Глава 14

1. “The time is near, and they will not delay” (Is. 14:1) the day of punishment: the Parthians and Medes will take possession of the kingdom of Babylon. “For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will love Israel again”: after 70 years appointed by God for the captivity of the people (Jewish), they will return from Babylon. “And he will make them settle in their own land, and foreigners will join them and cleave to the house of Jacob.” 2. “And the nations will take them and bring them to their place” (Is. 14:2). When King Cyrus commanded the nations to gather and lead them with honor into the land of Israel, and the children of Israel divided those who came into the land of the Lord as male and female servants, not only was the concern placed (by God) in the hearts of the enemies to gather and lead them, but very many foreigners, attracted by the glory of piety, willingly decided to be slaves of the children of Israel, just as a large crowd came out of Egypt along with the people of the Lord foreigners. “And he will take captive those who captivate him, and will rule over his oppressors.” 3–4. “And it will happen on that day: when the Lord restores you from your sorrow and from fear and from the heavy slavery to which you were enslaved, you will utter a victorious song against the king of Babylon and say: since the tormentor was no more, the robbery was stopped!” ( Isa. 14:3-4 ). Surprisingly, disasters are called peace. Aquila shows more clearly how hell ceased from its work, seeing its disaster (Ts. Babylonian). “I was upset when I met you,” i.e. inflamed with anger. Akila says: “they went inside.” Symmachus: “they moved forward”, Theodotion: “they were indignant both at that enemy and at death.” 5–11. “The Lord crushed the rod of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, which struck down the nations in fury with inevitable blows, and in anger ruled over the nations with uncontrollable persecution. The whole earth rests, rests, shouts for joy; and the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying: “Since you fell asleep, no one has come to cut us down.” Hell of the underworld began to move for you, to meet you at your entrance; awakened for you the Rephaim, all the leaders of the earth; raised up all the kings of the heathen from their thrones. They will all tell you: and you have become powerless, like us! and you have become like us! Your pride with all your noise has been cast into the pit; The worm is spread under you, and the worms are your covering” (Is. 14:5-11). So, look: they moved, were embarrassed, and showed that this was God’s punishment, a work of God that they did not even expect, and it was beyond their expectations. It is rightly said: “How you have fallen from the sky, Lucifer, son of the dawn!” (Isa.14:12). To some this seems to be said regarding hostile forces, because Christ also says: “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning” (Luke 10:18). We will not reject this interpretation: another meaning of this expression is possible, however, we will accept this interpretation, since it is now useful. It is amazing that Satan, although he was an incorporeal force, shone in the morning and was sent to all languages, and fell from heaven. Do you see when a proud memory is awakened in him? See how this most evil seed, first sown by Satan, has grown and grown. When you compare disasters regarding earthly life, God, through the prophet, communicates to you such a law. If, under the confluence of so many forced circumstances and varied changes, Adam could not curb his insolence so as not to exalt himself in greatness, and not considering peace and immortality sufficient for himself, he wanted to become equal to God, then how did those betrayed into the hand of Satan not teach you about human nature? It is said about the king of Tire: you said: “I am God, and not man” (cf. Ezek. 28:9); and about the Assyrians: “my hand has seized the wealth of the nations like nests” (Is. 10:14). This was a warning so that you do not exceed the limits assigned to you. You will certainly go beyond the limits if you are left free - and will you then not do worse things than before? The builders of the tower were filled with pride, and so were the pagans. These matters show an image of inequality, and God always tries to destroy the passion of greed so that no one desires or desires more than measure. 16–18. “Is this the man who shook the earth, shook kingdoms, and made the world desolate” (Is. 14:16-17). What are you saying? Why are you crying and blaming? After all, this cry is a denunciation of the evil, an indication that God Himself has the right to impose punishment, while (the king of Babylon) did not free those in captivity. Do you see that human cruelty was the cause of God’s righteousness, which fell upon him with a cruel death? 19. “You are cast down outside your grave like a despised branch” (Is. 14:19). You see that this did not happen without reason, but because of human malice, since it was previously said that we should not consider punishments random. He (the Babylonian king), they say, will not only die, but will die a cruel death. “All the kings of the nations, all lie with honor, each in his own tomb; but you are cast down outside your grave, like a despised branch” (Is. 14:18–19): others rested in honor, but you in execution and torment. 20–25. “Like the clothes of the slain, struck down by the sword, who are lowered into stone ditches, you, like a trampled corpse, will not be united with them in the grave; for you have destroyed your land, you have killed your people... as I have thought, so it will be; as I have determined, so it will happen, to crush Assyria in My land and trample him on My mountains” (Is. 14:19-20, 24, 25). Do you see where his punishment comes from? You gave the order. Above and below You speak; I will bring the king of Babylon, and no one can rest in peace with him (cf. Jeremiah 25:9-11), but here, on the contrary, you express another rule: “I will destroy the name of Babylon and all the remnant, both son and grandson” (Is. 14:22). Why? Didn't You give him power over the earth? Then: “lest they rise up and take possession of the earth and fill the world with enemies” (Is. 14:21): so, due to future events, they are subject to punishment that they do not deserve. “For the iniquity,” he says, “of their father.” How is this possible? Since they would have been cruel towards their fathers, they are driven out from among the living before they commit such deeds - after all, they were hunters before wars and competitions and were warlike people. Who is it said about: “the tribe of evildoers”? This cannot be said about Nebuchadnezzar, since his son took over the kingdom from him, and he himself died in peace. Perhaps this refers to Belshazzar, who was killed along with his sons. Why does it say: “You have destroyed your land, you have killed your people”? Nebuchadnezzar did this, not Belshazzar. Perhaps they are talking about the Assyrians, who were a great burden for the Jews. We will say the following: he who did not spare the sacred vessels, which he desecrated due to disorderly drunkenness, how could he spare the rest? Therefore it is further said: “His yoke will fall from them, and his burden will be removed from their shoulders.” His father, who did such great things, revered Daniel, which is why he gave the following rule: “whoever blasphemes against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was cut into pieces, and his house was turned into ruins” (Dan. 3:96). “And I will make it a land of hedgehogs and a swamp.” And others say: “the inheritance of serpents”; Jewish. “And I will sweep it away with a destroying broom, says the Lord of hosts” (Is. 14:23). If, as a result of the sins of the inhabitants, the earth produces from itself something that serves them in destruction, then this is a more serious evil than the cession of the city to enemies. “The Lord of hosts says with an oath: As I have thought, so it will be; as I have determined, so it will happen, to crush Assyrian in My land and trample him on My mountains.” He speaks either of the Babylonians, or of others like them. Babylon fell to the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, not the Medes, took possession of Assyria. Perhaps the Babylonians took possession of the Assyrian kingdom not by war, but by the laws of power, and they were finally destroyed by the Medes. Consider this to be said about the Babylonians, and not about the Assyrians. 28–29. Vision of the Philistines. “In the year of the death of King Ahaz there was such a prophetic word about the Philistines: Do not rejoice, O land of the Philistines, because the rod that struck you was broken” (Is. 14:28–29). And others say: “break.” Aquilla: “the rod of the power of those who persecute.” Symmachus and Theodotion: “Before the yoke of those who break you, the rod of torment.” “For out of the root of the serpent will come the adder, and the fruit thereof will be the flying dragon.” And others say: “A basilisk will come forth, killing with one glance.” From this we learn about the variability of things, which occurs not according to human, but according to God’s will. “He changes times and years, deposes kings and sets up kings” (Dan. 2:21). Seeing a stern prince reigning, a cruel murderer, do not pray that he be removed from among the living, but make peace with God, who can tame his cruelty. If you are not reconciled with God, He may stir up other, more cruel princes. So, let us resort not to people, but to heavenly power, from which the power of princes comes. “The heart of a king is in the hand of the Lord, like streams of water; he directs it wherever he wants” (Prov. 21:1). So, do not fear the prince’s heart, but fear Him who holds this heart in his hand. Where God favors, there is dew found in the fire; and when God overcomes, then there is pleasure in fighting and arguing. Were the Babylonians outside the furnace consumed by fire? God was their enemy. Were not the three youths cast into a burning furnace, and the fire did not harm them at all? God was their friend. Nothing good happens to those whom God does not favor; on the contrary, to whom He favors, nothing evil happens. So, why do you make such a long journey, invent so many means and improvements, run here and there, asking for one, promising another a perishable reward, making others mediators when you needed to make a short journey - to be reconciled with God? If God does not favor you, then all your labors are useless; and if He looks mercifully on you, then even enemies will become friends. The animals of the desert, they say, will be reconciled to You. Thus, the harm of Daniel could be removed by God, who stopped the insatiable mouths of lions, kept their greedy tongues from blood, to stop the mouths of those who slander, to change their evil intentions into good thoughts, so that their minds would not plot against the saint. He did not envy his crown: the prophet’s love for God and God’s love for him would not have been revealed and would not have been praised if God had not allowed the prophet to experience the works of temptation. God loves the righteous and wants to show them to everyone. This is what friends do in relation to the persons they love: they do not want to hide their love, but they want to have numerous witnesses of holy and sincere love. God, although He does not need anything, adorns Himself with the love of the saints, like a man who adorns himself with jewelry, and wants to make His love and love for Himself obvious to everyone. Listen to how God loved Job, although no one knew it. What is he doing? He declares His love to Satan in order to show Job’s praise out of this love. So look how he praises him: “Have you paid attention to my servant Job? for there is no one like him on earth” (Job 1:8). These are words of love, and they are not the same as ours: we praise out of flattery, but He is not like that. God not only says: I want to show you his praise, because I love him, but he calls the whole world to the spectacle, leaves the fighter alone in the battle, and Himself retreats. Lest anyone say that all the victory belonged to him alone, God stood in the distance and carefully watched the wrestler’s struggle. Although the fighters have a teacher whom no one can hold back, God, in order for the victory to be more brilliant, was not such, did not teach him the way to fight, but left him in the fight alone and unarmed. You, he says, have planned to take away his benefits, but I will give his body into your hand, and you can’t do anything against it (cf. Job 1:12). God wants to show everyone how He loved him, and reveals His love to us, being himself free from all evil passion. We seek glory in everything, wanting, for the sake of boasting, to show off the virtues with which we are gifted. He is not like that, but to make us meek and honest. Just as another friend, in order to show his love for his beloved, draws his physical image, eyes, nose, cheeks, so God wants to show His greatest love: therefore He imprints the most beautiful image on souls, and provides evidence that nothing compares with his beauty. First, it is testified about Job that at that time he alone was pleasing to God, and then his virtues are listed separately: “This man was blameless, just and fearful of God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Where does this come from? says Satan. I will make sure you experience it. As if someone said: beauty comes from whitewash, blush and azure, let me take away the decoration so that you can see how ugly the face you love is, and he confidently said: go and mine, as you like, and it will appear even more beautiful - God also says: go try it, and you will see that it will turn out to be even brighter. He kindly says to his beloved, as it were: do not think that I have abandoned you; I did not take away love and care; on the contrary, for the sake of love, I did everything to show everyone My love for you. Look also what Job said: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has also taken away” (Job 1:21), and: “Shall we really accept good from God, but not evil?” ( Job 2:10 ). Not wanting anyone to slander his Beloved - and another could say: in such and such disasters He betrayed you - Job removes the curse with his love: “be blessed,” he says, “the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). I love him, he says, and I cannot curse Him. Although it is said elsewhere: reproach takes away love, in this case this is not said, but such circumstances seem harmless. There were not only reproaches, but also severe torments, and they could in no way harm him; although he spoke with fervor, it was not because of reproach, but because of a plea, and the painful plea was a consequence of the grief he had received. His next words are hard: “Don’t blame me; tell me why you are fighting me?” ( Job 10:2 ); “If I have sinned, what will I do to You”? ( Job 7:20 ). He was greatly saddened by the fact that his neighbors standing with him were then ready to think that he did not love God, and God did not love him. I, he says, know, and You, Lord, know, but who will convince them? They considered him so abandoned by God. In a similar way, God said to Moses: “Leave Me” (Ex. 32:10), “I forgive according to your word” (Num. 14:20); and he said to his sister: I have not spoken to anyone as I did to Moses (cf. Numbers 12:6–8). He spared, but God did not let go (of sin). “According to your word,” he says, “I forgive,” and not for their sake. See also during the time of Abraham: “Get out of your land, from your kindred and from your father’s house” (Gen. 12:1), and: “Will I hide from Abraham [My servant] what I want to do!” (Gen.18:17). But let's return to what we started. 29. “Do not rejoice, O land of the Philistines, that the rod that struck you was broken, for from the root of the serpent will come an asp.” Hezekiah, says the prophet, will be intolerable to you. But why didn’t he say: God will punish you? Because the name of the asps plunged them into greater fear. By saying “asp,” the prophet does not show Hezekiah’s malice, but something more difficult and burdensome for them. 30. “Then the poorest will be fed, and the needy will rest in safety” (Isa. 14:30). You see how they did not believe what was happening and what was about to happen from the Lord. Something similar happened during the coming of Christ: He shepherds the poor, feeds the needy; The rich are not like that, but remain greedy. God shepherds the poor, as He says: “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11), a good shepherd not in the sense that he is experienced in a rich table, but that he leads the sheep to a clear and pure source. Do you not see sheep that do not desire fine food, but nibble on simple food? In the same way, God will feed you. Didn't He ever feed? Of course, he fed, but only with fish and loaves, since this was the daily food of the citizens (see Matt. 14:16–21). Once He also fed meat, but this brought harm, not benefit to those who ate (Num. 11:31-34). “The poor will rest in safety”: the peace of death is shown. Other translators say: “Let them sit in peace,” because they will have no voices, no crying, no cries, or anything else of the like, but they will be “in peace,” and will not be confused and will not fight, even if they are subjected to death and the cutting off of their heads. “They will rest in safety,” because one (of them) will die for the sake of God, and he will rest in peace, with honor. Such a death of the righteous is precious. Death will be precious not because another will die in his home, on his bed or among his family, but because we will die bravely and courageously for the truth. That such death is precious, the whole universe testifies to this. Although the death of kings and chiefs is famous, and is sometimes revered by their families, it is not like the death of those fishermen who died not in the natural order, but with great virtue and perfect victory, and whose tombs are revered throughout the world. One had his head cut off, another was quartered, another was stoned. They are revered all the more because they died such a death, since they died for the sake of the peace of the universe. Just as even less enterprising leaders are highly revered after death, for the labors that they undertook for worldly affairs and fell in battle, so the apostles who died for the churches, their world, received crowns, and after death are more and more revered. If their King trampled death underfoot, then, of course, the leaders also had to imitate their King. So, let us not grieve for those whose heads were cut off, and we will not please those who die in their home: this is not bliss, but it is not grief. But those should be considered blessed who courageously die for the truth, and carry to the tomb like clothing a good life - which is much more precious than golden robes. Another, leaving the man dying for the truth naked and considering him unworthy of burial, thus decorates him more, inflicting on him a grave shame for the labor incurred for the sake of the truth. He does not make him pitiful, but blessed, since such clothes are not eaten by moths, are not worn away by worms, are not stolen by thieves, are not destroyed by time, and the earth does not rot: it remains incorruptible and adorns the one clothed in it more than the sun and the crown of stars adorn the sky. Let us desire this kind of death for the public good. But why not for our self-interest and benefit? I say this so that we prepare ourselves for the labors that come from day to day for the sake of piety. And now, if we wish, we die a repeated death. How can a mortal man die multiple times? When he is mortal, he will die only once; and if he dies often, then it is clear that he is immortal: after all, the living dies, and the one who dies does not die again. A new question arises: he is not mortal. If he were mortal, how would he die again? He is not immortal either: if he were immortal, then how did Paul say: “For Your sake we are killed every day” (Rom. 8:36), and again: truly, truly, I say to you: “I die every day: I am testified of this by your praise” (1 Cor. 15:31). He thought about humiliation and harm, and not about doing virtue (since all people are supposed to die one day), which is why he said: “I die every day.” As much time as God gave for his life, Paul remained, always dying; he did not want to remain a debtor, but considered it his duty to die “every day.” What are we showing that is equal to this? Look who is given to rest in this way: the poor, the weak, the not eloquent. The prophet calls their death peace, because there is nothing like that peace when another blameless person strives for that path, outside the earthly fatherland. Just as a person close to death gives rules and commands regarding his home, wife and children, and arranges everything as he wishes, although this does not concern him anymore, and then thinks about nothing more than death, so - even more so is one who has collected so many treasures with which he can confidently appear before God. His soul will stand before God after sacred death removes the burden of sins; a light spirit will ascend to heaven and confidently rush to God when an evil conscience is taken away from him - without fear of any punishment and without fear that the gates of heaven should be closed for him, leaving the body willingly, without battle or struggle, not forcibly drawn by the leaders and not suddenly carried away, and he should not be afraid because of any sin, nor doubt because of evil. Cheerfully and willingly, he gives himself to them, like a youth looking for a nurse, father or mother, knowing full well that he is not called for torment and eternal death, but for royal honor and the meal prepared for all good people, and realizing that the body that he leaves for a while will be accepted again, with great glory and honor. 30. “I will starve your root, and it will kill your remnant,” so that the root will not be found again. Great is salvation, taking away evil by hunger. 31. “Cry, gates! howl with your voice, city! You will be disintegrated, all the land of the Philistines, for smoke comes from the north, and there is no one left behind in their hordes. What will the messengers of the people say? “That the Lord has established Zion, and in it the poor of His people will find refuge” (Is. 14:31-32). Behold, the prophet turns his prophetic speech to foreigners, and first predicts about smoke: just as smoke precedes fire, so an unpleasant messenger precedes anger. Look here at the love of God, who does not immediately ignite the fire, but first raises smoke so that those who see it will avoid the fire. See also how smoke comes from afar, but no one cares about himself. “What will the messengers of the people say? “That the Lord has established Zion, and in it the poor of His people will find refuge.” What does it mean: “what will they say”? This means: they cannot say anything or respond in any way, since all reasons for defense have been taken away from them. Everything will not happen according to the natural order, but everyone will become poor in evil, in lusts; Only the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be freed. What answer can you give? He founded Zion, by Him the humble people will be saved, and not by your valor. Do you see whom the prophet calls humble? The weak, betrayed by their loved ones, so that God’s help would appear. You might be interested in: