SEQ CHAPTER \H \R 1 INVITATION TO THE THIRSTY

Isaiah 55:1-13

Key Verse 55:1

1. In verses 2-3 the word ‘soul’ is repeated twice.  What does the word ‘soul’ teach about: 1) how God created man; and 2) what man needs for a happy life? (Genesis 2:7; Psalm 42:1)

2. In verse 1 alone the word ‘come’ is repeated four times.  What does this repetition tell us about: 1) the One who sends an invitation to the thirsty; and 2) the one who is being invited?

3. Based on the context of this passage, we know that the food (like “bread” and “richest of fare”) and drink (like “waters,” “wine,” and “milk”) mentioned are not literal.  What do they actually refer to? (John 6:33-35, 53-58, 63)

4. In verse 1, even those who have no money are asked to come, buy [without cost], eat and drink.  What does this suggest about: 1) the food and drink being offered; and 2) “you who have no money”?

5. The rhetorical question in verse 2 indicates that it is very foolish to spend money on what is not bread and labor on what does not satisfy.  Why do people keep doing this? (1 Corinthians 6:9) 

6. What do the following expressions reveal about the way to meet the soul’s needs?

1) Listen to me; give ear, come to me;

2) Come, buy and eat;

3) I will make an everlasting covenant with you;

4) Seek the Lord while He may be found; 

5) Call on Him while He is near;

6) Let the wicked forsake his way and evil man his thoughts; and

7) Let him turn to the Lord.

7. What promises does God give to those who follow these exhortations? (3-13)

  Invitation to the thirsty

Isaiah 55:1-13

Key Verse 55:1

This passage offers God's solution to the problems of an aching soul. 

1. In verses 2-3 the word ‘soul’ is repeated twice.  What does the word ‘soul’ teach about: 1) how God created man; and 2) what man needs for a happy life? (Genesis 2:7; Psalm 42:1)

** God created man to be not only flesh being, but also a soul/spirit being. Gen 2:7 Soul = nephesh 

Man consists of material and immaterial parts. The former came from below (earth - minerals), the latter from God himself.

** Man needs not only what is physical like food but also God himself. 

2. In verse 1 alone the word ‘come’ is repeated four times.  What does this repetition tell us about: 1) the One who sends an invitation to the thirsty; and 2) the one who is being invited?

** He is eager to give Himself to his creation.

** He is indifferent to his offer, for he is distracted by attractive distractions. 

3. Based on the context of this passage, we know that the food (like “bread” and “richest of fare”) and drink (like “waters,” “wine,” and “milk”) mentioned are not literal.  What do they actually refer to? (John 6:33-35, 53-58, 63)

** The author used them metaphorically. Metaphor = allegory, symbol, figure, or image, meaning something else.

** Ultimately they all refer to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit Jesus promised to give to those who believe in Him.

4. In verse 1, even those who have no money are asked to come, buy [without cost], eat and drink.  What does this suggest about: 1) the food and drink being offered; and 2) “you who have no money”?

** It is God's (priceless) gift. 

** We do not deserve to have this. In fact they are so valuable that no matter how much money one has, because the commodities are still worth more than all the money one might come up with, one is still is incapable of paying full price for it. 

5. The rhetorical question in verse 2 indicates that it is very foolish to spend money on what is not bread and labor on what does not satisfy.  Why do people keep doing this? (1 Corinthians 6:9) 

** It is because they were deceived by the devil's deceptions. 

6. What do the following expressions reveal about the way to meet the soul’s needs?

1) Listen to me; give ear, come to me;

2) Come, buy and eat;

3) I will make an everlasting covenant with you;

4) Seek the Lord while He may be found; 

5) Call on Him while He is near;

6) Let the wicked forsake his way and evil man his thoughts; and

7) Let him turn to the Lord.

** These seven categories identify the steps that we need to take in coming to 

fellowship with the Lord. 

First study God's word to figure out God's will; second actually digest God's word; third, commit your self to the Lord; fourth, keep seeking the Lord; fifth, cry out to him in deep prayer; sixth, thoroughly repent of the lifestyle which is inconsistent with God's character; and seven actually turn to the Lord. 

7. What promises does God give to those who follow these exhortations? (3-13)

** 1) v. 3 - your soul may live

2) v. 3 - you will find a true love, which is Jesus Christ

3) vs. 4-5 - you will become a source of blessing to all nations (as you will see in vs. 7-12)

4) v. 7 - you will find God's mercy (of having your sins forgiven)

5) vs. 8-11 - you will experience God's lofty ideals becoming manifested in your life.

6) v. 12 - 13a - you will see the condition of your external person being blessed as the condition of your internal person is blessed. 

7) v. 13b - you will no longer live as an instrument of wickedness (and therefore an object of God's wrath and judgment heaped upon you) but as an instrument of righteousness, revealing God's glory fully to all. 

 Invitation to the Thirsty

Isaiah 55:1-13

Key Verse 55:1

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost."

In this chapter the Prophet Isaiah offers us God's solution to the problems of an aching soul. The symptoms of an aching soul are many. According to the Apostle Paul they include “anger, rage, malice and slander.” Jesus goes one step further by saying that out of an aching soul (heart) comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. Of all the needs man has in life, then, the need of the soul is by far the greatest. In 3 John 1:2, the Apostle John explains this truth saying, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” Let us come to the passage and think about God’s remedy for an aching soul.

First, come all you who are thirsty (1)!

When our soul is aching one thing we need to realize is that it is God first who knows our problem – and better so that he is eager to come to solve our problem. This is just like the way our body works. If you have a stomach ache, for example, it is first your head (brain) that feels pain so that you think you have a stomach ache. The Bible says that Jesus is the head of the body called the “church”. We are the members of his church. So when our souls ache, know that it is God first who feels pains. It is even for this reason that He sent Jesus so that through Jesus, the Savior of the world, He would give us an eternal relief from all of pains. 

In the passage for today we see the Lord God coming to us with this eagerness to help. In his eagerness the Lord God keeps calling his children to come in and have a meal at a feast. The same was true with the Israelites. In a desire to fully satisfy and make his children happy, the Lord God established spiritual servants like the Prophet Isaiah. And through his servants today he keeps making phone calls to each of his children, asking them to come in and have a meal at the feast the Lord God has prepared for them. 

Look at v. 1. "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." In this passage we find the word "come" repeated four times. Surprisingly, however, this repetition contrasts God's great eagerness with our great indifference. On many occasions we do not know why we get so rebellious. When we read this passage carefully however we can see that God understands why many of us do not respond to God's call. Why? We suffer from a problem called “guilt-complex” also known as “guilt-trip.” God knows that we may think that we have sinned too much and so do not deserve to come back to God and sit around the eating table with him, and enjoy the meal at his feast. But he is willing to welcome us if we repent and come back to him, believing in his abounding grace. 

"Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." This passage then reminds us of the father's loving heart in Jesus' parable of a prodigal son in Luke 15. In Luke 15 Jesus shared three parables: the parable of a lost sheep, the parable of a lost coin, and the parable of the prodigal son. All of these parables, especially the parable of the prodigal son, reveal God's great love for the lost. One thing that draws our attention in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son is the basis on which the prodigal son decided to go back home. In a distant country, he went distressed and destitute. Then, he remembered his father's great love and said to himself, “How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” In his soliloquy we can read the son's conviction that his father, as well as his heavenly Father, would certainly forgive him of all of his sins and welcome him back home. This conviction of God's great love is the first and foremost important key to getting the problems of an aching soul fully satisfied. 

But not all people have this conviction. Rather, in their guilty consciences they keep condemning themselves and refuse to come back to God. In this way they break God's heart continuously. We know as well that insisting in a "guilt trip" is because of our own selfish pride. It is another way to express our distrust of God's great love for us. So we had better repent of our selfish pride, and accept God's love in sincere humility. 

Second, why spend money on what is not bread (2)?

In coming back to God there is another stumbling block we need to overcome. Look at v. 2. "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." Verse 2 consists of two sentences. The first is negative, the second positive. The first sentence talks about what cannot satisfy the need of our soul, the second one talks about what truly satisfies the soul's real need. Isaiah says that what the world offers is very costly, although it is never fulfilling: in fact what the world offers makes man only thirstier than ever. Standing in strong contrast is what God offers. Even though it fully satisfies our soul, and therefore it is pricelessly valuable, God gives it to us for free. Isaiah then says, "Your soul will delight in the richest of fare." The word "delight" means “great pleasure,” or "high degree of gratification." The expression "the richest of fare," especially the word "the" tells us that it is “the best of the best”. I know this is for sure through personal experiences I had before and after turning to the Lord. Let me start out with what my mother said when I barely started out my life of faith in the Lord, for I still remember what my mother used to say to me during those critical moments of my life as a young Christian. In the winter of 1971 one of my classmates in my law-school invited me to a Genesis Bible study. My mother did not like it. So, she said, "My son, do not get involved in Jesus' stuff, for they say that Jesus is like opium." Opium is like cocaine. I never tried opium or cocaine. My mom heard a lot about people whose life became miserable because of opium addiction. My mother was kind of worried that I would also become addicted to Jesus and become miserable like drug addicts. But later, as I discovered the joy of studying God's word, especially Genesis, I realized that God's word gives me the highest degree of gratification, so that I soon got addicted to it (not in a bad way, but in a way that constantly uplifts me). Sometimes God’s word gives me so much satisfaction (or so much of a spiritual high, if you will) that I feel as if I am walking on clouds! The peace that comes with it, the joy that springs from within, is so supreme that as I sit or lie down, I do not even feel like moving a finger or doing anything; I just sit or lie down amazed at the greatness of the peace ruling in my heart and the joy flowing through my entire being. 

But the problem is that not so many people realize that the fellowship with the Lord God is the only source of true entertainment and end up looking for pleasures in all the wrong places. They spend so much money on what is not bread and labor on what does not satisfy. For this reason the Lord God appeals to us saying, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." 

Third, I will make an everlasting covenant with you (2b-4).

Specifically, how does the Lord God satisfy us? What is God's plan? Look at vs. 3-4. "Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples." This passage tells us that in order to quench our thirsts, even from before the creation of the world, he made a special arrangement. Then throughout God’s redemptive history, he made his provision known to us through servants like King David. This provision is Jesus Christ the Savior of the world. The Lord God promised to send his one and only Son Jesus Christ. And he fulfilled this promise in his right time. As promised to King David, Jesus indeed came and then said to one thirsty woman in Samaria, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water" (John 4:10). Upon discovering that Jesus is indeed the source of true satisfaction, this lady left her water jar behind and ran into her town. She invited the townspeople back to Jesus saying, “Come and see this man! Could this man be the Christ?” 

On one of the Jewish holidays, Jesus went to Jerusalem and stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:37-38). In Revelation 7:17 the Apostle John testifies that this Jesus is our true soul mate who fully satisfies all the needs of our soul from eternity to eternity, for he says: “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

"Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live." Life with a soul includes not just the physical life while we are in this mortal body on this side of the grave but also the eternal life to come after the physical life is over. Many people think that when man dies physically nothing remains. But the Bible teaches us that even if man dies physically man's soul continues to exist. The problem with a soul without faith in Jesus Christ is that it remains cut off from God so that it is eternally separated from the presence of God. When Jesus came he explained this concept in Matthew 10:28: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." In this passage Jesus said that men may kill your body, but they cannot kill your soul, indicating that your soul survives your body. The word "destroy," and the location "hell," allude to the coming of the dreadful tragedy that awaits unsaved souls, for they are destined to fall under God's judgment. The eternal separation from God's presence after one's physical death is the beginning of the real pains of every unsaved soul. In order to give us eternal relief from the eternal pain of the soul, the Lord God sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ. "Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live." We thank and praise God for sending Jesus that in and through him we can come to the Father, for Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. 

Fourth, surely you will summon nations you know not (5).

God’s will to save an aching soul is not just for one or two people, or for some special persons, but for all peoples on earth. God exhibited this will of his throughout the Bible. For example, when God called one man Abraham he had the vision to bless all peoples on earth through him (i.e., the example of his faith). Likewise, through those who believe in Jesus, the Lord God desires to save all peoples on earth, for the world is filled with souls who are crying out for help.  

Through the Prophet Isaiah the Lord God shares the same vision of his world salvation. Look at v. 5. "Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor." The vision in this passage is consistent with the Lord's world mission vision as Isaiah shares in Isaiah 2:2-3, "In the last days the mountain of the LORD'S temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." Here Mt. Zion is an idiom for Jerusalem where the Lord's temple stood. This temple in Jerusalem foreshadows the real temple to come, that is, Jesus Christ, and his body (the church). Speaking of this truth the Apostle Paul said that the body of each person who loves and obeys Jesus is a living temple, consisting not of bricks or mortar, but of God's Spirit that resides in a believer's heart. For this reason, it is said that each Christian is the Lord's world mission center that is constantly moving. Last month (May), Shepherd Jonathan visited St. Petersburg to serve a message at the St. Petersburg UBF Spring Conference and worked as a moving temple. The Lord God used him as a world mission center that is on the move. He even published a website: www.APUBF.com. May the Lord summon nations Jonathan knows not. May APU coworkers love Jesus, the Holy One of Israel dearly, so that the nations they know not would hasten to them and learn of the Lord, and their aching souls would see the splendor of the Lord and rejoice in him.  

Fifth, seek the Lord while he may be found (6).

Indeed, the Lord's will and plan to heal and bless an aching soul is far greater than we can possibly imagine. In view of this grand and lofty will of the Lord, what should we do now? 

Look at v. 6. "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near." In the days of the Prophet Isaiah the people of Israel, especially those who lived in the Southern Kingdom Judah, did not seek the Lord as ardently as they should. Rather, they were seeking economic and political security through building more factories, buying more tanks and making more missiles. On the surface, during the days of Isaiah, especially under the rule of King Hezekiah, Judah as a nation seemed to enjoy prosperity economically and politically. But morally and spiritually the Israelites were close to hitting rock bottom. In many places of the book of Isaiah, the Prophet Isaiah gives us a vivid description of the Israelites pathetic conditions before God. Isaiah 1:4 is but one of them: "Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him." 

Had Isaiah been alive in our generation here in the U.S., the Lord God would have said exactly the same thing through him. On the surface this nation seems to enjoy political and economic successes. The so called “homeland security system” seems tight because our schools and airports are geared with all kinds of security devices such as metal detectors. But in God's eyes, the only thing the Lord would say to this nation and her people is this: "Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with gilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption!" Why did America, the nation meant to be the city on a hill, become like this? The answer is right here: "They have forsaken the LORD: they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him." Let us notice the name of the Lord: "The Holy One of Israel." Israel is a Biblical idiom for a believer. In the past, and even now, many believe that this nation is a Christian nation. But now can we honestly call her as such? 

But we should not despair. Rather we must pray that this nation and her people repent and turn to the Lord who says in all earnestness: "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near." Here, Isaiah added the qualifying phrases "while he may be found," and "while he is near." Another way to put it is: repent before it is too late. Looking at the moral and spiritual depravity of this nation, Billy Graham once said that the moral and spiritual condition of this nation is so pathetic that God's judgment on this nation is way overdue, that had the people of Sodom and Gomorrah come back to life, they would have sued God for mal-practice. So what should we do? Beginning with each of us, we must seek the Lord and call upon him while we still have the time to do so.

Sixth, let the wicked forsake his way (7-11).

Specifically then what should we do in repentance? Look at v. 7. "Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." Here the Prophet Isaiah adopted two ways to describe unrepentant sinners: the wicked and the evil. In the Bible, “the wicked,” is used in contrast to “the righteous.” “The righteous” refers to those who put absolute, undivided trust in the Lord. “The wicked” refers to those who say, "Who is God? I don't trust him; I trust my fist." In the days of Isaiah the land of Israel, especially the immediate areas surrounding the spiritual city Jerusalem, was filled with the wicked. With their lips they called God. But in their hearts, they did not really believe in God. Rather they believed in their jobs or the money sitting in their bank accounts. “The evil,” then, is the one who is evil. The English word "evil" is the word "live" written backwards. This may sound odd to you, but when you think about it, putting God out of your life and putting something else in God's place, such as your job or other visible security is not truly “living” in the true sense of the meaning of the word “living.” It is to live in constant anxiety. It is to live like an acrobat walking on a tight-rope, trying to balance so as not to fall. We should not live like this. We must live by faith in the Lord who is sovereign. 

"Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." As Isaiah understood, the Lord is not just someone up there, or some vague religious concept adopted to make it easier to call "God," but the Sovereign Ruler, the one who is the cause of all causes. In the Book of Isaiah the Prophet Isaiah uses the title "Sovereign Lord" 18 times. Each time he uses it, he does it to refer to the Lord who is the cause of all causes. One Rabbinic source says that Isaiah's active ministry spanned 86 years. During this period Isaiah lived under the constant threat of invasion of the Assyrian Empire which had been expanding its power for over 100 years before his commission as prophet (Isaiah 6:1-8:15). In the prophetic vision God gave him, Isaiah saw however that the heathen nations surrounding Judah were nothing but chess pieces that the Lord God, the ultimate chess player, was moving here and there on a chess board. But many people, especially political leaders, such as King Ahaz, did not believe in the Lord. They believed rather in their fists, computers, tanks, and missiles. 

So the expression, "Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon," is not just a call to have your life fixed up here and there but the call to change your life in a fundamental way, changing the foundation of your life on the Lord who will then not only forgive you of your sins, especially the sin of unbelief, but transform you first, and then your environment – not just spiritually, but financially as well, and not for a limited period of time here on earth, but in the eternity to come as well. Remember: God’s remedy is never a patch up job. God is a wholesome God. He desires to fix your life in a fundamental way. But before he can bless you fully, you must first be convinced of God's love – the love that forgives you of your sins, especially the sin of your unbelief and the sin of your constant doubt. Do you know what? Of all that makes God upset, your unbelief makes him embarrassed the most. So stop doubting. Turn to him in firm conviction that he will freely pardon you. 

Just in case you are not convinced yet, see what Isaiah says in vs. 8-12. Let us read this passage together. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’” This passage is kind of interesting because here Isaiah uses such words as "heavens," "earth," "rain," "snow," "seed," "sower," "bread," "eater," and then "mouth." He starts with heavens and ends with mouth – not your mouth, but God's mouth. Of course, right before this "mouth" of God, Isaiah puts the "eater." How does an eater eat? This morning I ate a piece of bread for breakfast. How did the bread get into my stomach? Through my mouth. And Isaiah ends his argument against your unbelief, by talking about you, the eater eating through your mouth and then the mouth of God who wants to feed you, just like a mother bird feeds her baby bird in its nest. Then the Prophet Isaiah talks about “my thoughts” and “your thoughts,” and “my ways” and “your ways.” He also talks about “God's word.” These expressions indicate then that putting trust in God is never merely a religious thing. It is a very practical matter, bringing about fundamental changes in your life (emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and, yes, financial too) in a very practical way. 

Seventh, you will go out in joy (12-13). 

How will the Lord God bless those who come to him by faith? The promises are plenty: first of all, v. 7 says that God will freely pardon our sins. Then, God will make our lives blessed, first inside, then outside. Isaiah explains this concept in vs. 12-13. "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD'S renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." Mountains and hills are symbols of things that do not change easily. Yet they suddenly change before you who repent and turn to God. In the past they used to seem as if calling curses on you. But when your inner person is changed, suddenly joy fills your heart, and peace flows in your soul like a river. Then, as you go out, mountains and hills which once looked sullen or indifferent suddenly burst into songs. Trees are normally indifferent to what’s going on around them. But they also suddenly clap their hands. Then, wherever you go, instead of thorn bushes, pine trees, which are symbols of everlasting youth, grow. More amazingly than this is that instead of briers, myrtles will grow. We know what briers are all about. They are terrible, so let us not talk about them. Then let us think about myrtles. What is a myrtle like? What is its characteristics? The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia gives us some insight: the myrtle is a beautiful evergreen shrub in the ancient world. Its fragrant leaves and white or pale pink flowers were used to perfume rooms and were also made into wreaths for the nobility in their banqueting. Its edible but astringent bluish-black berries were swallowed to sweeten the breath. This indicates the change of one's character and personality. As one stays in the fellowship with God, the Lord God transforms him or her into a man or woman with Jesus' image. Then one's soul is deeply and fully satisfied. He or she then will never go thirsty.

One word: Come all you who are thirsty