Online Resource Library
Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Isaiah 48:12 - 48:22
(Show All Books | Show All Chapters)
This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
An Urgent Invitation to Believe the Lord's Word
v. 12. Hearken unto Me, O Jacob and Israel, My called, the form of address once more being in the usual cordial style used by the Lord in speaking to the people of His choice, here identical with His Church; I am He: I am the First, I also am the Last, this fundamental truth being repeated also here, where Jehovah prepares to preach salvation.
v. 13. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heavens, stretching them out like a tent; Cf. Isa_40:28; Isa_42:5; Isa_44:24; Isa_45:12; Isa_45:18; when I call unto them, in the work of creations they stand up together, and this same power is evident in all His works.
v. 14. All ye, assemble yourselves and hear, this challenge going forth to the Lord's adversaries, to the heathen; which among them, among those whom He here calls upon, hath declared these things? Not one of the opponents nor any of their gods could have predicted what the Lord intended to perform through Cyrus. The Lord hath loved him, and therefore chosen Cyrus to carry out His will; He, Jehovah, will do His pleasure on Babylon, and His arm shall be on the Chaldeans, to punish them.
v. 15. I, even I, have spoken, the one true God, who has just described Himself once more as the almighty and eternal Creator; yea, I have called him; I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous, being successful in the undertaking which Jehovah bade him perform. The Lord now once more turns directly to Israel:
v. 16. Come ye near unto Me, hear ye this. I have not spoken in secret from the beginning, revealing His will and intention concerning the mission of Cyrus very plainly, without the slightest ambiguity; from the time that it was, when He first determined upon this course, there am I, the only One able to control the destinies of individuals and nations according to His divine will. And now the Lord God and His Spirit hath sent me, that is, the salvation, the deliverance brought about by Cyrus itself, announces that it is here, ready to be performed and applied. And this salvation, which typifies the final great redemption, is now proclaimed and set before the eyes of all men, being offered in particular, however, to Israel at this time.
v. 17. Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the names which Jehovah has applied to Himself throughout this section: I am the Lord, thy God, which teacheth thee to profit, imparting the knowledge of that which is beneficial, truly profitable, spiritual advantages, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go, on paths of salvation, Psa_32:8.
v. 18. O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments, willing now to be attentive; then had thy peace, the harmonious relation between the people and the God of salvation, been as a river, carrying blessings in richest measure, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea, the salvation promised in the Lord's covenant overwhelming His people by its greatness and power;
v. 19. thy seed also, the spiritual descendants of Israel, the believers everywhere, had been as the sand and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof, the Messianic idea of the great extent of Jehovah's kingdom being set forth here; His name, that of Israel, should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me. On the basis of all this the Lord now issues an invitation to His people to accept and enjoy the redemption prepared for them:
v. 20. Go ye forth of Babylon, leaving the house of bondage, flee ye from the Chaldeans with a voice of singing, over the deliverance which they received; declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth, the expressions being heaped to show the very height of exultant joy; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed His servant Jacob, the people thereby being received once more into the original relation toward Jehovah.
v. 21. And they thirsted not when He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them, Exo_17:6; He clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out, Num_20:11, the reference to these miracles of Jehovah in the wilderness being intended to emphasize the deliverance out of Babylon, in both the real and the figurative sense; for all believers are led in a similar manner, receiving the spiritual refreshment prepared by the Lord unto the salvation of their souls. Over against their happiness the unhappy condition of the Lord's enemies stands out all the more glaringly.
v. 22. There is no peace, saith the Lord, in a solemn declaration, unto the wicked. Those who refuse to accept the salvation prepared by Him for all men will never know anything of the peace which passeth all understanding, the joyful assurance of their redemption through the merits of their Savior.