THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Rech: both fear Me and accept the discipline; then you shall remain visible in His sight. He emphasizes that it is you who bring divine anger upon yourselves. Multiple commandments have been given to you, urging a life lived in reverence for God and adherence to the principles of the law and the prophets; it is solely through this means that wrath can be averted, allowing you to escape the consequences of your actions. However, due to Israel's insensitivity, cruelty, and rebellion, divine guidance was disregarded, resulting in a loss of wisdom, as if being ‘consumed from His sight.’ Instead, there should have been a willingness to follow good counsel and an ongoing zeal in striving to fulfill all that is pleasing to God.
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In this manner, He asserts that the turning away of ‘all forms of vengeance upon Him’ was achievable. Likewise, if we expel divine fear from our hearts, turn away from God’s guidance, and neglect the opportunity for wisdom, we will undoubtedly face the fate of those who disregard the divine will. Consequently, God will reward us and hold us accountable for our sins. Therefore, let us not forget the truth in the saying: ‘the fear of the Lord is the fountain of life’ (Proverbs 14:27), ‘the fear of the Lord is glory and praise’ (Cyr. 1:11); it is ‘pure, purifying those who abide throughout the ages,’ as noted by the Psalmist (Psalm 18:10). Prepare yourself, O morning, for you have obliterated all their leaves. Since, He says, you have not embraced instruction from Me but have rejected and despised the way of reverence and virtue, ready yourself to flee and endure what could have been avoided had you cherished virtue and taken delight in it wisely. He then commanded ‘watchfulness,’ signaling that the time of tribulation was approaching, as though it were imminent, with the dawn signaling its arrival. This diminished any hope of delay and banished any thoughts that there might be a postponement — that perhaps a long time would pass before His anger reaches the descendants. Therefore, prepare yourself as if for the inevitable, getting ready for flight at dawn; for like a prisoner, you will be taken to your enemies, abandoning your homeland to dwell among strangers. Furthermore, the God of all creation expresses His sorrow to the prophet for those in captivity, stating, ‘All their foliage is gone.’ We will attempt to explain the meaning of these words. The rulers of Babylon ravaged Samaria along with other cities of Judah; first, Tula, followed by Salmanasar, and finally Sennacherib. Like those gathering grapes, they returned to their homeland, leaving Israel in disarray, akin to a few hidden grapes secured beneath the leaves. By ‘leaves,’ we interpret small clusters consisting of a few berries, often concealed from the grape gatherers. A similar lament is expressed by another prophet: ‘Oh, love me, O soul, for I am like one who gathers grapes in the harvest’ (Micah 7:1). Thus they gathered grapes, until Nebuchadnezzar came and destroyed the very last remains hidden beneath the leaves, robbing the remnants of Israel as he rejoiced in his achievements. Consequently, the prophet Jeremiah mourned for devastated Jerusalem, lamenting its despoilers: ‘Let all their wickedness come before Your face, and cut them off as they have done’ (Lamentations 1:22), and again, “Look, O Lord, and consider, whom have You cut off? Are the mothers compelled to eat their own children?” (Lamentations 2:20). Therefore, when we provoke God’s anger, deprived of all support and divine care, we shall be surrendered to our adversaries, with no trace of virtue or decency remaining within us, as Satan severs every good thing within us, collecting even the last remnants of virtue that may still exist in our souls, leading us toward the resolve to act righteously.