Bible Commentaries
Isaiah 48

Verses 1-5

Isa 48:1-5

Isaiah 48:1-2

"Here we have a recapitulation of the preceding eight chapters, closing with a summons to flee Babylon, and a solemn declaration excluding the ungodly from a share in the promises.” The chapter falls into three divisions: "Each commencing with a call on Israel to pay attention: (1) `Hear ye this ...’ (Isaiah 48:1-11); (2) `Hearken unto me ...’ (Isaiah 48:12-15), and (3) `Come ye near unto me, hear ye this ...’ (Isaiah 48:16-22).”

The chapter is definitely addressed to two classes of people, namely the true believers, referred to here as "Israel," and the wicked and rebellious majority, called Jacob. The student will at once see this as a departure from what many of the commentators say, namely that Jacob and Israel are two words for the same people in a rhetorical device known as a hendiadys. As we view it, this is simply not the case at all. In Babylon, there were the fleshly descendants of Jacob (the fleshly Israel), and also there was the true Israel of God, those who believed the promises and faithfully waited for the Lord’s deliverance. "Jacob was their secular and natural designation, and Israel was their spiritual or covenant name." See my note under Isaiah 40:27.

That both of these groups are addressed in this chapter is certain, because there are wonderful promises for the covenant people and terrible denunciations for the hypocritical majority.

The first division (Isaiah 40:1-11) is clearly directed at the wicked and rebellious majority:

Isaiah 48:1-2

"Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah; who swear by the name of Jehovah, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth nor in righteousness (for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel, Jehovah of hosts is his name)."

The captive Jews addressed in these words were consummate hypocrites, supposing that they were the darlings of heaven merely because they were literally descended through Abraham and Jacob. They were the Old Testament examples of those same vicious murderers of the Son of God who bragged about being "Abraham’s seed" in John 8:33 ff. O yes, they felt very secure because they frequently used the name of Jehovah and claimed as their very own the God of Israel, the prophecy here reminded them that the God of Israel was none other than Jehovah of hosts, a term "especially connected with the holiness of God."

Isaiah 48:3-5

"I have declared the former things from of old; yea they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them: suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thou brow brass; therefore I have declared it to thee from of old; before it came to pass I showed it thee; lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them."

"Things from of old ..." (Isaiah 48:3). What were these? They number in the hundreds, or even more. God prophesied the multiplication of Abraham’s children through Isaac, at a time long before Isaac was even born; he prophesied the four hundred year period of Israel’s "sojourn" in Egypt; he prophesied their delivery out of Egypt; he prophesied that they would leave Egypt with "great riches." He prophesied that they would indeed inherit the land of Canaan. Could such prophecies have been "after the event"? Preposterous! Why should Abraham have bought a tomb in Canaan many centuries before his people were scheduled to inherit Canaan? Furthermore, God prophesied that if Israel rebelled against his law, he would pluck them off the land, carry them far away, and scatter them all over the world. Did God "miss it" on any of these prophecies? They are mentioned here in order to convince Israel of the truth of God’s Word. It is a measure of their obstinate "brazen faced" hypocrisy that they still needed convincing!

The tendency of Israel to idolatry was one of the principal characteristics of the chosen people. Their unbelief is indeed a marvel. It is a measure of their perversity that, "The argument from the fulfillment of prophecy, hitherto directed against the heathen (Isaiah 41:21 ff), must now be directed against God’s own people, now become determined skeptics."

Isaiah 48:1-5 PERSEVERANCE OF JEHOVAH: God addresses the people of Isaiah’s day sternly. Shama (“hear”) means to heed and obey. It appears they call themselves “Israel” but God addresses them as “house of Jacob.” Whether there is an intended sarcasm on the part of Jehovah or not is not easy to determine. Certainly God permitted writers of the Bible to employ sarcasm in their attempts to call men to repentance. We have discussed the difference between the terms Jacob and Israel earlier. “Coming forth out of the waters of Judah” simply means the audience of Isaiah’s writing are the people of the southern kingdom whose main source is Judah (see Deuteronomy 33:28; Psalms 68:26 for similar phraseology). The main point in citing the three names (Jacob, Israel and Judah) is to emphasize their culpability for not trusting the message Isaiah is giving them about captivity, Cyrus’ future return of the exiles and the messianic destiny in their future. These are people of Jehovah—they are His specially graced people, but they do not “hear.” They “make mention” of Jehovah but not in truth or righteousness. To acknowledge the name of God in truth means to hear and obey what God has revealed for man to obey. Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him (cf. 1 John 2:3-6). They worshipped Jehovah with lip-service but their hearts were far from Him (cf. Isaiah 29:13-14). They boasted of their citizenship in the “holy” city (where the temple of Jehovah was located) and they glibly declared their allegiance to Jehovah but it did not seem to register on their minds that He Is Jehovah-Zev’oth (zev’oth is Hebrew for “armies, hosts, myriads” and is also used for “war, battle, etc.”). In other words, Jehovah is Lord of all! He is Lord of earth and heaven. He is Lord of the inward man as well as the outward man. He knows everything created everything and commands everything.

Judah should have acknowledged His lordship with their hearts as well as their lips for Jehovah had proven His sovereignty in centuries past by predicting (through the mouths of His messengers) the events of Judah’s history long before they came to pass. Jehovah also demonstrated through His prophets that He knew the hidden, secret thoughts of men (e.g., Nathan and David). The nation and individuals often knew years and centuries in advance of the coming of minutely-detailed events. Many of these events came to pass suddenly without any gradual development or advanced signals. Two needs of the Hebrew people are the motivation prompting Jehovah to predict their future; (a) their obstinacy and hardheadedness toward His sovereignty must be broken; (b) they must acknowledge once and for all that idols are not gods—there is only One God, Jehovah. This indicates that God’s primary purpose in predicting the future is not simply to satisfy the curiosity of man about tomorrow. No theology should be built on eschatology! Our theology should be built on the character of the One who knows about tomorrow, not on when and what tomorrow will bring. The only reason God foretells the future is to demonstrate His sovereignty! That is the point! Once man surrenders to His omnipotence and omniscience he does not need to know the future (cf. Matthew 6:25-34; Acts 1:7). Prophecy fulfilled is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The end is to believe God’s revelation of Himself and to accept His written word from the hands of the writers as being validated (cf. 2 Peter 1:16-21, etc.).

Verses 6-8

Isa 48:6-8

Isaiah 48:6-8

"Thou hast heard it; behold all this; and ye will not declare it? I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, which thou hast not known. They are created now, and not from of old, and before this day thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them. Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from of old thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou didst deal very treacherously, and was called a transgressor from the womb".

The scriptures here confront the fundamental truth of the excessive wickedness of the chosen people. Moreover, "This is not a new trait with them; they’ve been that way from the beginning. When Jacob, their father, was given a name which means `cheater’ and `guile,’ the name well described him and his descendants as well. Ezekiel in Ezekiel 16 and Ezekiel 25 bluntly tell the story of a wicked nation whose history is one shameless narrative." Even in the times of Jesus, the nation showed no improvement; because, one day when a true Israelite, an honorable and truthful man by the name of Nathaniel, came to Jesus, Christ pointed him out as something of a phenomenon, saying, "Behold! an Israelite in whom is no guile!" (John 1:47).

The words thus far in this chapter give the reason for subsequent developments in the ranks of the captive nation. We should always remember that, "The great mass, even of Judah, no less than of Israel `remained behind’ in Babylon, where they came more and more to be assimilated by and identified with paganism." Josephus tells us that, when Cyrus gave his decree authorizing the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, that, "Many of them stayed in Babylon, as not willing to leave their possessions." He gave the number of returnees as 42,462; and a combination of the statements by Biblical writers sets the number at about 52,000; but neither of these totals, nor even the adding of them together, gives us a numerically significant number when compared with the millions that once constituted Israel. The captive nation under Cyrus, having achieved a local acceptance which they wanted, simply joined up with their pagan captors and became, themselves, a part of Babylon.

"New things ..." (Isaiah 48:6). What are these? The new revelation could not possibly have been the deliverance from captivity. That a remnant would return had been prophesied ever since Isaiah named his first son; and, therefore, we hold that the "new things" mentioned here refer primarily to the marvelous revelation of the Saviour under the figure of the Ideal Servant, which revelation would occupy the foremost place in the second section of these last 27 chapters. "I have showed thee new things" is therefore prophetic and shows that the "new things" will reach into the far future. The statement that they are created now, and not from of old is a reference to their revelation to Israel; because all of the things of the new covenant were planned in the heart of God, "before the world was."

Isaiah 48:6-8 PERVERSITY OF JUDAH: The onus is put squarely upon the perverse people of Judah. “You have had opportunities to know all these past predictions and their fulfillments; I remind you to study them again,” would be Jehovah’s challenge to Judah. The question of verse six is undoubtedly rhetorical: “And you, you will not declare it, will you?” or, “And you, how can you not declare it?” The meaning is that what the Lord predicted came to pass and they must acknowledge the factuality of it even if they do not obey the moral implications of it! This shows that unbelief is a moral problem, not an evidential one!

But now, the Lord is predicting new things (things that will have their fulfillment yet in the future). Among these things (so incredible for Judah to accept) were the captivities, release from captivity by a pagan ruler and a coming Messiah who is bringing a way of salvation which is absolutely foreign to their present dispensation. Salvation by grace, through faith in the substitutionary atonement of the Messiah (Isaiah 53, et al.) had to be by revelation—it had to be a “new” prediction because it could never have been “thought-up” by the human mind (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18 to 1 Corinthians 2:16). This plan of salvation was “created” by God and worked out in His sovereign plans (cf. Romans 9, 10, 11) as a “mystery to be revealed” (cf. Ephesians 1:3-10, etc.). God predicted it all and typified it all in the Old Testament dispensation, to be sure (cf. Romans 3:21-22; see special study, “The Righteousness of God As Revealed by The Prophets,” page 282), but it was dim and abstruse (cf. Hebrews 1:1). The Lord predicts and rules in history toward His goal of redemption. He reveals His will and plan for man; He reveals Himself (His own person, nature, character—even in the flesh!). Man cannot know God’s plan or God’s nature until God reveals it. Man may not even be able to understand it all when it is revealed. But God revealed enough of it in human language (which is human experience) (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:13) and in human flesh (Jesus Christ; cf. John 1:1-18; 1 John 1:1-4, etc.) that man can know His will for salvation and obey His will for salvation.

In verse eight we have the reason God chose to hide these “new” things from Judah until He was ready to reveal them. The Hebrew syntax would indicate the latter half of the verse should read literally: “dealing treacherously you would deal treacherously. . . .” God did not let them know—He did not “open their ear” to these new things because of their perversity. They were spiritually unprepared to hear them. He had yet to put them through a long period of “indignation” (the captivities, the return from exile, the centuries of the Greek-Seleucid oppression and the Roman oppression) before the “new” dispensation could come and be accepted. This verse definitely teaches the sovereign wisdom of God in a gradual revelation from Old Testament times to the New. There were things Jesus could not reveal to the twelve until after He had “gone away” because they were unable to “bear” them while He was with them in the flesh (cf. John 16:1-15). Fleshly-mindedness prohibits man from listening to God’s word even when it is being spoken and revealed (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 3:1-4; Hebrews 5:11-14, etc.). It was difficult for the apostle Peter to accept the revelation of Christ about His atoning death (cf. Matthew 16:21-23) because Peter simply refused to accept the concept of a dying Messiah! So, Isaiah says, until Judah stops its rebellion against Jehovah’s sovereignty, she is not going to “hear” the “new” things Jehovah wants to reveal.

Verses 9-11

Isa 48:9-11

Isaiah 48:9-11

"For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. Behold, I have refined thee, but not as silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, for mine own sake, will I do it; for how should my name be profaned? and my glory will I not give to another."

Right here is God’s answer as to "Why?" he had refrained from destroying a reprobate and sinful nation who fully deserved such a destruction, no less than it had been deserved by Sodom and Gomorrah. Dummelow pointed out that God’s refinement of Israel was unlike the refinement of silver, that is, the removal of all the dross, "would have meant the destruction of Israel." There is no question whatever as to whether or not Israel deserved total destruction, because their wickedness even exceeded that of Sodom and Gomorrah, as Ezekiel reported in Ezekiel 16. Why, then did God not do it? The abbreviated answer is that to have done so would have endangered, or perhaps destroyed, God’s plan of human redemption. God had promised that through the patriarchs Messiah would be born, through whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed; very well, the destruction of Israel would have checkmated the achievement of the birth of Messiah through the posterity of Abraham, or at least rendered it impossible to be proved or documented. Therefore, "for the sake of God’s promises," he was stuck with Israel until the Eternal purpose had been realized.

Note the question here, "How should my name be profaned?" the argument here is exactly the same as that of Moses is Numbers 14:13 ff, to the effect that if God should execute upon Israel the destruction they deserved, the pagans would declare that it was because God was unable to save them from destruction; and the pagans would have heralded Israel’s destruction as a victory of their idols over Jehovah! Moses’ argument prevailed with God at that time; and this passage shows that the argument was still valid in the times of Isaiah. Lowth gave the meaning of Isaiah 48:11 thus: "God would not destroy Israel, that he may not be blasphemed."

Isaiah 48:9-11 JEHOVAH’S GOODNESS: What Jehovah is doing with Judah (Israel), He is doing because of His goodness not theirs. To keep His own absolute goodness and faithfulness and mercifulness inviolate He will act to redeem them from captivity. That which motivates Jehovah is His own graciousness—Judah does not merit redemption. The Hebrew word ’ekhetam is translated refrain but literally means muzzle; it is the same Hebrew word used in Deuteronomy 25:4 concerning the muzzling of an ox when treading out the grain. Jehovah decides by His own sovereign grace to muzzle Himself and not utterly destroy His covenant people. The Lord chose His people “in the furnace of affliction.” Israel was in the Egyptian “furnace” when first chosen. Then the Lord submitted them to a “refining” process through the wilderness, the period of the judges, the period of the monarchy and the divided kingdoms, to see if there was any “silver” in them. He found none! As good as some of the faithful (like Isaiah, Hezekiah, and some others) remnant may have been, put to the refinement of Jehovah none deserved the approbation, “silver.” Jeremiah was instructed to find one righteous man in Jerusalem, if he could (Jeremiah 5:1 f). If God refined your community in His crucible today He would not find one righteous man who deserved redemption—no man (except the Man, Very Man, Jesus Christ) deserves redemption. All have sinned and come short of the demand of God. But the Good News is that Jesus Christ did come in the flesh, earned absolute righteousness in the flesh, died as the substitute-sinner for all mankind and arose from the dead victorious over that penalty and offers the grace of God to every man conditioned upon that man’s faith and covenant relationship. The whole point of this passage is that the inviolability of the name of Jehovah is absolutely necessary to the redemption of Judah because there is no other basis upon which Judah may be redeemed! If Jehovah’s absolute goodness and mercifulness and faithfulness cannot be trusted, then all is lost! If Jehovah cannot and does not keep His word He is no better than the impotent gods of the heathen. The redemption of man rests not in the failing, falling inconsistencies of humanness, but in the never failing consistency and absolute changelessness of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. If Jehovah’s name can be profaned and His glory given to any other then there is no Absolute Being and man must have an Absolute Being. If this be the case, the focus of all prophecy and preaching should be the character of God and His Son. The Good News is Who God Is and what He has done—not who man is and what he must do! The Gospel is preaching the person of Christ, not a religious system. Of course, the good news also reveals how man may enter into a covenant with that Person. It is by obedient faith, but not of meritorious works lest any man should boast.

Verses 12-16

Isa 48:12-16

Isaiah 48:12-15

"Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first. I am also the last. Yea, my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spread out the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. Assemble yourselves, all ye, and hear; who among them hath declared these things? He whom Jehovah loveth shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him, and he shall make his way prosperous."

Again it is evident that the Lord is addressing both the righteous and wicked elements of Israel, Jacob the fleshly Israel, and Israel the covenant people; and this is another appeal for the people to behold how powerless and worthless their idol gods really are. Which of them ever prophesied a thing like the fall of Babylon to Cyrus? As Dummelow pointed out, despite the name of Cyrus not appearing here, it is evident enough that Cyrus "is the one spoken of."

God’s designation of Cyrus in these chapters is amazing: He is referred to as God’s `called,’ as God’s `anointed,’ as God’s `arm’ upon Babylon, and as God’s `beloved’ (Isaiah 48:14). Note the promise that Cyrus’ way shall be `prosperous’ (Isaiah 48:15). Herodotus reported that, "Throughout Cyrus’ life he received no check of any kind until his last expedition in which he lost his life. His `prosperity’ was beyond that of almost any other commander in human history.”

As Barnes declared:

"None of the astrologers, soothsayers, or diviners of Babylon had been able to foretell the expedition of Cyrus and his capture of Babylon; for, if they had been able to foresee the danger, they might have guarded against it, and the city might have been saved. But God had predicted it a hundred fifty years before it happened, thus demonstrating that he alone is God.”

Isaiah 48:16

"Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit."

This verse is often made the first verse in the second address, and by some, the last paragraph in the first address. We agree with the American Standard Version paragraphing which treats it as the last verse of the first section; but due to its importance we shall discuss it separately. The fact of the obvious prophecy of the Son of God as having been sent to our world by the Father certainly identifies it as among the "new things" mentioned in Isaiah 48:6. And, like almost every other prophecy of Christ in the Old Testament, it is subject to all kinds of interpretations. Calvin and many other scholars have seen it as a prophecy of the sending of Isaiah. Barnes agreed with this, stating that, "The scope of the passage demands, it seems to me, that it should be referred to the prophet Isaiah." However, we believe that Hailey is correct in his declaration that, "The coming of Jesus is the theme of this prophecy; the entire Old Testament looks forward to Christ’s coming to carry forward the purpose of Jehovah; and the Holy Spirit would accompany Christ on that mission, and then complete the work after the Son’s return to the Father; let it be remembered that the prophecy is here declaring new things to come in the future." Lowth explained the passage thus: "Who is it that saith in Isaiah, `And now hath the Lord sent me and his Spirit’? in which, as the passage is ambiguous, is it the Father and the Holy Spirit who hath sent Jesus; or the Father who hath sent both Christ and the Holy Spirit? The latter is the true interpretation." The Father sent Jesus when he was born in Bethlehem; and the Father sent the Holy Spirit upon the occasion of the baptism of Christ (Matthew 3:16). Thus, as Kidner put it, "This is a glimpse from afar of the Trinity." As Cheyne expressed it, "I cannot but think that we have both here and in Genesis 1:2 an early trace of what is known as the Christian doctrine of the Holy Spirit."

The speaker here is therefore, the pre-incarnate Christ who identifies himself as the one sent ... to convey God’s message of salvation to mankind. Here is almost the equivalent of another Old Testament quotation, Psalms 40; Psalms 6-8, where again the pre-incarnate Christ is the speaker, and his subject the projected visitation of our poor earth by the Dayspring from on High. The author of Hebrews discussed this at length (Hebrews 10:5-7).

Jamieson, noting that Isaiah, not Christ, is the author of the passage, stated that, "Isaiah here speaks not in his own person so much as in that of the Messiah, to whom alone, in the fullest sense, the words apply."

Isaiah 48:12-16 JEHOVAH’S GREATNESS: This chapter is a summation of the section discussing the Power of the Lord’s Servant (ch. 44–48). The power of Jehovah is going to be demonstrated through His servant Cyrus (and ultimately through His Servant the Messiah) in order that His name may be vindicated as Absolute Sovereign. This is necessary that once and for all men may realize there are no other gods. Man must trust his eternal life to Jehovah and His sovereign plans and servants. Jehovah is Creator. He made the earth and heavens. Even inanimate creation is His servant. There is nothing made that is useless—Jehovah created everything and made it to be His servant and do His bidding. All of creation “stands at attention” to serve His purpose (cf. Psalms 119:90-91; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; Hebrews 1:7; Hebrews 1:14, etc.).

So all Israel (Judah) is commanded to assemble itself and hear the sovereign challenge of Jehovah about His servant’s work. Which of the heathen gods or false prophets has ever told Israel all that Jehovah is now telling her about His redemptive plan, the use of Cyrus, and the coming of the Messiah-Servant? None! They do not because they cannot! They are not gods but pieces of wood and stone. He “whom Jehovah loveth” is undoubtedly referring (in context) to Cyrus. Of course, Jehovah loves Cyrus, but not in the same way He loves a believer simply because Cyrus (being an unbeliever) will not allow God to love him in a covenant relationship. The word love (Heb. aehevo from ahav) here probably means simply that Jehovah has chosen Cyrus to be the object of His care and providence to serve Him in conquering Babylon and freeing the Jewish exiles. At one time Nebuchadnezzar was chosen to be the recipient of the special favor of Jehovah (cf. Jeremiah 27:5 f); at another time Alexander the Great was given dominion (Daniel 7:6 f). The emphasis here is not on Cyrus but on the sovereignty of Jehovah. Jehovah has spoken! Jehovah has called Cyrus! Jehovah will bring (sustain) Cyrus and Jehovah shall make Cyrus prosper in what Jehovah wants, but Cyrus will not prosper when Jehovah does not want him to prosper!

The intent of it all is that Judah might see things from Jehovah’s perspective! This is the whole point of revelation; man must see (or understand) what “is” from the perspective of “Who” Made What “Is!” Man must see that all of creation stands at attention and serves the eternal purpose of God which is the redemption of creation. The coming captivity of Judah, the coming conquest of Babylon by a Persian emperor yet unborn (Cyrus), the far distant coming of a Messiah-Servant—all must be seen by man, not through human perspective (carnal, limited, temporal), but through divine perspective which is eternal, righteous, true, pure and glorious. God calls Judah, “Come near unto me, and pay close attention” to what I am about to say. However much of His will God has deemed necessary for man to know and obey at any time, God has not been secretive about it. It was never God’s business to keep His will as secret as He possibly could. He has always desired to reveal as much of His will as He possibly could. The only hindrance to revelation has been man’s spiritual rebellion. God’s revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ is hindered by man’s unwillingness to want that revelation. We would know His will more fully if we were more willing to do His will (John 7:17; John 13:17). God spoke plainly and openly through His messengers from the very beginning. Often times He spoke more plainly than the people wanted Him to speak (cf. Isaiah 30:9-11; Amos 9:10-15; Micah 2:6-11, etc.). Jehovah’s presence was apparent in every prophecy made by any prophet of His. Now it should be apparent to Judah that Jehovah’s presence and will is being expressed in the prophecy concerning Cyrus.

The last half of Isaiah 48:16 presents a problem for commentators. Keil and Delitzsch say the “me” who is sent by the Lord Jehovah is “the One unequalled servant of Jehovah” (the Messiah); Edward J. Young calls Him “the Servant par excellence” (the Messiah); Leupold believes the “me” is the prophet Isaiah. Of course, it is unusual to have such a sudden transition from the speaking of Jehovah directly to the speaking of the Messiah. But it is not altogether unparalleled. Certainly Isaiah 61:1 f are the words of the Messiah. It appears that Isaiah ch. 49 is also a dissertation by the Messiah Himself. Keil and Delitzsch cite Zechariah 4:9 as another example of such transition. It would appear that the context supports the messianic view. Jehovah has been emphasizing the “new” thing He is going to do as a consequence of Cyrus’ return of the exiles. That “new” thing can only be the messianic age. It is therefore altogether appropriate that the “Unequaled” Servant speak here of His commission or sending. In this text is emphasized also the unique companionship of the Spirit the Messiah will have in His mission (cf. Isaiah 42:1 f; Isaiah 61:1 f). The Suffering Servant (Messiah) did not come alone. The Holy Spirit was with Him; in fact, He was the Holy Spirit in the flesh (cf. John 14:15-17). From this point on (and of chapter 48) more and more emphasis is put on the program of the coming “unequalled” Servant. The work of Cyrus and the restoration of Israel to Palestine was simply a preparatory step for His coming. There is going to have to be centuries of repentance and sanctification in a remnant of Israel in preparation for His coming. Cyrus and the restoration was just the beginning of it all. From Isaiah 48:16 a to 16b the reader has been transported over a span of more than 600 years. But such “telescoping” of history is not unusual in the writings of the prophets (see Joel 2:27-28).

Jehovah wants Israel to see her destiny from His perspective, not from the limited human perspective. Jehovah knows everything from beginning to end. He created everything. He is absolute Sovereign. When He says His people will be taken captive, released by a pagan emperor (yet unborn), and that His Servant will come to bring them everlasting victory and peace, Israel should “see His day” (cf. John 8:56-59; John 12:41; 1 Peter 1:10-12) by faith.

Verses 17-19

Isa 48:17-19

Isaiah 48:17-19

"Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Jehovah thy God, who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the grains thereof (of the sand): his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me."

This is a remarkable expostulation which reminds us of the words of Christ himself in his lament over Jerusalem. "Oh, if thou hadst known the things that belong unto thy peace in this thy day, but now are they hidden from thine eyes!" It appears from what is said here that God’s promise to Abraham that his posterity should be as the stars of heaven the sands of the seashore, etc., that the greater fulfillment was lost forever in the multiple rebellions of obstinate and stubborn Israel. How evident this must have been in that pitiful little handful of a once mighty nation that returned from the captivity in Babylon. As Kelley stated it, however, "Even the best teacher fails, when his pupils are unwilling to learn." The tragedy of Israel could easily have been avoided; but the prophet reminds her that all of her past history was one unending tragedy of squandered opportunities. "This, of course, places the responsibility of Israel’s tragic state squarely upon the people themselves."

The final clauses of Isaiah 48:19 are very important. They state clearly and emphatically that "Israel’s name has been cut off and from God as a people; their name has been cut off, the Jews are no longer God’s people, although they shall always exist as a race," or at least until "the fullness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:25).

Isaiah 48:17-19 THE WAY: The Lord God of Israel has made every effort, from Abraham to Isaiah, to lead this people in the only way profitable for them. The Hebrew word ya’al, translated profit, means literally, helpful, good, useful. It is also used as a proper name, Jael (see Judges 4:18; Judges 5:6, etc.). Jehovah teaches His people in order to help them to peace and righteousness. Joel 2:23 speaks of the “teacher unto righteousness” This is the way Israel should have gone—the way of peace and righteousness. It is the “ancient” way wherein is goodness and rest (cf. Jeremiah 6:16). But Israel, of her own free choice, refused to walk in that way. She chose “bypaths” and “stumbled” (cf. Jeremiah 18:15-17). The way of the Lord is in His commandments. They called Jehovah “Lord” but did not do what He commanded (cf. Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8-9; Luke 6:46; 1 John 2:3-6, etc.). If Israel had only obeyed God’s commandments (the law of Moses and the revelations of the prophets) she would have had peace and righteousness in abundance (cf. Amos 5:24; Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 44:4), like a deep, steadily flowing, life-giving river. The figure of the river and the sea stands in emphatic contrast to Palestine’s hundreds of shallow, wadis which were dry most of the year and ran with water only occasionally, during downpours, and then soon ran dry again. The peace and righteousness Jehovah gives through His way (His commandments) is deep, not shallow; it is steady, not vacillating. It is this because it is imputed, not earned. Man cannot earn peace with God; he may have it as a gift from God by entering into discipleship with Christ (cf. Matthew 11:25-30). This is the peace available to the new, true Israel of God (cf. Galatians 6:11-16) and comes not by legal attainment but by new birth. Discipleship and new birth comes through a willingness to be taught, to be baptized, and to be taught the way of Christ for the rest of one’s life (cf. Matthew 28:18-20; John 3:3-5; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12-13; Romans 6:1-19). If Israel had only listened to Jehovah, He would have made of her a great nation. Of course, of the “seed” (singular) of Abraham, God has made a “great” people (the church) (cf. Galatians 3:6-18). But what great things Israel could have done as a testimony to Jehovah unto the Gentiles long before Christ ever came if she had only walked in His way! God brought His redemption to the world in spite of Israel’s stubborn disobedience; what could He have done had Israel been a willing, humble, obedient servant!? (cf. Romans 11:15). Had Israel obeyed, God could have had a holy nation as numerous as the grains of sand on a seashore. But she disobeyed. God had to give her up to wars, pestilence, famine and finally complete national oblivion in captivity in order to sanctify for Himself a small remnant for His messianic use. What great good could be done for mankind today if all Israel according to the flesh would obey and become part of Israel according to faith in Christ, the Messiah! Fleshly Israel’s disobedience has been a great hindrance to the gospel. The disbelief and disobedience of the majority of the Jews was a constant source of heart-rending pathos to Jesus!

Verses 20-22

Isa 48:20-22

Isaiah 48:20-22

"Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the ends of the earth: say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob. And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out. There is no peace, saith Jehovah, to the wicked."

These final words of the chapter again reveal the dual nature of the people addressed: singing and joy for the obedient, returning home to Jerusalem, and the forfeiture of peace forever on the part of the wicked who will remain in Babylon rather than obey the Lord’s commandment to "flee from the Chaldeans."

Many commentators stress the fact that there is no record of God’s performing miracles such as those stressed in Isaiah 48:21 for the Jews on their way to Jerusalem; this, of course, does not mean that nothing of that nature happened; but we believe that it would not have required such literal fulfillment as that which most certainly occurred in the wilderness of Israel’s wanderings on the way from Egypt to the land of Canaan in order to satisfy what was prophesied here. The fact that the greatest king of that age would send them with full authority back to their homeland, even paying a very substantial part of the expenses - that was just as wonderful, and just as much the work of God as was the miracle when Moses struck the rock and the water gushed out!

Archer’s summary of this paragraph is:

"This prophecy was written 150 years beforehand to Jews who would be captives in the year 539 B.C. not to tarry on the pagan soil of Babylon, but to take advantage of Cyrus’ permissive edict to return to Jerusalem. They were to bear triumphant testimony before the Gentiles as they celebrated deliverance and recalled Jehovah’s mercies to their fathers."

Those who would not flee the defilements of Babylon would never know the peace of God .

This concludes the first of the three sections of Division VI of this great prophecy; and this final little paragraph is absolutely, "The climax of Isaiah 40-48."

Those who obey the Lord and return to Jerusalem will be blessed; but those who reject God’s command to leave Babylon will forfeit the peace of God forever.

Christians must not forget that they also are commanded to come out of the current Babylon. "Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).

(The end of Section A of Division VI)

Isaiah 48:20-22 THE WAYFARER: The way of Jehovah is in His commandments. The wayfarer is not forced to take that way; he is exhorted to choose Jehovah’s way by a deliberate exercise of his will which is expressed by both a negative and positive action. First he is to “flee Babylon” and second, he is to “declare” Jehovah’s redemption. These verses are prophetic commands anticipating Judah’s captivity by Babylon and release by Cyrus. There were strong temptations for many of the Jews to remain in Mesopotamia after the Persian edict restoring them to their homeland. Many of them did, in fact, remain (cf. Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther). Although most of the Jews retained much of their cultural identity, many of them, influenced by the paganism around them, lost their firm faith in the Scriptures and they produced succeeding generations whose faith was in their past, not in their supernatural messianic future.

The Lord’s command, “Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans . . .” anticipated more than physical escape from captivity. It is also a command to holiness; it is an exhortation to Israel to separate herself from the wickedness of Babylon and from dependence upon Babylon for sustenance. The true meaning of this finds its fulfillment in the exhortation to the true Israel (the church) to flee the paganism of Rome (“Babylon”) (cf. Revelation 18:4-5), and not “partake of her sins.” Singing of the Lord’s redemption is a favorite figure of Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 14:7; Isaiah 24:14; Isaiah 26:19; Isaiah 27:2; Isaiah 35:6; Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah 38:20; Isaiah 42:11; Isaiah 44:23; Isaiah 49:13; Isaiah 51:11; Isaiah 52:8-9; Isaiah 54:1; Isaiah 55:12; Isaiah 65:14). It is a song of praise and testimony the wayfarer is to sing. It is a song about what Jehovah has done—not how the wayfarer feels! Modern “gospel” music focuses too much on subjective experiences and feelings. All the exhortations of God are to sing about what God has done objectively and who God is revelationally! It is interesting that the Psalms, written to be sung, are focused on what God has done and who He is. See Psalms 81:13-16 which especially sounds like this passage in Isaiah.

Israel does not need to be afraid to break all ties with Babylon and separate itself unto its messianic destiny. Babylon’s material riches and carnality cannot be the source of Israel’s security and sustenance. God will keep His promises to sustain them. He kept His covenant with Israel when she separated herself from Egypt. Even when some of the wilderness wayfarers wanted to return to Egypt for security, Jehovah provided them water in the desert. He clave the rock and water gushed out (Exodus 17:1-7; Deuteronomy 8:15). The fundamental essence of Christ’s church, according to the New Testament, is its separation from worldliness. Much of the modern-day church, however, has not “come out of Babylon” but still clings to worldly-attitudes (bigness for bigness sake, spectacularism, subjectivism, manipulation, exploitation) and worldly behavior (wastefulness, sensualness, legalism, show-offishness, shallowness). The church must learn to depend totally on God, not on human programs.

For there is no peace to the wicked. The Hebrew word resha’iym is from the root word rasha’ and refers mainly to the activity of wickedness which is disquietude, confusion, tossing, restlessness, disturbing. Keil and Delitzsch say the primary meaning of the root word is, laxity and looseness. It is to describe those whose inward moral nature is without firmness and therefore in a state of moral confusion and tossing to and fro; moral upheavel (cf. Isaiah 57:20-21). Cunning and deceitful men, Paul warns the Ephesian church, would like to bring wickedness into the body of Christ and cause it to be “tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine” (cf. Ephesians 4:11-16). Many people do not understand that doctrinal vacillation leads to moral confusion. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 15:33-34) that “evil homilia (teaching, sermonizing) corrupts good morals.” And this is the precise point of this passage in Isaiah. Israel must walk in the commandments of Jehovah if she is to have peace. True peace is a result of preaching and doing true doctrine.