Isaiah 55:1-5
Imagine the terrible thirst of a hot sunny day with extreme temperatures. Imagine being without water for some time. All you can think about is water, water; give me some water! Without water you would soon die. The Lord invites everyone (yes, everyone) to come to these waters. The water meant life, refreshment, renewal. This water was free not only that, there was no price. You couldn't buy it if you wanted. This is a free gift from God.
Why would anyone go buy anything else? It's as though this living water were available and all one had to do was ask. Yet, so many walk by, ignore it and buy something expensive that offers nothing. No satisfaction, no life.
God said, "Listen" in the middle of verse two. "Eat what is good." It's a call to stop eating all this other stuff. The abundance will delight your soul, but you must eat the good. After 'listen' is 'hear'. Set your ear to hear from God and come to Him, hear and live. The everlasting covenant is a renewal of the Davidic covenant. The son of David would rule on the throne. He will be:
- A witness – to the work of God among His people.
- A leader – a leader of God's children and the nations; a shepherd.
- A commander – the commander of the army of the Lord.
All the nations will come to Israel as the Lord rules from His throne.
Isaiah 55:6-7
The Lord offers mercy to those who seek Him. If they seek, He will be found. Likewise, He will not be found by those who purposely don't seek, who deny and rebel. When the seeker calls upon Him, there will be a response. The response is a pardon. This word used for pardon is the only OT word used for a full pardon, for forgiveness. Only God can forgive sins. This word may be the one used when Jesus healed the paralytic and drew the ire of the religious leaders (see Mark 2:5-12).
The wicked were to forsake those things, the unrighteous turn from his thoughts; both were to return to the Lord. This is turning from sin and to the Lord. Call on Him and He will offer you the living water and pardon your soul. This is one of the most clear presentation of the gospel in the OT.
Isaiah 55:8-9
Our humanity hesitates at so kind an offer. Why? We don't know God's plans for us. We don't understand how He could do so kind a thing, when we know what we deserve. Surely there's a catch. It takes trust because God thinks differently than we do. (Praise God!) His ways are so much higher. We couldn't understand them if we tried, they are beyond our capacity; thoughts in scope we can't fathom, across eternity our finite minds won't grasp.
So, what do we do? We decide to trust a God that is so good, so kind, so powerful, so loving, so sovereign and eternal. What other choice do we have?
Isaiah 55:10-11
God wanted to feed someone; yet long before their stomach growled, He was at work. He brought the rain and snows to water the earth. This brought plants that gave seed to the sower. The sower planted more for someone else, while some of the harvest went to make bread and feed those God provided for.
It is like this with God's word. It goes out and does its work. Sometimes we can't follow the progress of that work. It's not always immediate. Sometimes it's watering a seed, other times its bringing a harvest. But it always, without fail, accomplishes God's desire.
Isaiah 55:12-
In joy and peace they would go. What a time, what a day. The creation could not hold back rejoicing (see Luke 19:40). The thorns of sin replace the blessing of the cypress tree. The useless brier that marks the curse and fruitlessness is replaced by the myrtle tree. All creation would be delivered from the bondage of sin (see Romans 12:1). This restoration will stand as a monument forever attached to the name of the Lord.
©2018 Doug Ford
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