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Commentary on Isaiah 48 verses 16–22
Here, as before, Jacob and Israel are summoned to hearken to the prophet speaking in God's name, or rather to God speaking in and by the prophet, and that as a type of the great prophet by whom God has in these last days spoken unto us, and that is sufficient: Come near therefore, and hear this. Note, Those that would hear and understand what God says must come near, and approach to him; let them come as near as they can. Let those that have hearkened to the tempter now come near, and hear this, that they may be confirmed in their resolutions to serve God. Those that draw nigh to God may depend upon this, that his secret shall be with them. Here,
I. God refers them to what he hath both said to them and done for them formerly, which if they would reflect upon, they might thence fetch great encouragement to trust in God at this time. 1. He had always spoken plainly to them from the beginning, by Moses and all the prophets: I have not spoken in secret, but publicly, from the top of Mount Sinai, and in the chief places of concourse, the solemn assemblies of their tribes; he did not deliver his oracles obscurely and ambiguously, but so that they might be understood, Hab 2:2. 2. He had always acted wonderfully for them: "From the time that they were first formed into a people there I am, there have I been resident among them and presiding in their affairs (he sent them prophets, raised them up judges, and frequently appeared for them), and therefore there I will be still." He that has been with his people hitherto will be to the end.
II. The prophet himself, as a type of the great prophet, asserts his own commission to deliver this message: Now the Lord God (the same that spoke from the beginning and did not speak in secret) has by his Spirit sent me, Isa 48:16. The Spirit of God is here spoken of as a person distinct from the Father and the Son, and having a divine authority to send prophets. Note, Whom God sends the Spirit sends. Those whom God commissions for any service the Spirit in some measure qualifies for it; and those may speak boldly, and must be heard obediently, whom God and his Spirit send. As that which the prophet says to the same purport with this (Isa 61:1) is applied to Christ (Luk 4:21), so may this be; the Lord God sent him, and he had the Spirit without measure.
III. God by the prophet sends them a gracious message for their support and comfort under their affliction. The preface to this message is both awful and encouraging (Isa 48:17): Thus saith Jehovah, the eternal God, thy Redeemer, that has often been so, that has engaged to be so, and will be faithful to the engagement, for he is the Holy One, that cannot deceive, the Holy One of Israel, that will not deceive them. The same words that introduce the law, and give authority to that, introduce the promise, and give validity to that: "I am the Lord thy God, whom thou mayest depend upon as in relation to thee and in covenant with thee."
1.Here is the good work which God undertakes to fulfil in them. He that is their Redeemer, in order to that, will be, (1.) Their instructor: "I am thy God that teaches thee to profit, that is, teaches thee such things as are profitable for thee, things that belong to thy peace." By this God shows himself to be a God in covenant with us, by his teaching us (Heb 8:10, Heb 8:11); and none teaches like him, for he gives an understanding. Whom God redeems he teaches; whom he designs to deliver out of their afflictions he first teaches to profit by their afflictions, makes them partakers of his holiness, for that is the profit for which he chastens us, Heb 12:10. (2.) Their guide: He leads them to the way and in the way by which they should go. He not only enlightens their eyes, but directs their steps. By his grace he leads them in the way of duty, by his providence he leads them in the way of deliverance. Happy are those that are under such a guidance!
2.Here is the good-will which God declares he had for them by his good wishes concerning them, Isa 48:18, Isa 48:19. He had indeed brought them into captivity, but it was owing to themselves, nor did he afflict them willingly. (1.) As when he gave them his law he earnestly wished they might be obedient (O that there were such a heart in them! Deu 5:29. O that they were wise! Deu 32:29), so, when he had punished them for the breach of his law, he wished they had been obedient: O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Isa 48:18. O that my people had hearkened unto me! Psa 81:13. This confirms what God had said and sworn, that he has no pleasure in the death of sinners. (2.) He assures them that, if they had been obedient, that would not only have prevented their captivity, but would have advanced and perpetuated their prosperity. He had abundance of good things ready to bestow upon them if their sins had not turned them away, Isa 59:1, Isa 59:2. [1.] They should have been carried on in a constant uninterrupted stream of prosperity: "Thy peace should have been as a river; thou shouldst have enjoyed a series of mercies, one continually following another, as the waters of a river, which always last." Labitur, et labetur in omne volubilis aevum - It flows, and will for ever flow; not like the waters of a land-flood, which are soon gone. [2.] Their virtue and honour, and the justice of their cause, should in all cases have borne down opposition by their own strength, as the waves of the sea. Such should their righteousness have been that nothing should have stood before it; whereas, now they had been disobedient, the current of their prosperity was interrupted, and their righteousness overpowered. [3.] The rising generation should have been very numerous and very prosperous; whereas they were now very few, as appears by the small number of the returning captives (Ezr 2:64), not so many as of one tribe when they came out of Egypt. They should have been numberless as the sand, according to the promise (Gen 22:17), which they had forfeited the benefit of: "The offspring of thy bowels would have been innumerable, like the gravel of the sea, if thy righteousness had been irresistible and unconquerable as the waves of the sea." [4.] The honour of Israel should still have been unstained, untouched: His name should not have been cut off, as now it is in the land of Israel, which is either desolate or inhabited by strangers; nor should it have been destroyed from before God. We cannot reckon the name either of a family or of a kingdom destroyed till it is destroyed from before God, till it ceases to be a name in his holy place. Now God tells them thus what he would have done for them if they had persevered in their obedience, First, That they might be the more humbled for their sins, by which they had forfeited such rich mercies. Note, This should engage us (I might say, enrage us) against sin, that it has not only deprived us of the good things we have enjoyed, but prevented the good things God had in store for us. It will make the misery of the disobedient the more intolerable to think how happy they might have been. Secondly, That his mercy might appear the more illustrious in working deliverance for them, though they had forfeited it and rendered themselves unworthy of it. Nothing but a prerogative of mercy would have saved them.
3.Here is assurance given of the great work which God designed to work for them, even their salvation out of their captivity, when he had accomplished his work in them.
(1.)Here is a commission granted them to leave Babylon. God proclaimed, long before Cyrus did, that whoever would might return to his own land (Isa 48:20): "You have a full discharge sent you: Go you forth out of Babylon; the prison-doors are thrown open, and the trumpet sounds, proclaiming a release." Perhaps with this word, as a means, the Spirit of the Lord stirred up the spirits of those that did take the benefit of Cyrus's proclamation (Ezr 1:5): Flee you from the Chaldeans, not with an ignominious stolen flight, as Jacob fled from Laban, but with a holy disdain, as scorning to stay any longer among them; flee you, not silently and sorrowfully, but with a voice, with a voice of singing, as they fled of old out of Egypt, Exo 15:1.
(2.)Here is the news of this sent to all parts: "Let it be declared; let it be told; let it be uttered; make it to be heard by the most remote, by the most remiss; send the tidings of it by word of mouth; send it by writing, from city to city, from kingdom to kingdom, even to the utmost regions, to the ends of the earth." This was a figure of the publishing of the gospel to all the world; but that brings glad tidings which all the world is concerned in, this only that which it is fit all should take notice of, that they may be invited by it to forsake their idols and come into the service of the God of Israel. Let them all know then, [1.] That those whom God owns for his are such as he has dearly bought and paid for: The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob; he has done it formerly, when he brought them out of Egypt, and now he is about to do it again. Jacob was God's servant, and therefore he redeemed him; for what had other masters to do with God's servants? Israel is God's son, therefore Pharaoh must let him go. God redeemed Jacob, and therefore it was fit that he should be his servant (Psa 116:16); the bonds God had loosed tied them the faster to him. He that redeemed us has an unquestionable right to us. [2.] That those whom God designs to bring home to himself he will take care of, that they want not for the necessary expenses of their journey. When he brought them out of Egypt, and led them through the deserts, they thirsted not (Isa 48:21), for in all their removals the water out of the rock followed them; thence he caused the waters to flow, and, since rock-water is the clearest and finest, God clave the rock, and the waters gushed out; for he can fetch in necessary supplies for his people in a way that they think the least likely. This refers to what he did for them when he brought them out of Egypt; when all this was literally true. But it should now be in effect done again, in their return out of Babylon, so well provided for should they and theirs be in their return. God does his work as effectually by marvellous providences as by miracles, though perhaps they are not so much taken notice of. This is applicable to those treasures of grace laid up for us in Jesus Christ, from which all good flows to us as the water did to Israel out of the rock, for that rock is Christ.
(3.)Here is a caveat put in against the wicked who go on still in their trespasses. Let not them think to have any benefit among God's people. Though in show and profession they herd themselves among them, let them not expect to come in sharers; no (Isa 48:22), though God's thoughts concerning the body of that people were thoughts of peace, yet to those among them that were wicked and hated to be reformed there is no peace, no peace with God or their own consciences, no real good, whatever is pretended to. What have those to do with peace who are enemies to God? Their false prophets cried Peace to those to whom it did not belong; but God tells them that there shall be no peace, nor any think like it, to the wicked. The quarrel sinners have commenced with God, if not taken up in time by repentance, will be an everlasting quarrel.
According to Isaiah the Lord has sent Christ and his Spirit.… It is also possible there to allege of the Spirit that sent the Christ that he does not excel him in nature but that the Savior was made to seek greater lowliness because of the plan of the incarnation.
Did the Father and the Holy Spirit send Jesus, or did the Father send both Christ and the Spirit? The latter is correct. For, because the Savior was sent, afterwards the Holy Spirit was sent also, that the prediction of the prophet might be fulfilled.
“From the time this plague came to be” in all my people, “I have been there.” In order that the words he had spoken may not be despised by the sorcerers, the text shows that they do not belong to the prophet as such, but to the Lord and his Spirit, who sent the prophet to preach to them. Indeed, the prophet clearly said as if from the person of the Lord, “I am in all my people, and my right hand extends to the heavens.”
When all things were made by the Father, he [the Son] was there with him, in whom the Son rejoiced when he said, I am he who always was with the Father and in the Father and never was without the Father, and who now speaks, and due to the weakness of the flesh I assumed, I say that “the Lord has sent me and his Spirit.” In this short verse we are shown the mystery of the Trinity.
(Verse 12, 13 and following) Hear me, Jacob and Israel, whom I call. I am the first and the last. My hand also laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand measures the heavens: I have called them, and they will stand together. Gather yourselves and listen: who among them has declared these things? The Lord loved him: he will fulfill his will in Babylon and his arm in the Chaldeans. I, I have spoken and called him: I have brought him, and his way is made straight. Come to me and listen to these (Vulg. this): I did not speak in secret from the beginning; from the time before it happened, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit. LXX: Listen to me, Jacob and Israel, whom I call. I am the first, and I am forever: and my hand has founded the earth, and my right hand has established the heavens. I will call them, and they will stand together: and all will be gathered, and they will listen: Who has announced these to them? I, who am diligent, have carried out your will over Babylon, to remove the seed of the Chaldeans. I have spoken and I have called. I have brought him and made his way prosperous. Bring near to me, and hear these things: I did not speak in secret from the beginning, when it happened, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent me, and his spirit. To those to whom he had already spoken: Hear these things, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who have come forth from the waters of Judah, now he speaks to them again, Listen to me, Jacob and Israel, whom I call. For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22). Therefore, He calls them the non-elect, because they had not yet received the Savior; but He refers to them as the called. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, who is alive and was dead. (Revelation 22); so that you may bring life back to the beginning, and the last to Him who died. He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and became obedient to the Father; He humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2). My hand founded the earth. And it is also said in Proverbs: God, by His wisdom, founded the earth, and His right hand is the measure (Prov. III, 19), or He established the heavens or the sky, as the Septuagint translated. He calls the heavens to obey His command, and to declare His glory. But if the heavens obey the will of the Lord and run in their own order, why does the earth and ashes boast (Eccli. X) and not know its own fragility? Gather yourselves, all of you, and listen, whether heaven or all of creation or the entire multitude of Israel. What are the things that are commanded to be heard? Surely it signifies that which the Lord loves, no doubt Cyrus and Darius, who carried out the will of the Lord against Babylon, and exerted their power over the Chaldeans. And He himself spoke and called him by his name, and led him, and his path was made straight, so that no one dared to resist his strength. And he is provoking them to come and listen, and to know, through the Lord's prediction, that the king of the Persians and Medes is coming, who will overthrow Babylon and destroy the Chaldeans. And to announce this, the Prophet says that he is sent by the Lord and his spirit. This is according to the Hebrews and their opinion. However, according to Symmachus, who interpreted it, 'Who has declared these things to him?' refers to the one whom the Lord loves, who does his will in Babylon. And according to the Septuagint, 'to carry away the seed of the Chaldeans' is referred to the person of the Lord: the one who is truly loved by the Father, and who does all the will of the Father, and who overturns in Babylon, that is, in the confusion of this world, all the seed of the Chaldeans, which are interpreted as demons. He himself spoke and heard the Son, and brought him, who speaks to the believers: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened (Matthew 11:28). And hear these things that from the beginning were spoken in secret, that is, through the enigmas and mysteries of the Prophets, which were unknown to all previous generations. When all things were made by the Father, he was with him, who rejoiced, who even now says: I who have always been with the Father, and in the Father, and have never been without the Father, even now I speak (John 14); and according to the frailty of the assumed flesh, I say that the Lord God sent me and his spirit: and in a brief verse, the sacrament of the Trinity is revealed to us.
Furthermore, he could not be sent by the Father without the Holy Spirit. On principle, when the Father sent him, that is made him of woman, he cannot be supposed to have done it without the Spirit.… There is even a prophecy of Isaiah in which Christ himself is understood as saying about his future coming, “And now the Lord and his Spirit has sent me.”
Now it is Jesus Christ who is speaking here as the “Lord God”; yet this would not have been obvious if he had not added the final words, “And now the Lord God has sent me and his Spirit.” These words were spoken by Christ in his “form” as a “servant.” He used a verb in the past tense to indicate a future event.
Those who look toward the Savior do not attribute grace for salvation to other gods but to him. For it is said about him that he was moved by love, that is, he was most loving and kind to them in that he was prepared to go all the way to the very end, to the uprooting of the seed of the Chaldeans, that is, those who fought against them and perpetrated all sorts of inhuman acts.… I am spurred by love for you that I will do what is your pleasure in the land of the Babylonians, so that the seed of the Chaldeans will be removed. For [Isaiah] speaks here about Cyrus.
Since you have not believed the gloomy predictions, believe, then, at least in the prophecies of encouragement. For I do not prophesy falsely in dark, inaccessible places after the manner of the [oracles of] idols. But I know these things clearly before their occurrence since I am present to the events themselves and see each one. “And now the Lord has sent me as well as his Spirit.” It is the prophet who made this declaration. He says, “I do not speak on my own authority but because the God of the universe and the holiest Spirit has sent me.” Now [the text] demonstrates here that there is another person besides God, the person of the Spirit, so as to refute the Jews and the mad ravings of Sabellius. For [Isaiah] said, “The Lord sent me as well as his Spirit.” For Sabellius often taught the one deity of God.… He must also teach about the particular characteristics of the persons, sometimes that of the Son and that of the Father, sometimes that of the Father and that of the Holy Spirit.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 48:16 presents a profound and multifaceted prophetic declaration, likely from the divine Servant or Messiah, revealing God's unwavering commitment to open revelation from eternity past. It emphasizes the speaker's pre-existence and omnipresence, asserting that God's truth has never been hidden, contrasting with the deceptive practices of idols. The verse culminates in a remarkable Trinitarian hint, declaring that the speaker has been sent by "the Lord GOD, and his Spirit," underscoring a divine commission and the unified purpose of the Godhead in salvation and revelation.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 48:16 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound message. Direct Address ("Come ye near unto me, hear ye this") immediately engages the audience, creating a sense of urgency and personal invitation, demanding their attention. This is followed by a strong Assertion of Divine Authority and Truthfulness ("I have not spoken in secret from the beginning"), which functions as a direct Contrast to the deceptive and hidden practices of false gods and human wisdom. The phrase "from the time that it was, there am I" utilizes Hyperbole or, more accurately, an expression of Timeless Presence to convey the speaker's eternal existence and omnipresence, transcending the limits of created time. Finally, the concluding statement, "and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me," is a profound instance of Prophetic Foreshadowing and Theological Revelation, hinting at the Trinitarian nature of God and the divine commission of the Messiah, a concept more fully developed in the New Testament.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 48:16 is a remarkable theological statement, often considered one of the clearest Old Testament hints at the plurality within the Godhead and the pre-existence of the Messiah. The speaker, who possesses eternal existence and has been present "from the beginning," declares a divine commission by both "the Lord GOD" and "his Spirit." This anticipates the New Testament revelation of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, working in perfect unity for the redemption of humanity. It underscores that God's plan of salvation is not an afterthought but an eternal decree, openly revealed and executed through the cooperative work of the divine persons. The verse also solidifies the theme of God's transparent and trustworthy communication, contrasting His clear Word with the hidden deceptions of the world, inviting humanity to trust in His revealed truth.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 48:16 offers profound comfort and challenge for believers today. It assures us that God is not a distant, secretive deity but one who has always desired to make Himself known, speaking clearly and openly from the very beginning. This means we can approach His Word, the Bible, with confidence, knowing that its truths are not obscure riddles but divine revelation intended for our understanding and transformation. The verse also calls us to recognize the eternal presence of God in all circumstances, reminding us that He was "there" at the dawn of creation and remains intimately involved in every moment of our lives. Furthermore, understanding the divine commission of the "sent one" by the Lord GOD and His Spirit deepens our appreciation for the unified work of the Trinity in salvation. It encourages us to listen attentively to the voice of God, trust His unwavering truth, and participate in the mission of the "sent one" by sharing the openly revealed gospel with a world still searching for clear answers.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who is the "me" who is speaking in Isaiah 48:16, and why is this verse significant?
Answer: The identity of the speaker in Isaiah 48:16 is a subject of significant theological discussion, but many prominent biblical scholars and Christian traditions interpret "me" as the pre-existent Messiah, the Servant of the Lord, who is speaking prophetically. The verse is highly significant because it presents a remarkable Old Testament foreshadowing of the Trinity. The speaker, who claims eternal existence and presence "from the beginning," declares that "the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me." This implies a divine agent distinct from, yet in perfect unity with, both the Father (the Lord GOD) and the Holy Spirit. It points to the divine commission of the Messiah, who would later be revealed as Jesus Christ, sent by the Father and the Spirit to accomplish God's redemptive purposes. This passage provides a unique glimpse into the internal workings of the Godhead as they relate to the plan of salvation, making it a cornerstone for understanding the Messiah's divine nature and mission in the Old Testament.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 48:16 finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The "me" who speaks with eternal authority, declaring presence "from the beginning," perfectly aligns with the New Testament revelation of Jesus as the pre-existent Word, through whom all things were made (John 1:1-3). His claim, "I have not spoken in secret," resonates powerfully with Jesus' public ministry, where He openly declared the truth of God's kingdom, contrasting His clear teachings with the hidden wisdom of the world (John 18:20). Most profoundly, the declaration "and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me" is a powerful Old Testament echo of Jesus' repeated assertions of being "sent" by the Father. Jesus consistently affirmed, "I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me" (John 8:42). Furthermore, the inclusion of "his Spirit" in the sending highlights the Trinitarian cooperation in the divine mission, a truth fully unveiled in the New Testament where the Father sends the Son, and the Son and the Father send the Spirit (John 14:26, John 15:26). Thus, Isaiah 48:16 is a prophetic gem, revealing the eternal, transparent, and divinely commissioned nature of the Messiah, Jesus, who perfectly embodies the unified will and work of the Triune God for humanity's salvation and for the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel and the nations.