Isaiah 48:1

"Here we have a recapitulation of the preceding eight chapters, closing with a summons to flee Babylon, and a solemn declaration excluding the ungodly from a share in the promises."[1] The chapter falls into three divisions: "Each commencing with a call on Israel to pay attention: (1) `Hear ye this ...' (Isaiah 48:1-11); (2) `Hearken unto me ...' (Isaiah 48:12-15), and (3) `Come ye near unto me, hear ye this ...' (Isaiah 48:16-22)."[2]

The chapter is definitely addressed to two classes of people, namely the true believers, referred to here as "Israel," and the wicked and rebellious majority, called Jacob. The student will at once see this as a departure from what many of the commentators say, namely that Jacob and Israel are two words for the same people in a rhetorical device known as a hendiadys. As we view it, this is simply not the case at all. In Babylon, there were the fleshly descendants of Jacob (the fleshly Israel), and also there was the true Israel of God, those who believed the promises and faithfully waited for the Lord's deliverance. "Jacob was their secular and natural designation, and Israel was their spiritual or covenant name."[3] See my note under Isaiah 40:27.

That both of these groups are addressed in this chapter is certain, because there are wonderful promises for the covenant people and terrible denunciations for the hypocritical majority.

The first division (Isaiah 40:1-11) is clearly directed at the wicked and rebellious majority:

Isaiah 48:1-2

"Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah; who swear by the name of Jehovah, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth nor in righteousness (for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel, Jehovah of hosts is his name)."

The captive Jews addressed in these words were consummate hypocrites, supposing that they were the darlings of heaven merely because they were literally descended through Abraham and Jacob. They were the Old Testament examples of those same vicious murderers of the Son of God who bragged about being "Abraham's seed" in John 8:33ff. O yes, they felt very secure because they frequently used the name of Jehovah and claimed as their very own the God of Israel, the prophecy here reminded them that the God of Israel was none other than Jehovah of hosts, a term "especially connected with the holiness of God."[4]