Commentary - Isaiah 46:12-13

Bird's-eye view

In these two verses, the prophet Isaiah, speaking for the Lord, delivers a sharp diagnosis and a stunning promise. The diagnosis is aimed at the "stubborn of heart," those within the covenant community of Israel who, despite their heritage, are spiritually distant from God. Their problem is not a lack of information but a rebellious disposition. The promise, however, is not conditioned on their improvement. God declares that He Himself will take the initiative. He will bring His righteousness and salvation near. This is not a rescue they earn, but a sovereign act of grace He performs. The salvation He provides is not a vague hope but a concrete reality to be established "in Zion" for the glory of God in Israel. This passage is a beautiful distillation of the gospel: man is rebellious and far off, but God in His mercy closes the distance, providing a righteousness that is not man's own.

Coming right after a chapter mocking the impotence of Babylon's idols, which must be carried, these verses highlight the power of the God who carries His people. While the idols are a burden, God is a bearer. The stubbornness of Israel is a heavy weight, but God is more than able to carry it and to bring His saving plan to its glorious conclusion. The problem is a hard heart; the solution is a sovereign God.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

This passage sits squarely in the second major section of Isaiah (chapters 40-55), often called the "Book of Consolation." The historical backdrop is the impending Babylonian exile. God is speaking words of comfort and promise to a people who will soon be displaced and disciplined. The overarching theme is God's sovereign power to save and restore His people, a restoration that far transcends the mere return from Babylon and points ultimately to the work of the Messiah. Chapter 46 contrasts the living God, who carries Israel from the womb to old age, with the dead idols of Babylon, Bel and Nebo, which are a useless burden to their worshipers. After demonstrating the foolishness of idolatry, God turns His attention in our text to the idolatry of the heart within Israel itself, the stubbornness that keeps them far from Him. The promise of salvation is therefore set against the backdrop of both external pagan impotence and internal covenantal rebellion.

Key Issues

Righteousness for the Far Off

The fundamental problem of man is not that he is on a journey toward God and just needs a little help with the last few miles. The problem is that he is constitutionally stubborn, facing the wrong direction, and actively walking away. He is, as the text says, "far from righteousness." The distance is not geographic, but moral and spiritual. So what is God's solution? Does He shout directions from afar? Does He offer a map? No, the gospel revealed here in Isaiah is far more radical. God says, in effect, "You stay right there in your rebellion. I am going to bring My righteousness to you."

This is the heart of the doctrine of grace. It is not a cooperative venture. Man provides the sin, the stubbornness, the distance. God provides the righteousness, the initiative, the proximity. He closes the gap that we have created and could never close ourselves. This is not God meeting us halfway. This is God coming all the way, picking us up out of the ditch we have dug for ourselves, and carrying us home. The righteousness He brings is His own, which is the only kind that will do.

Verse by Verse Commentary

12 “Hear Me, you stubborn of heart, Who are far from righteousness.

The summons is blunt and direct: Hear Me. This is the voice of the covenant Lord demanding an audience with His rebellious subjects. He is not making a polite suggestion. He then delivers a two-fold diagnosis. First, they are stubborn of heart. The Hebrew speaks of being "stout" or "mighty" of heart. This is not a compliment. It describes a heart that is rigid, unyielding, and proud in its resistance to God. It is the cardiac sclerosis of sin. Second, the consequence of this condition is that they are far from righteousness. This is a spiritual reality. Despite being the chosen people, with the law and the covenants, their internal state has created a vast chasm between them and the righteousness God requires. They may have been geographically near the temple, but they were spiritually in a distant land. This is the condition of every man in Adam.

13 I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay.

Here is the astounding reversal. The verb is active and emphatic: I bring near. God Himself is the one who takes the initiative. And what does He bring? My righteousness. This is crucial. It is not a righteousness they are to achieve, but a righteousness He possesses and provides. This is the righteousness of God that is later revealed in the gospel, the perfect righteousness of Christ that is credited to the account of the believer. God says this righteousness "is not far off." In other words, the solution is at hand. And His salvation, which is the practical outworking of this righteousness, will not delay. God's redemptive plan is not subject to postponement. When He determines to act, He acts. For the exiles in Babylon, this was a promise that their seventy years had a firm end date. For all believers, it is the promise that God's plan, culminating in Christ, is unfolding exactly according to His sovereign schedule.

And I will grant salvation in Zion, And My glory for Israel.

God specifies both the location and the ultimate purpose of this salvation. He will grant salvation in Zion. To "grant" something is to give it as a gift. Salvation is not a wage earned but a gift bestowed. Zion, the mountain of Jerusalem, represents the place of God's special presence, the center of His covenant administration on earth. It is the seat of the kingdom. This points forward to the heavenly Jerusalem, the Church, which is the theater where God displays His saving power. And why does He do all this? For His own glory. He grants His glory for Israel. The salvation of His people is not an end in itself; it is the means by which God puts His own character, His mercy, His justice, His glory, on display for all creation to see. He saves His people in order to make them a showcase of His own magnificence. The true Israel, the Israel of God, becomes the recipient and the reflector of the glory of God.

Application

First, we must learn to accept God's diagnosis. The modern world tells you to "follow your heart," but God says your heart is stubborn and far from Him. The beginning of wisdom is to agree with God about your condition. Until you see yourself as stubborn of heart, you will never appreciate the grace that brings righteousness near.

Second, we must abandon all efforts to create our own righteousness. Your righteousness is a filthy rag. Your only hope is to receive the righteousness that God brings near as a gift. This is what it means to have faith: to stop trusting in what you can do for God and to start trusting in what God has done for you in Jesus Christ. He is the righteousness of God, brought near to us while we were yet sinners.

Finally, understand that your salvation is for God's glory. Your life is not your own, to be used for your own comfort and fulfillment. You have been saved and set in Zion, the Church, so that your life would become a spectacle of God's grace. He rescued you from the far country in order to make you a mirror that reflects His glory. Therefore, the central question of your life should not be "What makes me happy?" but rather "What makes God glorious?" The good news is that these two things ultimately find their convergence in the gospel.