“Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many, and in horsemen, because they are exceeding mighty; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!” (Isaiah 31:1)
The Prophet makes it clear by bringing up history also as an allegory. We rather pursued an alliance with Egypt against Babylon, instead of relying on our Covenant with God. Likewise, we prefer living in ego's fantasies and illusions than Love's ways and attributes. Horses, chariots and horsemen are the selfish sensual trends that seem to be mightier than our willingness to rely only on the individual and collective goodness. In our collective well being there is no lack that leads us to envy, pride, greed, wrath, indifference, indolence or cruelty. This individual and collective well being comes out of the goodness of God's ways and attributes, for God is good and we also come from His goodness.
“Yet He also is wise, and brings evil, and does not call back His words; but will arise against the house of the evil-doers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.” (31:2)
We are reminded time and again that the goodness of God's ways and attributes doesn't cohabit with anything different or opposite to them. Again we must understand that God “brings evil” as something we choose, and not brought by Him to punish the free will He gave us. We are punish by our own iniquities. The Prophet reiterates Psalmist's words: “And He has brought upon them [the evil doers] their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own evil; the Lord our God will cut them off.” (Psalms 94:23). These are also references for the Messianic Era, in which the Creator will end the source of all evils, “the help of them that work iniquity”.
“Now the Egyptians are men, and not God, and their horses flesh, and not spirit; so when the Lord shall stretch out His hand, both he that helps shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall perish together.” (Isaiah 31:3)
There is a distinction between the qualities of the spiritual world and the material world, as a reflection of our higher consciousness and lower consciousness. Between Love's ways and attributes, and ego's fantasies and illusions. Between goodness for the purpose of goodness, and negative trends with their consequences. It's remarked again that goodness overcomes the cause and the effect of evil, for God wants goodness to prevail in all aspects and dimensions of consciousness.
“For thus says the Lord unto me: Like as the lion, or the young lion, growling over his prey, though a multitude of shepherds be called forth against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them; so will the Lord of hosts come down to fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof.” (31:4)
God compares a lion's relentlessness to His determination to make goodness prevail in the material world. The Torah also compares Israel to a lion for the same reason: “Behold, the people [Israel] shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up themselves as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eats of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.” (Numbers 23:24). This is also Israel's mission and destiny in the world, hence the Covenant between God and Israel.
The “multitude of shepherds” in this case represent the negative trends in consciousness, and ego's fantasies and illusions as their “noise”. The final confrontation of the devouring lion (as the prevailing goodness) and its prey (as evil in all its ways and expressions) takes place in the highest level of our consciousness, which is mount Zion as our permanent connection with God. In total awareness of goodness as our true identity and common bond with God, we have the power to remove all that is against Love's ways and attributes.
“As birds flying, so does the Lord of hosts cover over Jerusalem, covering and delivering, passing over, and redeeming.” (Isaiah 31:5)
God tells us again that He is our Creator, He sustains us, He protects us, and delivers us, for He is our freedom and He wants our freedom. Jerusalem is our meeting place, the bond and the connection, the awareness and the determination to be and manifest our Essence and true identity that come from His Love.
“Turn ye unto Him against whom ye have deeply rebelled, O children of Israel. For in that day they shall cast away every man his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.” (31:6-7)
God asks our ancestors in the Torah to return to His ways, and through His Prophets He asks time and again: “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My ordinances, and have not kept them. 'Return to me, and I will return to you', says the Lord of hosts. But you say, 'How shall we return'?” (Malachi 3:7). We all know that our way back to Him is through Love's ways and attributes out of the goodness that is our common bond with His Love.
As we enthrone Love as the regent of all aspects and facets of life, there is no room for idols of any kind out of negative trends and ego's fantasies and illusions. These are the idols we create with our hands (actions) to transgress the goodness we are, and we are meant to manifest in life. When we finally realize that the only things we need to fulfill our destiny in this world are Love's ways and attributes, we shall cast away all that is different or opposite to their goodness.
“Then shall Asshur [Assyria] fall with the sword, not of man, and the sword, not of men, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become tributary.” (Isaiah 31:8)
Assyria is mentioned here as one of the invaders and oppressors of Israel, which also represents negative trends in consciousness that will be turned into positive traits and qualities; as natural tributaries of Love's ways and attributes. We must begin our individual and collective transition from what we don't need as fantasies and illusions, towards what we do need as Love's ways and attributes.
“And his [Asshur's] rock shall pass away by reason of terror, and his princes shall be dismayed at the ensign, says the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.” (31:9)
We have said that our Sages frequently explain “fear” and “terror” as reverence and awe in certain contexts of the Hebrew Bible. Here the negative trends and tendencies surrender (in “dismay”) by recognizing goodness as the ensign of God's attributes, and submitting to His ways. These are the fire that is in Zion as our eternal bond to Him, and the furnace of His Love that dwells in Jerusalem as our permanent connection with Him.
God's Love is our Essence and identity, the spirit He puts in our lives, the breath that makes us understand and live by His ways and attributes.
“But it is a spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty makes them understand.” (Job 32:8)
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