Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 48
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Isaiah 48
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Isaiah 48
"Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah; who swear by the name of Jehovah, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness" — Isaiah 48:1 (ASV)
There always were false professors, and I suppose there always will be until Christ comes. A Judas was among the twelve apostles, and we cannot wonder that we find such in every church. But what a dreadful thing it is to wear the name of God and yet not really serve Him, to be called Christians and yet not be like Christ! It must be a very God-provoking thing to be called by His name and then insult it by not being true to it.
"(for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; Jehovah of hosts is his name):" — Isaiah 48:2 (ASV)
They profess to trust him, but they do not love him; they call themselves of the holy city, but they certainly are not holy citizens.
Alas, that God should have to speak to men upon such a matter as this! It is self-evidently wicked, but they will not see it.
"I have declared the former things from of old; yea, they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them: suddenly I did them, and they came to pass." — Isaiah 48:3 (ASV)
There is no better proof that God is God than that his prophecies have been fulfilled. Only the eternal can see into the future. He has done so, and every word of his either has been fulfilled, or will yet be fulfilled.
"Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; therefore I have declared it to thee from of old; before it came to pass I showed it thee; lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them." — Isaiah 48:4-5 (ASV)
See the care of God towards the most obstinate of people. He knows that they will pervert things, so he prevents them as far as it is possible to do so. He tells them what is to happen, that they may not afterwards say that their idol gods have done it.
Ah, dear friends, God has taken great interest in many of us! He has, as it were, laid his plans to keep us out of sin; and yet often we have broken out, and have gone over hedge and ditch in the ways of sin. We have seemed resolved to do evil; we have been desperately set on mischief; therefore he speaks of us as being "obstinate."
Thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass. Will God ever speak in mercy to such people as these? We will see as we read on.
"Thou hast heard it; behold all this; and ye, will ye not declare it? I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, which thou hast not known. They are created now, and not from of old; and before this day thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them. Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from of old thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou didst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb." — Isaiah 48:6-8 (ASV)
What a description! Treacherous, false, indeed, very treacherous, beyond the usual degree of treachery; transgressors from our very birth, accustomed to sin. The very heart is wrong, and all that comes out of us is, therefore, wrong. And now, what follows?
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