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The Journey through Lent with Isaiah
By Father Bishoy Kamel
“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good…”
Introduction
The Church has committed to read a passage of the Book of Isaiah the Prophet every weekday during the Great Lent. They are read with the prophecies prior to the Divine Liturgy, Monday through Friday.
In the first week of Lent, the Church starts reading the first chapter. We reach chapter 40 - which is considered the mid-point of the book by many scholars - by Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, the mid-point of the Lent. On the final Friday, the last chapter (66) is read. We therefore confidently say that the Book of Isaiah is a journey alongside the Great Lent’s Sunday readings. In it we find what is suitable for repentance, prayers, temptations, the prodigal son, the Samaritan woman, healing the lame and the man born blind. In awe we feel as if Isaiah the Prophet designs by the spirit for the Church it’s program during the Great Lent.
The Book of Isaiah is a book of repentance and return to God, as is the intention and goal of the Great Lent. The Lent starts with repentance and ends in the Resurrection. And the first chapter of Isaiah talks about repentance and the last about the Resurrection and the new birth of the Church on the day of Pentecost.
According to the Book of Isaiah, spiritual health is the goal of Lent:
In the first week of Lent we read, “…the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Is 1:5, 6).
And in the last week he says, “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily” (Is 58:8). The Book of Isaiah then talks to us about the means by which health springs forth quickly through fasting, and about the benefits of fasting for spiritual health!
This introduction is necessary to be clear in the minds of those who want to walk step by step with Isaiah through the journey of the Great Lent. On the other hand, studying the Book of Isaiah in itself is an enjoyable spiritual exercise.
We first and foremost are grateful to the early Church fathers who gave us this opportunity to study the Book of Isaiah during the Great Lent.
Hegomen Bishoy Kamel
The First Week of the Great Lent
Readings from Isaiah
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1:2-18 1:19-2:3 2:3-11 2:11-19 3:1-14
Gospel and Isaiah Themes
The Gospel: This week starts with the Gospel of Matthew 6:1-18, which talks about alms giving, prayers and fasting as the three pillars of worship, as well as about our Father Who art in heaven. The week ends with the Gospel of Matthew 6:19-etc., which talks about not relying on money in our lives but on God alone.
Isaiah: The first 3 chapters are read in their entirety. We can summarize the common themes between Isaiah and the Gospel as follows:
1 - Our Father Who Art In Heaven I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. Isaiah 1:2
The Church’s hymn this week is Our Father Who art in heaven. God’s heart is saddened by the disobedience and evil of His children, which He has brought up, and nourished. Isaiah the prophet is directing us to realize that the goal of the lent is to return to the bosom of the Father.
2 - Hypocrisy
“That thy alms may be in secret…” and prayers and fasting too. For worship is directed to God alone and He rejects hypocrisy. Isaiah, too reveals to us that all worship that is not offered to God from the heart in secrecy is rejected. “…when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood” (Is 1:15). “Thy silver is become dross (fake), thy wine mixed with water” (Is 1:22).
The phrase “in secret,” is the common denominator in Christ’s commandments, because He rejects hypocrisy and the hypocrites. Isaiah the Prophet, too shows us in the above and other verses that God rejects the incense and offerings of the hypocrites.
Therefore, my beloved let us worship the Lord from the heart without hypocrisy. This is the prayer with which we conclude every fraction prayer in the Divine Liturgy. 3 - Humility Secret worship and labor should be accompanied by humility and love. Love is the foundation of all constructive work, and humility strengthens this foundation. Chapter 2 of the book of Isaiah is entirely dedicated to humility! “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day” (2:11). “For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low” (2:12). “To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty” (2:21). “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted for?” (2:22). 4 - “Lay Not Up For Yourselves Treasures Upon Earth” Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink… Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Matthew 6:19, 25 & 34
This is too what Isaiah reports: “…the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water. … In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments…” (3:1 & 18).
Both the readings from the Gospel and Isaiah emphasize that money is no support for man. On the contrary, a Christian should live with no worries, because there is no support for man except God who saved and redeemed him and He shepherds him and count the hairs of his head! Repentance is the Goal of the First Week
FIRST - Sin and the ego (self)
Sin destroys man: “the whole head is sick” (Is 1:5). To have a double personality and hypocrisy are the first steps away from God: “Thy silver is become dross (fake)…” (Is 1:22). The ego is the most dangerous enemy during the journey of the Great Lent: “Cease ye from man…” (Is 2:22). “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink” (Mt 6:25).
SECOND - Repentance and confession
Confessing our sins is necessary for true repentance. It is an invitation from God; without it the power of fasting is weakened. Therefore the Church reads: “Come now, let us reason together saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Is 1:18).
Confession and fasting are both acts of crucifying the ego: “Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty” (Is 2:10).
THIRD - Being proactive in repentance
…Learn to do well… Isaiah 1:17
While fasting, it is important to abundantly do good deeds. The Church sings, “Blessed are those who have mercy; who give to the poor and fast and pray. The Holy Spirit will fill their hearts; the Son will show them mercy on judgment day.”
“Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness” (Is 1:27). Thus, fasting is the most awesome way for the righteousness of God to manifest in the lives of the repentant. How great is the repentance that prepares man for the righteousness of God.
Repentance is walking in the light of the Lord: “come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Is 2:5). Walking in the commandments of Christ is complementary to walking in repentance, the light of the Lord.
The repentant attracts the souls of those who are far away to live with God: “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God of Jacob” (Is 2:3).
Second week’s readings from Isaiah
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
4:2 - 5:7 5:7-16 5:17-25 6:1-12 6:1-14
This week concludes with the gospel of the temptation on the mount. It is no exaggeration to say that Isaiah in his prophecy (chapters 4 through 7) talks about the trials of man with God. It seems as if he is preparing the spiritual man during the 40 days to understand, in depth, the concepts of trials with God.
First- Trials For The Sake Of Purifying The Life Of Man
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense [cover]. Isaiah 4:4-5 The goal of trials and temptations: to purify and cleanse from filth, and purge the blood!
The means of trials and temptations: the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning.
The results of trials and temptations: glory which is within (“for upon all the glory shall be a defense”). It is the glory of the soul that is purified by temptations. The soul appears, from the outside, covered by the pains of tribulations.
Thus, God has judged and sentenced Jerusalem by the spirit of burning. He did so, not in vengeance but to purify her from her filth, and to transform her to a state of covered glory! The Lord shall not allow the soul that labors in fasting to remain in her filth. Rather, He stays with her, blesses her fast and purifies her from all her filth: The spirit of judgment may be man’s confession, self-condemnation and self-conviction: “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (1 Cor 11:31). It is clear then that the trials and tribulations represent the spirit of judgment; either we judge ourselves and repent or God will judge us in the world in His own way to lead us to repentance, so we should not be judged in the life to come! The spirit of burning is the struggle against sin which is the character of fasting, as the apostle St. Paul says, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor 9:27). When God sees our faithfulness in our struggle to enter through the narrow path in Christ’s love, He inflames the heart by the fire of the Holy Spirit which completes and perfects our repentance. The Holy Spirit burns everything that disgraces the soul as a bride for Christ. He cleanses her from filth, purges her blood, and gives her new blood, a divine one - the blood of our Lord Jesus from the altar. Lastly, He transforms her to a state of glory: The bride which the Holy Spirit has purified by the spirit of judgment and burning and has labored: “perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant” (Song 3:6), He decorates with the gifts of the Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22, 23). The soul that struggles in fasting starts to taste the sweetness of love for God and for others, joy, humility, long-suffering, chastity, etc. Upon all glory shall be a defense (cover): The Holy Spirit works in secret and covers over these pure ornaments of that bride (soul). From the exterior we see an ordinary human. Whereas from the interior the soul is in great riches in all the fruits of the spirit. Therefore, all glory must be covered to defend it, lest the enemy should steal it, lest we should have received an earthly reward, lest we should fall into arrogance and conceit.
Second- The Experience (Trial) Of The Wild Grapes:
Now will I sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: and he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be trodden down: and I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant. Isaiah 5:1-7 Our teacher St. James the Apostle, in the first chapter of his epistle, distinguishes two types of temptations. The joyous ones that come from God - these purify us and generate patience and faith. The second are the evil temptations in which man is drawn away and enticed of his own lust, despite all the goodness of God with him! (James 1:14-15).
In the Book of Isaiah, God chose a very fruitful hill (fertile land). He cleared it from all its stones and planted the best (choicest) vine. He built in man’s life a high tower which is the word of God, and also made a winepress (He gave the Church His blood). The Lord planted this vine with His own hands with pleasure that He calls it the vine of His pleasure. God has given all the means of grace that we need: the church mysteries (sacraments), the Holy Bible, the work of the Holy Spirit). Nevertheless, it brought forth wild (sour) grapes!!
What is the lesson learned from this prophecy, in the context of the Lent? We learn that, “Therefore, thou art inexcusable, O man” (Rom 2:1). Every evil in our lives is due to our inequity. It is not due to God, society or circumstances! Blaming others for our faults can only spoil our repentance. Then, the blessings of fasting and repentance are lost, and the journey of the Lent that leads to the Passover and Resurrection will come to a standstill! We also learn the reason why there shall come up briers and thorns in our lives and why spiritual drought and lack of rain occur (Is 5:6). It is all because we bore no good grapes, only sour ones, despite all the means of grace that were given to us. Good deeds are the fruits of the life with God. God demands fruits of the vine since He has labored to grow it. Therefore, my beloved, the Lent is the season to demand fruits. Beware then and make sure to offer to God only good grapes and fruits out of your life.
Third- The Experience (Trial) Of Facing God For The Sake Of Serving Him (Is 6:1-12)
Are fasting and serving the Lord related?
The answer is yes: Fasting and prayer are those which the apostles pursued and preached to all nations and baptized them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah the Prophet is a faithful servant of God. How should he begin his service?
The foundation and crux of service is to soundly build the servant’s spirituality. Isaiah summarized this by facing God in prayer, then by purifying his lips with the live coal from off the altar. Finally, after a little delay, he said, “Here am I; send me” (Is 6:8).
The saintly servants of God must have a strong life of prayer, where they face God and He reviles their weakness, so they are humbled. Their souls will be shaken and they will perceive the power of God Whose train fill the temple. They will see the smoke that separates them from the temple. Serving God should start from the temple, the house of prayer. It starts with the fear of God in the heart and feeling our weakness and sin.
The life of the servant and purging (purifying) it starts from off the altar, as St. Cyril (Kyrellos) the Great says in the Divine Liturgy, “Give us the living coal that purges the spirit, the body and the soul; which is the divine Body and precious Blood of your Christ.” The sacrifice of Christ on the altar is the point from which the life of the servant takes off.
Isaiah’s obedience to God’s request: After God presented to Isaiah all these spiritual matters and experiences, Isaiah had no choice but to quickly obey and serve God, despite the fact that - at that time - the prophets’ service was one that is filled with dangers. Prophets often had to carry unwelcome news to the kings.
This topic, the Church arranged in the middle of the week of temptation, because every new experience with God is a point of a new start in God’s service.
Forth- The Experience Of Deep Prayers (Is 7:1-14)
…For we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26
In fact, we ask a lot of God, but we ask for trivial and superficial matters.
Here is the dialogue between God and Ahaz: “Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord” And [Isaiah] said, …but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Is 7:10-14).
Thus, God - in prayer - is ready to give, even His own self! However, we do not ask in depth or height above, and are weary to ask for great things for fear that we should tempt the Lord.
In the New Testament, the Lord is our portion. He is the portion of the prodigal son, the Samaritan woman, the lame and the born blind! Mary chose the good portion that shall not be taken away from her. Let us ask that Christ Himself - and nothing less - be our portion: “my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation” (Is 12:2).
This is the fruit of deep prayer, the way Isaiah experienced it and presented to us during the journey of the holy Lent.
Fasting and prayer are those which Moses pursued, until he received the law and the commandments written by the finger of God. Fasting and prayer are those which the people of Nineveh pursued, so God had mercy upon them. Fasting and prayer are those which the Apostles pursued and carried out their mission. Fasting and prayer are those which raised Elijah to heaven. Fasting and prayer are those with which Daniel shut the mouths of the lions. Fasting and prayer are those which the martyrs pursued, and they shed their blood for the name of Christ. Fasting and prayer are those which the righteous, and the just pursued, and dwelt in the mountains, deserts and holes of the earth, because of their great love for Christ the King.
The Third Week of Lent
Readings from Isaiah
Monday: 8:13 - 9:7 Tuesday: 10:12-20 Wednesday: 9:9 - 10:4 Thursday: 11:10 - 12:2 Friday: 13:2-13
This week concludes by the story of the return of the prodigal son. This story has three aspects to it: The compassion of the Father, to which Isaiah points. The sins of the son, which Isaiah also mentions. The repentance of the son - the Book of Isaiah is indeed the book of repentance.
God’S Fatherhood Towards Us
On the first day of this week, Isaiah speaks about this fatherhood: “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me” (Is 8:18).
The story of the prodigal son indeed reveals to us the father’s loving heart and his yearning to the return of his son. ” ‘But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him’ ” (Lk 15:20).
Sin
“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter…” (Is 8:19).
“And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves … And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness” (Is 8:21-22).
Isn’t this the behavior of the prodigal son?
Instead of consulting his father, he asked his evil friends who lead him to the wizards, as if he had no father or God.
The land to which he went, according to Isaiah, is a land of anguish, hunger and darkness in which he lives as a stranger and castaway. These are the exact characterization our Lord gave to the land of the swine where the prodigal son yearned to eat its food in his severe hunger.
These are the fruits of sin, described to us by Isaiah in the week of the prodigal son!
Repentance
Repentance is the return to the bosom of the Father, submitting to Him and becoming His disciple
Isaiah the Prophet says, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples” (Is 8:16). He reveals to us that repentance is a discipleship to the commandments of our Lord Jesus and at the same time a testimony.
The repentant is the greatest witness for the work of Christ’s grace in his life. In this day and age, the Church relies on the power of repentance in it! A church with no repentance is an inactive and inanimate church. On the other hand, a church whose members live repentant lives is a witness to the work of Christ and attracts many others to her.
Repentance is “the fear of God and the life of holiness”
Isaiah says, “The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread” (Is 8:13). Nowadays, many talk about repentance in a casual and superficial way. Repentance is tears. It is to nail down the fear of God in the heart as David the prophet says, “My flesh trembleth for fear of thee” (Ps 119:120). Holiness is the fruit of God’s fear. Recklessness in repentance and going easy about it leads to the lack of fear and a swift return to falling in sin.
Repentance is to walk in the light of Christ
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined” (Is 9:2). Isaiah’s expression of repentance is most wonderful: it is to move from darkness to light and from death to life. ” ‘For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost (in darkness), and is found (in the light)’ ” (Luke 15:24).
Repentance is joyful
“They rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil” (Is 9:3). The tears of repentance are joyful ones. The labor of returning to the bosom of the father ends in embracing, kisses and slaying of the fatted calf. The father says, ‘let us …be merry’ (Lk 15:23), “joy in the presence of the angels of God” (Lk 15:7, 10) and “friends and neighbors… rejoice” (Lk 15:6). The father himself as well as the son rejoice (Lk 15:23-25). The joys of repentance are the fruit of the Holy Spirit which acts in the Church. Therefore, a church without repentance in the lives of its members is a joyless church and vice versa, because there is no source of joy of the Holy Spirit in the Church except through the repentance of her children. Let us then - my brethren - during Lent, make the Father, heaven, the angels, the saints and the whole Church rejoice. And we too, will rejoice with them!
Lastly…
Repentance is not merely to forsake sin, but also to have a positive life in Christ. This is the most awesome prophecy that Isaiah wrote and is read on Monday: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Is 9:6, 7).
Monday’s prophecy concludes with this verse, which marks the beginning of the week of repentance (the Prodigal Son) which is the character of the entire Lent. I pray that you meditate in this wonderful link between the prodigal son, the day’s prophecies, which end by telling of the peace that has no end, and the Child who is born and the Son we are given, the Prince of Peace!
The prophecies of Tuesday and Wednesday talk about the obstacles that prevent repentance.
Self-Righteousness And Pride
Man feels that he does not need to repent because he is righteous in his own eyes: “For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent’ ” (Is 10:13).
This may have indeed been the thought of the prodigal son when he left his father’s house that he is “prudent” and wise in his own eyes. That he shall do great things with the inheritance that he took from his father and say, ‘By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent.’
Listen to what the father says answering him in the same Tuesday prophecy: “Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?” (Is 10:15)!
Hardness Of The Heart
The heart is hardened because of the multitudes of the worries, preoccupations, and lusts of this world and its materialism. The Prophet says, “For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, nor do they seek the Lord of hosts” (Is 9:13). The time will come - because of the hard hearts - when the chance for repentance is lost, and man forgoes the intentions of the Father for the sake of our salvation. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all” (Romans 8:32).
This hardness of the heart, inevitably leads to “wickedness burns as the fire” (Is 9:18), and transforms man from truth to unrighteousness and grievousness, and takes away the right from the poor, the widows and the fatherless (Is 10:1, 2).
What then are the causes of this hardness of heart?
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines (Songs 2:15) The worries of this vanishing world, the multitude of its lusts, particularly the little foxes. Those little foxes are sin in its beginnings. It appears little, so we recklessly neglect it till it grows and hardens the heart. Then, it is difficult to get rid of due to negligence and lack of continuous self-judgment.
For the leaders of this people cause them to err (Is 9:16) The leaders in one’s life is first his home (parents), the Sunday School servant, the priest and teacher… Lack of direction, teaching and rebuking generates such hardness.
How do we return to God?
The only way is to return to the word of God, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Is 8:20). The word of God teaches the ignorant, and it purifies the heart: “Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). The word of God softens the heart and melts its hardness. It teaches humility and repentance and prompts the search for one’s salvation.
The prophecies of Thursday and Friday talk in detail about the return of the prodigal son to his father.
In chapter 11, he talks about the new life with Christ; the life of the prodigal son after his return to his father. This is what the church calls the thousand year reign “and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4). In it the believers live with Christ not in a worldly temporal kingdom but a spiritual kingdom. The Spirit of the Lord rests upon Him - upon Christ as a representative for us, the repentant - “The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord… Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist” (Is 11:2, 5).
Life with Christ is characterized by complete peace:
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb” (Is 11:6). “Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matt. 10:16). “The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den” (Is 11:8). “Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16).
“For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord” (Is 11:9). The prodigal son did not know his father’s love nor did he realize his welfare until he repented.
“There shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people” (Is 11:10). The repentant church smells of the fragrant of Christ which is a flag and lighthouse for all peoples. Therefore, the strange nations will seek the Lord.
Isaiah portrays how repentance is indeed God’s invitation to recover His children in a most wonderful way:
“It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people…” from everywhere (Is 11:11) “And will assemble the outcasts of Israel [Israel is His first born], and gather together the dispersed of Judah” (Is 11:12). The prodigal son is dispersed.
The repentant soul is a joyous one, praising the Lord. This is what Isaiah records:
“You will say: ‘O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me’ ” (comforts of repentance) (Is 12:1). It is clear that God’s anger was for the purpose of the return of the soul and to rebuke it. This explains how the Lord’s anger is a source of comfort. Therefore, in chapter 12 & 13, he speaks of the anger of God that is necessary for chastising and repentance: “Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it” (Is 13:9). Thus repentance prevents the anger of God.
Repentance fills the heart with trust, comfort, praise and spiritual singing: “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation’ ” (Is 12:2).
The Fourth Week of Lent
Readings from Isaiah
Monday: Is 14:24-end Tuesday: 25:1 - 26:8 Wednesday: 28:21 - 27:9 Thursday: 28:14-22 Friday: 29:13-23
This week falls between the Sundays of the Prodigal Son and the Samaritan Woman.
In the middle of this week the cross - the banner of the journey of holy Lent - is exalted. Isaiah the Prophet presents it as a fundamental precondition for those who walk in the way as our Lord Jesus says, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14:27).
Before Isaiah speaks about the sacrifice of the cross, he points out in the prophecies of Monday who is worthy of the blessings of the cross in simple verses: “The firstborn of the poor will feed, and the needy will lie down in safety” (Is 14:30). “That the Lord has founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall take refuge in it” (Is 14:32).
Was this not the first commandment of the Sermon on the Mount? The beginning of the journey after the baptism and the temptation? “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). As for the proud, how can they receive the blessings of the cross? “It is to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness” (1 Co 1:23). “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Co 1:21).
It is most wonderful that this same prophecy is read at the conclusion of the week’s prophecies.
The Banquet (Feast) Of The Cross
(Is 25-26:8)
And in this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of well-refined wines on the lees (Is 25:6).
For all people: The prodigal son, the Samaritan woman of strange race, it is a feast for all people.
In this mountain: Mount Zion, Mount Golgotha, the Church, the fattened mountain.
A feast of choice pieces (fat things): It is the sacrifice of the fatted cow for the prodigal son, and for us it is the Body of our Lord, because with it is the Blood of Christ (a feast of wine).
And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spared over all nations (Is 25:7).
There was a dense veil on the face of all nations (the gentiles) separating them from knowing God - a veil of rituals and animosity with the Jews and fanaticism. All these are apparent in the Samaritan woman, in her argument with Christ in order to accept the faith. As if Isaiah is pointing his finger to this woman, who is indeed considered the first of the gentiles to enter the faith. Hence, the cover was lifted from the gentiles.
He will swallow up death in victory (Is 25:8).
Indeed through the cross, the Lord trampled on death by death and has given us eternal life. This joyful news was given to the prodigal son, “My son was dead and is alive again” (Luke 15:24) and to the Samaritan woman, as the Lord says, “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn 4:14).
This is also mentioned in the Thursday prophecy: “And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand” (Is 28:18).
And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth (Is 25:8):
The Lord has taken away the rebuke and disgrace of the prodigal son and has wiped the tears of his repentance. He has taken away the disgrace of the Samaritan woman from the gentiles and has saved her from the life of sin. How wonderful are these comforting verses in the course of fasting. It is along the journey of the fast that the Lord wipes off the tears of the fasting and the repentant and takes away the disgrace of sin.
In that day shall this song be sung … salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks (Is 26:1).
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38). The Lord’s words here are the greatest comfort. The fast has changed to a song - the song of joy and salvation. From the blessings of fasting is that salvation has now become walls and bulwarks where the Samaritan woman now lives protected in the towers of salvation. The repentant son lives now in the walls of his father’s bosom. Now, Satan has no authority over those who are protected in the shadow of the cross along the journey of the holy Lent who rejoice in fasting.
The day of the cross is the day of vengeance from Satan and judgment for evildoers (Is 26:20,21; 27:1-9).
…Enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, with the power of his cross from the evil of the world and their judgment. The children of God who are hidden in their chambers with Christ will be there for a moment till the vengeance is done. They live in the peace of Christ in the midst of the dangers of the world and its persecutions for a moment because our days on earth do not compare to eternity.
In the day of the cross, ”…The Lord with his sore and great sword [the cross] shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent…and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea” (Is 27:1).
Therefore, the day of the cross is a day when the thorn of Satan - who seduced the prodigal son and the Samaritan woman, and wages wars against the children of God - is broken. He wages wars but has no authority on them as long as they are hiding in the fatherly bosom for a moment!
The day of the cross is a day of forgiveness, and a day of praise and singing (Is 27:2 & 9).
The Lord covers and purges the sins of the most evil when they repent, as he did with the prodigal son and the Samaritan woman: “By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged” (Is 27:9). This day - the day when the son returns to his father, the Samaritan to Jesus, the day of the cross - becomes a day of singing and praise. This is how Isaiah wants to make the hearts of the repentant souls that walk in the journey of the Lent rejoice. He places the cross in front of them as the source of forgiveness as well as the source of joy and praise. Let the shadow of the cross not depart from our lives all along the journey of the holy Lent (from St. Mark monthly magazine).
Lastly: the Friday prophecy (Is 29:13-23)
FIRST - The greatest danger that threatens us during the journey of the holy Lent is to draw near the Lord, not through the cross but:
“With their mouth, and with their lips” (Is 29:13).
To walk with Lord in hypocrisy, without confessing our weakness: “hide their counsel far from the Lord” (Is 29:15). Their works are ones of darkness, despite the fact that they walk with the church in the journey of the Lent: It is a fast with the lips, not the heart.
SECOND - The prophecy concludes this week with the following concept: All the blessings of the cross and the holy Lent are for the meek and the poor in spirit. “The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel” (Is 29:19).
This verse is the same as the first commandment of the Sermon on the Mount for those who want to follow Christ and carry the cross. It is also the same advice the Prophet gives us on Monday of this week for those who intend to accompany the cross in the 40 day journey. The poor in spirit are those who will receive the blessings of the holy Lent. “And the firstborn of the poor will feed, and the needy will lie down in safety … That the Lord has founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall take refuge in it” (Is 14:30, 32).
The Fifth Week
Readings from Isaiah
Monday: Is 37:33- 38:6 Tuesday: 40:1-8 Wednesday: 41:4-14 Thursday: 42:5-16 Friday: 43:1-9
This week starts with the Samaritan woman Sunday (the middle Sunday) and ends with the palsied man.
Scholars usually divide the book of Isaiah into 2 parts. The first ends in chapter 39 with the defeat of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. The second - from chapter 40 to the end (66) - is full of comforting notes to those who walk in God’s way. It is filled with prophecies about Christ from His birth, His crucifixion and resurrection and about the day of the Pentecost and the new birth of the Church.
The Holy Spirit has inspired the fathers of the Church to arrange that the readings following the middle Sunday of the Lent to start at the beginning of the chapter on Tuesday, and end the book (chapter 66) on the final Friday of the Lent.
Monday readings:
We read about the war with the Assyrians and their defeat (Is 37:32). These readings encourage those who strive on the way of fasting that their spiritual enemy. No matter how mighty he is and how strong his taunting and psychological warfare are, Isaiah assures Hezekiah the king not to fear because defeat of the army of Satan (Sennacherib) is sure to happen. One hundred and eighty five thousand worriers of this army were killed at once, and the army of God was saved. This is God’s comforting to us in the middle of the Lent journey through Isaiah.
On the same day the church reads from Isaiah, chapter 38, 1-6. It talks about the healing of Hezekiah the king and the addition of 15 years to his life. This undoubtedly points to the palsied man whose story is read at the end of the week. Jesus has given him a new life and told him to sin no more, lest a worse thing should come unto him.
What is Hezekiah the king’s plan? After his victory over Sennacherib he received many kings who came to congratulate him. The king of Babylon came to him and Hezekiah the king revealed to him his inner secrets (To the enemy).
Our spiritual struggle should proceed in secret as our Lord Jesus has commanded us in the first week when he talked about prayers fasting and almsgiving. They all should be in secret as Isaiah too taught us that all glory has a defense (cover) (Is 4:5). Lastly Hezekiah wept and God healed him as if telling him - as he told the palsied man - to sin no more lest a worse thing should come unto him.
God Himself Accompanies us on the Journey
(The prophecies of Tuesday through Friday: Starts with Isaiah chapter 40 to 43)
Tuesday: 40:1-8 Wednesday: 41:4-14 Thursday: 42:5-16 Friday: 43:1-9
All these prophecies focus on God’s comforting for us and His assurance that He Himself is walking with us on the way and that He blesses our struggle, that He is the Good Shepherd for the fasting flock on the journey, that He will make us a blessing to those who walk in darkness, and that He will accompany us to the end of the journey even in the midst of fire so it does not hurt us.
I will let you, dear reader take your time and meditate on all these matters, for they are all definite and certain promises and covenants that was given to you by your God Who walks with you throughout the Church’s Lent journey. If you think of these comforting verses and make them clear and sound in your heart as God tells you in the book of Isaiah: “[fasten] it with nails, that it should not be moved” (Is 4:7), then you will certainly reach the end of the journey with God, Who will take you through the fire and floods.
Here are a few of those comforting verses:
“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned” (Is 40:2). The best comfort for the fasting during his journey is that the Lord completes and perfects his struggle and pardons his inequity.
God is the Shepherd and Guide during the journey: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Is 40:11). This is our God Who carries the lost sheep on his shoulder, Who embrace the prodigal son. He guides us in the procession of His knowledge and victory knowing our weakness. He knows that we are like the suckling who delay the nursing mother on their way. He carries the suckling on his shoulder to allow the nursing mothers to proceed. How beautiful is the trip in the care of he who gave himself up for the sheep?
To remain steadfast on the road: Isaiah affirms that God Himself supports our travel. He is not content with soldering but fastens it with nails as well so it is not moved (41:7). Our Lord commanded us to abide in Him saying, “Abide in me.” Have you ever heard a better expression than Isaiah’s when he talks about the soldering and the nails? The traveler on the road should not look behind him and should not be concerned with the false vanity of the world that can only delay him. He should not be disturbed by the temptations of the enemy or fear tomorrow and say with the singer: “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36). How good it is that the palsied man should abide in Christ and sins no more that a worse thing should not come unto him.
God Is Walking With Us In Person All Along The Journey:
This is the Church’s faith that Christ fasted for us and with us forty days and forty nights. He is the Author and Prince of our faith and its Finisher who adds His fasting onto ours and makes it perfect and compete despite the fact that our fast is always imperfect.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Is 41:10).
“For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you’” (Is 41:13).
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God … your Savior” (Is 43:1-3).
”…And give you … as a light to the Gentiles … to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house” (Is 42:6, 7).
“I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight” (Is 42:16).
These prophecies point to Christ the Lord of glory. They also point to the church or the struggling and repentant soul in the journey of the Lent. It becomes light for the world in the midst of darkness and attracts others to walk in the path of light.