Isaiah 48:1,4 English Standard Version

Israel Refined for God’s Glory

¹ Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right.
⁴ Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead brass,

Leaving out verses 2 and 3 allows us to examine the more troubling conditions. There is confession and swearing but not in truth or righteousness. There is an unwillingness to listen to reason.

This chapter deals with these conditions because Israel is God’s chosen and He will put them through the refiner’s fire and remove impurities.

History repeats itself and considering that Israel is God’s chosen and that we are His chosen for Jesus Christ then the warnings of Isaiah 48 might also be true of some church age denominations.

We are experts at lying to ourselves. We can swear up and down that we worship God with truth and righteousness and the signs that might indicate we have it wrong is an unwillingness to listen to reason.

It should be noted here that we are looking at denominational strains and not individuals. All we can do for the moment is to take inventory of our surroundings. It is every individual’s responsibility to seek God’s approval for the place in which we worship. This can only happen if there is an honest and open discussion with what we see around us in the light of God’s Word.

How free are we to speak about church issues? Can we approach authority with concerns or are they shielded from contact by guardians of the flock? Do we concern ourselves with the practices of our church administration or is there something in us that indicates an infection of the mind that says as individuals we have become unwilling to listen?

How involved are we?

Philippians 2:13 English Standard Version (ESV) for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Every time I read or think about Philippians 2:13 I hear “for my name’s sake” at the end. I know the quote, I know those words are not part of that verse. I still hear it. This causes me to think a little deeper into why God does what He does in me. Yes it is to my benefit but the motive behind the will goes much deeper than just His unending grace.

Isaiah 48:11 English Standard Version (ESV) For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

There are passages within the bible that work together to allow us to understand God’s perfect love. When we come to an understanding of who we are in His Kingdom then the motive becomes clearer.

Revelation 21:2 English Standard Version (ESV) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

While we reap the benefits of grace it is the Lord that has a bride prepared for Him, one worthy of being called His Bride.

There is a transition from unworthy to worthy. All that God works in us is to prepare us to be worthy of His Son. Yes He loves us. I must accept and understand that Isaiah 48:11 is just as true and just as much a part of what happens in us as much as abounding grace.