Before we begin our exploration of the Bible text God has placed on my heart today, I think I should remind you of another biblical text. With election day looming in a little over a week, I would be irresponsible if I did not point out to you that, as believers in Jesus and as citizens of the United States, that it is our duty to vote. Listen to the words of Romans 13:1-3, a passage where the Apostle Paul outlines the Christian’s duty to a secular government: “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same.” If you have not already voted, please, assume the responsibility God has given you and vote.
In this election we are choosing a person to serve as the President of the United States. This has been a very unusual election year and we have watched events unfold that have never happened before. Which candidate should you choose? That’s a good question. Let me suggest to you that we are not voting for a pastor, but for a president, and there is no perfect candidate. Yet, we are called to make a spiritual decision. I will vote for the candidate based on which one’s ideas best match the principles of God’s Word. The Bible has much to say about the issues facing us this year and you and I should vote according to a biblical world view rather than to an allegiance to a political party. One more piece of advice: make sure you pray diligently before you vote. Ask the Lord to guide your thoughts and select the candidate of His choice. Now, let’s get to the book of Isaiah.
If you are holding your Bible, and you should be, you are holding the most amazing treasure on planet Earth. It is worth more than gold or silver or precious gems. It is God’s Word, uniquely and specially preserved for you and contains all the wisdom God has provided for you to know His will and live righteously in this present world system. Of all the things on this earth, very few things will endure for eternity. The Bible is one of those things.
In 1947, as a Bedouin shepherd retrieved a wayward goat from a cave near the Dead Sea in Israel, he discovered pottery filled with ancient parchments. As more of these Dead Sea Scrolls were found, it was apparent that God had providentially preserved the entire book of Isaiah. There is no doubt in my mind that these thirteen verses of Isaiah 55 are precisely what God Himself had written and that they have been perfectly preserved for our edification today. When scholars compared the text of this chapter with the Isaiah of the Dead Sea Scrolls and that of the Masoretic text that dated over a thousand years later, they discovered that they were nearly identical. That means that the Lord preserved every word in our text.
When you read these words, it is certain that these are the words Isaiah wrote–the very words God inspired him to write. These words have comforted, encouraged, and strengthened generations of believers for over two and a half millennia. They have also brought innumerable people to a saving knowledge of the Lord through all those years. In this chapter, the Lord calls Israel to faith and repentance and also offers His grace to Gentiles. It shows God’s plan of salvation for the Jew first and also to the Gentile.
It also opens the door to the Millennial Kingdom of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It describes some of the conditions of His kingdom and some of its blessings. For our study, the passage can be divided into three parts: first we will see God’s gracious invitation to trust in Him, second, we will find the amazing quality of God’s Word, and finally, observe God’s gracious provision for the future for all who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.
A GRACIOUS INVITATION TO ALL. Isaiah 55:1-7
God’s Invitation. The chapter begins with a particle or exclamation that calls attention to the message. Some recent English translations omit this, while others translate it “Listen!” The English “Ho!” is actually quite similar to the original Hebrew which is “howy!” Isaiah actually portrays a common occurrence in Israel of his day. The people of Israel lived in a hot and arid climate and water was a scarce commodity. Some entrepreneurs would get a small cart filled with clay pots. Early in the day, they would go to a well or other water source and fill the pots with water. Then they would go through the villages and towns crying out “Howy, if you are thirsty, I have water for sale.”
Yet here, there is a difference. It is God who is calling out to those who thirst. And the water He offers will cost them nothing. He brings that which is necessary and gives it away to whoever responds. It is a universal invitation and no one is excluded. It is not just for the rich or powerful, but anyone can come. Salvation is a free gift from God. No man or woman can excuse themselves for not being a believer in Jesus Christ because he or she is poor, no money is required. The water is the water of life only Jesus can give, wine symbolizes the blessings of salvation, and, according to the Apostle Peter, milk is a picture of the Word of God which leads to spiritual growth. This is faith that is a gift purchased by the Redeemer. Salvation is freely given to all who come.
Nothing else will satisfy the soul or grant eternal life. The world has counterfeits for sale, forgeries and imitations that can do nothing to save your soul. They call people to works and efforts, but cannot truly grant salvation. Yet, we find here that what we work for, wages, does not satisfy–they fail to do what only Jesus Christ can do. That does not mean that millions of people do not spend much of their wealth and years of their time in a vain attempt to earn salvation, but ultimately, their efforts will fall short and they will die in their sins.
Resident in the conscience of mankind lies the understanding that our souls were made for higher and nobler purposes and we were created with an emptiness in our soul that none but the Lord Jesus can fill. Everyone is spiritually thirsty. Everyone needs salvation in Christ. We are called to the One who is good and enjoy the abundant life He alone offers.
The Everlasting Covenant. Notice, if you will, that the unbelieving man or woman is called to listen to the Lord’s invitation. It is an appeal to turn to Him and to recognize Him as the One who saves. We must pay attention to His words and not be distracted by the things of the world. And notice please, that He offers life. There was a powerful day during the life of our Lord, when His good friend, Lazarus died and was buried. As Jesus approached the village where Lazarus lived with his sisters Mary and Martha, He said to a grieving Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Jesus is life, He created our life and He sustains our life. Only He can give eternal life. Has the Lord Jesus given you His gift of eternal life?
When a person listens to God’s gracious invitation and responds by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she is blessed by entering into an everlasting covenant with the Lord. This everlasting covenant was described by Jeremiah, “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:31-33).
Israel, having rejected their Messiah at His first coming, did not enter into this new covenant, but many of the descendants will at His Second Coming. But the spiritual aspects of the new covenant are granted to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to the words found in Luke 22:20, “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” The “faithful mercies shown to David” was the Davidic covenant found in Second Samuel chapter seven. There, God entered into the eternal Messianic covenant that declared that Jesus the Messiah would be David’s descendant.
The Leader and Commander. The Messiah mentioned in verse three is mentioned again in verse four. Jesus is the “witness” who declared God’s truth and His plan of salvation. Israel already knew a “leader and commander” and his name was Joshua. In this prophecy we find that Jesus will also be known as the leader and commander. This will be seen in His Second Coming when He will return as the Commander of heaven’s armies who will conquer and then, as the Leader, be established as the Sovereign Lord and King of kings. The word for nation is important. The word in the original is “goyim” and it means the Gentile nations. Here we find that the invitation will also be given to the Gentiles. During the Church Age, Gentiles will turn and embrace Israel’s Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Requirements for Eternal Salvation. Verses six and seven offer one of the clearest examples of salvation now and kingdom blessings later. It gives an excellent example of how people were saved during the Old Testament period. Salvation, grace, and mercy were available to the people of Israel. To receive God’s salvation, He required them to seek Him, that is, inquire about His ways. We are told in Deuteronomy 4:29, “Seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” Proverbs tells us, “I love those who love Me; And those who diligently seek me will find Me” (Proverbs 8:17). The book of Hebrews informs us that, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
After seeking the Lord, the unsaved must call upon the Lord. Romans 10:13 tells us that “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God may now be found but once the unsaved man or woman dies, it will be impossible. There must be repentance. The wicked must forsake his way and the unrighteous his thoughts, this means turning from sinful living and turning to the Lord. A sinner must come by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, recognizing his or her sin and desiring the forgiveness and deliverance from sin. When an unsaved man or woman, boy or girl does this, the Lord will have compassion and him or her and will abundantly pardon. When the unsaved turns to the Lord Jesus and casts himself on His mercy, a full and complete pardon is given by grace. According to Isaiah 53:6, “The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on” the Lord Jesus. Trusting in Him brings eternal forgiveness of all sins.
A GRACIOUS ILLUSTRATION OF GOD’S WORD. Isaiah 55:8-11
God’s Thoughts and God’s Ways. Someone may wonder how the Lord Jesus could offer everlasting forgiveness and an eternal covenant simply by faith. Why was it His plan that Jesus, the Son of God, had to come to earth and suffer for our sins in His sacrificial death on the cross? God answers that question. His thoughts are not our thoughts. The three members of the Divine Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, have infinite knowledge and infinite wisdom. His thoughts are infinite while ours is finite. In the vast infinity of His perfect wisdom, He determined that the best way to save the souls of our rebellious race was for Jesus to give His life as the ransom to pay for the sin-debt of every person who comes to Him by faith. This is beyond human comprehension.
His ways are also higher than our ways. The Lord illustrates this by showing from our perspective on earth, the heavens are higher than the earth. In recent years astronomers have determined that the universe God has created is far greater than we can imagine. In like comparison, the ways we would do things is inferior. God’s power secures an eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This is God’s perfect plan whether we understand it or not. His ways are always higher than ours.
Creations’ Illustration. In His message through Isaiah, the Lord points to the hydrological cycle. We have been very dry here in Kansas for a while and we need rain. God tells us that whether it is rain or snow, when it falls from the sky, it accomplishes what God has determined. As it waters the fertile fields, it produces crops that feed those who are hungry. God established this cycle for the purpose of feeding those on the earth, and it has continued unimpaired for thousands of years.
God’s Power in His Word. In the same way, the Bible, the Word of God is also under God’s complete sovereign control. When the Word of God is taught or preached or heard or read it accomplishes precisely what God intends. What an amazing truth! It may appear from our perspective that the preaching or teaching of God’s Word has no effect. Some people hear and respond with stubbornness and unbelief. The Word seems to fall upon deaf ears. But God always has a design in the Word. For the sinner who rejects Christ, it leaves him or her without excuse. They heard what God demands and have made a willful choice to not believe. For others, the Word leads them to salvation and for those who believe, it enables their spiritual growth.
At this very moment, the Word of God is having the effect He has chosen. It will always succeed in what He desires. When an unsaved person hears God’s Word, including His gracious invitation, His plan of salvation and forgiveness, the Holy Spirit uses that Word to bring that soul to Jesus Christ.
A GRACIOUS PROMISE FOR THE FUTURE. Isaiah 55:12-13
The Blessings of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom. As is often the case in prophecy, the prophet Isaiah looks far ahead, beyond his time and beyond ours as well. The Lord gives him a view of the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. The unbelief and futility of this present life will be replaced by joy and peace. The Lord’s kingdom will be characterized by the His provision of inner joy and peace, the result of God’s full assurance of pardon. All of God’s creation, represented here by mountains, hills, and trees will join together in this great celebration of God’s grace. The difference between the days in which we live and those glorious days of His kingdom is beyond our present comprehension.
The Changes in Creation. Romans 8 tells us that the whole creation groans and suffers and will be set free from its slavery to corruption. Here, Isaiah gives us a peek at that change. The sin of Adam and Eve brought the curse on plants and thorns and thistles were part of that curse. But God will change that. Instead of thorns, cypress will grow and instead of nettles, myrtles will grow. This replacement of plant life associated with the curse implies the removal of toil and trouble. There will be a return to some of the conditions of Eden. All this is done as a memorial to the Lord and will be an everlasting sign. This tells us that this restoration accompanied by the redeemed will be glorified by God’s continuous blessing.
This is God’s invitation. Have you heard it? Have you responded to His invitation for you to come to Him. The Lord is not afar off, distant and disinterested. He is right here, right beside you, right now. I am sure many of you have already responded to the Holy Spirit who invited you to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. When you trusted in Him, He wrote your name down on His everlasting covenant, He pardoned all of your sins, and He gave you life. Right now, He is preparing a place for you in His Father’s house, a place of joy and peace. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you know that the day of His return draws ever nearer, and we must spread His invitation to those who need to hear it.
If you are listening today, and you have not accepted our Lord’s invitation to everlasting life, may I plead with you to take Him at His word and believe in Him. He stands ready to grant you all of His blessings. Will you call upon the name of the Lord and be saved?
