Isaiah 63:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Scriptures frequently describe the Church as the holy mountain, signifying that the Israelites represent but a small part of this greater entity. Had they embraced faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, they could have been a significant part of the Church, alongside the multitude of Gentiles. However, their great disobedience has placed them behind the Gentiles, who now outnumber them considerably, leaving only a remnant that is truly glorious. Consequently, they have inherited merely a small share within the Church.

Some might interpret the holy mountain as representing the highest city, the heavenly Church, which nurtures the saints, and seek their inheritance therein. This understanding aligns with the truth expressed in the line, "they were as at first, when He possessed them not, and His name was called upon them." This is indeed true; stripped of His care and protection, they reverted to their original state. And what was that state? They were enslaved in Egypt, laboring under harsh conditions, and enduring great suffering. In the present day, they too are subject to the dominion of the devil, entrapped by sinful desires and worldly temptations—this too parallels their earlier bondage in Egypt.

In Egypt, they served false gods, just as they now host unclean spirits. The Savior taught us this, stating, "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but it finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' When it arrives, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation" (Mt. 12:43-45).

Hast Thou, O Lord, led us away from Your sacred way, hardened our hearts so that we should not fear You? For the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your inheritance, we long to reclaim even a small part of Your holy mountain, as our adversaries have overrun Your sanctuary. We find ourselves as before, when You did not rule over us, and when Your name was not called upon us.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses a diverse populace, both the saints and the sinners. He offers them praise, correction, instruction, and encouragement toward self-control, affirming the sanctity of marriage while denouncing idolatry. He instructs them on the resurrection and guides them on matters of morality to avoid infidelity. The context of the prayerful supplication from the people appeals to either the righteous or to sinners as they either glorify God or question Him, laying charge upon the Divine. Hence, they lament: Why have You allowed us to stray from Your ways and hardened our hearts against You?

This does not imply that God is the source of our errors or hardness; rather, it highlights His patience as He waits for our salvation, during which He does not restrain those who err, seeming to allow for error and hardness. In His righteous anger toward some, He refrains from immediate punishment and declares, I will not punish your sons for their harlotry, nor your daughters for their idolatry (Hosea 4:14). He disciplines every son He accepts (Heb. 12:6), but He does this for correction. Concerning those who, despite their faults, still bear the name of children, He states: I will correct them with the rod for their iniquity, yet My mercy will not depart from them (Ps. 88:33).

There exists a sorrow that leads to life and one that leads to death. Thus the sinner expresses in the Psalm, You have diverted our paths from Your way and brought us low in the land of bitterness (Isaiah 43:19). The people wandered in the wilderness for forty years (Num. 32), lest they should find their way back to Egypt. Hosea likewise illustrates how Jerusalem's paths are entangled with thorns, compelling her to return to her rightful Husband (Hosea 2).

It is likewise said of Pharaoh that God hardened his heart that he would not release His people, suffering under ten plagues (Ex. 4). Paul elaborates on this topic thoroughly in his epistle to the Romans. The Lord bids us to turn back, for the sake of Your servants, Abraham and Israel, who remain among the people. Our enemies’ effortless seizure of Your holy people reveals the extent of our degradation.

Or as rendered by the Seventy: restore us to even a small portion of Your holy mountain, since we cannot claim all of it, that possessing a part, we might attain the fullness and behold the glory of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1). The same prophet declares, The mountain of the Lord shall be exposed in the last days (Isaiah 2:2). To understand the plea, Why have You allowed us to wander, we turn to Jeremiah, who confesses, You have deceived me, O Lord, and I have been deceived; You have overpowered me (Jer. 20:7). When You promised me mercy like a compassionate father, unknowingly concealing Your severity, much like a skilled physician who hides a sharp instrument from a frightened patient, I became complacent. Hence, God says of Jerusalem: I will lead her into desolation, make her a parched land, and draw her heart to repentance (Hosea 2:14-15).

We should carefully consider the order of these profound thoughts: He seduces her into barrenness to create a thirst for virtue. When she seeks You with hunger and desire (Psalm 62:2), He shall comfort her heart and draw her back, leading her through repentance and sorrow that offers salvation. Only then will her broken spirit open her understanding, leading her to recognize her Creator.

Our adversaries have trodden upon Your holy sanctuary, undoubtedly pointing to the temple desecrated by the victorious Romans. We return to our former state, reminiscent of Egypt, bereft of God, kings, rulers, prophets, and the law of His commandments (Hosea 3:4). All this was brought to fulfillment through the suffering of the Lord and endures today. For when they declared, His blood is upon us and our children (Matt. 27:25), an eternal curse remained with them, and neither control nor acknowledgment of God’s name exists among them, as they are not recognized as the people of God.