Isaiah 29:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Who can discern our actions?” Yet they were oblivious to the fact that no human scheme, malice, or endeavor goes unnoticed by the divine and pure mind, even if carried out in darkness and concealment. Thus, they enticed Judas, the betrayer, implying, “Let us bind the righteous one, for He is unacceptable to us” (Isaiah 3:10), and delivered Him to be crucified, effectively becoming the agents of the death of the Author of Life. Even against Him who was resurrected, they launched their malicious attacks, engaging in secretive actions fueled by wickedness and jealousy. Upon learning of His resurrection, they offered a bribe to the soldiers (Matthew 28:12), directing them to claim that His disciples had stolen Him away under the cover of night. Hence, it is declared, woe to those who regularly devise such schemes, not in the name of the Lord, but rather as if inspired by Beelzebub.

of the wise and the prudent in their own eyes." To them, we can appropriately connect the verse, "They who test the trials have disappeared" (Psalm 63:7), while it is also inscribed regarding God's wisdom, "But if any man is perfect among the sons of men, to the absence of Thy wisdom nothing will be accounted" (Prem. 9:6). They believe that God is unaware of their plots because their deeds are obscured, declaring, "Who sees us and who knows us?" Yet, such claims are echoed by the learned of this world, by heretical teachers, and Jewish Pharisees who delude themselves into thinking they are incomprehensible, forgetting what is said to God: "The darkness is not dark to You, and the night shines as bright as the day; darkness and light are the same" (Psalm 138:12). Adam and Eve, misled by this falsehood, tried to hide in the trees of knowledge when they heard the footsteps of God approaching in the garden (Genesis 3:8); in a similar vein, Cain remarked, "If You cast me out this day, I will hide from Your presence" (Genesis 4:14), foolishly thinking he could evade God's awareness. Through Amos, it is also conveyed about the wicked: "Even if they go down to the depths of the sea, I will command the serpent, and he will bite them" (Am. 9:3). Therefore, even if a person possesses wisdom and great intellect, without the wisdom and authority of God, we can declare: "If the Lord does not build the house, they labor in vain who build it; if the Lord does not guard the city, the watchman stays awake in vain" (Ps. 126:1). This can be illustrated as follows: if the Lord does not support knowledge, anyone who considers themselves wise labors uselessly. If the Lord does not safeguard our hearts above all things, anyone who believes they can do so by their own efforts is vigilant to no purpose. Misguided is your intent if you think the Creator is unaware of what He has fashioned, just as if clay or the work were to claim to their creator: "You did not make me, or it was poorly done, and you do not comprehend your creation." This same idea is expressed by the apostle in his letter to the Romans, where he contemplates the depths of God's mind and seeks to counter men’s accusations: "O man, who are you to answer back to God?" Eden speaks to Him who formed it, asking, "Why have you made me this way? Or does not the potter have the authority over the clay, to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?" (Rom. 9:20-21). It is noteworthy that evangelists and apostles translated from Hebrew to Greek as they deemed appropriate, maintaining the essence of their thoughts without alteration.