God Is Our Eternal Rock

Different voices that span a long period of time converge in the book of the prophet Isaiah, whose authorship and inspiration are all attributed to this great witness to God's word, who lived in the eighth century before Christ.

Within this long scroll of prophecies, which even Jesus himself opened and read in the synagogue in his own village of Nazareth (see Luke 4:17-19), there is a series of chapters—24 to 27—that scholars generally call the “Great Apocalypse of Isaiah.” In fact, a second, smaller series is found in Chapters 34-35. In a text that is often passionate and full of symbolism, the author describes God's judgment on history in a powerful and poetic way and exalts the just, who are waiting for salvation.

The Holy City

A contrast is often made between two diametrically opposite cities, as is the case in John's Apocalypse: the rebellious city, embodied in some historical centers of those days, and the Holy City, where the faithful are gathered.

In line with this, the canticle that we have just heard, from Chapter 26 of Isaiah, is indeed a joyful celebration of the city of salvation. It rises strong and glorious, because the Lord himself has laid its foundations and its fortified walls, making it a safe and peaceful dwelling place (see verse 1). He then flings its gates wide open to receive a nation that is just (see verse 2), which seems to repeat the words of the psalmist who, as he stood before the Temple of Zion, exclaimed: “Open the gates of victory; I will enter and thank the Lord. This is the Lord's own gate, where the victors enter” (Psalm 118:19-20).

‘The gift that God offers his faithful ones is peaceáthe fruit of a life lived in justice, freedom and the joy of communion.’

For whoever enters the city of salvation, there is one essential requirement: “firm purposeátrust in youátrust” (see Isaiah 26:3-4), which is faith in God, a solid faith based on him who is “an eternal Rock” (verse 4).

Trust Brings Peace

Trust, which is already expressed in the original Hebrew root of the word “amen,” is a concise profession of faith in the Lord who, as King David sang, is “my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock of refuge, my shield, my saving horn, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2-3; see 2 Samuel 22:2-3).

The gift that God offers his faithful ones is peace (see Isaiah 26:3), the messianic gift par excellence, the fruit of a life lived in justice, freedom and the joy of communion.

This gift is also forcefully reaf-firmed in the final verse of Isaiah's canticle: “O Lord, you mete out peace to us, for it is you who have accomplished all we have done” (verse 12). This verse caught the attention of the Fathers of the Church: For them this promise of peace foreshadowed the words that Christ would speak centuries later: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (John 14:27).

In his Commentary on the Gospel of John, St. Cyril of Alexandria reminds us that Jesus, in giving us his peace, gives us his own Spirit. Therefore, he does not leave us orphans but remains with us through the Spirit. St. Cyril goes on to say that the prophet “prays that God would give us his Spirit, through which we have been read-mitted into friendship with God the Father, we who were at first far away from him because of the sin that rules in us.” His commentary then turns into a prayer: “Grant us peace, O Lord. We will then admit that we have everything and we will realize that whoever has received the fullness of Christ does not lack anything. To have God dwelling in us through the Spirit is to have, in fact, the fullness of every good (see Colossians 1:19)” (Commento al Vangelo di Giovanni, vol. III, Rome, 1994, p. 165).

The Way of the Lord

Let us take one last look at Isaiah's text. It presents a meditation on the “way of the just” (see verse 7) and a declaration of fidelity to God's just decisions (see verses 8-9). The dominant image is the classical biblical image of the way, which Hosea, a prophet who preceded Isaiah, had already proclaimed: “Let him who is wise understand these things.áStraight are the paths of the Lord, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them” (Hosea 14:10).

In Isaiah's canticle, there is another component, which is also rather thought-provoking because of its liturgical use in Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. Mention is made of the dawn after a night devoted to seeking God: “My soul yearns for you in the night; yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you” (Isaiah 26:9).

It is precisely at the beginning of the day, when work begins and daily life begins to pulsate in the city streets, that the faithful man must renew his commitment to walk in “…your way and your judgments, O Lord” (verse 8), putting his hope in him and his Word, which is the only source of peace.

It is then that his lips will proclaim the words of the psalmist, who professed his faith at the dawning of the day: “O God, you are my God—for you I longáfor you my soul thirstsáfor your love is better than life” (Psalm 63:2, 4). With his spirit reassured, he is then able to face the new day.