Isaiah 28:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, He employs every means to enlighten the weak and guide those who may have lost hope in their souls toward the upright path; He may instill a desire for a virtuous life through warnings of retribution and the dread of His wrath, or entice them through promises of blessings. After issuing threats and foretelling impending disaster that could engulf them, He offers words of encouragement, preventing them from succumbing to despair, akin to skilled physicians who administer potent remedies to the afflicted, halting the advancement of illness or alleviating suffering with gentle treatments.

Having issued these warnings, He extends exhortations and urges attentive listening to the Gospel's message, declaring, “Learn to hear the consolation of the afflicted.” He acknowledges our inability to reason, referencing the ancient rubble of Gibeon. The meaning of His words and the coherence of the message require us to reflect on historical events for clearer understanding. During Joshua’s campaigns as he led the Israelites in battle against foreign nations, many nations were vanquished. The inhabitants of Gibeon, fearing a similar fate, came to him deceitfully disguised and were accepted. Once their true identity was revealed, they became woodcutters and water carriers for the Israelite camp. Upon discovering this, five Canaanite kings waged war against Gibeon, blaming them for their surrender to Israel. In their dire situation, the Gibeonites sought assistance from Joshua. He responded to those who submitted to him by confronting their adversaries. The acts of God during that time are chronicled in Holy Scripture.

The Lord unexpectedly appeared against them, and under the cover of night, He struck fear in the hearts of the Israelites, defeating their enemies with great force in Gibeon. He drove them in the direction of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them down even unto Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before the children of Israel towards the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord unleashed a great hailstorm from heaven upon them, resulting in more deaths from the hail than from the swords of the Israelites in battle (Num. 10:9-11). Therefore, drawing parallels from the experiences of the ancients, He establishes a pattern for future divine aid to the Israelites, who can be saved if they heed the call of our Savior.

He compels you who are burdened, weighed down by various sorrows as if crushed by the threats and fears of impending adversity, to learn to hear, call on Jesus for help, and express, as the inhabitants of Gibeon must have said, “We are incapable of fighting back and worn out; our only hope is to gather together to confront the enemy that approaches.” And what can we expect? He responds, “Should the onslaught of the wicked come upon you like a mountain, know that the same fate awaits them as that faced in the valley of Gibeon. Those who rise up against you shall execute their deeds with wrath, but it will be through the aid of the Almighty. Yet, His anger shall manifest in an unusual manner, and His destruction shall be extraordinary. A remarkable fury will emerge from Heaven to combat your oppressors, as if a hailstorm of fierce wrath descends from above.” Similarly, the Psalmist declares, “Oh, that My people would listen to Me; if Israel would walk in My ways, I would quickly subdue their enemies and lay My hand upon those who afflict them” (Psalms 80:14, 15).

Thus, says the Lord God, I will establish in Zion a tested stone, a cornerstone, a precious stone, firmly laid as a foundation: whoever trusts in it will not be dismayed. I will appoint justice as a standard and truth as a measure; the hail will obliterate the delusions of falsehood, and the waters will wash away the false refuge. Your agreement with death will fail, and your covenant with the grave will not endure; when the all-consuming scourge sweeps through, you will be its victim. As soon as it passes, it will seize you; it will come upon you like the dawn arrives in both day and night, and only oppression will reveal its clamor. Tight is the bed for one's companion, and a short blanket cannot cover both. I, says I, have spoken to you, listen to the words of the Lord, you who mock or are timid among my people, do not forge an alliance with death, nor make a pact with destruction, you who disregard my commands and shatter hope with falsehoods, saying boldly, or perhaps in despair, Let us cloak ourselves in deception. Thus speaks the compassionate and merciful Lord, patient and enduring, affirming that against your will He will lay in Zion a chosen and tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of which the apostle declares: ‘According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). This stone is emphatically called a stone, much like how humankind is referred to twice in Leviticus – and a cornerstone, as it unites the people of the covenant and the Gentiles, as expressed in the Psalm: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’ (Psalm 118:22). The builders, the masons, symbolize those labeled as mockers and leaders among the people of Jerusalem. We also learn from Daniel regarding this stone, hewn from the mountain without human hands, which filled the whole earth (Dan. 2), signifying that the divine seed took on a human form, where the fullness of the Godhead dwelled bodily. On this rock, known by another name, Christ established the Church, building it on solid ground so that believers will not be ashamed, or, according to the original text, will not hurry, fearing the coming of Christ as if it were imminent. For even if it seems delayed, as noted by Habakkuk, one should not despair for His arrival is certain and He will fulfill His promises (Hab. 2). God assures that He will place Himself in Christ as the righteous Judge: the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22), and He will measure truth or mercy, rewarding everyone according to their deeds, where truth and mercy balance each other, as stated in the Psalms: mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other (Psalm 85:10). Your false hopes, He declares, and your lies—the devil, the father of lies—will be swept away by the hail of My discipline. The shelter you believed would protect you will be annihilated by a great storm and many waters, causing your agreements with death and hell, that is, with the devil, to perish eternally. The scourge, which you claimed would not come upon you, will indeed arrive, and you will endure all the torments you believed you would escape. This tempest will relentlessly assault you—both in good times and bad, you will face the wrath of God, and fearsome death will devastate you. What can be said of punishments? The apprehension of punishment and the dread of torment will be what prompts your salvation and reveals your wickedness. When you face oppression, you will recognize that my prophets spoke truthfully. The assertion that the bed is too small for another to share and that a short blanket cannot cover both signifies that, as the Apostle teaches, you cannot partake of the cup of the Lord and of demons: you cannot partake in the Lord's table and in the table of demons (1 Cor. 10:20-21), as well as another passage: what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Beliar? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? (1 Cor. 6:14-15). This is illustrated by the metaphor of a pure bride speaking to an unfaithful wife, stating, A single bed cannot combine me with an adulterer, and a short blanket cannot cover both husband and adulterer together. Therefore, O Jerusalem, referred to as a harlot's wife in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 16:21) and originally called a harlot and an adulteress in the Book of Hosea (Hos. 3)—O Jerusalem, if you wish to enter My embrace, forsake your idols; if you choose to serve idols, you cannot possess Me. This imperative is directed toward the Hebrew people. The reading from the LXX urges those in distress: learn to listen. Is there a possibility that the Divine message is aimed at the princes of the people, encouraging them to trust in God rather than in death and hell, to heed the words of the prophets, while the princes respond that, due to their frailty, they are incapable of resisting opposing forces and uniting with the people of God?

Be attentive to those in distress. Those oppressed by the foe will find their hopes for protection from the army to be in vain, and their cries for assistance will go unanswered: it is essential to be prepared to hear but one response from the soldiers: we cannot engage, we cannot even assemble. The army, dispersed throughout the land, will lack the capacity to unite and attempt to fend off the adversary, who will strike with the speed of a storm against the territory.