John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 48:3

"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)

Long ago have I declared the former things. He accuses the Jews of ingratitude because they distrust God, who has given every possible proof of His goodness to establish them in sincere confidence; and therefore He takes away every excuse from them by saying that he declared the former things. He appears to speak not of their deliverance from Babylon, but of other benefits which the Lord had bestowed on that nation; as if he had said that God began, long before this, to foretell to his people what would happen, and never promised anything which He did not perform, and yet that His people, after having received so many proofs, did not place confidence in His certain and infallible truth.

It may also be said that the Prophet did not merely address those who lived at that time, but those who would afterward live during the captivity, in order that, when this certainty arrived, they might consider that it had already been foretold. God intended that this prediction should be widely known, in order that, during their captivity, they might know that these things did not happen by chance and that they might obtain some consolation. Isaiah therefore rebukes them because, after having learned the truth of this matter from the event itself, they still cannot acknowledge the work of God or place confidence in Him.

And justly does he severely reprove and accuse them of obstinacy; for they resisted God, who stretched out His hand to them, and rejected His grace. They did not believe that they would have liberty to return to Judea, and, when the way was opened, very few had the courage to return.

Some thought that it would be better to remain in Babylon than to undergo the annoyances and dangers of the journey. Others suspected that Cyrus had made a crafty proclamation of liberty to return, in order that, having ascertained their dispositions, he might oppress them or treat them with severity; and they did not take into account that God had foretold these things, that they must unavoidably happen, and that no human power could prevent them.

Accordingly, I understand the predictions of which the Prophet speaks. These include, indeed, the ancient prophecies by which God foretold to Abraham (Genesis 15:13) that his seed would be held captive and would afterward be restored to their former freedom. But other predictions were also added afterward in their due order, and these also came to pass at different times. For this, too, was frequently fulfilled, partly at one time and partly at another.

He shows, therefore, that the Lord predicted nothing which was not justified by the event.