Isaiah 45:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

We can discern this truth through the examination of these words. He also refers to the most idolatrous among the Gentiles, that the power of the call to repentance may serve as a source of marvel. Just as the skills of those trained in medicine receive acknowledgment when they manage to restore some of the gravely ill to health through their expertise, God displays His supernatural glory by calling back those who have strayed far into the depths of sin, inspiring them to seek virtue, cleanse themselves of evil, and adorn themselves with all that is noble.

This refers to both the Egyptians and the Ethiopians, particularly those from Thebes, as well as their neighboring lands, the Sabaeans or the Indian peoples, who may have derived their name from a ruler, Saba, who once governed them. He expresses that they have become weary, which can be understood in two ways: either as an indication of their exhaustion under the oppressive yoke of the merciless tormentor Satan, enslaved to a legion of demons that demanded, as sacrifices, their very offspring, or that in ancient times they were formidable and deeply entrenched in ancient evils, zealously clinging to the Hellenic vices presented to them by Greek philosophers. When Christ appeared and illuminated the hearts of all with the true light, a transformation occurred; they grew weary, meaning they no longer remained steadfast in their former ways but were weakened by the new strain, yielding triumph to His proclamation.

The statement regarding them is not at all misleading, for, as the wise apostle Paul has articulated, "Where sin is multiplied, grace aboundeth" (Rom. 5:20). The land of Egypt teems with sincere and holy churches, with altars and monastic gatherings everywhere, filled with devoted virgins and practicing ascetics devoted to virtue, diligently striving and fervently honoring Christ, with reverence extending even to the Sabaean or Indian nations. It is indeed possible to find within them reflections similar to those in Egypt and among the Ethiopian merchants in Thebes. Therefore, these Egyptians, along with the Sabaeans who were well-known and prominent among all, both worshipers of demons and champions of diabolical practices, are destined to turn from their former deceptions. They will abandon the depths of destruction, coming forth to you to become your servants, dutifully fulfilling their obligations as prescribed by God. They shall accompany you in your ways, bound by the edicts of the Gospel in all their endeavors, traversing the path of chosen righteousness, entwined by bonds of love and chains of profound piety, enabling them to declare, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" (Rom. 8:35).

Furthermore, "These shall worship Thee and pray in Thee" because in Thee is God, and there is no other God besides Thee. "Thou art God, and we do not know [any other]"—the Saviour, God of Israel. For to Christ the Saviour every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess (Phil. 2:10, 11), with prayer reaching its ultimate fulfillment in Him, as we seek from God, our Father, the realization of our petitions. In Him we pray, acknowledging that in Him dwells God, and that there is no other. This is the foundation of how we are taught to understand, as He questioned His disciple Philip, saying, "How long have I been with you and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The one who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9, 10). "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). Hence, the expressions "In Thee is God, and there is no God apart from Thee" convey the same essence as "And the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1, 2). Should anyone wish to attribute this entirely to the person of Christ, we affirm that, according to the words of divine Paul, "In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). He is God Himself, not divided into two beings, but the Word incarnate, in which it is said He abides. Thus, in this connection, God is comprehended, just as the soul resides within the human body, but it is essential to recognize that the flesh of the Lord is animated by a rational soul. Therefore, they confess that "in Thee is God, and there is no God apart from Thee" and that "Thou art God, the Saviour God of Israel." This proclamation comes from those who repent and have transitioned from darkness to light, arriving at the knowledge of the truth, and recognizing the true and natural God, the Creator and Lord of all.

By referring to the Saviour of Israel, they identify Him who became man and incarnate, believing that He is the same One who was their help in ancient times. Alternatively, 'Israel' may refer not merely to the Israelites according to the flesh but encompasses every individual who is capable of perceiving God, for the name Israel signifies "the one who sees God." However, the one who perceives God with the eyes of the mind is the individual who beholds the image of God the Father in the Son, concerning whom it has been said that those who resist Him will be put to shame, descending into disgrace. For those who have not believed in Him but stand against God, as many Jews did, will be humiliated and conquered by His invincible power, bringing nothing upon Him but shame and disgrace, thereby gathering destruction upon themselves, being made a reproach to all mortal beings, in accordance with the words of the prophet (Isaiah 66:24).

Let us entertain the notion that God dwells within Cyrus, and that He is the only God present there; however, it is misleading to assert regarding the visage of Cyrus, "You are indeed the concealed God, the God of Israel, the Redeemer." Therefore, the divine presence referenced is more accurately associated with our Lord Jesus Christ, who proclaims in the Gospel: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). He is referred to as the concealed God due to the mystery surrounding the Incarnation, and He is the God of Israel, the Redeemer. According to the angel Gabriel, this means Jesus, for He will save His people (Matthew 1:21).

The Egyptians will enhance Jerusalem with wealth derived from agriculture, while the Ethiopians and Sabaeans will provide riches accumulated through trade. Historically, there is no record of this prophecy being fulfilled literally; thus, it must be interpreted allegorically. The submission of the Gentiles to Jerusalem signifies a spiritual yielding, wherein they will earnestly seek true fellowship with Jerusalem and worship the one true God as completely as the defeated honor their conquerors. This notion of service is articulated plainly in the following statement: "And in you, i.e., with you, they will pray," as it is in you—where God resides—that they will declare: "There is no God but You. You are God, and no other; the God of Israel the Savior." The fulfillment of this prophecy is evident as, following the Babylonian Exile, Jerusalem—particularly its temple—began to draw a multitude of foreigners who embraced faith in the true God. At the major Jewish festivals, not only the dispersed Jews returned to Jerusalem but also non-Jews, who converted from among the Gentiles (Acts 2:5, Acts 9:10). In its fullest sense, the prophecy concerning the conversion of Gentiles to the genuine faith, with Jerusalem as its focal point, applies to the Christian Church, which welcomes all nations.