Isaiah 48:9 - Meaning and Application

The rescue of God’s people from Babylon was so unlikely that they needed repeated encouragement to trust it. Two things could have discouraged them, their own sinfulness and the many obstacles in the way. Here, both fears are answered. God says he will save them, not because they deserve it, but for his own name’s sake, for his own glory (Isaiah 48:9-11).

It is true that they had deeply angered God, and their captivity was the right punishment for their sins. If he had let them waste away and perish in Babylon, and had left their land ruined forever, he would only have given them what their sins deserved. But God says, in effect, that he will hold back his anger. He will show that he is slow to wrath and will not pour out the full judgment they earned, so that he does not cut them off as a people. He does this for his name’s sake, because they bear his name and confess him. If they were destroyed, their enemies would speak against his name.

God also says he will refine them and make them fit for the mercy he plans to give. He says, “I have refined you,” as if to say, I have made you a vessel fit for honor. He did not find them ready for his favor, but he would make them ready. This explains why he brought them into trouble and kept them there so long. It was not to destroy them, but to do them good. He would refine them, though not as silver is refined, because if he dealt with them that strictly, they would always remain in the furnace. They were all like dross, the waste left from metal, and could justly be thrown away as worthless silver (Psalm 119:119; Jeremiah 6:30). Instead, he took them as they were, only partly refined. He had chosen them in the furnace of affliction, meaning he had made them his chosen people through the good the suffering worked in them. Many people have come to God and begun a real work of grace in the middle of affliction.

They also could not claim that they deserved such a great kindness as release from Babylon, which would bring them great honor and joy. So God says, “For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it” (Isaiah 48:11). The strong emphasis shows that this reason cannot fail. God will act, not because he owes them the favor, but to defend the honor of his own name. He will not let the heathen, the pagan nations, boast that they triumphed over the God of Israel. That was the spirit behind Belshazzar’s feast, when he dishonored the holy vessels from God’s temple while praising his idols (Daniel 5:2, 4), and behind the Babylonians’ cruel taunt, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion” (Psalm 137:3). God will deliver his people because he will not allow his glory to be given to another.

Moses often pleaded this same reason with God, asking, “What will the Egyptians say?” The point is clear: God cares deeply about the honor of his own name and will not let human anger go farther than he means it to go. This is a comfort to God’s people. Whatever happens to them, God will protect his own honor, and as far as that requires, he will bring them help and deliverance.

There is also proof that God is able to do this, even if they cannot help themselves and the task seems impossible. Jacob and Israel, that is, God’s chosen people, should listen and take courage. They are the people God has called, called according to his purpose, first out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1) and now out of Babylon. He calls them by name with special favor, and they belong to him. Since they are his called people, he will care for them. He will deliver them for his own sake, and he will do it by his own strength.

They need not fear their inability or their enemies, because God alone is God, and he is the eternal God (Isaiah 48:12). He says, “I am he,” the one who can do what I choose and will do what is best. No one can compare with him, much less oppose him. “I am the first, and I also am the last.” No one can be before him, and no one can outlast him. He will stay in control until every enemy is brought low. If he begins the work, he will finish it well. His work is perfect.

He is also the God who made the world, and the one who made it can do anything (Isaiah 48:13). If we look down, we see the earth firm beneath us, and his hand laid its foundation. If we look up, we see the heavens spread over us like a canopy, and his hand stretched them out by exact measure. This shows the greatness of his power and how far his purpose can reach. If his right hand stretched out the heavens, what can his outstretched arm not do?

He has not only made the heavens and the earth, which means he is all-powerful and can help us (Psalm 124:8), but he also commands all their armies. When he calls them into service and sends them on his errands, they rise up together and come at once. They answer as ready servants, saying, “Here we are, what do you want us to do?” They stand ready, not only honoring their Creator, but also obeying him. They work together in full agreement to serve him. So if God decides to deliver his people, he will never lack the means to do it.

God had already said what would happen. Since he knew it beforehand, he also had the power to bring it to pass. So he says, “All you people of the house of Jacob, gather together and listen to this for your comfort. Which of the gods of the nations, or which of their wise men, ever announced these things, or could announce them?” (Isaiah 48:14). They had no real foresight at all. Those who trusted them were sure that Babylon would rule forever and that Israel would remain a slave forever. Their false gods gave them no warning to the contrary.

By contrast, God had warned the Jews long before, through his prophets, that they would go into captivity and that Jerusalem would be destroyed. He had now also told them ahead of time about their release (Isaiah 48:15). He says, “I, even I, have spoken.” He would not have spoken if he could not carry it out. No one can see farther than he does, and no one can outdo him.

The person chosen for this work is also named, and that helps strengthen our trust that it will happen. Cyrus is the man who must do it, and God’s plan for him is fixed and unchangeable. It is a great comfort when we are told not only that something will happen, but also who will do it and how it will be done.

Cyrus is one whom God especially loves in this matter, because God has chosen him for this service: “The Lord has loved him” (Isaiah 48:14). God gave him this honor and used him as an instrument to redeem his people. In that way, Cyrus also pointed ahead to the great Redeemer, God’s beloved Son, in whom the Father was well pleased. God shows great kindness to those he uses to serve his church.

Cyrus is also one to whom God gives authority and a clear commission. God says, “I have called him,” which means he has given him a proper warrant and will stand behind him. God will also lead him there through a chain of events, bringing him from a far country to attack Babylon, even beyond Cyrus’s own plans. Those whom God calls, he also brings to the task.

Cyrus is the one whom God will support and make successful. He will do God’s pleasure on Babylon, bringing down the Chaldeans by his army, which is also the arm of God (Isaiah 48:14). If God calls someone and leads him, then he will surely make the way prosper (Isaiah 48:15). We may expect success in our path when we are following God’s call and guidance.