“You call yourself Christians, but claiming the title does not make it so. On the contrary, your behavior proves that you do not have a real relationship with God. You are Christians in name only, for you are disobedient to God’s Word.” This is how we might paraphrase the opening verses of Isaiah 48 for today’s church. The words are meant to capture our attention! “Hear this,” says the prophet, for listening to God is our primary duty. Throughout the chapter, the LORD calls us to hear, listen, and pay attention (v 1, 12, 16, 18). But instead of humble hearing, too often we slip into casual hypocrisy, with a profession of faith that is not “in truth or right” (v 1-2). Thankfully, our unbelief does not prevent the fulfillment of gospel promises. God saw our unbelief in advance, making predictions that would come true with such precision that it would be impossible to credit ourselves or our idols. We can be stubborn, opinionated know-it-alls, but God is the One who is moving all of history forward to accomplish His purposes (v 3-5). Despite our sin, we can look forward to new outpourings of God’s grace in the future. We would like to know everything in advance, but this would only make us feel independent and in control. So God intends to keep on surprising us with His creative plans so that we will continue trusting in Him (v 6-8). God is always giving us better than we deserve! So why does He love us so much? Why does God put up with us? Ultimately, He treats us so well for the sake of His own name. God uses our sin to display the glories of His grace, something which sets Him apart most impressively from every idol. Our evil grieves Him, but does not defeat Him. He confronts us with our sins, but He cancels them through the sacrifice of His own Son on a brutal cross (v 9-11). God wants us to rest in the assurance that He will always be God, succeeding over all opposition and free to carry out His plans—including the use of Cyrus, a pagan king of Persia, to conquer Babylon and set His people free. Even in our unwelcome experiences, Christ is present and leading us forward (v 12-17). The LORD longs for us to know peace and righteousness. He once led His people out of Egypt. He would lead them again out of Babylon. Now He is calling us on the adventure of faith. God is good, wherever and however He leads. But if we will not listen to Him—if we refuse His grace and reject His Word—we will poison our own freedom. It’s the inevitable result of turning from God: “‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked’” (v 18-22). For further meditation: