Isaiah 55: 1 – 13
Think You’re Right?
1“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you—The sure mercies of David. 4 Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people. 5 Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.” 6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 12 “For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
The more I study the word of God, the more I have come to realize that we are fortunate to be able to exist. You have to see the Mercy of God in everything. I mean look around, everything is cursed. Tornados, earthquakes, floods, landslides, avalanches, sink holes, hurricanes, famines, freezing and roasting temperatures. Diseases, pestilences, illnesses, sicknesses, and injuries affect our ability to function.
I think one of my favorite verses in the bible is in this chapter. In counseling people with their problems I am often reminded that our Holy Creator’s thoughts and ways are totally foreign to us. What we think, say, and do is not in harmony with our Holy Ruler. What we need is to tap into His Ways and Thoughts. This is how we are able to be able to make it.
This reality came home to me in a personal interaction with my son. My Holy Master took care of me growing up and to a large degree I did not know it. I was a street kid since the age of 9. I know God gave me a fighting attitude to not quit. Although I had no one in my life The Lord was always there. I remember one time in a very lonely period of my life I told The Lord Most High that I did not care if there wasn’t anyone in my life as long as He Was with me- for that is all I desire.
Well, anyway, back to the dialogue with my son. I am not sure of the reason of the argument that we had but I remember his words to me, ‘you don’t know how to love anyone.’ Those words stopped me in my tracks. He made me think. You see I never had human love me so this emotion was foreign to me. I told my son that any type of love or care that he or his sisters ever got was strictly because of God. He Is the One Who I learned how to extend love to others.
We see in this chapter that our Holy God now sends out a call to Israel and the nations to respond to what is on offer through His Perfect Servant, who we know today Is The Lord Jesus Christ. All must come and eat and drink, and enjoy the portion that He has obtained. He offers to share with all. It is guaranteed by an everlasting covenant, and in the presentation of the work and splendor of the Servant through Whom it is obtained. Its success is guaranteed. So therefore, let men then seek our Precious Holy Father, Adoni Yahweh, turning from sin and coming to Him, and they will find mercy and abundant pardon.
1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
The cry is possibly modeled on that of a water-seller or a street vendor as he goes through the streets with his wares. Good drinkable water was not a cheap commodity, and the water-seller had plenty of trade. But here one comes offering different water; it is the water of life.
This water has been described in in chapter 44.3-5, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the LORD'S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.”
It is life-giving water, the water of the Precious Holy Spirit, the water of Yahweh’s blessing. And it produces fruit and brings men in submission to Yahweh. It is on offer to all who will receive it. Our Lord Jesus informed us that it is His special water that will satisfy our spiritual thirst. In the Gospel of John chapter 4 verse 14 we read, “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
It is available because of the Servant’s work and all people may come for this water. There is no limit. There is no cost. Even those who have no money are welcome, for it is without price. And there is not only water, but wine and milk and food. God’s abundant provision is for all who will come. They are invited to God’s feast, and it is a feast of mercy and abundant pardon. It is a call to receive righteousness.
In Proverbs 9.5 it is wisdom that calls men to, ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of my wine’. Here the Servant offers even more. They may eat and drink of what He has done for them, and receive life through the Spirit.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live;
The challenge then goes out as to why men spend money on that which is not bread, that which does not really feed and fill them, and why they work so hard to obtain what does not satisfy. For that is what life is for many, working hard and spending money. But they are no better off for it. They are still unsatisfied. They are concentrating their efforts on the wrong thing. They do not find life, and peace and joy. And yet, if they would only listen, God’s Servant is offering them what is good, what will feed and satisfy them to the full. It is something that, if they hear and respond to it, will bring life deep within them.
And what is this wonderful offer? It is to respond to God, to His word, and to His covenant. It is to recognize the work of the Servant, our Lord Jesus Christ. It is to come and be declared righteous through His sacrifice. It is to eat the food of forgiveness, and to drink of God’s mercy and receive new life.
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—The sure mercies of David.
Here is the essence of it. If people seek Him truly, then our Magnificent God will enter into a new covenant with them, an everlasting covenant. This is the covenant of peace, whereby they are made right with God.
This covenant of peace was sealed through the Lord Jesus Christ, The True and Faithful Servant. It is He Who has enabled peace, and, as the mediator (making intercession and atonement, between God in His antipathy against sin, and man in His sinfulness, has, through the sacrifice of Himself, bearing their sin on Himself where God ‘made it to meet’, made it possible for them to become guiltless before God and partake in His resurrection.
But it is more. It is a covenant which includes the sure mercies of David, the promise that God will establish David’s seed for ever on the throne which will be established for ever and that He will give Him the nations for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession. It is a promise of worldwide blessing and worldwide rule, under the Kingly Rule of God. What began with a promise to Abraham has resulted in this glorious fulfillment through the One Who is the Seed of Abraham.
So the covenant that the Servant makes includes the Davidic covenant, and the Servant proves to be in the Davidic line.
4 Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people.
Back in chapter 11 verse 10 we learned that the seed of Jesse was given as an ensign, a banner, to the peoples, to which the nations would seek. Here He is, as the Servant, given as a witness to the peoples, with the result that He becomes their prince (nagid - God-appointed leader) and commander. God’s purpose through David’s descendents and the people of Israel were to be His Servant and to be a witness to the people of the world, but as we know that witness failed. Now, however, the Servant in His form as the suffering Servant and Davidic king, has become that witness, and as a result receives leadership and command over them under God. The Servant and the Davidic king have become revealed as One, and His kingship will be accomplished by His witness, and not by force.
Can you catch a glimpse of our Holy El Shaddai’s Awesome Wisdom in forming this Way?
5 Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.”
As the Gospel goes forth into the entire world, we see that not only will Israel be called back to God by Him, but other nations too will experience the call of God, just as Israel had at Sinai. They too will become His chosen people. And that response is due to the fact that God Himself has glorified His Perfect and Wonderful Holy Servant, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 18 verses 43 – 44 speaks of this action, “You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;
You have made me the head of the nations; A people I have not known shall serve me. As soon as they hear of me they obey me; The foreigners submit to me.”
6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
I do not know about your lives but have you ever been told to mind your own business. People tell me to keep my beliefs to myself. This is a spiritual war we are fighting folks. Do you think Satan and his crew want people to hear the Good News, repent of their sins and come back to God? No, they want to do everything to keep us quiet. Our God has said that today is the acceptable day of salvation. If the death and resurrection of our Holy Lord is vital then why are we keeping it a secret? Now all are called on to seek Yahweh in this time of opportunity, and to call on Him. Emphasis is laid on the importance of responding while there is yet time. God has brought His Servant into the world and the opportunity of knowing God has been opened up, but it should not be missed for its time is limited.
‘Seeking’ does not involve ‘searching for’. The point is that He has been presented through His Servant and men must now respond to Him and seek His face and call on Him. The ‘being near’ of God is a comparatively rare expression. He is near whenever anyone calls on Him. His righteousness and His salvation are as near as a personal prayer.
So let the wicked, those who are guilty of breaking God’s instruction, turn from their sinful own way into the way of Almighty God, Who Is The Way of holiness. He Is The Truth, The Way, and The life for all who are willing to submit to His Authority.
‘The way’ is a permanent set of mind resulting in a continuing walk. And let the unrighteous man turn from his thoughts. The Biblical emphasis on the importance of the thoughts of men comes out strongly here. Among the Ten Commandments one concentrated on men’s thoughts, “You shall not covet”. It matters not only what a man does but what he thinks. The Lord Jesus focused on this point as we read in the Gospel of Matthew 5.28, ““But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
The word ‘unrighteous’ often contains within it the thought of one who causes trouble, ‘doers of unrighteousness’, thus the unrighteous man is always planning how he can cause trouble and mischief, which is why his thoughts must be forsaken.
Take a good look at the words ‘Mercy and pardon.’ Mercy is God’s overflowing love and compassion revealed to the unworthy. Pardon or forgiveness is the act of God whereby He removes the barrier between Himself and those who have offended against Him, and the word is used only of God’s forgiveness. It is possible here because Another, The Faithful Servant, has borne our sin.
Isaiah now concludes this section from 40 onwards by a final statement of the triumph of God’s powerful word as it goes forward to do His will bringing new birth to creation and finally establishing victory to His people, bringing glory to His name.
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
These words summaries all that has gone before. Strange as it may seem to man God is working through His Servant, from the first triumphal entry into the land by His servant Abraham, through His Servant Israel, right through to the Suffering and crucified Servant, Who Is finally glorified and established as world ruler, and it is through that work that He will finally be exalted.
Our Holy Creator now speaks out for all the world to know how He has accomplished all these amazing feats of victory. He lets us know that we would have never gotten the right answer or found out His Perfect Solution to deal with our vile sins and allow for the pathway to the Tree of Life - For God does not work as man works. He does not think as man thinks. His ways are not man’s ways. They are above and beyond all that man can conceive. We stand in awe of You, O Mighty Holy One!
Who would have thought that the coming into Canaan of a small tribal leader uniquely called by God; that the establishing in that land of a small, struggling nation as His witness, which sadly proved itself mainly unworthy but produced its spiritual heroes; and that the final coming of One Who would end His life in great suffering, followed by resurrection; all scarcely noticed while the tide of history flowed on, could have achieved the new birth of the world and the establishing of God’s final purposes? But it will and for us we know the ending. And that is Isaiah’s glorious message.
Such is beyond men’s thoughts. Such would not be man’s ways. But they are God’s thoughts and God’s ways. The same idea is to be found in the temptation of our Lord Jesus. Satan came with man’s thoughts and man’s ways; bribery, worldly power, and religious manifestations, but our Lord Jesus countered with God’s thoughts and God’s ways; obedience, submission, humility, and response to His word. It was The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Who finally triumphed.
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Here is the point I tried to make in the beginning of this teaching and that is that the illustration brings out man’s dependence on God for everything. He is dependent on the God-given rain, he is dependent on the God-given earth, he is dependent on the God-given process, and then he uses and eats what is provided. His part is so small. He comes as it were at the very tail end, having a small part in the whole, and continually receives God’s blessings. Everything is about our Holy God from beginning to end.
Then God declares that His powerful word works like the God-given rain and snow, and it is all under His control. Just as the rain goes forth and does not immediately return, so it is with His word. It continues its work day by day, season by season, it waters and feeds, it brings about new birth, it produces, first buds, and then full grain, which reproduce them both to provide further grain and to feed men’s bodies, and it will finally result in a forested, evergreen, thorn-free world that bears testimony to its Creator. (The trees are pictures of permanence). This is also what God’s word accomplishes. It too brings about His will and prospers in His purposes. And the Paradise that will result will be all His work.
Consider the Mercy and Grace our Great God does for us. As I mentioned before we live in a cursed world, yet our Holy Loving Blessed Trinity makes sure that we survive. To me I sit amazed.
Here as elsewhere in the Scripture the word of God is seen as a powerful and living, almost personal, force that goes forth to accomplish what it wants to do. As in the account of creation, God speaks, and His purpose is fulfilled. This is the Creator again in action. That is one reason why our Lord Jesus Is called ‘the Word’.
So God’s world is an orderly world, superbly planned to provide for man’s continued existence and prosperity, and dependent on God’s gift of rain. But the word that goes out from God does not just produce a semi-automatic response like nature does in its response to rain, it is living and active, it does what He pleases, it accomplishes what He wills. It is positive and powerful and subject always to His purposes and His control. But it does bring men spiritually to birth and it does feed men’s lives. And it does bring about all His will. And nothing can thwart it. And its process has been especially described from chapter 41 to this present chapter. The Servant is uniquely God’s word going forth.
12 “For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
The result will be joy and peace and rejoicing. We note here that ideally man both goes forth and is led forth. On the one hand he is in control of his activity, he is free, but on the other he is subject to control, he is led. These are the two great blessings of redeemed man. Joy is the expression of what he has received, peace is its core. It is to peace that we have been brought, peace with God, peace from God, the peace of God; reconciled to Him, at one with Him, inwardly enjoying what He Is to us and what He has given us, and all through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is in this context that we are to work out our own salvation with greatest care, because it is God Who is at work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure which we are taught in the book of Philippians chapter 2 verse 12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
It will come to its glorious final fulfillment when we are presented before Him, holy and acceptable in His sight. As we are led forth by God we will finally sing. Yes, even the mountains and hills will break out in singing, and the fields will accompany it with the clapping of hands. It will be like one great festival. And the curse of Eden will be reversed. The briars and the thorns will be replaced by glorious evergreen trees, and the whole transformation of creation will fully enhance God’s reputation, it will be to Him for a name, and it will be an everlasting sign, a symbol of His triumph similar to the monuments of the great kings, that in His case will not be cut off or toppled. Here is something that will last forever bringing great glory to God. So is the work of the Servant fulfilled.
Note carefully the everlastingness of it all. Everlastingness is constantly in Isaiah’s mind and vocabulary. Not for him some temporary future state, but a state that lasts for all eternity.
To us is the privilege of a full understanding of Who the Servant is and what His ministry and function would be. But the genius of Isaiah lies in the fact that his words could be an encouragement to his people even before the Servant came. They could still hear the call and encouragement of Yahweh to be His Servant in their time. They could still look forward with joy and hope towards the coming King. Through the centuries before Christ came his ideas were a continual encouragement to His people. They were the seed of Abraham His friend. But now for us who have seen the glorious fulfillment it is a joy beyond all measure - God having provided some better thing for us.
