“Then I will encamp
At my house
As a guard.
Thus,
No one shall march to and fro.
No oppressor
Shall again overrun them.
Now I see
With my own eyes.”
Yahweh was going to be the guard of his house. People would not be able to move around or overtake it. Perhaps, this is an allusion to a visit of Alexander the Great to Jerusalem on some of his exploits. He obviously spared the city. Thus, no oppressor would be able to overrun them. Yahweh was going to see all this with his own eyes.
“I will command!
I will shake
The house of Israel
Among all the nations,
As one shakes
With a sieve.
But no pebble
Shall fall
To the ground.
All the sinners
Of my people
Shall die
By the sword.
They say.
‘Evil shall not overtake
Or meet us.’”
Yahweh was going to command and shake the house of Israel among all the countries in the world. He was going to shake them like a sieve. However, no pebble would fall to the ground. All the sinners among his people would die by the sword. Who were these sinners? These were the ones who said that evil would not overtake or meet them.
“Then hear
The word of Yahweh!
O remnant of Judah!
Thus says Yahweh of hosts!
The God of Israel!
‘If you are determined
To enter Egypt,
Go settle there!
Then the sword
That you fear
Shall overtake you there,
In the land of Egypt.
The famine
That you dread
Shall follow close after you
Into Egypt.
There you shall die!
All the people
Who have determined
To go to Egypt
To settle there
Shall die
By the sword,
By famine,
By pestilence.
They shall have
No remnant,
No survivor
From the disaster
That I am bringing upon them.’”
Jeremiah repeats the words of Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel. If they are determined to go to Egypt and settle there, they will die there. The famine that they dread so much will overtake them in Egypt. They will die there by any of the 3 famous ways of sword, famine, or pestilence. They will be no survivors there, nobody to carry on their name. Yahweh would bring disaster on them in Egypt.
“But now thus says Yahweh.
‘He who created you!
O Jacob!
He who formed you!
O Israel!
Do not fear!
I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name.
You are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you.
When you pass through the rivers,
They shall not overwhelm you.
When you walk through fire,
You shall not be burned.
The flame shall not consume you.
For I am Yahweh!
Your God!
The Holy One of Israel!
Your Savior!’”
Here in Second Isaiah, Yahweh speaks directly to the Israelites. He has created and formed them. They are not to be afraid, because Yahweh has redeemed them also. He has also called them by name, Israel and Jacob. They are his. If they pass through waters, he will be with them. If they go through rivers, it will not overtake them. If they are in fire, they will not get burned with a consuming fire. They only have to remember that Yahweh is their God. He is the Holy One of Israel and their savior. Otherwise there is nothing to worry about.
“People are humbled.
Everyone is brought low.
Do not forgive them!
Enter into the rocks
From the terror of Yahweh!
Hide in the dust
From the glory of his majesty!
The haughty eyes of people
Shall be brought low.
The pride of everyone
Shall be humbled.
Yahweh alone
Will be exalted On that day.”
Isaiah warned that there would come a day when Yahweh, the Lord would be exalted. Then on that day the people would be humbled and brought low. Their sins would not be forgiven. They might try to hide behind rocks or in the ground, but the terror of Yahweh would find them. The glory of his majesty would overtake them. The haughty eyes of everyone would be humbled. Only Yahweh would remain alone and exalted.
“My child!
Do not busy yourself
With many matters!
If you multiply activities,
You will not be held blameless.
If you pursue,
You will not overtake.
By fleeing,
You will not escape.
There are those
Who work,
Who struggle,
Who hurry,
But they are
So much the more in want.”
Sirach has some advice for those who are busy, relax! Do not be busy with lots of things. If you try to overtake someone, you probably will not. If you try to escape, you probably will not. Just look at those who are working so hard. They are struggling. They are in a hurry. However, if you look at them, they are still needy. Much hard work does not guarantee success.
“Do no evil!
Then evil will never overtake you.
Stay away from wrong!
Then it will turn away from you.
My child!
Do not sow in the furrows of injustice!
Then you will not reap a sevenfold crop.”
Sirach then gives a short series of wise sayings. Avoid evil and sin. Then they will not overtake you. Stay away from wrong things. Then they will stay away from you. Do not sow your crops in unjust fields. If you do, there will be no reward for you.
“Philip saw that the Judas was gaining ground little by little. He saw that he was pushing ahead with more frequent successes. Thus he wrote to Ptolemy, the governor of Coele-syria and Phoenicia, to come to the aid of the king’s government. Ptolemy promptly appointed Nicanor son of Patroclus, one of the king’s chief friends. He sent Nicanor in command of no fewer than twenty thousand gentiles of all nations to wipe out the whole race of Judea. He associated with him Gorgias, a general and a man of experience in military service. Nicanor determined to make up for the king the tribute due to the Romans, two thousand talents, by selling the captured Jews into slavery. He immediately sent to the towns on the seacoast, inviting them to buy Jewish slaves. He promised to hand over ninety slaves for a talent, not expecting the judgment from the Almighty that was about to overtake him.”
This Philip was in charge of Jerusalem. He wrote to Ptolemy, who was the governor of Coele-syria, along the Phoenician coast, for aid. Ptolemy sent him Nicanor and Gorgias, a general. This is slightly different from 1 Maccabees, chapter 3. There it was Lysias, the governor from Antioch who sent Ptolemy with Nicanor and Gorgias to Judea with 40,000 troops, not 20,000 as here. There was no mention of taking Jewish slaves and selling them in 1 Maccabees. Here Nicanor believes that he can get 1 talent for 90 Jewish slaves, so that they can pay the Roman tribute. It is not clear if this is a gold or silver talent. Obviously, he was not expecting divine revenge.
“Jonathan heard that the commanders of Demetrius had returned with a larger force than before, to wage war against him. So he marched away from Jerusalem. He met them in the region of Hamath, so that he gave them no opportunity to invade his own country. He sent spies to their camp. They returned and reported to him that the enemy was being drawn up in formation to fall upon the Jews by night. So when the sun set, Jonathan commanded his troops to be alert. He commanded them to keep their arms at hand so as to be ready all night for battle. He stationed outposts around the camp. When the enemy heard that Jonathan and his men were prepared for battle, they were afraid. They were terrified at heart. So they kindled fires in their camp and withdrew. But Jonathan and his troops did not know it until morning, for they saw the fires burning. Then Jonathan pursued them, but he did not overtake them. They had crossed the Eleutherus River. So Jonathan turned aside against the Arabs who are called Zabadeans. He crushed them and plundered them. Then he broke camp and went to Damascus. He marched throughout that region.”
The old commanders of the deposed King Demetrius II returned with a larger force to wage war against Jonathan. However, Jonathan wanted to fight them not in his own country so he went out to Hamath, a city in Syria. Then he sent spies, who returned to tell him that they were going to attack him at night. Jonathan had all his men ready that night. When the commanders of the deposed King Demetrius II saw that Jonathan was waiting for them, they were afraid and left. When morning came, Jonathan realized that they were gone. He tried to overtake them, but it was impossible. Instead, he decided to fight against the Zabadean Arabs. He crushed them and took their spoils. Then he headed out of the region towards Damascus.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 