THE DIVINE PROVISION FOR HUMAN NEED
Isaiah 55:1-2. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, &c.
The world owes much to the Hebrew mind, and the fine foreshadowings of the ancient prophets. Isaiah touches a chord to which all hearts vibrate, speaking of the birth of Christ, &c. And like a true friend of our suffering race, he sympathises with those who hunger, with those who are weary, and with those who are athirst, No wonder that this old book should still be welcome to man, should never exhaust itself, never grow old, because there is so much in it which appeals to the living heart of humanity. Take the text as an instance, which exhibits the blessings of the Gospel under the most delightful aspects. Consider—
I. How DEEPLY THE BLESSINGS OF THE GOSPEL ARE NEEDED.
1. They are not blessings which we can do very well with, or very well without, but they are absolutely vital to our existence. The Gospel is one thing in all ages, and it is the one thing needful for sinful, suffering, dying man—needful to youth and age, &c.
2. But besides this, the thirst of the soul for something greater or nobler than earth can give, is universal
3. The text especially addresses those who thirst after the blessings of pardon and salvation, who feel their destitution of grace, &c. How precious are Gospel blessings to those who feel their need of them!
II. HOW EMINENTLY ADAPTED THEY ARE TO OUR NEED.
Water, milk, wine, bread, are not more suited to the wants of the body, than Christ and salvation are to the deeper wants of the immortal mind. The real ground of the adaptation of the Gospel to man’s need, arises from its power to meet the twofold difficulty under which we labour—the guilt of past sin, and the present love of sin. The Gospel experimentally received, acts with the fixedness and certainty of a general law, and becomes “the power of God unto salvation,” &c.
III. HOW FREELY THEY ARE PROCLAIMED.
Our encouragement to seek these blessings is as ample as our need is great. “Come ye to the waters,” &c. There can be no contrariety between the absolute freeness of Divine grace, and the appeals and invitations to sinners in the Gospel. The doctrine of the Scripture is that all are welcome to Gospel grace to whom Gospel grace is welcome, &c. The invitation is very free and full, designed to meet all the discouragements of grace-wanting spirits. Come, and come NOW.
IV. HOW FEARFUL ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NEGLECTING THEM.
An eternal famine must be the result. The greatest guilt must be involved in the rejection of the greatest mercy; and by the grandeur of the blessedness of the saved, you may calculate the depth of the misery of the lost. This ruin is aggravated—
1. By the thought that it is self-caused.
2. By the thought of the worthlessness of the objects for which it is resigned. “Wherefore do ye spend,” &c. Though the Gospel is absolutely free and gratuitous, yet its blessings must be sought.—Samuel Thodey.
We may term these words the Gospel summons, the trumpet call from Heaven to man, bidding him to the great fulness of God’s redeeming love. The call reminds us—
I. That the religious wants of man are imperious, and they are universal. By their being imperious we mean that they have a power to assert themselves in such a way that we must feel them, however we may explain them. The opening verses of this chapter supply us with the strongest illustration of the religious feeling in man, for they describe it as a hunger and a thirst—a view of the matter very familiar to us in the Scriptures. And what more imperious feelings does the body experience than those of hunger and thirst? So is it with the soul. It hungers and thirsts quite as truly, quite as deeply, as the body. No thirst was ever more real than that described by the psalmist (Psalms 42:1-2).
The religious need is also universal, i.e., it is involved in the life of every human soul. It may be more or less developed, but the spiritual capacity is there, and will in due time assert its strength. We may say that the spiritual craving is—
1. Conscious, i.e., has become distinctly intelligible to the soul who is alive with yearnings after God. This is the state of which our Lord speaks (Matthew 5:6).
2. Or, it may be said to be unconscious, i.e., all the elements of yearning and dissatisfaction may be there, though the soul does not recognise their true meaning and treat them in the right way. Hence we may trace the hunger and thirst of the spirit in the very perversions of life, such as the following:—Undue eagerness after earthly possessions; vices, by which men seek spurious happiness; tyrannies, by which they seek undue mastery, &c. These very disorders witness to the active spirit within, and the facts are everywhere present: “that religious instincts are as truly a part of our nature as are our appetites and our nerves, is a fact which all history establishes, and which forms one of the strongest proofs of the reality of that unseen world to which the soul of man continually tends.”
II. Our text announces that these spiritual wants are provided for. “Come ye to the waters: come and eat.” This is a great secret of the Gospel message, that it not only describes our need, but also offers the supply. The former without the latter would prove a cruel mockery. “The waters” here spoken of set forth the fitting and overflowing provisions of God for our wants. When we rightly know our need, we shall eagerly respond to His message:—e.g., the Gospel declares—
1. God’s love for human souls. We are not Fatherless. With a deep and infinite love far beyond expression or thought, He cares for us (John 3:16).
2. God’s help for human souls. In order to attain to our true life, we need—light in our mind: cleansing of the heart: redemption from the power of all sin. All these things are meant by the one word salvation, and they are comprised in the saving work of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). Salvation, then, is a great word, and it means a great provision. “Come ye to the waters.” The provision is as wide as the need—“Every one.”
III. The terms are within the reach of all. In this matter of salvation there is no privilege of aristocracy, or money, or position, or power. It is not a question of purchasing. What can I offer to God for what He gives me? All that I have, worth possessing, first came from Him: I have nothing of my own. In this respect we all stand upon equal footing before God. The richest has nothing to give, and the poorest is not kept back by his poverty.
And yet there is a condition in the matter which we must all face. There is one thing we have to do—we have to come to the waters. This indicates the personal trust and the voluntary surrender that God requires of us, and this is what we mean by faith. The condition upon which God saves us may be fulfilled by any and all of us.
IV. From all this it follows, that those who come short of the blessings of God’s redemption, are themselves to blame.—W. Manning.
Here are plain words, in which plain facts and truths are stated, for the instruction and encouragement of plain people. The prophet uses figures drawn from the common experience of common life to set forth the promises of Divine revelation.
I. MAN’S WANT. As hunger and thirst are primary and universal facts of human nature, so has man’s soul appetites which call for satisfaction. We experience desire and need for true happiness, for the favour of God, for joy and peace of heart, for a law of life, for comfort under trials, for a hope, an assurance of immortality. Man’s wants are real, numerous, and pressing.
II. MAN’S VAIN ENDEAVOUR TO SATISFY THE WANTS OF THE SOUL. As the miserable inhabitants of a besieged city buy the vilest carrion to stay their hunger, as wretched slaves toil beneath the sun for long hours with no wages in prospect, so the irreligious, in their folly and delusion, seek to satisfy the needs of the soul with the vain things of this perishing world; so the misguided and superstitious strive to appease the conscience with unprofitable observances (H. E. I. 2378–2387, 4627–4630).
III. GOD’S SUPPLY IS PROVIDED FOR MAN’S WANTS. In contradistinction from the foul carrion and the polluted waters of the world, we have here set before us the wholesome bread, the new milk, the pure wine of the Gospel of Divine grace. Here you may find in Christ a provision of salvation; in the gift of the Holy Spirit all spiritual help and guidance. The fact that the Gospel is from God is a guarantee that it is adapted to the necessities of men; and He has caused it to be published from His fatherly desire that our hunger and thirst should no longer distress and torment our spirits.
IV. THE GRACIOUS TERMS UPON WHICH THE GOSPEL OFFERS TO SUPPLY HUMAN WANTS.
1. The blessings of Divine love are offered to every one who both needs and desires them—to every one who will receive them by faith.
2. They are offered without any demand for payment, without money, and without price. In fact, it is impossible for us to give anything which can purchase them; and it is impossible for the Giver to accept any recompense save that of love and obedience.—The Homiletical Library, vol. ii., p. 117, 118.
THE GOSPEL INVITATION.
Men seek happiness. But they usually seek happiness in some wrong way. There is in many men a craving for religious peace and satisfaction. The soul’s craving is met by this Gospel. Here is—
I. THE DESCRIPTION OF A PRICELESS BLESSING.
“Water,” “wine,” “milk.” The metaphors come from the East. We must place ourselves in the circumstances of Oriental life. Wine, such as was commonly used in Palestine. Milk, so precious everywhere. Water Travellers in the desert know the value of water when the supply is exhausted and no stream appears. Also those who have climbed a mountain on a hot summer’s day. Suppose the case of a great city, with the supply of water completely exhausted. Suppose, by some change in the course of nature, water was entirely withdrawn from the earth. It would be speedily reduced to a dreary waste, where desolation and death would reign supreme. But this is man’s condition when destitute of the Gospel of Christ.
II. THE TERMS OF A GRACIOUS INVITATION.
1. The act which it contemplates. “Come.” “Buy.” “Eat.” This is the attitude of the Gospel towards mankind as distinguished from other religions. They say to poor, helpless, fallen humanity, “Go and do something.” The Gospel says, “Come.” It is the attitude of the loving Father toward His wandering child; of the wealthy friend who says to the needy one in whom he is interested, “Come to me;” of the strong and gracious Saviour, Who bids the weary and heavy laden come. Can anything be simpler than to come and take what you need? To come to Jesus is to believe in Him, &c.
2. The condition it specifies. In many parts of our cities benevolent individuals have placed drinking fountains where men and cattle may quench their thirst freely by simply coming and taking the water as it flows. It is a good emblem of the Gospel, and of the terms on which sinners are invited to partake its blessings. When God provided salvation in Christ, He provided it on terms that illustrate its derivation from His love. He does not demand, and will not accept a price at our hands. What price could we bring? Our righteousness is an inadequate price. Self-righteous pride must be abandoned when we come to Jesus. He has paid the price. We hold our empty hands and take the gift. The condition of absolute spiritual impoverishment to which man is reduced, demands that the salvation be free.
3. The characters it comprehends. The consciousness of need is the only qualification. Have you seen the emptiness of the world, and are you reaching forth, even blindly, towards something better? He invites you to Himself, where you will find what you need, and more than you at present think of. Do you desire salvation? Desire is a prominent element of thirst (Matthew 5:6). Is there in your heart such a consciousness of sin as disturbs your comfort in it, produces distress, excites desire of mercy? Your case is described in the invitation. You are “one that thirsteth.” Are you sensible of your inability to save yourself—your utter spiritual impoverishment? The invitation includes him that hath no money. It is addressed to every one. No need to hesitate because of unworthiness, or the greatness of your sin. This “every one” is equivalent to Christ’s “whosoever.” Do not exclude yourself from it.
Let me urge the acceptance of this gracious invitation (Revelation 22:17).
1. God’s Spirit says “Come.”
2. God’s Church says “Come.” Those who have accepted the invitation are bound to pass it on.
3. Your urgent need says “Come.”—J. Rawlinson.
By these emblems are set forth—I. THE OVERFLOWING FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. “Come ye”—not merely to the water, but—“to the waters.” “The waters”—
1. Of forgiveness, in which all our sins are buried out of sight (Micah 7:19).
2. Of purification, by which every trace of defilement shall be washed away.
3. Of refreshment. II. THE DELIGHTFUL PLEASANTNESS, &c. The blessings of the Gospel cheer and satisfy like wine and milk. III. THE ATTRACTIVE FREENESS, &c.
1. The blessings of the Gospel are offered to all. “Ho!”—a call to arrest the attention of the travellers along life’s highway, whoever they may be—“every one that thirsteth.”
2. They are offered to all freely. IV. THE MARVELLOUS ADAPTATION OF THE BLESSINGS OF THE GOSPEL. “Without money and without price.” APPLICATION.
1. To man’s needs.
2. To man’s condition—morally bankrupt.
(1.) God’s invitations are not mere complimentary words, such as are sometimes current in society—invitations made with a secret fear least they should be accepted. God is in earnest.
(2.) Sincere invitations cannot be slighted without offence. This is true of invitations addressed by men to their equals; much more, of invitations addressed by men to their inferiors. The Queen’s “invitation” is a “command.” What excuse then shall we offer if we slight the invitations addressed to us by Almighty God?
(3.) If we slight the gracious invitations which He has addressed to us, where shall we obtain the “waters” needed to satisfy our spiritual thirst, the “wine and milk” needed to sustain our soul’s life? The alternative before us is to turn to Him and live, or to turn away from Him and die!—J. H. Stewart: Lectures on Isaiah lv., pp. 1–24.
I. The moral condition of the persons invited. The description implies—
1. A conviction of the need of spiritual blessings.
2. A discovery of the abundant fulness in Christ for salvation and enjoyment.
3. An ardent desire for the blessings of His grace. Are you thus thirsting, &c?
II. The benefits they are invited to share. Figurative expressions, pointing to the blessings of the New Covenant procured for us by the Atonement and resurrection of Christ. The phraseology refers—
1. To their variety and fulness.
2. To their perfect adaptation.
3. To their gracious freeness.
III. The nature of the invitation addressed to them.
1. You are to “come.” But where, and to whom? You are to come to the appointed source.
2. You are to come and purchase covenant blessings. They are invaluable. They have been procured by the Saviour.
They are to be obtained as free undeserved gifts.
3. You are to participate in the blessings of the Gospel.
CONCLUSION.—What response do you give to this invitation? Some perhaps will make light of it—postpone compliance—begin to make excuse, &c. See what you reject None need despair.—George Smith, D.D.
The benefits of the Gospel are offered to the perishing.
I. The fulness of the offered gift.
II. The freeness of the offered gift.
III. The universality of the offer.
1. Offered to all nations of mankind.
2. To men of every state, class, and character.
3. The salvation is free to the chief of sinners.
4. The offer of life ought, therefore, to be considered by each individual hearer as addressed personally to himself.—J. W. Alexander, D.D.: The Preachers’ Monthly, New Series, vol. vii. pp. 41–44.
THE WAY TO TRUE HAPPINESS
Isaiah 55:2-5. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, &c.?
Having set forth in Isaiah 55:1 the perfect freeness of the grace offered in the Gospel, and its adaptation to the wants of sinners, the prophet now expostulates with those who are unwilling to receive it, and exposes the absurdity of thus refusing to embrace the only real good, while at the same time they are toiling in pursuit of that which is imaginary. The question presupposes that the soul is hungry, that it must be hungry until it is fed, that the gnawings of hunger will constrain it to seek food, and that the instinct of self-preservation, no less than the desire of enjoyment, will induce it to give anything it has in exchange for the necessary means of its subsistence and enjoyment; that the fatal error lies not in the seeking after something to sustain it and to make it happy, but in imagining that this end can be answered by the pleasures, gains, and honours of the world, which are not only brief in their duration, but unsuited in their nature to satisfy the wants of an immortal spirit. It is this view of man’s natural condition upon which the invitations of the Gospel are all founded. Observe, then—
I. THE PROPHET MAKES THE INSUFFICIENCY OF EARTHLY GOOD AN ARGUMENT FOR FIXING THE DESIRES ON OBJECTS ADAPTED TO OUR NATURE. He assures the disappointed soul that happiness is really attainable. But is this indefinite assurance that there is a good sufficient and attainable, the highest and best offer that the Gospel makes to sinners? If this were all, the tender mercies of the Gospel would be cruel. The voice of God has no such “uncertain sound,” for—
II. THE DIRECTION OF THE SOUL TO A SPECIFIC AND EXCLUSIVE OBJECT AS ITS ONLY GROUND OF HOPE AND TRUST IS A DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF THE GOSPEL. God stands at the fountain of life, and cries, “Ho, every one that thirsteth,” &c. Annexed to this gracious invitation is the specific promise of a sure salvation, “And I will make,” &c. (2 Samuel 7:16; cf. Luke 1:32-33; Jeremiah 23:5-6, and others).
1. The offer of salvation is specific. It is not mercy in general that is offered, but the mercies of David—purchased by the second David—promised to the ancient David, which he hoped for, which he trusted in, and of which he could say, “This is all my salvation,” &c.
2. It is sure. It is a covenanted blessing, and it therefore cannot fail; it is a permanent blessing, and can undergo no change; it is a durable blessing, and shall last for ever.
III. ALL, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONFIDE IN THE SAME ALL-SUFFICIENT SAVIOUR (Isaiah 55:4-5). The connection leaves no doubt that Christ is here the subject of discourse. To the nations generally He reveals the Father, and brings life and immortality to light (Isaiah 55:5). In addition to the doctrinal instructions of this passage, we may learn from it a lesson in the art of invitation.
1. We must not address our invitations to a nature of which man is not possessed, but to his actual capacities and wants, admitting or assuming their reality and strength, and striving to convince him that they never can be satisfied by anything but that which is so freely offered in the Gospel [1689]
2. Let us see to it, that this great offer of the Gospel be distinctly and specifically held up to the sinner’s view, instead of suffering his mind to rest in a mere negative conviction that the world is not a satisfying portion, or allowing it to roam at large in search of untried sources of enjoyment.
3. Let no man be invited to a general, indefinite reliance upon mercy as an attribute of God, without regard to that particular and only way in which it can and will be exercised to fallen man; but let him be invited to a share in the provisions of that everlasting covenant which God has promised to bestow upon him.—J. A. Alexander: Gospel of Jesus Christ, pp. 345–356.
[1689] A strange plant, called the nardoo, closely allied to the fern tribe, grows in the deserts of Central Australia. A peculiarly melancholy interest is connected with it, owing to the fact that its seeds formed for months together almost the sole food of the party of explorers who a few years ago crossed the continent. The nardoo satisfied their hunger; it produced a pleasant feeling of comfort and repletion. The natives were accustomed to eat it in the absence of their usual roots and fruits, not only without injury, but actually with positive benefit to their health. And yet day after day King and his friends became weaker and more emaciated upon this diet. Their flesh wasted from their bones, their strength was reduced to an infant’s feebleness, and they could only crawl painfully a mile or two a day. At last, when nearing the bourne of their hopes, they perished one by one of starvation, a solitary survivor being found in the last extremity under a tree, where he had laid him down to die, by a party sent out in search of the missing expedition. When analysed, the nardoo bread was ascertained to be destitute of certain nutritious elements indispensable to the support of a European, though an Australian savage might for a while find it beneficial as an alterative. And thus it happened that these poor unfortunate Englishmen perished of starvation, even while feeding fully day by day upon food that served to satisfy their hunger.
Is it not precisely so in the experience of those who are seeking and finding their portion in earthly things? They are contented with it, and yet their hunger is in reality unappeased. Their desires are crowned, and yet they are actually perishing of want. God gives them their request, but sends leanness to their souls.—H. Macmillan.
We are reminded—
I. OF THE SINNER’S MISTAKE. He seeks happiness in the riches, honours, and pleasures of the world; sustenance for his soul in mere confectionery, which may allure the eye and gratify the palate, but which leaves the appetite craving, and the frame unrefreshed.
II. OF THE SINNER’S DISTANCE FROM GOD, implied in the invitation, “Come unto me.” Considered as a fact, how astonishing it is—that the younger and well-beloved son should be found in this “far country;” how sorrowful—that he should be a swine-herd, and be hungrily devouring husks which cannot satisfy; how perilful—what must he the end of this alienation from God, and this vain attempt to satisfy the hunger of the soul with “carobs”?
III. OF THE SINNER’S DISLIKE TO THE GOSPEL, implied in the exhortation, “Incline your ear.” The evidences of this fact are all around us; what are its causes?
1. Unbelief—unbelief in the great fact that true happiness is only to be found in the service of God.
2. Pride, which rebels against the humbling declarations of the Gospel as to man’s natural condition, and his entire inability to do anything to merit salvation.
3. Love of the world and fear of man. These things go together. Men shrink from the necessity which the Gospel imposes of adopting a standard differing from that acknowledged by “society,” and fear that by doing so they will hinder their worldly advancement.
4. Desire for self-indulgence. The fact that the Gospel will make no compromise with sin renders it offensive to vast multitudes.
IV. OF THE GREATNESS OF THE BLESSINGS WHICH GOD OFFERS TO THE PENITENT AND BELIEVING SINNER. These are—
1. True satisfaction.
2. True and eternal life.—J. H. Stewart, M.A.: Lectures on Isaiah lv., pp. 25–40.
We have already considered the hunger and thirst which men feel in the way of spiritual cravings. Our text expostulates with those who resort to unhealthy and unnatural ways to satisfy those cravings in the pursuit of sin. It reminds us that—
I. Godless effort is misdirected, and therefore foolish expenditure. It is spending money for that which is not bread. Picture the folly which this would be in the case of famine and starvation. In spiritual matters this is being continually done. E.g.—
1. The mammon-worshipper is doing it. He spends all his energies upon the tasks of gain. What does he get? (Luke 12:20.)
2. The voluptuary is doing it. When the round of “pleasures” is exhausted, what is his reward? Vanity and vexation of spirit.
3. The merely religious formalist is doing it. Isaiah 1 clearly suggests what is to be got by the hollow pretences of religion. (See also Matthew 7:22-23.)
II. All this involves not merely expenditure, but spiritual loss. “You labour for that which satisfieth not.” Not only money, but strength also goes; and therefore the loss is not external to ourselves, but a part of ourselves. Labour wears men down physically, &c. So here: the supreme matter of concern is the soul-loss that results. Consider our Lord’s question on this point: “What shall a man gain,” &c. Even suppose we get the little all that we seek in the realm of mere materialism, what then? Think of the soul degraded, impoverished, helpless, hopeless. What can compensate for a soul in ruins? The life of the soul is everything to us.
III. This is a matter for reflection and decision. “Hearken,” &c. Observe—
1. One of the delusions of sin is that it throws men into a state of indifference.
2. The Gospel requires a man’s whole judgment and thought (Isaiah 1:18).
3. The Gospel also requires our voluntary surrender and obedience to God.
IV. The foundation of the Gospel offer. “I will make,” &c. Much is said of this Davidic covenant, and the brief interpretation of it is, that David’s history runs in the line of God’s saving purpose, begun in Abraham and fulfilled in Christ. Love is at the root of it all (chap. Isaiah 54:8; Psalms 89:28). Christ is the real David of our faith. In Him we see the sureness of God’s infinite love (Romans 8:31-32). All else is fickle, transitory, perishing. The one hope of the world that abides amidst all change is God’s love. Here only can our enduring satisfaction be found, therefore give heed to Christ’s own word (John 7:27).—W. Manning.