Monday, March 1, 2004
Lenten Fast
Venerable Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis
6th Hour: Isaiah 4:2-5:7 1ST Vespers: Genesis 3:21-4:7 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 3:34-4:21
Isaiah 4:2-5:7 RSV, especially vs. 4:2:"In that day the branch of the Lord shall be
beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel." The writings of
Isaiah concerning God's People frequently alternate between declarations of bitter judgment and assurances of Divine
exaltation. Today's reading is a classic example of such a complete shift in mood. The initial portion of the reading (vss.
4:2-6) begins with a promise that "the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel" (vs. 4:2). The
second portion (5:1-7 ) shifts to the counter-theme of Divine judgment: "And now I will tell you what I will do to My
vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down" (vs.
5:5).
The point to observe is the juxtaposing of mercy and judgment: first, God promises, that following times of bitter
judgment, there will be an exaltation of a remnant of His People. For example, in the late seventh century and early sixth
century BC, the majority of the population of the kingdom of Judah went into exile, and Jerusalem "fell into the hand of the
foe, and there was none to help her, the foe gloated over her, mocking her downfall" (Lam. 1:7). It was a time of harsh
judgment, for "Jerusalem sinned grievously" (Lam. 1:8). Hence, "All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade
their treasures for food to revive their strength" (Lam. 1:11).
Then, in 536 BC, a few of those who had been exiled in the seventh century, together with their descendants born in
captivity, were able to return to Judah and Jerusalem from Babylon. These survivors understood that the Lord had "washed
away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and
by a spirit of burning" (Is. 4:4). They knew the pain of judgment, yet, in returning, they experienced the exaltation of being
God's chosen remnant. This pattern has repeated many times in history.
The returning exiles who began the construction of the second Temple under Zerubbabel, also built homes, restored the
wall around the city, reestablished the worship of God in the new Temple and sought to live righteously, knowing that they
"were recorded for life in Jerusalem" (Is. 4:3). They determined to live in godly purity so that they might "...be called holy"
(e.g., Neh. 9:1-3; Zech. 8:11), and that they might know the presence of God's glory over them as "a refuge and a shelter
from the storm and rain" (Is. 4:6).
Similarly, the Holy Fathers of the Church in the fourth century AD read Isaiah's prophecy of devastation and restoration in
relation to the events of history following the time of the Lord's ministry in the flesh. Jerusalem had been ravaged by the
pagan Roman armies under Titus, and the Jewish Temple had been destroyed; but the Church, united to the true Messiah,
became "Mount Zion and over her assemblies [was] a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night;
for over all the glory there [was] a canopy and a pavilion" (Is. 4:5).
The Christians who survived the years of Imperial Roman persecution saw the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the destruction
of the Temple, and the decimation of the Jewish communities as the fulfillment of the predicted time of bitter judgment for
the ancient People of God. Indeed, the Lord made "it a waste; it [was] not...pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns [grew]
up" (vs. 5:6). Yet for themselves, through the Christian Mystery, they knew the fulfillment of Isaiah's words: God had
washed away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion (the Church) - through the Mystery of the Holy Laver and
Anointing (Is. 4:4).
I was glad because of them that said unto me: Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet have stood in thy courts, O
Jerusalem. (Ps. 121:1,2 LXX)
