#1033 Isaiah 55 Be Thirsty

 

“Come, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

3 Incline your ear, and come to me;

hear, that your soul may live;

and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David.

4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander for the peoples.

5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,

and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,

for he has glorified you.

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, that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither 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.

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

12 “For you shall go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall make a name for the Lord,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Isaiah 55 ESV

Isaiah 55

…27All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. 28Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.… Matthew 11: 27-29

1-5. Come, everyone who thirsts - Only those who thirst will come.

…5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.… Matthew 5: 5-7

37On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him. 39He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.… John 7: 37-39

It is of great note that Christ repeats this in similar fashion, "Come to Me", as it was of particular note in the past chapter, when in verse 5 it speaks of both Maker as husband and Redeemer as the Holy One. If it was not clear before as to the Servant, when God speaks to Israel it is the plural servants in 54:17. The Jews rightly accused Christ of claiming to be God, but wrongly accused Him of blasphemy in this. 

Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. 5For your husband is your Maker— the LORD of Hosts is His name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. Isaiah 54: 4-5

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD. Isaiah 54:17

Without money and without price - The offer is by grace (unmerited favor), not that it was of so low a value, but quite the opposite, you could never afford it yourself. It is through faith, believing that another (the Suffering Servant) has paid for it. God has no need for money, and there is no way to put a price on it, since it is to pay the wages of sin, and all you have to offer is said sin. 

…17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. 19“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”…

…20But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.… Acts 8: 17-22

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread - We want to be entertained, feel that we are successful, compare ourselves to others, find happiness in some perishing thing here. 

…2You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures. 4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.… James 4: 2-4

1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 3for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?… 1 Corinthians 3: 1-3

…34“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.” 35 Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. 36But as I stated, you have seen Me and still you do not believe.… John 6: 34-36

Listen diligently, eat what is good - Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee. Listen carefully, consider the source, use discernment. Not everyone who calls themselves a pastor is a true shepherd.

…11My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept His way without turning aside. 12I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.13But He is unchangeable, and who can oppose Him? He does what He desires.… Job 23: 11-13

…3The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4: 3-4

Delight yourself in rich food - So many times we miss out on so much during a sermon, for it is more rich than we are accustomed to, or it convicts the soul which is necessary to growth but distasteful to the ego. It should be taken with joy and thanksgiving, the truth sets us free, but we need embrace it.

11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! 13For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.… Hebrews 5: 11-13

And I will make you an everlasting covenant - Like His covenant with David, a sinner that repented when He heard the word of God, who begged God not remove His Holy Spirit from Him. He chastened David, brought Him to humility, and caused Him to love His word. 

i. God showed His great mercy to David; not only by sparing David’s life when he was guilty of murder and adultery, but also in blessings and preserving and guiding David every day of his life. If God promises us the same mercy He showed to David, we are blessed indeed.

ii. As well, the mercies of David are sure. They are certain. God never gave up on David, never stopped showing him mercy. We can count on God when He promises to us the sure mercies of David. Enduring Word

6-9. Seek the Lord while He may be found - It should go without saying, no one knows how much time is allotted to them, but we do know that we will all die. We will enter eternity regardless of whether we believed in it or not. God is eternal, and so will His justice also be. He is offering grace, but if we remain hardened, and do not accept His offer in Christ, then we enter eternity in our sin. God's wrath will be infinitely opposed to sin, and since we cannot become righteous of our own, then we will be forever paying for our sin and unbelief. 

…14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first. 15As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.” 16For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?… Hebrews 3: 14-16

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts - Repent and be saved. What good will it do you to hold on to your sin, deny your sin? If God has called it sin it doesn't matter what you think or feel.

26Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. 27You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.… Matthew 5: 26-28

For He will abundantly pardon - God is extending His hand to those who need but confess and believe. Remember, He didn't send His Son to save the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance.

…8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.… 1 John 1: 8-10

For my thoughts are not your thoughts - God is so unlike us, though we are made in His image, He is still above His creation, and we reason now from a fallen state.

1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. 3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.… Romans 12: 1-3

ii. The difference and distance between God and man is revealed, not to discourage us from seeking Him, but to keep us humble as we seek. “You may conclude that it is not intended that you should understand the infinite, for you are told that his thoughts and ways are far above you; but you are required to seek him while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near.” (Spurgeon)

27And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. 29For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.… Romans 8: 27-29

10-11. But it shall accomplish that which I purpose - God's word will not return to Him void. This should make every true believer an evangelist, first at home, then in all the world, everywhere your feet step. If you have turned your ear to listen, have loved the eternal food of His word, then those who have been born again shall have this springing forth from them. Your job is not to make men comfortable, God forbid, that is a morbid pursuit, a self glorifying exercise; no, we are to say what God has already said, knowing that it will accomplish all that He intends. If you want to see the greatest miracle, believe in Him Who He sent, study His word, pray and then share the gospel. Do not grow weary in this, for the gospel, not you, is the power unto salvation. So often we share with others thinking the burden of whether they believe or not lies in our ability to convince, but this is not a yoke expressed in Scripture. It should be our greatest joy and pleasure to proclaim God's truth and hope that we will see Him, by His Spirit raise up those who were once dead in their trespasses and sins. The success is guaranteed, flesh and blood don't reveal it to men, God has already called, and none that the Father has given to the Son will be lost.

15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. 17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”… Romans 1: 15-17

12-13. Instead of the thorn - He will restore all things, everything that sin has brought with it will be corrected in Him, to the glory of His name.

…23He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. 24But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches. 25David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.… Acts 2: 23-25

…55“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!… 1 Corinthians 15: 55-57