Isaiah 55:1-3 presents a profound invitation and promise from the Lord, urging all who are thirsty to come and receive freely the waters of life. It emphasizes that true satisfaction and fulfillment can only be found in God.
During the time of Isaiah 55’s writing, God is speaking to a discouraged people in captivity. Their future was uncertain and life was hard.
These verses unfold His path for moving His people from their thirst and longings to fulfillment, peace, and joy.
God is saying that they must return to Him in repentance for going their own way and for thinking their own thoughts. They can be sure that He will abundantly pardon your waywardness. He is a God who delights in mercy!
Isaiah 55:3 Can You Find True Satisfaction and Fulfillment Without God?”“Incline your ear” carries over from the idea of “let your soul delight itself in abundance.”
Whoever will genuinely “feast” upon the word must consciously incline their ear towards what God will say. This explains why two people can listen to the same message, and one benefit and the other not. Often, the one who did not benefit simply did not incline their ear to the LORD.
The benefit of inclining your ear to God is impressive. When we do it, we have life for our souls.
For the one who will listen to the LORD, God promises the everlasting covenant. From Isaiah’s perspective, this covenant is still in the future (“I will make”). It is characterized by “the sure mercies of David.”
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.
There must be life before hearing; men must be made alive before they can come to Christ spiritually, or hear his word so as to have a spiritual understanding of it, or savingly believe it.
By coming and hearing the Word of God, you should have something to live upon, good, solid, free, and satisfying.
Isaiah 55’s Concluding SummaryGod has plans in store for Israel that are far beyond what Israel can imagine during their exile.
God’s purpose will be established through God’s Word, which will give life to God’s people and the entire creation.
Let the wicked forsake His way: Isaiah impresses the need for repentance among God’s people. Repentance is simply turning around our way – turning from our own way, turning to God’s way. Simply, this is what it means to return to the LORD, and we can never walk on God’s way until we forsake our own way.
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Consider the Daily Bread email message sent on 3/23/2009 and 4/29/2024 which says,
Isaiah 55:3 – 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. (NASB)
Whoever genuinely feasts upon God’s Word must consciously incline their ear towards what God will say.
Those are the things that sell a church, but more important are questions such as these: Did you pray to and give thanks to God? Did you truly worship Him or were you just visiting? Did you bring to Him the gifts of your love and devotion? Out of a love for God, did you draw closer to Him, or was it only because you wanted something from Him?
To receive the Daily Bread email messages, free on Mon., Wed., and Fri., in your email inbox, just fill in the form below or send an email, and ask to be added, to jmikeh@jmhowington.com
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