Up to this point, God's word speaks against His chosen people, to whom it was previously declared, “But my people have become as an enemy; you have adorned yourselves with garments of luxury.” Not only have the noble women, once noble in character, been taken captive, but also, metaphorically, the cities of Judah, which the Lord, in the book of Isaiah, refers to as the daughters of Zion. For Zion is indeed the heart and center of the nation. The Lord lamented, “From their very infancy, you have robbed me of My glory forever.” There remains no one among them to sing praises; all have either fallen in battle or been led into exile, and the few who have escaped death in Babylon testify that they are unable to express, "How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?" Those are the words of Psalm 136:4. Therefore, arise and go into exile, for here you find no peace; the land is stained by your transgressions and can only be purified through a long period of rest. Thus, I tell you that you will find no respite here, for your territory is corrupted and destined for the deepest degradation—captivity, whether under Babylonian or Roman rule, as it has become intoxicated with the blood of the Lord. This interpretation may reference two pivotal historical moments. The Seventy say, “The leaders of My people shall be expelled from their chambers of revelry; due to their wicked actions, they are forsaken.” This speaks generally of the Jewish leaders, the priests, and the Pharisees who were expelled from the city of joys at the time of the Lord's death, where they had once engaged in pleasures due to their sinful pursuits. It also specifically alludes to the house of David, as right after the Lord's birth, “the scepter shall not depart from Judah” (Genesis 49:10), signaling that the time of expectation had arrived for the nations. Prophecy, however, also describes the leaders of the church, who become enmeshed in indulgence and think they can maintain holiness amidst their banquets, yet they shall be thrown out from their lavish halls, their abundant feasts, and their laborious celebrations—all because of their sinful undertakings. If you seek to understand their fate, read the Gospel: cast into the darkness of hell, where “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13). Is it not disgraceful to preach Christ crucified, the humble Master, while living in abundance and sharing a doctrine of fasting with a belly full from the feast? If we are to take the place of the apostles, we must emulate not just their message, but also their conversion and moderation. There is no doubt that the ministry of the apostles, their service to widows and the impoverished, is sacred; yet they proclaimed, “It is not right that we should forsake the word of God and serve tables” (Acts 6:2). And now, the minister of Christ invites not just the poor, the brethren, or those who cannot repay the invitation—which only earns gratitude from them—but also the armed soldiers and judges, while sentinels stand guard outside. Throughout the city, the clerics scurry around, intent on delivering to the judges that which cannot be acquired, or which, if found, remains unpurchaseable. It should not be assumed that this critique applies universally to all bishops. No! Let the prophet's words admonish those whose actions reflect such failings; let them be warned of punishment and eternal torment, that at the very least, those not deterred by shame may come to repentance under the threat of divine justice. The Seventy speak: come near to the everlasting mountains. The "eternal mountains" can refer to the angels or prophets, as described in the Psalms, “His foundations are on the mountains of the saints” (Psalm 86:2), and again, “I lift my eyes to the mountains; whence comes my help?” (Psalm 120:1). Yet, he who, ensnared by sin, refuses to separate himself from the assembly of the saints will draw near to these eternal hills, not by physical distance, but by virtue. And to those who approach the eternal mountains, God declares: “I am a God near at hand, and not a God afar off” (Jeremiah 23:23). These mountains are termed eternal to set them apart from the transient mountains associated with the rulers of this world, which, despite appearing as lofty as the cedars of Lebanon, will ultimately vanish, leaving no trace. The Seventy advise, "Arise and go, for you shall find no cessation here." We are instructed not to rest upon the things of this world, but rather to rise as from death, striving upwards to walk in communion with our Lord, and to claim, “To You my soul clings” (Psalm 62:9). If we are indifferent and neglect the call, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light” (Ephesians 5:14), we will remain slumbering and misled, discovering that any apparent rest outside of Christ's illumination is naught but suffering. The Seventy proclaim: “Due to your uncleanness, you are consumed by decay.” Instead of the term "destroyed," we might say "defiled," shifting the meaning to: because of your impurity, you are utterly decayed. This applies to those who, indulging in bodily desires and passions, have corrupted not only their souls but their very bodies, prioritizing lust over a love for God. We could assert that "you have decayed through uncleanness," fully capturing the essence even without the word decay. However, since it states "decayed to the end," it appears to differentiate from the decay of salvation, which the Apostle acknowledges when he says, “Though our outer person is decaying, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). He who bears the mortification of Christ within and subdues the flesh to the soul, even in decay, experiences a salvific transformation. “You fled, though no one pursued you.” This remark is directed towards those who, because of their filthiness, experience relentless decay, feeling cowardice in the face of rivals without any external affliction compelling them to fight. Thus, the fainthearted are excluded from the camp during the saints' battle, lest they provoke the spirits of their brethren, and are removed from the ranks (Deuteronomy 20:8). To those cursed in the Book of Leviticus, it is stated: “The sound of a flying leaf shall put you to flight, and you shall flee as if no one pursued you” (Leviticus 26:36). According to a particular author who interpreted the opening of John's Gospel, in the words “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:2-3), "nothing" refers to evil and is understood as the devil; thus, nothing is made outside of Christ, implying the devil as non-existent. Hence, if evil, represented by the devil, has no essence, and yet those decayed flee although nothing pursues them; then it follows that the devil pursues them in nothingness. Should my interpretation seem overly forced or reliant on wordplay rather than reflecting the essence of Scripture, let one either adopt my initial interpretation or seek clarity through their understanding.
THEOSIS