What is the meaning of Isaiah 46:12? Listen to Me God opens with an urgent imperative: “Listen to Me” (Isaiah 46:12). • The Lord Himself is speaking, not an angel or prophet. His voice carries absolute authority, as in Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, that your soul may live.” • “Listen” stresses more than casual hearing; it demands obedient response, echoing Deuteronomy 6:4–5 where Israel is told to “Hear, O Israel” and love the LORD with all their heart. • Jesus later affirms the same divine expectation: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). The immediate context of Isaiah 46 shows God contrasting Himself with powerless idols (vv. 1–9). True listening rejects idolatry and embraces the living God who declares “the end from the beginning” (v. 10). you stubborn people The Lord identifies His audience as obstinate—literally hard-hearted. • Similar language appears in Exodus 32:9 where Israel is called “a stiff-necked people,” and Stephen echoes it in Acts 7:51, “You stiff-necked people…you always resist the Holy Spirit.” • Stubbornness blinds the heart (Jeremiah 7:24) and invites judgment (Proverbs 29:1). • In Isaiah 46 the stubbornness shows up in clinging to idols even after God exposes their emptiness. The warning is gracious: God confronts sin so His people can repent before discipline falls (Isaiah 1:18–20). far removed from righteousness The phrase pinpoints the tragic result of stubbornness: distance from God’s righteous standard. • Isaiah earlier lamented, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2). • Paul quotes Isaiah to explain Israel’s failure: they “pursued a law of righteousness” but missed God’s righteousness by faith (Romans 9:31–32). • God’s righteousness is near and available, as He immediately promises in the next verse: “I am bringing My righteousness near; it is not far away” (Isaiah 46:13). The problem lies not with God’s distance but with hearts that refuse to draw near (James 4:8). • The hope implicit here anticipates Christ, “who became to us righteousness” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Those who humble themselves receive the very righteousness they once lacked (Romans 3:22). summary Isaiah 46:12 is a loving but firm wake-up call. God commands His people to heed His voice, exposes their stubborn hearts, and reveals the true cause of their spiritual distance—lack of righteousness. Yet the surrounding context shows He stands ready to supply that righteousness to all who listen and turn from idols to Him. |
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