God’s Good Word of Pardoning Grace

Isaiah 55:1-13 

1 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David.
4 Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,
A leader and commander for the people.

5 Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
Because of the LORD your God,
And 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,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," says 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 comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

12 "For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the LORD for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

God has given His good word of pardoning grace to Israel and the nations (goyim) without requiring payment of good works to earn deliverance from His wrath on our sin.  Buying to satisfy our thirst and hunger is without such a price, though we know now that the price was paid by the Son of God who paid with His life and death as a sacrifice in our stead.  He asks why we would buy things that can never satisfy our souls as He alone can; only by listening to His word can we find what is good for our souls and which satisfies in abundance of that grace.  The message begins then by hearing and responding to the message given to us to enter into that eternal covenant He offers, one which is impossible to break on either side.  Neither God as the initiator nor we who enter in by faith and receiving it (John 1:12) can void it.  Salvation and eternal life are forever, not conditional and transitory as if it could be lost by further sin.  King David was given as a leader and witness of God’s grace, but his seed to come, Jesus Christ, is our eternal sovereign of mercy and grace whose reign never ends.  The nations (goyim) therefore run to Him for His glory and not just that of Israel or the rest of His people who we are in Christ.  Calling on Him in true repentance through turning to Him in faith by taking Him at His word (John 6:29) allows us to enter into His New Covenant of grace that grants us mercy and once for all pardon for our sin (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 10:10).  To us this makes little sense that we are not required to work to earn this salvation from His judgment on our sin nor to keep us from losing it, but that is why He reminds us in verses 8-9 that we cannot fully understand His thoughts or ways.  They are beyond us and we can appropriate them only by trusting His words to us to receive His work as ours and His righteousness as our own.  He promises that His word goes out with full effect and cannot be fruitless.  He further gives that word as the good news of this deliverance for us not only to hear, accept, and receive, but also to tell others.  He promises that His word will prosper in the opened ears and hearts which He enables by His Spirit to receive and respond to.  The effect is exceedingly overwhelming joy and peace with God in Christ (Romans 5:1) as He works toward redeeming all creation along with us (Romans 8:21-22).  This eternal and abundant fruitfulness of the soul with peace and joy is the sign of His work of grace in redeeming His people!