"Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are
called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of
Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, 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; The LORD of hosts is his name. I have declared the former
things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I
shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I
knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy
brow brass;" (Isaiah 48:1-4)
The waters of Judah would seem to indicate tribulation.
Those who had survived and would survive the many troubles of war and
captivity are encouraged to listen and to consider their spiritual
condition. The Israelites were notorious for combining the worship
of Jehovah with the worship of idols. In this, they swore by God's
name and made mention of Him; but all was insincere. Through
Jeremiah, God sharply rebuked Israel for her mixed worship.
Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and
burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my
name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this
house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your
eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD (Jeremiah 7:8-11).
Unlike
the truly converted remnant of Isaiah 10:20, these did not lean upon
God in truth but rather trusted in the false securities of lineage
and position. The Jews of John's day exhibited the same heart toward
God when they said within themselves, "...We have Abraham to our
father (Luke 3:8)."
The
former things are likely those prophecies which had been
fulfilled up to this point - prophecies such as the invasion and
defeat of Sennacherib. God told His people beforehand, and completed
the work with rapidity; because He knew of man's tendency to
discredit, in his mind, the presence of God's hand in personal and
national affairs. It is possible for a man's forehead to be made
strong against evil (Ezekiel 3:8), but here the context is entirely
negative. The Jews followed the rebellious whims of their own hearts
and refused to acknowledge God's authority. Every man is haunted by
these same tendencies.