Commentary on Isaiah 1 part 24/24

For everyone shall be salted with fire. For indeed the fire tests both the genuine and the counterfeit gold.

And by 'sword' he calls the punitive operation.

A river of fire went forth, drawing on before him. Many shall be the wounded by the Lord, those who purify and cleanse themselves in the gardens and in the porches;

those who eat swine's flesh and the abominations and the mouse shall be consumed together, says the Lord; and I know their reasoning and their works, and I will recompense them.

By 'the wounded' he calls those given over to wickedness, and by those who purify and cleanse themselves in gardens and in porches, those who employ their ritual washings.

For this reason he made mention also of swine's flesh and of the other things forbidden by the law.

But I demand an accounting of them for these things, he says, since I accurately know their purpose;

for as men despising my commandments they transgressed the things ordained by law.

Behold, I come to gather all the nations and the tongues, and they shall come and see my glory, and I will leave a sign upon them.

He has clearly shown that it was not for the sake of the salvation of the Jews alone that he took on the form of the servant, but reaching out salvation to all the nations.

And by 'sign' he calls the figure of the saving cross.

And I will send forth from among them those who are saved to the nations:

to Tarshish and Phud and Lud and Mosoch and Thobel, and to Greece, and to the far-off islands, which have not heard my name nor seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.

To the holy apostles the Master said:

Go and make disciples of all the nations. In them the prophecy here set forth received its fulfilment;

for they offered the divine proclamation to all the nations.

By 'Tarshish' he means Carthage, the metropolis of Libya; and by 'Phud' the whole nation of the Libyans themselves; by 'Lud' the Lydians; and by 'Mosoch' the Cappadocians; and by 'Thobel' the Iberians; and he speaks also of Greece and the islands, and through these of all the nations that had neither known the God of all nor had any experience of his power.

But these, he says, being sent by me, shall bring those others:

They shall bring your brethren out of all the nations as a gift to God, with horses and chariots, in litters drawn by mules, with canopies, to the holy city, to Jerusalem, said the Lord — even as the sons of Israel would bring their sacrifices to me with psalms into the house of the Lord.

'And from among them I will take for Myself priests and Levites,' says the Lord.

He calls those from among the nations who have come to faith their brethren, because of the common kinship of nature.

For there were Jews also among the nations, and from among the nations a very great throng believed.

Of these was Crispus the ruler of the synagogue, and again Sosthenes another ruler of the synagogue, who enjoyed the teaching of the divinely-inspired Paul; and countless others besides, in Antioch of Pisidia and in Iconium and in Lystra and in the other cities, who received the saving teaching.

These the divine apostles offered as certain gifts to the God of all, with an unspeakable honour.

He made plain the honour that was to come, since these things are held worthy of love among men.

So too the divine apostle said that we shall be caught up into the air.

And just as of old Israel offered Me the sacrifices according to the law, with singing and dancing, so shall the heralds offer Me these rational sacrifices of the truth, from whom, throughout this present life, I shall ordain both priests and Levites.

And this clearly showed both the casting away of the Jews and the calling of the nations;

for He no longer calls those who trace their descent from Levi priests, but ordains these from among the nations who have believed.

'For as the new heaven and the new earth, which I make, shall remain before Me,' says the Lord, 'so shall your seed and your name stand.'

Just as, transforming all the visible creation, I will make it new, so will I keep your race in everlasting remembrance—and not yours alone, but also that of those who through you have come to faith.

'And it shall come to pass, from month to month and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me in Jerusalem,' says the Lord.

Describing the polity in the heavens, he also made mention of the diverse mansions, concerning which the Lord said:

'In My Father's house are many mansions'—that is, differences of dignities.

These, he says, keep festival continually, rejoicing and dancing;

for by 'month' and 'sabbath' he names the feasts, since it was on these that the Jews used to hold festival;

as in, 'The dwelling of all that rejoice is in thee,' and again:

'The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against Me.'

He showed this also in the divine Gospels, how Lazarus beheld the rich man's torment, and that man beheld Lazarus's gladness.

So too through the divinely-inspired Zechariah He says:

'They shall look upon Me whom they pierced'—that is, together with the body that they nailed to the cross;

for it was not I whom they pierced, but the body with which I am clothed.

'For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be a spectacle for all flesh to behold.'

By these words He has made plain the perpetuity of the punishment;

for the fire is unquenchable and the worm is undying.

This punishment He threatened against those men—yet not against them alone, but also against those who transgress His divine laws.

for in this way we shall belong to the choir of those who rejoice.

These things we have interpreted according to the measure of the knowledge given to us, and we have unfolded the prophetic writing.

But you who read, if you should find anything worthy of the labour, praise the One who supplies these things;

but if the clarity falls short of what was promised, accept the intention and grant pardon; and gathering up whatever profit is to be found, repay the labours with your intercession, that together with you we too may behold that admirable and thrice-longed-for city in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father be glory, together with the all-holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.