The power of God, that, by the raising up of Cyrus, would accomplish
His purpose to release those whom He calls, "My captives," would only
be perceived by faith. Therefore the prophet exclaims "Verily Thou art
a God that hidest Thyself." A servant of God has very truly and aptly
remarked, "God's ways are behind the scenes, but He moves all the
scenes which He is behind."
Men may act to achieve their own purposes without any thought of God
and yet God may be behind their doings, overruling them to serve His
own ends. Israel is to know God as Saviour and be delivered from their
idols. This was in part accomplished when by the decree of Cyrus a
remnant returned to their own land; for after that deliverance the
demon of idolatry was cast put of them, and outwardly they served the
God of their fathers. But the everlasting salvation mentioned in verse
17 is not yet theirs. Each "salvation" as yet granted to them has only
lasted for a time. When it does come by the advent of Christ, it will
abide "world without end," or, "to the ages of ages."
This promised salvation is guaranteed most solemnly in verses 18 and
19 by Jehovah Himself who is the Creator. As Creator He had formed the
earth for mankind to inhabit it. He did not create it "in vain," or "as
waste;" an allusion doubtless to Genesis 1: 2 where the earth was found
in a condition described as, "without form," or "as waste;" the same
expression being used there as here. When the earth, subsequent to its
original creation, had become waste, He reduced it to form and order
for the use of man. He who had done this now guaranteed salvation for
Israel. He promised openly and in righteousness. This made it certain
that the salvation when it arrived would be accomplished in a righteous
way; just as the righteousness in which every believer now stands
before God is brought to pass on a righteous basis.
So the call of God to the seed of Jacob had not been in vain. But
not only Israel is in view but Gentiles also, as verse 20 shows. The
call is to those that are, "escaped of the nations," which shows that
judgment will fall on the nations, and only those that escape it will
enter into the blessing that is promised, just as it is only the
remnant of Israel that will be saved. The nations had been full of
idolatry, praying to "a god that cannot save," so they are called, that
they may know a God who can save.
Verses 21-25 furnish a remarkable forecast of the Gospel, as it is
unfolded in Romans 3. Against the dark background of idolatry the Lord
presents Himself as "a just God and a Saviour." The law had revealed
Him to Israel as a just God who judges all their ways. Only in the
Gospel is He declared to be God, who saves in
righteousness. Christ has been "set forth . . . a propitiation through
faith in His blood . . . to declare . . . at this time His
righteousness; that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3: 25, 26).
In our chapter, not only are justice and salvation brought together
but faith is also indicated, though not mentioned, for the way in which
the salvation is to become effective is stated as, "Look unto Me." No
works of law are demanded but the look of faith, for beyond all
contradiction in an emergency we look to someone in whom we believe,
and hence in whom we trust. And again, the call goes out far beyond the
bounds of Israel, for any to "the ends of the earth" may look and be
saved. In Romans 3: 21, this righteousness of God apart from the law is
said to be "witnessed by the law and the prophets," and the verses we
are considering are certainly one item of witness furnished by the
prophets.
Verse 22 then conveys an invitation to faith, but verse 23 shows
that God in His majesty must be acknowledged by all, though many may
not have answered the invitation in faith. And how is this bowing of
the knee and the swearing of the tongue to come to pass? Philippians 2:
10, 11, answers the question conclusively. The Person of the Godhead,
to whom the obeisance and confession will be universally made, is no
other than the Lord Jesus, who accomplished the righteousness by His
obedience unto death. Righteousness and strength are found only in Him,
and as the last verse says, it is "the seed of Israel" who will glory
in Him as a justified people. Many who are "seed of Jacob" according to
the flesh, are not "seed of Israel" according to God.
Before leaving this chapter notice how in the latter part of it the exclusive claim of
Jehovah is emphasised again and again. Beside Him there is "none else."
The faith of Christ, and the Gospel which proclaims it, have today just
this exclusive claim, as witnessed in such scriptures as John 6: 68;
John 14: 6; Acts 4: 12; Galatians 1: 8, 9. There are today men who
would go to the Buddhist or Confucian acknowledging their religions as
ways to God and only claiming that "Christianity" offers them a rather
superior way. In so doing they bung themselves near to, if not actually
under, the apostolic curse of Galatians 1: 8, while they avoid the
reproach that the Gospel brings. It is this exclusive claim, inherent
in the Gospel, which provokes the opposition.
The opening verses of Isaiah 46 pick up the theme
that runs through these chapters- that of the persistent idolatry of
the people. Bel and Nebo were two of the idols of Babylon, and the
prophet sees the images representing them placed upon beasts ready for
flight, just as at the beginning of the last chapter he had seen Cyrus
taking the city. The word translated, "carriages," means "things lifted
up to be carried," not the vehicle on which they are placed.
So verses 1 and 2 are really ironical. The heavy images were placed
on the backs of oxen, that staggered and finally collapsed, unable to
deliver the gods into safety. Bel and Nebo could not even deliver
themselves; much less anyone who trusted in them!
Hence the appeal of verses 3 and 4. It is made, notice, to "the
house of Jacob," in contrast to "the seed of Israel," mentioned
previously, even if amongst them were to be found a remnant of the
house of Israel. In contrast to the Babylonian gods that had to be
borne on the backs of weary beasts so ineffectually, here is One who
would support and carry, from their birth to the grey hairs of old age,
those who trusted Him; One who would never let them down but deliver
them. How great the contrast!
The contrast exists around us today. It is still a pertinent
question - Do you go your way, carrying the things that you idolize, or
does your God carry you? The idols of the modern English-speaking world
are not images but more subtle things, such as money, pleasures, lusts;
yet as life draws to its end they let you down. The God, whom we know,
revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ, carries us through to the finish,
for we are in the embrace of the love that will never let us go.
Hence, as verse 5 declares, God stands out alone, beyond all
comparison with any other. This fact is supported by a further
reference to the follies that are inherent in idolatry. Here are men
falling down and worshipping a god, fashioned by their own hands, which
is a stationary object, unable to move or speak or save. And here is
the true God, who acts and speaks, and foretells things that presently
come to pass. The "ravenous bird [bird of prey] from the east," is
doubtless another allusion to Cyrus, whom He would raise up to execute
His purpose in the near future. Then from that which was comparatively
near the prophecy passes to the ultimate purpose of God, which was
remote. At last God will place salvation "in Zion," which speaks of His
intervention in mercy, and the redeemed Israel who will enjoy it, will
show forth the glory of the God who has accomplished it.
Isaiah 46 commenced with a forecast of the Babylonian gods falling into ruin and captivity. Isaiah 47
from start to finish pronounces judgment on Babylon itself. Just as the
mystical Babylon of Revelation 17 and 18 is viewed as a woman, so here,
only the picture is not so dark. Babylon here, for instance, is
addressed as "virgin daughter," and not as "the great whore," and as
"the mother of harlots." It is a solemn thought that the mystical
Babylon, to which an apostate Christendom is working up, is more filthy
in the eyes of God than the literal Babylon of Old Testament times.
The ancient Babylon was indeed for a short period "the lady
[mistress] of kingdoms," but her downfall is foretold. Verse 6 strikes
us as very remarkable, inasmuch as the things alleged against her had
not actually taken place and did not come to pass till the days of
Nebuchadnezzar. Then the wrath of God against the evils of His people
condemned them to be carried away, and His inheritance polluted by the
temple being destroyed. God permitted it; the Babylonian monarch did it
with a heavy hand, and upon Babylon will come the heavy hand of God's
judgment, in a day when there should be executed "the vengeance of the
Lord our God, the vengeance of His temple" (Jer. 50: 28).
So Isaiah was led to prophesy what Babylon would do to Jerusalem a
century before it happened, and to foretell also how Babylon later
should be overthrown, since Jehovah is "our Redeemer . . . the Holy One
of Israel" (verse 4). He spoke too of the unexpected way in which the
destruction would come upon them, as we see in verse 11, the fulfilment
of which we find in Daniel 5.
Verse 13 speaks of the men who practised the dark arts of spiritism,
in which Babylon trusted, for that city was apparently the original
home of idolatry, which means the worship of demon powers. All such
evil powers collapse when God acts in judgment. But it is this feature,
we believe, that accounts for Babylon, rather than any other ancient
city, being carried into Revelation with a spiritual application; for
of that Babylon we read it had "become the habitation of devils, and
the hold of every foul spirit," and again that by its "sorceries were
all nations deceived."
Having pronounced judgment against Babylon, the prophecy turns again in Isaiah 48,
to the "house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel." The
fact that they were thus addressed constituted a rebuke. Israel was the
new name given to Jacob when God blessed him, as we learn in Genesis
32: 28. The people claimed the new name, but were displaying all the
ugly features of the old crafty, scheming Jacob. Outwardly they paid
lip service to Jehovah and stayed themselves upon the holy city and the
God of Israel, but without reality. They deceived themselves but not
God, for He saw it was "not in truth, nor in righteousness."
This kind of thing has always been a great snare to the professed
people of God. It came to a head, particularly in the Pharisees, when
our Lord was on earth, and His most searching words of denunciation
were directed against such. It is very prevalent today, for 2 Timothy
3: 5 shows that "a form of godliness" may cover up hideous depravity.
Let every reader of these lines, as well as the writer, beware of it.
Spiritual pretension is a peculiar snare to those who are well
instructed in the things of God, for they know the right and
appropriate and even beautiful thing to say, and they may claim much
without any heart and reality in it.
So the first eight verses of this chapter are filled with solemn
words of exposure and warning. Here they were, trafficking with their
idols, as verse 5 indicates, and giving them credit for anything
favourable that came to pass, while still professedly serving God. And
all the time it was God who was able to speak in advance and show the
former things, and then suddenly bring them to pass, as verse 3 states.
The fact was that their ears were closed to God's word so that they did
not hear. They were marked by treachery and transgression as verse 8
declares.
Once more the obstinate sins of the people are thus exposed - so
what then? Just when we might have expected further announcements of
coming judgment, God states what He proposes to do for the sake of His
own Name and praise. He will defer His anger and not cut them off
entirely, though He is going to pass them through the furnace of
affliction. He will consider not only their ultimate good as a nation
but also His own glory and the honour of His own Name.
In verse 12 God Himself is still the Speaker. He presents Himself,
saying, "I am He," or, "I am THE SAME," for it is really a name of God.
He is not only "the FIRST" but also "the LAST." When we reach the book
of Revelation, (Rev. 1: 17 and Rev. 22: 13), we find the Lord Jesus
claiming these august designations for Himself; and indeed we may
discern Him as the Speaker in the Old Testament passage before us, for
it was His hand that, "laid the foundation of the earth," and "spanned
the heavens," as Hebrews 1: 2 assures us. He who had so wrought in
creation would not fail to work out His purpose and pleasure on Babylon
and the Chaldeans, and in favour of His people.
We may discern the same Speaker in verse 16. There may have been a
more immediate application of verses 14 and 15 to Cyrus, who was
destined to overthrow Babylon and grant a respite to the Jews, but the
full and lasting fulfilment is only found in Christ, who is the Sent
One of the Lord Jehovah; and that, whether we read the end of the verse
as in our Authorised Version, or that the Lord God "hath sent Me and
His Spirit," as in other Versions. In John's Gospel particularly is the
Lord Jesus presented as "the Sent One." In the Acts we have the sending
of the Spirit. We may call the closing words of verse 16 a preliminary
intimation of the Trinity, though the real revelation of it awaited New
Testament days.
The coming of Christ having thus been forecast, the "HolyOne of
Israel" is presented as Redeemer and the One who will ultimately teach
and lead the people in the way that will be for their profit and
blessing, though for the moment they were not hearkening to His Word.
The blessing they were missing by' their inattention and disobedience
is strikingly pictured in verses 18 and 19. There would have been peace
based on righteousness. What they missed then, in a more material way,
is now being proclaimed in a spiritual way in the Gospel.
Yet, as verses 20 and 21 show, God will work in days to come for the
redemption of Israel from their foes, and do for them again what once
He did when under Moses He brought them through the wilderness and into
the land.
But this does not mean that God is going to condone evil. Far from
it. To reach the blessing Israel must be delivered from their sin,
since there is no peace for the wicked, as verse 22 asserts. This verse
marks the end of a distinct section-the first 9 chapters of the closing
27 chapters-in which the main offence alleged against the people is
their persistent idolatry. Against that dark background the only bright
light shining is the predicted advent of Christ.
So as we commence Isaiah 49, and so pass into the
central section, we immediately hear His voice in the spirit of
prophecy, calling upon us to listen to Him. In the Gospel of John He is
introduced to us as "the Word," the One in whom the whole mind of God
is expressed; and at the transfiguration the voice out of the cloud
said, "Hear ye Him." So we are not surprised that prophetically He
should say, "Listen . . . unto Me." What might surprise us, and might
well surprise an attentive Jewish reader is that He should address His
call to the "isles," and to "peoples from afar," for the word, we
understand, is in the plural, indicating the distant nations, and not the
people of Israel. But so it was; and thus at the start of this new
section it is intimated that what He has to say, and what He will
accomplish, will be for the benefit of all men and not only for the
people of Israel.
His words will cut like a sword and pierce like an arrow when He
comes forth from the Divine quiver, for He shall appear as the true
Servant of God and the true Israel; i.e., "Prince of God." As the
earlier chapters have shown the national Israel had been called to
serve God but had failed completely. This true Israel is declared to be
called from the womb, made a "polished shaft" to fly unerringly as
directed, and in Him, Jehovah says, "I will be glorified." We can now
say, In whom He has been glorified, and in whom He will yet be glorified in a supreme and public way.
And then, in our chapter, comes verse 4. How often it has been the
case in this fallen world that the servants of God have had to taste
the bitterness of defeat and apparent failure. Indeed it seems to have
been the rule rather than the exception. The supreme example of this is
found in our Lord Himself. He came, as the Apostle Paul states, "A
Minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm The
promises made unto the fathers" (Rom. 15: 8); but, rejected by "the
circumcision," His mission from that standpoint was marked by failure.
He did indeed labour, but it was "in vain." His strength was put forth,
but "for naught." Thus it was to all appearance, and according to the
judgment of man.
"Yet" says the Messiah, "surely My judgment is with the Lord and My
work with My God." His labour, His work, the exertion of His strength
was not in vain, for God had entrusted to His Servant a task far deeper
and wider and more wonderful than being just "a Minister of the
circumcision," as we shall find intimated in our chapter, though we
must travel into the New Testament to get a full view of its greatness.
Into that full light we today have been brought, so that with full hearts we can take up the little hymn that begins,
His be "the Victor's name,"
and go on to sing,
By weakness and defeat,
He won the meed and crown;
Trod all our foes beneath His feet,
By being trodden down.