"And the Lord said: Because this people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, while their heart is far from Me, and their reverence before Me is the study of human commandments..." In these words, which the Lord addresses to us today, there is much...
"And the Lord said: Because this people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, while their heart is far from Me, and their reverence before Me is the study of human commandments..." In these words, which the Lord addresses to us today, there is much bitterness, much bitter truth. It is not for nothing that we know them so well from the lips of Jesus. Yet the wording of the Synodal Translation states part of this truth less distinctly and threateningly than some modern translations, say, into English. What, it would seem, is bad about "the study of human commandments," as the Synodal Translation writes, since that is the direct subject of all secular humanities?
But, of course, the point is something else. And to understand this, let us turn to two other translations: the New American Standard Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible. These two translations read as follows. The first: And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote ("and their worship of Me is only a memorized tradition"). The second: and reverence for Me, as far as they are concerned, is nothing but human commandment, a lesson memorized ("and their worship of Me, as far as they understand it, is nothing more than the carrying out of human regulations, a memorized lesson").
That is what is really at issue. And it is infinitely important to feel this with all our faith. For precisely this rote memorizing, this reading off, this figuring out the finer points of what is "proper," what is "required," when it is "required," all these endless "may I or may I not" questions that we hear continually in the Church, make our heart "far from God." Our discipleship must not be the discipleship of a straight-A crammer, or a "botanist," as Russian schoolchildren and students call such people among themselves. And why did the word "botanist" take root so firmly? Apparently because, from the point of view of people not yet quite grown up, children or half-children, botany is the least creative science, where one has to know an endless number of names of various plants.
In reality, of course, this is not so; ask the monk Mendel. Still, we must not have this kind of relationship with God and the Church. Let us have learned the lesson a little imperfectly; when we are called to the board, we will add creativity and love to our imperfect, underlearned knowledge, and everything will be wonderful. And the Teacher will be glad.
29 The temple and city of Jerusalem destroyed, Is 29:1-6.
Her enemies insatiable, Is 29:7-8.
Their senselessness, Is 29:9-12.
And deep hypocrisy, Is 29:13-17.
These scorner and oppressor being cut off, the rest shall be converted, Is 29:18-24.
29:1 The city - The royal city, and seat of David and his posterity.Set them - Go on in killing sacrifices from time to time, one year after another, whereby you think to appease me, but all shall be in vain.
29:4 And thou - Thou who now speakest so loftily, shall be humbled, and with a low voice, beg the favour of thine enemies. As one - Who, that they might possess the people with a kind of reverence and horror, used to deliver their answers with a low voice, from some cave under the ground.
29:5 Strangers - Whom thou hast hired to assist thee, as indeed they did, when the Chaldeans came against them. Terrible ones - Thy great commanders, and stout soldiers. It - This destruction of thy strangers, and terrible ones shall come to pass.
29:6 Thou - Thou, O Jerusalem. Fire - With dreadful judgments, which are frequently expressed by these metaphors.
29:8 His soul - His appetite or desire is unsatisfied. So - No less unsatisfied and insatiable; they shall be always thirsting after more of your blood.
29:9 Wonder - At the stupidity of this people. Cry - Cry out again and again through astonishment. They stagger - With giddiness or stupidity, which makes them like drunken men, insensible of their danger.
29:10 Dead sleep - Hardness of heart, and insensibleness of your danger. Seers - Your magistrates and ministers. Covered - With the veil of ignorance and stupidity.
29:12 Of all - Of all, your prophets. As a book - In which no man can read, while it is sealed up, as books then sometimes were, being made in the form of rolls. Delivered - Unsealed and opened.
29:13 Draw near - Namely, in acts of worship. With lips - With outward devotions. But - They do not pay me that love, and fear, and obedience, which I require. And - They worship me not in such a manner, as I have prescribed, but according to mens inventions, preferring the devices and traditions of their false prophets, before my institutions.
29:14 Hid - Shall disappear and vanish.
29:15 Seek deep - A metaphor from men, who use to dig deep into the earth, that they may hide any thing there. To hide - Vainly imagining, that they can deceive, not only men, but God, by their external professions. Who - Neither God nor man can discover us.
29:16 Surely - All your subtle devices, by which you turn yourselves into all shapes. As clay - It is no more to me, than the clay is to the potter, who can alter and dispose it as he sees fit.
29:17 As a forest - The forest of Lebanon, which was a barren mountain, shall by God's providence, become a fruitful and populous place; and these places which are now fruitful and populous, shall then become as barren and desolate, as that forest. This is a prophecy of the rejection of the Jews, and of the calling of the Gentiles.
29:18 Shall see - Being, by God's grace, brought out of gross, ignorance and wickedness, unto a clear and saving knowledge of the truth.
29:19 Meek - The humble and meek believers. Poor - Mean and despicable people, such as the Gentiles were in the opinion of the Jews, and such as the greatest part of the first Christians were.
29:20 That watch - That early and diligently apply themselves to the practice of wickedness.
29:21 That make a man - That condemn a man, as if he was a great criminal. For him - For God's faithful prophets and ministers.The gate - There the people used to assemble, both upon civil and sacred accounts, and there prophets used to deliver their prophecies.Turn - From his right. The just - The faithful ministers of God.Nought - Not for any great advantage, but for a trifle.
29:22 Redeemed - From manifold dangers, and especially from idolatry.Jacob - The Israelites or posterity of Jacob, who had great cause to be ashamed, for their continued infidelity, shall at last be brought back to the God of their fathers, and to their Messiah.Pale - Through fear of their enemies.
29:23 He seeth - When the believing seed of Jacob shall see those children, whom they have begotten to God, by the gospel, even the Gentiles. The work - The children, not of the flesh, but of the promise, whom I, by my almighty grace, have regenerated. In the midst - Incorporated with the Jews, into one and the same body.Shall sanctify - They shall glorify God, with them and for them.
29:24 That erred - Those Gentiles who erred from God's truth.Murmured - They that murmured at God's faithful teachers, shall now receive God's truth in the love of it.