Isaiah 55:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

True conversion cannot occur until the individual turns away from iniquity, and forgiveness cannot come until he discards corrupt thoughts. Let him return to the Lord, who will be merciful to him, provided that he has turned and lives in accordance with His will, leading to his purification?

No one should believe that this circumstance implies a lack of power on His part; He is capable of all things, embodying the omnipotent and mighty hand of the Father. Nonetheless, because the Father, in His providence and necessity, summoned Him to assume human form, it is said that He subjects all beneath the Son as a reflection of His own power and wisdom. Through Him, the weak are strengthened and the foolish enlightened. Let no one, however, doubt that the Son could not bring everything under His dominion; rather, he should confidently affirm that God the Father works in all things through Him.

What does the prophetic word endeavor to accomplish? It presents the Father’s face, calling out to the multitudes of the nations, "Call upon God, who, as previously stated, is given to the tongues as a witness, their chief and lord." In doing so, He is both identified as God and commanded to be sought after. This seeking, of course, is not a physical endeavor, for the divine essence is incorporeal and cannot be confined by space, but rather permeates all things and dwells within all that exists. Instead, it constitutes the soul's quest for communion with Him, achieved through acts of piety and authentic knowledge of God. Such longing is characteristic of those who remain distant from Him, separated by the sins and ignorance that reside within them, and after they are removed, they shall draw near to God. As the wise Paul writes to the Gentile converts, "But now you who were once far off are brought near." Therefore, you must seek the God of all, and when you find Him, call upon Him.

Calling upon God signifies nothing less than this: praising Him as God, seeking from Him the strength and inclination necessary for our transformation, and striving to receive deliverance and the power to escape the bondage of sin and the hand of the adversary, who is Satan. As it is written, "I will call upon the Lord with praise, and I shall be saved from my enemies." When one discovers God and draws near to Him, let him renounce his wicked ways and his unrighteous thoughts, turning instead to the Lord, who will grant him forgiveness. Those who have been honored with a calling and conversion, eagerly awaiting His gracious gifts, must undoubtedly turn away from their past deeds, their inclination towards vice, their attraction to sin, and their earthly desires. In this manner, he who turns with a sincere heart will receive mercy, for he who turns from sin will be pardoned.

As it is said, where sin abounded, grace multiplied, for there is no guilt that cannot be washed away if God chooses to cleanse it. Thus, it is written concerning Jesus Christ, our Savior: "Behold, He will come like a fire of a furnace, and like the soap of those who clean. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold and silver," for He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The fire represents the purifying power of the Holy Spirit, akin to a flame that consumes the impurities of our sins.

Turn to Him who speaks through the prophets now and will later speak in person. Seek Him while it is possible to find Him, while dwelling in the flesh, and while there is still room for repentance; seek Him not through physical location, but through faith. Further instructions on seeking God can be found elsewhere: Cultivate wisdom in the Lord's goodness, and with a pure heart seek Him, for He is not discovered by those who test Him, nor does He turn away from those who believe in Him. Therefore, understanding what is declared concerning sinners: ‘Those who stray far from You will perish,’ we should proclaim to the Lord: ‘How can I escape from Your Spirit, and how can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I descend to the grave, You are there’ (Psalm 138:7-8). Call upon Him when He is near, lest He withdraw far from us due to our sins and iniquities. For He draws close to those who draw near to Him and joyfully receives the wayward son who returns after much time. Thus, the holy one rejoices in the Psalm, ‘Indeed, it is good for me to draw near to God’ (Psalm 72:28). And it was Moses alone who approached the Lord (Ex. 22). Through Jeremiah, God expresses: I am a God who is near, not a God who is far away (Jeremiah 23:23)—coming close to those who approach Me with faith, while distancing Myself from those who approach in unbelief. Therefore, it is written to believers: ‘Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you’ (James 4:8). And to ensure we do not think this is enough, he adds immediately: ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ (James 4:7). Peter also warned us that ‘Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But you must resist him, standing firm in your faith’ (1 Pet. 5:8-9). It is insufficient to simply seek the Lord and to find Him in this time of repentance when He is near; if the wicked fails to leave behind his old ways and thoughts by which he strayed from God, then we must turn to the Lord, who is merciful to us, and to our gracious Father, who forgives readily, provided we abandon our former thoughts and paths, so that we may ultimately be honored to hear, ‘Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered’ (Psalm 31:1).