Мысли при чтении Книги пророка Исаии

Chapter 1, [Article 2]. I gave birth to sons and raised them up, but these [Russian: and they] rejected Me. This did not only happen to the Jews: it happened, is and will happen to all other peoples and individuals. We are all children of God, born according to His all-good will from the womb of the mother, to whom He gives the ability to conceive, form, grow and give birth to our body, and He Himself bestows a rational soul. We are all His children, because we live in His house not made by hands, we are illuminated by His sun, moon and stars, we use His elements for our good - air, water, fire and earth; We all, in everything that is in us, that we have and that surrounds us, belong to Him completely, completely: we do not have a hair of our own - everything is His. And we reject such a great, incomparable, invaluable Benefactor every day, every hour, our whole lives. O damned sin, O intolerable mediastinum, separating children from the Father! When will you be completely destroyed and the children will rightfully belong completely to their Father, uniting with Him in mind, will and heart? Our disasters: war, famine, pestilence, disease, death itself - are the work of God’s special care for us sinners - this is the rod of the Good Shepherd, with which He mercifully punishes us and turns us to the straight path. War is raging in our fatherland 11: our cities are burned with fire, our country is being eaten up by strangers before us [v. 7]. What's so tricky about this? This should have been expected, this should have been: the Lord gave birth and exalted us, but we rejected Him. What else should be done to us? Perhaps the daughter of Zion still remains, like a tent in a vineyard, like a hut in a vegetable garden, like a besieged city [v.8]. If there were no righteous people in our fatherland, then things would be even worse with us. If the Lord of hosts had not left us a small remnant, we would have been like Sodom, like Gomorrah [v.9]. We send our prayers to God to grant us victory and peace - but what are these prayers? Is the jingling or ringing of a voice without the participation of the heart pleasing to the Lord, does bowing the knees without bowing the heart have value in the eyes of the Lord? Does God smell the censer with the fragrance of incense, and do the candles lit in the church warm and illuminate the One who lives unapproachable in the light and gives life to all creation? Why do I need your multitude of sacrifices? says the Lord. I am satisfied with the burnt offerings of rams...and I do not want the blood of bulls and lambs and goats [v.11]. Ch.2, art.10 [-16]. Go to the rock and hide yourself in the earth from the fear of the Lord and from the glory of His greatness. The proud views of man will droop, and the lofty things of mankind will be humbled; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts is coming on everything that is proud and arrogant and on everything that is exalted, and it will be humbled... and on every high tower, and on every strong wall, and on every ship... Is. Chapter 3, Art. 11 et seq. Woe to the wicked, for there will be retribution for him for the works of his hands. 14 [-23]. You have laid waste the vineyard; the spoils of the poor are in your houses; Why do you oppress My people and oppress the poor? says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. And the Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with their necks raised and their eyes deceiving, and they walk with a majestic step and rattle the chains on their feet, the Lord will expose the crown of the daughters of Zion and the Lord will expose their shame; On that day the Lord will take away beautiful ankle chains and stars and moons, earrings, and necklaces, and fans, withered wrists, and belts, and vessels with perfume, and magic pendants, rings and nose rings, outerwear and underwear, and scarves, and purses, light thin capes and headbands, and bedspreads. And instead of incense there will be a stench, and instead of a belt there will be a rope, and instead of curled hair there will be baldness, you will have baldness for the sake of your works, and instead of a wide epancha there will be narrow sackcloth... until the end. Ch.5, [vv.5–6]. About the grapes: I will take away its fence... I will destroy its walls... and leave it desolate... and I will command the clouds not to rain on it. You can do everything, O Lord, Creator of the world; but wait, be patient with us: perhaps we will bear fruit. Versions 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22 and to the end. The speech is full of fire and strength. Chapter 6. The appearance of the Lord to Isaiah is described. Then the Lord says to Isaiah: go and tell this people: you will hear by hearing and will not understand... and so on... so that I will heal them [vv. 9, 10]. And we often, very often, when we hear, we do not hear, and when we see, we do not see, and that is why we live in our iniquities and in illnesses; The Lord cannot make us saints or heal our illnesses against our will. Verse 13 at the end: His seed is holy. The world stands because there are God’s chosen ones in it, virtuous people. Is. Chapter 9, v. 17 - to the end... Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over his young men, and will not have mercy on his orphans and widows: for they are all hypocrites and evildoers, and the lips of all speak wickedly. Despite all this, His anger will not be turned away, and His hand will still be stretched out. Words of the King of Assyria. How proud! Chapter 10, [v.] 14. “And my hand took the wealth of the nations like nests; and just as they take away the eggs left in them, so I took the whole earth, and no one moved a wing, or opened a mouth, or squeaked.” Consequence of wickedness. Chapter 16, Article 10. Joy and rejoicing have disappeared from the fruitful land, and there is no singing or rejoicing in the vineyards; the vinedresser does not trample grapes in the winepress: I have stopped rejoicing. The Lord everywhere appears as the sovereign Ruler of both man and nature with its works, as the Creator of everything. Chapter 17. Prophecy about Damascus. Chapter 19. Prophecy about Egypt. Ch.20, art.3 [-4]. And the Lord said: Just as my servant Isaiah walked naked and barefoot for three years, as a sign and a sign about Egypt and Ethiopia, so the king of Assyria will lead captives from Egypt and immigrants from Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot and with naked loins, to the shame of Egypt. Oh, if the Lord would say about us the same as about Isaiah: such and such is My servant. How happy we would be! The Lord calls His faithful His servants, and how good it is to be a faithful slave of the Lord of the whole world! Chapter 21, Article 4. My heart trembles; trembling hits me; My joyful night turned into horror for me. Chapter 22. But behold, fun and joy! They kill oxen and slaughter sheep; They eat meat and drink wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die!” Art. 13. Ch.23, [vv.15–16]. And it shall come to pass in that day that Tire 12 shall be forgotten for seventy years, according to the days of one king. At the end of seventy years, the same thing will happen to Tire as they sing about the harlot: “Take the zither, walk through the city, forgotten harlot! Play well, sing a lot of songs so that they will remember you.” Ch.24. The glory of the Lord is filled with power. Behold, the Lord devastates the earth and makes it barren; changes its appearance and scatters those who live on it... The land is completely devastated and completely plundered, for the Lord spoke this word. The earth laments, the earth is sad; the universe is drooping and sad; the lands that towered over the people fell. And the earth was defiled by those who lived on it (through those who lived on it), for they transgressed the laws, changed the statute, broke the everlasting covenant... [vv. 1 – 5]. And so on... In this chapter the Creator of all things and the wrathful Judge are visible. 25 ch. Also worth special attention... Chapter 26, Art.9. From the night my spirit grows stronger towards You, O God, for the light of Your commandment is on the earth [Russian: for... Your judgments are carried out on the earth]: you who dwell on the earth will learn righteousness. 16th century God! in distress he sought You; poured out silent prayers when Your punishment befell him. 20–21 Art. Go, my people, enter your chambers and lock your doors behind you, hide yourself for a moment until the anger passes; for behold, the Lord comes out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will reveal the blood it has swallowed up and will no longer hide its slain. Chapter 27, Art. 11 Since this is a foolish people, their Creator will not have mercy on them, and their Creator will not have mercy on them. Chapter 28, Art. 15 “We have entered into an alliance with death and made an agreement with the underworld: when the all-destroying scourge passes, it will not reach us, because we have made lies a refuge for ourselves, and we will cover ourselves with deception.” 16th century Behold, I am laying a stone for the foundation in Zion, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he who believes in it will not be put to shame... 17–18. And I will make judgment the standard and righteousness the scales; and the refuge of lies will be destroyed with hail, and the waters will drown the place of hiding. And your alliance with death is crumbling, and your agreement with the underworld will not stand... Chapter 29, 2 tbsp. I will oppress Ariel (city), and there will be weeping and lamentation; and he will remain with Me like Ariel. 4 tbsp. And you will be humiliated, you will speak from the ground, and your speech will be muffled from under the dust, and your voice will be like the voice of a ventriloquist, and your speech will whisper from under the dust. 5 tbsp. The multitude of your enemies will be like fine dust, and a horde of fierce ones will be like flying chaff; and this will happen suddenly, in an instant. 16th century Can a potter be considered like clay? Will the product say about the one who made it: “He did not make me”? and will the work say about its artist: “He does not understand”? God has every right to demand from us the fulfillment of His holy will. Chapter 30, art. 15. Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: If you had remained in place and at rest, you would have been saved; in silence and trust is your strength; but you didn't want to. Chapter 31, Article 3. And the Lord will stretch out His hand, and the defender will stumble, and the defended will fall, and they will all perish together. 4. For this is what the Lord said to me: like a lion, like a skiman 13 who roars over his prey, even though many shepherds shout at him, and does not tremble at their cry and does not yield to their multitude, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight for Mount Zion and for its hill. 5. Like soaring birds, the tit [Russian: so] the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem, protect and deliver, and supply and save. What wonderful picturesque likenesses! To see all the beauty of speech, one does not need to fully maintain the similarities here, look for them in the whole speech, but only in part, look for them in some subjects: lion... soaring birds. Imagine a lion attacking its prey and roaring - the king of four-legged animals... Imagine birds soaring... and [then] imagine the Lord descending to fight on Mount Zion... protecting Jerusalem from the heights (as birds soar upward) with the shelter of His almighty wings... Chapter 32, 2 [-4] art. It will be... like springs of water in the steppe, like the shadow of a high rock in a thirsty land [church glory: it will appear in Zion like a glorious river flowing in a thirsty land]. And the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. And the heart of the frivolous will be able to reason; and those who are tongue-tied will speak clearly. All this happened after the coming of Christ to earth. A river in a thirsty land - a river of living water appeared in the moral world; ears eagerly listened to the verbs of the eternal life from God; the previously silent apostles preached the gospel to the world. Chapter 33, v. 10–13. Today I will arise, says the Lord, today I will rise, today I will be exalted. You are pregnant with hay, you will give birth to straw; your breath is a fire that will consume you. And the nations will be like burning lime, like a felled thorn bush [glory: like thorns scattered in a field], they will be burned in fire. Hear, you who are far off, what I will do; and you, your neighbors, know My power. Who, Lord, can among mortals endure Your wrathful appearance! You are the Lord of everything, You are omnipotent, and we are Your creatures; You only have to take away our spirit - and we will disappear and return to our dust. Imagine thorns in a field, scattered in all directions and burned by fire. In the place of the thorns put people, and in the place of the field put a known country or a known state. This is how the righteous and almighty Lord punishes the wicked nations: He scatters and burns them like worthless grass. Chapter 34. The prophet pronounces the wrath of God against all pagan nations and against Zion. God's judgment is terrible: it condemns everything to burning, emptiness and wild silence. 35 chapters, 10 tbsp. And the redeemed of the Lord will return, they will come to Zion with joyful shouting; and everlasting joy will be upon their heads; they will find joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will be removed. Chapter 36, 18–20 art. So let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying, “The Lord will save us.” Did the gods of the nations, each his own land, save from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Separvaim? Have they saved Samaria from my hand? Which of all the gods of these lands saved his land from my hand? So will the Lord really save Jerusalem from my hand? The crazy pagan thought that the God of Israel was the same god as that of the pagan peoples. For a person who believes in the one true, Living and omnipotent God, the words of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, conveyed to the Jews by Rapsakes, his messenger, seem crazy and ridiculous. Let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying, “The Lord will save us.” Did the gods of the nations, each his own land, save from the hand of the king of Assyria? Each country has, he says, its own god: I defeated these countries: the gods could not protect any of them. So I destroyed Hamath and Arphapha, the city of Sepharuim and Samaria - where are their gods, why didn’t they come to the rescue? If they were all powerless to deliver their countries and cities from my hand, then who is your God that He should deliver Jerusalem from my hands? A pagan talks like a pagan. What a dark, limited concept of God! How blind the pagans were! The ever-present power and divinity of the great Living God is visible through the consideration of creation [Rom. 1:20 ], and the pagans did not notice these properties of the one omnipotent God. By his faith, he measures the faith of others, and thinks that all people’s gods are the same as those of the above-mentioned peoples. Kings are the locums of the God of Heaven. Ch.37, [vv.10–12, 16–20]. Pharakah, the Ethiopian king, reproaches Hezekiah with almost the same words: let not, he says, your God, in whom you trust, deceive you, thinking: “Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.” Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria did to all the lands, placing a spell on them; will you survive? Did the gods of the nations that my fathers destroyed save them?.. Hezekiah prays in sorrow in the church before the Lord: Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who sits on the Cherubim! You alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth; You created heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; Open, O Lord, Thy eyes and look and hear the words of Sennacherib, who sent to revile You, the living God. Really, oh my God! The kings of Assyria devastated all their countries and lands and threw their gods into the fire; but these were not gods, but the product of human hands, wood and stone, and that is why they destroyed them. And now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand; and all the kingdoms of the earth will know that You, O Lord, are one God [vv. 21–29]. God sends His prophet Isaiah to Hezekiah and says through him: I heard what you prayed about - against Sennacherib, king of Assyria... You say, among other things, that the kings of Assyria devastated the whole earth, and you grieve about it. But have you not heard that I did this long ago, ordained it in ancient days, and now I have fulfilled it by laying waste to strong cities, turning them into heaps of ruins? And their inhabitants became weak, trembled and remained in shame; They became like grass in the field and tender greenery, like shoots on the roofs and scorched bread before it sprang. Whether you sit down, whether you go out, whether you go in, I know everything, I also know your insolence against Me. King Sennacherib, he says, will not enter the city and shoot an arrow at it, nor put a shield on it, nor make a fort around it. But he will return the same way he came and will not enter this city. This is what the Lord says: I will protect this city, I will save it for Myself and for the sake of David My servant. Following this, the Angel of the Lord killed 185 thousand people in the Assyrian regiment. Sennacherib went to Nineveh; he is soon killed by children. In the words of the Lord one can see the wise, all-powerful Ruler and the righteous Judge of the world, nations and kings. Ch.38, [vv.5–9]. Hezekiah falls ill; God, through the prophet, announces his death. Hezekiah prays for the continuation of his life with great lamentation. The Lord listened to his prayer and said to Isaiah: go and tell Hezekiah: Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, and behold, I will add fifteen years to your days... Behold, I will bring back ten steps the shadow of the sun that passed along the steps of Ahaz. And the sun returned ten steps along the steps on which it had descended. And now God hears our prayers, sighs and tears if we turn to Him and pray to Him sincerely. And behold, I will add fifteen years to your days. The Director of our life is visible in these words. Behold, I will bring back ten steps the shadow of the sun, which passed along the steps of Ahaz... In these words we see the Creator of the whole world, doing with it what is pleasing to Him. If He wants to turn the sun in the other direction or completely extinguish it, He does this with one wave of His will. His power is strong: And the stars will be crushed by it, And the suns will be extinguished by it, And all the worlds will be reduced to dust by it. 14th century My eyes sadly looked to the sky: Lord! I'm cramped; save me [church-glor.: for my eyes are gone, to look up to the heights of heaven to the Lord, who delivered me and took away the sickness of my soul: and create a guide for him all my years]. The dying man's eyes are dim; nothing pleases his vision anymore; the brilliant height of the sky does not captivate him; and with great difficulty the sick man lifts his eyes to the Lord. God is my Guide from my mother’s womb until now and then until my death. After death I will appear to Him, the righteous Judge. Chapter 39. Hezekiah shows Merodach Baladan, king of Babylon, the treasures of his palaces, and for this Isaiah the prophet declares the wrath of God on King Hezekiah. Ch.40, [v.6–8]. The voice says: Proclaim! And he said: What shall I proclaim? All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows on it: so the people are grass. The grass dries up, the flowers fade, but the word of our God endures forever. Wickedness is fleeting, but godliness is eternal. 11 [-12] art. As a shepherd (the Lord) will feed His flock; He will take the lambs in his hands... Who has exhausted the waters with his handful and measured the heavens with a span, and has contained the dust of the earth in measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in scales?.. 15. Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are counted as a speck of dust in the balance. Behold, He raises the islands like dust. 16 [-17]. And Lebanon is not enough (for Him) for the sacrificial fire, and the animals on it for the burnt offering. All nations are as nothing before Him... 21 [-23]. Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? He is the One who sits above the circle of the earth, and those who live on it are like locusts before Him; He stretched out the heavens like a thin cloth and spread them out like a tent to live in. He turns princes into nothing, makes the judges of the earth into something empty. 26. Raise your eyes to the heights of heaven and see who created them? Who brings out their host (stars and suns) by number? He calls them all by name: due to the abundance of power and great strength, nothing is left out of Him. How the holy prophet depicts the unapproachable greatness of God! A worthy singer of the glory of God! Isaiah, chapter 41, [vv.8-14]. Russians! If you are pious, God will say the same thing to you as he did to the Israelites: And you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham (Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov), My friend, you whom I took from the ends of the earth... and said to you: “You are My servant, I have chosen you and will not reject you”: do not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be troubled, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness. Behold, all who are angry against you will remain in shame and disgrace; Those who argue with you will be like nothing and will perish. You will seek them, and you will not find them hostile to you; those who fight with you will be like nothing, absolutely nothing; for I am the Lord thy God; I hold you by your right hand, I say to you: “Do not be afraid, I will help you.” Fear not, O worm Jacob, O frugal Israel; I will help you, says the Lord and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Ch.42, 24–25 art. Who delivered Jacob to destruction and Israel to robbers? Is it not the Lord against whom we have sinned? They did not want to walk in His ways and did not listen to His law. And He poured out on them the fury of His anger and the ferocity of war: it surrounded them with flames on all sides, but they did not notice; and it burned within them, but they did not understand it in their hearts (that the Lord had brought this upon them for their sins). God makes whatever people He pleases an instrument of His righteousness, His wrath against His beloved people. All material nature also serves as an instrument of His righteous punishment. In His hands, the caterpillar becomes the most harmonious and organized army for punishing people. Ch.43, [v.1–6]. Now this is what the Lord says, who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are mine. Whether you pass through waters, I will be with you; whether you cross rivers, they will not drown you; If you walk through the fire, you will not get burned, and the flame will not scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior... Because you are precious in my sight, of great worth, and I have loved you, I will give other people for you, and nations for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; From the east I will bring your descendants and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the North: “give it back”; and to the south: “do not hold back; bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth.” What intimacy, what quality of God with people! The Creator says to a clay vessel created from earth and animated by a rational soul: do not be afraid... he called you by your name; you are mine. He promises to be with him by His omnipotence and in this co-presence - complete safety from water and fire, which, having arisen from insignificance, for a while may not have their properties: whether you pass through waters, I am with you, whether through rivers, they will not drown you; If you walk through the fire, you will not get burned, and the flame will not scorch you. For I am the Lord your God... your Savior. He says, “I gave you into captivity for your sins.” But now that you have turned to Me, I will now set things right: the land is Mine and all the people are Mine. Do not be afraid, he says, because I am with you now: from the east I will bring your descendants and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the North: “give it back”; and to the south: “do not hold back; bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth! God! And You are just as kind to us now as You once were to the children of Israel. Be with us always! When we sin, punish us, but do not abandon us with Your providence and goodness. 24 [-28]. You have troubled Me with your sins, you have burdened Me with your iniquities. I, I Myself, blot out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins: remember Me; let's go to court; you speak to justify yourself. Your forefather has sinned, and your intercessors have departed from Me. God is the All-Holy Father: out of love for Him alone, be afraid to offend Him with your sins. Chapter 44, 5 and 6. One will say: “I am the Lord’s”... and another will write with his hand: “I am the Lord’s”... Now all Christians are God’s, and everyone says: I am a Christian, I am Christ’s, I am God’s. But, unfortunately, how much truth is there in these words? The Lord said about His followers: By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another [Jn. 13:35]. Do you, Christian, have this love for your neighbors? If not, you are wrongly telling yourself that you are God’s. Further the Lord said: Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves a son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me [Matt. 10:37]. What do you say to this? Do you love the Lord more than your father and mother? If not, you are not rightfully saying that you are God’s, that you are a Christian. If you have a not entirely pure attachment to someone, then even more so you are unworthy of the name of a Christian: sin has driven you far away from the All-Holy Lord. He who belongs to Christ is crucified and buried in Christ, he mortifies his passions. Art.14 [-15]. He (the idol-maker) cuts down cedars for himself, takes pine and oak, which he chooses among the trees in the forest, plants ash, and the rain brings it back. And this serves as fuel for a person, and he uses part of this to keep him warm, and makes a fire, and bakes bread. And from the same he makes a god, and worships him, makes an idol, and prostrates himself before him. Art.18 [-19]. They neither know nor understand: He closed their eyes so that they would not see, and their hearts so that they would not understand. And he will not take this to his heart, and he does not have enough knowledge and sense to say: “I burned half of it in the fire and baked bread on its coals, fried the meat and ate it; and from the remnant of it shall I make an abomination? Shall I worship a piece of wood? How blind are the pagans! Here they are cutting down a tree in an oak grove: how can one fail to notice that the tree is just that: a tree - dead, soulless, cannot change its place and, moreover, from the action of human hands and metal it falls to the ground like a block of earth. But they do not notice this: they cut down a tree in an oak grove that was not planted by some god of theirs, but by the Living God, the One, who raised the rain of the Creator of the earth, and not a pagan god, so that people could burn something, warm themselves and bake food on it - and, taking part of it and putting it on the fire, they warmed themselves, baked bread on its coals, and made gods from the rest and bow to them. Well, where is the mind? How can one not realize that a tree that man himself cut down and clearly saw that it was a dead thing, which he himself split, burned and saw only coal and ashes, cannot be god? No, he cannot figure it out: from the remains of the burnt tree he makes idols and bows to them. God is alive and wonderful! How wise You are! So that people could keep warm in bad weather and prepare comfortably and pleasantly eaten food, You gave them elemental fire. But just as he cannot exist and be supported if he does not have food, then You created for him an innumerable amount of food, commensurate with the needs of man and adaptive to the greed and ferocity of the fiery element: just as with thick hair You covered most of the earth’s crust with forest. But not only did You create various trees as food for fire, for example, cedars of Lebanon and others (the beauty and glory of mountain plants), but also as material for the construction of human dwellings, their watercraft, and even Your holy churches. According to the multitude of the sons of men and the multitude of their needs, You multiplied the trees in the impenetrable forests. Glory to Thee, all-wise God! 21 [-23]. Remember this, Jacob and Israel, for you are My servant; I formed you: My servant, O Israel, do not forget Me. I will blot out your iniquities like a fog, and your sins like a cloud [church glory: Behold, I have taken away your iniquity like a cloud]; turn to Me, for I have redeemed you. Rejoice, O heavens, for the Lord has done this. Shout, O depths of the earth; make a noise of joy, mountains, forest and all the trees in it; for the Lord has redeemed Jacob and will be glorified in Israel. Always remember, man, that you were born a servant of God and, as a slave, you must naturally serve your Master with faith and truth. Never forget your Lord. But you deviate from Him with your iniquities and forget Him: you work at sin, not remembering that you must serve the Lord all your life. But here I am, says God, taking away from you the barrier separating you from Me: I have taken away your iniquities, like a cloud covering you, your soul from My eyes, and your sins, like a fog covering your soul: turn to Me, and I will deliver you from all your misfortunes... In what holy delight does the prophet call upon all nature to rejoice with the children of Israel: Celebrate, says the heavens, for the God of Israel has been merciful: shout, O depths of the earth; make noise with joy, mountains, forest and all the trees in it! 24 Art. Thus says the Lord, who redeemed you and formed you from your mother’s womb: I am the Lord, who created all things, who alone stretched out the heavens and by My power spread out the earth. What sublimity in the words of Jehovah, what fullness of truth! What pagan deity could say something like that through the lips of deceivers! When could the devil, on behalf of the true God, proclaim anything in this sense? Only the true God can say this. All the fullness of creatures is, so to speak, the excess of His being. Everything is the work of His wise mind, the implementation of His ideas: both heaven and earth with everything that is in them and on them. That is why only He, in the fullness of consciousness of truth, can say: I am the Lord, who created everything, who alone stretched out the heavens and by His power spread out the earth. Ch.45, 12th century. I created the earth and created man on it; I - My hands stretched out the heavens, and I gave the law to all their hosts. Remember, mortals, where you come from, Who is the Author of your existence and where the solid earth under your feet with all the waters on it, and the visible sky with so many stars, rotating according to immutable laws for entire millennia, has its origin. Hear what the Creator says: I created the earth and created man on it; I - My hands stretched out the heavens, and I gave the law to all their host. 18th century. The Lord... formed it for habitation (the earth). 22 art. and further. Turn to Me, and you will be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other. By Me I swear: out of My mouth comes righteousness, an unchangeable word, that before Me every knee will bow, and by Me every tongue will swear. Only with the Lord will they speak about Me, truth and power; all who were at enmity against Him will come to Him and be ashamed. Far from God, the Source of life, there is death. People turn to false gods and think to get help and salvation from them, but since they are not gods, but dead idols, they cannot do anything to people: There is only God who saves, and there is no other. This God can only speak the truth, lies are disgusting to Him; whatever He says will certainly happen; no word of His returns to Him empty. See how He, the All-Righteous, assures creation of His truth: I swear by Me: out of My mouth comes truth, the unchangeable word. What does this truth of God say? That every tribe will worship God and every people will confess Him as God, saying: righteousness and glory will come to Him as to Its Source, and all who separate from Him will be put to shame. Chapter 46, v. 3 and 4. Listen to Me, O house of Jacob and all the remnant of the house of Israel, adopted by Me from the womb, carried by Me from the womb: even until you are old I will be the same, and until you are gray I will bear you; I created and will carry, support and protect you. The Lord carries each of us, so to speak, in His arms from the womb and instructs us until we are very old. What are we? - Insensitive, ungrateful, we do not even want to know that the Lord is our most tender Father, Who tolerates our untruths out of His goodness and long-suffering. 6 and 7 art. They hire a silversmith to make him a god; they bow to him and prostrate themselves before him. What benefit do the pagans get from this? - None. They shout at him, but he doesn’t answer, he doesn’t save him from trouble. What are you doing, crazy people? [Vv.9-10] Remember the former things from the beginning of the age: for I am God, and there is no other God, and there is none like Me. I declare from the beginning what will happen in the end, and from ancient times what has not yet been done. Chapter 48, [v.] 8. I knew that you would act treacherously, and from your very mother’s womb you were called an apostate. God knows before our birth what we will be like: whether we are obedient to Him, our Master, or willful and self-willed. [Vers.] 12 and 13. I am the first and I am the last. My hand founded the earth, and My right hand stretched out the heavens; I will call them, and they will appear together. Great is the Lord our God. His hand founded the earth and spread out the tent of heaven with the luminaries that were on it. From His single word they will come and stand before Him as before the Creator; all the creatures that dwell on them, gathered together, will hear His judgment on the wicked. 18 [-19]. Oh, that you would heed My commandments! then your peace would be like a river, and your truth like the waves of the sea. And your seed would be like sand, and those that come from your loins like grains of sand. 21. And they do not thirst in the deserts through which He leads them: He brings out water for them from the rock; cuts the rock and waters flow. There is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord. Chapter 49, [14–16] art. And Zion said: “The Lord has forsaken me, and my God has forgotten me!” Will a woman forget her suckling child, so as not to have compassion on the son of her womb? but even if she forgot, I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on My hands; Your walls are always before Me. Such is the love of the Lord for His rational creatures: it is stronger than the love of a mother for her children. And no wonder: the love of parents for their children is only an image of God’s love for His creatures. Who dares to say after this: “The Lord has forsaken me, and my God has forgotten me!” He will not leave, he will never forget, never! Chapter 50, [v.] 2. Behold, by My rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn the rivers into desert; the fish in them rot from lack of water and die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with darkness, and make sackcloth for their covering. The Creator is terrible in His anger. Chapter 51, Art. 15 I am the Lord your God, who troubles the sea, so that its waves roar: the Lord of Hosts is His name. And I will put My words in your mouth, and I will cover you with the shadow of My hand, to order the heavens and establish the earth... Those who are distressed by the trouble of the sea! Know who to turn to in your misfortune. If the sea roars and foams, know that God has troubled and troubled it; seek refuge under the shadow of His 14 hand, with which He established the heavens and founded the earth. Chapter 54, 7–8 art. I left you for a short time, but I will receive you with great mercy. In the heat of my wrath I hid My face from you for a while, but with everlasting mercy I will have mercy on you, says your Redeemer, the Lord. The Lord is merciful: if He allowed His creation to suffer for its sins, then He will have mercy on it with great mercy; in the heat of anger... having turned His face away from him for a while, He will have mercy on him with eternal mercy. 16th century Behold, I created you, not like a blacksmith fanning coals and wearing out a vessel for work: I did not create you for destruction, to rot [Russian: to destroy]. The Lord values ​​His creation dearly, the work of His hands, not like a blacksmith who makes a vessel and often breaks it or melts it in the fire. I created you, not like a blacksmith fanning coals... I did not create you for destruction, to decay. 55 ch. Full of strength. The language is lively, joyful, sublime. The times of the Messiah are prophesied. 6, 7 et seq. Seek the Lord when He can be found; call upon Him when He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the wicked forsake his thoughts [church-glory: his advice], and let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him... Why should people leave their ways and their advice when the Lord approaches them? My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. But as the heavens are higher than the earth... As rain and snow descend from the sky... so is My word. The effectiveness of the word of God. Ch.56, art.3 et seq. Let not the son of a foreigner who has joined the Lord say, “The Lord has completely separated me from His people,” and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” For the Lord speaks thus of the eunuchs: who keep My sabbaths, and choose what is pleasing to Me, and hold fast to My covenant, to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a better name than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be destroyed. And the sons of foreigners... I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them glad in My house of prayer... for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. The Lord Himself said that the one who comes to Him will not be cast out, no matter who he is. The Lord is merciful: He accepts everyone, because everyone is His creation. Chapter 57, Art. 16 For I will not fight forever and will not be completely angry; Otherwise, the spirit and every breath that I have created will fail before Me. Why should I be angry with you all the time? Are you not all in My hands? Is your life not from Me? I despise your sins and your iniquities, and for My own sake, for My name’s sake, I love you. I will not be completely angry; Otherwise, the spirit and every breath that I have created will fail before Me. 20 [-21] art. But the wicked are like a troubled sea, which cannot calm down and whose waters throw up silt and dirt. There is no peace for the wicked, says my God. Joy comes from a sense of well-being. What sense of well-being do the wicked have? In their souls there is a noise of violent passions, moral disorder, disorder. They cannot rejoice. Chapter 58, [vv.10–11]. You will give your soul to the hungry and feed the soul of the sufferer: then your light will rise in darkness, and your darkness will be like noon; and the Lord will always be your guide, and in times of drought he will satisfy your soul... Chapter 60, art. 15. Instead of you [Jerusalem] being forsaken and hated, so that no one passed through you, I will make you great forever, a joy throughout all generations. The Lord does not punish for long, although often severely, but afterward he gives eternal joy. What mercy! Chapter 61, [Article 1]. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me... [Verse 10]. My soul shall rejoice in my God... 62 ch., 6 tbsp. On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have placed watchmen who will not be silent day or night. O you who remind us of the Lord! don't stop talking. We are these guards on the walls of the city, appointed by God Himself to protect those living in it through prayer. We pray day and night and until the end, until the glorious second coming, we will not cease to remember the Lord. Treat us, our flock, chiefly with love [1 Thess. 5:13 ] for our cause: we are your guardians. Chapter 63, Art. 16 Thou, O Lord, is our Father; from all eternity Thy name is: “Our Redeemer.” Why, Lord, have You allowed us to stray from Your ways, to harden our hearts, so as not to fear You? turn for the sake of Your servants, for the sake of the tribes of Your inheritance. Chapter 64, [v.] 8. Lord, You are our Father; we are clay [Church Glorious: clay], and You are our educator, and we are all the work of Your hand. Don’t be angry... How good it would be for people if they more often realized that they are clay, the work of God’s hands! Ch.66, [v.1–2]. Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool; where will you build a house for me?.. For my hand has done all this, and all this happened, says the Lord. But this is who I will look to: the one who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at My word. Meekness and humility are most precious in the sight of God. This refers to the Crimean War (1853 - 1856). Tire is one of the oldest cities in Phenicia, which arose at the beginning of the third millennium BC. At the beginning of the first millennium BC. played a leading role in Phenicia. Isaiah's prophecy of its destruction came true in 332 BC, when it was captured by Alexander the Great. Later it was restored and in the first centuries of Christianity it was one of the significant cities. Skimen (Church Slavic) – a young lion, lion cub. Sen (Church Slavic) – here “cover”. You might be interested in: