Isaiah 24:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This is so that you might not fall into similar transgressions yourself, that through righteous indignation toward others, you may be rendered purer and reflect His love. When another commits a sin, and you pass by without offering reproof or expressing sorrow, you render your own soul more indifferent and susceptible to sin, often leading you to commit the same wrongs. Furthermore, by your untimely leniency, you inadvertently harm the other person, making it increasingly challenging for them to account for their actions in the future, while simultaneously fostering a troubling attitude of negligence in the present.

As it is said, "And the Lord of hosts called for that day weeping and lamentation, and baldness and girding with sackcloth: but behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine, saying, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (Isaiah 22:12, 13). Another prophet declares, "They lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and they eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall ... they drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph" (Amos 6:4, 6). Having descended into profound immorality, they reveled in excess at a time when they ought to have soaked their hands with relentless tears and sought forgiveness for their transgressions. Consequently, the calamity of warfare was justly inflicted upon them, and those who once lived in luxury faced unforeseen tribulations. The cries of the grapes were not from the vines themselves, but from those who partook of their fruit: those who once delighted in their souls will now weep, and their mourning shall become a perpetual endeavor; for the joy of instruments has ceased, and the arrogance and wealth of the wicked have come to an end. He refers to pride as excessive arrogance. This pride will fade, as will the riches and the sweet sounds of songs become bitter for those who once lived in splendor; the cities and homes lie in ruin, as all earthly joy has vanished. If anyone comprehends the conclusion of this age, at the time of judgment, he will understand that all worldly pleasures will vanish; in their place will be the groans and gnashing of teeth of those condemned to hell. The riches gained will serve no purpose to their owners; all enjoyment will vanish, and all physical pleasures will cease. The desire for carnal pleasures, once so sought after, will lead to a sorrowful end for those surrendered to sin, for they must give account to the Final Judge, as the Apostle Paul notes: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10).

Therefore, with the arrival of the resurrection of the just and the day of judgment, the vineyard and the wine shall lament, as Moses declared: “Of the grapes of Sodom are their grapes, and their rod of Gomorrah: their cluster is a cluster of gall, a cluster of their woe. The fury of serpents is their wine, and the fury of aspids is unhealed” (Deuteronomy 32:33). The joyful shall not partake in wine; their drink shall be bitter. Every intoxicating drink that clouds the mind and hinders awakening will instead bring bitterness, falsely presented as sweet to those who indulge, but ultimately becomes more bitter than bile. All joyous songs of merrymakers and the sounds of celebration shall transform into sorrow and mourning. This stands as a reminder for those who, at feasts, indulge not only in the sweetness and intoxication of drink but also in sound, leading to the weakening of the soul through all senses. The city of vanity lies in ruins; every home is locked, and no one enters. The city of vanity will be devastated—be it every city or spiritual Babylon, seated upon seven hills, as described in the Revelation of John (Rev. 18). Yet he aptly named it the city of vanity, for if all heaven, earth, and earthly possessions are deemed vanity of vanities (Eccl. 1:2), how much more so for a single city which is a mere fragment of the entire world? The residences that currently boast gilded ceilings and walls adorned with marble and shining ivory will see cries for wine fill the streets, alongside the disappearance of all joy and the expulsion of cheerfulness from the land. While the poor suffer from cold and lack of shelter, these dwellings will stand empty. In the streets, cries for wine will echo—not along the narrow path that leads to life, but down the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7). Concerning the wine and intoxication of those who are in spiritual slumber, having grasped nothing in their wealth (Ps. 75:6), desolation will envelop the city, and distress will burden its gates. The joy of the earth will be taken up to heaven, leaving behind devastation in what was once a renowned city. The thoroughfares, which once teemed with multitudes, will be weighed down with the afflictions of its inhabitants. In this manner, we observe that the ruin of the world is foreseen.