I, even I have spoken and called him: I have brought him, and his way is made prosperous.
אֲנִ֥י אֲנִ֛י דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי אַף־קְרָאתִ֑יו הֲבִיאֹתִ֖יו וְהִצְלִ֥יחַ דַּרְכּֽוֹ׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
It is clear that He did not bring judgment upon the Chaldeans solely for their benefit. This becomes evident as I have declared and named him, guiding him towards prosperity; it is Cyrus, of whom predictions were made and later realized. We have frequently highlighted the rationale behind this, which is also reflected in the Gospel where it states, "Before these things come to pass, that when they come to pass, ye may believe that it is I" (John 13:19).
I will summon them, and they will gather, coming together to hear who can explain these events. I intend, He says, to ask them directly, to disclose whom they perceive as the true seer or proclaimer of the calamity of war that has unexpectedly confronted them. It turns out that none of the false prophets offered any foresight of this disaster, despite their pleas to the gods, with some exhausting themselves and becoming possessed by evil spirits. Indeed, there was no foresight from the so-called deities; none of those venerated as gods revealed the future. However, I conveyed each detail through the holy prophets, so that potential disasters could be avoided and their nets cast to safeguard them.
Yet, you awaited the arrival of these very calamities, which corroborate the truth of my words. What benefit do you derive from the wise? What gain is there from false prophets? What insights could the crowds, practiced in divination, provide? Those who oversee the shrines of idols and stand at polluted altars sell the falsehoods they proclaim as if they were divine truths, deceiving those who come seeking sustenance for their needs, just as Ezekiel declared (Ezekiel 13:19).
I love you, therefore I will fulfill your desires concerning Babylon, vanquishing the Chaldeans. I have spoken, I have called, I have brought forth, and his path shall prosper. Come and listen to the message I initially proclaimed: I was present then, and now the Lord has sent me, along with His Spirit. Once again, He makes an effort to redirect them away from misguided beliefs. It seems quite possible that those whose minds are untrained and prone to treachery, easily ensnared by deception, might think that they were enduring the war’s turmoil due to the ire of their false deities, feeling that proper reverence and offerings were neglected. They may have held on to the hope that these gods might show compassion and rescue them from their plight. This notion is not inherently implausible. During the desolation of Jerusalem, when all of Judea and the temple faced destruction, the surviving women remarked that their misfortunes befell them because they had ceased to offer sacrifices to the queen of heaven. Therefore, to help them recognize the true Deliverer and offer gratitude for salvation rather than to other deities, He clearly articulates how, out of compassion and love, He commanded the actions they desired to be fulfilled. The offspring of the Chaldeans would be eradicated as they had inflicted tremendous suffering on them. Thus, I was ignited by love for you, to fulfill your wishes regarding Babylon by vanquishing the Chaldean lineage. He spoke of Cyrus, who was guided and called by His hand to lay waste to this land through conquest. Yet, I have declared this from the beginning, not in obscurity, but have made it vividly known through the holy prophets. This is what the Lord says to my anointed Cyrus: I will grasp him by the right hand, I will cause kings to bow before him, and I will dismantle the fortresses of earthly rulers (Isaiah 45:1). I have not spoken of him in secret, nor in a concealed manner; I have hastened his path. Not only have I spoken, but I also aided him to fulfill what was pleasing to you by toppling the Chaldean dominion, making him potent and invincible. Thus, the deliverance was not achieved solely by Cyrus’s hand, but by My mighty right hand, as I chastised them for their cruelty towards you; for I declared, I entrusted you into their hands, yet they displayed no mercy (Isaiah 47:6). Amid these declarations, Cyrus himself acknowledges that God stirred him up, rendering him victorious over the Babylonians: Now, he says, the Lord has sent me, and His Spirit. The term now reflects that although these events were not foreknown by God, it has been revealed that God has stirred him to action, crowning him with glory for conquering Babylon. Upon learning from the Jewish exiles in Babylon that God had foretold his role through the holy prophets – that he would one day conquer the Chaldean land and lead Israel out of bondage – he was deeply moved when the prophecies were shown to him. He recognized the God of Israel as Lord and Most High in his decrees. The first book of Ezra records it thus: In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord stirred the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, commanding him to proclaim throughout his kingdom, writing, This is what Cyrus, king of Persia says: The Lord, the Most High, has appointed me ruler over all the earth. The Lord of Israel has tasked me to build Him a temple in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Let all His people go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build a house for the God of Israel, He who is in Jerusalem (1 Ezra 1:1-3). If you do not believe that these events arose not from false deities but through me, then listen to Cyrus, who asserts, The Lord has sent me, and His Spirit.
Listen to Me, O Jacob and Israel, whom I have summoned. I am the Eternal One, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. My hand has laid the foundations of the earth, and with My right hand, I have measured the heavens. I have called them forth, and they will appear together. Gather together and listen: who among them has declared these things? The Lord has bestowed His love upon him; he will accomplish His purpose concerning Babylon and demonstrate His strength against the Chaldeans. I, I have spoken and called him forth; I have brought him forth, and his path is straight. Come to Me and hear this: I did not speak in secret from the beginning; I was present from the time before these events began. And now the Lord God has sent Me and His Spirit.
To whom I have previously proclaimed: Listen, O house of Jacob, called by the name of Israel, and descended from the waters of Judah, He now says, Pay attention, O Jacob and Israel, whom I have called. Many are indeed called, but few chosen (Matthew 22:14). Hence, He refers to them simply as called, not chosen, for they have yet to receive the Savior. I am, He states, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, both of the living and the dead (Revelation 22:14, Revelation 1:18), so that life is associated with the beginning, and the end is linked to Him who died, who humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, being obedient to the Father, and He was humbled to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7). My hand has established the earth. In Proverbs, it says: ‘By wisdom, the Lord founded the earth, and by His understanding, He established the heavens’ (Proverbs 8), which the LXX translates as establishing the heavens. He commands the heavens to heed His call and to declare His glory. If the heavens obey the Lord’s command and follow their order, why then is the earth proud and made of dust (Sirach 10:9), refusing to acknowledge its own fragility? Assemble yourselves and listen: whether to the heavens, all creation, or the people of Israel. What is it that should be heeded? That the Lord loved him—undoubtedly referring to Cyrus and Darius, who executed the Lord’s will against Babylon and showcased His power over the Chaldeans. He Himself has called it by name, and His course is straight, such that none could dare to stand against its might. Therefore, He invites them to gather and hear, and from the prophecies of the Lord, they will know that a king from Persia and India will arise, bringing destruction to Babylon and annihilating the Chaldeans. To announce this, the prophet has been sent by the Lord and by His Spirit. This pertains to the views held by the Jews. However, according to Symmachus, who translates, who has declared it to him? The one beloved by the Lord, who fulfills His will in Babylon, and per the Seventy: to eradicate the descendants of the Chaldeans. This speaks to the presence of the Lord, who is truly cherished by the Father and has fulfilled all the Father’s desires. He has vanquished in Babylon, which symbolizes the mixture of this world, all the seed of the Chaldeans, representing demons. He Himself has spoken and heeded the Son and has brought forth the One who beckons to the weary, ‘Come to me, all you who are burdened’ (Matthew 11:28), and listen to what from the start I spoke in obscurity, through divination and the mysteries of the prophets, and what was concealed from previous generations. When all these matters were accomplished by the Father, He was alongside Him, rejoicing, and now says: I, who have always been with the Father and in the Father, have never been apart from the Father, now speak (John 14). In this concise passage, the mystery of the Trinity is unveiled to us.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS