Yahweh has planned everything that has happened and will happen on this planet. However, the events themselves are directed toward the creation of a new era. Though God’s people may fail, Yahweh himself remains faithful to introduce and bring in that new era. The new era is not eschatological in the sense that it is far off. Instead, like the judgment, it is always near. The restoration of the Jewish people from exile introduced this era in a grand way. Its future lies hidden in the revelation of God’s name, which will be manifested in the glory, righteousness, and salvation of his people.

Though God’s people claim to lean on Yahweh, swear by Yahweh, and point to Jerusalem as the holy city, they do not show their covenant relationship in their daily lives (48:1–8). They are faithless, wi…