The very first verses of this book, its very first lines, quite clearly announce to us and put before us its main theme – Israel's presence in the Covenant, in unity with God, or, on the contrary, its apostasy from this Covenant and from this unity.

The book begins immediately: "Hear, O heavens, and hearken, O earth, for the Lord speaks" (Isaiah 1:2). The sermon is addressed to the entire universe.

Like Moses: "Hearken, O heaven, I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth" (Deuteronomy 32:1).

"Alas, a sinful people, a people burdened with iniquities...! What else shall you be beaten, you who continue your obstinacy? The whole head is full of sores, and the whole heart is withered. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head he has no healthy place: sores, spots, festering wounds, uncleansed and unbandaged, and not softened with oil" (Isaiah 1:4-6). What harsh words does the Lord say, what are the ways to beat you, where you do not yet have a bruise, where you do not yet have an ulcer, how can you be brought to your senses, people who do not want to repent, people who do not want to abandon their iniquities? And so, the land was desolate, the land plundered, the land plundered, "if the Lord of hosts had not left us a small remnant, we would have been like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah" (Isaiah 1:9). In Sodom and Gomorrah there was no remnant, and they perished.

The religious life of Judea was built around the temple and the altar. We remember how detailed and how detailed the requirements for rituals are described, the requirements for sacrifices, for feasts are described in the book of Leviticus, in the book of Numbers, how carefully everything must be performed in the temple, and suddenly, through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord declares: "Why do I need a multitude of your sacrifices?... I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and I do not want the blood of bullocks, and lambs, and goats. When you come to appear before me, who requires you to trample down my courts? Bear no more vain gifts: incense is an abomination to me; New moons and Sabbaths, festive gatherings I cannot endure: iniquity and feasting... My soul hates your feasts: they are a burden to me; It is hard for me to bear them" (Isaiah 1:11-14). Suddenly, the Lord spoke about those feasts that He Himself had established, and Himself commanded them to be observed. Why? "And when you multiply your supplications, I do not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, cleanse yourselves; remove your evil deeds from my eyes; stop doing evil; learn to do good, seek righteousness, save the oppressed, defend the fatherless, intercede for the widow" (Isaiah 1:16-17), that is, this service of yours must bear some fruit.

Remember how the Lord set forth the main commandment of the Law, adding: "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matt. 22:39, 40). Without the second, there is no first: if you say that you love God and hate your brother, then you are a liar (cf. 1 John 4:20). We have seen confirmation of this both in the Law and in the minor prophets. This idea is also revealed here: "Then, that is, when you learn to do good, come and judge, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as white as wool. If you will and obey, you will eat the good things of the earth; but if you deny and persist, the sword will devour you: for the mouth of the Lord speaks" (Isaiah 1:18-20). Here ends the first Lenten paremia from the Prophet Isaiah. On the first day of Great Lent, this, of course, sounds especially convincing and edifying.

And then the prophet Isaiah says: "How the faithful capital, full of justice, has become a harlot!" (Isaiah 1:21). Here again we encounter those manifestations of marital mysticism of which we have already had the opportunity to speak. The relationship between man and God is described not so much in legal terms as in terms of the relationship between husband and wife, and such expressions are constantly found in the text of the book of the prophet Isaiah. And the prophet Isaiah constantly alternates accusatory and comforting prophecies, but the first part – the first 40 chapters – are still devoted mainly to punishing and proclaiming the wrath of God. At first, this perspective is posed: a faithful capital, full of justice, has become a harlot. Why did she become a harlot? Because she does not keep faithfulness to God, Who called her and loved her, and Whom she herself promised to love: "Your silver has become dross, now murderers dwell in it, your wine is spoiled by water, your princes are transgressors and accomplices of thieves; they all love gifts and chase after bribes; and the fatherless do not defend, and the widow's work does not reach them" (Isaiah 1:22-23). And this is the reason for the judgment that is proclaimed over Israel and Judah. But along with the judgment it is also promised that the judgment will not be the final destruction of the people, but the judgment will be something like an oven, in which all the dross, all the lead that spoils silver, all impurities will be separated and purified.

3.4. Prophecy about the Church

Together with the judgment there are constantly presented pictures of what will come after it, pictures of the triumph of righteousness that will come after the judgment and after the punishment, and here the prophet Isaiah speaks of the exaltation of the mountain of the Lord: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be set at the head of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it. And many nations will go and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob' (Isaiah 2:2-3). Here, the mountain of the house of the Lord should be understood as the Church of Christ, which will be exalted and into which all nations will be drawn. The theme that all nations will be called by God, and from all nations godly people will come and worship in the temple of God, permeates the book of the prophet Isaiah from the first to the last page. It is no accident that the very beginning of this book immediately turns to heaven and earth, thus showing that God is not only the God of Israel, or, what is even less, the God of individual faithful Israelites, but God is the God of heaven and earth. This means that God is the God of all nations, that His providential actions extend to absolutely all people. And therefore, when some nations, such as the Assyrians or the Babylonians, come and crush the Israelites, it does not mean that they suddenly appeared from the realm of the universe, to which God's providence does not extend, and invaded the land that belongs to God. All these actions also take place by the allowance or direct command of God. In accordance with this, it is also shown that all nations, not only the future servants of the Israelites, but all these nations are God's, although at that moment they are still far from Him, that the Lord also cares for them, in order to work salvation for them, which is done in the midst of Jerusalem and on Mount Zion: "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem. And he shall judge the nations, and rebuke many nations" (Isaiah 2:3-4).

3.5. The Parable of the Vineyard