NOTES for Isa 29:17-24
17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? |
18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. |
19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. |
20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: |
21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. |
22 Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. |
23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. |
24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. |
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When the Pharisees and scribes reproach Christ because His disciples do not observe the ancient rites (Matt. 15:1-20), He quotes the first verse of today's reading from the prophet Isaiah: "This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." For the Pharisees, who knew Sacred Scripture well, these words sound like a severe rebuke: they immediately remember the continuation of the prophet's words, which the evangelists did not include in their account. And the prophet says: "and their fear of Me is a commandment of men learned by rote." This is the whole point: instead of reverence before God, we can transfer our reverent attitude to what people think about Him, and these are far from the same thing.
Meanwhile, the continuation of the Lord's words is striking. It is important to pay attention to this prophecy of Isaiah already because it will give us the opportunity to understand Christ better. The Lord says through the prophet that His people, instead of worshiping with the heart, worshiping in Spirit and truth, honor Him with their lips and prefer human limitation. Our instinct then expects a warning about the severe punishment that will overtake people for such a substitution. But the Lord says: "in a very little while... the deaf shall hear... and the eyes of the blind shall see..." He says that He will redeem Abraham, and his descendants will revere the God of Jacob. In the Lord's eyes, what matters is that He Himself will correct our errors, that we will be able to draw near to Him with the heart. Therefore this whole word is a prophecy about Christ.
Readings for 5 December 2025
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