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Chapter 48 - God's Heart For This Stiffnecked People
Prophetically the chapters after 39 are about comfort being offered after the woes have come upon His people. Cyrus has been placed on the throne ruling the world decreeing the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The death of Isaiah 22:14 has come and past the Jews have an opportunity to begin with a clean record. Isaiah is recording future history of the nation of Israel. Only God can do this. When someone else can do this than he can contend with or give advise to The Maker of Israel.
In verse 1 The LORD makes it clear to whom He is speaking (Isa 48:1 ¶ Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah,) To the entire nation of Israel - after the fall of Jerusalem (Dan 1:1) both kingdoms of Israel are now under the control of Babylon and are now (within limits a united kingdom) After Cyrus decrees them to return to build the temple no new kings of Judah are seen. Verses 1 & 2 He also gets to the heart of their hypocrisy - swearing by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. - Leviticus 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. De 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. - Taking His name in vain is blasphemy. They over and over swore to do all that the LORD had said to do, but never followed through. Israel would be declaring that they were working in The Name Of The LORD but in fact they they were going after their own lust and own glory. They laid claim to the Jerusalem as the city by which they would be called and the Lord as the one they depended upon. Proclaiming that the LORD of host to be their god. But yet they denied Him through their disbelief and disobedience. See Ezekiel 36:20. The
heart of the matter - Taking His name in vain - blasphemy In Verses 3-8 The LORD declared that He had showed them who He was when He first formed them out of Egypt (their beginning as a nation). The way He brought them out of Egypt was to show them that the images and idols made with their hands could not have been their deliverer - Only The Great I AM could do what they witnessed (over, and over)- While Deuteronomy 28:15 & 45-Shows He knew they would not turn to Him, The hold a special place in His heart - He is not done with His People
God's Heart For This Stiffnecked People. Verses 9-11 - When The LORD made the first promise to Abraham about his seed, He knew everything about them and the fact that they would be a stiffnecked people and not believe Him. In spite of His foreknowledge of the nature of the seed of Abraham He chose them to be His witnesses. For His sake HE chose not to destroy them. The LORD was not going to give others the opportunity to rob Him of His glory If He had wiped Israel off the earth His name would have been polluted (among the gentiles) - Why? Verses 12-15 The Lord calls His people to Harken unto Him - hear Me and respond - The LORD declared once again who He IS - The Great I AM., The Creator, The First, The Last - The heavens and the earth (that He created) will move when He orders - Can you claim theses things Israel - The LORD will bring His pleasure upon the Chaldeans of Babylon (by Cyrus and in That Day of the Tribulation) Verses 16-17 - The plea of The LORD - Isaiah calls them come near to me and hear, for once hear the meaning not just the words. The meaning of Isaiah's message was never something they could not understand. Isaiah claims to be sent from the LORD by the power of the Spirit. The LORD is speaking through Isaiah and and declares to be their God, and Redeemer; the One who led them down the path they should have followed. Verses 18 & 19 informs those leaving Babylon how God would have blessed His people if they would have harkened unto His Word. Their number could not be counted. They would never have had to suffer at the hand of the gentiles, peace would have flowed from them as a river, righteousness would have as the waves that come one after another never stopping. [See how the whole world would have been blessed through them even before Christ came] Verses 20 & 21 - When they are brought out of Babylon they now have the opportunity to be able to proclaim that, He, The LORD hath redeemed His people, who are called by His Name. the I AM hath brought rivers of water to their dry bones. He is offering to do what was prophesied in Isaiah 41:17-18 The "That Day" of Isaiah 10:20 & 12:4 was available to Israel when Cyrus ruled and they could have been spared the "That Day" when He will pour out his wrath. Verse 22 - His warning and reminder - peace fleas from wickedness - They will again have no peace when they return to their wicked ways.
Psalm 139:17-22 David understands there is no place in wickedness in the servants of the LORD - he rightly hates not only wickedness but the wicked. David knows The LORD will deal with both. In 139:23-24 David wants God to search him and identify any wickedness that might dwell in him so He can remove it so God could lead him in the way everlasting. This should be the cry of all the Jews who escape from the desolation of Babylon - LORD search and identify any wickedness within us so it can be removed. Let us (The LORD & David) deal with my wickedness now before before judgment must fall upon me. The difference between an individual and the nation. As a nation He has saved them, but until the nation is made up of saved individuals the nation cannot claim Him, but in vain. These 70 years of desolation at the hands of the Chaldeans The LORD first dealt with the past wickedness of the nation. When comfort is offered He wants them as individuals to recognize and deal with their individual wickedness In Jerusalem at the alter)- only a remnant returned. The nation of Israel was redeemed when they crossed the red sea out of the clutches of Egypt, the nation of Israel was redeemed when Cyrus sent it back to Jerusalem out of the clutches of Babylon, both times only a remnant of individuals believed. The nation of Israel will be redeemed in "That Day" when the LORD brings them into His Kingdom (1000 years) out of the clutches of the nations who come against them (Armageddon), this nation will be made up of redeemed individuals. The LORD will eternally redeem a nation of redeemed individuals when He redeemed the nation of Israel out of the clutches of the Dragon at the end of HIS 1000 Kingdom into the New Heaven and New Earth. Today a man can call himself Christian, but it is in vain unless he is born again - Deuteronomy 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain - One who says it is not necessary to call upon the name of Jesus, is telling the Holy Spirit I do not need the Christ you testify of to be Christian - blasphemy pf the Holy Spirit. By accepting Christ as Savior one is dealing with his own wickedness before it is to late, and judgment must come upon him and be Free Indeed - John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. We have said Isaiah is not about the church, but what about us individually? |
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