We have seen that the Lord demands from people truth, mercy, and condescension to the widow and the orphan. For prophets like Amos and Hosea, this is the center of preaching. At some point, there is even a feeling that the Lord is the God of social justice, that He is only busy solving some human problems, sorting out untruths, and so on. From this sometimes follows the naïve (and theologically illiterate) question: "What did God do before He created the world?" The filling of heaven and earth with the glory of God, the service of seraphim and cherubim to Him show the divine omnipotence, the incompatibility and incomprehensibility of God by the world, the impossibility of even approaching Him. When Isaiah sees this, he exclaims: "Woe is me, I am lost! for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among the people also with unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5). "The prophet calls himself "accursed", first from the point of view of his nature, saying: "O accursed one, for I am touched, as this man", and then from the side of the state of the soul: "with unclean lips". He called his lips unclean, as I think, in contrast to those fiery lips of pure powers, with their most perfect service. Not stopping there, he pronounces a confession for all the people, adding: "And I live among the people also with unclean lips." Why does he condemn his own mouth here? He expresses his indecision. So the three youths, being in the furnace, said almost the same thing: "We cannot open our mouths" (Dan. 3:33). And now, when it was the time of singing and doxology, and when the prophet saw the heavenly powers doing this, he justly turns the word to the lips, which are called especially to such service. For this reason he called his own lips unclean, but the lips of the people – not because of this, but because the Jews were filled with iniquity" [29, vol. 6, p. 79].

And yet the prophet Isaiah becomes a partaker of this glory when one of the Seraphim brings a burning coal and touches the prophet's mouth and says: "Behold, this has touched thy mouth, and thy iniquity is taken away from thee, and thy sin is cleansed" (Isaiah 6:7). When priests and deacons commune in the altar, then, having communed, they kiss the holy chalice and say: "Behold, I have touched my lips, and he will take away my iniquities and cleanse my sins." These are the same words; they speak of the action of the power of God, which corrects and purifies man, who by his own will, by his own power, is not able to draw near to God. The tongs with which Seraphim takes the coal from the throne prefigure the Mother of God, to Whom the divine coal of the Body of Christ was brought: "Isaiah is cleansed, the coal is received from the Seraphim, the elder cried out to the Mother of God, as with pincers with your hands enlightened me, giving him, bearing him, the unfading light and ruling the world" [The Meeting of Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, at Matins, Canon, Ode 5, Troparion 3 // Menaion, February 2].

"And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? and who will go for us? And I said, Here am I, send me" (Isaiah 6:8). These words are often applied not only to the Prophet Isaiah, who is sent to preach, but also to the Son of God, to the Eternal Council, when the question of man's salvation is being decided, and the Son of God takes upon Himself the obligation, through death on the Cross and Resurrection, to save the human race. These words also apply to the prophet Isaiah himself and his ministry: "Go and say to this people, 'With your ears you will hear, and you will not understand, and with your eyes you will see, and you will not see. For the heart of this people is hardened, and with their ears they can hardly hear, and their eyes are closed, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and be converted, that I may heal them" (Isaiah 6:9-10). Again a prototype. The ministry of the prophet Isaiah precedes the appearance of God incarnate, because it is in His appearance that these words are fully fulfilled. God Himself stands and preaches to the people, and they close their eyes, and stop their ears, and don't want to hear Him, they don't want to hear Him, and they don't want to be healed. After all, this is what Christ said: "And the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled over them, which says, 'With your ears you will hear, and you will not understand...'" (Matt. 13:14). And the holy Evangelist John, quoting this quote, adds: "These things Isaiah said, when he saw His glory, and spoke of Him" (John 12:41). Thus, he was vouchsafed this appearance before the mystery of the Incarnation of God was revealed to him.

26.7. Prophecies about the Nativity of Christ and Christ

After describing the prophet's calling, chapter 7 begins a series of great prophecies. The first of them, showing how the fulfillment of the divine Council will begin, is the prophecy of the birth of Christ from a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14). The historical context of this prophecy is as follows. King Pekah of Israel and King Rezin of Syria go to Jerusalem in order to destroy it. From the Second Book of Kings it is known that they inflicted a fairly significant defeat on the Jewish troops at the very first meeting, but failed to conquer Jerusalem (2 Kings 16:5). "And the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out to meet Ahaz, to the end of the water supply of the upper pool, to the road to the bleaching field" (Isaiah 7:3). Having announced to the king deliverance from enemies, the prophet suggested that he ask for a sign from God. But Ahaz, who was an idolater, does not even want this, he does not want to receive any sign from God, lest he should inadvertently give up his idolatry. And then the prophet Isaiah says these words: "Hear, therefore, house of David! is it not enough for you to trouble men, that you want to trouble my God also?" (Isaiah 7:13). These words usually cause some bewilderment.

What does it mean to make people difficult and to make God difficult? The inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea resist and do not allow the prophets to proclaim the will of God, do not allow the prophets to serve for the correction of the people. And now Ahaz is trying to hinder God Himself, Who is ready to give an edifying sign, trying to prevent God Himself from correcting himself, correcting the entire people [see 12, part 2, p. 225]. And then the prophet Isaiah announces to him: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel. He will feed on milk and honey, until he understands to reject evil and choose good; for before this child understands to reject evil and choose good, the land which you fear will be forsaken by both kings thereof" (Isaiah 7:14-16).

The Hebrew word alma can mean both "virgin" and "young woman." Seventy interpreters translated it as "virgin," which confirms the New Testament understanding of this passage by the Old Testament Church. This is very important for us.

Here this birth is correlated with the desolation of the earth. Apparently, the point is that after a while the Assyrians will crush both Israel and Syria. This allowed and still allows some interpreters to assert that the prophet Isaiah informed Ahaz that a young woman would give birth to a child in Jerusalem and, while he was still small, significant events would take place related to deliverance from danger. The opposite opinion was expressed by the Holy Fathers. In the writings of St. Basil the Great we find the following: "Is it surprising that one of the many women living with her husband became the mother of a child? And how could that which was born "of the lust of the flesh" be called Immanuel? Therefore, if what is given is a sign, then let the birth also be extraordinary. And if the image of the birth of the Child is ordinary, then do not call it a sign, do not call it Emmanuel" [12, part 2, p. 226].

Further, the Prophet Isaiah speaks of the birth of a son, and by God's command the name of this son is given Maher-shelal-hash-baz, that is, "hastens the plunder, hastens the booty" (Isaiah 8:1). As you can see, the ministry of the prophet does not end even within the walls of his own home, so he names his children for a certain purpose. This name should testify that before the child is able to pronounce "my father" and "my mother", the riches of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be carried before the king of Assyria. However, even here we cannot limit ourselves to the literal meaning. If the 7th chapter is about Christmas, then it should be understood in the same way. St. Basil the Great says that he approached in a vision and saw the fulfillment of the promise. The Mother of God was called the Prophetess, since the Holy Spirit descended upon Her, and She sang a prophetic song. The Son is Christ, who suddenly plundered the "gain" of the devil – the people who were captive by him. "And thou shalt come unto the prophetess, and be conceived in thy womb, and bear forth a son. And the Lord said unto me, His name is Thou hast taken captive, and plundered insolently" (Isaiah 8:3). "That is, by the spirit and foreknowledge of the future, I approached the prophetess. For he comprehended, as it were, drawn closer by prophetic understanding, saw her conception from afar, foreseeing by means of a prophetic gift that she had given birth to a Son, of Whom the Lord said, "Call His name: Take captive quickly, plunder insolently [hastens plunder, hastens the booty]." Soon he captured the strong, guarding his possessions, that is, those who were sold into sin and kept in the chains of death. And He took him captive, and divided his gains to His own strength, handing over the faithful for safekeeping and observance to the holy Angels, of whom He Himself said: "Ye shall see the face of My Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 18:10). For this is the one who has insolently plundered; of Him it is written, 'Ascending on high, He took captivity captive, He took wealth among men' (Psalm 67:19)" [12, part 2, p. 235]. St. Cyril of Alexandria interprets this passage in a similar way.

Сила Дамаскова – верующие из язычников, корысти Самарийския – уверовавшие от обрезания. «Еже скоро пленение сотвори корыстей, приспе бо» (Ис. 8: 1). «Ибо учение Евангельское было скоро быстрее всякой молнии, дошло до пределов вселенной; оно отъемлет корысти у князя века сего, и плененных им приводит в послушание Христово» [12, ч. 2, c. 236].

Далее пророк говорит о том, что Иудея должна уповать на Бога, а не на военные союзы, не на укрепленные города, не на свою собственную воинскую силу. Господь говорит, что «будет Он освящением и камнем преткновения, и скалою соблазна для обоих домов Израиля, петлею и сетью для жителей Иерусалима» (Ис. 8: 14). Упование на Бога – это единственное, что может спасти и защитить Иудею, никакие идолы, никакие военные союзы, ничто другое не поможет им, как не помогли, скажем, Самарии. Самария для своего времени была великолепно укрепленным городом, даже ассирийская армия потратила немалое время, чтобы этот город взять, но тем не менее взяла, сровняла с землей, так что никакие ухищрения ей не помогли. Пророчески здесь изображается спасительное упование на Христа.

И далее, в 9–й главе, содержится пророчество о возвышении Галилеи языческой: «Народ, ходящий во тьме, увидит свет великий; на живущих в стране тени смертной свет воссияет» (Ис. 9: 2), которое цитируется в Евангелии от Матфея (Мф. 4: 16), и свет воссияет, не просто солнечный свет, а Тот, Который просвещает всех, то есть явится Христос. «Ибо Младенец родился нам – Сын дан нам; владычество на раменах Его, и нарекут имя Ему: Чудный, Советник, Бог крепкий, Отец вечности, Князь мира» (Ис. 9: 6), или в славянской Библии: «Велика Совета Ангел, Чуден Советник, Бог крепкий, Властелин, Князь мира, Отец будущаго века; приведу бо мир на князи, мир и здравие ему». Эти слова нам известны по богослужению. «Чудный, Великого Совета Ангел», – совета, очевидно, того самого, о котором идет речь в 6–й главе, и Христос здесь называется действительно Ангелом, возвестившим о его исполнении. Разбирая законоположительные книги, мы говорили о явлении Ангелов, через которые открывался Сын Божий. И тогда мы ссылались на эти слова пророка Исаии, где Христос прямо назван Ангелом. И еще «Отцом будущего века». То есть жизнь будущего века, которую мы с вами чаем и воспеваем в Символе Веры, явлена через Христа. «Бог сый мира, Отец щедрот, великаго совета Твоего Ангела, мир подавающа послал еси нам. Тем богоразумия к свету наставльшеся, от нощи утренююще, славословим Тя, человеколюбче!» [Еже по плоти Рождество Господа Бога и Спаса нашего Иисуса Христа, на утрени. Канон первый, 5 песнь, ирмос // Минея, 25 декабря].

В 11–й главе говорится о дарах Святого Духа. Христос называется отраслью от корня Иессеева: «И произойдет отрасль от корня Иессеева, и ветвь произрастет от корня его; и почиет на нем Дух Господень, дух премудрости и разума, дух совета и крепости, дух ведения и благочестия; и страхом Господним исполнится, и будет судить не по взгляду очей Своих и не по слуху ушей Своих решать дела. Он будет судить бедных по правде, и дела страдальцев земли решать по истине; и жезлом уст Своих поразит землю, и духом уст Своих убьет нечестивого» (Ис. 11: 1–4). Эти последние слова пророка Исаии цитирует апостол Павел (2 Фес. 2: 8). Почему Дух Господень должен почивать на том, кто есть Бог? Потому что через Него Он откроется, через Него действия Духа наконец станут доступными для всех людей, и дары Духа, которые в совершенстве почиют на Христе, будут передаваться верующим.

Таким образом, мы видим, что на протяжении пяти глав, следующих за описанием видения Господа Саваофа, разворачивается замечательная пророческая картина, изображающая Боговоплощение и его спасительные последствия.