Judgment will come upon Judah, as Cyrus comes from the east. But mighty Babylon will herself fall. The fall of Babylon is first predicted in chapter 46 and culminates here.
Isaiah 48:1-4, Sudden action to stubborn Israel
“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.
God has warned of these actions but Israel has been stubborn. Now, suddenly, the acts (the conquests by Cyrus) come to pass. They were prepared and declared in advance, says God.
Note that the people of Israel have identified themselves with the "name of YHWH." In verse 11, below, we will see that these people profane this name by their actions.
Isaiah 48:5-6a, Will you admit this?
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?
God calls on Israel to admit that they were forewarned by Him. It was not their idols that foretold this.
Isaiah 48:6b-8, New things
“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.
But there are new announcements coming, events that had not been forecast. The people of Israel are again identified, like Jacob, as stubborned and rebellious.
Isaiah 48:9-11, Refined and tested
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.
Israel is being refined and purified -- for the sake of the name of YHWH.
In the next to last line, YHWH says that He will not allow himself to be "defamed." The Hebrew word yechal means "to profane" (or "pierce") and there is an echo of the Third Commandment here -- the people are profaning God's name by their idolatry.
Isaiah 48:12-13, First and last, eternal Creator
“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.
God's credentials as Creator and the only God, are repeated. He alone is the one who rules earth history. Motyer argues that the word "stand" in the last line describes servants who are waiting to be called.
Isaiah 48:14, The idols did not predict this
“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.
God has created an ally (Cyrus) who will act against the earlier empire of Babylon. No still idols foretold this.
Isaiah 48:15, Called for a mission
I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed in his mission.
Because God has called, this individual will succeed in his mission.
Isaiah 48:16, Come listen
“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.
The text changes. God calls for the people to listen. One speaks up now who is endowed by the Spirit of God. Is this the coming Servant Messiah? Grogan and Motyer see this individual as different than Cyrus of verse 15. It is likely that this passage is a prelude to the next chapter, where the Servant Messiah appears for a second Servant Song.
Isaiah 48:17-19, If only you had listened
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.”
The people of Israel did not listen. Had they listened, they would have survived in peace. Instead their names will be blotted out. (But presumably not completely blotted out, as there will always be a remnant.)
Isaiah 48:20-22, Flee Babylon
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.”
The people will eventually flee Babylon, flowing back west to Canaan. The promise harkens back to the event at Massah/Meribah (Exodus 17:1-7) where Moses struck a rock and water came out to quench the people's thirst.
Some Random Thoughts
As I read through the Old Testament, I have begun to see the importance of identifying with the Name of God and then acting so as to not abuse (profane) that name. The third commandment of the Ten is much more serious than saying "Damn" or "God" in conversation. It is more robust than mere words.
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