Isaiah chapter 55 shares a message that can be applied to those getting ready to embark on a missionary journey, and to those getting prepared to share their faith in Christ. Within this passage is contained a two-part teaching. The first part, found in verses 1-7, shares the basic content of the gospel message that we’re to proclaim to the world; or rather, the “Message of the Evangelist.” The second part, found in verses 8-13, provides “Assurance for the Evangelist,” giving us the confidence we need to be successful, encouraging us that the results of our efforts are up to the Lord.
Though this passage has a historical context, which I’ll address from time to time, I believe that Isaiah’s prophecy extends far beyond its context to connect with us today, providing the words we need to move us into action in sharing our faith in Christ. It is my hope and prayer that the words we hear tonight will infuse us with “Power for Evangelism,” thus the title of our message.
Part 1: Message of the Evangelist
Everyone Who Thirsts, Come (vv. 1-2)
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.
Isaiah spoke these words around 721 B.C. during the time of the Assyrian captivity; and according to Baptist commentator Page Kelley, Isaiah was prophesying nearly 200 years in advance about the end of the Babylonian exile and the Jew’s opportunity to return to their homeland and Jerusalem.(1) Judah, which was southern Israel, had gone astray from the Lord by worshipping foreign gods and idols, to which God responded by allowing Assyria to advance on the Jewish nation.
A similar set of circumstances would later lead to the Babylonian exile; and while in captivity under Cyrus, many Israelites would find themselves without money; and thus, a shortage of food and water. Kelley says, “Water is a precious commodity in the Near East, and . . . it is often sold in the streets. One wishing to show generosity, therefore, could buy up the stock of a water-carrier and order that it be distributed without charge to any who were thirsty. God’s bounty far exceeds this, however, for He offers, besides water, also wine and milk.”(2)
God was speaking to the captives through Isaiah, asking them a spiritual question: “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?” (v. 2); and this is a question the Lord is asking people even now; those who are lost and broken-hearted, who are trying to satisfy their hunger with the world’s empty pursuits and passions. Therefore, this is where we’ll begin learning how to answer this question and how to direct people to one’s true source of sustenance; as Isaiah proclaims a message of hope that we must continue sharing with the world today.
Page Kelley says that the “water is a symbol of God’s presence in the world . . . So also, we may infer, the bread, wine, and milk that alone can give man life are symbols of the God for whom man hungers and thirsts . . . He does not thirst for ‘something’ from God; he thirsts for God, for the living God.”(3) So, the need to which Isaiah was referring was the spiritual hunger of the captives, which was a thirst that superseded their desire to return to their homeland.
When Isaiah spoke of the people’s thirst, he was confident the Israelites would remember the words of David, and recall how he had presented the answer to their spiritual dilemma. David said in Psalm 42:1-2: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” He also declared in Psalm 63:1, “My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Just as Isaiah directed the Israelites to seek God for their sustenance; we too must direct the lost to seek the Lord to satisfy their spiritual hunger and thirst.
In John chapter 4, we read where Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman and revealed to her something of great spiritual significance. He told her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 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” (John 4:13-14). Isaiah was trying to bring people an awareness that true life is found in God, through the living water of God’s Word; and Jesus was revealing how living water is found in having a personal relationship with Christ.
Kelley comments, “The central truth . . . is that God alone can satisfy the deep inner needs of the human spirit. Water, wine, and milk are but symbols of the spiritual sustenance afforded those who live in fellowship with Him. All who do not seek Him, therefore, are spending their sustenance for that which is not bread and wasting their energy in pursuit of that which does not satisfy.”(4)
The Sure Mercies of the Messiah (vv. 3-4)
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.
What we have here is a reference to the one who would come, or the Messiah. The Messiah who was predicted would be a ruler and Savior with the qualities of a great king and leader like David. Verse 4 says that David was given as a witness to the people. The coming Messiah would also be a witness to the people. He would set forth the ultimate example of God’s love for mankind, and He would offer each of us “living water,” something to satisfy our spiritual thirst.
Isaiah was pleading with the captives to seek the water that can only be found in God, and to look to the predicted Messiah for deliverance so that their “souls shall live” (v. 3); and God is calling people today to return to Him from where they have gone astray. If we faithfully preach the Word and people return to the Lord and dedicate their lives unto Jesus Christ, then God has a great promise waiting in store for them. This promise is seen in the following verse.
The Lord Has Glorified You (v. 5)
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.
God, through His servant Isaiah, prophesied about the captives of Babylon that if they would return to the Lord, then they would set forth an example to all other nations. They would be blessed by God and become prosperous, and all nations would turn to them for help, and look to them with the utmost respect.
This same promise holds true for people today. If we choose to know the Lord through Jesus Christ; and if we’re faithful unto God, and seek Him in His Word, and have a close relationship with Him, then He will bless us as well. We’re given a commission by God to go and proclaim His mercies unto other nations. In verse 5, the Lord said that if we seek Him, then all other nations will come to us. Jesus tells us in John 12:32, “If I am lifted up from the earth, [I] will draw all peoples to Myself.” Therefore, if we exalt Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, then He will draw people to Himself; and thus, to the place where He is glorified.
Let All Return to the Lord (vv. 6-7)
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.
We see here a call to return unto God. These verses tell us of how the people of Judah were once close to the Lord, but they had gone astray. They also tell us that if we aren’t where we need to be in our relationship with God, then we had better return to Him. If we return, then the Lord will abundantly pardon our sins.
Page Kelley says, “The time for decision is now . . . The opportunity for response has to be seized at once, or it may be lost forever.”(5) He continues to add, “The hour of redemption and salvation has arrived. This is the hour . . . the moment of God’s appearing”(6) – and this is the message that we need to be sharing with the lost; that God will abundantly pardon their sin, but their salvation must be seized at once. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, the Apostle Paul declared, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Part 2: Assurance for the Evangelist
Your Ways Are Not My Ways (vv. 8-9)
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.
Right here is where the text switches gears, moving from what the message of salvation looks like, to encouraging us in our evangelism efforts. The Lord, through His servant Isaiah, is providing us words of wisdom and assurance. He’s telling us that we’re going to encounter things that are unexpected in our evangelism efforts. We’re not always going to see the victory or reap the harvest.
Jesus told us in John 4:37-38, “For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” Perhaps God has it in mind for us to be a sower, while someone later on is to become the harvester. Therefore, do not get discouraged if you sow by telling people about Christ, and you don’t see the immediate victory of reaping the harvest. So, why should we not get discouraged? The Lord tells us the reason why in the following verses.
There’s Power in the Word (vv. 10-11)
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.
The Lord is reinforcing here, “Do not be discouraged if you don’t reap the harvest.” He says that His Word will not return unto Him void, but it will accomplish what He pleases. Luke 1:37 says, “For no Word from God shall be void of power,” verifying what Isaiah prophesied; and then Hebrews 4:12 encourages us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Page Kelley writes that the people of God must act upon His command to share the Word, and when they do “they will discover that the promised results will as surely come as new growth comes to fields that have been watered by the rains and snows from heaven.”(7) The Lord knows what He’s doing. Truly, His thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are His ways our ways (v. 8). This assurance of God’s providence should provide us comfort, as we’ll further see in the next verse.
The Assurance of Faithfulness (v. 12)
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.
We were just shown that we do not have to be discouraged if we miss an opportunity to reap. All God requires is that we be faithful in proclaiming His Word. The Lord’s going to work out what He pleases in the hearts of people, and it’s not up to us to persuade them. Our sole responsibility is to get the Word out, so that it can penetrate people’s minds and hearts, as the Word tears down the walls of reason and resistance, clears the land of stones and tills the soil, and deposit precious seeds that will one day sprout and grow in faith until reaching the harvest of salvation.
If we’re being obedient in proclaiming God’s Word, then we can have peace of mind in our faithfulness. The Apostle Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 1:12, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world.” Paul testified of how he rejoiced in the fact that he had a clear conscience. He knew that he had done what was required of him, which was to proclaim the Word of God in simplicity and sincerity.
Kelley says that in context, “The departure from Babylon is described as a victory march. The exiles go out in joy and are led forth in peace. As they journey along, the mountains and the hills . . . break forth into singing and the trees of the field clap their hands, keeping time with the music”(8) – and we too can go forth rejoicing, knowing that heaven and earth are smiling every single time we go out sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ; and when someone confesses Jesus as Savior and Lord, there’s a party going on in heaven (Luke 15:8-10).
The Fruit of Our Labor (v. 13)
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 Lord said, back in verses 10-11, that if we preach the Word then He will make it work where He pleases, and that it’s not up to us. We may never see someone come to faith in Jesus Christ. Our job is simply to be sowers of the Word by planting seeds of the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, Paul shared this truth as he declared, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers.”
There are some people who will actually receive the Word that we’ve sown. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul said, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.” Paul said that some people will receive the Word which they hear from us. It will then begin to take root, and sprout and grow, and do a work in their hearts. When Paul said that it “effectively works,” he meant that it will be successful in bringing about salvation.
In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus said, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom . . . he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces” (vv. 19, 23). If we preach the Word of God faithfully, then the Lord will nourish those who receive His Word. Those people will then begin bearing fruit themselves. Once they bear fruit, then their spiritual offspring will begin sharing the Word; and the drawing of people to God will be an everlasting sign that will be recognized, and not be cut off.
Page Kelley tells us that in context, these verses are saying that “the desert through which [the exiles] pass is transformed into a memorial garden commemorating the Lord’s victory over His foes. Furthermore, it does not revert to its former condition once the exiles have completed their journey [to Jerusalem], but remains in its transformed state for all time to come.”(9) This information tells us that when someone comes to faith in Jesus Christ, then that faith is genuine when it has proven itself to stand the test of time; and the soul that remains in its transformed state will also become an everlasting sign of God’s redemptive power and salvation.
Time of Reflection
This evening, God’s Word has revealed the message of salvation that we, as evangelists, should proclaim to the world. It is a message of freedom and hope for those who are held captive. It’s also a message of fulfillment and satisfaction for one’s spiritual hunger; how an individual’s thirst can be quenched by entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ; and it’s a message of how one’s life can be transformed and blessed, as the Lord uses us to influence the nations. If you’re someone here tonight who needs to know Jesus Christ for the very first time, then I wish to invite you to walk the aisle during the hymn of invitation and pray to receive Jesus into your life.
When we, as believers, go forth to proclaim God’s Word we mustn’t allow ourselves to become discouraged about our efforts, because the Lord will work what He wills in the hearts of those to whom we preach. Our primary goal should be to proclaim God’s Word faithfully, and to live in the joy of knowing that we’re doing God’s will. Therefore, as you embark on a missionary journey, or venture out to share your faith in Jesus Christ, do not be ashamed or afraid. Take with you the words of David, as he declared, “I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts. I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed” (Psalm 119:45-46)
NOTES
(1) Page Kelley, “Isaiah,” The Broadman Bible Commentary, vol. 5, ed. Clifton J. Allen (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1971), p. 347.
(2) Ibid., p. 348.
(3) Ibid., p. 348.
(4) Ibid., p. 348.
(5) Ibid., p. 349.
(6) Ibid., p. 349.
(7) Ibid., pp. 349-350.
(8) Ibid., p. 350.
(9) Ibid., p. 350.
