during the Savior’s suffering.

“He was despised and humbled before men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with pain, and we turned our faces away from Him; He was despised, and we thought nothing of Him. But He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses; and we thought that He was smitten, punished and humiliated by God. But He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. He was tortured, but He suffered voluntarily and did not open His mouth; like a sheep He was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. He was taken from bonds and judgment; but who will explain His generation? for He is cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people I suffered execution.”

“I have given My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to the smiters; I did not hide My face from mockery and spitting.” “...And he was numbered among the villains.”

(Isa. 53, 3-5, 7-8; 50, 6; 53, 12)

Finally, this is how Isaiah proclaims the triumph of the Church of Christ and its worldwide spread, as well as the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the age:

“Arise, shine, O Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and darkness the nations; and the Lord will shine upon you, and His glory will appear upon you. And nations will come to your light, and kings to the radiance rising above you.

And the sons of those who oppressed you will come to you in submission, and all who despised you will fall at your feet, and they will call you the city of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

No more violence will be heard in your land, no more devastation and destruction will be heard within your borders; and you will call your walls salvation and your gates glory. The sun will no longer serve you as daylight, nor will the brightness of the moon shine for you; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun will no longer set, and your moon will not be hidden, for the Lord will be an everlasting light to you, and the days of your mourning will end. And all your people will be righteous, they will inherit the earth forever, a branch of My planting, the work of My hands, to My glory. From the small will come a thousand, and from the weakest a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten this in due time.”

“Thus says the Lord: heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; where will you build a house for me, and where is my resting place? For all this was done by my hand, and all this was done, says the Lord. But this is who I will look upon: the one who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at My word.

Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word: your brothers who hate you and drive you out for My name’s sake say: Let the Lord reveal Himself in glory, and we will see your joy. But they will be put to shame.

As his mother comforts someone, so I will comfort you, and you will be comforted in Jerusalem. And you will see this, and your heart will rejoice, and your bones will blossom like new greenery, and the hand of the Lord will be revealed to His servants, and He will be angry with His enemies. For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and His chariots like a whirlwind, to pour out His anger with fury and His rebuke with blazing fire. For the Lord will bring about judgment on all flesh with fire and His sword, and many will be slain by the Lord.

For I know their deeds and their thoughts; and behold, I will come to gather all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory. And I will put a sign on them, and will send those who have been saved from them to the nations that have not heard of Me or seen My glory: and they will proclaim My glory to the nations. Then all flesh will come before Me to worship, says the Lord. And they will come out and see the corpses of the people who have departed from Me: for their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched; and they shall be an abomination to all flesh.”

In addition to prophecies, the book of the prophet Isaiah contains many high moral truths, for example, about what kind of fasting can be pleasing to God.

“They ask Me about the judgments of righteousness, they want to get closer to God: Why do we fast, but You don’t see? We humble our souls, but You don’t know? - Behold, on the day of your fast you do your will and demand hard work from others. Behold, you fast for quarrels and strife, and in order to strike others with a bold hand; you do not fast at this time so that your voice will be heard on high.

This is the fast that I have chosen: loose the chains of unrighteousness, untie the cords of the yoke, and set the oppressed free; divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the wandering poor into your home; When you see a naked person, clothe him, and do not hide from your half-blood.

Then you will call, and the Lord will hear; You will cry out, and He will say: Here I am! When you remove the yoke from among you, stop raising your finger and speaking offensively, and give your soul to the hungry and feed the soul of the sufferer: then... the Lord will always be your leader, and in times of drought will satisfy your soul and make fat your bones, and you will like a garden watered with water and like a spring whose waters never dry up.”

And the prophet teaches about the meaning of sacrifices.

“Why do I need the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord. I am full of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle, and I do not want the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. Bear no more vain gifts: smoking is disgusting to Me; New moon and Saturdays, holiday gatherings I can’t stand: lawlessness - and celebration!

And when you stretch out your hands, I close My eyes from you; and when you multiply your prayers, I do not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash yourself, make yourself clean; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; stop doing evil; learn to do good, seek truth, save the oppressed, defend the orphan, stand up for the widow. Then come and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they will be white as wool.”

(Isa. 60, 1-3, 14, 18-22; 66, 1-2, 5, 13-16, 18-19, 23-24; 58, 2-4, 6-7, 9-11; 1 , 11, 13, 15—18)

Like all proclaimers of the truth, Isaiah was constantly persecuted. Only under the pious king Hezekiah did he enjoy honor and was one of his closest advisers. According to ancient legend, he lived until the time of King Manasseh, by whose command he was sawed between the boards with a saw. The main reason for condemning the prophet to death, according to the rabbis, was that he called the princes of Jerusalem the princes of Sodom, and the people the people of Gomorrah.

Orthodox Life

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, for the Lord has anointed Me...to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Isa. 61:1–2).

The life of a Christian is inextricably linked with the struggle for attention. The substance of the soul is invisible, tangible, and rests somewhere in the depths of our body. The body is visible, and it is constantly beckoning to go somewhere, do something, occupy itself with something, which is not always useful for that very soul. A believer constantly struggles with himself, trying to switch attention from the external to the internal, being distracted and fascinated by the temptations of the world around him. Therefore, Christianity has developed a whole system designed to help people gather their attention and divert it away from harmful centers of attraction. During Lent this becomes especially noticeable. Among other things, the Church offers certain readings on the days of the Holy Pentecost. If it is not possible to attend a service, you can always open the Orthodox calendar on your smartphone and familiarize yourself with the text read on a given day during the service. You can find that on weekdays, along with Genesis and the Proverbs of Solomon, Orthodox Christians are imbued with repentant lines from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

The Prophet lived in times rich in historical events for God's chosen people. The people, in general, were in a state of spiritual decline, which required accusatory, awakening and at the same time motivational and inspiring speeches from the righteous man. Perhaps, by simplifying the logic of this beautiful book of the Old Testament, this is how we can explain its inclusion in a kind of “canon” of everyday Lenten reading. Isaiah calls on his contemporaries to repent from their evil deeds, explaining the external disorder in the life of the people as a result of their apostasy from God. Here each of us can compare our lives with what the prophet says. Maybe where we find ourselves now is the result of our systematic sin? We sometimes do not understand that sin is not just warnings against committing terrible crimes, but organizing our life without God, without serving Him and fulfilling His will. “Alas, a sinful people, a people burdened with iniquities, a tribe of evildoers, sons of destruction! They forsook the Lord, despised the Holy One of Israel, and turned back. What else should we hit you with if you continue your stubbornness? The whole head is full of sores, and the whole heart is exhausted” (Is. 1:4-5) - the prophet laments at the very beginning of the story. True, Isaiah also warns the pagans that they, who raise their hands against the people of God and do not recognize the True God, will certainly receive retribution.

At the same time, Isaiah consoles those who have chosen for themselves the path of righteous life. He calls not to lose heart, despite the difficulties ahead. After all, we often have different thoughts due to lack of faith. Either we are burdened by fasting and prayer, then we want to give up trying to make life pious, then we become discouraged from watching the news, painting ourselves pictures of the personal end of the world and the inability to endure the impending catastrophe (in this case, the saying “fear has big eyes” is often correct, because 90% of us horror stories from the media, ultimately, do not apply to real life). “Have you not heard that the eternal Lord God, who created the ends of the earth, does not become weary and faint?.. He gives strength to the weary, and gives strength to the weary... those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength: they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not when they get tired, they will walk and not be weary” (Isaiah 40:28-31). God will not leave, and if there is anything to be afraid of, it is to fall into sin and lose contact with the Lord.

Isaiah also encourages us with the approaching Kingdom of Light and its benefits. He says that eternal happiness will begin for the righteous not later, but today, you just have to gather your attention, take the path of renouncing sin and begin to collect the spirit of virtue in the basket. “I am creating a new heaven and a new earth, and the former will no longer be remembered and will not come to the heart. And ye shall rejoice and rejoice forever in the things that I do: for behold, I make Jerusalem a joy, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; and the voice of weeping and the voice of crying will no longer be heard in it... And I will build houses and live in them, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit thereof. They will not build for another to live, they will not plant for another to eat; For the days of My people will be like the days of a tree, and My chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain and bear children on the mountain; for they shall be seed blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. And it shall come to pass, before they call, that I will answer; They will still speak, and I will already hear” (Is. 65:17-24). There is so much joy and hope in these lines! The Lord describes an ideal world in which there will no longer be troubles, sorrows, injustices and enmity between living beings.

This is great, isn't it? God, through the mouth of the prophet, describes the reward of a Christian in eternal life. And it begins now, if our attention is focused on it, and not on the decay of the earth. The prophet tells us about this: repent of your evil deeds, turn to the Lord with all your heart and inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

Vladimir Basenkov

Preface

“Pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath”

(Matt. 24:20).
Therefore, it should be noted that God did not create winter or the unpraiseworthy Sabbath. For it is written: “Thou hast created the harvest and the spring”
(Ps. 73:17).
And we are in winter
, when carnal passions rule in us.
Therefore, this is how we must understand this Gospel saying: let us not flee when the worst prevails in us or when we are ruining our lives in idleness. For this is the thought it inspires with the word “Saturday,”
so that we may be worthy of this blessing:
“Blessed is that servant whose master will come and find him
watchful” (Matthew 24:46).

“Be wise like a serpent”

(Matthew 10:16), perhaps in the sense that the snake prudently and intelligently puts off old age.
For when she needs to shed her skin, she crawls into a tight place where her body would be compressed from everywhere, and thus, pushing through it, she sheds old age. So, perhaps, this word also demands from us that, walking the narrow and sorrowful path, we put off the old man and put on the new, and that our youth be renewed “like an eagle”
(Ps. 102:5).

The great and first gift, which requires a soul thoroughly purified, is to contain within itself Divine inspiration and prophesy about God’s mysteries, and the second gift after this, which also requires considerable and difficult diligence, is to listen to the intention of what is prophesied by the Spirit and not to err in the understanding of what is proclaimed, but to be led directly to this understanding by the Spirit, according to Whose Economy the prophecy was written and Who Himself guides the minds of those who have received the gift of knowledge. Therefore, the Lord added, saying: “having ears to hear, let him hear.”

(Matt. 11:15).
And the prophet Hosea says: “Who is wise and understands this?
and is this message meaningful?” (Hos. 14, 10).
Likewise, the Apostle, speaking about gifts, calls some gifts “prophecy
,” and others
“spiritual reasoning”
(1 Cor. 12:10).
For whoever makes himself a worthy instrument for the action of the Spirit is a prophet. And whoever understands the power of what is proclaimed has the gift of “spiritual discernment
.
Therefore, prescribing rules to the Corinthians, the Apostle says: “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the friends reason”
(1 Cor. 14:29).
And this is so important that it is included among the threats of the Lord - to take away from Judea “a prophet and a watcher... and a wondrous counselor... and an understanding listener”
(Is. 3: 1-3).

And we must desire to receive the gift of wisdom, the gift of knowledge and the gift of teaching, so that all this, flowing together in the sovereignty of our soul, will imprint the image of all the truth contained in prophecy. A word of knowledge is needed to contemplate the mysteries of the Spirit; a word of wisdom is needed to bring it to full meaning and to clarify what is said in secret and in short utterances. For wisdom tends to expand the word. It is said: “I stretch out words and do not heed”

(Proverbs 1:24). Then the gift of teaching is required for the edification of those who listen.

Therefore, in the soul that has to prophesy, through its free aspiration, the ability must be implanted in advance so that the word that is infused in everyone, choosing for itself souls that are more harmonious, in which, according to their good disposition, not the slightest passionate movement disagrees with the word, brings down an effect on it God's Spirit. But in order to prepare for the reception of the Spirit, it is necessary not only to curb passions, but also to have one’s own measure of disposition towards faith, and the benefit of the recipient of grace and the listeners of his day or those who will subsequently use the prophets. For it is said: “The revelation of the Spirit is given to everyone to benefit.”

(1 Cor. 12:7) and also
“according to the measure of faith”
(Rom. 12:6). But, however, it is beyond human nature to explain the reason why the Spirit of God acts differently in the worthy: one is entrusted with prophecy, and, moreover, to a certain extent, another receives the gift of healing, and then to a certain extent, and another - the actions of greater or lesser powers. For He alone knows this, Who delves into the spiritual merits of each and gives to each, according to the invisible measures of Justice, what he deserves.

How did pure and enlightened souls prophesy? Having become, as it were, a mirror of God’s action, they showed in themselves a clear, unfused image, unobscured by carnal passions. For the Holy Spirit abides in everyone, but reveals His own power in those who are pure from passions, and not in those whose sovereignty of the soul is darkened by sinful impurities. In addition to cleanliness, they must show in themselves the equality of a well-ordered state. For he is not pure who behaves unevenly in relation to chastity, but he who has subordinated the wisdom of the flesh to the Spirit. Just as we see images of faces not in every substance, but only in smooth and transparent substances, so the action of the Spirit is not reflected in every soul, but only in souls that do not have anything “obstinate”

and nothing
“corrupt”
(Proverbs 8:8).
The snow glitters, but does not show the image of those who look at it, because it is rough and made of frozen foam. Milk is white, but does not take on images, because it also contains some small bubbles. And in the water, due to its smoothness, even a black image is visible. Likewise, the unevenness of life is not capable of receiving God’s action. Therefore, when the soul, having devoted itself to every feat of virtue, with strong love for God, constantly retains in itself the remembrance of God imprinted in it and thus makes God as if living in itself, then, from a strong desire and ineffable love for God, it has become inspired by God. worthy of the prophetic gift, because God gives Divine power and opens the eyes of the soul to understand the visions that He pleases to communicate. Therefore, the prophets were formerly called “seers”
(1 Samuel 9:9), for they saw the future as if it were the present.
But ideas that occur in dreams can help us understand the prophetic excitement in the easiest way. As in dreams, due to the fact that the sovereignty of our soul imprints images in itself, we are spectators of cities and countries distinguished by greatness and beauty, or supernatural animals, we often retain in memory certain words that strike the ear, while when we compose so many extraordinary visions and hearings, in reality we do not see or hear anything with our bodily senses, so the mind of divine and blessed men, imprinting images in itself, sometimes in the waking state, and sometimes in a dream, is filled with Divine words and visions, while they are not attracted to through his eyes he receives images of visible objects, and he does not receive through his ears the vibrations of the air produced by sounding instruments. For the high and exalted throne and He who sat on it, whom Isaiah saw (Isaiah 6:1), were not something externally visible. Also not humanoid was the “from the loins to the top”
similar to
the “ilektru”
and
“from the loins to the bottom”
described in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 8:2). But the mind of the Prophets contemplated these objects with a higher power, while the Spirit in fortune-telling showed them the nature of God.

Prophets see not only the future, but also the unseen in the present, as Paul says: “And if... you prophesy, someone unfaithful or ignorant will come in... the secret of his heart will be revealed.”

(1 Cor. 14, 24, 25), or as Elisha says:
“Did not my heart walk with you...when the man returned from his chariot to meet you?”
(2 Kings 5:26). But prophecy also includes foreknowledge through dreams, as was revealed to Joseph in Egypt (Matthew 2:19-20) and to Daniel in Babylon (Dan. 1:17).

But why did both Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar have such foreknowledge? Because, ruling the state of worldly affairs, they had to foresee in order to arouse faith in others. Why do both Balaam and Caiaphas prophesy? Because they also had people who obeyed them, one as a bishop, and the other as a sorcerer (Joshua 13:22). Here the reason is not the purity of the soul, not the enlightenment of the mind, which contemplates God and draws strength from Him, but the word imparted to them economically, not according to its merit, but according to the demands of the time.

You will also ask: “Should we recognize what we read in Isaiah and Ezekiel as phenomena that they saw through the representations corresponding to them, or as theology, which through the divination of the Spirit proclaimed to us the properties of the Divinity?”

Some say that they prophesied in a frenzy, so that the human mind was eclipsed by the Spirit. But it is contrary to the promise of the inspiration of God to make one astonished, so that when he fulfills Divine instructions, he goes out of his natural mind and, when he benefits others, he himself does not receive any benefit from his own words. And in general, is it in any way consistent with reason that the Spirit of wisdom should make a person like one devoid of intelligence and the Spirit of knowledge should destroy rationality in him? But light does not produce blindness, but on the contrary, it stimulates the power of vision given by nature. And the Spirit does not produce darkness in souls, but on the contrary, excites the mind, cleansed of sinful defilements, to the contemplation of mental things. Therefore, it is not incredible that the evil force, plotting against human nature, brings the mind into unity, but it is impious to say that the same effect is produced by the presence of God's Spirit. Moreover, if the saints are wise, then how could they not comprehend what they prophesied? For it is said: “A wise man understands from his own lips, but in his mouth he carries understanding.”

(Prov. 16, 23).
If, on the basis that “Isaac was horrified”
when his son came (Gen. 27:33), and that David spoke
“in a frenzy”
(Ps. 115:2), they invent an eclipse of mind in the saints, then let them know , that surprise is also called frenzy, as for example:
“The heavens were terrified... and
the earth trembled” [1] (Jer. 2:12).

But, based on general concepts, we must agree that contradictory expressions about God should not be taken literally. So, for example, according to the generally accepted understanding, it must be recognized that God’s nature is good, not involved in anger, and just. Therefore, if Scripture says that God is angry, or grieves, or repents, or gives an answer that is not worthy of someone, then one must delve into the purpose of the saying and carefully think about how the true meaning can be restored, and not pervert respectable thoughts about God. In this way, let us not encounter any stumbling blocks in the Scriptures, deriving benefit from passages that are clearly understood and not suffering harm from passages that are unclear.

If anyone blames the Divine Scripture for not teaching and not producing what can be beneficial, then let him consider the entire order of human affairs, not only spiritual, but lower and everyday. Then he will see that the all-provident Power has given the dumb people comfortable means of life, ready-made food, native cover - clothing made of hair and feathers; Having brought man into the world naked, in replacement of everything she gave him the mind, which invented industrial arts, such as house-building, weaving, agriculture, blacksmithing, and the soul makes up for what is lacking in the body with the presence of the mind. And just as in this case our Creator, not out of envy of us, did not deign that, just like the dumb, all the comforts of life were born with us, but arranged it so that the lack of necessary things would lead to the exercise of the mind, so in Scripture he deliberately allowed ambiguity for the benefit of the mind, to stimulate its activity. And, firstly, it is necessary that the mind occupied with this be distracted from the worst, and on top of this, for some reason what was acquired with difficulty becomes more attached to itself, and after a long time what is produced becomes more durable, and what is easily acquired cannot be enjoyed. coveted, because what is at hand is neglected and the possessor does not consider it worthy of any protection. Therefore, dreams, by their nature, are not clear and mutual, they require considerable insight of the mind, and the hidden meaning of dreams has a close affinity with the expression in Scripture under the guise of dark sayings. That is why Joseph and Daniel recognized dreams with the help of prophetic talent, because the power of human comprehension is insufficient to grasp the truth.

Of course, purity in life is needed in order to succeed in moral virtue in order to recognize what is hidden in Scripture. But, in addition to purity of life, prolonged study of Scripture is also necessary, so that the importance and mystery of God’s word through constant teaching are imprinted on the soul. And that exercise in God’s word is required throughout one’s entire life is shown by the life of Moses, who in the first forty years studied Egyptian wisdom, and in the second forty years, under the guise of a shepherd’s life, he retired into the desert and practiced contemplation of existing things, and thus, after the second forty years having been rewarded with God's appearance, he is called against his will by God's love for mankind to take care of people. And after that he did not constantly remain in active life, but often returned to the contemplative life. This is why all the people fell into Egyptian idolatry, while this holy man was talking with God on the mountain. Elijah was the same: he avoided the rumors of people and loved to stay in the deserts. Therefore, if the saints, with all the constancy of the sovereign in their souls, labored in the search for truth, then is it not foolish to want to take advantage of the fruits of countless labors without any effort? For notice, after how many solitudes, silences and labors Elijah was worthy to see God!

The content of this book is clear and understandable. Since the Prophet lived at a time when vices increased, he describes the greatness of the evils that await the Jews, and shows the reason for God's wrath in order to lead them to repentance. The prophecy begins with the words "against Judah"

(Isa. 1, 1).
For, according to the words of Peter, “the time has come for judgment to begin from the house of God”
(1 Pet. 4:17), because those closest to us are naturally most grieved when they sin against us.
And in Ezekiel, the Lord, commanding to punish those who have sinned, says: “Begin from my sanctified ones”
(Ezek. 9:6). Therefore, Isaiah began from the country chosen by God, and from the city in which there was a sanctuary, announcing to them the disasters that awaited them. Secondly, he talks about Babylon, then - about the land of Moab, then - about Damascus, fifthly - about Egypt, then - about the desert, then - about Idumea, then - about the wilds of Zion, then - about Tire and then - about quadrupeds. This is followed by incidents that happened in the fortieth year of Hezekiah’s reign. After this there are prophecies that do not have any inscription and announce disasters to Jerusalem and Judea, the fate of those in dispersion, their return after the execution of judgment, predictions about Christ, scattered in every prophecy, because with every historical legend something mysterious is associated.

The book of the prophet Isaiah and its authors

Many scholars claim that the prophet Isaiah wrote chapters 1 through 39, and that another author, influenced by Isaiah, wrote “deutero-Isaiah,” chapters 40 through 66. They base this assumption on supposedly dramatic differences in theme, language, and writing style. In addition, there is a prophecy about Cyrus, which some believe is too specific to have been made before the reign of the king who released the Jews from Babylon. I do not agree with these claims, but I recognize that they cannot be refuted. I'm probably biased, but I've read more than one comment about this and find the dual authorship arguments weak.

The theme of the book of Isaiah is clear and the two parts have the same basis, that's what I can say. Regarding the different styles, it is quite possible that the prophet Isaiah wrote this book at different times in his life. You can pick any commentary on Isaiah and the author will discuss two views on it. In any case, I don't think the Divine inspiration of the Bible is at stake in this case. Isaiah's inspiration in chapters 40, 42, 52 and 53 is also established on the basis of, for example, fairly obvious prophecies about the Messiah. In fact, the evidence of inspiration for chapters 40-66 may be even stronger than for 1-39. In conclusion, I am inclined to conclude that there is one author of the book of the prophet Isaiah.

The vast majority of scholars believe that the book of the prophet Isaiah has one author. I have read various information on both versions and believe that the most reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that the prophet Isaiah is the sole author of this book.

However, we should remember that we cannot prove this with certainty, just as we cannot deny the theory of dual authorship with 100% certainty.

Isaiah 1 chapter

A. The Lord Accuses the People (Chapters 1-6)

1. INTRODUCTORY WORDS OF THE BOOK (1:1)

Is. 1:1 . By “vision” Isaiah probably means all the revelations from above that he received during the reign of the four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Those who subsequently compiled collections of the prophet's speeches placed this chapter (chapter 1) at the beginning of the book in view of the fact that, being focused on Judea and Jerusalem, it dealt with their main problems.

Three of the kings listed in verse 1 were faithful to Jehovah, but Ahaz, the son of Jotham, was one of the most wicked of the kings of Judah; He strayed so far from Jehovah that he even sacrificed his own children to idols. In 4 Kings and 2 Chronicles we read that for this the Lord sent enemies against him; Having concluded an alliance with each other, Syria and Israel then opposed Judea, representing the greatest danger to it.

The speech of the prophet presented in the first chapter was apparently delivered during the reign of Ahaz. Isaiah was well acquainted with Jerusalem, the temple and the royal court. The relative prosperity of the two previous reigns was replaced by the growing threat of enemy invasion. The Northern Kingdom (Israel) was living out its last years: in 722 it fell under the blows of the Assyrians, who sought to conquer the entire Syro-Palestinian territory. But Isaiah was most concerned about Judea, which a little over a hundred years later (in 586 BC) was to suffer a crushing defeat from the Babylonians.

The word Vision, with which the book begins, speaks of a special state that gripped the prophet at the moment he received revelation from God; the recipient “saw” (compare 2:1) and “heard,” perceiving in spirit and mind (in other words, on the spiritual and psychic levels) what God had to communicate to him. The word “vision” begins (in the Hebrew text) the prophecies of Obadiah, Micah and Nahum. Biographical information about Isaiah in the Introduction, under “Author and Date.”

2. THE LORD “SUGGES” THE PEOPLE (1:2-31)

These verses sound like a legal accusation against Judas. They seem to contain the quintessence of chapters 1-39.

Is. 1:2-3 . You can mentally recreate a rough picture of how this accusation was uttered. Isaiah, the messenger of God, came to the courtyard of the temple in order to announce God's verdict to His people, who constantly violated the Mosaic law, in front of a crowd of many people. He himself, who called heaven and earth as witnesses of Judah’s retreat from Jehovah, so that they too would be horrified by the infidelity of the Jews, their spiritual blindness, looked like Moses. He accused his fellow tribesmen in the name of God, and in His name he offered them a choice: complete forgiveness for those who repented, or harsh judgment for those who persisted in disobedience. (In 6:9-13, God informs Isaiah that most of the people will not repent.)

God likens the Jews to His sons, whom He raised (through the laws, religious and civil, which He gave them) and exalted (by placing them in a special relationship with Him and performing miracles for them that other nations were amazed at). But they rebelled against Jehovah (here it is implied that under Ahaz, along with Jehovah, they worshiped pagan idols and despised the words of those whom He sent to them with warnings).

Israel (here meaning all 12 tribes, including Judah) turned out to be more stupid than stupid animals, Isaiah continued. Even the ox and the donkey know their owners who feed them, which cannot be said about the stiff-necked people of Israel, who do not understand... their master.

Is. 1:4 . In the tone with which the prophet characterizes his people, in his selection of bleak words of accusation (the sons of perdition, they are dooming themselves to destruction both as a national community and in the spiritual sense), one hears not only sorrow, but also surprise: how could they leave the Lord, turn away from The Holy One of Israel... back to the pagan gods!

Is. 1:5-7 . What else should we hit you with if you continue your stubbornness? - exclaims the prophet, likening (in a series of metaphors) the entire community of Israel (but primarily the kingdom of Judah under Ahaz) to a human body, on which, as they say, “there is no living place left.” The purpose of these metaphors is to depict the spiritual, but also the military-political state of the people. in verse 7 the results of the Syro-Israel invasion of Judea could be meant (2 Kings 15:37; 16:5). At the same time, this (verses 8-9) could be an anticipation of both the near sad fate of the Northern Kingdom (the Assyrian invasion of 722, which would end it), and the more distant collapse of the Southern Kingdom (586 BC).

Is. 1:8-9 . The image of the daughter of Zion (meaning Jerusalem), likened to a tent in a vineyard, is an image of the defenselessness of the Southern Kingdom. The term “tent” here meant a fragile temporary shelter, a watchman’s dwelling (the same as a hut in a garden). Jerusalem is besieged by enemies, the lands of the Southern Kingdom are “eaten up by strangers” (verse 7).

The title of the Lord - Hosts (literally - “Lord of armies”) is also understood in such a particular meaning as the God of war (waging war in favor of His people, for He commands the armies of heaven and earth). But hosts are most often translated as “Almighty” or “Almighty”. The remnant implied by Isaiah, which was preserved for Judah by the Lord Almighty, is, in relation to that particular situation, most likely the Jerusalemites and Jews who escaped from the hands of their enemies.

But here, too, the prophet undoubtedly put a spiritual meaning into this concept: he implies that the Jews, despite their guilt, will be spared by the Lord of Hosts for the sake of the “remnant of the holy seed” (centuries later, the Apostle Paul would refer to verse 9 in Romans 9 for this reason). :29). Otherwise, the Jews would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah (which, as you know, angered the Lord so much that He completely destroyed them - Deut. 29:23; the image of the Sodomites - in connection with the spiritual state of the Jews - appears in Isaiah and 3:9) .

Is. 1:10 . The likening of the Jews and their leaders to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and their rulers continues. Jews - in all levels of society - should, if they want to regain the favor of their God, listen to the word of the Lord and heed His law (meaning not only the “words” of the Mosaic Law, but also the revelations of God given through the prophets).

Is. 1:11-15 . Sacrifice as an expression of religious feeling was not displeasing to God; it was naturally recognized by the prophet (for example, Isaiah 29:21), but here through the mouth of Isaiah God rejects the substitution of true piety for show, the substitution of faith by the performance of rituals, be it all kinds of sacrifices, including burnt offerings and incense that accompanied the grain offering, numerous holidays or long-winded prayers not spoken from the heart.

Those who do not have pure thoughts in their hearts and do evil (verses 16-17), when they come to the temple with their offerings, they only “trample,” in the words of Isaiah, the courts of the Lord (verse 12). Their “gifts” to God are in vain (“vain”; verse 13); and for the same reason the incense they commit is disgusting to Him (verse 13). Carefully hypocritical observance of monthly festivals (about “new moons” in Numbers 28:11-14) and Sabbaths (both weekly and annual - on the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles; Lev. 16:31; 23:34,39) , those who commit iniquity provoke the Lord.

“Holiday gatherings” obviously meant all of Israel's religious holidays. The Lord speaks of His hatred (verse 14) towards them in the sense of His rejection of these celebrations, which do not express the sincere joy of those celebrating God. And many prayers of those who pray insincerely and stretch out their hands full of blood to Him are not heard or seen by the Lord (verse 15).

Is. 1:16-20 . Isaiah calls on his fellow citizens to cleanse themselves through repentance, that is, not only to stop doing evil in the eyes of the Lord, but also to learn to do good (repentance implies a change in the way of thinking and acting). The Jews mistakenly believed that they could continue to live as they pleased as long as they “compensated” for their vicious lifestyle with sacrifices.

They believed not so much in God as in the power of religious ritual (verses 10-15), and such “faith” naturally did not serve them as an incentive to the obedience that God expected of them. He expected them to be compassionate and truthful and to do good deeds. They would testify to their faith in the Lord (and this is stipulated as a special condition in the Mosaic covenant), saving the unfortunate and persecuted, defending the helpless (orphan... widow; compare with verse 23; 10: 1-2; Deut. 24: 17,19 -21; 26:12; 27:19).

Only if the repentance of the Jews is sincere and effective will they be able to draw closer to Jehovah, Isaiah speaks on His behalf, in order to “reason” with Him about their circumstances. As we consider the translated Hebrew. yakah is a judicial term that implies the analysis and resolution of a case in court by putting forward convincing arguments in favor of the rightness of one of the parties and the wrongness of the other. In essence, the entire verse 18 is a metaphor that speaks of the possibility of complete forgiveness by the Lord of a sinner who sincerely repents, no matter how great his sin.

Crimson and purple are the names of red dyes that were obtained from mollusk shells (“it was impossible to wash” the fabrics dyed with them); here it serves as a symbol of the indelible blood with which (verse 15) the hands of the Jews were stained. Only God has the power to “wash away” it, making His sons (verse 2) clean (symbolized by the whiteness of the snow and the wave washed white—sheep’s wool).

In verses 10-20 there is an obvious play on words: if good will prevails in the Jews and they begin to obey their Lord, they will eat from rich harvests (Deut. 28: 3-6,11), but if they continue to persist, then they themselves will become “food” for their enemies, whose sword will devour them, for this is said “by the mouth of the Lord” (compare Is. 40:5 and 58:14), and is written in

The Mosaic Law (verse 20 compare with Deut. 28:45-57).

Is. 1:21-23 . Perhaps by the time when truth and justice “dwelled” in Jerusalem, Isaiah meant the years of the reign of David and the first years of the reign of Solomon (he could have meant the time of other pious reigns, in particular, most of the reign of Uzziah, and after that the “days "Pious Jotham). But the capital faithful to Jehovah... became a harlot. Images of a harlot and fornication are characteristic of all prophetic Books, the Prophet, and especially the books of Jeremiah and Hosea. This is due to the fact that Jehovah was portrayed by the prophets as the Spouse of His chosen people (Ezek. 16:6ff; Hos. 1:2).

The Jerusalemites' betrayal of Him was expressed not only in their failure to fulfill His demands for civil justice and honesty, but also in their worship, along with Him, of pagan gods (i.e., spiritual fornication). “Murderers” in the context of verses 22-23 (compare with verse 15) could mean those who profited from the unfortunate. These are, first of all, those in power.

These are believed to be what verse 22 refers to as the silver and wine that have been “spoiled.” They have lost the nobility of pure silver and moral strength (the Hebrew word used here in relation to wine means precisely the best, strong wine). This thought is continued in verse 23, where “princes,” i.e., the rulers of the people, are spoken of as lawbreakers and accomplices of thieves, greedy for gifts, and bribe-takers.

Widows and orphans who have nothing to give them cannot count on justice or protection on their part. This situation is disgusting for God most of all because the covenant with which He bound Himself to the Jewish people also provided for the connection of the Jews - on the basis of love and mercy - with each other. Meanwhile, the strong people today do not care about their weak ones, Isaiah exclaims sadly.

Is. 1:24-26 . From verse 24 to the end of the chapter, the Lord Himself speaks through the mouth of Isaiah. The “name” of His Mighty Israel expresses the idea of the mighty protection that Israel has in Jehovah. So, and in this sense, the patriarch Jacob called God (Gen. 49:24). Now this mighty God says that He will protect His people from His own and His adversaries in their own midst.

Severe judgment awaits the Jews who are disobedient to God - this is the meaning of the words I will satisfy... and take revenge in verse 24. God’s judgment will not be aimed at “settling scores” with them, but at the cleansing of Israel, which in verse 25 is likened to silver being cleansed of lead impurities; This process took place with the use of a special plant alkali.

In the beginning, the people of Israel were ruled by judges who were “ordained” by God (verse 26). Speaking about them, He means the rulers of the people pleasing to Him in the future. Jerusalem will become the faithful capital of Jehovah, as before (interpretation of verse 21), in the kingdom of the Messiah (meaning the Jerusalem that will be revealed to the Apostle John in his vision on the island of Patmos).

Is. 1:27-31 . Zion (Jerusalem) will be saved if it returns to the paths of justice, and its sons (the “remnant”) who turn again to Jehovah will find salvation on the paths of righteousness. This is obviously the meaning of verse 27 in relation to the time and environment in which Isaiah lived (compare with verses 17-18). But theologians also see in it a “second” semantic plan: in the coming times, salvation will come to Jerusalem through justice, which will be carried out by the Messiah (centuries later, the Apostle Paul will write about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross precisely as an act of Divine justice; Rom. 3:25) ; “truth” is interpreted in this context as justification, which will extend to the Jews who believed in Christ.

In verse 28 there is God’s inevitable verdict on all apostates from the Lord, all unrepentant sinners: they will be destroyed. In verse 29, the prophet's rebuke sounds in the "specific key" of his time: he speaks (or the Lord speaks through his mouth) about the idolaters of those days. They will be ashamed for the oak groves... and put to shame for the gardens (more precisely, for the “groves”; compare with 65:3; 66:17), which they chose for themselves, instead of Jehovah, to worship there “under every branching tree” (57:5) idols

Worshiping the “sacred oaks,” they themselves will become like the once strong one, but alas! - a withered oak whose leaf has fallen (compare Amos 2:9); the same meaning is contained in the image of a garden not watered (verse 30). And in the form of a strong man, who will become a rag (verse 31), that is, a useless rag. The interpretation of the word business in this context is interesting; we can talk about the products of the rebellious Jews (once strong and strong), i.e., about the idols they made. They will become a spark that will set fire to the “rags” (themselves); and they will burn together, and no one will extinguish this flame. In other words, idolatry will destroy the Jews; The role of an unquenchable flame in relation to them may be played by the Babylonian army, which will destroy the Southern Kingdom.

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Dallas Seminary interpretation of the book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 1

Note . Verse numbers are links leading to a section with comparisons of translations, parallel links, texts with Strong's numbers. Try it, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Collection of creations. Interpretation of the Prophetic Books of the Old Testament

Chapter 1

Isaiah begins his prophecy about the captivity and slavery of his people with these words: Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth.

(Isa. 1:2), since God, in the face of heaven and earth, gave His people all kinds of blessings and consolations, He calls heaven and earth as a testimony and reveals to them all the wickedness of the people.
I raised and elevated my sons, but they rebelled against Me,
that is, they betrayed Me and, as you see, served idols.

An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master's manger; but Israel does not know Me, My people do not understand

(Isa. 1, 3).
The ox represents the Israelites, the donkey represents the Jews, because the Jews were much more reckless than the Israelites; God showed more of His favor to them, but they did not know Him and thereby fulfilled what was said: All flesh has perverted its way on earth
(Gen. 6:12).
Alas, a sinful people, a people burdened with iniquities
(Isa. 1:4).
They are lawless in their evil thoughts and deeds. The prophet did not say that only some of the people were wicked and became apostates, but together with their fathers, like them, their sons, the whole race, all the evil seed, turned away from the right path. Showing what their corruption and sin consisted of, Isaiah says: They forsook the Lord, despised the Holy One of Israel, and
angered them with their idols and idols.

The whole head is full of ulcers, and the whole heart is withered

(Isa. 1:5), from the fear of persecutors and from the horror of those who captivate.
From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there is no healthy place
(Isa. 1:6). From the last to the first, all of them will be amazed. Scabs, ulcers and wounds[1] inflicted by the captors are disasters with which the captors will oppress and strike the Jews with all cruelty, leaving them no opportunity to heal their ulcers. And the fact that the wounds cannot be bandaged or healed means either real ulcers inflicted with a sword or spear and leaving incurable marks on the body, or the killing of parents, brothers and children - these are also incurable blows.

Your land is devastated

that is, your land, which was fertile, will become barren through your fault.
Your cities are burned with the fire
of the captives;
your fields are being eaten up before your eyes by strangers,
that is, by the inhabitants brought and settled in it by Shalmaneser;
everything was deserted, as after the devastation of strangers
(Isa. 1:7), like Sodom, which was desolate and deprived of its inhabitants.

And the daughter of Zion remained,

that is, all the cities of Judea, and especially Jerusalem,
like a tent in a vineyard, like a hut in a vegetable garden, like a besieged city
(Isa. 1:8). Judah, in its desolation, is like a tabernacle in a harvested vineyard and a vegetable storehouse in a garden, in which the fruits have already been harvested, because in the tabernacle and vegetable storehouse there are guards while the fruits have not yet been gathered, and when the fruits are gathered, the guards are no longer needed.

If the Lord of Hosts had not left us a small remnant, we would have been like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah

(Isa. 1:9).
They would be like Sodom and Gomorrah, which, together with their inhabitants, were burned and destroyed by fire that came down from heaven, so that nothing remained of them. Both Jerusalem and its inhabitants would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah if the Lord had not had mercy on us and left us offspring to continue our family. When you come to appear before Me, who demands that you trample My courts?
(Isa. 1:12). God enters into judgment with His people, as if saying: when you came to appear before My face with repentance and prayer, did I then reject the sacrifices of praise and demand bloody sacrifices at your hands? Do not continue to trample the courts of My sanctuary with such sacrifices.

Smoking is disgusting to me

(Isa. 1:13).
So, know that smoking, which you consider favorable to Me, is an abomination in My sight. I do not accept what was acquired through deception and violence. Since what you offer was obtained by robbery and oppression of the poor, My soul hates your sacrifices and vows, as well as your holidays
(Isa. 1:14).

When you stretch out your hands, I close My eyes from you

(Isa. 1:15).
When, during your sorrows, you lift up your hands to Me in prayer, when you multiply your prayers, I do not hear: your hands are full of the blood of
the prophets and saints you have killed. And in this blood that you shed, the mystery of that Holy Blood that you will shed is foreshadowed.

Wash yourself

and
cleanse yourself
(Isa. 1:16) not from external impurities, but from your evil deeds, which are constantly before My face.

Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow

(Isa. 1:18).
The crimson color means defiled and sinful flesh, and snow is the color of purity and innocence. I will make my mercy white as snow with
the hyssop.

Seek the truth

(Isa. 1:17), do good to the oppressed, whom you yourself have condemned by accepting unrighteous gifts;
protect the orphan, stand up for the widow,
whom you did not even want to listen to, because they did not have and could not bring you gifts.

Then come and let's reason

(Isa. 1:18) with each other, that is, if you judge right and listen to the voice of the orphans and widows, then come to Me and ask - I will hear you, says the Lord.
You will eat the good things of the earth
(Isa. 1:19), as God promised you in His law.
If you deny... the sword will devour you
(Isa. 1:20), that is, the sword of the Babylonians.

How the faithful capital, full of justice, became a harlot! The truth lived in her, and now the murderers

(Isa. 1:21) - the prophet cries in surprise, amazed at such an unkind change, amazed that the city of judgment and righteousness has turned from chaste into a harlot; the city, which was faithful in the time of David, was now, in the time of the last kings, filled with murderers.

Your silver has become dross

(Isa. 1:22).
There is a false mark on it. Your wine is spoiled by water,
so that more than silver can be taken for it.
Your princes are lawbreakers and accomplices of thieves
(Isa. 1:23), that is, those who put a false mark on silver and mix wine with water.
They are chasing bribes,
because, as the prophet says, they love to take gifts, they solicit gifts from those who have not yet given.
I will take revenge on My enemies
(Isa. 1:24), that is, I will punish the princes, My haters, and the innkeepers, and their friends - My enemies.

And I will turn My hand on you

(Isa. 1:25), that is, after the defeat inflicted on the house of Joachim and Jehoiachin.
And I will purify
all your disobedient ones, I will punish them with captivity, because they did not listen to Me during the time of peace.
And I will separate
all your wicked ones.
They will all go into captivity, I will not leave anyone, as was the case under the two kings mentioned earlier. And again I will appoint judges for you, as before
(Isa. 1:26), as in the days of David.

Zion will be saved by justice

(Isa. 1:27), that is, either by the judgment that will befall Babylon, or by the fulfillment of the time of slavery, which is assigned to the Jews by Divine justice.
And his sons were converted through righteousness.
Zion will be delivered for the righteousness of Daniel, Zerubbabel and other righteous people like them.
They will be put to shame for
the sacred
oak groves
(Isa. 1:29);
they will be ashamed because these idols do not deliver them; and are put to shame
over the idols which they have made for themselves. They will be put to shame because these idols did not deliver them from captivity, did not help them in their sorrows.

For you will be like an oak whose leaf has fallen

(Isa. 1:30).
They will be deprived of all help, like an oak tree whose leaves fall from the heat, and like a garden that has no water
during the heat.
And the strong will be rags
(Isa. 1:31), that is, the strength of their disobedience,
and they will burn together - and no one will extinguish it
, everything turns to ashes.

Book of the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 7

In the previous chapter we saw how the glory of Christ is revealed, and what assurance the holy seed receives after the condemnation of earth and people. Now we have an important continuation of this, detailing events that occurred not in the year of the death of King Uzziah, or even in the days of his success, but in the days of Ahaz. Otherwise it would be impossible to form a precise conclusion as to how the glory of Christ must actually have been revealed.

This chapter resolves this question and connects its revelation with its rejection and its final and eternal triumph (vv. 1-7). This concludes the first part. The reason was the aggressive unity of Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, against Judah and Ahaz.

“Bear no more vain gifts: smoking is abominable to Me; New Moon and Saturdays

I can’t stand holiday gatherings: lawlessness and celebration!” (Isa.1:13)

“And it was told to the house of David, and it was said, The Syrians are camped in the land of Ephraim; and his heart and the heart of his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.” Those who had never known fear were in great fear, and this happened - alas! - in Jerusalem and the house of David; and this is not surprising, for the heir to the throne of David behaved not like David, his father, but in the manner of the king of Israel, or even worse, and exposed Judah and allowed her to be covered with sores.

Panicked, already directed by his grief from the crossroads to God, Ahaz meets the prophet and his son Shearasub, and he told him on behalf of God: “Watch and be calm; Do not be afraid and do not let your heart be discouraged by the two ends of these smoking brands, by the inflamed wrath of Rezin and the Syrians and the son of Remali. Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remali plot evil against you, saying, “Let us go against Judah and stir it up, and take possession of it, and make the son of Tabeel king in it” (vv. 4-6).

How insane and base is unbelief! It is smug and self-assured, even when an active volcano is about to erupt; it is filled with suffering, it trembles when God is ready to repel enemies. How could He, in this case, calmly look at the alliance between apostate Israel and pagan Syria? Their enterprise, if successful, was supposed to not only harm Judah, but also interrupt the very line of David.

It was a blow to the Messiah, a weak blow as one might think of it, but both the oath and the glory of God were at stake. “But the Lord God says this: this will not take place and will not come true; for the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and after sixty-five years Ephraim shall cease to be a nation; and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not believe, it is because you are not proven” (vv. 7-9).

How blessed are the ways of God! The attempt to destroy them, which seemed so terrible to those at whom it was directed, especially when their conscience was not clear, suddenly led to the revelation of the death of the destroyers themselves. It will be of no use to the head of Syria to defend the guilty Ephraim any longer, for by the sentence he will be so ruined that he will cease to be a nation in sixty-five years - and that is exactly what happened (2 Kings 17)!

The head of the capital of Ephraim appears before us as an ally of Syria in full splendor and dignity. But who were they to reverse God’s decision regarding the king’s servant David, even though Ahaz himself may have been an unbeliever? God, after all, is God, and His word will be eternal, but it is certain that He will not confirm the unfaithful.

But this was only the introduction to a more significant proclamation, which reads: “And the Lord continued to speak to Ahaz, and said: Ask yourself for a sign from the Lord your God: ask either in the depths or on the heights. And Ahaz said, “I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.” Alas! how often does unbelief attempt, in this way, to hypocritically hide its contempt for God, and to pass off complete arrogance, which in reality despises the word of his mercy, as a veil hiding the highest reverence and humility.

The prophet, however, sees through the tricks used by the evil heart of unbelief, and now appeals to the house of David, so that it will hear not only his reproof, but also the sign that God himself must give: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and bear a Son, and They will call His name Immanuel." It is wonderful mercy to make such a promise to such a person!

Although in reality, mercy condemns unbelief and all other sins, which the law never did and could not do. Did Ahaz ask for a sign in space, earthly or heavenly, so desperately in need of a sign from God? Even if a person refuses to ask because of unbelief, God is able to give a sign for the sake of his own glory: The son of a virgin, the child of a woman - Immanuel!

What thoughts and feelings are so closely connected here! The security of the royal family and the steadfastness of David's rights - was this not more than the prediction of the fall of Ephraim who participated in the conspiracy, the very sign, the truth of truths - God among us? In any case, it was an assurance—unless its grandeur signified a different and higher glory—an assurance that no secret plot directed against this root and descendant of David could succeed.

It is perhaps hardly necessary (though it may help some readers) to note that the Son, Immanuel in verse 14 is not the “child” of verse 16; the latter, rather, refers to Shearyasuv, who, apparently, accompanied the prophet for this purpose. “For before this child understands to reject evil and choose good, the land that you fear will be abandoned by both its kings.”

It can be noted, accordingly, that here Isaiah does not address the “house of David” and no longer uses “you”, but “you”, that is, he addresses Ahaz. Compare verses 13, 14 with verses 15, 16. And it will become obvious that the son of the prophet, Shearasub, has the essence of a “sign” (see ch. 8, 18), although, of course, this is very different from the great sign, the Son of the virgin.

From verse 16 the king must have learned that before this child, already living, reached the age of consciousness, the united kings must disappear from the face of the earth. And they disappeared; before three years had passed over this young head, the kings of Israel and Syria fell before the treachery or power of their enemies.

Should the guilty Ahaz and Judah then remain unpunished? In no way, and the prophet continues to predict to him: “But the Lord will bring on you and on your people and on your father’s house days such as have not come since Ephraim fell away from Judah, he will bring the king of Assyria.

And it will come to pass on that day that the Lord will give a sign to the fly that is at the mouth of the river of Egypt, and to the bee that is in the land of Assyria, and they will all fly and perch in the desert valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, and in all the thorny bushes, and in all the trees. "(vv. 17-19). Ezekiel's faith could withstand the execution of Judah's sentence, and the king of Assyria was stopped for a time.

But even Hosea, no matter how religious he was, suffered from his sharp opposition to “the fly that was at the mouth of the river of Egypt” and “the bee that was in the land of Assyria,” which stung even more cruelly at the command of God. “On that day the Lord will shave the head and the hair of the legs with a razor hired from the other side of the river by the king of Assyria, and even take away the beard.

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will be with child and give birth

Son, and they will call His name Immanuel" (Is. 7:14)

And it will come to pass in that day: whoever maintains a cow and two sheep, according to the abundance of milk that they give, will eat butter; All who remain in this land will eat butter and honey. And it will happen in that day: in every place where there grew a thousand vines for a thousand pieces of silver, there will be thorns and thorns.

They will go there with arrows and bows, for all the land will be thorns and thorny bushes. And you will not go to any of the mountains that were cleared by furrowers, for fear of thorns and thorny bushes: oxen will be driven there, and small livestock will trample them” (vv. 20-25).

Thus will the appearance of the land of Israel be completely transformed, and the subsequent devastation will be so complete that he who owns a cow and two sheep will find the most extensive pasture for his meager flock in the deserts that will be instead of the grain fields of Palestine, and he himself will begin to eat from what will only be suitable for wandering herds, but not with the food that the cultivated land provides.

What picture! Indeed, the best of the vineyards (cf. P. songs. become a breeding ground for thorns and thorny bushes; and people cannot pass there without the protection of bows and arrows; and the carefully cleared mountains turn into places for oxen and small livestock.

The descriptions are so gloomy and at the same time detailed, depicting to the king the sad changes taking place in Judea.

W. Kelly

“And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, went against Jerusalem to conquer it, but they could not conquer it. And it was told to the house of David, and it was said, The Syrians are settled in the land of Ephraim; and his heart and the heart of his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.

And the Lord said to Isaiah: You and your son Shear-jasub go out to meet Ahaz, to the end of the water supply of the upper pond, to the road to the whitewash field, and say to him: watch and be calm; Do not be afraid and do not let your heart be discouraged by the two ends of these smoking brands, by the inflamed wrath of Rezin and the Syrians and the son of Remali.

Syria, Ephraim and the son of Remali plot evil against you, saying: Let us go against Judah and stir it up, and take possession of it and make the son of Tabeel king in it. But the Lord God says this: this will not take place and will not come true; for the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and after sixty-five years Ephraim shall cease to be a nation; and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you don't believe, it's because you're not certified.

And the Lord continued to speak to Ahaz, and said: Ask yourself a sign from the Lord your God: ask either in the depths or on the heights. And Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I tempt the Lord. Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to make trouble for people that you want to make it difficult for my God?

So the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel. He will eat milk and honey until he understands to reject the bad and choose the good; for before this child understands to reject the bad and choose the good, the land that you fear will be abandoned by both of its kings. But the Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house days such as have not come since Ephraim fell away from Judah, he will bring upon the king of Assyria.

And it will come to pass on that day that the Lord will give a sign to the fly that is at the mouth of the river of Egypt, and to the bee that is in the land of Assyria, and they will all fly and perch in the desert valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, and in all the thorny bushes, and in all the trees. . On that day the Lord will shave the head and the hair of the legs with a razor hired by the king of Assyria on the other side of the river, and even take away the beard.

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