Set Free by God’s
Plan of Redemption:
The Hope of Being Delivered from God’s Judgment and Wrath, 48:1–22
Hear me, my
people: you swear allegiance to the Lord without meaning a word of it when you
boast of living in the Holy City and brag about depending on the God of Israel.
3Time and again I told you what was going to happen in the future.
My words were scarcely spoken when suddenly I did just what I said. 4I
knew how hard and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending as iron; you
are as hardheaded as brass. 5That is why I told you ahead of time
what I was going to do so that you could never say, “My idol did it; my carved
image commanded it to happen!” 6You have heard my predictions and
seen them fulfilled, but you refuse to agree it is so. Now I will tell you new
things I haven’t mentioned before, secrets you haven’t heard.
7Then
you can’t say, “We knew that all the time!”
8Yes,
I’ll tell you things entirely new, for I know so well what traitors you are,
rebels from earliest childhood, rotten through and through.
9Yet
for my own sake and for the honor of my name I will hold back my anger and not
wipe you out. 10I refined you in the furnace of affliction but found
no silver there. You are worthless, with nothing good in you at all. 11Yet
for my own sake—yes, for my own sake—I
will save you from my anger and not destroy you lest the heathen say their gods
have conquered me. I will not let them have my glory.
12Listen
to me, my people, my chosen ones! I alone am God. I am the First; I am the
Last. 13It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth; the
palm of my right hand spread out the heavens above; I spoke, and they came into
being.
14Come,
all of you, and listen. Among all your idols, which one has ever told you this:
“The Lord loves Cyrus. He will use him to put an end to the empire of
Babylonia. He will utterly rout the armies of the Chaldeans”? 15But
I am saying it. I have called Cyrus; I have sent him on this errand, and I will
prosper him.
16Come
closer and listen. I have always told you plainly what would happen so that you
could clearly understand. And now the Lord God and his Spirit have sent me
(with this message):
17The
Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: I am the Lord your God, who
punishes you for your own good and leads you along the paths that you should
follow.
18Oh,
that you had listened to my laws! Then you would have had peace flowing like a
gentle river and great waves of righteousness. 19Then you would have
become as numerous as the sands along the seashores of the world, too many to
count, and there would have been no need for your destruction.
20Yet even now, be free from your captivity! Leave Babylon, singing as you go; shout to the ends of the earth that the Lord has redeemed his servants, the Jews. 21They were not thirsty when he led them through the deserts; he divided the rock, and water gushed out for them to drink. 22But there is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked.[1] (Isaiah48:1–22)
Set Free by God’s
Plan of Redemption:
The Hope of Being Delivered from God’s Judgment and Wrath
Introduction: one of the blackest marks
against human society is that of slavery. Forcing people to work under duress
or without freedom is a terrible evil. Holding people in captivity, bondage,
and chains is inhumane and deserve the severest punishment of the law. People
are held in slavery for the purpose of cheap labor, prostitution, warfare, and
for the pleasure and will of the powerful and the rich.
But there is wonderful news for the enslaved of this earth. God has a plan to redeem all who are held in bondage if they will just trust and follow Him. This is the wonderful message of the present Scripture: Set Free by God’s Plan of Redemption: The Hope of Being Delivered from God’s Judgment and Wrath, 48:1–22.[2]
God’s Indictment: His People Are Hypocritical and Stubborn (vv. 1–8).
Hear me, my
people: you swear allegiance to the Lord without meaning a word of it when
you boast of living in the Holy City and brag about depending on the God of
Israel. 3Time and again I told you what was going to happen in
the future. My words were scarcely spoken when suddenly I did just what I said.
4I knew how hard and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending
as iron; you are as hardheaded as brass. 5That is why I told you
ahead of time what I was going to do so that you could never say, “My idol did
it; my carved image commanded it to happen!” 6You have heard my
predictions and seen them fulfilled, but you refuse to agree it is so. Now I
will tell you new things I haven’t mentioned before, secrets you haven’t heard.
7Then
you can’t say, “We knew that all the time!”
8Yes, I’ll tell you things entirely new, for I know so well what traitors you are, rebels from earliest childhood, rotten through and through.[3] (Isaiah48:1–8)
God’s Indictment: His People Were Hypocritical & Stubborn
God issued a serious indictment against His people: they were hypocritical and stubborn. Note the word hear or listen. The people had closed their ears to God’s Word and warnings, refusing to turn from their sins and idolatry back to the Lord. Although they professed to know the Lord, they were not living righteous lives, not obeying God’s holy commandments. Instead, they were living deceitfully, becoming increasingly hard-hearted in their resistance to God.
a.
Their Hypocrisy
The Israelites Were Sharply Rebuked for Their Hypocrisy (Vv. 1–2). Isaiah addressed them as the house of Jacob. Remember, Jacob was the ancient ancestor and father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Every Jew considered Jacob and his sons to be the ancient people of God and considered himself to be a descendant of one of the tribes. As a descendant of Jacob and his sons, every Jew was thought to be a member of God’s people, a person who had been specially chosen by God. The Jews made four special claims about themselves. Note how these claims are applicable to so many who profess the Lord and who claim to belong to the “right” religion.
First, Were
of Israel & Judah: The Right Race & Tribe
A Jew claimed that he was “of Israel and Judah.” By Israel is meant the right race, the people chosen by God to be His true witnesses on earth and to be especially blessed by Him. By Judah is meant the royal tribe of Israel and the tribe through which the Messiah was to come. Apparently, a Jew born in the tribe of Judah considered himself especially blessed by God. Applying this to society through the ages, think about how many consider themselves to be of a superior class of people, both socially and racially. Think of the problems within societies all over the world due to social and racial prejudice.
Second, Took
Oaths in The Lord’s Name & Used His Name to Back Their Own Words
A Jew took oaths in the Lord’s Name. In other words, he may have sworn that he would take a particular action based on his belief in the Lord. Or perhaps he took an oath or made a promise declaring that God would verify the truthfulness of his word or promise. By using or referring to the Name of the Lord in making promises, the Jew was implying that he believed in the Lord and that he worshipped the Lord.
Third, Esteemed
the Holy City
A Jew claimed to highly esteem the city of Jerusalem. It was the capital of the nation and the location of the temple; thus, Jerusalem was the Holy City in the minds of all Israelites. Furthermore, all Israelites identified with the Holy City and claimed to be citizens of Jerusalem.
Fourth, Relied
on God
A Jew claimed to trust and rely upon God as he walked through life day by day. Professing to believe in the Lord, a Jew readily claimed to lean and depend on God to guide him and to meet his needs.
They Were
Untruthful: Did Not Live Righteously, V. 1
Although Jews made these claims, they were hypocritical and untruthful. Most Jews were not living righteously. They were not obeying the Lord, not keeping His holy commandments. Thus, their disobedience and hypocrisy proved their disbelief, that they did not accept God as the Lord of the universe. If they had truly believed Him, that He was the Savior and Lord, they would have obeyed Him. But their disobedience discredited their profession. Within the depths of their hearts, the Jews did not sincerely believe or accept God as Lord and Savior. Their rejection of His commandments was irrefutable proof of their insincerity.
This indictment of hypocrisy was leveled against the Jews of Isaiah’s day and those of succeeding generations, including the Jews who would be taken captive by Babylon in the future. Isaiah foresaw that the Jews in captivity would become comfortable and complacent in their captive state and that most of them would not return to the promised land when given the opportunity. Over the 70 years of their exile, the Jews would become settled, building houses, and developing farms and businesses. In addition, when they had the opportunity to return to Jerusalem, the vast majority of Jews would choose not to go. Why? Because most would have been born and reared in Babylon. Consequently, few would have the faith or willingness to give up their homes, comfortable lifestyles, and the pleasures they had come to know in Babylon.
God’s indictment against these worldly Jews was sharp. Their professions were false and hypocritical. They were not living righteous lives, obeying God’s commandments, nor following Him. Stated simply, their words, actions, and behavior did not back up their claims.
V “Ye
hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh
unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do
worship me, teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men” (Mt.
15:7–9).
V “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go
in yourselves, neither suffer ye them
that are entering to go in” (Mt.
23:13; see vv. 14–33).
V “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous
unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Mt. 23:28).
V “But and if that evil servant shall say in
his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and
drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he
looketh not for him, and in an hour
that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt. 24:48–51).
V “Either how canst thou say to thy brother,
Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself
beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first
the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the
mote that is in thy brother’s eye” (Lu.
6:42).
V “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees,
which is hypocrisy” (Lu. 12:1).
V “Ye
hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it
that ye do not discern this time? Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not
what is right?” (Lu. 12:56–57).
V “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which
cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned;
and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but
their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the
simple” (Ro. 16:17–18).
V “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in
the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron” (1
Ti. 4:1–2).
V “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled, and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Tit. 1:15–16).
b.
Their Stubbornness
God had
foretold certain events in their history & brought them about because
they were obstinate, stiff-necked people. The Lord sharply rebuked the
Israelites for their stubbornness (vv. 3–8). Despite all He had done
for them down through the centuries, the Jews had continued to be an obstinate stiff-necked
people. In times past the Lord had foretold a number of phenomenal events
pertaining to the Jews that lay out in the future. And He had acted to fulfill
these events, bringing blessing after blessing upon them. Some of the
significant events that God had foretold and brought about were …
Ø
Abraham’s call and the promises given him
Ø
the wonderful deliverance of the Jews’ forefathers
from Egyptian bondage
Ø
the establishment of Israel as a nation when the
law was given at Mount Sinai
Ø
the conquest of Canaan, the promised land
Ø the wonderful deliverance of Israel from Assyrian oppression
1.
Note God’s Purpose for Predicting
these Events and Working to Bring Them About: so, His people could not
claim that their idols had delivered or helped them (v. 5).
2. Also Note God’s Charge to the Jews: they must hear, see, and confess the Lord as the only true God (v. 6).
In every case, it was He alone who had predicted the future and then redeemed His people. Therefore, they had to listen to the prophecies, and when the events occurred, they had to recognize the prophecy and confess the Lord as the only true God. However, the Israelites shut their eyes to the prophecies given and to their fulfillment, exposing their stubborn hearts.
Yet the Lord
declared that He would now reveal new things to Isaiah’s generation, events
that had formerly been hidden from them (vv. 6–8). These events had been
deliberately hidden to prevent the people from claiming they knew about them
beforehand. These new prophecies predicted by Isaiah included such future
matters as …
Ø
the raising up of Cyrus (v. 14)
Ø
the fall of Babylon and Israel’s restoration (vv.
20–21)
Ø
the coming suffering and atoning death of the
Messiah (Is. 52:13–53:12)
Ø
the New Age of Salvation (65:1–16)
Ø the Messianic Age and the creation of new heavens and earth, an eternal universe (65:17–25)
The Lord Revealed These Events to The Jews and to All Succeeding Generations of People for One Purpose and One Purpose Only: to prove that He alone is the Lord of the universe, the only living and true God. He alone is to be worshipped and not the idols or false gods worshipped by the majority of the human race. Sadly, as the Jews in the past closed their ears to the prophecies of God, so most people down through the ages have hardened their hearts toward the Lord and His prophetic Word. When God’s prophecies are so clearly spelled out in Holy Scripture, why do so many people continue to shut their ears to the Lord and His Word? God answers this question Himself, and His answer exposes a tragic fact. People who refuse to see the fulfillment of God’s prophecies are blind, deliberately blind. Moreover, they doom themselves, whether Jews or Gentiles. People reject God and His prophetic Word because they are traitors, rebels from birth. They deliberately choose to be stubborn, hard-hearted, and stiff-necked toward the Lord. They reject the Lord despite the fact that His prophetic Word demands belief and righteousness.
V “Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart
and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Ac. 7:51).
V “For the heart of this people is waxed gross,
and their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes have they closed; lest they
should see with their eyes, and hear
with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted,
and I should heal them” (Ac.
28:27).
V “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart
treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and
immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey
the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and
anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of
the Gentile” (Ro. 2:5–9).
V “This I say, therefore, and testify in the
Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of
their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of
God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their
heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness,
to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ep. 4:17–19).
V “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in
the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron” (1
Ti. 4:1–2).
V “For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Ti. 4:3–4).
V “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of
you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one
another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin” (He.
3:12–13).
V “Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them
again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would not give
ear” (2 Chr. 24:19).
V “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which
have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest
they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall
be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him
about” (Ps. 32:9–10).
V “Harden not your heart, as in the
provocation, and as in the day of
temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw
my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, it is
a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom
I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest” (Ps. 95:8–11).
V “Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked” (Pr. 2:14).
V “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed,
and that without remedy” (Pr.
29:1).
V “Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness” (Is. 46:12).
V “Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass.… There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto
the wicked” (Is. 48:4, 22).
V “To whom shall I speak, and give warning,
that they may hear? behold, their ear is
uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto
them a reproach; they have no delight in it” (Je. 6:10).
V “And they have turned unto me the back, and
not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to
receive instruction” (Je. 32:33).
V “As for
the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not
hearken unto thee” (Je. 44:16).
V “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a
rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear,
and hear not: for they are a
rebellious house” (Eze. 12:2).
V “But they refused to hearken, and pulled away
the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear” (Zec. 7:11).
V “If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart” (Mal. 2:2).[4]
The people of Judah felt confident because they lived in Jerusalem, the city with God’s Temple. They hypocritically and stubbornly depended on their heritage, their city, and their Temple—but this was false security because they did not depend on God. Do you feel secure because you go to church or live in a Christian country? Heritage, buildings, or nations cannot give us a relationship with God; we must truly depend on him personally, with all our hearts and minds.[5]
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters
36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible.
Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[3] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[4] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters 36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[5] Life Application
Bible Notes. 2007. Tyndale.
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