Isaiah The Book of Emmanuel-Eng

Isaiah: The Book of Emmanuel
By Sister Marie Antoinette Saade
http://www.ayletmarcharbel.org/content/ashaaya-ktab-aamanouayl-maa-alakht-mary-anttouanyt-saaadt
Historical overview
After telling us about Abraham and Isaac, the Holy Bible tells us about Jacob who, following Joseph, moved with his sons to Egypt. Many years later, Jews left Egypt with Moses because of persecution. The Chosen People lived in the desert for forty years until they reached the Promised Land. Subsequently, the era of Judges started. A judge was an elderly man adjudicating the people’s disputes. Then, the people clamored for a king who would rule them, as the other nations around them are ruled; thus started the era of Kings with Saul, David, and Solomon. With the death of Solomon, the Kingdom was divided in two: the Northern Kingdom and its capital, Samaria, and the Southern Kingdom and its capital, Jerusalem.
The Northern Kingdom knew prophets whose mission was to help the king and the people to repent and to remain faithful to the covenant the Lord made with them in Sinai. Other prophets of the North were Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea. The Southern Kingdom also had prophets, including Isaiah.
What is a prophet?
In the Holy Bible, a prophet is the one who relates and conveys the word which the Lord put in his mouth, even if this led to his martyrdom. This is what a true prophet is. With Jesus, we have all become a prophetic people entrusted with carrying the message of the Word to the world.
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah consists of 66 chapters written over a period of 200 years. Chapters 1-39 were written by Isaiah or one of his disciples: this is the (section of the) book we will talk about today. The remaining chapters were written later and were attributed to Isaiah because of his prominence. The second book covers chapters 40-56, and the third book chapters 57-66. The composition of the Book of Isaiah, as we know it today, was finalized in the fifth century BC.
To read the historical background of the books of Isaiah, we must turn to the Book of Kings. For example, we read in 2 Kings 16:2-3: “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as David his father had done. He walked in the way of the kings of Israel (Northern Kingdom); he even immolated his child by fire, in accordance with the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.”
Book of Emmanuel
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God is with us’” (Mt. 1:22-23), (arabic text says 1:22) Matthew quoted this verse from Isaiah’s prophecy, and, more specifically, from the section called Book of Emmanuel.
Who is prophet Isaiah? What does his message contain? How are we to read the Book of Emmanuel?
In the eighth century BC, circa 740, lived Isaiah who was an aristocrat close to the royal court of four consecutive kings. This is noted in the Book of Isaiah: “The vision which Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of (King) Uzziah, (his son) Jotham, (his son) Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (Is 1:1). Uzziah, an old man, was followed by his son Jotham who ruled for four years, then Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Isaiah’s closeness to the royal court made him a sort of advisor; the king requested his counsel in some urgent matters, especially considering that the Southern Kingdom was being attacked by Assyrians and Syrians, meaning by the land of Canaan and the Northern Kingdom.
Isaiah’s vocation is mentioned in chapter 6, the beginning of the Book of Emmanuel which extends to chapter 11. In this book, the Lord is portrayed as grieved by the fickle love of his people. This dynamic is expressed by the image of the wife who, one minute, leaves her husband and, another, returns to him. The Lord describes this relationship as marital infidelity.
In chapter 5, the Lord sings through Isaiah the Hymn of the Vineyard, which is also the hymn of wounded love: “My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; He spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; Within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he waited for the crop of grapes, but it yielded rotten grapes.” The text then addresses the listeners: “Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem, people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard: What more could be done for my vineyard that I did not do? Why, when I waited for the crop of grapes, did it yield rotten grapes? Now, I will let you know what I am going to do to my vineyard: Take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed, but will be overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to rain upon it. The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, the people of Judah, his cherished plant; He waited for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!” (Is 5:1-7) (arabic text says 5:3-7) In Isaiah’s mouth, this hymn portrays the people’s attitude and, in a metaphorical way, God’s psychological state. God is said to be working at keeping his people close; he runs after them and cares for them…As a mother who cares for the child, leaning his head on her shoulder, or an eagle taking his young under his wings, so the Lord wants what is good for his people, who keeps disappointing him by shedding blood. This is the beginning of the book, and already the prophet is risking himself by harshly admonishing the people.
In chapter 6, Isaiah says: “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple.” This image means that Isaiah saw the Lord’s beauty and aura in the temple. The Temple of Solomon was adorned with drapes and filled with the smoke of incense; whoever entered it felt awe.
What Isaiah experienced is a theophany, as if the Lord appeared: the doors shook from the sound of cries, and the temple was filled with smoke (of incense). “Then I said, ‘Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips (Isaiah recognized this when he compared the glory of the Lord with his and his people’s state), and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember (the forgiving ember) which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it. ‘See,’ he said, ‘now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged’” (Isaiah 6:4-7). (arabic text says 6:57) This means that Isaiah had a real experience to whose details we are not privy. He was touched by the ember of the Lord which purified his lips and enabled him to proclaim the word entrusted to him. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ ‘Here I am,’ I said; ‘send me!’ And he replied: ‘Go and say to this people: Listen carefully, but do not understand! Look intently, but do not perceive (This is the reason for the Lord’s grief)! Make the heart of this people sluggish, dull their ears and close their eyes’” (Is 6:8-10). This does not mean at all that the Lord caused the hardness of their hearts, but it is simply a way of interpreting history that attributes all events to God.
Ahaz allied himself with the Assyrians to protect himself, and, to show his good will, offered his son as a sacrifice; consequently, the kingdom lost its heir.
Isaiah says in chapter 7: “In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah, went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it. When word came to the house of David that Aram had allied itself with Ephraim, the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind” (Is 7:1-2).
“Then the Lord said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, and say to him: Take care you remain calm and do not fear; do not let your courage fail.” The Lord is trying here to calm him down and build trust between them.
Verse 10 says: Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” (This shows his lack of faith in the Lord’s might.)
“Then (Isaiah) said: Listen, house of David! Is it not enough that you weary human beings? Must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the virgin, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel.” The Lord gave Ahaz a sign, even though Ahaz was undeserving. What is this sign? Ahaz’ son was sacrificed, and there was no longer an heir. But the virgin, the young woman, is pregnant and bears a son. This is God’s sign among you: a new king who will rule. This is the first meaning of the verse.
The second meaning, as understood by Matthew, is the sign that the Lord gave us: Emmanuel, God with us. Since Uzziah, son of Ahaz, was a worse king than his father, he cannot, then, logically be the awaited king. Another man will be.
The Gospel according to Matthew starts with Emmanuel and ends with: “I am with you until the end of time,” which also means Emmanuel. This is why Matthew, as a whole, is named Book of Emmanuel.
Chapter 8 (arabic wrongly text says 9) describes the situation of the weak people who is hopeless, embattled from within and from without, and walking in the dark.
Chapter 9 (arabic wrongly text says 10), however, declares: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing; They rejoice before you as people rejoice at harvest, they exult when dividing the spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, the rod of their taskmaster, you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, upon David’s throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!” (Is 9:1-6). (arabic wrongly text says 10)
The people, then, had been awaiting the realization of the promises of God, whose coming will break the yoke of their slavery and save them. The people walking in darkness saw the light–a miraculous, bright light shining from heaven and not from earth (“I am the Light of the World”). This is the Christian reading of the Old Testament. “For a child is born to us”: this is the promise (Isaiah meant by this the king’s son, but we read it as the son of the real King who is Jesus). “A child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests” (there is no other ruler or king). “They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever” (this text is, for us, a prophecy): the son becomes Eternal Father and Prince of Peace. “He confirms and sustains by judgment and justice,” and nothing is impossible for God.
Chapter 11 starts with this verse: “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” Jesse was the father of many sons, and God entrusted Samuel with selecting a king from among them. Samuel chose the handsomest, tallest, and best one, but God, who does not judge from appearance, cares for what is in one’s heart. After examining all of Jesse’s children, he remembered David, the shepherd, and called him, and the Lord chose him despite being shorter.
After David and Solomon, the Kingdom was divided and aged, as if it withered. This is why the verse says: “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” This is the miracle of the Budding Branch on whom is the Lord’s spirit–a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide fairly for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall graze, together their young shall lie down; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the viper’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. They shall not harm or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea” (Is 11:1-9).
What is noteworthy, first, is that the object of the Lord’s promise is what is dry and withered; the Lord is able to bring life out of death.
Second, his promise bears on a small shoot: a boy, a child. The Lord’s presence always comes in a hidden, gentle, small way, like the mustard seed and the yeast in the dough.
In other words, the Kingdom of God is small on earth, but it encapsulates the dynamism of an atom.
The kingdom comes to us as small, and it is put in our hands to take care of it, so it may grow and develop. This is what we pray for when we say: “Thy kingdom come.”
Emmanuel’s mission among us is Good News for the weak, the poor, the oppressed, and every person who is in need, not only for money, but also in real need for love, affection, or anything else. Who of us is not in need? This reminds us of Mary’s hymn: “He has toppled the mighty and exalted…” When God’s kingdom comes, the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard with the young goat, and the calf with the young lion in a cosmic, human reconciliation that encompasses all Creation. This is our aim, and, therefore, we reject the injustice that surrounds us, for we work in, and for, the Kingdom of God.
The Book of Emmanuel concludes with a hymn of thanksgiving: “God indeed is my salvation; I am confident and unafraid. For the Lord is my strength and my might, and he has been my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the fountains of salvation, and you will say on that day: give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; Among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. Sing praise to the Lord for he has done glorious things; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, City of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!” (Is 12:2-6) (arabic wrongly text says 1-6)
Meeting on December 11, 2002
With Sister Marie Antoinette Saade – Dar Sayyidat Al Jabal.
By Sister Marie Antoinette Saade
http://www.ayletmarcharbel.org/content/ashaaya-ktab-aamanouayl-maa-alakht-mary-anttouanyt-saaadt
Historical overview
After telling us about Abraham and Isaac, the Holy Bible tells us about Jacob who, following Joseph, moved with his sons to Egypt. Many years later, Jews left Egypt with Moses because of persecution. The Chosen People lived in the desert for forty years until they reached the Promised Land. Subsequently, the era of Judges started. A judge was an elderly man adjudicating the people’s disputes. Then, the people clamored for a king who would rule them, as the other nations around them are ruled; thus started the era of Kings with Saul, David, and Solomon. With the death of Solomon, the Kingdom was divided in two: the Northern Kingdom and its capital, Samaria, and the Southern Kingdom and its capital, Jerusalem.
The Northern Kingdom knew prophets whose mission was to help the king and the people to repent and to remain faithful to the covenant the Lord made with them in Sinai. Other prophets of the North were Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea. The Southern Kingdom also had prophets, including Isaiah.
What is a prophet?
In the Holy Bible, a prophet is the one who relates and conveys the word which the Lord put in his mouth, even if this led to his martyrdom. This is what a true prophet is. With Jesus, we have all become a prophetic people entrusted with carrying the message of the Word to the world.
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah consists of 66 chapters written over a period of 200 years. Chapters 1-39 were written by Isaiah or one of his disciples: this is the (section of the) book we will talk about today. The remaining chapters were written later and were attributed to Isaiah because of his prominence. The second book covers chapters 40-56, and the third book chapters 57-66. The composition of the Book of Isaiah, as we know it today, was finalized in the fifth century BC.
To read the historical background of the books of Isaiah, we must turn to the Book of Kings. For example, we read in 2 Kings 16:2-3: “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as David his father had done. He walked in the way of the kings of Israel (Northern Kingdom); he even immolated his child by fire, in accordance with the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.”
Book of Emmanuel
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God is with us’” (Mt. 1:22-23), (arabic text says 1:22) Matthew quoted this verse from Isaiah’s prophecy, and, more specifically, from the section called Book of Emmanuel.
Who is prophet Isaiah? What does his message contain? How are we to read the Book of Emmanuel?
In the eighth century BC, circa 740, lived Isaiah who was an aristocrat close to the royal court of four consecutive kings. This is noted in the Book of Isaiah: “The vision which Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of (King) Uzziah, (his son) Jotham, (his son) Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (Is 1:1). Uzziah, an old man, was followed by his son Jotham who ruled for four years, then Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Isaiah’s closeness to the royal court made him a sort of advisor; the king requested his counsel in some urgent matters, especially considering that the Southern Kingdom was being attacked by Assyrians and Syrians, meaning by the land of Canaan and the Northern Kingdom.
Isaiah’s vocation is mentioned in chapter 6, the beginning of the Book of Emmanuel which extends to chapter 11. In this book, the Lord is portrayed as grieved by the fickle love of his people. This dynamic is expressed by the image of the wife who, one minute, leaves her husband and, another, returns to him. The Lord describes this relationship as marital infidelity.
In chapter 5, the Lord sings through Isaiah the Hymn of the Vineyard, which is also the hymn of wounded love: “My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; He spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; Within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he waited for the crop of grapes, but it yielded rotten grapes.” The text then addresses the listeners: “Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem, people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard: What more could be done for my vineyard that I did not do? Why, when I waited for the crop of grapes, did it yield rotten grapes? Now, I will let you know what I am going to do to my vineyard: Take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed, but will be overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to rain upon it. The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, the people of Judah, his cherished plant; He waited for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!” (Is 5:1-7) (arabic text says 5:3-7) In Isaiah’s mouth, this hymn portrays the people’s attitude and, in a metaphorical way, God’s psychological state. God is said to be working at keeping his people close; he runs after them and cares for them…As a mother who cares for the child, leaning his head on her shoulder, or an eagle taking his young under his wings, so the Lord wants what is good for his people, who keeps disappointing him by shedding blood. This is the beginning of the book, and already the prophet is risking himself by harshly admonishing the people.
In chapter 6, Isaiah says: “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple.” This image means that Isaiah saw the Lord’s beauty and aura in the temple. The Temple of Solomon was adorned with drapes and filled with the smoke of incense; whoever entered it felt awe.
What Isaiah experienced is a theophany, as if the Lord appeared: the doors shook from the sound of cries, and the temple was filled with smoke (of incense). “Then I said, ‘Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips (Isaiah recognized this when he compared the glory of the Lord with his and his people’s state), and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember (the forgiving ember) which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it. ‘See,’ he said, ‘now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged’” (Isaiah 6:4-7). (arabic text says 6:57) This means that Isaiah had a real experience to whose details we are not privy. He was touched by the ember of the Lord which purified his lips and enabled him to proclaim the word entrusted to him. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ ‘Here I am,’ I said; ‘send me!’ And he replied: ‘Go and say to this people: Listen carefully, but do not understand! Look intently, but do not perceive (This is the reason for the Lord’s grief)! Make the heart of this people sluggish, dull their ears and close their eyes’” (Is 6:8-10). This does not mean at all that the Lord caused the hardness of their hearts, but it is simply a way of interpreting history that attributes all events to God.
Ahaz allied himself with the Assyrians to protect himself, and, to show his good will, offered his son as a sacrifice; consequently, the kingdom lost its heir.
Isaiah says in chapter 7: “In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah, went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it. When word came to the house of David that Aram had allied itself with Ephraim, the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind” (Is 7:1-2).
“Then the Lord said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, and say to him: Take care you remain calm and do not fear; do not let your courage fail.” The Lord is trying here to calm him down and build trust between them.
Verse 10 says: Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” (This shows his lack of faith in the Lord’s might.)
“Then (Isaiah) said: Listen, house of David! Is it not enough that you weary human beings? Must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the virgin, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel.” The Lord gave Ahaz a sign, even though Ahaz was undeserving. What is this sign? Ahaz’ son was sacrificed, and there was no longer an heir. But the virgin, the young woman, is pregnant and bears a son. This is God’s sign among you: a new king who will rule. This is the first meaning of the verse.
The second meaning, as understood by Matthew, is the sign that the Lord gave us: Emmanuel, God with us. Since Uzziah, son of Ahaz, was a worse king than his father, he cannot, then, logically be the awaited king. Another man will be.
The Gospel according to Matthew starts with Emmanuel and ends with: “I am with you until the end of time,” which also means Emmanuel. This is why Matthew, as a whole, is named Book of Emmanuel.
Chapter 8 (arabic wrongly text says 9) describes the situation of the weak people who is hopeless, embattled from within and from without, and walking in the dark.
Chapter 9 (arabic wrongly text says 10), however, declares: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing; They rejoice before you as people rejoice at harvest, they exult when dividing the spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, the rod of their taskmaster, you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, upon David’s throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!” (Is 9:1-6). (arabic wrongly text says 10)
The people, then, had been awaiting the realization of the promises of God, whose coming will break the yoke of their slavery and save them. The people walking in darkness saw the light–a miraculous, bright light shining from heaven and not from earth (“I am the Light of the World”). This is the Christian reading of the Old Testament. “For a child is born to us”: this is the promise (Isaiah meant by this the king’s son, but we read it as the son of the real King who is Jesus). “A child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests” (there is no other ruler or king). “They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever” (this text is, for us, a prophecy): the son becomes Eternal Father and Prince of Peace. “He confirms and sustains by judgment and justice,” and nothing is impossible for God.
Chapter 11 starts with this verse: “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” Jesse was the father of many sons, and God entrusted Samuel with selecting a king from among them. Samuel chose the handsomest, tallest, and best one, but God, who does not judge from appearance, cares for what is in one’s heart. After examining all of Jesse’s children, he remembered David, the shepherd, and called him, and the Lord chose him despite being shorter.
After David and Solomon, the Kingdom was divided and aged, as if it withered. This is why the verse says: “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” This is the miracle of the Budding Branch on whom is the Lord’s spirit–a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide fairly for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall graze, together their young shall lie down; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the viper’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. They shall not harm or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea” (Is 11:1-9).
What is noteworthy, first, is that the object of the Lord’s promise is what is dry and withered; the Lord is able to bring life out of death.
Second, his promise bears on a small shoot: a boy, a child. The Lord’s presence always comes in a hidden, gentle, small way, like the mustard seed and the yeast in the dough.
In other words, the Kingdom of God is small on earth, but it encapsulates the dynamism of an atom.
The kingdom comes to us as small, and it is put in our hands to take care of it, so it may grow and develop. This is what we pray for when we say: “Thy kingdom come.”
Emmanuel’s mission among us is Good News for the weak, the poor, the oppressed, and every person who is in need, not only for money, but also in real need for love, affection, or anything else. Who of us is not in need? This reminds us of Mary’s hymn: “He has toppled the mighty and exalted…” When God’s kingdom comes, the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard with the young goat, and the calf with the young lion in a cosmic, human reconciliation that encompasses all Creation. This is our aim, and, therefore, we reject the injustice that surrounds us, for we work in, and for, the Kingdom of God.
The Book of Emmanuel concludes with a hymn of thanksgiving: “God indeed is my salvation; I am confident and unafraid. For the Lord is my strength and my might, and he has been my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the fountains of salvation, and you will say on that day: give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; Among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. Sing praise to the Lord for he has done glorious things; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, City of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!” (Is 12:2-6) (arabic wrongly text says 1-6)
Meeting on December 11, 2002
With Sister Marie Antoinette Saade – Dar Sayyidat Al Jabal.