Isaiah 25:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet, when Christ Himself made His presence known, liberating them from the grip of the devil and bringing them to God the Father, illuminating them with the light of truth, sharing in His glory, and bestowing upon them the dignity of a life aligned with the gospel; it was then that they began to raise songs of gratitude to God and the Father. Therefore, they proclaim, since You, O Lord, have performed ancient and truthful counsel, restoring all through Christ, enlightening those who dwell in darkness, and toppling the worldly powers of this age as if they were mighty fortresses, the humble shall praise You, and all the cities shall honor You; for You have become a refuge for all people, providing solace to those who were in dire straits due to the scarcity of paternal blessings, and rescuing them from wicked individuals. For even in Zion, some were timid like those parched and weary; this is perhaps what the prophet aims to address. However, certainly, there were some in Israel who yearned for the arrival of the Savior, deeply longing to witness the Redeemer of all. One such individual was the righteous Simeon, who, upon holding the newborn Jesus, exclaimed: ‘Now lettest thou thy servant go, O Lord, according to thy word in peace: for my eyes have seen my salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all men: a light for the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel’ (Luke 2:29-32). Likewise, the blessed Zacharias, the father of John, filled with the Holy Spirit, praised God, shouting, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath visited and wrought deliverance for his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David: As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life’ (Luke 1:68-75). You can see how the ancient and true counsel of God the Father was also proclaimed to the holy patriarchs. I comprehend that the salvation of the world was revealed—Emmanuel, who became a spirit for those unjustly wronged; for they were uplifted from the oppression of their adversaries and freed from the hands of wicked men who had held them captive. If anyone were to ascribe these words to the Gentiles, we might say that people are likened here to unclean spirits, ancient rulers over those inhabiting the earth; their frailty is aptly indicated by their designation as people. It seems plausible that the wicked are meant to be identified as false teachers, alongside those who engaged in the mysteries, or poets and orators revered by the Greeks, for they possess the ability to eloquently ensnare those led astray into the quagmire of destruction. However, if this description is applied to the Israelites, we would characterize those who embraced the teaching lot, namely the scribes and Pharisees, as wicked. Holding the honor of the priesthood and thus enjoying esteem and authority, they seized the key of knowledge, choosing not to believe themselves nor allowing others to do so; under the influence of these misguided instructors, the people fell prey to unclean spirits, for God permitted them to encounter this tradition, as had been surrendered by Him to the naïve minds of those unworthy of His mercy and aid.