The Harrowing of Hell
St Albans Psalter
12th century
For: Saturday, December 5, 2020
1st Week of Advent
From: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
Lamentation Over Rebellious Children (Continuation)
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(Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:) [19] "Yea, O people in Zion who dwell at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. [20] And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. [21] And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
[23] "And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your cattle will graze in large pastures; [24] and the oxen and the asses that till the ground will eat salted provender, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. [25] And upon every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. [26] Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the hurt of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow."
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Commentary:
30:1-33. The fourth lamentation is aimed at those who waste their time in a vain search for Egyptian help against the Assyrians; they should be counting on God and relying completely on him. It begins by warning them that they are going to be punished, but then the tone changes, to the point that we are told that God is going to be kind to his people and will show them what they must do to free themselves from the Assyrian threat (vv. 18-33).
To begin with (vv 1-17), the main point being made is that it is sheer rebellion, it makes no sense, to draw up plans that don't take account of God: it makes no sense to seek protection from Egypt; it is too weak to help anyone. The Lord denounces the distrust of God implicit in overtures to Egypt (vv. 1-7). The prophet must warn the people who obstinately refuse to obey God's Law and have no time for prophets (vv. 8-11): an alliance with Egypt (vv. 12-14) will lead to disaster; it is progressively described as troublesome or dangerous (v. 6), worthless (v. 7), and absolutely perverse (vv. 12-14). They could have avoided punishment if they had had recourse to the Lord, but they have trusted in their own strength, thinking to find help in their allies' horses (vv. 15-17). Zoan (Tanis) and Hanes (Hierapolis), mentioned in v. 4, are Egyptian cities in the Nile Delta (cf. the note on 19:1-25). Rahab (v. 7) was a sea monster in Eastern mythology, and is sometimes used as a name for Egypt (cf. Job 9:13; 26:12; Ps 87:4; 89:11).
The second part of the lamentation (vv. 18-33) consists of a number of oracles which contain promises that Jerusalem will be delivered, and threats that Assyria will be punished. It begins by describing how happy the people will be if they turn back to their God (vv. 18-22). The Lord eagerly awaits their return, for he is full of kindness and mercy towards those who trust in him (v. 18).
As soon as they return, they will enjoy great contentment -- described here in terms of a material abundance greater than anything they could imagine (vv. 23-26). Assyria, on the other hand, will be severely punished by God (vv. 27-33).
The "Topheth" (v. 33, note t), literally "a burning place", was the site in the valley of Ben-Hinom (or Ge-ben-Hinnon, Gehenna) on the outskirts of Jerusalem where, at one time, children were sacrificed to the Canaanite god Moloch (see the note on Jer 7:21-8:3; cf. Jer 19:5; 32:35). It came to mean a place of damnation and divine retribution for sinners. There the might of Assyria will meet its fate.