Isaiah 29:23Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Israel was chosen from among all nations, and the lineage of Abraham and Jacob was designated as a particular inheritance of God. Yet now, He declares, they will experience shame; they will alter their countenance—not immediately upon committing their transgressions against Christ, but rather when they come to understand their sins. They will recognize that they ought not to have acted so. This changing of their face reflects that meaning. In due time, when their descendants witness my deeds—when they observe heaven itself called forth, along with the inhabitants of the earth who have believed in Me; when they see the devil's power toppled by the downfall of this original and dreadful deception, and the idols consumed along with their altars—then they will honor my name instead. They will regard Me as Holy; they will acknowledge Me as the true Holy One of Jacob and the God of Israel, and thus they will revere Me. The fear of the Lord, as it is always understood, leads to salvation; indeed, it is written, “The fear of the Lord is the fountain of life” (Prov. 14:27).

His countenance will flush, as this redness and shame may serve as a pathway to salvation, particularly when they observe that their children, the apostles and righteous ones descended from the Jews, are performing good deeds among the nations and proclaiming the name of Christ, uttering, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name (Matthew 6:9). For they will sanctify the Holy One who emerged from Jacob and will share the knowledge of the God of Israel with the nations, urging them to turn away from idols, lamenting, ‘What false gods did our ancestors serve, for none among them brings forth rain?’ Those who previously wandered in spirit will come to know God, and those who once grumbled in the wilderness against the Lord will learn the law which they had not understood before. If they had truly heeded Moses, they would have also grasped the Lord Jesus Christ, for Moses spoke of Him. The essence of our translation at the commencement of the chapter regarding the Hebrew phrase: Thus saith the Lord to the house of Jacob, who previously redeemed Abraham and led him from Chaldea to the promised land (Genesis 11:31), is readily apparent. However, the interpretation of Sevenfold: thus saith the Lord concerning the house of Jacob, who was set apart from Abraham, may be understood as a separation of the scribes and Pharisees, who slandered the Lord, from Abraham, who rejoiced upon seeing the day of the Lord (John 8:56). For if they were truly children of Abraham, they would perform the works of Abraham. The apostle asserts that those who possess faith akin to Abraham's are to be regarded as his children, including the Gentile nations, who are deemed children of Abraham not through works but through faith.