How would you describe God? Do you have a high view of God? The Bible speaks of God as a living God.
In Jeremiah 9:23-24, we read that our joy, delight, satisfaction and glory should not be in the good gifts God gives us, but that we know Him for the worth of His very being. Do you have a high view of God? Do you boast that you know Him? Do you dare to say that you understand God? This is the greatest calling of humans — to know Him and to be enraptured by all that we know of Him.
Isaiah was written for us to have a high view of God. The book shows us that God is not a paltry deity. He is the God of nations, of glory and of redemption. Today’s text will show us 4 aspects of knowing God.
(A) God’s greatness in eternity (ISa 48:12-13)
Isaiah 40-55 is described as the “Book of Comfort”, and reveals God’s character, glory, wisdom and exclusivity. Here in Isaiah 48:12, God describes Himself as the first and the last. He is also the God who calls Israel (Isa 48:12). His people are called “Jacob” and “O Israel” (Isa 48:12a). In doing so, He is reminding them of the claim He makes on their life. They are not autonomous and orphans but have been called by the Lord.
Isaiah 48:13a employs parallelism — where 2 phrases say the same thing. Both the foundation on the earth (look down) and the heavens (look up) have been put in place by God. When God calls them, they “stand forth together” (Isa 48:13b). His voice has the ability to bring about the destruction of creation. He can bring things to a new order, a new state of being and it can be entirely orderly in His sight! This is the sheer power and glory of God! This is the God who says that He is the first and the last.
How are these things distinctly Christian? Some religions speak of a god that is similar to man. Other religions speak of a god that is separate from man and there’s no overlap. The God spoken of here is not like any created being yet is also interacting with creation. Isaiah 48:12 shows us that He makes them and calls them to belong to Him. In the New Testament, we know that He does so by coming and becoming like them. This is why at Christmas, we say that one of the greatest thing is that God became man, and took on flesh. At His birth and life, a piece of heaven came to earth. In His death, resurrection and ascension, a piece of earth entered heaven.
This is the God who is first and last. He is great and yet, condescend to become man.
(B) God’s drama enacted (Isa 48:14-16)
In Isaiah 48:14-16, God tells them to assemble and listen and He has a specific message for them. The Lord wants them to know that the Lord loves Cyrus, who shall perform His purpose on Babylon (Isa 48:14a). This was the plan spoken of in earlier chapters (c.f. Isa 44:28, 45:1-4, 46:8-11, 47:5-7). Thus, here, God is going back to speaking about this plan.
Isaiah 48:16 might be confusing. There seems to be a change in speaker, and this person speaks of being sent by the Lord God and His Spirit. We may wonder if the speaker is Cyrus, or the prophet Isaiah. Many commentators take this verse to link to Isaiah 49, where we are introduced to a new character, the Servant King. This person is therefore a new character, not the prophet, nor God, but is very much aligned with God.
There are also 3 persons being spoken of in this verse: the God who sends the Messiah, the Messiah who comes and the Spirit. This is puzzling and the immediate section doesn’t seem to shed much light about it. It will become clearer in the subsequent chapters, but suffice to say, we can see something of God.
Now, it is also important for us to set this in the context of this book and section. God is at work and He will accomplish His purposes through Cyrus. What He sets out to do, is different from what we anticipate.
This reminds us that the Bible is not to be read like a book of fables. We are not to come to it searching for a word for us, and how it benefits us. Scriptures are primarily about God and they seek to tell us what He is like. Human history is the canvas that God uses to tell us what He is like. We fit into His story and we are not meant to fit Him into ours. He does not exist to meet our needs too.
(C) God’s revelation in His Word (Isa 48:17-19)
As we read on, we see that God is not only Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. He is also the God who teaches and leads in the way they should go (Isa 48:17). Isaiah 48:18-19 also tell us that they do not have peace, righteousness nor descendants because they did not live according to the law. Instead, they had gone again and again to idols. This was the repeated cycle in Israel’s history, with the different kings, and even when the kingdom split into two. Despite experiencing the consequences of kings that were disobedient to God, the people did not turn away from their sin and obeyed God.
God’s law was not to manipulate them or to control them, but to profit them (Isa 48:17). Which God do you know, speaks like this? We will be hard-pressed to find this among the gods of the nation. So, are we better than Israel? Do we also respond to God in this way? Is this what God will say to us tonight? Is God’s word the cornerstone of your life? Do we treasure it? Do we study God’s word with the kind of devotion we will have if we believe we will get rich from it? God “teaches you to profit” (Is 48:17). He is more valuable than financial advice or career guidance.
In Psalm 81:11-14, God speaks of Israel’s disobedience. His people did not listen to His voice and did not submit to Him. As a result, He gave them over to their stubborn hearts and to follow their own counsel (Ps 81:12). If only they had turned to God to trust and obey Him, for He promised to deliver them from their enemies (Ps 81:13-14)
May it never be said of us that God gave us what we wanted, because we will find that that is not it. May be continually pray that God keeps our heart from wondering and helps us to fix our eyes on Him. Psalm 119 is a wonderful psalm to meditate on. It’s just more than a hundred verses that reiterate how God’s love is lovely, wonderful and worth treasuring. Does your heart sing with joy when it comes to speaking about God’s word?
(D) God’s redemption promised (Isa 48:20-22)
God’s people are to go out from Babylon and flee from Chaldea (Isa 48:20). Here, He addresses His people and tells them that they are going to flee from this land of their captivity.
In Isaiah 48:20, we are told that God will redeem His servant Jacob. Redemption means that because something has been done, what was previously held in captivity now has a new state, under a new owner. The best example of redemption in the Old Testament is during the Exodus, and the readers would know this important event in their history. This is why the prophet uses this analogy here in Isaiah 48:21.
Isaiah, in talking about exile, is thinking about the events of Exodus. God is working out a new redemption. The gospel is Jesus is exactly that for us. We lived in captivity and our life was not ours. We served a cruel and harsh taskmaster. Our Redeemer came forth, crush our enemy, redeemed us, set us free and seeks tp bring us to the land.
But who is not going to know this peace? Isaiah 48:22 tells us that the wicked will not know this peace. Isaiah is not saying that God’s people are better. It is a warning for those that are stubbornly unrepentant and insist on living apart from the Lord. They are the wicked and will never know God’s peace described in Isaiah 48:18.
Do you know the peace of God that comes from following Him and trusting in HIs redemptive work? Or are you still determined to chart your own course? The lyrics of the hymn, “All the way my Saviour leads me” wonderfully describes how the Christian trusts in the Redeemer’s work through life and all the way to the end:
All the way my Savior leads me–
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Savior leads me–
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for ev'ry trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.
All the way my Savior leads me–
Oh, the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.
Who is the God that you know? Does your understanding of God cause you to boast in Him? Our text today shows us a God who is great in eternity, works in this world, reveals Himself in His word and promises redemption. 1 Peter 2:9-12 tells us that we have a new identity in Christ and therefore, we ought to live in light of this:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
This is our call and command today. Let us seek to live for Him!