Isaiah 48:1-15: a reflection

1“Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come out of the waters of Judah. You swear by the LORD’s name, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness— 2for they call themselves citizens of the holy city, and rely on the God of Israel; the LORD of Armies is his name. 3I have declared the former things from of old. Yes, they went out of my mouth, and I revealed them. I did them suddenly, and they happened. 4Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow bronze; 5therefore 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. My engraved image and my molten image has commanded them.’ 6You have heard it. Now see all this. And you, won’t you declare it? “I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, which you have not known. 7They are created now, and not from of old. Before today, you didn’t hear them, lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’ 8Yes, 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 were called a transgressor from the womb. 9For my name’s sake, I will defer my anger, and for my praise, I hold it back for you so that I don’t cut you off. 10Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver. I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction. 11For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it; for how would 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 am also the last. 13Yes, 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 of you, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? He whom the LORD loves will do what he likes to Babylon, and his arm will be against the Chaldeans. 15I, even I, have spoken. Yes, I have called him. I have brought him and he shall make his way prosperous.

Though the people had been obstinate and treacherous, God declares that he will spare and save them, not because they deserve it, but for his own name's sake, that his glory not be given to another. For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it, God says; for my name's sake I will defer my anger, and for my praise I hold it back for you, so that I don't cut you off. God is candid about the people: obstinate, with necks like iron, treacherous from the womb, not deserving of rescue. Yet he will not cut them off; he will defer his anger and spare them, not for their worthiness, but for his own name's sake, for his own glory, that his name not be profaned. Their hope rested not on their deserving, but on God's own character and name. This shows that God saves and spares for his own name's sake, not our worthiness. God saves and spares for his own name's sake, not our worthiness. Our hope rests on God's character and name, not our deserving. God's grace does not depend on our being deserving. When you feel undeserving, remember God acts for his own name's sake.

Notice the ground on which God spares his people. He does not flatter them or pretend they deserve to be saved; he is candid about their obstinacy, their treachery, their being transgressors from the beginning. By their deserving, they had no claim on his rescue. And yet God declares that he will spare them, defer his anger, not cut them off. Why? Not for their worthiness, which he plainly says they lack, but for his own sake: for my own sake, for my name's sake, for my praise, that his glory not be given to another and his name not profaned. Their hope rested not on their own deserving, but on God's own character, name, and commitment to his glory. This is a deep ground of hope, and of grace. Our standing with God, our hope of being spared and saved, does not finally rest on our own worthiness, which, if we are honest, is lacking; it rests on God himself, on his character, his name, his commitment to his own glory and to his people. God acts for his own name's sake; and this means his grace does not depend on our deserving it. When we feel undeserving, as in truth we are, this is a comfort: God saves and spares not because we have earned it, but for his own name's sake, out of his own character and grace. We do well to rest our hope not on our own worthiness, but on God, who acts for his own name's sake and whose grace does not depend on our deserving. Rest your hope on God, who saves for his own name's sake, not on your worthiness. God's grace does not depend on your deserving it. When you feel undeserving, remember God acts for his own name's sake. Your standing rests on God's character, not your merit.

That is worth resting in, for God saves and spares for his own name's sake, not our worthiness, and our hope rests on his character, not our deserving, as God declared he would spare his undeserving people for his own sake. We can think God's grace depends on our being worthy; but God spared his obstinate people not for their worthiness but for his own name's sake. Grace does not depend on us. When you feel undeserving, do not despair; rest your hope on God, who saves for his own name's sake, whose grace does not depend on your deserving it. Rest your hope on God, who saves and spares for his own name's sake and not on your worthiness, so that his grace does not depend on your deserving it, as though the people had been obstinate and treacherous God declared he would spare and save them not because they deserved it but for his own name's sake, that his glory not be given to another, saying for his own sake he would do it and for his name's sake defer his anger so as not to cut them off; for God is candid about the people, obstinate and treacherous and not deserving of rescue, yet he will not cut them off but will defer his anger and spare them, not for their worthiness but for his own name's sake and glory, so that their hope rested not on their deserving but on God's own character and name, which is a deep ground of hope and of grace, since our standing with God and our hope of being spared and saved does not finally rest on our own worthiness, which if we are honest is lacking, but on God himself, his character, name, and commitment to his glory and his people, so that God acts for his own name's sake and his grace does not depend on our deserving it, which is a comfort when we feel undeserving as in truth we are, since God saves not because we have earned it but for his own name's sake out of his own character and grace, so that we do well to rest our hope not on our own worthiness but on God.

Lord, though the people had been obstinate and treacherous, you declare that you will spare and save them, not because they deserve it, but for your own name's sake, that your glory not be given to another. For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it, you say; for my name's sake I will defer my anger, and for my praise I hold it back for you, so that I don't cut you off. You are candid about the people: obstinate, with necks like iron, treacherous from the womb, not deserving of rescue. Yet you will not cut them off; you will defer your anger and spare them, not for their worthiness, but for your own name's sake, for your own glory. Their hope rested not on their deserving, but on your own character and name. Show me the ground on which you spare your people. You do not flatter them or pretend they deserve to be saved; you are candid about their obstinacy and treachery. By their deserving, they had no claim on your rescue. And yet you declare that you will spare them, defer your anger, not cut them off. Why? Not for their worthiness, which you plainly say they lack, but for your own sake: for your name's sake, for your praise, that your glory not be given to another. Their hope rested not on their own deserving, but on your own character, name, and commitment to your glory. This is a deep ground of hope, and of grace. My standing with you, my hope of being spared and saved, does not finally rest on my own worthiness, which, if I am honest, is lacking; it rests on you, on your character, your name, your commitment to your own glory and to your people. You act for your own name's sake; and this means your grace does not depend on my deserving it. When I feel undeserving, as in truth I am, this is a comfort. Take that to my heart. When I feel undeserving, keep me from despair; help me rest my hope not on my own worthiness but on you, Lord, who save and spare for your own name's sake, whose grace does not depend on my deserving it, so that my standing rests on your character, not my merit.