From: Isaiah 7:1-9
The sign of Immanu-el
[3] And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub
your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Ful-
ler’s Field, [4] and say to him, ‘Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let
your heart be faint because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands, at
the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. [5] Because Syria,
with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying,
[6] Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves,
and set up the son of Tabe-el as king in the midst of it,” [7] thus says the Lord
God:
It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
[8[ For the head of Syria is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
(Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces so that it will
no longer be a people.)
[9] And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
If you will not believe,
surely you shall not be established.”
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Commentary:
7:1-12:6. This series of oracles and narratives is usually known as the “Book of
Immanuel”, because its climax is taken to be the mysterious announcement of
a Messiah-Saviour, called “Immanu-el”, which means “God-with-us” (7:14). This
“book” is one of the most interesting parts of First Isaiah. Some scholars include
in the “book”, as its introduction, the prophet’s vision of God in majesty, and the
account of Isaiah’s calling (6:1-13).
The Immanuel prophecy begins with the announcement of a God-given “sign” of
salvation — the “virgin” who will conceive and hear a “son” (7:1-8:22). The “son” is
described in such a way that he seems to he no ordinary human child (8:23-9:6).
Paradoxically, the joy of salvation that has just been proclaimed is then im-
mediately clouded by announcements about the wrath of God, the collapse of
Samaria and the Assyrian threat to Jerusalem (9:7-10:19). But, as often happens
in Isaiah, we are told that a “remnant” will he saved, a “shoot from the stump of
Jesse” (11:1), that is, a descendant of David on whom “the Spirit of the Lord will
rest” (11:2), and that a kingdom of righteousness and peace will emerge and the
exiles will return home (10:20-11:16). This leads the prophet to intone a short
psalm of thanksgiving (12: I-6).
7:1-9. After the account of Isaiah’s vocation, where we heard that a hardened
heart is unable to hear the word of the Lord (cf. 6:9-10), we are now given evidence
to that effect. Isaiah has a meeting with King Ahaz, in which the king is in two
minds as to what to do in the face of pressure to join the coalition against the
Assyrians made up of Israel (here also called Ephraim), whose capital was Sa-
maria, and Syria (Aram), the capital of which was Damascus. Verse 6 mentions
Tabeel, about whom nothing more is known; he may have been a senior official
in the Southern kingdom who was in favour of joining the coalition. The prophet’s
message warns Judah that it should put its trust in God, believing in his word,
and not try to take refuge in any political alliance, be it with the Syrians and Eph-
raimites, or with Assyria. It ends abruptly with the threat that if Ahaz and his
supporters fail to listen, their downfall will soon follow (vv. 7-9). The narrative says
that a son of Isaiah is present at his exchange with Ahaz — Shear-jashub (v. 3),
a name full of symbolism, for it means “a remnant shall return”. The presence
of this son implies, in some way, that God will ensure the permanent survival
of the people: there will always be some, a remnant, who will come back to the
Lord and recover what has been lost (cf. 10:20-22).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Matthew 11:20-24
Jesus Reproaches People for Their Unbelief
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Commentary:
21-24. Chorazin and Bethsaida were thriving cities on the northern shore of the
lake of Gennesaret, not very far from Capernaum. During His public ministry
Jesus often preached in these cities and worked any miracles there; in Caper-
naum He revealed His teaching about the Blessed Eucharist (cf. John 6:51ff).
Tyre, Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah, the main cities of Phoenicia—all notorious
for loose living—were classical examples of divine punishment (cf. Ezekiel 26-28;
Isaiah 23).
Here Jesus is pointing out the ingratitude of people who could know Him but who
refuse to change: on the day of Judgment (verses 22 and 24) they have more
explaining to do: “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required”
(Luke 12:48).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.