Isaiah 48:12-22 The Blessing of Peace
It has been two weeks now since the 2024 presidential election, and the results have been uplifting and full of hope for some but horrifying for others. The social outcry and general backlash has begun, and I find myself aching for an end to the barrage of angry words and protests. And I ponder what it would take to bring us national peace. How do we achieve national peace in our country today? How would we even define peace? Is it something we even want anymore? These are the thoughts that came to me as I delved into the final verses in Isaiah 48.
Isaiah 48 concludes Part 1 of God’s Highway Project that has focused on the theme of God’s power and sovereignty over His people. God has been building His argument for His ability to deliver Israel, and now He wraps up His case with some very strong closing statements that mingle lament for what has been lost and rejoicing over release and national peace to come.
In the chiastic structure, we have these opening and closing arguments:
There are a number of sub-points under the opening argument that are repeated in the closing argument but they are presented in a different order to set us up for Part 2 of God’s Highway Project. Let’s work through the verses in Isaiah 48 and note their parallels in Isaiah 41-42, and then discuss the new theme of peace that will carry forward into Part 2.
Isaiah 48:12-16 NKJV
The content of these verses is a repetition of much of what we have heard before, but the challenge is to identify who is speaking. There are three people mentioned in verse 16: The Lord GOD, the Spirit, and "Me." "Me" is not the prophet Isaiah. He is a new voice in the narrative, or at least He seems to be. But who is "Me" and how long has He been speaking? Working back through verses 12-15, we see that they are narrated in the first person point-of-view ("I" and "Me"). How many of these earlier statements is "Me" claiming as His own?
That is definitely God speaking, and He is speaking about the Servant. But now “Me” makes the same claim to that divine sovereignty over creation.
All of the statements in these verses are nothing more than what has been said before. The only thing different is the change of speaker. Where God was speaking, now "Me" is speaking. So, we now have this curious mingling of two voices, the LORD God and "Me," which seem to speak as one at times and yet are separate. This is the glorious power of God, that with a simple, understated comment inserted into a final argument, He can upend everything you thought you knew about Him.
King, Servant, Man, God
Remember, Isaiah 48 has been tracking with Isaiah 41-42. Back in Isaiah 41-42, the LORD declared that He would raise up a Servant, invest Him with the Spirit, and give Him the task of reestablishing the Law and justice in the earth. That Servant would embody the covenant between God and His people. He would be a light to the Gentiles and would release prisoners from prison. When we compare the parallels between Isaiah 41-42 and Isaiah 48, we find that this Servant is the counterpart to “Me.” Cyrus' work is done. God and His Spirit have now sent the Servant, "Me." The Servant eclipses the previous messiah, Cyrus, in both His person and tasking and will be the apex figure highlighted in Part 2 of God's Highway Project (Isaiah 49-57).
Thus, a picture of "Me" begins to take on flesh. He is one with the Godhead, but He is also cast in the form of an earthly man. He is the Servant, but His task of establishing justice and peace on the earth also links Him to the king described in Isaiah 9:
Thus, "Me" is king and servant, man and God. When we come to the New Testament, we are given this same composite view in the Gospels. Matthew presents Him as the king; Mark, the Servant. Luke presents Him as a man; John, as God. In the book of Revelation, Christ identifies Himself with many phrases from Isaiah for the specific purpose of driving us back to the Old Testament picture.
So, "Me" is the Servant who is also the Prince of Peace, and He will be the apex character around which Part 2 will focus.
In the final verses of Isaiah 48, the LORD Himself is speaking again through a third person which might be the prophet Isaiah (or it might be "Me"), and He ends with a comment on the blessing of peace.
Isaiah 48:17-22
The theme of peace and what makes for peace, and it is similar to the theme of fear in Isaiah 41-42.
In Isaiah 41 and 42, God belabored the futility of idolatry and set up the comparison between the idolatrous nations who feared because they relied on their idols and Israel who did not fear--or at least, faithful Israel did not fear. Those of Israel who persisted in idolatry still had much to fear. He ended Isaiah 42 with a blistering rebuke to Israel for her blindness and disobedience in not keeping His commandments.
Now, in Isaiah 48:17-22, God makes a similar comparison between those who have peace and those who don't. Peace reflects an absence of fear. But Israel has yet to experience peace. The rebuke in Isaiah 42 becomes a lament in Isaiah 48 over what has not been accomplished and why. "Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!" the LORD cries. Obeying the commandments would have spared Israel this ordeal and brought her a blessing, but the blessing has been lost. But now the ordeal is ended. Redemption has been made, and the LORD issues the command, "Go forth from Babylon!" with a voice of singing. Thus, the lament is turned to rejoicing, and sorrow to gladness. This reversal of condition is a theme in Isaiah's narrative style.
Verse 20 is full of imperative commands. Go! Flee! Declare! Proclaim! Utter to the ends of the earth! God has redeemed Israel! All the verbs are in perfect tense indicating that they have been completed. Even though they are literally in the future, they are as good as accomplished.
Isaiah 48 ends with a final comment that there is no peace for the wicked, which closes the thought begun in verse 18. Peace, or shalom, is the reward for obedience.
Isaiah 48:22 is important to note because it is a marker verse. It marks the end of Part 1 of Isaiah’s consolations, which focuses on God’s power and sovereignty, and provides a transition to the theme of peace which will be the focus of Part 2 (Isaiah 49-57). This same verse is repeated in Isaiah 57:21 and marks the end of Part 2 as well. Thus, Part 2 opens and closes with this theme of peace and what makes for peace.
Before I go on to a discussion of peace, I just want to point out a final parallel to this lament in Isaiah 48:18, this time in the book of Luke. In Luke 19:42-44, Jesus raised a similar lament over Jerusalem for her blindness and disobedience:
The Blessing of Peace
A blessing of peace now comes out of this experience in the furnace of affliction. Peace is a new theme going forward, but what makes for peace?
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, and it means completeness, soundness, health and welfare. It includes the experiences of safety, prosperity, tranquility, and contentment, and a reconciliation of relationships between people, but also a harmony with God.
According to God’s words here in Isaiah, Israel would have peace in obeying His commandments. This implies that the nation needs to be re-established under the Laws that would bring not just social justice but a means of spiritual redemption as well. Cyrus was unable to achieve either of these with lasting effect. Even though he released Israel from her physical oppression and let her go home, it did not bring her peace as a nation.
Peace is not an easy thing to achieve. So far, the LORD has addressed the initial question of where to seek power and empowerment, and the stumbling block of fear, along with some side issues such as the need for validation and vindication. This was the broad foundation that He had to lay before He could get into the deeper issues of despair, shame, anger, and silent withdrawal. All of these are reactions to feeling powerless, and major stumbling blocks that prevent a person from experiencing comfort and ultimately peace. The blessing of peace, for an individual but also for a nation, is the goal of Phase 2 of God's Highway Project, which we will begin when we return from Christmas break. Happy holidays!
Isaiah 48 concludes Part 1 of God’s Highway Project that has focused on the theme of God’s power and sovereignty over His people. God has been building His argument for His ability to deliver Israel, and now He wraps up His case with some very strong closing statements that mingle lament for what has been lost and rejoicing over release and national peace to come.
In the chiastic structure, we have these opening and closing arguments:
Opening Argument: Isaiah 41:1-42:25 Redemption promised through the work of two deliverers (Cyrus and the Servant).
Closing Argument: Isaiah 48:12-22 Redemption accomplished.
There are a number of sub-points under the opening argument that are repeated in the closing argument but they are presented in a different order to set us up for Part 2 of God’s Highway Project. Let’s work through the verses in Isaiah 48 and note their parallels in Isaiah 41-42, and then discuss the new theme of peace that will carry forward into Part 2.
Isaiah 48:12-16 NKJV
The content of these verses is a repetition of much of what we have heard before, but the challenge is to identify who is speaking. There are three people mentioned in verse 16: The Lord GOD, the Spirit, and "Me." "Me" is not the prophet Isaiah. He is a new voice in the narrative, or at least He seems to be. But who is "Me" and how long has He been speaking? Working back through verses 12-15, we see that they are narrated in the first person point-of-view ("I" and "Me"). How many of these earlier statements is "Me" claiming as His own?
Q: Is "Me" from the beginning?
That statement has been previously attributed to God (Isaiah 40:21, 41:26, 46:10, 48:3, 5, 7).
Q: Did "Me" lay the foundation of the earth and stretch out the heavens?
God makes that claim in Isaiah 42:5.
“Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: ‘I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.’” (Isaiah 42:5-7)
That is definitely God speaking, and He is speaking about the Servant. But now “Me” makes the same claim to that divine sovereignty over creation.
Q: Was "Me" the one who called Cyrus to conquer Babylonia?
God makes this same claim in Isaiah 41:1-3. Later on, in Isaiah 45:19, God Himself also declares, "I have not spoken in secret," in regard to calling Cyrus. Here we see "Me" talking about how the LORD loves Cyrus and has determined his task, and yet "Me" is the one who does the actual calling and makes Cyrus prosper in that task.
Q: Is "Me" the First and the Last?
We have seen this statement twice now (Isaiah 41:4, 44:6), both referring to God Himself and always in the context of His sovereignty and power to save His people. In Isaiah 41:4, He makes this statement in conjunction with the calling of Cyrus. In Isaiah 44:6, He makes this statement in conjunction with the blessing He will extend to Israel when He pours out His Spirit on her in the future. Now, this new voice declares that God and His Spirit have sent Me. These are astounding claims to make. “Me” is actually claiming equality with God and the Spirit.
All of the statements in these verses are nothing more than what has been said before. The only thing different is the change of speaker. Where God was speaking, now "Me" is speaking. So, we now have this curious mingling of two voices, the LORD God and "Me," which seem to speak as one at times and yet are separate. This is the glorious power of God, that with a simple, understated comment inserted into a final argument, He can upend everything you thought you knew about Him.
King, Servant, Man, God
Remember, Isaiah 48 has been tracking with Isaiah 41-42. Back in Isaiah 41-42, the LORD declared that He would raise up a Servant, invest Him with the Spirit, and give Him the task of reestablishing the Law and justice in the earth. That Servant would embody the covenant between God and His people. He would be a light to the Gentiles and would release prisoners from prison. When we compare the parallels between Isaiah 41-42 and Isaiah 48, we find that this Servant is the counterpart to “Me.” Cyrus' work is done. God and His Spirit have now sent the Servant, "Me." The Servant eclipses the previous messiah, Cyrus, in both His person and tasking and will be the apex figure highlighted in Part 2 of God's Highway Project (Isaiah 49-57).
Thus, a picture of "Me" begins to take on flesh. He is one with the Godhead, but He is also cast in the form of an earthly man. He is the Servant, but His task of establishing justice and peace on the earth also links Him to the king described in Isaiah 9:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV)
Thus, "Me" is king and servant, man and God. When we come to the New Testament, we are given this same composite view in the Gospels. Matthew presents Him as the king; Mark, the Servant. Luke presents Him as a man; John, as God. In the book of Revelation, Christ identifies Himself with many phrases from Isaiah for the specific purpose of driving us back to the Old Testament picture.
So, "Me" is the Servant who is also the Prince of Peace, and He will be the apex character around which Part 2 will focus.
In the final verses of Isaiah 48, the LORD Himself is speaking again through a third person which might be the prophet Isaiah (or it might be "Me"), and He ends with a comment on the blessing of peace.
Isaiah 48:17-22
The theme of peace and what makes for peace, and it is similar to the theme of fear in Isaiah 41-42.
In Isaiah 41 and 42, God belabored the futility of idolatry and set up the comparison between the idolatrous nations who feared because they relied on their idols and Israel who did not fear--or at least, faithful Israel did not fear. Those of Israel who persisted in idolatry still had much to fear. He ended Isaiah 42 with a blistering rebuke to Israel for her blindness and disobedience in not keeping His commandments.
Now, in Isaiah 48:17-22, God makes a similar comparison between those who have peace and those who don't. Peace reflects an absence of fear. But Israel has yet to experience peace. The rebuke in Isaiah 42 becomes a lament in Isaiah 48 over what has not been accomplished and why. "Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!" the LORD cries. Obeying the commandments would have spared Israel this ordeal and brought her a blessing, but the blessing has been lost. But now the ordeal is ended. Redemption has been made, and the LORD issues the command, "Go forth from Babylon!" with a voice of singing. Thus, the lament is turned to rejoicing, and sorrow to gladness. This reversal of condition is a theme in Isaiah's narrative style.
Verse 20 is full of imperative commands. Go! Flee! Declare! Proclaim! Utter to the ends of the earth! God has redeemed Israel! All the verbs are in perfect tense indicating that they have been completed. Even though they are literally in the future, they are as good as accomplished.
Isaiah 48 ends with a final comment that there is no peace for the wicked, which closes the thought begun in verse 18. Peace, or shalom, is the reward for obedience.
Isaiah 48:22 is important to note because it is a marker verse. It marks the end of Part 1 of Isaiah’s consolations, which focuses on God’s power and sovereignty, and provides a transition to the theme of peace which will be the focus of Part 2 (Isaiah 49-57). This same verse is repeated in Isaiah 57:21 and marks the end of Part 2 as well. Thus, Part 2 opens and closes with this theme of peace and what makes for peace.
Before I go on to a discussion of peace, I just want to point out a final parallel to this lament in Isaiah 48:18, this time in the book of Luke. In Luke 19:42-44, Jesus raised a similar lament over Jerusalem for her blindness and disobedience:
“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)
Q: What cost Israel her peace this time?
Q: Of what future event is Jesus speaking?
The Blessing of Peace
A blessing of peace now comes out of this experience in the furnace of affliction. Peace is a new theme going forward, but what makes for peace?
Q: What does peace encompass?
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, and it means completeness, soundness, health and welfare. It includes the experiences of safety, prosperity, tranquility, and contentment, and a reconciliation of relationships between people, but also a harmony with God.
Q: What has to happen for a community or nation to enter into such an experience?
According to God’s words here in Isaiah, Israel would have peace in obeying His commandments. This implies that the nation needs to be re-established under the Laws that would bring not just social justice but a means of spiritual redemption as well. Cyrus was unable to achieve either of these with lasting effect. Even though he released Israel from her physical oppression and let her go home, it did not bring her peace as a nation.
Peace is not an easy thing to achieve. So far, the LORD has addressed the initial question of where to seek power and empowerment, and the stumbling block of fear, along with some side issues such as the need for validation and vindication. This was the broad foundation that He had to lay before He could get into the deeper issues of despair, shame, anger, and silent withdrawal. All of these are reactions to feeling powerless, and major stumbling blocks that prevent a person from experiencing comfort and ultimately peace. The blessing of peace, for an individual but also for a nation, is the goal of Phase 2 of God's Highway Project, which we will begin when we return from Christmas break. Happy holidays!
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