Isaiah 50:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Likewise, it is expressed here that "The Lord God has granted Me the tongue of the wise, so that I may encourage the weary with a word." Through His tongue, He conveys prophecies, and calls to account those who hear them with sorrowful spirits, to prevent the misconception that these are mere human insights; rather, they are indeed the words of the Lord. Each morning, He awakens, as He states, my ear to prepare me for listening. This signifies His longing and the richness of God’s gifts. "The Lord God has opened My ear," He proclaims, "and I have not resisted nor turned away" - indicating that all teaching and wisdom originate from Him. It is rightly proclaimed that each morning He awakens, He awakens My ear, that I may listen like a learner, for these truths are not discerned by the natural ears unless they are first attuned to such revelations. This understanding does not come from scholarly pursuit, but from divine grace, in accordance with each person's faith.

In their hymns of gratitude, they express that they have been bestowed with the gift of teaching, that is, the capability to speak words that edify and to perfectly clarify the divine mysteries, knowing when and how to offer words of encouragement. The divine disciples fulfilled this task, filling the hearts and minds of believers with genuine and untainted knowledge of faith in Christ, providing tailored words to those who sought the Gospel’s guidance. To the spiritually immature, they offered simple teachings as one gives milk (1 Cor. 8:1-2; 18:10-11; 1 Thess. 2:7); however, to the spiritually mature who have reached Christ's full stature (Gal. 4:18), they imparted substantial and nourishing teachings. This represents the language of instruction and the gift of understanding, manifesting at the right moments.

They awaken each morning, reflecting the dawning of day, illuminated by divine and mental light. Their minds and hearts are brightened, a truth reiterated by the blessed Paul, who expressed gratitude to God and the Father for rescuing us from darkness and transferring us to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Col. 1:12-13). The god of this age has indeed blinded the hearts of the unbelieving so that the light of the Gospel of Christ does not shine on them (2 Cor. 4:4); however, we have seen the rising of the Sun of righteousness, illuminating our minds, leading us to be known as sons of light and day (1 Thess. 5:5).

Thus, when it is stated, “Put mine ear to hear, and the chastisement of the Lord open mine ears,” we recognize that having embraced faith in Christ and being enriched by His illumination, we have received an extraordinary capacity for understanding. Unlike the Jews, who remain confined to the mere shadows of the law, we honor the law as a guide. As we receive revelations from Moses, we interpret these truths with a deeper understanding, transforming the shadows into objects of spiritual contemplation. Through Christ’s teaching, we have gained a heightened ability to hear and comprehend the law spiritually, growing in insight beyond the Israelites.

Consequently, our Lord Jesus Christ admonished them to “Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). The wise Paul also remarked that whenever Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts, preventing them from seeing Christ Jesus, our Lord and Redeemer (2 Cor. 3:15).

He, like a child attentive to a teacher, listened to the Holy Spirit’s instructions and did not resist the divine order. When the Lord inquired, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Isaiah replied, "Here am I, send me." (Is. 6:8) Because he proclaimed, "Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah" (Is. 1:10), he encountered numerous hardships, enduring not only verbal abuse but also physical beatings. Nonetheless, knowing it was God's will, he stood fearless, for as Ezekiel recorded, "Behold, I have made your face like flint and your forehead like iron" (Ezekiel 3:8-9), deflecting all assaults against him. Those who attempt to undermine the prophecies about Christ, distorting their meaning through flawed interpretations, suggest that if this narrative is about Isaiah, then it could also discredit the crystal-clear testimonies regarding Christ that illuminate the understanding of all. This should undeniably be attributed to the Lord, who also completed the prior work, demonstrating that through the incarnation, He received a tongue skilled in teaching, knowing precisely when to speak and when to remain silent. Moreover, He who remained silent during His suffering now communicates throughout the world through the apostles and their successors. It requires great wisdom to provide nourishment to the ministers at the right moment and address the audience appropriately. Thus, the Apostle Paul, addressing those who lacked trust in the prophets, cites familiar authors: "For we are indeed his offspring" (Acts 17:28), referring to Aratus, and from comedic sources: "Bad company corrupts good morals" (1 Cor. 15:33), as well as from Epimenides’ verse: "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons" (Titus 1:12). Although these statements may not follow a metrical structure in translation, they possess verse-like form in Greek. He articulated these ideas because he had received the gift of teaching, allowing him to discern when to express a thought. He was granted divine ears that were absent by nature, illustrating that we require spiritual ears rather than merely physical ones, as the Lord declared in the Gospel, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Luke 8:8). This wisdom and knowledge opened his ears, enabling one who never opposed but obeyed, even unto death on a cross (Phil. 2), to endure injuries, offering His back to the wounds, while the breast of God endured many blows, and He remained resolute in His declarations. He certainly suffered this abuse at the hands of the high priest's servant, as the Jewish people conspired against Him. He was beaten and spat upon, yet He felt no shame; like a lamb led to slaughter, He remained silent like a sheep before the shearers. The Son, because of the mystery of the Incarnation, received from the Father the words He was to speak, as we learn in the Gospel, where He states, "The Father who sent me has given me a commandment, what to say and what to speak" (John 12:49). He further emphasizes, "I can do nothing on my own; I judge only as I hear" (John 5:30).

For the wisdom imparted by God states: The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the wise, that I may strengthen the weary with a word (Is 50:4, LXX). It is no coincidence that one who has received the gift from the Lord possesses the discernment to choose the right moment for expression. As the Scripture clearly indicates: A wise man will maintain silence until the appropriate time; a foolish and vain man, however, will not wait for that moment (Sir 20:7).

In each situation, the Messiah possesses the appropriate message at hand, inspired by the Spirit of Truth, which He received in abundance since His baptism. With the proclamation, ‘Put Me morning, put Me ear to hear,’ the Messiah conveys a thought akin to what He expressed during His earthly ministry: ‘The word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's that sent Me’ (John 8:28). Prior to sharing this message with His audience, the Messiah listened to it Himself, submitting to His heavenly Father, who approached Him like a diligent educator. A devoted teacher awakens his students early and imparts to them an attentive ear, urging them to focus closely on his teachings so that they may fully comprehend and not overlook anything spoken. In a similar manner, following the will of God the Father, His Son, who came to share all that He had received from the Father, attentively listened to the words of God the Father.