“I have been inquired of by those who asked not, I
have been found by those who sought Me not. I have said, 'Behold Me, behold
Me,' onto a nation not calling in My Name. I have spread
out My hands all the day onto an apostate people, who are going
in the way not good after their own thoughts.” (Isaiah 65:1-2)
These verses, as well as all verses of the
Hebrew Bible have multidimensional meanings. Our first thought is about God's
unconditional Love for His entire Creation. Should we ask for the air to keep
us breathing? The sun finds us all every morning even if we don't look for it.
However, in regards to God's Redemption which is the context of Isaiah's
messages, there is an ethical understanding here.
Those who are, have and do goodness do not have to
inquire or ask for God's goodness, for the latter is already with them.
Likewise, by being and doing goodness we find His goodness, hence there is
nothing else to seek. The Creator reaffirms His Redemption, and asks us
repeatedly to behold it not even by calling His Name. God's Redemption is the
goodness of Love's ways and attributes that is destined to lead and rule all
aspects and dimensions of consciousness and life.
Our Sages teach that even if there is no God, we
all are compelled to be and do goodness as a moral and ethical imperative for
humankind. God chose Israel as His people to be and manifest goodness as the
material manifestation of God's Love. He loves Israel to be the ethical
expressions of Love, and permanently sustains us with His Love, which we ignore
in order to embrace the negative traits and trends of ego's fantasies and
illusions.
Our apostasy lies on living in the futility of our
own materialistic desires and inventions, and not in Love's ways and attributes.
“The people who are provoking Me to anger, to
My face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and making perfume on
the bricks. Who are dwelling among graves, and lodge in reserved
places, who are eating flesh of the sow and a piece of
abominable things, their vessels.” (65:3-4)
We have mentioned frequently that idolatry is the
result of all we desire out of beliefs or feelings of lack. Our sense of
individuality is driven most of our lives by the ephemeral futility of ego's
fantasies and illusions, for these are the vessels that are never filled or
satisfied. Yet in Love we lack nothing, for Love fulfills all our real needs.
God's anger is our separation from His ways and
attributes which are expressions of His Love. In His ways we are truly
satiated, filled and satisfied even beyond our own comprehension; for His ways
transcend limitations. We must be aware that His ways are our essence and true
identity materially and spiritually. As we separate from them and pursue
our own fantasies and illusions, we devote our creative potentials and strength
to live in denial.
We spend our life in the “gardens”, “perfumes”,
“bricks”, “graves” that represent the temporary sensual pursues as well as the
hardships that that consumes our flesh. Thus we realize that their negative
predicament are the abominable things and their vessels by which we are dead,
even if we believe we are alive and walking.
“Who are saying, 'Keep to
yourself, come not near me, for I have
declared you unholy'. These are a smoke in
My anger, a fire burning all the day.” (65:5)
This verse continues the previous statement regarding
the idols we create out of our materialistic fantasies and illusions. These
feed our selfishness, keeping us separated from our essence and true
identity that comes from God's Love.
Our negative traits and trends declare
us better than others, and others unholy. Our own evil doesn't
let us get close to Love and keeps us far from God.
These negative trends are the smoke of our distance from God, which
we make constant and difficult to end.
“Lo, it is written before Me: 'I am not silent,
but have recompensed; and I have recompensed into their bosom. Your
iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together who have made
perfume on the mountains, said the Lord. And on the heights have
reproached Me, and I have measured their former work into their
bosom'.” (65:6-7)
God serves “measure for measure”, for He is not
indifferent or silent regarding either the nations or Israel. He continues
referring to our idolatry of pursuing the fleeting selfish fantasies
and illusions (“perfumes”) out of our beliefs (“mountains”)
by “making perfumes on the mountains”.
The “heights” are the higher levels of
consciousness from where we dare to reproach our Creator, for we should
reproach ourselves. God “recompenses” us by bringing our attention and
awareness to the works of our hands.
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