Isaiah 55: God's Invitation

One of the things that I love so much about God is how invitational He is!  We see this in such scripture as Jesus' message in the gospels of "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," and the Lord's announcement in Revelation, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock!"  We are certainly blessed to have a God who regularly beckons us to follow Him.

Isaiah 55 is a beautiful chapter that contains many such expressions of God's invitation to His people:

• "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (vs. 1).

• "Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.  I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David" (vs. 3).

• "Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near" (vs. 6).

• "Let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" (vs. 7).

Also in this chapter are other famous verses, such as the rhetorical question, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?  Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food" (vs. 2).  Additionally, verses about God's ways being higher than our ways (vs. 8 and 9) and God's word not returning empty to Him (vs. 10 and 11) are included. Finally, we have in this chapter the well-known verse, "For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst forth into song, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands" (vs. 12).

No wonder Isaiah the prophet is so beloved by God's people.  His messages are often encouraging and hopeful!