Israel Needs To Listen

Isaiah 48:1-22

“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, which swear by the name of the LORD, 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; The LORD of hosts is his name.” (Isaiah 48:1-2)

The Jews made a big deal of their religion and that God had given them the land of Israel, constantly referring to him to justify what they were doing while ignoring his commands and their responsibility to him.  Paul said the same thing in Romans 2:17-29.  “Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.

Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?  Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?  Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?  For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.   Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?  And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” 

A contract or covenant is worthless if one of the parties refuses to fulfill their obligation.  Because Israel refused their part of their covenant with God, he was under no obligation to fulfil his part, regardless how much they might refer to it or try to utilize it. 

“I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.  Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; 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. ” (Isaiah 48:3-5)

Because God knew how stubborn and determined to have their own way the Jews were, He warned them in advance of the consequences of disobedience and showed them the benefits of obeying.  He made it very clear it was God who did these things so that they could not proclaim it was the result of some idol’s power. 

“Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it?  I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.  They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.  Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.” (Isaiah 48:6-8)

Time after time God had prophesied things would happen then made them happen to reveal his power, even doing miraculous things that could not occur naturally so they could be explained away.  Knowing they were a rebellious people he has consistently given them proof of his intentions in advance yet they still refuse to act on his promises. 

“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 with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.  For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.“ (Isaiah 48:9-11)

As frustrating as their disobedience is, God will not break his word to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, destroying his credibility.  Instead, he has and will allow them to be tried and punished, almost like putting silver through the furnace and melting it down to remove the impurities.   He will not allow his reputation for righteousness be destroyed, nor will he allow somebody else to take the credit for what he has done. 

“Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.  Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.  All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.  I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.” (Isaiah 48:12-15)

The Jews needed to stop and think about who God was and is.  He was the eternal God who created the world and the universe.  Babylon and the Chaldeans will do exactly what god has planned for them to do.  They will defeat Judah because God has chosen them to punish Judah and will cause them to succeed. 

“Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.” (Isaiah 48:16)

Isaiah had publicly proclaimed the message from god.  Nothing he said had been spoken secretly, and the message was what he had heard from God, not just something he dreamed up on his own.  It was the Holy Spirit who sent him. 

“Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.  O 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 gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.” (Isaiah 48:17-19)

God has tried to teach them how to be successful, trying to lead them in the best way pf life possible.   Exodus 23:25-27 promised, “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.  There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.  I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. If they had just listened to him, instead of fearing what the Assyrians or Babylonians would do to them, they would have been living in peace and prosperity.  They would not have been facing the destruction of both Israel and Judah. 

“Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD 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 the LORD, unto the wicked.” (Isaiah 48:20-22)

When they finally are delivered from their captivity, God says they are to tell the entire world how God has delivered them and point out how he protected them through the worst times, miraculously supplying their needs just as he did when they fled from Egypt.  They also need to point out that as Romans 2:11-13 says, “For there is no respect of persons with God.   For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”