Isaiah 55:1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
The description of gospel blessings grows sweeter as it advances. «Waters» first, «wine and milk» next, and still all «without money and without price.»
Isaiah 55:2. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
All your largest desires you will find in Christ; you shall have not only necessaries, but delicacies, delights that shall satisfy you to the full, you shall not be able to conceive of anything that shall be more rich and full than the grace of God.
Isaiah 55:3. Incline your ear, and come unto me;
This is the gate by which salvation enters into man, Ear gate, by hearing and believing: «Incline your ear,» bend it forward as if you would catch every word; «and come unto me: «
Isaiah 55:3. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Only think of a covenant made with needy sinners, thirsty sinners, God striking hands with guilty men in the person of Jesus Christ. It is a sure covenant, too; not made up of «ifs» and «buts» and «peradventures», but a covenant sealed with blood, and signed by him who gives an oath with it that he will never turn from it, that you may have «strong consolation.»
Isaiah 55:4. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
He who is our greater David comes to us to bear witness of the immutable love of God, and to be to us our Captain and our King. Happy are the souls that accept this David to be their Leader. You remember how David, in the cave Adullam, gathered to himself «every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, and he became a captain over them.» Even so, the great Antitype, David's Son and David's Lord is willing now to gather to himself those who are spiritually bankrupt, discontented, and weary with the world, and God says, «I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.»
Isaiah 55:5. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
What joy this gives to you who love him! Jehovah has glorified his Son and given to him the power to call to himself a people that he knew not in a saving sense, and he shall so call nations that knew not him that they shall run unto him. We do not preach the gospel, dear brethren, at haphazard, we are sure of results. It we speak in faith, in the name of Christ men must be saved, they must run to Christ. It is not left to their option, there is a divine hand that secretly touches the springs of the will of men, so that, when Christ calls them, they run unto him. Oh, that he would just now call them, even those that are furthest off, that they may run unto him, and that he may be glorified!
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found,
In these happy gospel times when Christ is set forth on purpose that «he may be found.»
Isaiah 55:6. Call ye upon him while he is near:
And he is very near when the gospel is preached with holy unction, when Christians are praying, when hearts are breaking for the conversion of sinners, and when his Spirit is working in their hearts, that they may repent of sin.
Isaiah 55:7. Let the wicked forsake his way,
It is a bad way, it is a downward way, it is a way that will end in destruction; do not follow it any longer: «Let the wicked forsake his way,»-
Isaiah 55:7. And the unrighteous man his thoughts:
«Thoughts!» says one, «we shall not be hanged for our thoughts.» Oh, but you may be damned for your thoughts! No man has really forsaken the way of wickedness until he hates the very thought of wickedness. If your thoughts run after evil, your tongues will soon utter evil, and your hands will soon do evil.
Isaiah 55:7. And let him return
He is like one who has wandered from his father's house: «let him return.» He is like the dove that flew away from Noah's ark, and was ready to faint: «let him return»
Isaiah 55:7. Unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
What a blessed word «abundantly» is here! Abundant pardon to cover abundant sin, abundant provocation, abundant rejection of his Word!
Isaiah 55:8. For
Saith God, as if he would not leave the prophet to speak any longer on his behalf; he himself appears upon the scene, and speaks: «For»
Isaiah 55:8. My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
No doubt he refers here to the pardon of sin. Our thoughts are narrow; we find it hard to forgive great offenses, to forgive many offenses, to forgive many offenders, to continue completely to forgive, all this is very difficult to men.
Isaiah 55:9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Think of the biggest thought you ever had concerning God's forgiveness of sins; try again, let your thoughts rise higher still; ye cannot have reached the utmost height yet, «for as the heavens are higher than the earth,» so are his thoughts and ways higher than yours.
Isaiah 55:10-11. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
If you believe this great promise, you shall have the full benefit of it. Let this gracious rain drop on you, and it must refresh you. Let these blessed snowflakes come down on you, and they shall melt into your bosom, and remain there to bless you for ever; they shall not go back to God with their mission unfulfilled. As for us who preach that Word, or teach it in the Sunday-school, we may have a full assurance that we shall not labour in vain nor spend our strength for nought. No, no; the raindrops go not on an errand that can fail, and the snowflakes that fall to the earth accomplish the end for which they are sent. Much more shall the purpose of God's Word be accomplished! Behold, it drops like the gentle rain; like snowflakes fly the messages of mercy from the lips of the Lord himself, and they shall not fall in vain, blessed be his holy name!
Isaiah 55:12. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
There shall seem to be joy everywhere when there is joy in your heart. When you receive Christ you have put everything round about you into its true position. The whole creation is a vast organ, and man puts his tiny fingers on the keys and evokes thunders of harmony to the praise of God. When the heart is filled with joy and peace, mountains and hills break forth before us into singing, and all the trees of the field clap their hands.
Isaiah 55:13. Instead of the thorn
Which is everywhere today, pricking our feet and maiming our hands: «Instead of the thorn,»-
Isaiah 55:13. Shall come up the fir tree,
Where is the thorn then? I see it upon the bleeding brows of Christ; he has taken it away, and worn it as a crown.
Isaiah 55:13. And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name,
It shall make men know what he is like, what gracious power he has, what goodness dwells in him: it shall be to Jehovah for a name,»-
Isaiah 55:13. For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
That sign is exhibited, today, in the eyes of men. An evil and adulterous generation called for a sign, and this is the sign that God has given, his converting grace in his Church. Instead of miracles, we have the work of the Holy Ghost in the hearts of sinners; and if any will not believe when this sign is sent to them, neither would they believe though one rose from the dead. It stands as «an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.»