Hence, He proclaims, ‘Thus saith the Lord, who hath delivered thee, O holy one of Israel: I am thy God.’ However, one might ponder, O Lord, a descendant of Israel could ask, ‘You have redeemed us, saved us from fire and calamity, from oppression and servitude, and from the hands of ruthless foes, evidently displaying Your omnipotence, executing all that You desire; yet how can it be that, while under Your care and love, boasting of our reliance on You, we find ourselves in such dire straits, subjugated by our enemies, having been born free yet transformed into the enslaved, beyond all expectation?’ What is God’s response? He will teach you, providing a path for you to tread upon. He declares He has laid down a law for you, which outlines what is to be done, guiding you toward what pleases Him most, revealing the way of truth, imparting instruction in godliness, leading you along the right path; for if you had earnestly sought to fulfill it, you would have emerged as a faithful servant, adorned with the beauty of virtue. Yet, you did not follow the straight path; instead, you deviated into paths contrary to the law. You have served the celestial hosts, offered sacrifices to idols, worshipped false gods, forgotten your Creator, and disregarded the law He bestowed. Had you remained faithful to My commandments, your peace would have flowed like a river, and your righteousness would have surged like the waves of the sea. He emphasizes that just as torrents rush down from mountains with an overwhelming and unstoppable force, causing nothing to withstand their swift current, the heavy waves of the sea strike fear not only into sailors and heavily laden ships but occasionally even into the very rocks themselves, as they can be shattered by the violent force of the waters. Therefore, He states that had you been obedient to His words and aligned your mind with His will, your peace would have been unassailable by enemies or aggressors. Alternatively, He may illustrate this concept differently; He compares the abundance and stability of the world to a river and its waves, ever-flowing and evanescent, with waves that continually rise and crash upon the shore. He speaks of your progeny being as numerous as grains of sand and your descendants as plentiful as the dust of the earth, suggesting that without the threat of adversaries, you would have been exceedingly fruitful, with offspring like grains of sand. However, due to your disobedience to God and a grievous pursuit of all that is vile, you have diminished greatly and lack the increase that swells with abundance. Yet, although you now face consumption, the remnant of Israel remains preserved; for God has promised that it will never be entirely destroyed, honoring the covenant made with the fathers. He then commands, ‘Depart from Babylon and flee from the Chaldeans.’ This royal decree signifies Israel's liberation from bondage, akin to how earthly rulers and kings extend grace to those laboring under oppression through their compassionate words; so too does the God of all creation issue a loving command to those suffering under captivity, saying explicitly, ‘Depart,’ so they may recognize the Deliverer and the source of all joy.
THEOSIS