The Compassion of the Lord
55 “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.”
This is such a great chapter, and it completes the conversation from chapter 54. In chapter 54, the announcement was regarding the incredible forgiveness of the Lord, and now in this chapter the announcement has become an invitation, an invitation to experience that very forgiveness from the Lord.
The Lord has accomplished all of His promises to the people, everything is ready, the only thing which remains is for the people to accept the invitation and come. It’s a fantastic invitation from the Lord to come and eat and drink from Him without any cost, and verse three is incredible in that the Lord is inviting everyone to accept the invitation so that their souls (and ours!) may live.
This chapter is filled with promise upon promise from the Lord. It all begins with the incredible promise from the Lord that He can be found, that He is near, and that the Lord will have mercy upon and abundantly pardon those who seek Him (verse 11).
But there’s more! Look at verse 11 with the promise that God's word is going to accomplish its purpose. Then in verses 12 and 13 we find more promises; those who accept the invitation of the Lord and come will find joy and peace which goes beyond the physical return from exile. The imagery is wider and deeper than deliverance from physical captivity. This is again the crimson whisper of the incredible fulfillment of His promises to us all through His Son Jesus.
All this is quite stunning when we soak it in. God has accomplished His purposes, and the challenge of this chapter is for the people then, and for us today, to step out in faith and come, to taste and see that the Lord is good. To enjoy the great feast of the Lord in His kingdom. We are invited; we are free to choose to come or to reject the invitation. What will you do?
It doesn't matter where you're at right now in your faith, whether you've been far off or near to the Lord, consistent or inconsistent in your faith and love for Jesus, estranged or close to the Lord, on the outside or in tight; the invitation remains. The Lord is relentlessly calling you to deeper and wider things in relationship with Him. Will you accept? Will you come?
Will you let the Lord give you the greatest that He has in store for you, or will you settle for what this world has to offer? Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that we won’t face difficult and trying circumstances in our lives; we are never promised such things. However, what this does mean is that if we accept, we will have joy and peace in Christ because the Lord is with us in all things and our ultimate destination rests with Him.
God bless you and have a wonderful day! Know that you are constantly being lifted up in prayer.
Scott