Isaiah 5:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In contrast, while the false prophets’ words may sound appealing, they carry a deeper bitterness as their sweet-sounding promises mask real dangers. This demonstrates the prophet’s insightful understanding of their judgments. They failed to recognize the profound truth in the prophets’ seemingly bitter messages while mistakenly accepting false encouragements as sweetness. Thus, great sweetness is found in the words of the true prophets, and deep bitterness in those of the false ones. The same distinction applies to the concepts of light and darkness; one path leads to error, while the other guides to truth. One cast the people into the darkness of bondage, while the other sought to usher them into the light of freedom. Therefore, as the audience held warped views of these matters, the prophet aptly warns them, declaring, "Woe to those who believe darkness is light and light is darkness."

By calling good evil and regarding darkness as light, they have confused bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter, yearning for the tribulations of conflict when it would have been simple to escape such trials, ultimately rejecting the very illumination provided through Christ, remaining in darkness. What does the prophet declare? To those who awaited light, darkness fell upon them; those hoping for dawn walked in darkness. They had descended to such a level of folly and irrationality that when they should have embraced the grace of God and the sweet hope arising from it, they instead chose the bitter experience of punishment and agony over such grave misfortunes. Yet they endured this fate, as it is stated, because they fancied themselves wise, relying on their understanding. Indeed, as the proverb suggests, wisdom that lacks correction goes astray. To place excessive trust in oneself and attribute one's own opinions with authority and discernment is a profound arrogance and detrimental for those who engage in such behavior. Thus, Holy Scripture states that the cunning and resentful man will achieve nothing. Recognizing this weakness, the Jewish leaders dismissed the guidance of the Savior, as they were not truly attentive to the Lord but focused on their own ideas, boasting of their knowledge of Divine laws while knowing nothing substantial. They were like the blind leading the blind, as the Savior Himself stated.

From these lines of reasoning, they propagate a doctrine of uncertainty, contending that the senses lead to erroneous conclusions and fail to represent things as they truly are. The eye, misled by colors painted on a pigeon, reflects varying hues due to the bird’s movements and the angle of light, leaving observers unable to agree on whether it is day or night. This uncertainty leads to disbelief, rejecting the notion that all is under the governance of Divine Providence while attributing everything to chance.

Many who hold steadfastly to the Scriptures engage in disputes regarding evident truths, striving to undermine the validity of established doctrines. Some, despite claiming faith in Christ, illustrate a lack of unity in understanding and thought, falling into various conflicting factions. Others do so out of ignorance or a desire to appear knowledgeable and superior. This has resulted in a proliferation of teachers advocating contradictory beliefs, each stubbornly defending their views while vehemently opposing others. If only those who assert they uphold the apostolic teachings would demonstrate through the unity of their doctrines that they are indeed part of the one Body of Christ! Such chaos permeates not only beliefs but actions, leading some to believe themselves righteous when they may ultimately find themselves condemned, while others, in their wickedness, continue unrepentant.

If there exists anything beyond comprehension, true righteousness must also belong to this realm. Solomon captures this by noting the need for discernment in understanding proverbs, perplexing sayings, and wise teachings. As such, many hastily arrive at contentious conclusions without careful consideration and thorough examination of concepts. They often mistakenly rely on what they perceive to be the inherent power of dialectics to clarify the properties of matters, to recognize similarities, and to distinguish differences. A true master of divine dialectics will aspire for their discourse to be pleasing unto God. Yet, the dialectics of those who engage in discussions with the mere desire to argue is not only unwelcome but also troubling.

Regarding the interactions of light and dark, good and evil, and sweet and bitter—do these not create distinct categories, or are they merely unified in essence? Clearly, evil manifests as a degeneration of character, while the beautiful shines forth as a commendable good. Darkness symbolizes the absence of light, and light is that which dispels darkness. Likewise, sweetness is the moisture or juice that brings delight to the palate, while bitterness harshly assaults the taste. Simple reasoning reveals a clear distinction among them. Who would be so deluded as to claim that darkness is light while surrounded by night, or imagine themselves illuminated when their eyes see nothing amidst shadows? Who could mistake the discomfort of bitter flavors for the pleasure of sweetness? And who, possessing sight, would struggle to recognize true beauty? Genuine beauty, through the harmonious arrangement of its components and outward appeal, naturally draws in anyone who encounters it, in contrast to the ugliness that elicits revulsion.

This inquiry into perceptual knowledge touches upon deeper truths. Since the commandment of the Lord is a guiding light that instructs, one who lives unjustly, indulging in sinful desires, may view their life of transgression as enlightening while considering the path of righteousness as darkness. Those who shun the words of God—sweet to the soul as honey is to the mouth—due to the challenges of adhering to His commands, often choose the ease of sin and thus distort their perception of good and evil. The same reasoning applies to concepts of beauty; true beauty represents a balance achieved through moral strength, while excess or deficiency on either side strays into vice and ugliness. Courage stands as a virtue situated between recklessness and cowardice, embodying moral balance which constitutes the beauty of the soul, while the ugliness arises from the imbalances driven by vice.

The prophetic word rightly condemns those who embrace vice as good while turning away from virtue. It is noteworthy that the Scriptures caution against those who label good as evil, who confound light with darkness, and who regard bitter experiences as sweet. At the initial choice point in life, we may sin purely in thought, but once actions are taken, we refrain from abandoning wickedness, setting a perilous boundary of harmful deeds for ourselves. The individual who does not strive toward chastity due to the temptations of immorality misidentifies the bitter as sweet. Likewise, one who forsakes the life taught by the Gospel in favor of a base existence mistakenly perceives darkness as light. Those who defend such individuals and speak recklessly of their misdeeds only encourage the perversion of truth, joining the ranks of those condemned by the Apostle for enabling such behavior. It is akin to concealing a lamp beneath a basket rather than placing it where it can illuminate the path. Thus, to speak of good as evil relates to teachings, while confining the light in darkness pertains to the skill found in righteous actions.

Barabbas can symbolize the adversary, who, amidst the presence of night and shadows, can masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Hence, the apostle poses the question: What fellowship has truth with wickedness? What communion has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? (2 Corinthians 6:14-15) A lamp is not meant to be hidden under a bowl or bed but placed on a stand so that it gives light to all (Matthew 5:18). A tree that produces bad fruit cannot be identified as a good tree (Matthew 12:33). Thus, in the Book of Genesis, it is revealed that God unequivocally separated light from darkness (Genesis 1:4), which was present over the abyss at the dawn of creation (Genesis 1:2). The Saviour is acknowledged as good, declaring in the Gospel, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He also claims the title of light, stating, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), and as we are nourished by the bread from heaven, we proclaim, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 33:9). Conversely, as we utter, “deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13) and acknowledge, “the whole world lies in wickedness” (1 John 5:19), we seek liberation from the devil's malice, often associating him with darkness and bitterness. We reiterate that all teachings opposed to truth are tainted, while truth itself is sweet. Thus, we must guard against being led astray by falsehoods instead of adhering to the truth, and wandering into darkness instead of walking in light. Many paths may appear right to people, yet they lead to destruction (Proverbs 16:25). Even the righteous may suffer for their integrity (Ecclesiastes 7:16), leading to the admonition, “Do not be excessively righteous” (Ecclesiastes 7:17). Consequently, Israel commits to walking in the way of the Lord without deviating to the left or right (Deuteronomy 5:32-33). I reiterate: Few can escape this curse, as we often flatter the wicked for their power while disregarding the righteous because of their lowly status. Aquila has more explicitly translated, “Woe to him who says to the wicked, ‘You are good,’ and to the righteous, ‘You are evil.’” Solomon’s proverb is also aligned with this understanding: “He who justifies the wicked and condemns the righteous is an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 17:15). The scribes and Pharisees, while neglecting the teachings of the Saviour (John 8:37), clung instead to human traditions (Mark 7:8) and myths (1 Timothy 4:7), effectively turning good into evil and evil into good.

Soon, whether in a matter of days or years, your spirit will depart from your body, the wealth will stay behind, and your distressed soul will face the fires of Gehenna. Conversely, if you uphold justice and reject the allure of greed or indulgence, then your soul, filled with the Divine, shall ascend to the heavenly kingdom, while the empty chest remains in this world. Therefore, dear brethren, I earnestly urge you, in the name of Him whose precious blood has redeemed you, to steadfastly cling to justice in all things and to diligently contemplate the salvation of your soul.

The words of the Lord's law, which are like sweet honeycomb to the righteous, taste bitter and unbearable to the wicked, who instead find pleasure in speaking or listening to corrupt, harmful, and blasphemous rhetoric. These individuals, by their very beliefs, reject widely accepted definitions of good and evil; they do not trust in moral righteousness—good and evil, for them, are mere empty phrases. Additionally, there are those who are fully aware of the distinction between good and evil yet choose to act against their own convictions due to selfish motivations. This includes judges and lawyers who, against their better judgment, exonerate a clear offender who has admitted to his wrongdoings while wrongfully accusing an innocent party. Their self-interest has silenced the voice of truth, enabling them to obscure darkness with a façade of light, and vice versa.