Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
צ֖וֹר תְּעוּדָ֑ה חֲת֥וֹם תּוֹרָ֖ה בְּלִמֻּדָֽי׃
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
To prevent anyone from assuming that destruction or salvation is universal, he includes these words: "Then," he states, "there shall be found" those who are told, "you shall not learn" the law, meaning those who defy the commandments will be revealed. Just as in the Babylonian furnace, where those outside faced destruction while those within were unharmed, a similar reality will occur in that day.
He states that there will be individuals who recite the law yet do not understand it. Who might these be? Clearly, they are those who have been justified through Christ and sanctified by the Spirit, for whom it is truly appropriate to declare, ‘The light of thy countenance is upon us, O Lord’ (Psalm 4:7). The Son embodies the image and likeness of God the Father, and the divine light we receive from Him is the Holy Spirit, by whom we are sealed and transformed into His original image through sanctification. We are made in the image and likeness of the Creator. Thus, those sealed by the Holy Spirit will be made evident before God, characterized and honored in the world, not to be instructed in the law. Should we then stop studying the law?
It would indeed be illogical to assume so, as Christ clearly articulates: ‘For this reason I say to you, that every scribe who has learnt the kingdom of heaven is like a rich man, who brings out of his treasure new and old things’ (Matthew 13:52). We do not shun knowledge of the law, but we eschew a desire to adhere to it in a manner that follows the Jewish custom. We do not offer sacrifices of oxen or approach the God of all creation with blood offerings; instead, we present to Him spiritual worship that is pleasing to Him, as the Savior indicates: ‘The Spirit is God; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth’ (John 4:24). It can be affirmed by the blessed Paul that it is detrimental for those renewed in life by the Holy Spirit to attempt to act according to Jewish practices or the shadow of the law. He addresses those who, after embracing the faith, seem to revert to a shadowy existence: ‘You who began in the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?’ (Galatians 3:3); and, ‘Behold, I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you’ (Galatians 5:2). You have severed your connection with Christ if you seek justification through the law; you have fallen from grace. For we eagerly await the hope of righteousness that comes by faith (Galatians 5:4, 5).
This discourse is tied to and builds upon the previous one. "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel, which is to say, 'God is with us'" (Matt. 1:23; Is. 7:14). The Prophet further articulates: "God is with us! Understand, O ye Gentiles, and repent." He then broadens his address to those who fail to embrace the teachings of Immanuel, instead sidestepping the challenging commands He has given. "Then," he states, "those who inscribe the law will be made known, who do not teach." For when the doctrine is sown within all, some open their hearts to truly accept it, becoming like fertile soil that allows the word to take deep root.
They do not allow it to be choked by thorns or permit it to remain unprotected, making it easy for the adversary to snatch it away. Thus, they yield a harvest "thirty, and sixty, and a hundred" fold (Mk. 4:8). Conversely, there are those who entirely confine their spirits, refusing to accept the word, as if they have tied and sealed themselves, preventing the truth from flourishing within them. Those who resemble the hardened and resist allowing Christ's image to manifest in them, who distort the "image of Heaven" within themselves and delight only in a mere "image of the finger" (1 Corinthians 15:49), are also deemed sealed. Additionally, the law itself is veiled in ambiguity and is not grasped by all; its understanding necessitates diligent engagement with it. Therefore, one who does not meditate and refuses to unravel the bind of ignorance is regarded as a seal upon the law, destined to be uncovered on the day of revelation. For "those who inscribe the law will be made known, who do not learn." How, then, do the Jews, of whom it is declared, "Ye have taken the key of understanding, and have not entered in, and forbid them that enter in" (Luke 11:52)? It remains sealed; "ye do not learn," as they, under the guise of honoring what is inscribed, fail to genuinely disclose the profound mysteries.
Affix the witness and secure the decree, signifying the witness I have declared; safeguard it until the day when my words come to fruition, when the promise will be established through action, and the prophecy will be validated in its realization. The prophet also cryptically alludes to the arrival of the Messiah.
The Lord speaks through the prophet, proclaiming: ‘As it is written, the Lord has become a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both houses of Israel. They were resistant to receiving Immanuel, who was sent to them. Therefore, gather the testimonies of the old covenant and share them with my disciples, who embrace the gospel, specifically the apostles or men of apostolic authority. Alternatively, the teachings and prophecies prior to John align with them (Matthew 11:13), remaining bound and sealed, leading to a lack of understanding regarding their reading (for the term disciples may also be interpreted as doctrines in alignment with the Hebrew). The LXX renders this passage similarly: then those who are sealed will be revealed, so that they do not grasp the law.
This signifies that when many fall and stumble over the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense, amongst the people, those who are sealed will be identified. They are not meant to learn the law of Moses, but rather to adhere to the commandments of the gospel.
The judgment of God that awaits the unrighteous will demonstrate the grave consequences of neglecting the teaching of the Lord, of disregarding it, and of failing to engage with His words.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS