Isaiah 63:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Scriptures frequently depict the Church as the holy mountain, of which the Israelites represent a small part. Had they embraced their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, they would have constituted a significant faction of the Church alongside the multitude of Gentiles. However, due to their profound disobedience, they lagged behind the Gentiles, who have vastly outnumbered them. As a result, they are few in number, with only the Remnant holding glory; for this reason, they have inherited only a minor share in the Holy Mountain, meaning within the Church. If one were to interpret the holy mountain as the highest city, the heavenly Church, which nurtures the saints, such an understanding would also be correct. They were as they were at first, when He did not possess them, and His name had not yet been invoked upon them. This statement rings true, for in the absence of His care and protection, they returned to their original state. What was that state? They were enslaved by the Egyptians, toiling with clay and brick, enduring great suffering from those labors. Even now, they are subjugated under the devil's power, tainted by carnal desires and worldly lusts, which can be viewed as a form of hidden enslavement. In Egypt, they served evil spirits; now, unclean spirits dwell in them. The Savior taught us about this, stating: When the unclean spirit leaves a person, it wanders through dry places seeking rest and finds none. Then it says, I will return to my house from which I departed. Upon returning, it finds it clean and adorned. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits even more wicked than itself, and they enter and reside there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So it will be with this wicked generation.

We have returned to our initial condition when You had no dominion over us, and when Your name was not called upon us.

The letter written by Paul to the Corinthians, although directed to the inhabitants of a single city, takes into account the diversity of its people—both saints and sinners. He commends them, corrects them, instructs them, admonishes them towards moderation, recognizes the sanctity of marriage, denounces idolatry, educates them about the resurrection, and offers guidance to those in need. We mention this so that the current section, which includes a prayer of the people addressing God, may rightly reflect either the righteous or the wayward, who either celebrate God's glory or express their grievances towards Him. Thus, they further lament: Why, O Lord, have You allowed us to stray from Your paths or led us away from Your ways, hardening our hearts so that we do not fear You? This should not imply that God is the instigator of error and hard-heartedness but rather that His patience, which waits for our salvation and refrains from holding back those who err, may seem to give rise to such moments of folly.

Consequently, in response to His anger towards some, He chooses not to exercise punishment, declaring, I will not punish your sons when they practice immorality, nor your daughters when they engage in their sinful loves (Hosea 4:14). For the Lord disciplines every child He accepts (Heb. 12:6), with correction as the goal. Thus, concerning those who still retain the title of children, though they endure chastisement leading to repentant hearts: I will visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquities with stripes; yet My mercy I will not take from them (Ps. 88:33). There is indeed sorrow that leads to life and sorrow that leads to death. Hence, the sinner declares in the Psalm, You have turned our paths away from Your way, and humbled us in a bitter place (Isaiah 43:19).

For forty years, the people wandered in the wilderness (Num. 32) to prevent them from returning to Egypt. Hosea speaks of the barriers around Jerusalem, encircled with thorns, preventing her from pursuing her lovers, thus compelling her to return to her true spouse (Hosea 2). It is also noted regarding Pharaoh that God hardened his heart, so he would refuse to release His people while receiving ten plagues (Ex. 4). Paul meticulously clarifies this topic in his epistle to the Romans (9).

The Lord says, Restore us for the sake of Your servants, Abraham and Israel, who may not yet recognize us, or whose names we believe are among the people. How utterly without effort have our enemies seized control over Your holy people! And as translated by the Seventy: Restore us, that we might possess a small portion of Your holy mountain, since we cannot possess it all; that gaining a small share, we may ultimately achieve its fullness and behold the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1). The prophet also proclaims, In the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be established (Isaiah 2:2).

Regarding the plea, Why have you permitted us to stray (v. 17), Jeremiah gives a detailed account with, You have deceived me, O Lord, and I have been deceived; You have overpowered me (Jer. 20:7). For in promising me forgiveness, like a compassionate father, and concealing Your severity, like a skilled physician hiding a sharp instrument to prevent fear before treatment, You have rendered me neglectful. Thus, God proclaims concerning Jerusalem: Behold, I will lead her into temptation, making her a wilderness and a desolate land, and I will speak to her heart, drawing her from there, and opening her understanding (Hosea 2:14-15).

Let us examine the order of thoughts: He beguiles her and transforms her into a desert and a dry land to instill in her a thirst for virtue. Shall she then declare, My soul longs for You, and my flesh yearns for You (Psalm 62:2), and then He will communicate with her heart, providing comfort to those who mourn? He will awaken within her the desire from repentance and sorrow, which brings salvation, and the humility of her broken spirit (indicating the valley of Achor) shall allow her to recognize her Creator. She laments that our foes have crushed Your sanctuary, undoubtedly referring to the temple ravaged by the conquering Romans.

We have returned to the state we were in before our call through Abraham, when we were in Egypt, devoid of God, kings, princes, prophets, or the commandments (Hos. 3:4)—all of which has been fulfilled after the Lord's suffering and continues to hold true. For when they declared, His blood be upon us and upon our children (Matt. 27:25), an eternal curse has remained upon them, and God’s authority is not upon them, nor is His name invoked among them; they are not considered the people of God.