Isaiah 48:1-22

Isaiah 48:1-22 NIV

“Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and come from the line of Judah, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and invoke the God of Israel— but not in truth or righteousness— you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city and claim to rely on the God of Israel— the Lord Almighty is his name: I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

For I knew how stubborn you were; your neck muscles were iron, your forehead was bronze. Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, ‘My images brought them about; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’ You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? “

From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you. They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, ‘Yes, I knew of them.’ You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ears have not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth.

For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to destroy you completely. See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.

“Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together. “Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The Lord ’s chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission. “Come near me and listen to this: “From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there.”

And now the Sovereign Lord has sent me, endowed with his Spirit. This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before me.” Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians! Announce this with shouts of joy and proclaim it. Send it out to the ends of the earth; say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob.” They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out. “There is no peace,” says the Lord , “for the wicked.”

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Isaiah 48 is a message from the Lord delivered to Israel in exile among the Babylonians. Israel claims to be the people of God, the chosen of Yahweh, yet they turned to false gods and bowed to idols in worship. They even sacrificed their children and participated in fertility rites with shrine prostitutes. God confronts their unfaithfulness and thick-headedness. Therefore God handed them over to Babylon.

God calls Israel to listen for once. "I told you so!" The Lord tells them. "I warned you long ago this was going to happen. If you turn away to other gods and ignore my commands, you will lose." "Everything I said would happen has happened."

The Israelites were stiff-necked and stubborn. They did not listen. They did not heed the many warnings they received. God wants to know if they will listen now, for He has good news to share. For God's own reputation, for His own sense of integrity, God will redeem Israel and begin again His holy mission among them. God is so invested in His project with Israel, He will not give up and scrap the whole thing. They have a history together. He is not willing to break His bonds with Israel. For through them God will bless the world. God has refined Israel through the affliction of losing Jerusalem and being taken into exile. They will emerge more intent upon keeping the covenant of the Lord. They will not turn to idols again. They won't be perfect, but they will serve the Perfect One, the One and Only God.

God is the creator of heaven and earth. When He speaks the creation stands to attention. Why didn't Israel listen? If they had heeded His voice and kept God's laws they would have peace like a river and beyond measure. Their children would be numerous, too many to count. Perhaps they will listen now to the good news that they should prepare to flee Babylon because God is sending the Persians, His chosen ally, to attack. Just as the heavens and earth do as God commands, Persia will do what He has sent them to do. Under King Cyrus' leadership they will destroy Babylon and send the Jews back to Judea.

Can God's message to the exiles be trusted? He cared for Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. When they were thirsty in the desert He provided water gushing out of a rock. God can be trusted to do what He has promised. And you can bet the wicked will not go unpunished. For the Lord is just.

This message to Israel builds up faith in me. Though I am not Israel, I am a part of God's family through Christ Jesus. Therefore I can trust God just as the Jews were called to trust in Him. I must ask myself if there are lesser things that have become idols in my life that keep me from fully serving the Lord. I have to ask if I'm thick-headed too and not listening to the Lord's voice or heeding His word. And when I am afflicted will I turn to the Lord for refinement or will I wallow in despair? I take great joy in knowing God is faithful to His mission to bless the world with the knowledge of His love and truth through the grace of the Lord Jesus who rose from the people of Israel. May all who claim the name of the Lord be faithful too.