THE BOOK OF ISAIAH
Heed the Call of
God
Isaiah 47-48 SCC
11/17/13
Too many who claim to be the people of God do not act in
faith on the promises to fulfill His plan for their lives; comfortable just
being numbered with the saints they do not want to leave their comfort
zone. They hear the word of God, what it promises, what it calls for them
to do, but they stubbornly resist, concluding it is for someone else. And
sadly, they will live out their lives not fulfilling God’s plan for their
lives; they will never realize what it is like to be actively involved in the
work of God. Isaiah 48 deals with just such a problem with stubborn
Israel.
1. The
Lord uses His Word to rebuke our disbelief and idolatry 48:1-11
Verse
1:
The
Lord called on His people to pay attention to what He had to say to them and to
respond appropriately. The many descriptions of the Israelites in these verses
reminded them of their origins and their identity, their commitments to and
their appreciation for the Lord, and their present relationship with Him. In
view of all this, they needed to heed what He said. They had not done that, as
they should have in the past in
truth or righteousness; their
lives not corresponding with the standard of the covenant. So it’s possible to be skeptical of the Word
and hesitant to respond.
Verse 2: They
call themselves citizens of the holy city
and claim to rely on the God of Israel. This is what they would protest in
response to the charge of the prophet. So affiliation to the faith does not always translate into living by
faith.
Verse
3:
God had predicted the former things and they happened as He said they
would. The former things
refer to that which the Lord had already predicted correctly, including for the
audience who ended up in Babylon. He had predicted many things and then He
brought them to pass just as He said He would. So the Word of God we have today can be counted upon as true and
reliable.
Verse
4:
explain that it was necessary to use prophecy because the people were
stubborn. The previous chapter branded them as obstinate; but now their
neck is iron and their brow brass. The implied comparisons are intended to show how hardened they were, how slow to
believe. They would not bend or yield; they refused to be controlled
by the Lord. So rebellion against the
word is possible for us.
Verse
5:
explains that their hesitancy to believe in the Lord had the danger of opening
the way for them to idolatry, crediting an idol that they made, with the acts
of God. God had to convince them
through such supernatural ways as predictive prophecy because they were wayward. Israel's
history was foretold, from beginning to end. So hesitating to rely in the Word can tempt us to rely elsewhere.
Verse
6:
is the rebuke itself appealing to look at the facts and admit the truth. They
had heard all this, all the prophecy that the Lord had given; all the claims to
His sovereignty; even new revelation. Why would they not declare it? No they
did nothing with it. So it’s
possible to ignore the Word of God.
Verse
7:
So now there was to be a new thing.
It is new so that they cannot say they heard of it elsewhere, or did it
themselves. This new thing that they never imagined would probably refer to the
bringing in of Cyrus as the deliverer to set them free from captivity. Who could have imagined that? This was a
new prophecy because they might have claimed they knew it. God is always one step ahead of people.
And these people took some convincing. So we also can say ‘who could imagine.’
Verse
8:
The
Israelites had not listened to the message that predictive prophecy was to
teach them. They did not welcome the idea that God could surprise them and so
keep them trusting Him. Instead they wanted to know the future so they would
not have to trust Him. Rebellion against God is part of human nature. They did
not know what He was going to do, but He knew their hearts. They
were transgressors from the womb
requiring convincing proof, because of slowness to believe. So we are guilty of rebellion when we want
to avoid living by faith.
Verse
9:
Nevertheless, the Lord continues to be patient with these people, so that they
might benefit from His intervention. God cut that period of exile short or they
would have been cut off. And if they had been cut off completely, there
would be no praise offered to God for the deliverance from bondage. It is
because of God's reputation that Israel was not destroyed. So His plan is formed, not only for the
exile, but the number of years in the exile, the time and circumstances of the
return--all of it. So too he plans for us.
Verse
10:
uses the language of refining to describe the captivity in exile. I have and in the furnace are both comparisons of the exile. The expression but not as silver means that the
refining was not as severe as would be needed to refine silver. Israel's sin
was not completely purged, for the Lord here was still rebuking unbelief and
disobedience. So we can expect God to
discipline our unbelief.
Verse
11:
Thus, the purpose of delivering Israel from bondage was for the Lord’s
sake. He would prevent His reputation as the powerful Lord God from being
disparaged among the nations. So we
too pray that God will fulfill His promises and thereby rescue His name, His
reputation from the world.
2. God
claims Absolute Sovereignty to do what He determines 48:12-16
Verse 12-13: The Lord claims absolute sovereignty. The Lord renews His claim of absolute sovereignty
and His purpose to destroy Babylon through Cyrus. These
claims are familiar in Isaiah: I am He; I
am the first, I also am the last. But here it includes a graphic
description of the Lord as the Creator. The terms earth and heaven are both
literal and figurative of the whole universe. The whole of creation and
everything in it is here because God commanded it to come into existence, and
now, as servants, they are at His command. So here is true sovereignty, that all creation obeys the Lord's call.
Verse 14: The Lord will
destroy Babylon through Cyrus. The challenge is simple: who ever foretold these things?
The question is rhetorical; no one other than God foretold this. In this announcement
the one that the Lord loves is Cyrus, for he will do God's will by destroying
the Chaldeans. Cyrus was chosen; but it is also true that if Cyrus will do this
work of God he will be pleasing to God. The power is from God the arm indicating the power to chasten and
punish. So God directs the events of
history for His purposes.
Verse
15:
The force of predictive prophecy affirms that He Himself has called Cyrus and
will make sure that his mission succeeds. Such promises were not made in
secret, but from antiquity. So God
has nothing to hide since He can do what he predicts.
Verse
16:
God
again urged His people to listen carefully. From the beginning God’s promises
concerning the future had not been vague and ambiguous. They could be verified
easily, and they evidenced the Lord’s nearness in human life. God was there
when He made those predictions. Has
sent Me is the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, the
pre-incarnate Christ; and here the affirmation that the Lord God sent Him, with
the Spirit, would provide a glimpse into
the eternal plan. So God’s plan is moving toward eternity!
3. The
Lord laments our indifference and our resultant loss of blessing 48:17-19
Verse
17:
The
titles of God give the reasons the Israelites should listen to Him. They should
listen because of who He is and what He had done for them. God is essentially
one who teaches His people how to make a net gain of their lives. He is also
the one who guides His people through dangers to safety and fulfillment. So God is actively involved in our lives
guiding and charting our course.
Verse
18:
Failure
to listen and hear the Lord’s instruction in the past had limited Israel’s
peace and her right conduct. Things could have been far better if she had only
listened and obeyed. She could have experienced a ceaseless, powerful flow of
His blessings—like a river and a sea! So
God’s favor is tied to our reception of the word.
Verse
19:
sand and grains indicates if they had
obeyed, there would have been innumerable descendants, because there would have
been no captivity, only divine blessing. The text indicates that the
captivity almost annihilated the population, and with that the name of Israel
came precariously close to extinction. So
God is committed to abundant favor in our lives as we obey His word.
4. The
people exhorted to depart from their captivity with singing 48:20-22
Verse
20:
The prophet implores the people to go forth in the name of the Lord. They
cannot go until Cyrus sets them free, but they can know that God will make the
way clear. It was wrong for the Israelites to remain in Babylonia after Cyrus
permitted them to return to the Promised Land. Yet many did remain. So we must be decisive and comprehensive
with our obedience.
Verse
21:
Their singing thanksgiving to God for the deliverance from bondage includes
allusions to the Israelites' deliverance out of Egypt--they did not thirst when
He led them through the desert, He caused water to flow from the rock for
them--he split the rocks and water gushed. So too were these Israelites to be
miraculously refreshed in their journey. So
God fully supplies our needs as we move in obedience.
Verse
22:
The
promise of deliverance was no guarantee that Israel would enjoy God’s richest
blessing if she continued to practice wickedness. The wicked Babylonians would
not enjoy His peace: neither would they. So just because we are secure in Christ is no excuse to disregard
obedience.
Conclusion
1. Even though His people should prove unfaithful, God will
remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself based on the character of God, who
by His mighty arm will do what His Word proclaimed He would do.
2. Predictions of the far off future--judgment, exile,
restoration, the coming of the Messiah is all meant to call us to faith and
obedience so when it came we would know that it was the Lord.
3. We are in need of the constant exhortations to stir up
our faith and live obediently to avoid divine discipline, for if God did not
preserve the natural branches, Paul says, He could also lop of the ones that
were grafted in (Rom. 11). Or as John says, He could remove the Lampstand—His ministry from our midst (Rev. 2,3).
4. But also, we are looking forward to the Day of the Lord
when He delivers us from the bondage of this world, and fulfills the promises
He has made to us. Those are guaranteed, because His Word is dependable.
We are not to get too enamored with this world because it is passing
away. A great day of Judgment and Redemption is
coming.