Isaiah 48: I Am the First and the Last
God reproves his stubborn people for their false worship, refines them for his own name’s sake, and calls them to leave Babylon with singing.
Isaiah 48 (WEB)
1 “Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come out of the waters of Judah; who swear by Yahweh’s name, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness
2 (for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; Yahweh of Armies is his name):
3 I have declared the former things from of old; yes, they went out of my mouth, and I showed them: suddenly I did them, and they happened.
4 Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow brass;
5 therefore I have declared it to you from of old; before it came to pass I showed it to you; lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, and my engraved image, and my molten image, has commanded them.’
6 You have heard it; see all this; and you, will you not declare it? “I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, which you have not known.
7 They are created now, and not from of old; and before this day you didn’t hear them; lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
8 Yes, you didn’t hear; yes, you didn’t know; yes, from of old your ear was not opened: for I knew that you dealt very treacherously, and was called a transgressor from the womb.
9 For my name’s sake will I defer my anger, and for my praise will I refrain for you, that I not cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, will I do it; for how should my name be profaned? I will not give my glory to another.
12 “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
13 Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has spread out the heavens: when I call to them, they stand up together.
14 “Assemble yourselves, all you, and hear; who among them has declared these things? He whom Yahweh loves shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him; I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
16 “Come near to me and hear this: “From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I.” Now the Lord Yahweh has sent me, with his Spirit.
17 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.
18 Oh that you had listened to my commandments! then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea:
19 your seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of your body like its grains: his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.
20 Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans. With a voice of singing declare, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: say, Yahweh has redeemed his servant Jacob.
21 They didn’t thirst when he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he split the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
22 “There is no peace”, says Yahweh, “for the wicked.”
Isaiah 48 (KJV)
1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.
2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name.
3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.
4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;
5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.
6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.
8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.
9 For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.
12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.
14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The Lord hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
19 Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
22 There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.
Isaiah 48 (ASV)
1 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
2 (for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; Jehovah of hosts is his name):
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.
4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not as silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
11 For mine own sake, for mine own sake, will I do it; for how should my name be profaned? and my glory will I not give to another.
12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
13 Yea, my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spread out the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.
14 Assemble yourselves, all ye, and hear; who among them hath declared these things? He whom Jehovah loveth shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him; I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit.
17 Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Jehovah thy God, who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
18 Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
19 thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the grains thereof: his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.
20 Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
22 There is no peace, saith Jehovah, to the wicked.
Summary
God addresses the house of Jacob, those who swear by his name but not in truth, knowing how obstinate they are—their necks an iron sinew, their brows brass. He explains why he declared things long in advance: so that when they came to pass, the people could not credit their idols. Now he announces new, hidden things they have not known, lest they claim they already knew. For his own name’s sake he defers his anger and refrains from cutting them off; he has refined them in the furnace of affliction, not as silver, and will not give his glory to another. He calls them again to listen: “I am he; I am the first, I also am the last,” the one whose hand laid earth’s foundations. He has loved the agent who will perform his pleasure on Babylon. As their Redeemer who teaches them to profit, he laments their disobedience: had they listened, their peace would have flowed like a river. Then comes the joyful command, “Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans,” declaring with singing that the LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob, recalling how he brought water from the rock in the wilderness. Yet a sober note closes the chapter: “There is no peace, says Yahweh, for the wicked.” God’s patience with stubborn people, refining and redeeming them for his own glory, foreshadows the grace that meets us in Christ.
Voices
- The LORD (Yahweh) — The first and the last, Creator and Redeemer, who reproves his stubborn people, refines them for his name’s sake, and calls them out of Babylon.
- The house of Jacob — Obstinate people who invoke God’s name without truth, refined in affliction yet still beloved and summoned to flee Babylon with joy.
- The sent servant — The one whom the Lord Yahweh sends with his Spirit (48:16) and whom God loves to perform his pleasure on Babylon, hinting at the coming Servant.
Key Verse
Isaiah 48:12 (WEB)
“Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last:
Lessons Learned
- God announces the future in advance so his people cannot credit idols for his works.
- God refines his people in the furnace of affliction, but for their good and his glory.
- God withholds judgment and acts for his own name’s sake, not because of our merit.
- Disobedience forfeits the peace that could have flowed like a river; there is no peace for the wicked.
- God acts for his own name. “For my own sake, for my own sake, will I do it” (Isaiah 48:11, WEB). Our security rests on God’s commitment to his own glory.
- God refines rather than rejects. “I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10, WEB). His hard providences are the fire of a refiner, not the wrath of a destroyer.
- Obedience opens the way to peace. “Oh that you had listened… then your peace would have been like a river” (Isaiah 48:18, WEB). God’s commands are the path to flourishing, not its enemy.
- Redemption calls us to come out. “Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans” (Isaiah 48:20, WEB). Those whom God redeems are summoned to leave behind their captivity with singing.
- Why does God emphasize that he declared events in advance (48:3-7)?
- What does it mean that God refines his people “in the furnace of affliction” (48:10)?
- Why does God repeatedly act “for my own sake” (48:9, 11), and how is that good news for us?
- What is the significance of the command to “leave Babylon” with a voice of singing (48:20)?
- Where might disobedience be costing you the “peace… like a river” God offers (48:18), and what step toward listening might restore it?
- God foretold things so that when they happened, Israel could not say their idols had done them (48:5). Fulfilled prophecy is God’s evidence that he alone is Lord of history, leaving no glory for false gods.
- The furnace pictures suffering that purifies rather than destroys (48:10). God uses affliction to burn away false trust and refine genuine faith, choosing his people in the fire rather than discarding them.
- If God saved us for our sake, our changeableness would make salvation uncertain; because he acts for his own name and glory (48:9-11), his commitment cannot fail. Our hope rests on God’s steadfast character.
- The redeemed are to leave their place of bondage joyfully, proclaiming that the LORD has redeemed Jacob (48:20). It anticipates the gospel call to come out of slavery to sin into the freedom God provides.
- This is a personal-application question. Gently invite members to consider where resistance to God has dried up their peace. As leader, frame obedience as the riverbed through which God’s peace flows, and point to Christ, our peace.