Indeed, overwhelming sorrow leads the mind to confusion; unexpected calamities can shroud the heart in darkness, while intense grief manifests a kind of gloom in the souls of the afflicted. Thus, they will perceive darkness despite the sun being high in the sky. Those who once rejoiced with music and resounding songs will cease their celebrations; instead, they will mourn, adopting the appearance of those in lamentation, donning garments of sorrow and despair. To uncover one's hair, however, is considered inappropriate. This is reflected in Job's actions when he grieved the loss of his children (Job 1:20). The Lord will evoke in Jacob the compassion of a beloved child; it signifies how those who cherished him will grieve like a parent mourning their precious child’s death. The neighbors of Judah and Benjamin, who along with Ephraim were idolaters and shared similar ways, will endure their own day of distress and suffer the pangs of childbirth, which symbolize fear, grief, and toil. After Sennacherib ravaged Samaria and captured all its cities, he sent Rabshekah from Lachish to Jerusalem with intimidating threats against those on the wall, plunging the citizens of Jerusalem into despair, as they anticipated the same fate as the Samaritans. In his anguish, King Hezekiah sent a message to Isaiah, expressing, "This day is a day of sorrow and reproach and rebuke and wrath, for there has come a disease to bring forth, and no strength to give birth" (Is. 37:3). Therefore, the day of sickness is described as a day of sorrow and grief due to the anguish felt. The people of Jerusalem suffered a similar day of sickness as they awaited destruction alongside Ephraim in the context of their idolatrous generation. This response is fitting for those who had turned against the Lord, yet it reflects even worse consequences for those who acted wickedly against Immanuel Himself at His incarnation; they became oppressors of those in need (Am. 8:4), showing no regard for righteous living, instead seeking to extinguish the just, undermining the very commandments of God, and relentlessly exploiting the vulnerable. Did they not also declare, "When the month is over" (Am. 8:5), and so forth? The covetousness of the scribes and Pharisees is evident throughout the Gospel accounts. Christ advised the seekers of divine righteousness to rise above greed and to distance themselves from avarice; He urged them to aim higher: to aid the needy and to share their possessions. However, the Evangelist records that the scribes and Pharisees, who cherished wealth, derided Him (Luke 16:14). Hence, it is justifiable to declare that the Lord has sworn against the proud Jacob, should he ultimately disregard your deeds (Am. 8:7). Their neglect of God's commandments is indeed a grave matter, compounded by their mistreatment of Christ. Thus, their sins will not be forgotten; the Roman conflict will descend upon them like a flood (Am. 8:8). When they delivered up the Lord of all creation, the sun set for them and their light was extinguished (Am. 8:9), as darkness enveloped the earth from the sixth to the ninth hour (Matt. 27:45). This darkness symbolized the spiritual blindness of the crucifiers, as Israel remained shrouded in blindness (Rom. 11:25); as the Apostle Paul notes, a veil covers their hearts until this day when Moses is read (2 Cor. 3:15). David also lamented their condition, invoking God's wrath: "Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and make their backs bend forever" (Ps. 68:24). It is evident that they wept, transforming their feasts into mourning, just as Christ addressed the women weeping for Him on His way to the crucifixion, saying, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children" (Luke 23:28). They lamented, perishing along with the city and the temple of God as the Romans destroyed all. The Lord declared that He would treat Him, certainly referring to Emmanuel, with the compassion due a beloved, and those who accompanied Him would experience the day of sickness, as surely they too grieved. When they were in sorrow, the women proclaimed the resurrection of Christ, encouraging them, prompting them to run to the tomb. It seems Isaiah speaks prophetically regarding these women who herald the resurrection, saying, "Come, you women who are coming out of shame; for they are not wise men (i.e. the people of Judah); for this reason will not He who made me be humbled" (Isaiah 27:11).
THEOSIS