ISAIAH CHAPTER 55
MERCY AND GRACE ARE FREE
In Isaiah 55:1–56:8 we see an invitation from God to the Gentiles, including them in all the benefits of salvation which have been offered to Israel. The Servant, Jesus, died not only for the sins of Israel (Isaiah 53:8), but also for the sins of the whole world (John 1:29; 1 John 4:14). Isaiah makes it clear throughout his book that the Gentiles are included in God’s plan. What Isaiah and the other prophets did not know was that believing Jews and Gentiles would one day be united together in Jesus Christ as one people in the Church (Ephesians 3:1–12).
God gives a threefold invitation to the Gentiles: He tells them to “come” in Isaiah 55:1–5, seek in verses 6–13, and worship in Isaiah 56:1–8.[fn]
Isaiah 55:1-5 NAS:
1 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.
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 delight yourself in abundance.
3 “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
4 “Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples.
5 “Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, And a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.”
The invitation to “Come” in Isaiah 55:1-5 is an invitation extended to “every one” and not just to the Jews. Anyone who is thirsting for that which really satisfies (John 4:10-14) is welcome to come. As we’ve seen before (Isaiah 25:6) the prophet pictures God’s blessings in terms of a great feast, where God is the host. God invites people in need to come to Him. By coming they indicate that they are trusting in and relying on Him for salvation and are agreeing to obey His commandments. The blessings God gives them are available without cost. Salvation is a free gift of God. All a person has to do is to reach out and accept it. God asked the people how they could be interested in other things beside Himself as He is the only One who can bring genuine satisfaction. Throughout all of history how many people have made the horrible mistake of trying to find satisfaction through many things other than God?
In the Middle East, water is a precious ingredient; and an abundance of water is considered a special blessing (Isaiah 41:17; 44:3). Wine, milk, and bread were staples of their diet. The people were living on substitutes that did not nourish them. They needed the real thing, which only God could provide. In Scripture, both water and wine are pictures of the Holy Spirit.[fn] Jesus is the “bread of life” (John 6:32–35), and His living Word is like milk (1 Peter 2:2). God probably had Isaiah 55:2 in mind when He said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27, NKJV).
People have to work hard to dig wells, care for flocks and herds, plant seed, and tend to the vineyards. But the Lord offered to provide absolutely free everything they were laboring for. They were also told that if they listened to His Word, they would be inclined to come, for God draws sinners to Himself through the Word (John 5:24). Note the emphasis on hearing in Isaiah 55:2-3. We find Paul making the same emphasis in Romans 10:17.
In verse 3 the phrase, “The faithful mercies shown to David,” refers to God’s covenant with David (2 Samuel 7) in which He promised that a Descendant would reign on David’s throne forever. This, of course, is Jesus Christ (Luke 1:30-33). The proof that He is God’s King is seen in His resurrection from the dead (Acts 12:34-39). Jesus Christ is God’s covenant to the Gentiles (the “peoples”) and His promises will stand as long as His Son lives, which is forever. By coming to the Lord, people will have life and the benefits of God’s everlasting covenant with David, which includes God’s never-ending love as stated in His covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:15). Just as God promised to keep His good hand on David, so He assured those who come to Him that He will never remove His blessings from them. He will always be with them and consider them His people.
Isaiah 55:5 indicates that God will use Israel to call the Gentiles to salvation, which was certainly true in the early days of the Church[fn] and will be true during the kingdom.[fn]
Jerusalem will be the center for worship in the world, and God will be glorified as the nations meet together with Israel to honor the Lord.[fn]
Isaiah 55:6, 7 NAS:
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; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Salvation is available to everyone. The wicked are commanded to seek and call on God, and to do so while He may be found, because when His judgment comes it will be too late. Such seeking and calling means that an individual will turn from his/her former evil ways and thoughts. Everyone who trusts in the Lord receives mercy and pardon.
Israelites, even though they were God’s covenant people, were saved only if they believed in the Lord. That is the only way anyone ever has been or ever will be saved.
When God delivered His people from Babylon and took them safely back to their own land, it was a witness to the other nations. It also gave Israel another opportunity to be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6) and bring them to faith in the true and living God. While it was important for Israel to seek the Lord and be wholly devoted to Him, it was also important that they share this invitation with the nations.
You may be wondering, “What is involved in ‘seeking the Lord’?” For one thing, it means admitting that we’re sinners and that we’ve offended the holy God. It involves repenting (Isaiah 55:7), which means changing one’s mind about sin and turning away from sin and turning to God. We must turn to God in faith and believe His promise that in His mercy He will abundantly pardon all who repent. Repentance and faith go together: “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” is how Paul put it, recorded in Acts 20:21.
No one should delay in doing this. The phrase, “while He may be found,” in verse 6 suggests that if we don’t take His invitation seriously, the invitation may cease while we’re delaying. In the Parable of the Great Supper, God closed the door on those who refused His invitation.[fn] 2 Corinthians 6:2 tells us: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.” Scripture is clear that a time will come for each individual, as well as for the human race as a whole, when the door will be closed and the invitation has run out.[fn] So if God is tugging at your heart, don’t think, “I’ll respond tomorrow or next week.” Today is the day to respond.
Isaiah 55:8, 9 NAS:
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares 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.
God’s compassion on those who turn to Him, as we saw in verses 6 and 7, comes because His thoughts and ways are far superior to human thoughts and ways, which in fact are evil (verse 7). God’s plan is something people would never have dreamed of.[fn] Whether that is His plan for the world and for salvation or whether that is His plan for your individual life it is far better than anything you can imagine.
It is not a mark of wisdom to try to “second guess” God, because His ways and thoughts are far beyond our comprehension. All too often we make God after our own image and conclude that He thinks and acts just as we do (Psalm 50:21), and we’re wrong! Have you ever tried to explain the grace of God to an unsaved person who thinks that Heaven is a “Hall of Fame” for achievers instead of the Father’s house for believers? In this world, you work for what you get; and you are suspicious of anything that is free.[fn] We are told there is no free lunch so we hesitate when God invites us to a luscious banquet that costs us nothing even though it cost Him the life of His dear Son.
Isaiah 55:10, 11 NAS:
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Having spoken of the future time of blessing (the Millennium) and the salvation which leads to it, God then assured believers that His Word will accomplish what He says it will. His Word is like rain and snow that water the earth and help give it abundant vegetation. In the Near East, dry hard ground can seemingly overnight sprout with vegetation after the first rains of the rainy season. Similarly when God speaks His Word, it brings forth life as well, thus accomplishing His purpose.
How does God go about calling and saving lost sinners? He does it by the power of His Word. God’s Word is seed (Luke 8:11). Just as the rain and snow are never wasted but accomplish His purposes, so His Word never fails. Do you remember Isaiah 40:8? “The Word of our God shall stand forever.” We never know how God will use even a casual word of witness to plant and water the seed in somebody’s heart.[fn]
Isaiah 55:12,13 NAS:
12 “For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, And it will be a memorial to the Lord, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”
Salvation will also cause the effects of sin to be reversed in the Millennium. There will be changes in the physical creation and people will experience inner joy and peace (Isaiah 54:10.) After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, thorns and thistles began to choke out the good vegetation and Adam had to work hard in order to grow good crops (Genesis 3:17-19). But in the future even nature will be joyful. The trees personified as clapping their hands, that is their branches moving in the wind, suggests the joy people will have because of the changes in nature. Various kinds of trees will grow instead of the thorn bush and briers. Fertility on the earth will be a sign that God is in control. Many interpreters say this imagery symbolizes what God does in a person’s heart at salvation. True, God does change individuals. But we also know from Romans 8:12-21 that all of creation, that is everything God made, suffers under the curse of sin and that redemption will also release all of creation from death and decay. The earth therefore will indeed be unusually fertile during the whole Millennium (Isaiah 35:1-2, 41:18-19; 44:3).[fn] And just think, all of us who are believers will be there to share in it together, ruling with Christ. This is certainly something to sing about!
[fn] John 7:37–39; Ephesians 5:18.
[fn] Acts 10:1ff; 11:19ff; 13:1ff.
[fn] Isa. 2:2–4; 45:14; Zech. 8:22.
[fn] Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Comforted. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1992 (An Old Testament Study), S. Is 55:1.
[fn] Luke 14:16-24; see Proverbs 1:20-33.
[fn] Luke 12:19, 20; Proverbs 1:24-31; 29:1, 2; Chronicles 36:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3.
[fn] Walvoord, John F.; Zuck, Roy B.; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c 1985 S. 1:1111.
[fn] Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Comforted. Wheaton, Ill: Victor Books, 1996, c 1992 (an Old Testament Study), S. Is 55:1.
[fn] Walvoord, John F.; Zuck, Roy B.; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c 1985 1:1111.
