Isaiah 44:26Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consequently, the prophetic declaration about Jerusalem’s restoration wisely informs its listeners that there would come a time when it would again fall and face destruction. The prophecy does not commence with lament but begins instead with joyful tidings, though sadder realities inevitably arise. Therefore, if God instructs the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the prophetic word signifies that

Jerusalem, once besieged, would eventually experience restoration. However, for those who seek to delve deeper, one might assert that true Judea is clearly represented by the Church, where those who are spiritually circumcised (Rom. 2:29) may be seen as its residents and citizens. It once lay in ruin, but He who ordained its desolation, namely God through Christ, has made it flourish. Its barren places now gleam: it has become adorned and filled with flourishing and lovely trees, reaching up to the high peaks of the saints; for it is common for divinely inspired Scripture to draw parallels between plants and trees and the appearance of the saints. Thus, the Almighty declared through the prophets, I will place in the barren land the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, the cypress, and the poplar (Isaiah 41:19). Moreover, the Psalmist proclaimed to God about the saints, in one instance: the trees of the field shall revel, the cedars of Lebanon, which You have planted (Ps. 108:16); and again, it is said: then all the oak-trees shall rejoice in the presence of the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth: to judge the world in righteousness and men by His truth (Ps. 95:12, 13). We do not claim it is characteristic of insensate trees to rejoice; rather, this joy is fitting for the saints, of whom it is said that they rejoiced when Christ illuminated the world. In this manner, He judged the world in truth, justifying in faith those who had once strayed and consigning Satan and his angels to ruin.

After the destruction of the idols and iniquities of Israel, when the remission of sins occurs and all creation rejoices together, the Gospel testifies (Luke 15) that the angels in heaven rejoice over the repentance of sinners: the greatness of God is evident—redeeming Jacob and restoring a right spirit in Israel, whom He formed from the womb, is not a small task. If anyone considers it significant, it is not hard for Him who alone stretches out the heavens; as it is stated elsewhere, 'He spread out the heavens like a curtain' (Psalm 108:2).

This does not imply the Son is excluded from the act of establishing the heavens, for through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing came into being (John 1:3). It is stated this way to dismiss any notion of idols. In the Proverbs of Solomon, concerning Christ, God's power and wisdom are noted: 'When He established the heavens, I was there with Him' (Proverbs 8:27). As He commands, they come into being; He speaks, and they stand firm (Psalms 33:9) and 'by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth their host' (Psalms 33:6). We often reference these verses to leave no ground for heretics to speak against Christ.

At the establishment of the earth, when He secured its foundations, there was no one with God except He who was in Him. Thus, He possesses such qualities and attributes that when the appointed time of the sacred mystery arrives, all idols will be vanquished, and the knowledge of the one true God will be proclaimed throughout the earth. He will disrupt and end all divinations of fortune-tellers and the marvelous signs of soothsayers, and the wisdom of philosophers, which was a significant part of the deception, will be revealed as folly, for they are celebrated for having attained knowledge not through human insight but through divine wisdom. He will also fulfill the words of His servant, which we mentioned earlier, along with the choices of His messengers—the apostles and all the teachers who declared the will of their Lord to the nations.

Therefore, He who will carry this out, whose power I have briefly described, also now addresses Jerusalem, destined for destruction by the Babylonians, proclaiming that it will once again be inhabited by nations, and regarding the cities of Judah, that they will be rebuilt by Him who will restore its desolate places, so that all may be filled with worshippers. Thus, He who speaks restoration to Jerusalem, Judah, and its wastelands, declares to the deep, which represents Babylon, 'You shall be dry, and I will dry up your rivers,' signifying the entire strength of kings. The mention of the deep and the abyss, also includes rivers in a figurative way, as reflected in the Psalmist's lament, 'By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept' (Psalm 137:1).

The One who rebuilds Jerusalem also defeats Babylon. He tells Cyrus, the king of Persia, who initially ravaged Babylon and the Chaldeans: 'You are My shepherd,' or as translated by the LXX: 'that he may understand.' The reason for this difference is clear. The Hebrew term 'goi,' when read with the letter resh, means 'my shepherd,' whereas when read with the letter dalet, it signifies 'my shepherd who comprehends'—a minor distinction often confused. The beginning of the book of Ezra states that by the decree of Cyrus, king of Persia and India, the people of Judah were liberated from captivity to return to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. The Lord inspired Cyrus to fulfill His will and commands. He clearly connects His statements, saying to Jerusalem, 'You shall be built,' and to the temple, 'You shall be established.' In Cyrus's time, it was decreed that both Jerusalem and the temple should be rebuilt, for only the foundations had been laid during his life. However, under Darius, in his second year, the construction of the temple began according to the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah.