Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Isaiah 48:12-19
Yahweh's Plea To His People To Listen to the Voice Of Isaiah, And Take Their Place As God's Servant (Isaiah 48:12).
“Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, my called,
I am he, I am the first, I am also the last,
Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth,
And my right hand has stretched out the heavens,
When I call to them they stand up together.
Having assured them that in spite of all they are His called ones, God opens His further appeal to Israel by describing what He is, and demands that they listen. ‘Listen' is here in the singular but in the plural in Isaiah 48:14; Isaiah 48:16, for here the plea is to Israel as a whole as God's called one, while in Isaiah 48:14 it is to the people in general.
He is the One Who is, the First and the Last. He is prior to all things both in time and being, He sums up all things and will bring them to conclusion (compare Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 44:6). Because He is the first He has initiated all things. Because He is the last He brings them to their proper conclusion. He is over all history from beginning to end.
He is also the Creator, maker and establisher of heaven and earth, which both (unlike Israel) do His bidding. Let them therefore listen to Him.
“Assemble yourselves, all of you, and listen.
Who among them has declared these things?
Yahweh has loved him.
He will perform his pleasure on Babylon,
And his arm will be on the Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken, yes, I have called him.
I have brought him and he will make his way prosperous.”
Israel are called on to assemble themselves together to listen, all of them. Assemblies were usually held at the city gates where there was an open space. There judicial affairs would be settled, important issues considered and decisions made. Here they are to gather at their city gates to consider who it is ‘among them' who has declared ‘these things', the future that lies ahead.
The question then is, to whom does ‘them' refer? Some would refer it to idols, but apart from Isaiah 48:5 idols are not mentioned in the context, and there the idols ‘did' and ‘commanded' rather than declaring, and it is a long way back to be referred to here. Furthermore the idea of idols is not prominent in the passage. But we are clearly told of someone who should have declared it, and have not and that is Israel. They have not declared it (Isaiah 48:6) because they are treacherous (Isaiah 48:8). Furthermore Israel are very prominent in the passage. As a similar change from ‘you' to ‘them' is reflected also in Isaiah 48:1, that is not a difficulty. So we may see ‘them' here as probably referring to the decision makers among the assembled people. That being so there is only one who has ‘declared these things' and that is Isaiah, or possibly Yahweh's Servant, the faithful in Israel, the Isaianic core.
This being so the natural interpretation of ‘Yahweh has loved him' is that it refers here to the one who ‘has' declared these thing, either Isaiah or the Servant, the Isaianic core.
‘Yahweh has loved him.' If what we have suggested is true we have here firmly asserted Yahweh's love for His true prophet, even His Servant. He had chosen him and called him to his difficult task and he had proved faithful. Now God expresses His approval of him and His affection for him. ‘Who among them has declared these things?' Isaiah has, and his disciples. ‘Yahweh has loved him.' It fits perfectly.
‘He will perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm will be on the Chaldeans.' And because of His love for His prophet Yahweh will perform what Isaiah has shown to be his pleasure in Chapter s 13-14, what he has declared (compare Isaiah 44:26). He will bring about the promised judgment of Babylon. We may see it as being of either Isaiah's or the Servant's pleasure (or both. Isaiah is an integral part of the Servant). Isaiah has previously made emphatically clear what he sees as needing to happen to Babylon, so that it could certainly be described as being his pleasure, referring to what he sees as needing to be done. Alternately we may see it as being of Yahweh's pleasure. In either case it will be achieved by His arm, the arm of Yahweh. Thus will both He and His prophet be vindicated.
We should note that in Isaiah the arm active in power always represents the arm of Yahweh (Isaiah 30:30; Isaiah 40:10; Isaiah 51:9; Isaiah 52:10; Isaiah 53:1; Isaiah 59:16; Isaiah 62:8; Isaiah 63:5; Isaiah 63:12).
So the loved one may be seen as His true Servant, as personified in Abraham and Isaiah and spiritual Israel, with in this case Isaiah or the Isaianic core prominent. It is ‘he' who has declared ‘these things' For in Isaiah 41:8 Abraham is His loved one and in Isaiah 43:4 spiritual Israel is His loved one. On the other hand, nowhere in the Old Testament is Yahweh ever said to love someone other than His own.
‘I, even I, have spoken, yes, I have called him. I have brought him and he will make his way prosperous.' Isaiah's true calling and the true calling of the Servant is now affirmed. Yahweh has spoken, Yahweh has called him, Yahweh has brought him to this day, and he will truly make his way prosperous. For he has achieved great things for God and even in what Isaiah is writing at this time the whole world will be blessed.
Note Re ‘Yahweh has loved him'.
In interpreting these verses of Isaiah and the Servant we recognise that we are going against the majority interpretation. Most, strangely, refer these verses to Cyrus. In our view this is untenable. Firstly because nowhere in the Old Testament is God ever said to ‘love' someone not His own. Cyrus may have been His shepherd and His anointed, but there is no question of him being His beloved. Indeed Cyrus himself declared himself the friend of Marduk. It was Abraham who loved Yahweh (Isaiah 41:8). Secondly the context contains not the slightest hint of Cyrus. He rose to prominence and departed in Isaiah 44:28 to Isaiah 45:13, having accomplished his purpose of ensuring the rebuilding of the temple and of Jerusalem, and having been rewarded with the treasures of an empire. And in fact Cyrus is nowhere specifically connected with Babylon in Isaiah. Thirdly he who loves Yahweh has been stated elsewhere in Isaiah to be Abraham (Isaiah 41:8 - same root) and he who Yahweh loves is spiritual Israel (Isaiah 43:4). Fourthly the phrase ‘Yahweh has loved him' comes unexpectedly out of the blue if it is spoken of Cyrus, while if it is spoken of the one who alone declared the truth it fits right into the context. Fifthly the only ‘arm' active in Isaiah is always that of Yahweh (Isaiah 30:30; Isaiah 40:10; Isaiah 51:9; Isaiah 52:10; Isaiah 53:1; Isaiah 59:16; Isaiah 62:8; Isaiah 63:5; Isaiah 63:12). Thus the arm is not likely to be that of Cyrus.
This seems conclusive against Cyrus.
End of note.
‘Come near to me, hear this,
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret,
From the time that it was, there am I,
And now the Lord Yahweh has sent me, and his Spirit.'
The interpretation we have given now clarifies who is speaking here. These are either the words of Isaiah as representative of God's Servant, or more possibly the Servant himself as here represented by Isaiah (this would tie in better with ‘from the beginning', that is, from the call of Abraham). He is the one who has ‘declared these things' (Isaiah 48:14), God's faithful servant. He calls on Israel to come near and listen, and consider. He has at no time ever spoken in secret right from the beginning. When each thing ‘was', there was He declaring it openly.
But if Israel as a whole is the Servant, how can we see the Servant as talking to them? The fact that we can is revealed in chapter 49. That is exactly what we have in Isaiah 49:3 compared with Isaiah 49:6, the distinction between Israel as a whole, and the true and faithful Israel.
And now he has a further task assigned to him. He has been sent by the Sovereign Lord Yahweh and His Spirit. This can surely only signify the future activity of the Servant shortly to be declared (Isaiah 49:1). Through him the Spirit of Yahweh will continue to act (compare Isaiah 42:1), declaring the words of Yahweh.
‘Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the Holy One Of Israel,
“I am Yahweh, your God, who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way that you should go,
Oh that you had listened to my commandments,
Then had your peace been as a river,
And your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
Your seed also would have been as the sand,
And the offspring of your bowels like its grains,
His name would not be cut off,
Nor be destroyed from before me.” '
The suggestion that the last verse is spoken by the Servant fits well with this reply here. Yahweh is giving all Israel the opportunity to be part of the Servant in his ministry. It clearly stresses that potentially all Israel is the Servant, with the opportunity of serving Him if they are willing, while it will shortly in fact be made clear that the actual Servant is faithful Israel (Isaiah 49:3), (commencing from Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and continuing through to the greater David yet to come - see on Isaiah 41:1 onwards).
Here Yahweh Himself makes His appeal as their Redeemer and as the Holy One of Israel. The title Redeemer signifies One Who saves by the payment of a price. At first sight it is speaking here of God redeeming by exerting His power on behalf of those whom He redeems (although chapter 53 will give it a deeper meaning). But whose Redeemer is He? The answer is that He is the Redeemer of Israel as an entity, as His ‘firstborn'. It may be that the title is to be seen as referring back to the redemption from Egypt, but we can hardly doubt that it is intended to have a present meaning too. He Who redeemed them from bondage in Egypt can now redeem them from the bondage of sin and from the bondage of their enemies.
Thus God aims to be the Redeemer of the entity Israel. But as always those who will may drop out by refusing to submit to Him. While He will heavily influence men and seek to deliver them, He will not force them. He sees Israel as an entity. They are His firstborn. And men can unite within that entity by submitting to the covenant or can withdraw by rejecting the covenant. He will redeem the Israel who want to be Israel. (This was in fact always the choice in Israel. Men could choose to opt in or opt out of the covenant and take the consequences).
Not all those who thought of themselves as Israel would be redeemed even in the wildest dreams of the Jews. Isaiah knew full well that many were lost among the nations by choice, that many had sinned grievously and had died, that many still stood firm against Him and clung to idols, and did not want to respond to Him under any circumstances, and would not. They would refuse any call. They would not be redeemed. So it is a plea to all physical Israel from their potential Redeemer. They had the opportunity as the sons of Abraham to respond if they willed it. It came from One Who wanted to be their Redeemer, and Who would be the Redeemer of those whom He had chosen, who would be revealed in the fact that they responded. (Compare the way that in the New Testament salvation is offered to all and He wants to be their Redeemer and Saviour, and yet it is clearly stated that redemption and salvation is finally only for God's elect).
For we should note that He was also the Holy One of Israel. Should they desire redemption they must be willing to be made holy, acceptable to Him and set apart in righteousness as He is righteous. God cannot redeem without making holy. It is part of the essence of His redemption (see Isaiah 4:2).
‘“I am Yahweh, your God, who teaches you to profit (teaches you what is profitable for you), who leads you by the way that you should go. Oh that you had listened to my commandments.' He introduces Himself as their God Who teaches them what is profitable for them, what is truly best for them. He is the One Who has sought to lead them in the way that they should go, especially through His Torah (His Law, His Instruction). And He expresses His yearning, His longing that they might have kept His commandments. If only they had! What consequences would follow.
‘Then had your peace been as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea. Your seed also would have been as the sand, and the offspring of your bowels like its grains.' If only they had kept His commandments and walked in His ways, then they would have had peace, flowing smoothly like a river, and their righteousness would have been as the waves of the sea lapping gently against the shore, continuing peacefully on and on. What is more they would have grown into a large nation, their children as abundant as grains of sand, just as God had promised Abraham (Genesis 22:17).
‘His name would not be cut off, nor be destroyed from before me.' There is here an implied, if theoretical, threat. Should it reach a stage where none of His people obeyed His commandments then they would be cut off and destroyed, and ‘his name would be cut off'. Of course it would not happen because of God's faithfulness to Abraham, and the working of His Spirit. But nevertheless they must beware.
‘His name.' But the question is whose name will be cut off? In view of the sand of the sea comparison the probable answer is Abraham's name, for it was to him that the promise was given. If his ‘sand of the sea seed' are cut off it is Abraham's name that is cut off. If this be so we have even more reason for seeing the one whom Yahweh has loved as identified in some way with Abraham. The loved one being the Servant, with Abraham as the prime Servant and of course those who are the sand of the sea being potentially a part of that corporate Servant which was in Abraham's loins.